Dyersburg High School Application: 2004-2005, No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools

2004-2005 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program

U.S. Department of Education

Cover Sheet Type of School: __ Elementary __ Middle X High __ K-12

Name of Principal Mr. James S. Miles

(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the official records)

Official School Name Dyersburg High School

(As it should appear in the official records)

School Mailing Address___125 Highway 51 ByPass W.______

(If address is P.O. Box, also include street address)

_Dyersburg______TN______38024-0124______

City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)

County __Dyer______School Code Number*____0015______

Telephone ( 731)286-3630 Fax ( 731)286-2209

Website/URL http://www.dcs.k12tn.net/dcs/index.html E-mail

I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my knowledge all information is accurate.

Date______

(Principal’s Signature)

Name of Superintendent* Lloyd W. Ramer

(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)

District Name Dyersburg City Schools Tel. ( 731 ) 286-3600

I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.

Date______(Superintendent’s Signature)

Name of School Board

President/Chairperson Dr. Randall Prince

(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)

I have reviewed the information in this package, including the eligibility requirements on page 2, 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.

PART I ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION

[Include this page in the school’s application as page 2.]

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 of Civil Rights (OCR) requirements is true and correct.

1.  The school has some configuration that includes grades K-12. (Schools with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an entire school.)

2.  The school has not been in school improvement status or been identified by the state as "persistently dangerous" within the last two years. To meet final eligibility, the school must meet the state’s adequate yearly progress requirement in the 2004-2005 school year.

3.  If the school includes grades 7 or higher, it has foreign language as a part of its core curriculum.

4.  The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from at least September 1999 and has not received the 2003 or 2004 No Child Left Behind – Blue Ribbon Schools Award.

5.  The nominated school or district is not refusing the OCR access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a districtwide compliance review.

6.  The 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 the OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to remedy the violation.

7.  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.

8.  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 DATA

All data are the most recent year available.

DISTRICT (Questions 12 not applicable to private schools)

1. Number of schools in the district: _2___Elementary schools

_1___Middle schools

_____Junior high schools

_1___High schools

_____Other

_4____TOTAL

2. District Per Pupil Expenditure: _$7,561.00______

Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: __$6,997.00______

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

[ ] Suburban

[ X ] Small city or town in a rural area

[ ] Rural

4. 9 Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school.

N/A If fewer than three years, how long was the previous principal at this school?

5. Number of students as of October 1 enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in applying school only:

[Throughout the document, round numbers to avoid decimals.]

6. Racial/ethnic composition of 71 % White

the students in the school: 28 % Black or African American

1 % Hispanic or Latino

% Asian/Pacific Islander

% American Indian/Alaskan Native

100% Total

Use only the five standard categories in reporting the racial/ethnic composition of the school.

7. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: __11______%

(This rate should be calculated using the grid below. The answer to (6) is the mobility rate.)

8. Limited English Proficient students in the school: ____1_%

___3____Total Number Limited English Proficient

Number of languages represented: _1______

Specify languages: Guharti (Indian)

9. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: ___42__%

Total number students who qualify: ___402_____

10. Students receiving special education services: ____10__%

____86___Total Number of Students Served

Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

__0__Autism _ 1_Orthopedic Impairment __3_Multiple Disabilities

__0__Deafness _ 0_Other Health Impaired _29__Mental Retardation

__0__Deaf-Blindness _32_Specific Learning Disability __0__Traumatic Brain Injury

__7__Emotional Disturbance __0_Speech or Language Impairment __0__Hearing Impairment

__1__Visual Impairment Including Blindness

11.  Indicate number of fulltime and parttime staff members in each of the categories below:

Number of Staff

Full-time Part-Time

Administrator(s) ____4______

Classroom teachers ___56______1_____

Special resource teachers/specialists ___12______

Paraprofessionals ____4______

Support staff ___ 21______4_____

Total number ___ 85______

12. Average school student-“classroom teacher” ratio: _1:16______

13. Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a percentage.

The discrepancy between drop-off and dropout of students is one of concern. However, in 2003-2004, the drop-off score declined and we hope it heralds a new trend. Major impact on these rates came from (1) three manufacturing plants closing. Large numbers of people lost their jobs. (It was common for parents and children to work at the same plant.) People moved away to find jobs. (2) Eighteen-year-old students who worked part-time and went to school, lost these jobs, and moved elsewhere, or dropped out to get jobs. (3) A new school was built nine miles away and families in that end of the county sent their children there. Approximately 100 students moved to the new school. Hopefully, that shock has settled, and the mobility of DHS school population is beginning to stabilize.

14. Show what the students who graduated in Spring 2004 are doing as of September 2004.

PART III SUMMARY

Dyersburg High School opened its doors in 1886, graduating its first class in 1888. The present-day facility, originally a five-million-dollar structure, has been the home for Dyersburg High School students since 1971. The mission and vision have always encouraged our commitment to excellence and fostered a sense of Trojan Pride.

The school has 70 classrooms, most of which are arranged in departmental units. Each classroom is computer-networked, and a computer station is provided for each teacher. In addition, many classrooms have multiple student stations. The main classroom building has two floors. The hub of the first floor is the Commons, and the hub of the second floor is the Media center. Dyersburg High School includes seven stand-alone computer labs.

The present forty-acre campus has outstanding indoor and outdoor athletic facilities for other student activities. The stadium has seating for 4200, four ticket offices, a press box, concession facilities, and an all-weather 400-meter track. The gymnasium will seat 1600 on the lower level. Lights were installed on the baseball field in 1989, and a football field and an eight-million-dollar Sports Complex were added to the DHS campus in l999. A greenhouse was built in 2002 to expand the DHS agricultural program.

Indoors facilities for other student activities include the Commons, the Little Theater, and Media Center. The Commons, designed to serve many purposes, is used primarily as the dining area. The Little Theater, the best-equipped theater in Dyersburg, seats 504 and is used frequently for community functions. The Media Center is equipped with print and online resources, including more than 17,000 books and 26 MacIntosh computers.

During the 2000-2001 school year, the Dyersburg High School administration began consulting with an architectural firm to discuss repairs, renovations, and security issues. However, in May of 2003 Dyersburg High School suffered over three million dollars worth of damage due to a tornado. This natural event shifted the administration's concern. Many areas that suffered damage were restructured and repaired during this time. The priorities were to repair the roof and ceiling-tiles, and to repair the carpet so that school could continue. Something wonderful that came out of the tornadic disaster of 2003 was the special bonding among teachers, students, community, and administrators who worked tirelessly to restore, save, and repair DHS.

Dyersburg High School has been accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools since 1921 and in 1991 was named a National School of Excellence, one of the highest honors which may be bestowed upon a secondary school. Dyersburg High School has contributed immensely to the educational opportunities of the youth of the community. In the year 2004-05, DHS was one of seven schools in the state nominated by the Commissioner of Education for the Blue Ribbon Award.

Dyersburg High School also houses a GED Option program on campus. In 2003, DHS faced elimination of the program unless it was utilized on campus. Since its origin at DHS, the GED Option program has graduated approximately thirty-five students.

Every student at DHS, no matter the ability, receives opportunities to be successful, to learn skills that enhance his life, and encouragement to commit to his own excellence.

PART IV – INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS

1.  The state of Tennessee has been focused on raising student achievement scores and developing tests that measure a school’s performance in improving those scores. The state report card reports disaggregated data so schools can be aware of their commitment to the students. Are they being exposed to skills and concepts and content the state, indeed the nation, needs them to be?

End of course tests were developed for physical science, chemistry, U.S. history, geometry, physics, English 10, biology, algebra, geography, and English 9. Eventually all of these will be given at various times of a student’s high school career. Tennessee designated biology, English II, and Algebra I as the Gateway tests which are required to be passed in order to graduate. The other end of course tests do not have to be passed for grade level promotion, but the scores count as 15% of the grade for the semester they are taken.

Reporting of Gateway scores rank the students as below proficient, proficient, and advanced by percentile. This is published on the state website: http://www.state.tn.us/. DHS has scored above 95% in all three Gateways. Gateway Biology, Gateway Algebra I, have been given for three years (2001-04). Gateway English II was delayed for a year, therefore, we only have data for 2002-04. DHS also scored high on Gateway English II.

The report card indicates that of all students completing the Algebra I Gateway greater than 95% were “proficient” or “advanced”; on the Gateway English II more than 97% of all students were “proficient” or “advanced”. Considering the subgroup of economically disadvantaged, 100% were “proficient” or “advanced” on the Algebra I test and 97% on the English II test. Considering the subgroup of African-American students, 100% scored “proficient” or “advanced” on the Algebra I test and 98% on the English II test. The state only reports in percentiles of “below proficient”, “proficient” and “advanced”.

2.  Assessment data is used to understand and improve student achievement and school performance. Data is constantly discussed throughout the year in faculty study groups, inner-departmental meetings, and across disciplines. Teacher made pre- and post-tests are analyzed for student placement. The English and math departments work closely with the Dyersburg Middle School teachers and guidance counselor to pre-test, analyze stanine and TCAP scores, and to have advisory talks with parents before placing these students where they will be most successful. Tennessee is dedicated to the task of leaving no child behind and is furnishing the data that helps DHS to redesign and realign our state standards with the national standards. The disaggregated data shows small gaps among the genders, ethnic groups, and economically disadvantaged subgroups. Now that we are getting this information, we can act on it to make sure our vision and mission meet student needs. The DHS faculty considered time as an important variable in getting students ready for exit exams. The school changed its curriculum in content (curriculum mapping) and course sequence. Competency English was added as a ninth grade course so that the economically disadvantaged and ethnic subgroups could have more time to prepare for the sophomore tests. We have added student tutoring, before and after school, which allows our bus students an extra 1 1/2 hours a day for remediation. The library is open one hour before and after school to allow student access to resources and the computer lab. Students can use tutorials such as “Follow the Leader” and “Learning 100”, a reading program. Our curricular objectives have been written to differentiate ability levels for our students. Assessment is more than test scores. Observational assessment finds DHS students who may be weak in academics are often found to be talented in the arts. There are several opportunities for these students to act, sing, dance, play an instrument, paint, sculpt, or “throw a pot”. Sometimes the self-respect and self-worth in the arts carries over to improved attendance and to success in academics. The ACT is offered to all students with 95% of our college-bound students taking the ACT. For the last five years DHS has scored above the state and national averages on the ACT.