fwcs annual report 2014-15.indd

Building on the
POSITIVE
MOMENTUM
FORT WAYNE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
2014-15 ANNUAL REPORT
core values
We value:
• student achievement as the heart of our work.
• equity in educational opportunities.
our mission
• the diversity and uniqueness of our district and
community.
Fort Wayne Community Schools educates all students to high standards enabling
them to become productive, responsible citizens.
our vision
Fort Wayne Community Schools will be the school system of choice
and a source of community pride.
• the accountability of the school board, the
administration, employees and teaching
professionals.
• open and honest communication with our
community, parents, and students.
• partnerships with business, governmental, and
community agencies.
• our community’s support, sacrifice, and
contributions.
• the ability to change and meet all challenges.
• facilities that are clean, safe, and well-maintained.
Board of School Trustees
Mark GiaQuinta
President
At-large, 2015-2018
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Julie Hollingsworth
Vice President
District 1, 2015-2018
Stephen Corona
Secretary
District 5, 2013-2016
Anne Duff
Member
At-large, 2015-2018
Becky Hill
Member
District 3, 2013-2016
Glenna Jehl
Member
District 2, 2013-2016
Jordan Lebamoff
Member
District 4, 2015-2018
a message from our Superintendent
To Members of the Fort Wayne Community,
I am pleased to provide a report highlighting the many student-centered initiatives being successfully implemented in Fort Wayne Community Schools, as well as
our accomplishments for the 2014-15 school year. The positive momentum in our district is very exciting as we focus on our mission to educate all students to
high standards, enabling them to become productive, responsible citizens. Our mission and vision were crafted so there is ownership in them, from the Board
room to the classroom. We believe in and use our core values, which require us to talk about hard issues so we can address them openly.
While we are seeing solid progress, to continue improving we are committed to building effective leadership and learning systems to lead to improved outcomes for all students. Our work with Learning Forward, which was featured in their book Becoming a Learning System, is a centerpiece of our improvement
system. Professional learning is the best way for educators to develop the new knowledge, skills and practices necessary to better meet student’s learning
needs.
It is a privilege to lead Fort Wayne Community Schools in partnership with an excellent Board of School Trustees. Together, we are increasing the positive momentum of preparing students for success in college and career readiness. As a testament to our work, the Board of School Trustees was awarded the national
Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE) Award for Urban School Board Excellence. This award recognizes high levels of achievement in four core areas:
• Excellence in School Board Governance
• Building Civic Capacity
• Closing the Gap – Equity in Education
• Demonstrated Success of Academic Excellence
I want to congratulation our Board for winning this prestigious award
and publicly thank them for their continued support. I also want to
thank parents and the community for supporting us. Our success is
directly linked to your support and involvement.
Sincerely,
Wendy Y. Robinson, Ed.D
Superintendent of Schools
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The rigor of Fort Wayne Community Schools’ programs is matched only by the extent of its academic and extracurricular options.
From the state’s only public 1 – 6 Montessori program at Towles to the prestigious International Baccalaureate program at South
Side, FWCS is on the leading edge of excellence.
SPECIALIZED MAGNET SCHOOLS
FWCS offers seven high quality programs:
• Bunche Early Childhood Center – Montessori
HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS OF STUDY
FWCS offers Specialized Programs of Study at each high school
to make pathways from classroom to careers easy:
• Whitney Young Early Childhood Center – Reggio Emilio
Fine Arts
• North Side High School – Early College, Global Studies
and World Languages
• Croninger Elementary School – Communications
• Northrop High School – Project Lead the Way/Engineering
• Irwin Elementary School – Math and Science
• Weisser Park Elementary School – Fine Arts
• Snider High School – Project Lead the Way/Biomedical
Studies
• Towles Intermediate School – Montessori and New Tech
• South Side High School – International Baccalaureate
• Memorial Park Middle School – Fine Arts
• Wayne High School – New Tech Academy, Early College,
Business and ROTC
OVERVIEW OF FWCS PROGRAMS
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COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS
FWCS students graduate ready for whatever lies ahead of them, whether it be
college or a career:
• Wide selection of Advanced Placement classes or Collegiate Connection
offered at every high school.
CAREER EDUCATION PROGRAMS
The FWCS Career Academy at Anthis provides extensive career education programs to 22 high schools in northeast Indiana. Dual-credit opportunities exist
with local colleges and universities. National, state and local certifications are
issued in most programs.
• Dual-credit courses offered in high schools at local colleges and universities, giving students opportunities for both high school and college-level
credits
• Allied Health Careers
• Ample opportunities to earn Core 40, Honors and Technical Honors
Diplomas
• Early Childhood Education
• Automotive Technology
• Aviation
• Construction Trades
• Cosmetology
• Culinary Arts
• Engineering Technology
• Information Technology
• ICE (Interdisciplinary Cooperative Education)
• Public Safety
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REPORT ON GOAL 1:
ACHIEVE & MAINTAIN ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
tio
za
a li
on
rs
Pe
Learning
and
Innovation
Skills
STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
PYRAMID FOR SUCCESS™
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Information,
Media and
Technology
Skills
P ro fe s s io n a l
L e a rn in g
n
Life and
Career Skills
io
Core Subjects
and
21st Century
Themes
MORAL
PURPOSE
is
Fort Wayne Community Schools educates all students to high standards
enabling them to become productive, responsible citizens.
ec
The key elements of 21st Century Learning are represented in the graphic and descriptions shown. The pillars represent 21st century student outcomes, and the steps
represent 21st century learning support systems. FWCS views all the components as
fully interconnected in the process of 21st century teaching and learning.
21st Century Student Skills
Pr
FWCS saw the emergence of the new Indiana Career and College Readiness Standards
as an opportunity to re-examine the current system of educational design to better
ensure the success of every student. The result was the FWCS Vision for Learning, a
21st Century Instructional Framework that clearly articulates how FWCS will meet our
number one goal to achieve and maintain academic excellence.
n
FWCS VISION FOR LEARNING PROVIDES INSTRUCTIONAL
FRAMEWORK
FWCS IMPROVES CONTINUOUSLY IN KEY ACADEMIC
MEASUREMENTS
As FWCS works to continuously improve academic success, recent efforts are
showing strong success. The percentage of students passing both the math and
English Language Arts sections of the ISTEP+ test have increased solidly over
the past few years. This is true for the district as a whole and each of its subgroups, showing that FWCS is also closing the achievement gap for groups of
students who historically have had limited access to the full range of educational opportunities or depth of challenging curriculum. Graduation rates also have
increased, exceeding the state average for several years. This past year 25 elementary schools received an “A” from the Indiana Department of Education,
with three Focus and Priority schools moving up to an “A.” In addition, FWCS
met all of its AMAOs (Annual Measureable Achievement Objectives, targets
for English language development and academic achievement for ELLs) for the
fourth time in the last five years. Of the 10 Indiana school corporations with
the largest ELL populations, FWCS was one of only two that met the AMAOs.
FWCS’ LEARNING FRAMEWORK SHOWCASED IN BOOK
As a testament to FWCS’ success, Learning Forward – the nation’s largest
professional learning membership association – released a book that showcases
the learning framework that has propelled FWCS’ improvement. Becoming a
Learning System includes the voices of FWCS educators along with practical
tools, strategies and the research background to communicate what it means
when every educator in a school district is intently focused on learning.
SCHOOL YEAR
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
Graduation Rate
85.5% 88.2% 87.7% 90.7% 88.6%
ISTEP+
58.6%
63%
67%
66.8% 68.9%
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REPORT ON GOAL 2:
ENGAGE PARENTS & THE COMMUNITY
ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY
FWCS engages the community in many ways. Following are some highlights
of this past year’s community engagement:
• FWCS reached out to parents, students and school-based staff with a
Climate Survey to ensure our programs and services are effective.
• 55 community members took part in Principal for a Day, including state
legislators, business executives, realtors and other professionals.
• FWCS employees participated in many family summer carnivals and
events including the Three Rivers Festival.
• More than 200 volunteers from the community cleaned, painted and
spruced up FWCS facilities as part of the United Way Day of Caring.
• FWCS employees donated and packed 300 backpacks filled with new
supplies for students.
• FWCS again partnered with the Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana and IPFW to host a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math) Conference for girls.
• FWCS co-sponsored the Northeast Indiana College Fair, where 75 colleges and universities were represented.
• Over 1,000 people attended the FWCS Showcase, where all schools and
departments are represented so that families have an opportunity to
learn more about FWCS programs and services.
•
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We held the 4th annual Zumbathon fundraiser to benefit Study Connection.
• The PTA sponsored “For the Love of Kids, Cars, Trucks and Motorcyles”
to increase and support male engagement activities throughout the district. The event also raised $1,000 for Study Connection.
• FWCS nurses made more than 6,000 referrals and had contact with
more than 30 different community agencies.
EXPANDING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
FWCS is continuously expanding its engagement with parents and community
organizations. This year FWCS announced that it is expanding its partnership
with the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne by increasing the before and after
school childcare locations onsite in FWCS schools from nine to 19. This was
done to provide additional childcare options to parents because of the necessity to reduce transportation services.
Study Connection, FWCS’ community volunteer tutoring program, completed its 26th year with support from over 700 volunteers, an increase from the
prior year. Several sites were added to expand the number of students getting
support from a community mentor.
FWCS’ partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters grew with 260 Real Men Read
volunteers and 299 School Buddies who have lunch and read weekly with
students.
Participation in the second annual Seeing is Believing Tour, where community
leaders visit FWCS schools for one-half day, increased significantly. The tour
gives community members the opportunity to see first-hand the outstanding
work being done in all FWCS locations.
FWCS will further expand its community support by opening the Student &
Family Resource Center, which will provide families with a one-stop shop as
they enter the district to determine what school their children will attend and
what services may be needed to support the student and their family. Departments including English Language Learners, Special Education, Health Services,
guidance counseling and more will be centrally located to allow easy access for
parents. It will also allow the district to provide space to community partners
and the Fort Wayne Area PTA to further offer easy access to resources needed by families. The Student and Family Resource Center is expected to open in
fall of 2016.
COMMUNICATING OPENLY WITH THE COMMUNITY
This year FWCS furthered its commitment to open dialogues with the public
by launching “Let’s Talk!,” an online communication software designed to make
it simple for people to engage with the district anytime, anywhere. Designed
and administered by independent technology and communications firm K12
Insight, Let’s Talk! provides a 24/7 outlet for every stakeholder to submit a
comment, register a complaint or offer a word of praise. It is accessible from
any device and can be found on the district’s website.
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REPORT ON GOAL 3:
OPERATE EFFECTIVELY WITH
INTEGRITY & FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
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BUDGET AND TAX RATE REMAIN FLAT
At FWCS we take our role as stewards of taxpayer money very seriously. This past year our annual budget of $281 million for 2015 was
just two percent above the 2014 budget, and the tax rate remained flat. The budget presents long-term financial challenges for FWCS as
the needs of our students continue to grow while our funding does not. With these challenges, we are proud that FWCS was again among
the highest in the state in terms of funneling dollars into the classroom, with funds spent on instruction as a percentage of total expenditures continuing to increase and exceed the state average. FWCS looks at every dollar to ensure it is being spent for the benefit of students.
BUILDING PROGRAM UNDER BUDGET AND ON TIME
The FWCS Building Program, providing needs-only repairs to 36 schools, that was approved in a public referendum in 2012 is under budget
and on time. Because of savings, we reduced the overall spending for projects from $119 million to $117 million, saving $2.2 million or 2%
of the program. The district is also benefiting from energy savings of 6%-20% average per building after these renovations.
TRANSPORTATION REDUCTIONS IN 2015-16
This year we announced that we will need to reduce the transportation budget by $2.5 million as a result of property tax caps known as
the Circuit Breaker. Since being implemented in 2009, the Circuit Breaker has prohibited FWCS from collecting more than $9 million for
Transportation, and this is expected to double by 2017. As a result, FWCS announced plans to enforce No Transportation Zones (NTZ)
and other changes to reduce transportation expenses for the 2015-16 school year.
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FWCS STUDENTS, PARENTS AND STAFF ARE AWARD–WINNING.
• Adams Elementary School teacher Linda Schafer was
named FWCS Teacher of the Year.
• Physical Education teacher Mark Markle was recognized
as the Indiana Association of Health, Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance as the Adapted Physical Education
Teacher of the Year.
• Shambaugh Elementary School teacher Cricket Dolezal
was recognized as the American Legion District 4 and
American Legion State Educator of the Year.
• Lakeside Middle School teacher Louise Swihart was recognized as a finalist for the Indiana Association of School
Principals Academic Coach award.
• FWCS School Resource Officers are part of the team
recognized by the National Association of School Resource
Officers with the 2015 Model Agency Award.
• Irwin Elementary School students Rowan Miller, Audrey
Woodruff, Shim Valui and Henry Kelley achieved National
Honor Roll status in the Noetic Learning Math Contest.
• Students from Blackhawk, Kekionga, Lakeside, Lane, Memorial Park, Portage middle schools and Towles Intermediate School placed in the top 10 in the Indiana Academic
Super Bowl competition.
• Students from Memorial Park Middle School placed in the
top 10 in the state in the Indiana Academic Spell Bowl competition.
SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS
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• Students from Northrop, North Side, Snider, South Side and Wayne high
schools and students from Kekionga, Memorial Park, Portage and Shawnee
middle schools won regional and national awards for Scholastic Art and
Writing.
• Four students from Northrop High School won first through fourth place
in the Congressional Art Competition.
• The North Side High School Marching Band placed in the top 10 in the
state.
• Students from the St. Joseph Central and Weisser Park elementary school
choirs were selected to participate in the Indiana All-State Children’s Honor Choir.
• Harris Elementary School students placed in the top 10 at the state level in
the MATH academic competition. Over 7,000 students statewide competed in regional competitions to earn a spot at state.
• Snider High School students Georgia Baldus, Paul Buisman, Karsyn Havens,
Martha Manges and Chase Phelps were selected for the National Scholastic
Press Association’s Journalism Honor Roll.
• The Northrop High School and Shawnee Middle School dance teams
placed in the top 10 in the state competition.
• Northrop’s Charisma and Allure choral groups placed in the top 10 in the
state large school choral competition.
• Six FWCS Career Academy students placed first or second in the state
SkillsUSA Championship, earning them a trip to the national competition.
Three of these students, Alex Guldbeck, Tyler Hack and Trevor Gilpin,
placed in the top 10 nationally.
• Fifteen FWCS Career Academy students placed in the top 10 in the Health
Occupations Students of America (HOSA) state leadership awards.
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ALLEN COUNTY
The FWCS Security Department maintains a collaborative working relationship with
the Allen County Sheriff’s Department, courts and Homeland Security. FWCS’ Printing Services does the printing work for Allen County Government.
ALLEN COUNTY EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP
Through its Project READS program, the Allen County Education Partnership works
with several FWCS elementary schools.
ASSOCIATED CHURCHES
The Rising Stars program matches churches with schools. Many provide tutoring,
assist with vision screening, collect school and classroom supplies and host teacher
appreciation activities.
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS
The Big Brothers Big Sisters Lunch Buddies program is provided at 20 elementary
schools, and Real Men Read touches classrooms in all elementary schools.
BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK
The Blessings in a Backpack program provides meals to children on weekends at
Abbett, Adams, Fairfield and South Wayne elementary schools. The food is sent
home with the children on Fridays. It is sponsored by SchenkelShultz and other local
donors.
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB
Fairfield Elementary works with the Boys and Girls Club on a regular basis
to collaborate on homework.
CITY OF FORT WAYNE
FWCS Career Academy Construction Trades works with the city to do
concrete work. The FWCS Security Department maintains a collaborative
working relationship with the Fort Wayne Police Department, Fort Wayne
Fire Department, Animal Care and Control and Traffic Engineering.
ROTARY CLUB OF FORT WAYNE
The Downtown Rotary Club of Fort Wayne partners with Washington
Elementary by providing School Buddies, Study Connection tutors, the
Rotary Reader program and other supportive services. They formed Early
Act Club, an elementary school version of Rotary.
EARLY CHILDHOOD ALLIANCE
Early Childhood Alliance works with FWCS to ensure all children are ready
and successful for K-12 education by providing early childhood education
and services for families, early childhood professionals and the community.
FAME
FAME partners with 33 schools to provide visiting artists and teacher workshops. Students also participate in the annual FAME Festival.
CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS
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FORT WAYNE BALLET
The Fort Wayne Ballet provides thematic unit studies on dance that are integrated with
content areas such as science and language arts at Whitney Young Early Childhood
Center, Weisser Park and Study elementary schools.
FORT WAYNE DANCE COLLECTIVE
The Dance Collective provides classes to third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students at
Weisser Park, kindergartners at Bunche, and preschool students at the FWCS Career
Academy Early Childhood Center. The Dance Collective also supports a dance elective
for 75 students at South Side High School.
FORT WAYNE MUSEUM OF ART
FWCS partners with the Fort Wayne Museum of Art to provide enhanced art education.
FORT WAYNE PHILHARMONIC
The Fort Wayne Philharmonic presents an annual Young People’s Concert in the spring
for all fifth-graders. Throughout the year, various ensembles visit schools to introduce
students to a variety of music.
FORT WAYNE YOUTHEATRE
More than 500 FWCS students participate in Youtheatre classes, productions and
outreach. The organization collaborates with Weisser Park Fine Arts Magnet and leads
Creative Drama classes at Title I Pre-kindergarten programs. Thousands of students attend specially priced school shows that connect theater with Language Arts Standards.
IN-SCHOOL GIRL AND BOY SCOUTING PROGRAMS
The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts offer enrichment opportunities in many schools.
IPFW
IPFW Fine Arts Department students work with fine arts students at Memorial Park Middle School. All FWCS high schools work with IPFW in the Collegiate Connection program.
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT
Most FWCS schools are sites for Junior Achievement, which helps students prepare for
the workplace by providing economic and business education.
PARKVIEW HOSPITAL COMMUNITY NURSING
Parkview Hospital is committed to a partnership with FWCS to promote the health
and well-being of students most in need. Parkview provides school-based nurses and
specialists who provide direct care and consultation.
UNITED WAY
United Way’s Education Network is dedicated to children’s success in school, which
includes a partnership of local youth-serving organizations.
VINCENNES UNIVERSITY
FWCS Career Academy offers students more than 50 dual credit hours through
Vincennes University in a variety of subjects including cosmetology, computers, graphic
design and television production.
WELLSPRING
Wellspring provides after-school programs at Study and Lindley elementary schools
and a free summer day camp.
YMCA
FWCS partners with the YMCA to offer child care services before and after school.
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Cover photo courtesy of photographer Sam Hoffman and the Journal Gazette.
Fort Wayne Community Schools
Wendy Robinson, Superintendent
1200 South Clinton Street • Fort Wayne, IN 46802
260.467.1000
www.fortwayneschools.org