2010 - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Type of School: (Check all that apply) / []Charter / []Title I / []Magnet / []Choice
Name of Principal: Ms. Beverly Johnston
Official School Name: Madison Station Elementary School
School Mailing Address:
459 Reunion Parkway
Madison, MS 39110-7191
County: Madison State School Code Number*: 26
Telephone: (601) 856-6246 Fax: (601) 856-5321
Web site/URL: http://www.madison-schools.com/mse/site/default.aspE-mail:
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge all information is accurate.
Date
(Principal‘s Signature)
Name of Superintendent*: Mr. Mike Kent
District Name: Madison County Schools Tel: (601) 879-3000
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
Date
(Superintendent‘s Signature)
Name of School Board President/Chairperson: Mrs. Shirley Simmons
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
Date
(School Board President‘s/Chairperson‘s Signature)
*Private Schools: If the information requested is not applicable, write N/A in the space.
The original signed cover sheet only should be converted to a PDF file and emailed to Aba Kumi, Blue Ribbon Schools Project Manager () or mailed by expedited mail or a courier mail service (such as Express Mail, FedEx or UPS) to Aba Kumi, Director, Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Office of Communications and Outreach, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Room 5E103, Washington, DC 20202-8173
The signatures on the first page of this application certify that each of the statements below concerning the school‘s eligibility and compliance with U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) requirements is true and correct.
1. The school has some configuration that includes one or more of grades K-12. (Schools on the same campus with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an entire school.)
2. The school has made adequate yearly progress each year for the past two years and has not been identified by the state as “persistently dangerous” within the last two years.
3. To meet final eligibility, the school must meet the state’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirement in the 2009-2010 school year. AYP must be certified by the state and all appeals resolved at least two weeks before the awards ceremony for the school to receive the award.
4. If the school includes grades 7 or higher, the school must have foreign language as a part of its curriculum and a significant number of students in grades 7 and higher must take the course.
5. The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from at least September 2004.
6. The nominated school has not received the Blue Ribbon Schools award in the past five years, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 or 2009.
7. The nominated school or district is not refusing OCR access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a district-wide compliance review.
8. OCR has not issued a violation letter of findings to the school district concluding that the nominated school or the district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes. A violation letter of findings will not be considered outstanding if OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to remedy the violation.
9. The U.S. Department of Justice does not have a pending suit alleging that the nominated school or the school district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes or the Constitution‘s equal protection clause.
10. There are no findings of violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in a U.S. Department of Education monitoring report that apply to the school or school district in question; or if there are such findings, the state or district has corrected, or agreed to correct, the findings.
PART II - DEMOGRAPHIC DATAAll data are the most recent year available.
DISTRICT (Questions 1-2 not applicable to private schools)
1. Number of schools in the district: (per district designation) / 10 / Elementary schools (includes K-8)5 / Middle/Junior high schools
4 / High schools
0 / K-12 schools
19 / TOTAL
2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: 8549
SCHOOL (To be completed by all schools)
3. Category that best describes the area where the school is located:
[ ] Urban or large central city
[ ] Suburban school with characteristics typical of an urban area
[ X ] Suburban
[ ] Small city or town in a rural area
[ ] Rural
4. 10 Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school.
5. Number of students as of October 1 enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in applying school only:
Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total / Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade TotalPreK / 0 / 6 / 0
K / 80 / 72 / 152 / 7 / 0
1 / 87 / 83 / 170 / 8 / 0
2 / 70 / 88 / 158 / 9 / 0
3 / 110 / 92 / 202 / 10 / 0
4 / 93 / 108 / 201 / 11 / 0
5 / 97 / 92 / 189 / 12 / 0
TOTAL STUDENTS IN THE APPLYING SCHOOL / 1072
MS-04 ms04-madison-station-elementary.doc 21
6. Racial/ethnic composition of the school: / 1 / % American Indian or Alaska Native4 / % Asian
18 / % Black or African American
1 / % Hispanic or Latino
0 / % Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
76 / % White
0 / % Two or more races
100 / % Total
Only the seven standard categories should be used in reporting the racial/ethnic composition of your school. The final Guidance on Maintaining, Collecting, and Reporting Racial and Ethnic data to the U.S. Department of Education published in the October 19, 2007 Federal Register provides definitions for each of the seven categories.
7. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: 6%
This rate is calculated using the grid below. The answer to (6) is the mobility rate.
(1) / Number of students who transferred to the school after October 1 until theend of the year. / 54
(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1 until the end of the year. / 37
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]. / 91
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1. / 1484
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3)
divided by total students in row (4). / 0.061
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100. / 6.132
8. Limited English proficient students in the school: 2%
Total number limited English proficient 18
Number of languages represented: 19
Specify languages:
Arabic, Punjabi, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Urdu, Hindi, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, French, Persian, Farsi, Bengali, Telegu, Flemish, Portuguese, German, Pular, Creole French
9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 12%
Total number students who qualify: 131
If this method does not produce an accurate estimate of the percentage of students from low-income families, or the school does not participate in the free and reduced-price school meals program, specify a more accurate estimate, tell why the school chose it, and explain how it arrived at this estimate.
10. Students receiving special education services: 10%
Total Number of Students Served: 110
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Do not add additional categories.
12 / Autism / 0 / Orthopedic Impairment0 / Deafness / 8 / Other Health Impaired
0 / Deaf-Blindness / 5 / Specific Learning Disability
1 / Emotional Disturbance / 81 / Speech or Language Impairment
2 / Hearing Impairment / 0 / Traumatic Brain Injury
0 / Mental Retardation / 0 / Visual Impairment Including Blindness
0 / Multiple Disabilities / 1 / Developmentally Delayed
11. Indicate number of full-time and part-time staff members in each of the categories below:
Number of StaffFull-Time / Part-Time
Administrator(s) / 2 / 0
Classroom teachers / 45 / 0
Special resource teachers/specialists / 20 / 4
Paraprofessionals / 27 / 0
Support staff / 4 / 0
Total number / 98 / 4
12. Average school student-classroom teacher ratio, that is, the number of students in the school divided by the Full Time Equivalent of classroom teachers, e.g., 22:1 24 :1
13. Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a percentage. Only middle and high schools need to supply dropout rates. Briefly explain in the Notes section any attendance rates under 95%, teacher turnover rates over 12%, or student dropout rates over 5%.
2008-2009 / 2007-2008 / 2006-2007 / 2005-2006 / 2004-2005Daily student attendance / 97% / 97% / 97% / 97% / 97%
Daily teacher attendance / 98% / 98% / 97% / 98% / 98%
Teacher turnover rate / 1% / 2% / 1% / 0% / 4%
Student dropout rate / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0% / 0%
Please provide all explanations below.
14. For schools ending in grade 12 (high schools).
Show what the students who graduated in Spring 2009 are doing as of the Fall 2009.
Graduating class size / 0Enrolled in a 4-year college or university / 0 / %
Enrolled in a community college / 0 / %
Enrolled in vocational training / 0 / %
Found employment / 0 / %
Military service / 0 / %
Other (travel, staying home, etc.) / 0 / %
Unknown / 0 / %
Total / %
PART III - SUMMARY
Madison Station Elementary School (MSE) is located in the heart of the fastest growingarea in central Mississippi.Our school, one of 19 in the district, is now the largest elementary school in the county with 1,086 kindergarten through fifth grade students, one principal, one assistant principal, 65 certified teachers,27 assistant teachers,three office managers, one maintenance employee, and eight cafeteria workers.
Founded in 1992 due to an increase in county growth, MSE was originally located in a 40-year old building.Six years ago, Madison Station moved into a new building that was built in the fastest growth area of our county, and at the same time began a lasting transformation of our mission and focus that mirrored the significance of our physical move.
Our mission states that in partnership with parents and community, we will provide all students the opportunity to excel through an arts integrated curriculum with relevant, diverse and challenging learning experiences in a safe and positive environment.
Our goals exemplify our belief that we should educate the whole child. These goals are: (1) academic excellence (focusing on a child's mind); (2) fitness and wellness (focusing on a child's body); and (3) arts integration (focusing on a child's heart/soul).
Accomplishing our goals would not be possible without an eager, willing, and extremely dedicated staff.MSE teachers know that we are not an average school.They are willing to arrive at school early, stay late, and spend time on the weekend to make sure meaningful lessons are ready for our students.As principal, I made a commitment years ago to provide each team of teachers with one hour of curriculum focus time once a week during the school day. It is inspiring to watch the teachers plan, share ideas, mentor new teachers, research and study a problem, write grants, and problem solve during these collaborative focus meetings.
Our teaching staff will readily admit that we have some of the greatest students and families in the entire country.Our children love to come to school each day.Indeed, they thrive with the hands on learning activities that we provide.Our very active and involved PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) is a vital part of our exciting and engaging atmosphere. Parents active in the PTO, regularly provide coordination and support for projects such as our annual Arts Night, various Book Fairs, a Science Fun Day, and many other activities.Our PTO provides much-need financial resources and parent volunteers to keep our school day interesting and unique.At MSE, it is common to see parents eating lunch with their children, reading toclasses, assisting with lessons, attending field trips, and tutoring children.
Proof of MSE’s excellence lies in our having earned the highest academic rating by the state of Mississippi for each of the last ten years despite an increasing enrollment (in excess of 1,500 last year) and the addition of new faculty members.Moreover, this year, MSE was one of only 13 elementary schools in the entire state of Mississippi to receive “STAR” ranking by the Mississippi Department of Education, the highest individual school rating available in our state.
Just prior to our move in 2004, MSE applied to be a part of the Whole Schools Initiative program of the Mississippi Arts Commission. Our application was accepted and we received and matched approximately $50,000.00 in grant funding over a six year period to implement our “Arts Across the Curriculum” program. We later combined this award with a $350,000.00 grant from the U. S. Department of Education and established our "Arts Create Excellence" (ACE) program which, proudly,is now financially self-sufficient.ACE has led to the hiring of an arts teacher, a part-time Spanish teacher, a Yamaha keyboard lab, numerous arts-related field trips, teacher training sessions, and the implementation of a very effective, parent-led arts instruction program known as "Arts Sense." Additionally, an annual "Artist-in-Residence” visits the school to introduce students to his or her art form and allow students the opportunity to create art in that form.Faculty membersspend time with the artist learning the art form and how to best integrate it into daily classroom instruction.Examples include a sculpture artist who helped fourth grade students construct a Mississippi history sculpture and a mosaic artist who created two masterpieces with the students.