THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
NICHOLAS COUNTY
BOARD MEMBERS
Lloyd K. Adkins, President
Philip Berry
Barbara Taylor
Bob M. O’Dell
Jason Swager
400 OLD MAIN DRIVE SUMMERSVILLE, WV 26651
Phone (304) 872-3611  Fax (304) 872-4626
SUPERINTENDENT
Beverly Kingery
February 28, 2011
Jan Stanley, State Title I Director
Executive Director, Office of Title I
Division of Educator Quality and System Support
West Virginia Department of Education
1900 Kanawha Blvd., East
Bldg. 6, Room 330
Charleston, WV 25305
Re: Richwood High School, NCES ID # 540102000847
Dear Ms. Stanley:
Please accept this letter and attachments as intent to make application for a school
improvement grant authorized by section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act on behalf of Richwood High School, a Tier II school. Nicholas County
Schools will implement the transformational model at Richwood High School.
Enclosed are the Needs Assessment, a District Capacity Index, and a preliminary budget
for all three years of the grant. A leadership team consisting of Richwood High School
and Central Office staff has led the involvement of the total school faculty in developing
these documents.
We appreciate your assistance and will be happy to quickly supply any additional
information you might need.
Sincerely,
Beverly Kingery, Superintendent
Nicholas County Board of Education
District Capacity Index
Criteria
Poor
1 point
Commendable
3 points
Points
Earned
No SEA intervention
3
Findings in areas
requiring a repayment of
funds
Satisfactory
2 points
Limited SEA
intervention
Findings in areas
noted-repayment of
funds not required
LEA governance
State takeover district
Title I audit reports
No findings in the
fiscal area
2
LEA overall
achievement ranking
Bottom
(5% = 3 districts)
Middle
(70% = 38 districts)
Top
(25% = 14 districts)
2
Approval of the district
strategic plan by the
SEA
Not approved by the SEA
Approved by the
SEA with revisions
Approved by the SEA
without revisions
3
0-50% of the Title I
schools met AYP.
51-75% of the Title I
schools met AYP.
76-100% of the Title
I schools met AYP.
3
The practice of PLCs
is deeply embedded
in the culture of the
school. It is a driving
force in the daily
work of the staff. It
is deeply internalized
and staff would resist
attempts to abandon
the practice.
2
(entire plan, not just the Title
I section)
Percentage of Title I
schools that met AYP
in the last testing cycle
Development of schools
as professional
learning communities
Identification of district
leadership team and
assignment of
responsibilities
School Leadership
Team
The school has not yet
begun to address the
practice of a PLC or an
effort has been made to
address the practice of
PLCs, but has not yet
begun to impact a critical
mass of staff members.
No district leadership
team nor identified
person assigned for
monitoring
implementation
School leadership team
members are identified
on the district and school
level, but little evidence
is produced to document
whether the requirements
of NCLB Sections 1116
and 1117 have been met.
A critical mass of
staff has begun to
engage in PLC
practice. Members
are being asked to
modify their thinking
as well as their
traditional practice.
Structural changes
are being met to
support the transition.
Lacks specific
identification of
personnel for the
district leadership
team and for
monitoring
implementation.
School leadership
team members are
identified on the
district and school
level and evidence is
produced to
document whether
the requirements of
NCLB Sections 1116
and 1117 have been
met.
A specific district
leadership team is
identified and one or
more persons are
assigned for
monitoring
implementation.
School leadership
team members are
identified on the
district and school
level and include a
wide range of
stakeholders (e.g.,
parents; representatives of
institutions of higher education;
representatives of RESA or
representatives of outside
consultant groups).
Evidence is produced
to document whether
the requirements of
NCLB Sections 1116
and 1117 have been
exceeded.
Total Points
3
3
21
Districts must obtain a score of 20 out of 24 possible points to demonstrate capacity to provide
adequate resources and related support to each Tier I and Tier II school identified in the LEA’s
application in order to implement fully and effectively the selected intervention/activities in each
identified school.
Revisions to Capacity Index:
1. A copy of the rubric demonstrating no revisions for the Title I plan is attached. (See Attachment
5.)
2. The Nicholas County Strategic Plan was approved.
2011
Strategic
Plan
RLIS
IDEA
NICHOLAS Approved Approved Approved
Technology Title I
Title II
Title III
ARRA ARRA ARRA ARRA
Title IV Title I IDEA EETT Stabilization
Approved Approved Approved
3. 100% of Nicholas County Title I schools met AYP.
4. The practice of utilizing Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) as a vehicle for professional
development was introduced on the district level three years ago. Central office personnel
received professional development on the topic through sessions provided by the WVDE. School
board members, principals, and central office staff have engaged in several book studies centered
on leadership and increasing student achievement, including Classroom Assessment for Student
Learning, Results Now, and From Good to Great. These provided the framework for rich
professional discussions and gave those in leadership positions the opportunity to experience a
PLC first hand. Principals and central office staff are now organized in PLCs around self-selected
topics and meet several times a year as a part of principals’ meetings.
Copies of Classroom Instruction That Works were purchased for each school to put
research-based instructional strategies in the hands of teachers and to extend the PLCs to
the school level. In some schools, PLCs now meet weekly and the members have moved
beyond book studies to focus on continuous improvement through data analysis, setting
SMART goals, and tracking student progress on classroom and benchmark assessments.
Teachers take turns facilitating the meetings and set the agendas. In other schools, PLCs
meet sporadically and members do not seem to have a clear purpose for meeting.
However, Nicholas county is moving steadily to 100% of its schools incorporating PLCs
and should reach that goal next year.
5. The District Leadership Team consists of:
a. Beverly Kingery, Superintendent
b. Damon Hanshaw, Assistant Superintendent
c. Linda Keeney, Title I Director
d. Susan Barrett, School Improvement Coordinator
6. The Richwood High School Leadership Team consists of:
a. Carter Hillman, Principal
b. James Weber, Assistant Principal
c. Susan Johnson, Teacher
d. Rocco Milanese, Teacher
e. Kristina Dotson, Teacher
f. Nancy Losh, Teacher
g. Jason Rogers, Teacher
Attachment 2
Needs Assessment and Root Causes
Richwood High School—Nicholas County, WV
Requirement 1: The LEA has analyzed the needs of each Tier I and Tier II school
identified in the LEA’s application and has selected an intervention for each school.
Overview of school AYP data
 AYP status—On Improvement
o Richwood High School met two of three AYP targets
o The school met the Graduation Rate Indicator by Improvement
 2008-09 Graduation Rate was 76.92%
 2009-10 Graduation Rate was 79.05%
o
o



The School did not meet the required Participation Rate of 95%
 The participation rate in Math by All students was 94%
 The participation rate in Math by Low SES students was 93%
 The participation rate in Reading and Language Arts by Low
SES students was 93%
Richwood High School met the Assessment Standards Indicator by
confidence intervals:
 28% of all students were proficient in Math (confidence interval
18)
 19% of Low SES students were proficient in Math (confidence
interval 15)
 21% of Low SES students were proficient in Reading
(confidence interval 12)
School improvement status and applicable sanctions—Richwood High School (NCES ID #
540102000847) has been identified as a Tier II school.
Number of required instructional days/minutes within the school year –Richwood High
School currently meets the required number of instructional minutes/days, excluding days of
instruction lost for inclement weather or other emergencies. They have 360 minutes/day and
180 days/year for instruction. Although it is beyond their control, it is worth noting that 19
days of instruction were missed last year and 15 so far this year due to snow. Combining
those with 2-hour delays and early dismissals for bad weather, a significant amount of
instructional time has been missed. There are two days at the end of each semester set aside
for final and make-up exams; only a small percent of students are present on those days.
Arena scheduling, pep rallies, and special programs have accounted for smaller amounts of
lost instructional time.
A description of the conclusions reached after examining AYP data—While
Richwood High School failed in meeting only one of the three required indicators for
meeting AYP, the two that were met through improvement and confidence intervals
loom as concerns. A graduation rate of 79% and the low percentages of students
proficient in Reading and Math are quantifiable symptoms of both academic and a
poor school climate. Trend data, both external trend data and student achievement
data will support the conclusion that students, as well as staff and community, have
allowed academic failure to become commonplace and “unavoidable.”
External trend data

Local demographic trends are reviewed for the impact on student achievement.
o District and school poverty rates—The most recent poverty-census data (2009)
indicates that 18.1% of Nicholas County Citizens live below the poverty level. In
Nicholas County Schools, 2,212 students, or 58.15%, qualify for free or reduced
meals. At Richwood High School, 64.48% of students in grades 9-12 qualify for free
or reduced meals.
o Mother’s educational level—While the county has 70% of persons over the age of 25
with a high school diploma, the number of high school dropouts in recent years
makes the value of that statistic questionable. 223 students at Richwood High School
dropped out of school in the years 2001-2010.
o Number of college graduates in the district—Only 10% of Nicholas County citizens
have a college degree or higher.
o Median age of district population—The median age in 2000 was 44.7.
o Substance abuse—West Virginians are more likely to die from drug overdoses than
people in any other state. Drug overdoses have become the leading cause of death
for adults younger than 45 in West Virginia. More than fifty percent of expulsions
conducted in the 2006-07 school year in Nicholas County were because of drug
possession.
o Unemployment rate—The county unemployment rate as of December 2010 was
12.1%
o Mobility rate of students—Only 68% of families in Nicholas County have lived in
the same location for more than 5 years. At Richwood High School, the number of
homeless students for the current school year is 20. The number of homeless
students last year was 8.

A description of the conclusions reached after examining external trend data—If
demographics for the community of Richwood have elevated certain risk factors for
all citizens, secondary students need “intensive care” in order to escape those risks.
Research indicates that more than 80% of High School dropouts remain within 20-30
miles of their high school. So a high dropout rate can compound poor demographic
data. Unfortunately, the combination of poor demographics and a failing school
provides a fertile field for a parasitic drug culture.
Student achievement data
Percentage of students at or above each performance level on State assessments in
reading/language arts and mathematics by grade:
RHS 2010 WESTEST 2 Performance Levels
MATHEMATICS
Grade 9
Grade 10 Grade 11
READING & LANG. ARTS
Grade
9
Grade 10 Grade 11
Novice
47%
47%
57%
41%
38%
30%
Partial Mastery
27%
29%
16%
36%
30%
39%
Mastery
20%
18%
20%
18%
18%
22%
Above Mastery
Distinguished
6%
0%
5%
1%
5%
1%
4%
1%
10%
5%
9%
1%
RHS 2009 WESTEST 2 Performance Levels
MATHEMATICS
Novice
Partial Mastery
Mastery
Above Mastery
Distinguished
Grade 9
24%
22%
50%
3%
0%
Grade 10 Grade 11
11%
19%
35%
25%
50%
57%
4%
0%
0%
0%
READING & LANG. ARTS
Grade
9
Grade 10 Grade 11
6%
5%
6%
49%
50%
54%
29%
33%
32%
15%
11%
7%
1%
2%
1%
Gap Analysis:
The 2009 WESTEST2 scores shown above are not modified; the change in cut scores from 2009
to 2010 makes things look worse than they are, but there is not much that is good. Perhaps most
troubling is the fact that about half the students at Richwood High School performed at the
novice level in mathematics on the 2010 assessment; over a third performed at the novice level in
Reading and Language Arts on the same test. This is a significant decline from the previous year.
Twenty-two of last year’s freshmen took Algebra 1 in eighth grade. More than half of them
scored mastery or better on the ninth grade test. However, there were only fourteen students who
took Algebra 1 in ninth grade and scored mastery or better.
PERCENT PROFICIENT ON
WESTEST2*
The profile
how the same
students
two years of
2009
2010
MATHEMATICS
Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11
32.67% 28.04% 29.81%
28.40%
36.95% 25.49% 24.27%
27.17%
2009
2010
READING & LANGUAGE ARTS
Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11
31.68% 34.26% 35.29%
23.17%
30.43% 23.30% 32.67%
31.18%
below shows
group of
performed on
WESTEST2.
* 2009 scores are modified as per WVDE Improvement
Report.
Gap Analysis:
Eighth grade scores are included to show where students were when they entered the high
school.
Even with the modified scores, all three grades showed a decline in the percent of students
reaching mastery or better when comparing the same group of students from 2009 to 2010. The
largest drops were from eighth to ninth grade in both Math and Reading & Language Arts.
Almost every grade and subject showed a decrease in scores from 2009 to 2010; the only
exception was Grade 11 Reading and Language Arts.
Percentage of students at mastery or better on State assessments in reading/language arts
and mathematics by subgroup:
Richwood High School WESTEST 2 Percent Proficient by Subgroup
2010
All Students
Female
Male
Low SES
Special Ed.
2010
All Students
Female
Male
Low SES
Special Ed.
MATHEMATICS
Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11
25%
24%
27%
31%
18%
29%
21%
31%
24%
22%
15%
19%
4%
5%
7%
READING & LANGUAGE
ARTS
Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11
23%
33%
31%
32%
46%
40%
15%
20%
20%
17%
32%
21%
4%
0%
0%
2009
All Students
Female
Male
Low SES
Special Ed.
2009
All Students
Female
Male
Low SES
Special Ed.
MATHEMATICS
Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11
53%
53%
57%
55%
61%
58%
52%
42%
56%
48%
43%
49%
30%
26%
25%
READING & LANGUAGE
ARTS
Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11
44%
46%
40%
55%
54%
55%
34%
33%
26%
36%
38%
33%
11%
0%
0%
Gap Analysis:
Girls are outperforming boys in almost every grade and subject area, with the only exception
being tenth grade Mathematics in 2010. The gap is wider and more consistent in Reading and
Language Arts across all grades.
Students in the Low SES group scored consistently below the All Students group. There does not
appear to be any significant pattern in those differences by subject or grade.
Students with Disabilities performed at significantly lower levels than other students. This group
makes up as much as 24% of students in some grades so their performance has a significant
impact on the overall scores. The gap is wide in both Mathematics and Reading & Language
Arts and has widened between 2009 and 2010.
Average scale scores on State assessments in reading/language arts and mathematics by
grade
Mean Scale Score Comparison by Grade
MATHEMATICS
Richwood 2009
Richwood 2010
WV 2009
WV 2010
Grade 8
620
623
622
627
Grade 9
622
625
635
637
Grade 10
642
632
642
646
Grade 11
648
651
658
663
READING & LANGUAGE ARTS
Richwood 2009
Richwood 2010
WV 2009
WV 2010
Grade 8
460
461
466
469
Grade 9
454
442
459
464
Grade 10
467
463
467
473
Grade 11
459
467
467
477
Gap Analysis:
In every case, changes in the mean scale scores on the school level paralleled the direction of
changes on the state level. However, in almost every case, when comparing the increases in scale
scores for the same group of students, these increases were much greater at the state level than at
the school level; students at Richwood High School are not improving as much as expected from
year to year.
The only place where mean scale scores declined on the state level was a 2-point drop in RLA
for students moving from eighth to ninth grade. At Richwood, this decline was 18 points.
There were two cases where students in Richwood had a mean scale score equal to all students in
the state in 2009 (tenth grade Math and RLA). This did not hold steady in 2010 for those
students or that grade in either subject.
Average scale scores on State assessments in reading/language arts and mathematics for
each subgroup
Richwood High School WESTEST 2 Mean Scale Score by Subgroup
2010
MATHEMATICS
Grade 9 Grade 10
Grade 11
2009
MATHEMATICS
Grade 9 Grade 10
Grade 11
All Students
625
632
651
All Students
622
642
648
Female
631
627
654
Female
621
647
649
Male
619
638
647
Male
624
634
648
Low SES
618
621
647
Low SES
612
633
644
Special Ed.
591
627
623
Special Ed.
584
616
624
2010
READING & LANGUAGE
ARTS
Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11
2009
READING & LANGUAGE
ARTS
Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11
All Students
442
463
467
All Students
454
467
459
Female
444
487
486
Female
467
481
483
Male
440
439
443
Male
441
446
436
Low SES
427
461
456
Low SES
447
463
451
Special Ed.
409
402
413
Special Ed.
393
407
371
Gap Analysis:
The data in these charts mirrors what is evident in the other comparisons. Differences between
males and females appear less significant in mathematics when comparing scale scores than
when comparing the percent of students scoring mastery or better.

o
Percentage of limited English proficient students who attain English language
proficiency – Richwood High School does not have any LEP students at this time.
o
Comparative gap analysis for all subgroups – Gap analysis has been included
following each chart above.
o
Other Student Achievement Data –
 ACT PLAN – Average scores at Richwood High School have declined in all
areas over the past three years, while scores on the national level have
increased in all areas. Females outscored males on every subtest of the most
recent test. The greatest discrepancies between local and national scores were
in the area of Mathematics (2.9), English (2.1) and in the subscore for PreAlgebra (2.3).
 ACT – The percent of students who took the ACT in 2008-2009 was 44%,
26% lower than the state average. The average composite score was 18.9
 Advanced Placement Courses – Seventy-eight AP classes were taken by
students in 2009-2010. Courses included Calculus AB, Chemistry, English
Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, and
Environmental Science. There were 47 exams taken, with 37 of those in
English. Students received a score of 3 or better on 13 of those exams. AP
exams were taken by 23% of juniors and 22% of seniors in 2008-2009.
 Course failures - An analysis of the data for the first semester of the current
school year showed 105 course failures. There are two strong patterns
evident – 67% of the failures were courses taken by freshmen and
sophomores and 43% of the failures were in Math, with the majority of those
for Algebra Support, Algebra 1, and Geometry. This pattern goes back
several years; on DP21 there are several semesters that show a failure rate in
mathematics that exceeds 30%.
A description of the conclusions reached after examining student achievement data—
Between 2004 and 2008 the percent of students reaching mastery or better ranged from
53% to 60% in mathematics and from 62% to 74% in reading and language arts. These
numbers are somewhat deceptive as Richwood High School consistently lagged behind
the other high school in the county and the state averages. With only tenth grade scores
available, the lack of progress may not have been given sufficient attention as the school
continued to make AYP for academics. These deficits became more apparent with
WESTEST 2 as increased rigor led to plummeting test scores, particularly in 2010. The
failure rate in Algebra I and Geometry classes indicates a need for a comprehensive
change in instruction; what they are currently doing is not working. The data shows a
clear need to focus on a successful transition from middle to high school, particularly in
mathematics, yet nobody on the staff mentioned this
Other student outcome data
 Analysis includes review of other important student outcome data:
o Attendance:
 2006 Register—92.04%/
 2007 Register—90.10%
 2008 Register—86.67
 2009 Register—90.73 (Accountability 94.78)
 20010 Register—92.21 (Accountability 95.84)
o Promotion/retention rates-- Until last year, the school did not have a retention
policy and students passed to the next grade automatically, becoming “fifth year
seniors” if they did not have enough credits to graduate. Promotion to the next
grade is now tied to the number of credits earned.
o Dropout rates - The dropout rate given on the school’s annual report card ranged
from 4.0 to 4.5 for 2006-2009. However, students do not count on the drop out
rate until their class graduates. During the last school year, 2009-2010, twentythree students elected to drop out at Richwood High School. More troubling,
however, is that nine of those who dropped out were ages 18-20. Seven of the
dropouts were seniors.
o Discipline—While Richwood High School has had a dramatic decrease in Total
Discipline Referrals (944 in 2006-2007 down to 123 in 2009-2010), the number
of out-of-school suspensions has shown a reverse trend: 94 in 2006-2007, 123 in
2007-08, 146 in 2008-09, 123 in 2009-10.

A description of the conclusions reached after examining other student outcome data.
Weaknesses in three important areas warrant careful consideration in building the
transformation at Richwood High School.
o Attendance, dropout rates and discipline are areas of concern. NCLB
allows attendance data to exclude “excused” absences. The Nicholas
County Attendance Director has been waging an on-going battle with local
physicians whose staffs write “doctor’s excuses” based on simple phone
requests.
o Dropout rates do not sound alarmingly high. However, more telling data
is the graduation rate at Richwood High School. In 2005-06 it was
81.91%. In 2006-07 it was 84.49%. In 2007-08 it was 81.40%. In 20082009 it was 76.92%!
o While total number of discipline referrals has declined dramatically, the
number of out-of-school suspensions is not acceptable.
Analysis of culture, conditions and practices
 Analysis includes a review of the following data:
o Cultural Typology or Cultural Survey results conducted by the State System of Support
(SSOS) The SSOS team visited Richwood High School in February but the school has not
yet received their report.
o Current governance structure – presence of engaged principals, teacher input into
decision-making, the organization of teachers by teams –
Richwood has a full-time principal and a half-time assistant principal. There are
department heads for the core subjects but they do not meet regularly. When they do
meet, it is after school. A leadership team of 5 teachers was appointed by the
superintendent when the school began this school improvement effort. Committees have
been formed to address academic standards, incentives, communication, policies, and
morale.
o Instructional Practices Inventory conducted by the SSOS – This has not yet taken place.
o Use of standards-based instructional practices – Considerations from the Frameworks
Needs Assessment in the school’s strategic plan indicate the following as prioritized
strategic issues for the current school year:
1. By the end of the 2010-2011 school year Richwood High School will
have developed a platform for teachers to address issues and concerns based
on faculty meeting notes, development of data analysis skills, and
implementation of curricular outcome strategies.
2. By the end of the 2010-2011 school year Richwood High School parents and
community members will have a greater connection to the high school based
on parent and community interest surveys and overall activity involvement.
3. By the end of the 2010-2011 school year Richwood High School teachers will
be more uniform in their approach to developing curricular support and
strategies based on CSO mastery understanding and content vocabulary
cues.
4. By the end of the 2010-2011 school year Richwood High School will have
developed and implemented RTI, Tier I intervention strategies for class
instruction based on department best practices, professional dialogue, and
assessment.
5. To assure that school staffs utilize 21st Century skills, research-based
instructional design, management, and delivery.
It is not clear how many of the faculty members are aware of these strategic issues or the
goals and objectives that are a part of the plan. There is a disconnect between what is in
the plan and what is actually happening in the school.
o
Availability of current technology and degree to which technology is integrated into
instruction
Teachers have presentation stations including a laptop, ELMO, and data projector. The
degree that technology is integrated in classroom instruction varies from one teacher to
another, as does the degree of technological expertise. Data has been submitted indicating
that the computer labs were used 50 days during the first semester, often by more than
one teacher during the same day. There are two computer labs and 34 computers in the
o
o
o
library, all with Vista or Windows 7 and Office 2010. Data shows that the computer labs
were used 50 days during the first semester, often by more than one teacher during the
same day. The most common use of the labs has been for word processing and research.
The use of Acuity for benchmark assessments increased from a total of 6 last year to over
600 this year. There are 20 other computers available for student use in two other rooms.
Federal monitoring reports for NCLB, IDEA and state reports for the Office of Education
Performance Audits—The Office of Education Performance had one audit finding for
Richwood High School—The school did not have a minimum of 95% of students
participate in required statewide testing.
Questionnaires or observations completed by staff or external evaluators--Two teachers
put together a survey for faculty and one for students as part of this needs assessment.
The surveys were completed by only two-thirds of the teachers, a fact which in itself says
something about the school culture. The results of the survey are still being analyzed at
this time.
Description of the overall culture, conditions and practices that exist in the school-Richwood High School has a staff with an average of 20 years of experience led by a
principal who came to the community from another state about three years ago. The
principal’s knowledge is up to date regarding best practices, school improvement, and
research findings. However, this knowledge has yet to have much impact on classroom
practice or school culture. As an example, the principal writes of ongoing Professional
Learning Communities in the strategic plan, but a teacher on the school leadership team
was not aware of what “PLC” meant. After the term was explained, the leadership team
agreed that they did not have PLCs at their school. Although they are on a block schedule
with 90-minute planning periods, teachers do not have any collaborative planning built
in. Teachers generally seem to do their own thing, bringing to mind the description of a
school as “a group of independent contractors united by a common parking lot.” Over
the years of slow economic and academic decline, complacency and an attitude of tacit
acceptance of low student performance and effort have settled in at Richwood High
School.
o Results of classroom walkthroughs—Walkthroughs for the current year recorded
in two weeks of visits found that: 68% of teachers were seated at their desks;
45% of students were doing seatwork; 34% of teachers were in the front of the
room; 34% of the students were involved in student-based activity.
o Highly qualified teacher data—100% of teachers at Richwood High School were
highly qualified in 2010.
o Number of administrators in the building, definition of roles, years experience,
specialized training and advanced degrees-- Carter Hillman came to Richwood
High School as the second long-term substitute to replace an administrator who
was suffering from a serious illness. He was officially hired as the school
principal at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year. He has 9 years of
administrative experience with master’s degrees in School Administration and
Teaching. He has attended the Principal Leadership Academy where he was
named a Distinguished Scholar; he has also participated in the Principal Fellows
Scholarship Program.
Jim Weber serves as a half-time assistant principal, teaching Social Studies
classes part of the day. He accepted this position at the beginning of the current
school year and it is his first administrative position. He has an M.A. in Education
with certification in Educational Administration.
o Use of professional and paraprofessional staff to support students--There are three
instructional aides who work with students with special needs. There is a Pro
Officer in the school and a part-time Dropout Preventionist.
o Number of content and program specialists (e.g., counselors, health staff and
social workers)--The school is served by a full-time guidance counselor. She has
been working at Richwood High School for two years, working at the adjacent
middle school for several years before that. She is often overwhelmed with data
entry and other clerical work and does not have the time she would like to devote
to counseling students. There is no social worker although several faculty
members have pointed out the need for one. The Wellness Center housed at the
adjacent middle school has improved student access to health care while keeping
them in the school environment.
o Professional development (e.g., opportunities available to teachers and principals,
number of days dedicated to professional development and the amount of teacher
generated professional development, percentage of teachers regularly attending
professional development)--Professional development is provided by the county
as required. There is little that is school-based or driven by the needs of the
students or faculty of the school. Many veteran teachers have an “I’ve already
seen this” attitude and participate with little enthusiasm. Follow-through and
follow-up are clearly lacking, with teachers perceiving much of what has been
presented as wave after wave of new initiatives with no time to adjust.
o Teacher average monthly attendance rates-- Teachers’ attendance rates are lower
than those of students. Considering that student attendance is one of the areas that
has been targeted for improvement, this fact compounds the problem. Although
there have been serious illnesses with faculty and family members, factors such as
the age of the faculty, job satisfaction, lack of work ethic, and a union mentality
were also cited as possible root causes.
o Parent training and support for families--There are limited opportunities for parent
training and support. Those that are offered, including financial workshops and
academic planning, are poorly attended. There is definitely room for improvement
here.
o Degree of meaningful parent involvement and amount/frequency of
communication with parents--The school encourages parents to stay connected to
their child’s academic progress through Edline. Letters, phone calls, emails, and

web-based communication are all in place, with varying degrees of participation
from both home and school. There are active booster groups for band and
athletics, and the school recognizes the need to expand this interest into the
academic realm. There is a group of parents who began meeting out of concern
with mathematics at the school; this group is becoming more involved in the
overall improvement process at the superintendent’s invitation. Meetings for
parents run by the parents are planned for the coming months with the purpose of
encouraging increase involvement in the school improvement process.
A description of the conclusions reached after examining the culture, conditions and
practices-- Learning that your school is one of the lowest-performing schools in the state
is depressing and demoralizing. People tend to go through denial and blame before the
real work of turning around the school can begin. As the faculty worked through this
needs assessment, they have begun to realize that there is much work to be done to
transform their school into a progressive, successful place centered on student needs. The
newly formed leadership team is working hard to harness the positive energy of their
colleagues and diminish the negative voices. The faculty has recognized the need for
consistency in every area and they are ready to begin the hard work of changing the
school culture and practices. There is a strong need for more focused, embedded, and
sustained professional development based on the specific needs of this school, as opposed
to the one-time, “one-size-fits-all” approach that has dominated in recent years. This
professional development must begin with the school culture. The report from the State
System of Support visit will hopefully help the school identify where to begin.
Root Causes
After the data has been examined and analyzed each school is required to determine the root
causes for the results of the needs assessment. The root causes are identified for the following
areas:
The document, Data Analysis and Determination of Root Causes has been attached to this
document.
 Administrators and teachers—Administrators and teachers have been working in
isolation—responsible for their content. In spite of 90 minutes of planning time per
teacher daily, there is no time designated for collaborative planning. Richwood High
School still uses the old model of “classroom” teacher, rather than “school” teacher.
The Administrators are distracted by discipline problems, reporting demands and are
not adequately engaged as instructional leaders. The five-year plan has not been
utilized as a planning tool.
 Curriculum and materials—Students are in class for 90-minute blocks of time. There
is little evidence of project-based learning, research-based strategies that promote
student engagement, or promotion of critical thinking. Richwood High School has
had recent state and national successes with its sports teams and its marching band.
Successes in those two areas do not happen unless student athletes and musicians
work hard and master high-level skill sets. This success has not been mirrored in the
academic arena. Students are falling farther behind in all academic areas;
achievement has declined to a critical level. The school’s failure to make AYP due to
participation rate for the past two years may have distracted attention from the dire
academic situation, but the data presented here paints a painfully clear picture.
 Master schedule, classroom schedules and classroom management/discipline—
Student engagement or lack of engagement is directly impacted by each of these areas
and can cause success or problems in each. Students and teachers are on “opposing”
teams often at the school and this root cause has had serious consequences.
 Students and parents-- The tired excuses that these kids can’t do the work or they
have no family support have little validity since the same students have mastered
difficult sports and musical skill sets. The family support has been strong also for
those areas. Highly successful schools have recognized that academically rigorous
curricula must incorporate real-world relevance. The current proficiency rates in
reading and math indicate that neither academic rigor nor real world relevance are
occurring. Further support of this conclusion comes from comparing the two years of
available data from WESTEST II—all subgroups performed at a lower proficiency
level than the same sub group had performed in the previous year.

Transformation Model
1. How will the LEA select a new leader for the school, and what experience, training, and
skills will the new leader be expected to possess? The current principal was officially
2.
3.
4.
5.
hired as the school principal at the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year and will not
be replaced.
How will the LEA enable the new leader to make strategic staff replacements? The LEA
will support Improvement Plans for staff in need of improvement. The LEA has also
been working with the school administration in making strategic course assignment
adjustments. (For example, a retired business teacher will work on a part-time basis to
assist students committed to a business track for graduation in order to free up a position
for an additional science teacher.)
What is the LEA’s own capacity to support the transformation, including the
implementation of required, recommended, and diagnostically determined strategies?
The LEA has an experienced School Improvement Coordinator already employed who
has worked successfully with another Improvement School. In addition, the
Superintendent and the Title I Director are experienced in this area. The County
Leadership Team is committed to the success of this model and will seek technical
assistance from both the WVDE and external resources.
What changes in decision-making policies and mechanisms (including greater schoollevel flexibility in budgeting, staffing, and scheduling) must accompany the
transformation? The school leadership team is looking carefully at how to utilize the
current block schedule more efficiently. Richwood High School, on a traditional
schedule, had tremendous academic success. Team members will be collecting data to
determine if that success has been diminished by that schedule change. The task of
modifying the block schedule, however, does not appear to be the most critical need and
will be carefully assessed in year one of this proposal.
School-level flexibility in budgeting and staffing must be constrained by WV Personnel
and Fiscal code. The school’s Faculty Senate, LSIC team, and the Leadership Team will,
however, work to implement new policy or change old policy that are currently barriers
to strategic, engaging instruction.
What changes in operational practice must accompany the transformation, and how will
these changes be brought about and sustained? As the faculty worked through data sets,
it discovered areas of great need. In order to transform Richwood High School into a
progressive, successful place centered on student needs, the faculty, the school leadership
team, and the LEA leadership team agree that school culture and climate must change.
Professional Development in these areas will be the starting point of this transformation
and will continue through out the three years of the proposal. The faculty has recognized
the need for consistency in every area and they are ready to begin the hard work of
changing the school culture and practices. Professional Development will be focused and
embedded. As the staff “grows” in this process, improved academics, dropout rates,
discipline, attendance, and other indicators will provide the impetus required to reverse
the current poor climate. Operational practices such as master schedules, extended
learning time, and professional development requirements will be student centered.
Preliminary Budget Form
District Name: Nicholas County
School Name by Tier
Intervention Models: Select the model that will be
implemented in each Tier I and Tier II school.
Turnaround
Restart
Closure Transformation
Tier I School:
Tier II Schools: Richwood High School
X
Tier III Schools:
Not applicable to Tier III schools.
Transformation Model
A. Develop teacher and school leader
effectiveness
Replace the principal
Use rigorous, transparent and equitable
evaluation systems that take into account data
on student growth
Identify and reward school leaders, teachers
and other staff who have increased student
achievement and the graduation rate
Provide high quality, job-embedded
professional development
Implement strategies to recruit, place and
retain staff
Other permissible activities as defined in the
regulations (specify activities)
Subtotal:
B. Comprehensive instructional reform
programs
Use data to identify and implement an
instructional program that is research-based
and vertically aligned from one grade to the
next as well as aligned with State academic
standards
Promote the continuous use of student data to
inform and differentiate instruction
PreImplementation
$5,000
$5,000
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Total
$5,000
$7,000
$8,000
$20,000
$45,000
$60,000
$60,000
$175,000
$70,000
$70,000
$70,000
$286,000
$10,000
$5,000
$5,000
$20,000
$165,00
0
$140,00
0
$140,00
0
$445,000
$35,000
$25,000
$25,000
$85,000
$5,000
$5,000
$5,000
$15,000
Other permissible activities as defined in the
regulations (specify activities)
Subtotal:
C. Increasing learning time and creating
community-oriented schools
Establish schedules and strategies that provide
increased learning time as defined by ED and
create community-oriented schools
Provide ongoing mechanisms for family and
community engagement
Other permissible activities as defined in the
regulations (specify activities)
Subtotal:
D. Provide operating flexibility and
sustained support
Give schools operating flexibility to implement
fully a comprehensive approach
Ensure that the school receives ongoing,
intensive technical assistance and related
support from the LEA and/or the SEA
Provide intensive technical assistance and
related support from a designated external lead
partnership organization
Other permissible activities as defined in the
regulations (specify activities)
Subtotal:
Total for Transformation Model:
$5,000
$5,000
$10,000
$40,000
$30,000
$30,000
$100,000
$100,00
0
$90,000
$90,000
$270,000
$6,000
$7,000
$7,500
$90,000
$95,000
$97,000
$25,000
$100,00
0
$100,00
0
$225,00
0
$445,00
0
$292,50
0
$462,50
0
$294,50
0
$464,50
0
$817,000
$1,322,00
0
Budget Clarification:
o
Year One: There was an increase in the amount budgeted for teacher evaluation because it was
assumed that in years two and three that the required participants would have been trained and
the follow-up provided in years two and three would be less expensive.
o
External Partner: The External Partners had not been selected and the budgeted amounts were
low. Corrections have been made in the finalized grant which is part of the application.
o
Identify and reward school leaders: The amount for year one was less than years two and three
because it was projected that fewer teachers would be rewarded in year one since the proposal
components would be new. Corrections have been made in the finalized grant proposal.