Henderson County School District

Demographics

Number of Students: 6,978
Number Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch: 45%
Percent of Limited English Proficient: .003
Percent of Special Education: 14%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

• White 89.8%
• Black 8%
• Hispanic 1.2%
• Asian/Pacific Island
• Other 1%

Kentucky State Learning Goals state that all schools will proficiency by 2014. 

Proficiency is defined by a score of 100.

Elementary Scores: District, State

Please comment on any aspect of the data that you believe is particularly significant.

Steady and significant increase in reading and social studies, while all content area has improved over the last three years.  Henderson County was consistently above the state average in all content areas.

Please present additional information that indicates your efforts to build a professional learning community have had a positive impact on students and/or teachers.

We have true collaborative efforts through grade level meeting that occur three times a year for the purpose of aligning curriculum and developing unit organizers and common assessments.  Other efforts include book studies with all school and district administrators and workshop to improve leadership capacity in the areas of curriculum, instruction and assessment.

Please elaborate strategies you have found to be effective in the following areas:

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

• Examining student work occurs at the grade level meeting where teacher bring in student work from common assessments.  This enables the district to identify exemplar papers defining the depth of knowledge expected for learning at each grade level across the district.
• Common assessments are given across the district at the end of each unit of study. The common assessments were developed by classroom teachers during the district grade level meeting. 
• Scrimmage test were developed to provide student with an assessment experience that replicas the state assessment.  These tests include multiple choice and open response items. Teachers used the data from the scrimmage test to evaluate student learning and assist students to effectively answer an open response question.
• Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) from Northwest Evaluation Association is used to provide real time data to teacher, students and parent.  The data provides diagnostic information in the area of reading, math, language usage, and science.  The MAP is given three times a year and will provide growth measures for each student in each content area. The MAP is nationally normed which provides information about our students compared to the nation.
• Student portfolios are kept in grades K-5.  The portfolios provides the teacher, student, and parents with samples of work, assessments, conference notes, MAP scores and any information regarding the students’ learning. This portfolio is used in teacher-parent conferences and moves with the student as they progress through the grade.

2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.

• Extended School Services (ESS) are provided to all students who are identified as needing additional support.  This state funded program provides additional instruction before, during and after school through a plan developed by each school.  Research based strategies and programs are used during this time.
• Student Support Teams (SST) are in place at each school for the purpose of providing classroom teachers with strategies and resources to assist struggling learners.  .  Teams also help provide teacher with intervention plans for student issues. The team can be comprised of classroom teachers, special education teachers, guidance counselors, school psychologist, and the principal. 
• Summer school is provided for remediation and enrichment.
• Reading literacy plans are in place at each school to provide guidance for the staff in providing reading instruction and supplemental services for students who are functioning below grade level.
• Fast-Forward by Scientific Learning is used with second grade students who are reading below grade level.

3. Building teacher capacity to work as members of high performing collaborative teams that
    focus efforts on improved learning for all students.

• Grade level meetings provide times for teachers to develop strong units of study which include standards taught, unit focus, essential questions, assessments, rubric materials and resource available for the unit.
• One hour a week of common planning time is provided through the district funded enrichment teacher program.  During this time the teachers talk about student work, lesson activities, share resources and exam instructional research.

  List awards and recognitions your school has achieved

• Designated Exemplary Growth District for 2002-2004 and 2004-2006 bienniums
• State Professional Development Program Award from Kentucky Association for School Administrators
• Member of the Successful Practices Network developed through the Kentucky Department of Education and the International Center for Leadership in Education