englewood schools 2012 shareholders

Englewood SchoolsA Relentless Focus On Learning

Electronic

Shareholder ReportSpring 2012

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We are pleased to offer the Spring 2012 Electronic Shareholder’s Report for your review. This full version report is intended to be a companion to our Spring 2012 Printed Shareholder Update that was delivered by the post office to every resident in Englewood.

By providing this longer report online instead of in print form, we save money that can be used directly for services and resources that directly impact our students. As referenced in both this report and the postcard update, additional information can be found on our district website: http://englewoodschools.net/

Brian Ewert Superintendent

Karen BrofftAssistant Superintendent

Bond Projects

Graduation, Completion and Dropout Data The electo l High school Credit Recovery Programs l Programs designed to address Key

The electorate recently approved a $50 million Bond, with a 20-year payback term, that would build a new 7-12 campus at the current Englewood High School Site and renovate the current Englewood Middle School site for use by Colorado’s Finest Alternative High School. A Bond is a financial loan issued for the purpose of financing the infrastructure needs of the school district. The Bond funds will be used for the following:

l Replace and upgrade Mechanical and Electrical Systems l Provide better school site Safety and Security l Construct Classrooms and Academic Spaces to meet 21st Century instructional needs l Bring the Facilities up to Code l Renovate the high school Field House and Performing Arts areas l Complete campus site Upgrades l Implement the initial phase of the Board of Education’s Long Range Facilities Plan More than $419,000 in operating costs will be saved annually due to greater efficiency in systems. Additionally, new construction will benefit students by providing:

l New classrooms that will simulate today’s work environment and college classrooms, encouraging creative thinking, problem solving, collaborative group work and the use of technology l A facility where students are Safe and Secure l Improved technology and giving students the proper tools to work in an interactive and techno-logically advanced society

When the Board of Education adopted the Long Range Plan, it was divided into two major phases. Due to critical safety and security concerns and the rapidly deteriorating facility at EMS, EHS and CFAHS, it was agreed that these issues were to be addressed first. This Bond measure will primarily focus on a new 7-12 campus and the renovation of Englewood Middle School in preparation for occu-pancy by Colorado’s Finest Alternative High School.

In addition, the declining enrollment of Englewood Schools over the past 5 years has primarily been at EMS and EHS. By providing new facilities and 21st Century Programming, we can expect to at-tract and retain the majority of our Englewood students and students from across the entire south met-ropolitan area. As students enroll in Englewood Schools from other attendance areas, the State funding for each of these students follows the student to Englewood.

7-12 Campus Overview The development of a 7-12 campus at the Englewood High School campus site includes demolition of approximately 85,090 square feet of existing building, and renovation of approximately 133,910 square feet of the existing building, and new building addition space totaling approximately 80,290

square feet. The site will initially be built to accommodate some growth in student population with a design that easily allows for future expansion as needed. Major design consideration will be placed on the development of separate building entrances for the middle school and high school with some shared spaces to maximize use of flexible spaces. New shared functions and specials rooms will be located in the common areas between the middle and high school grade levels. The new entrance for the high school will become an architectural focal point and will encourage community use of the facility.

Demolition will be extensive and necessary for cost savings associated with efficiencies gained through energy conscious design. Additionally, the new buildings will be designed to support the pro-grams and curriculums focused on building 21st century skills that ensure students graduate able to suc-cessfully compete in the job market and/or post-secondary education. Demolition will include removal of the Lowell Elementary building that has been decommissioned. This 7-12 campus is intended to create a major change and create a significant campus the community can take pride in. The field house (with all of its support functions), the theater, choir room, and band rooms will all be retained because of their significance.

Colorado’s Finest Alternative High School Campus The development of Colorado’s Finest Alternative High School at the Englewood Middle School (Sinclair) site includes renovation of approximately 88,700 square feet of the existing building, and new building addition space totaling approximately 10,470 square feet. A major focus will be placed on the reuse of existing building configuration with the exception of the main building entrance, media center and administration offices, which need extensive upgrading and reconfigurations.

The renovation design suggests relocation of the main entrance to the building to better position the need for more students parking than is presently provided. A new and enlarged parking area will also serve as a bus drop-off area. The location of CFAHS at this proposed site is very beneficial for the student population from a public transportation aspect. With the relocation of the building entrance,

Bond Projects

Artist’s Rendition

Bond Projects

new media center and technology labs will be located within sight of the main lobby area suggesting the current educational philosophy of the school building and programs. Current classroom wings will be remodeled to promote 21st century learning and teaching styles. The current industrial arts building, located remotely off the south side of the main school building, will be considered for an on site day-care facility. Management of this facility could be independent of the school district.

Approximately half of the costs associated with the design and renovation project for Colorado’s Fin-est Alternative High School will be covered by the matching BEST Grant award Englewood applied for and received in 2011. Established in 2008 with the signing of C.R.S.22-43.7, BEST provides an annual amount of funding, in the form of competitive grants, to school districts, charter schools, institute charter schools, boards of cooperative educational services and the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. BEST funds can be used for the construction of new schools as well as general construction and renovation of existing school facility systems and structures.

For more detailed information, please select the Bond Projects tab from the center navigation bar on our main district webpage. http://englewoodschools.net/

Instructional Technology

Digital Learning Day Englewood Schools was one of four districts that received national recognition for the instructional integration of Digital Technologies during the Nationally webcasted Digital Learning Day. This event took place on February 1, 2012, and included a live National Town Hall featuring FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and U.S. Secretary of Edu-cation Arne Duncan. The event profiled great teachers who use technology effectively to deliver instruction and focused on education innovation projects happening across the country.

To view Englewood’s part of the Digital Learning Day Town Hall Meeting, please visit the website and select Englewood Schools from the navigation that appears at the right of the video. http://www.digitallearningday.org/DLD2012

21st Century Work Spaces Englewood Schools is very proud of the significant work that we’ve accomplished in equipping our students and staff with instructional technology tools to enable our community to teach and learn as ef-fectively as possible. Nearly every instructional space has been equipped with an overhead data projec-tor, enabling staff and students to deliver multi-media based presentations. The new IT standard of using LED-equipped data projectors will provide for more reliability, quicker start up times, and longer bulb life. Additionally, most instructional spaces are now equipped with document cameras, small devices that replace the overhead projector. The document cameras are easy to use, do not require trans-parencies, and can project live images such as bugs crawling around a petri dish as well as a page from a math textbook without any preparation. These devices work in tandem with the above-mentioned LED projectors, as well as our older LCD projectors.

Many of Englewood’s classrooms, have been outfitted with Interactive White Boards (often called “SMARTBoards”). These tools combine digital resources with the tactile manipulation, allowing stu-dents to touch a large, 72 inch, screen to complete math solutions, create digital electronic circuits, and use colored styluses to mark up essays and websites. Over the course of 18 months Englewood has moved from just a handful of these tools to equipping all elementary classrooms, the math department of EMS, and our special-needs classrooms with SMARTBoards. Many of these boards have come from matching grant funds. Increasingly, Englewood students and staff have at their fingertips some of the best technology toolkits in the state!

Englewood Students Access World Class Resources! New for the 11-12 school year, high school students at both Englewood High School and Colorado’s Finest Alternative High School have been using cutting edge technologies such as HD cameras, green


screen video labs, solar and wind power kits, and digital engineering and 3D modeling. Students have access to high-powered computers, large displays, and fast networking, to complete their project-based learning. Some of the products of these students can be found at http://www.pirateer.net. The STEM lab has become renowned through the Front Range as a model of 21st Century learning.

Computer Access for Students Nearly Doubles in One Year! When asked, most people will identify technology as one of the hallmarks of 21st educational systems. Englewood Schools is happy to share that it has nearly doubled the number of computers it has for staff and students over the last year. September 2010 saw Englewood with approximately 1050 computers, and we are currently equipped with over 1900 computers for staff and students! Among the highlights:

l Most certified staff and administrators have laptop computers for increased mobility and productivity l Special Education classrooms are piloting the use of Apple iPads with appropriate applications to meet curricular goals l Computer Labs are being upgraded as budgets allow so that students can access robust programs and current software

l And in three grade levels, grades 5, 6, and 9, students will have daily access to a small-sized laptop, called a Netbook, for wireless research, math practice, and writing tools. Students have an e-toolkit including email, online storage, and web-authoring tools at their fingertips. l All instructional staff have a dedicated web-space attached to their school sites. Many teachers are now using this for parent communications and student activities.

With a dizzying array of technology available today, Englewood Schools is committed to identifying proven technology that is effective, “right-sized” for the task, and cost effective.

One to One Computing Pilot Underway Englewood students in grades five, six and nine have each been assigned a small laptop, called a Netbook, to use throughout the school day. Students are able to access multi-media resources and work digitally and collaboratively with their peers. Students check their netbooks in at the end of the school day, and use Flash drives and online storage (sometimes called cloud computing) to move work between home and school.

As students prepare for their postsecondary options, those will increasingly include the demands of working with digital technologies. Englewood Schools, by deploying netbooks to our students, is helping

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LEARNING CYCLE


our students be prepared for their futures.

For more detailed information, please pull down the Technology menu tab from the Departments tab on the left navigation bar on our main district webpage. http://englewoodschools.net/

To investigate one product that is the result of purposeful integration of instructional technology, visit our Pirate TV webpage from the left navigation bar on our main district webpage. http://englewoodschools.net/

21st Century Learning Cycle Instructional Model

Englewood Schools’ 21st Century Teaching and Learning Cycle supports learners in the devel-opment of skills associated with higher order thinking and problem solving. These proficiencies are essential for all graduates that will need to be innovative in order to compete in a global economy. The change that is required of American schools to remain competitive in the 21st century requires new knowledge, new relationships and new procedures.

The 21st Century Teaching and Learning Cycle promotes intentional planning on the part of the teacher to ensure learning experiences that are purposefully aligned to desired results. Effective instructional strategies are used throughout the learning phase of the cycle to support a gradual release of responsibility from teacher to student to ensure students develop independence with regard to conceptual knowledge and skills. Throughout the cycle, learning is actively monitored to gauge student progress toward meeting academic standards. This active stance on monitoring is vital to the outcome of increased student achievement on both an individual and organizational level.

For more detailed information, please visit the Instructional Model tab from the center navigation bar on our main district webpage. http://englewoodschools.net/

Post Secondary and Workforce Readiness

Graduation, Completion and Dropout Data Graduation, completion and dropout rates are important pieces of information for schools, communities, and the state. The graduation data report the rate of students graduating high school in four years (considered “on time” graduation). The completion data report students who graduate plus students who complete a GED. The dropout data report students who did not complete their high school education.

Concurrent Enrollment Englewood Schools believes that high school students who are capable of, and wish to pursue college level work while in high school, should be permitted to do so. Any student who is not more than twenty-one years old, is enrolled in the 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade, and has met the necessary course require-ments may be eligible to take college level course work. These approved courses will receive both high school and college credit. Students may take two courses per semester with tuition paid by Englewood Schools. The district is proud of the growing number of students that successfully take college-level course work each year.

* “On-time,” four year graduation formula put in place by CDE

Dropout Prevention and Re-engagement Englewood Schools is committed to ensuring that all students reach their full learning potential, and in doing so, earn a high school diploma and demonstrate readiness for postsecondary education and the workforce. Englewood recognizes the critical impact a high school diploma has on a student’s future, and therefore has developed tightly woven strategies and action steps to promote high school graduation

2010-112009-10*2008-092007-082006-072005-06

20.412.824.831.532.526.2

72.578.078.672.271.354.0

44.439.949.848.550.637.9

73.972.474.673.975.074.1

74.780.383.780.580.877.0

29.925.950.952.149.648.3

50.548.666.164.064.360.5

76.875.879.278.879.880.5

15.420.319.021.322.425.8

3.03.13.63.84.44.5

2.32.83.54.65.73.5

7.310.39.811.512.110.5

CFAHS EHS StateDistrictGraduation Rate

CFAHS EHS StateDistrictCompletion Rate

CFAHS EHS StateDistrictDropout Rate

Year

SCHOOLYEAR/TERM

NUMBER OF STUDENTSENROLLED IN COLLEGE-

LEVEL CLASSES

PASS RATE OFCOLLEGE-LEVEL

CLASSESTUITION PAID BY

DISTRICT

2008-092009-102010-11

2193142

95%94%92%

$3,997.11$26,653.96$43,048.60

Post Secondary and Workforce Readiness

and dropout prevention across the district. The following initiatives are underway to address dropout prevention:

l Opening of the Ombudsman Student Support Center to serve at-risk students, expelled and sus-pended students, students who have dropped out, and students who desire an alternative learning envi-ronment with technology-delivered curriculum. l Specific identification of and Targeted Services to students demonstrating at risk factors (failing grades in core subjects, low attendance, and disengagement in the classroom including behavior problems) l High school Credit Recovery Programs l Programs designed to address Key Educational Transition Periods (5th to 6th grade transition and 8th to 9th grade transition) l Implementation of Individual Careerand Academic Plans for all 6th through 12th graders l Middle and high school AdvisoryPrograms for all 6th through 12th graders l Implementation of American School Counselor Association (ASCA) standards for all secondary counselors to ensure compre-hensive school counseling services that address students’ academic, career, and social/emotional needs. l Ongoing Dropout Prevention and Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness professional devel-opment for counselors, teachers and administrators. l Expansion of Concurrent Enrollment, Advanced Placement, and Career and Technical Educa-tion courses to promote rigorous and relevant learning and overall student engagement. l Implementation of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) programs at Englewood High School, and Englewood Middle School. AVID is a college-readiness system designed to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges. Although AVID serves all students, it focuses on the least served students in the academic middle. l Outreach services and interventions to Colorado’s Finest Alternative High School students who have dropped out in order to re-engage and re-enroll them in school.

Englewood’s focus on dropout prevention will continue to yield research-based strategies and initiatives to ensure our students graduate from high school ready for postsecondary education and the workforce.

For more detailed information, please pull down the Learning Services/College and Career Readiness menu tab from the Departments tab on the left navigation bar on our main district webpage. http://englewoodschools.net/

District Accountability and Major Improvement Strategies

All school districts in the State of Colorado are required to complete a District Unified Improvement Plan and submit to the Colorado Department of Education. Englewood Schools has outlined the fol-lowing Major Improvement Strategies in the District Unified Improvement Plan:

1. Build a system of defined autonomy, empowerment and accountability for all stakeholders. 2. Create an aligned system of curriculum, instruction, assessment and accountability. 3. Create systems of engagement and re-engagement, which empower students to fulfill graduation requirements.

The 2011-2012 school year will begin year two of a three-year goal cycle, and the above major improvement strategies will continue to guide the focus of improvement for the next two years. In addition to the broad goals above, Englewood Schools has set the following data specific goals for interim improvement: l Elementary school students scoring P/A in reading will increase from 60.2% to 72% as measured by CSAP given in April of 2011. l Middle school students scoring P/A in reading will increase from 59% to 70% as measured by CSAP given in April of 2011. l High School students scoring P/A in reading will increase from 61.2% to 72% as measured by CSAP given in April of 2011. l Elementary school students will increase their median growth percentile in reading from 42 to 50 as measured by the 2011 spring CSAP l Middle school students will increase their median growth percentile in reading from 43 to 50 as measured by the 2011 spring CSAP l High school students will increase their median growth percentile in reading from 42 to 50 as measured by the 2011 spring CSAP l The percent of students graduating from Englewood Schools will increase from 49.6 to 80% as measured by 2010-2011 state EOY data l The percent of students dropping out from Englewood Schools will decrease from 11.2% to 6% as measured by 2010-2011 state EOY data.

For detailed accountability information from the State, please visit CDE’s interactive accountability website. http://www.schoolview.org/

District Accountability & Improvement Strategies

School Performance Frameworks The district and school per-formance frameworks provide a snapshot of the district or school's level of attainment on academic achievement, growth, growth gaps and postsecondary readiness. The table at right displays the performance frame-work plan types identified by the State for the district and all Englewood Schools.

School Grades Organization Some 18 organizations joined together to help fund the School Grades effort. Schools were graded on a curve that arbitrarily determined that 10 percent would receive A's no matter how well schools per-formed. In addition, they decided that 5 percent of schools must receive F's regardless of how well they did. The process used by the School Grades organization will always ensure that this happen even if all schools perform well.

The letter grade approach shifts attention toward a single measure, away from the broader, and much more accepted, presentation of information offered by CDE. School Grades is a private effort that does not have any oversight by CDE, or any statutory basis for its work.

State data were used to determine the grades, but the groups behind the initiative developed their own cut points, which are different than what CDE uses to determine school performance and growth. This may be confusing to parents and other interested parties who want to understand school performance. In addition to their website, School Grades has launched an aggressive media campaign that includes TV commercials, billboards, and extensive coverage on 9News.

Please take time to click on the widely accepted state accountability system that is at http://www.schoolview.org/. There you can see comprehensive information that includes academic achievement and growth, postsecondary and workforce readiness, graduation and dropout rates, achievement gaps, com-parison data based on other schools, and performance indicators in specific academic subjects. We have a state system that has been rated a perfect 100% on the recently released Quality Counts edition by Education Week.

For more district information, please visit the Accountability tab from the left navigation bar on our main district webpage. http://englewoodschools.net/

District Accountability and Major Improvement Strategies District Accountability & Improvement Strategies

District and School Performance FrameworkComparison of 2010 and 2011 Plan Types

Assigned by CDE

46.8 (1 yr) Priority Imp.

70.1 (1 yr) Performance





52.3 (1 yr) Improvement



2010 Plan Type 2011 Plan TypeSchool

District

Charles Hay

Cherrelyn

Clayton

Bishop

ELA

EMS

EHS

CFAHS

42.9 (3 yr) Turnaround








Performance

Financial Transparency

Englewood Schools values Open and Honest Communication with its many stakeholders: staff, students, parents and taxpayers. In order to meet the requirements of Article 44, Title 22 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, The Public School Financial Transparency Act, we have posted several items on our Financial Transparency webpage.

For more detailed information, please pull down the Business Services menu tab from the Departments tab on the left navigation bar on our main district webpage. http://englewoodschools.net/

englewood schools 2012 shareholders

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