RECORDS AND PROCEDURES

ANNUAL REPORT TO THE PUBLIC

The Annual Report to the Public of the Brinkley School District 48-01 was held at the Brinkley High School Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. on the 10th day of September, 2007. Present were a number of Board members, community members, members of the school staff and the media.

Dr. Byrd welcomed those present and expressed that he was very pleased with what he sees at the school; that good people and good staff were working diligently every day to educate the children of Brinkley.

C. B. PARTEE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Linda Hamilton, Principal, presented the C. B. Partee Elementary School report. She began her presentation by noting the elementary school has 333 students enrolled in grades K-5 and 19 preschoolers.

Mrs. Hamilton reported that they elementary staff are implementing the following programs or strategies to help remediate students not achieving the proficient level on the state benchmark exam or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS):

All students in grades K-5 are served in the computer lab.
The district has participated in the Reading Recovery program for at least 11 years and now has one teacher fully trained with this model. Reading Recovery is a one-on-one approach to teaching first graders reading strategies that make them stronger readers. The Reading Recovery teachers are also involved in teaching intervention groups in grades K-3.
The Partee staff has written and received an Arkansas Reading First grant for $90,000 and are beginning the fifth year of grant implementation. These funds are used to create a comprehensive literacy program in grades (K-3) and employ a literacy coach. This program is closely aligned with the Reading Recovery program and teaches explicit reading and writing strategies.
The teachers in grades 4-5 have participated in McRAT training, which is also a writing program. This has helped Partee’s students become stronger writers on the benchmark exam at both 4^th and 5^th grade. This year Partee’s teachers will be trained in additional writing strategies.
Partee’s math curriculum includes the Investigations math program at grades K-5. This program is designed to help students make sense of numbers. Partee has also purchased a calendar math program for grades K-3, and employed a K-5 math coach.
The GT teacher works with students in grades 3-4 on a pull out basis as identified GT students, and has implemented a strong enrichment program for students in grades 1-5. Partee’s GT students participate in the local and CO-OP GT project fairs every year and complete other projects and assignments throughout the year.
Partee has fully aligned its curriculum in math, literacy and science. This means that each grade level knows exactly what they are responsible for teaching.
This year we will complete Academic Improvement Plans for students in grades K-5 who are not proficient on the benchmark exam or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Partee staff will also complete Intensive Reading Intervention Plans for students in grade K-2 who were not proficient on the state kindergarten readiness test or ITBS in the area of reading. Additionally, parent conferences will begin soon to share this information with the parents.
The parent involvement program is in full swing this year. Partee had an open house with approximately 150 parents/guardians in attendance. The parent center is open two afternoons a week and a parent facilitator works alongside Partee’s parent coordinator.

Growth and school improvement is very important to the staff at Partee. These plans for the coming year along with active involvement of parents, school staff, community and students will continue to make us a strong school and community.

BRINKLEY MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL

Randy Cannon, Principal, gave the Brinkley Middle and High School report. He began by stating that there were 458 students enrolled, 42 highly qualified teachers and 5 instructional assistants in the middle and high school. Additionally, there is one full-time nurse, a social worker, and a resource officer. This includes grades six through 12.

The school is accredited by the Arkansas Department of Education and the North Central Association.

Mr. Cannon reported that the high school is in year four of school improvement and have many interventions in place to help improve the success of its students. Listed below are only a few of these interventions:

1. The staff is cooperatively working with America’s Choice in implementing their school design. The school design is focused on student work and uses five design tasks to provide improvement in the student work. The design tasks are; Standards and Assessments, Aligned Instructional Systems, High Performance Leadership, Professional Learning Communities, and Parent/Guardian and Community Involvement.

2. The school utilizes an eight period day which allows it to “double up” in the areas of math and literacy. These are the two areas identified that students need the extra support.

3. A leadership team has been implemented that meets weekly to develop strategies to move the students and teachers forward.

4. Instructional coaches are in place that assist the teachers in specific curricular issues and school design implementation.

5. Professional learning communities within the staff has been implemented. Teachers have used the results of the scholastic audit to research, report, and make recommendations to all staff ways that can improve instruction, acquire new content knowledge, and implement design. Several changes have already occurred coming from these small professional communities (egg. professional development in poverty and 9^th grade transitions).

6. The school has an extended day that provides tutoring four days each week which also includes a snack and transportation for the students. The school is also able to provide enrichment activities during this extended day.

7. Concurrent credit is offered for college courses given on and off the campus. The school currently offers college algebra and oral communications on campus during the regular day as well as taking students to Crowley’s Ridge Technical Institute and East Arkansas Community College each day.

8. Students participate in a “twenty-five books campaign” that encourages daily reading. The reading is documented and the students rewarded for their success.

9. Pre and post testing is being used to identify the weakness and gains of students, as well as “chunk testing” in math and literacy (formative assessments) to help improve in the areas of weakness while aligning the curriculum with state frameworks, and are using the benchmark and end-of-course tests to find strategies to help the students succeed. Breaking down and using the data provided from these tests and sharing the information with teachers is essential in student success.

Brinkley Middle and High School has three full-time special education teachers and two full-time aides. Both resource room and inclusion are used to provide services for the special needs students. Currently there are 52 students in this program.

There are 47 students that have been identified as Gifted and Talented in the middle and high school. These students are served by a combination of content trained classroom teachers, pullout, and advanced and advanced placement classes.

The Brinkley Learning Center is an alternative learning environment for those students that cannot be successful in the regular classroom. It is the intent of the ALE to transition those students back into the regular classroom and it has been successful in doing so. ALE students have also receive their GED from the program this year.

The middle and high school has two parent coordinators (one for each building) that are encouraging parent involvement in the school. They also produce a newsletter that goes to students homes.

FEDERAL PROGRAMS

Carol Byrd, District Federal Programs Coordinator, gave the following report:

Federal funds received by Brinkley School District include the following:

v Title I: Improving Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged

v Title II-A: Academic Improvement and Teacher Quality Programs

v Title IV: Safe and Drug-free Schools & Communities

v Title V: Promoting Informed Parental Choice & Innovative Programs

v Title VI-B State: Improving Academic Achievement

v Title VI-B: Special Education

Brinkley School District received $1,613,923.93 in federal funding in the 2006-2007 school year. The district’s funding for 2007-2008 has been reduced to $1,161,397 for a loss of $452,426 this year. This reduction in funding is primarily due to student loss, as federal funding is impacted by ADM.

Title funds support the following programs in the Brinkley School District:

§ Supplemental Educational Services

§ Professional Development Expenses, including teacher training, travel, and substitute pay

§ Formative Assessments – Provided through the Hot Springs Institute. These “Chunk Tests” allow teachers to assess the extent to which students are proficient in a particular area of a subject and/or what part of the area the student does not know or understand

§ Positive Action Curriculum

§ Six Pillars of Character

§ Parent Involvement Activities

§ Compass Software Training

§ Everyday Calendar Counts Math

§ Reading Recovery

§ Arkansas Reading First

§ Step Up to Writing

§ I Can Learn Lab

Brinkley School District currently employs six people whose salaries are funded 100% from Title monies and nine people whose salaries are partially funded by Title monies.

Letters have been sent home to the parents of students in grades 9-12 who are eligible for Supplemental Educational Services (SES). These services are available to low income students in districts in their second or higher year of school improvement. Provider Fairs have been set for parents who want their children to receive Supplemental Services to receive information concerning the different providers available to the Brinkley School District. The first fair was held on September 4, 2007. Several providers were in attendance. No parents attended, although several responses have been received through the mail. The other two fairs will be held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the high school building on September 11^th and September 17^th. The deadline for applying for SES is October 12^th.

GIFTED AND TALENTED

Kara Harvey, District Gifted and Talented Coordinator, made the following report:

The Gifted and Talented (GT) Program in the Brinkley School District prides itself on being in compliance with the Arkansas Department of Education. The facilitator works with all identified students in grades three and four on a schedule pull-out basis. Beginning this current year, identified students in grades five and six are now being serviced through the content areas. Several teachers participated in various content area training during the summer to provide several strategies for teaching differentiated curriculum. Other implementation plans include enrichment being taught in kindergarten through second grades.

The elementary students participate in the local project fair as required for participation in the program. At the conclusion of the local fair, these students can advance to the regional Great Rivers project fair held in Helena, Arkansas each year. This past year 100% of the elementary students participated and completed other assignments throughout the year.

Students identified at the middle and high schools are being serviced by the elementary facilitator. The elementary facilitator has additional responsibilities of coordinator and middle school social studies teacher as well. There are a total of 65 students enrolled in the program. Of this total number, 19 are at the elementary school level and the remaining are middle and high school students. The high school students are enrolled in Pre-AP, AP, and/or concurrent courses currently being offered through EACC and Crowley’s Ridge.

With several changes implemented to the program this year, the district is looking forward to a productive and challenging year with these outstanding learners.

DISTRICT TESTING

Jana Carroll, District Testing Coordinator, gave the following report:

Comparison of scores from spring 2006 to spring 2007:

The Arkansas State Benchmark Exam is given to students in Grades 3 through 8 in the areas of Math and Literacy (reading and writing). The scores for the spring 2007 administration of the test show an overall rise in the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in these areas compared to the spring 2006 scores.

Elementary Math scores (grades 3, 4, &5) showed a higher percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced. Elementary Literacy scores were higher for grades 3 and 5 and only slightly (2%) lower for 4^th grade.

Middle School Math scores for grades 7 and 8 showed a higher percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced while grade 6 math scores were 11% lower. Middle School Literacy scores for 8^th grade were up 13% while grades 6 and 7 were slightly lower (4% and 3% respectively).

Students enrolled in High School Algebra I, Geometry and Grade 11 Literacy are required to take an Arkansas End of Course Exam. The Spring 2007 scores showed a 6% increase in the number of students scoring proficient or advanced in Geometry and a 6% increase in the number of students scoring proficient or advanced in Grade 11 Literacy. However, there was a 6% drop in the number or students scoring proficient or advanced in Algebra I.

Three year trend – comparing 2004-2005/2005-2006/2006-2007:

In Elementary math (grades 3, 4 & 5), the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced has steadily increased each year for the past three years.

In Elementary literacy, 3^rd grade has shown a steady gain in the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced. Fourth grade showed percentage gain but showed a slight (2%) drop in the last year. The percentage of students scoring proficient or advance in 5^th grade literacy dropped but recovered and gained 5%.

In Middle School math, the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in 6^th grade increased but then dropped 11%. In 7^th grade math, the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced steadily increased over the three year period. The percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in 8^th grade math dropped but made gains the following year.

In Middle School literacy, the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in grades 6 and 7 increased in the second year but dropped slightly the third year (4% and 3% respectively). In 8^th grade literacy, the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced dropped 20% from year one to year two but recovered 13% from year two to year three.

In End of Course Algebra I, there was a 7% increase in the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced from year one to year two but then a 6% drop from year two to year three.

In End of Course Geometry, there has been a gain over the three year period of students scoring proficient or advanced.

In End of Course Grade 11 Literacy, there has also been a gain over the three year period of students scoring proficient or advanced.

Data collected over three year period (2004-2005/2005-2006/2006-2007):

Elementary:

In Elementary math, the achievement gap between the percentage of Caucasian students scoring proficient or advanced and the percentage of African-American students scoring proficient or advanced fluctuates among grade levels. In third grade, the gap is slowly decreasing. In fourth grade, the gap increased each year for the past three years. In fifth grade, the gap closed to zero percent but increased the following year to 40 percent.

In Elementary literacy, the achievement gap between the percentage of Caucasian students scoring proficient or advanced and the percentage of African-American students scoring proficient or advanced also fluctuates among grade levels. In third grade, the gap is slowly decreasing. In fourth grade, the gap jumped from 8 percent to 42 percent but decreased slightly in the last year to 33 percent. In fifth grade, the gap decreased by 2 percent but then more than doubled in the last year.

Middle School:

In Middle School math, the achievement gap between the percentage of Caucasian students scoring proficient or advanced and the percentage of African-American students scoring proficient or advanced fluctuates among grade levels. In sixth grade, the gap increased by 13 percent but dropped down to 1 percent difference. In seventh grade, the gap increased each year over the past three years. In eighth grade, the gap decreased by 34 percent but increased again by 16 percent.

In Middle School literacy, the achievement gap between the percentage of Caucasian students scoring proficient or advanced and the percentage of African-American students scoring proficient or advanced also fluctuates among grade levels. In sixth grade, the gap has steadily decreased over the past three years. In seventh grade, the gap increased 7 percent but decreased the next year by 8 percent. In eighth grade, the gap decreased by 12 percent but increased again by 9 percent in the last year.

End of Course Exams:

In End of Course Algebra I exams, the achievement gap between the percentage of Caucasian students scoring proficient or advanced and the percentage of African-American students scoring proficient or advanced has steadily decreased over the last three years.

In End of Course Geometry exams, the achievement gap between the percentage of Caucasian students scoring proficient or advanced and the percentage of African-American students scoring proficient or advanced decreased by 14 percent from year one to year two but increased again 8 percent from year two to year three.

In End of Course Grade 11 literacy exams, the achievement gap between the percentage of Caucasian students scoring proficient or advanced and the percentage of African-American students scoring proficient or advanced increased by 15 percent from year one to year two but decreased by 32 percent from year two to year three.

DISTRICT REPORT

Dr. Randy Byrd, Superintendent, gave the following report on district matters:

COKE CONTRACT: The Brinkley School District is in the 6th year of a ten year contract with the Coca-Cola soft drink company. Last year the district received a $6,000 commission off of its drink sales. This money was used to fund scholarships, professional development activities for the staff, student reward activities, physical education equipment, drama/stage production equipment, and to support the Arkansas Activities Association.

ASBESTOS: The Brinkley School District maintains a State and Federally approved asbestos plan. This plan includes required periodic asbestos inspections by the maintenance staff and superintendent, all of whom have been trained to inspect asbestos and hold certificates for this training. The State also requires a three-year asbestos inspection from a certified inspection agency. The District’s last inspection was performed on June 27, 2006 by Lakeview Management, Inc. The results of the inspection indicated no substantial changes in the condition of the existing asbestos containing materials at the Brinkley Public Schools.

BOARD TRAINING: Arkansas Law requires that each board member receive six hours of board training per year. As of this meeting date, this school board has compiled a total of 39 hours of annual school board training in just the 2007 calendar year. Hours completed for the 2006 calendar year were as follows: Jon Carroll, 23 hours; Larry Loewer, 21 hours; Dean Nash, 15 hours; Cyndi Doepel, 19 hours; Lovie Wofford, 25 hours; Ken Harvey, 8 hours; and Willie Oxner, 20 hours.

ACTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS: The following are changes that have been implemented by the Brinkley School District during the last few years specifically to increase student achievement, particularly those who struggle to meet state standards:

Double-blocked Math and Literacy for struggling students in the 8^th through 12^th grades.
Welcomed the HIPPY program onto the campus and provided them with office space to meet their needs.
Provided space for the “Backpacks for Kids” program which provides food to needy students for weekend meals.
Continued the “Chunk Testing” program in conjunction with the Learning Institute of Hot Springs to focus teachers on the state frameworks and standards based instructional practices.
Maintained instructional coaches in critical academic areas.
Continued the pre-kindergarten program.
Limited professional development activities held during the school day to out-of-school activities only.
Continued the teacher attendance bonus policy to encourage teachers to be in the classroom.
Maintained our partnership with ASU Jonesboro as part of their Educational Renewal Zone.
Increased or added the number of advanced, concurrent, and Advanced Placement course offerings.
Maintained after-school remediation programs through the 21^st Century program in both high school and elementary school.
Maintained low student/teacher ratios of 1 to 12.
Focused all professional development activities to standards driven instruction.
Focused teacher evaluation content on the appraisal of the presence of standards based instructional practices and methods.
Have secured grants for increasing resources to district teachers and students; high school 21^st Century, elementary 21^st Century, Gear-up Grant, Reading First, and Library Grant.
Have partnered with EACC and ASU Math and Science Center for enhancing math and science instructional practices.
Provide supplemental educational services at no cost to parents including after-school tutoring, enrichment in math and literacy, credit recovery, and ACT enhancement programs.
Have partnered with “Teach Arkansas” to enhance teacher recruitment of highly qualified teachers.
Incorporated the latest technology to improve instruction with programs and equipment such as A+, CEI Literacy lab, Elmo projectors, I Can Learn Lab, smart boards, Compass Learning, Vantage Writing Software, and the Read 180 program.
Maintained the accelerated reading program into the middle level grades.
Used the Compass Learning and A+ program to pre and post test students in order to assign students a pathway to work on areas of need.
Use a variety of test results (Benchmark, ACT, Compass, End-of Course, chunk, and tests) to drive district and school level decisions concerning practices.
Incorporated grade-level and subject specific pacing guides to assure that all state standards and frameworks would be taught by the time the benchmark test is given.
Continued the “America’s Choice” program developed by the state to aid in overall school improvement initiatives.

FUTURE CHANGES: The requirements placed on the school district by the Department of Education, compel the district to make some of these changes in a timely manner, as defined by the state. The district will endeavor to maintain the steady progress in test score improvement that has been seen over this time period, while being careful to constantly evaluate the effectiveness of the programs that are in place.

During the last year the district has seen a double digit increase in many of its tested areas of the benchmark exam. Unfortunately, the area of Literacy continues to lag behind the progress being seen in Math. This is one of the reasons the district has made the decision to create a dedicated writing lab solely to increase the writing opportunities of the students.

With the continued loss of students, the district has had to become leaner. However, it is proud of the fact that although we have had to trim the budget for staff, it has not had to reduce course offerings or programs for the students. As Brinkley School District moves forward, it will continue to monitor the progress of the students in order to provide them with the best education possible.

Dr. Byrd thanked the participants and the audience for attending and the meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m.

_______________________________ _______________________________

President Secretary