.~
8
e~
," ...~
~
STATE OF MICHIGAN
MICH~~~~
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
EducatIon
LANSING
'
JENNIFERM. GRANHOLM
THOMAS
GOVERNOR
January
8 , 2003
D. WATKINS, JR.
SUPERINTENDENT OF
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
~\;"""~
MEMORANDUM
TO:
StateBoard Members
FROM:
ThomasD. Watkins,Jr., Chairman
SUBJECT:
Reporton the Michigan Blue Ribbon ExemplarySchoolsProgram
Since 1982,the Michigan Departmentof Education'sBlue Ribbon ExemplarySchools
Programhascelebratedmany of Michigan's most successfulschools. The purposeof the
programis threefold:
(1)
to identify and give public recognitionto outstandingpublic and private
schoolsthat achieveto high academicstandardsor have shownsignificant
academicimprovementover five years;
to make availablea comprehensiveframeworkof key criteria for school
effectivenessthat can serveasa basisfor participatoryself-assessment
and
planning in schools;and
to facilitate communicationand sharingof bestpracticeswithin and among
schoolsbasedon a commonunderstandingof criteria relatedto success.
(2)
(3)
The programhasbecomea schoolimprovementstrategyand Blue Ribbon Schoolsmodel
excellenceand equity. They exhibit a strongcommitmentto educationalexcellencefor
all students. The school's successin furtheringthe intellectual,social,moral, and
physicalgrowth of all its students,including studentswith disabilitiesand limited English
proficient students,is a basicconsiderationunderlyingthe criteria. In seekingsuccessful
schools,the programwelcomesboth schoolsthat havedemonstratedsustainedsuccessin
achievingthesevaluesand schoolsthat havedemonstratedsignificantprogresswhile
overcomingseriousobstacles.
In 2002,the U.S. Departmentof Educationeliminatedthe National Blue Ribbon Schools
Program. In its placewas createdthe No Child Left Behind- Blue Ribbon Schools
Program. The NCLB-BRS programis focusedentirely on test scores. The Michigan
StateBoard of Educationadopteda resolutionon March 14,2002 (attached),encouraging
the U.S. Departmentof Educationto continuethe previousprogramand resolving that
the StateBoard of Educationwould maintainthe existing Blue Ribbon ExemplarySchool
Programin Michigan. While maintainingthe existing Michigan program,the criteria
havebeenexpandedto incorporatefacetsof Education YES!andthe AdequateYearly
Progress(A YP) aspectof the federalNo Child Left Behind Act. However,with the
demiseof the previousfederalprogramupon which the Michigan Blue Ribbon
ExemplarySchoolProgramis based,the federalrecognitionand awardaspectof the
programwas discontinued.
KATHLEEN N. STRAUS - PRESIDENT.
SHARON L. GIRE - VICE PRESIDENT
MICHAEL DAVID WARREN, JR. - SECRETARY.
EILEEN LAPPIN WEISER TREASURER
MARIANNE YARED MCGUIRE - NASBEDELEGATE. JOHNC. AUSTIN. HERBERTS. MOYER. SHARONA. WISE
-
608 WEST ALLEGAN STREET. P.O.BOX 30008 . LANSING, MICHIGAN 48909
www.michigan.gov. (517) 373-3324
.
,
j
'"
I
,
!
~
"
)
AttachmentB providesan excerptfrom the nominationinformation for the 2003-2004
Michigan Blue Ribbon ExemplarySchoolsProgramfor secondarylevel schools,
including a descriptionof the programandeligibility criteria, the generalframework,and
the applicationtimeline.
.
",,",,~,,~
""";"'",,.
--
'S,"""~,
ATTACHMENT
A
State of i\\ichigan
State Boardof Education
RESOLUTiON
NA TlONAL BLU E RlBBON RECOGN lTlON PROGRAM
MARCH
2002
WH EREAS/ since198~theMichigan Departmentof Educationand the Michigan State
Board of Education have participated in the Nationa[ B[ue Ribbon Recognition Programj and
WHEREAS/ the B[ue Ribbon Schoo[sProgram identifies and recognizesoutstanding
pub[ic schoo[sacrossthe state that provide students a wor[d-c[asseducationj and
WHEREAS/ the program makes research-basedeffectivenesscriteria avai[ab[e to a[[
schoo[sso that they can assessthemse[vesand p[an schoo[improvementsthat are vita[ to the
continued successof students/ staff members/and the community which the schoo[serveSjand
WHEREAS/ the B[ue RibbonSchoo[sProgramencouragesschoo[staff/ both within and
amongthemse[ves/to shareinformation about best practicesbasedon a commonunderstanding
of criteria re[ated to educationa[succeSSj
and
WHEREAS/ sincethe program/s inceptionin Michigan/ morethan 350Michigan schoo[s
have beenhonoredas mode[sof exce[[enceand equityj and
WHEREAS, B[ue Ribbon Schoo[s consistent[y demonstrate sustained success in
achieving theseva[uesas we[( as overcomingobstac(esand can provideevidenceof five yearsof
improved and/or sustained student achievementjand
l
WHEREAS, the preceptsof the B(ueRibbon Schoo(sprogramare tru(y mirrored in the
State Board of Education's strategic goa(of [ifting up a((schoo(s,with an emphasison improving
.
achievement [eve(s in chronica((y underperforming schoo[sj now/ therefore, be it
RES 0 L VED, That the Michigan State Board of Education supports the N ationa[ B[ue
Ribbon Schoo[s Recognition Program, and encourages[oca( schoo(districts and community
(eadersto appropriate(yrecognizethat qua(ity schoo(s,asexemp(ifiedin the B(ueRibbonSchoo[s
Program,are vita( to the hearth of our communitiesj and, be it further
.
RESOLVED, That the Michigan State Board of Education encouragesthe United
States Department of Education to continue the Nationa( B(ue Ribbon Recognition Program,
and/ be it fina((y
RESOLVED, That if the United States Department of Educationdo~ not ~ontin.uet~e
Nationa( B[ue Ribbon Recognition Program,that the State Board of Educat10nW1((maIntaIn
the B[ue Ribbon Recognition Programin MiChigan.
-*
~~~~s,
~~ e.OA~
.c..9':
~
o~
~
~
~co
(1
%~
I;
t (un.
~
~
AdoQted March
14J2002
~
~o
~
omas
~'"
~~~~
~1d~~~
~
res1 ent
~ ~~k:::
f~~.)
--./
7849
traus,
/'
} -~.
U/~~
. atkins,
airman
~~".".,
ATTACHMENT B
-
MiCHIGAN
~
2003-2004 Michigan Blue Ribbon
Exelllplary Schools Program
Middle School and High School
N olllination Inforlllation
Presentedto the
StateBoard of Education
January23, 2003
c,.~~
.
INTRODUCTION
Since 1982,the Michigan Departmentof Education'sBlue Ribbon ExemplarySchoolsProgramhas
celebratedmany of Michigan's most successfulschools.A Blue Ribbon flag waving overheadhas
becomea trademarkof excellence,a symbol of quality recognizedby everyonefrom parentsto policymakersin thousandsof communities.The Departmentinvites schoolcommunitiesto usethis nomination
packageto reflect on the quality and effectivenessof their programs.The experienceof answeringthe
questionsand describinga school in termsof the Blue Ribbon criteria could openthe door to statewide
recognition.All schoolswill find that the Blue Ribbon criteria canbe useful for ongoingschool
improvementefforts, even if recognitionis not the immediategoal. The criteria provide a comprehensive
frameworkfor assessingschoolquality in all of its dimensions.
Program Purpose
The purposeof the Michigan Blue Ribbon ExemplarySchoolsProgramis threefold:
(1) to identify and give public recognitionto outstandingpublic and private schoolsthat achieveto high
academicstandardsor haveshownsignificant academicimprovementover five years;
(2) to make available a comprehensiveframework of key criteria for school effectivenessthat can serve
as a basisfor participatoryself-assessment
andplanningin schools;and
(3) to facilitate communication and sharing of best practiceswithin and among schools based on a
commonunderstandingof criteria relatedto success.
The programhas becomea school improvementstrategyand Blue Ribbon Schoolsmodel excellenceand
equity. They exhibit a strong commitment to educationalexcellencefor all students. The school's
successin furthering the intellectual, social, moral, and physical growth of all its students,including
studentswith disabilities and limited English proficient students,is a basic considerationunderlying the
criteria. In seeking successfulschools, the program welcomes both schools that have demonstrated
sustainedsuccessin achievingthesevaluesand schoolsthat havedemonstratedsignificant progresswhile
overcomingseriousobstacles.
Blue Ribbon Schools offer instructional programs that meet the highest academic standards,have
supportiveand learning-centeredschool environments,and demonstratestudentoutcomeresultsthat are
significantly aboveaverageor have improvedover time. The quality of eachschoolwill bejudged against
the Blue Ribbon Schoolscriteria in the context of how effectively it has defined and is meeting its own
goalsand how well it servesstudents,their families, and the local community. Additionally, for a school
to be judged worthy of recognition, it must show significant progressin meeting the state's education
goals. The conceptualbasis for the program criteria is basedon current research,stateeducationreform
goals,andthe expertopinions of practitionersnationwide.
Elementaryand secondaryschools(middle, junior high, and high schools)are eligible to participatein
alternateyears. Once a school'seligibility to participatehasbeendetermined,information providedby a
school in responseto the program criteria will guide the Review Panel's analysisregardingthe school's
possibledesignationas a Michigan Blue Ribbon ExemplarySchool.
PROGRAM CRITERIA
Eligible Schools
1. Only middle, junior high, and senior high schoolsare eligible for the 2003-2004Blue Ribbon
Schools Program. If the highest grade in the school is grade six, regardlessof its name, the
school may only apply during an elementaryyear. In acknowledgementof the researchand
differing philosophies among middle, junior high, and high schools, middle schools will be
required to meet application requirementsconsistentwith developmentallyappropriatemiddle
schoolmodels.
2. The minimum period of operation for public and private schools, including newly merged
,
schools,is five full school years. The school must be in its sixth full year of operationwhen the
application is submitted,that is, schoolssubmitting nomination packagesfor the current year in
the fall of 2003 must havebeenin continuousoperationsinceSeptember1998.
3. Previously recognizedschoolsmay reapply for recognition after a waiting period of five years.
Program experience suggeststhat schools sometimes reapply because they find the selfassessmentprocess intrinsically beneficial as a school improvement tool. In order to be
recognized again, previously recognized schools must meet additional criteria related to
continuing improvement and sharing of best practices. (See Previously RecognizedSchools
describedbelow.)
4. Education YES! - Only school buildings receiving a grade of either an A or B under the
Michigan Education YES! Accreditation Program and currently making Adequate Yearly
Progress (A YP), as defined by the Michigan Department of Education, are eligible for
consideration.
5. The nominated school must not be refusing the U.S. Departmentof Education,Office of Civil
Rights (OCR) accessto information necessaryto investigatea civil rights complaint or to conduct
a district-wide compliancereview.
6. The OCR must not have issueda violation letter of findings to the schooldistrict concludingthat
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 consideredoutstandingif OCR has accepteda
correctiveaction plan from the district to remedythe violation.
7. The U.S. Departmentof Justicemust not havea pendingsuit againsta schooldistrict allegingthat
the nominatedschool,or district as a whole, hasviolated one or more of the civil rights statutesor
the Constitution's equalprotectionclause.
8. The U.S. Departmentof Education must not have issueda monitoring report with findings of
violations of the Individuals with Disabilities EducationAct that apply to the school or school
district in question. If there are such findings, for the school to be eligible, the stateor district
must havecorrected,or agreedto correct,the findings.
PREPARING THE SCHOOL SELF-ASSESSMENT
Overview
This nomination packageis designedto provide a profile of the school and to offer an opportunity to
highlight factors especiallyimportantto the local community. Completionof this nominationpackageis
requiredin order to be consideredfor the Blue Ribbon Schoolsaward. The packageis divided into seven
parts. It is estimatedthat it will take your schoolimprovementteamapproximately550 hoursto complete
the initial application.
Part I is usedto determinewhetherthe schoolmeetsthe eligibility criteria.
Part II seeksbackgroundand demographicinformationaboutthe schooldistrict andthe school.
Part m providesa brief summaryor "snapshot"of the school.
Part IV asksfor a statementof the school'svision/missionor philosophy.
Part V asksfor responsesto specific questionsthat reflect learning-centeredschoolcriteria.
Part VI requirescompletionby previously recognizedBlue Ribbon Schoolsonly.
-"
C"'"';""~~~;"
~"""'-
~~
The summary sectionmay be sharedwith other recognizedschoolsandthe press.It shouldbe written as
a stand-alonesection, without referenceto how deservingthe school is of statewide recognition and
without cross-references.It shouldbe a concise,accuratedescriptionof the schooland shouldincludethe
schoolname,city, and statein the first sentence.
Overall Framework
The overall framework of criteria usedin the Blue Ribbon SchoolsProgramincludesthe following eight
categories:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
StudentFocusand Support
SchoolOrganizationand Culture
ChallengingStandardsand Curriculum
Active Teachingand Learning
ProfessionalCommunity
Leadershipand EducationalVitality
School,Family, and CommunityPartnerships
Indicatorsof Academic Success
CategoriesA, C, and D addressthe dynamic of student-teacher-content
interactionthat is the centralcore
of the educationprocess. Thesecategoriesfocus mainly on the classroomand its context. CategoriesB,
E, and F focus on the context within schoolsthat educationresearchsuggestsare conditions for success,
including organizational,cultural, and interpersonalfactors. CategoryG coversthe school'srelationships
with significant external stakeholders.The emphasisin categoryH shifts to results: the coherenceof the
school's overall assessmentsystem, the use of assessmentdata to inform decisions and improve
performance,and evidence of consistently outstandingor significantly improved student and school
performanceoutcomes.
The criteria are comprehensive. The criteria are intendedto addressall important aspectsof school
operations. Yet the criteria are broad enoughto suit diverseschoolcontextsand to accommodatenew or
changinggoalsand strategieswithin any particular school.
The criteria are interrelated. Addressingthe multiple, embedded,and interacting contexts of school
life createsa dynamic linkage among the criteria. The systematicuse of a broad compositeof criteria
shouldhelp schoolsto ensurethat schoolimprovementgoalsand strategiesare balanced.
The criteria are nonprescriptive. Wide latitude is intendedand acceptedin how schoolschooseto meet
the criteria. The focus is on results rather than on specific meansor procedures. Schoolsoften usethe
Blue Ribbon criteria and process in conjunction with more targeted or specific school improvement
strategies.
The criteria are a basis for collaborative self-assessment.Schoolresponsesto the overall framework
shouldprovide a profile of school strengthsand areasfor improvement. The criteria are a useful tool for
self-assessment,
reflection, strategicplanning,and involvementof all relevant stakeholdersin a common
project.
Self-assessmentis an effective school improvement strategy. Researchand experiencesuggestthat
self-assessment
benefits schoolsand fostersimprovementsin practice. Successfulschoolsusually havea
processfor reflection and planning. Thus, the criteria may assist schools in accomplishingsomething
they ought to do in the normal course of their activities regardless of whether they choose to seek
recognition.
Using the scoring guidelines, the Review Panel will rate each of the responsesand overall criteria
categories as follows: Exemplary, Strong, Adequate, Inadequate, and Insufficient Evidence.
Additionally, the panel will judge whether the document makes senseas a whole. For example,they
will considerwhether the vision, goals, practices,resources,and results are aligned acrossthe various
sectionsof the nominationpackage;and whether the documentis datadriven.
Previously Recognized Schools
It is the Michigan Blue Ribbon ExemplarySchoolsProgram'sphilosophythat the responsibilityof public
serviceaccompaniesthe rewardof recognition.As modelsof excellenceand equity, Blue Ribbon Schools
have much to shareamongthemselvesand with other schoolsthat aspireto similar success.Blue Ribbon
Schools are required to show they have interacted with other schools as a requirement for their
application. District superintendentsare askedto facilitate sharing. Additionally, the program expects
that after recognition Blue Ribbon Schoolswill continue to seek ways to further improve themselves.
Previously recognizedschoolsare requiredto provide documentationto show how they are meetingthe
additionalcriteria as a previouslyrecognizedschool.
Blue Ribbon recognition is only valid for the five years following its acquisition.
Questions About the Nomination Package
All questionsconcerningthis nominationpackageshouldbe addressedto Dr. Arthur T. Vrettas, program
liaison for the Michigan Departmentof Education. He can be reachedat (517) 241-2732or by email at
vrettasa@michigan.gov.
APPLICA TION TIME LINE
February 12,2003 - September 5, 2003
Schools work on their nomination packages,including answeringthe School Self-AssessmentCriteria
questions,for forwarding to the Michigan Departmentof Educationin the Fall of2003.
September5, 2003
Applications are due in the Michigan Department of Education by 4:00 pm. Applications can be
deliveredin person(makearrangementsin advancewith Dr. Vrettas) or by mail to:
Dr. Arthur T. V rettas
Michigan Blue Ribbon ExemplarySchoolsProgram
Michigan Departmentof Education
608 West Allegan
Lansing,Michigan 48909
October13, 2003
Stateof Michigan ReviewPanel completesfirst review of school nominations.
October15, 2003
State of Michigan SelectReviewPanel completessecondreview of school nominations.
October17, 2003
Applicant Schoolsnotified of possiblesite visitation by Stateof Michigan visitation teams.
Site visits. One-dayvisits are conductedat schoolsthat havebeenrecommendedfor a site visit. The role
of the site team is to verify the accuracyof information in the nomination packageand get answersto
specific questions posed by the Review Panel. A substantialportion of time is spent in classroom
observations.The site team also meetswith school and district administrators,teachers,support staff,
students,parents,and community members.The site team preparesa written report and forwards it to the
Michigan Departmentof Education.
December 19, 2003
Final deadlinefor revisedschool applicationsto be sent to the Michigan Department of Education.
~,~~"~"'","...",~,"
c"c.l"cc~""",.~""",c
January 7,2004
SelectedSchoolsnotified.
February - March, 2004
Recognition Ceremonies. 2003-2004 Blue Ribbon Schools celebrate their success at recognition
ceremoniesconductedat the local schoolbuilding site with representationfrom the Michigan Department
of Educationandthe StateBoard of Educationin attendance.
Responsibility of Selected Schools
Once a school is selectedas a Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School, its responsibilitiesto the
programbegin. During the five-year recognitioncycle, the schoolwill be expectedto provide readersfor
the selection of future Blue Ribbon Schools. Additionally, the school will provide, as needed,a site
visitation team as part of the selectionprocess. All costs for this assistanceto be borne by the Blue
Ribbon School'sdistrict.
THIS YEAR'S BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS
(To be announcedat the StateBoard Meeting)
2002-2003Michigan Blue Ribbon
ExemplarySchools
AvondaleMeadowsUpper ElementarySchool
1435West Auburn Road
RochesterHills, Michigan 48309-4344
Ms. SusanSonye,Principal
CarpenterElementarySchool
2290 Flintridge
Orion, Michigan 48359-1612
Ms. RoseEdwards,Principal
Clear Lake ElementarySchool
2085 West Drahner
Oxford, Michigan 48371
Mr. JamesSchwarz,Principal
EdwardsburgIntermediateElementarySchool
9410 SectionStreet
Edwardsburg,Michigan 49112-9668
Mr. ScottMoellenbrandt,Principal
Ewell ElementarySchool
51041ShelbyRoad
ShelbyTownship,Michigan 48316-4052
Mr. Michael Sturm,Principal
LakesElementarySchool
6849Young Avenue
Rockford, Michigan 49341
Mr. David Downer, Principal
LeonardElementarySchool
4401 Tallman
Troy, Michigan 48085
Ms. JoanelleLong, Principal
Maurice M. Wilde ElementarySchool
32343Bunert
Warren,Michigan 48088-2951
Ms. PatriciaPrill, Principal
ThomasJeffersonElementarySchool
37555Carol
SterlingHeights,Michigan 48310-3899
Mrs. JenniferDavis, Principal
WashingtonWriters' Academy
1919PortageStreet
Kalamazoo,Michigan 49001
Ms. BarbaraWitzak, Principal
WooddaleElementarySchool
34275Oak Forest
FarmingtonHills, Michigan 48076-2749
Ms. LaseniaJones,Principal
cc8