Miller’s Run School
2014-2015 School Report
Miller’s Run School Vision
“Miller’s Run School will be a welcoming and supportive community. Students will learn in a positive and respectful school that meets their diverse academic, social, and emotional needs resulting in motivated and dynamic life-long learners.”
Miller’s Run School Mission
Miller’s Run School is a safe, responsible, learning community
Miller’s Run School Mantra
Do the right thing
Miller’s Run School Universal Expectations
Allow Personal Space Be Respectful Care for self, people, and property Do our best
Message from the Principal As the Principal of Miller’s Run School, I am appreciative of collaboration among students, staff, and community members to carry on the development of a vibrant learning community. As a staff we have continued our focus on educating the whole child by preparing students to be effective citizens for their local and global communities. The network of systems and supports developed over the past two years provides opportunities for all students to pursue academic excellence, while meeting their personal responsibilities in safe, fun, and creative manner. The staff at MRS has persisted in their work on aligning the curriculum with the Common Core State Standards as well as modifying the school schedule to enhance academic and social learning opportunities for all students. Whether in the classrooms, around the school, or on field trips, MRS students and staff practice effective citizenship. Some qualities of an effective citizen for the 21st century are: self-awareness, collaboration, creativity, the ability to distinguish between fact and fiction, and knowledge of, and the ability to use various forms of technology. We focus on these qualities for the optimal benefit of all our students and our community.
The general behavior of our students throughout the school is directed by the implementation of the school’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) Program, modeled by the school staff in an exemplary manner. The success of this program has earned Miller’s Run School statewide recognition as a Purple Ribbon winner for the second consecutive year. PBIS uses discipline data to positively reinforce appropriate behavior. This data clearly shows a significant drop in inappropriate behaviors for the past two years. PBIS behavioral education is further reinforced by two other nationally recognized programs: Developmental Design and Responsive Classroom which enable students to advocate for their individual rights while contributing to the effective development of different groupings, such as grade level, interclass, multi-grade, and school wide. The benefits of these social and emotional supports are evidenced throughout all grades as our students have shown academic gains in all assessments administered through out the school.
At the conclusion of
last school year we increased teacher participation in the school improvement
team from four to six teachers and met throughout the summer of 2014. The
summer work of this team yielded two major changes to the students’ schedule
and some changes to professional teams. One
of these changes is the inclusion of a school-wide enrichment block just before
lunch, enabling us to provide remedial and enrichment support to all students.
The assessment data clearly shows a positive correlation to this block for
student support. The second schedule change is a product of necessity and demonstrates
our desire to teach students the importance of reflection. We have created a 30 to 45 minute block
called Friday Finale to reflect on the week’s learning. The last
Friday Finale of the month is dedicated to school-wide assemblies, while the
other Friday Finales of the month focus on class-wide or multi class-wide
activities. Please be sure to visit our school website for some pictures of
these activities. Changes have been made to staff’s scheduled professional
development work during and after the school day. All of these changes are designed to improve
the academic, social, and emotional growth of our students with maximum input
from all involved in a thoughtful and organized manner. The first half of this school year has shown
these changes to be prudent and productive.
It is important to
recognize all individuals who contribute their personal time to volunteer for
Miller’s Run School. On behalf of our students and staff, I thank you. I also
thank our dedicated school board members who not only strive to meet the
educational needs of all students optimally, but also do so with a sincere
regard for the cost to the taxpayers. It is with this balancing act in mind
that we are purposing to reduce a classroom teacher for the upcoming school
year. I encourage you to attend the school board meetings on
third Monday of each month at 6:00 P.M. in our school’s Art
and Music Room. Purpose
Miller’s Run School is required under the Federal No Child Left Behind legislation to report student performance results to the community annually. This report is based on the 2014-2015 school year data, and is designed to meet this requirement by presenting community members with important information about our school.
Miller’s Run School, School Improvement Plan Our school maintains a comprehensive School Wide Plan that details the strategies being implemented to improve the total instructional program of the school. These strategies use local funds and federal Titles grant funds as allowed, with the purpose of improving student performance. The following areas are included in the plan.
Five-Year Student Enrollment Data in Grades K – 8
Quality Indicators
At MRS we strive to meet the Vermont School Quality Standards by providing a rich and comprehensive experience to develop the whole child. Programs, performances, and activities are funded by grants, local funds, and volunteer efforts. MRS has an established Parent support group whose efforts support many activities for students. · Behavioral and academic supports provided at MRS
· The After School Program Provided at MRS
· The School Clubs Available to Students at MRS
Professional Qualifications
The Miller’s Run School staff has a wide variety of expertise, education, and experience. The following chart indicates how many teachers hold the following levels of education.
The Federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) requires that all K-12 public school teachers who teach core subjects meet certain criteria for being highly qualified (HQT) for their position. Core subjects include English, reading/language arts, math, science, foreign language, social studies, art, music, elementary education and early childhood education. Special educators must also meet HQT requirements when they provide primary instruction in a core academic subject.
The NCLBA law requires our school to inform you about the qualification of your child’s teacher. The number and percentage of core classes taught by teachers who were not Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) for their assignments, in the 2013-2014 school year was 3 out of 23, or 13.4%. The number of teachers on an emergency license in the 2012-2013 school year was 1 out of 23 teachers or 4.35%.
Parental Rights Notice for Teacher/Paraprofessional Qualifications
Parents have the right to request information as to whether their child’s teacher has met the state qualification and licensing criteria. Parents may also request whether the teacher is teaching under a waiver or provisional license. The request can also include what the designated major of the teacher was in his/her bachelor degree. If the child receives services from a paraprofessional, the paraprofessional’s qualification may also be requested. Please call Principal Sikander Rashid at 626-9755 if you would like to request any of this information.
Miller’s Run School State Wide Assessment Results
The following graphics represents Miller’s Run School’s students’ performance in the New England Common Assessment administered annually to students in grades three through eight. The results shown are school wide in Reading and Math for the years 2009 to 20013. In addition science results for grades 4 and 8 are shown for years 2010 to 2014. As can be seen our students performance in these tests have not been optimal, but we are confident that with the curricular and instructional changes we are making our students will perform better in the new assessment replacing NECAP in Language Arts and Math. We are currently developing procedures and protocols for the implementation of Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium (SBAC) for a pilot administration in May 2015 for students in grades 3-8. It is a computer-based test and with appropriate technology and instructional practices embedding technology across the curriculum we feel that our students should perform better than they have been able to in NECAP. Our science program in Middle School has been effected by the instability of teaching staff but we were fortunate to have hired a highly qualified Science teacher who has turned this program around and with the help f CNSU science coach is preparing for the Science NECAP to be administered to 4th and 8th grade in May. CNSU science coach is supporting the 4th grade teacher as well in her preparation for this assessment.
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