SCHOOL CHOICE 2015 Public Information Meeting PRESENTED OCTOBER 10, 2015 Appoquinimink School District
Our goal is to operate a world-class school system whose graduates have the knowledge and skills to successfully compete in any state or country.
Who we are: 16 Schools 9,877 Students 1,101 Full & PT staff 611 Teachers 57 Administrators Since 1998, we have invested more than $300 million in our schools to make them among the best in the state and region
What we look like: 2 High Schools 3 Middle Schools 7 Elementary Schools 3 Kindergarten Centers 1 Preschool Center 1 Training Center 1 Adult Continuing Education 1 Central Administrative Office
School Environment Daily Attendance 97% Graduation Rate 95% Parent Involvement Elementary: 94% attend conferences Middle: 79% attend conferences High: 68% attend conferences SAFETY # Suspension per 100: 7.1 # Expulsions: <1%
How do we measure success? Academic Achievement College and Career Readiness Meeting Diverse Student Needs Fostering Parent/Community Partnerships
College & Career Readiness AP ENROLLMENT # AP Classes: 25 AP Enrollment: 532 AP Attainment (PL3+) 72.3% UNIVERSAL SAT, PSAT All students take the test, the test is free 20+ CAREER PATHWAYS SENIOR PROJECT WORLD LANGUAGE OPTIONS American Sign: I-V Chinese (Mandarin): I-III French: I-V Italian: I-IV (MHS) Japanese: I-V Spanish: I-AP
College & Career Readiness CLASS OF 2013 Attending 2-year college 16% Attending 4-year college 51% Total: 67% (Above the national average) COLLEGE PERSISTENCE (Freshman to Sophomore) Attending 2-year college 73% Attending 4-year college 94% Both types of colleges 86%* *# is higher because we have fewer students attending 2-year institutions
Points of Pride: A pioneer in International Ed. High Schools recognized by U.S. News and World Report Delaware s only 2-time AP Honor Roll recipient World languages start in elementary school 6 different available by HS Spanish Immersion is an option in Kindergarten. Each year, an additional grade will be added. College credit: 19 AP courses + dual enrollment (HS/college) One-to-one Technology initiatives Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in High School; ipads in Middle School Visiting Artist Program annual author visits Delaware s only alternative energy Outdoor classroom Award-winning libraries Student business enterprises: Bank, Café, Store Exchange programs
How do we communicate? DAILY OR WEEKLY Facebook like us at facebook.com/apposchooldistrict Website Updates look under the NEWS button Automated messages: phone, text, email Electronic newsletter Mobile Phone App Weekly folders elementary schools Home Access Center, Grades 3-12 MONTHLY School Board Meetings Parent Workshops PTA Meetings
Application Process Grades 1-12 Choice Enrollment Begins: November 2, 2015 at 8:00 a.m. Choice Enrollment Closes: January 13, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. Hours of operation: 8AM 4PM weekdays Kindergarten Testing & Registration Begins: March 2, 3, 2016 Choice Enrollment Ends: First day of School Applications received after these deadlines will be considered for good cause
Application Process Common application Required documents: 1. Report card from previous year and current year 2. Attendance 3. Discipline history Apply online at https://www.schoolchoicede.org
Priority Criteria (in order of importance) 1. Returning students who continue to meet the school requirements 2. Siblings of students already enrolled in the school and who will be returning to the school for the following academic year Siblings of students living in the district will be given priority over siblings not living in the district 3. Children of employees 4. Students living within the Appoquinimink School District 5. Students residing outside the district
Criteria for Denial of Request Capacity Students who have been suspended or expelled from the district of residence and have not been reinstated Students who have been absent from school without a valid excuse for more than 15 days
Duration of Enrollment Once accepted, a student will be enrolled in the choice school until completion of that building s grade level configuration (i.e. K, 1-5, 6-8, 9-12) A student accepted for enrollment in a District school shall remain for a minimum of two years A student who fails to meet the academic requirements of the choice school, fails to comply with attendance policy requirements, or violates the ASD Student Code of Conduct may not be permitted to return the next year
Good Cause is defined as: A change in a child s residence due to a change in family residence A change in the state in which the family residence is located A change in the marital status of the child s parents A change caused by a guardianship proceeding Placement of a child in foster care Adoption Participation by a child in a foreign exchange program Participation by a child in a substance abuse or mental health treatment program Or a set of circumstances consistent with this definition of good cause
Transportation Appoquinimink Schools Bus transportation will be provided from an existing ASD bus stop serving that choice school and is dependent on bus seat capacity. If a bus is at capacity, an alternate bus and stop location will be assigned. Bus assignments and stops for all choice students will be issued by the Transportation Department. Parents/guardians are responsible for picking up their child at the bus stop when school is dismissed early or if the opening of school is delayed.
Withdrawal / Termination of Choice Enrollment in a choice school will automatically end upon completion of the last grade level contained in the choice school A parent/guardian may apply to withdraw enrollment in the District at the end of a school year Any student who fails to comply with the ASD attendance policy requirements Any student who fails to meet the academic requirements of the choice school Any student who engages in behavior that results in a recommendation for expulsion, placement in an alternative educational setting, or one or more serious violations of the District s Student Code of Conduct
Elementary Curriculum Highlights Full-day kindergarten Spanish instruction beginning in Grade 1 Spanish-language Immersion Option at Townsend ECC Feeder schools will be Silver Lake- & Townsend Elem. Accelerated learner program beginning in Grade 3 Instrumental & strings instruction beginning in Grade 4 Math and reading intervention and enrichment at all grades for at least 30 minutes per day
Middle School Curriculum Highlights Advanced Math Program World Languages: Exploration* and Concentration options Spanish, French, American Sign Language, and Japanese* Enrichment Time: 30-minutes daily instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners. *Japanese is offered as an Exploratory in Grade 8.
High School Curriculum Highlights Rigorous coursework: 5 Content areas w/multiple levels of study Dual Credit Offerings with Partner Colleges & Universities 19 Advanced Placement Courses ENGLISH SOCIAL STUDIES MATH SCIENCE OTHER Language & Comp. Psychology Calc. AB Biology Spanish Literature U.S. History Calc. BC Chemistry Music Theory World History Statistics Environ. Science Art History Govt. & Politics Computer Science Physics B Studio Art Microeconomics
Programs of Study / Career Pathways Academic Pathway May be in any core content area, including: Math & Science Technology, Humanities and World Languages. Career & Technology Education Pathways CAREER PATHWAY OFFERINGS Agricultural Sciences Performing Arts Banking Services Allied Health Professions Visual Arts Accounting Food Preparation Computer Science Marketing Mgmt. Early Childhood Ed. STEM JROTC
High School Dual Enrollment Articulated courses with DE Tech English Psychology Articulated courses with University of Delaware English
Extracurricular Offerings: A winning tradition ACADEMIC CLUBS 5 CAREER-RELATED ORGANIZATIONS 25 VARSITY SPORTS Science Olympiad BPA Baseball, Basketball, Model U.N. DECA Cheerleading, Robotics FCCLA Cross Country, Natl. Honor Society FFA Field Hockey, Football, Student Council TSA Golf, Lacrosse, Yearbook Theater Peer Tutoring Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track, Volleyball Most sports offer Junior Varsity & Freshmen team opportunities.
Instructional Capacity Capacity determined by the amount of instructional capacity and the projections for the upcoming school year District will accept choice until 85% capacity is reached
School Capacity 85% Capacity Cedar Lane ECC 265 225 Spring Meadow ECC 265 225 Townsend ECC 265 225 School Current Enrollment Projected Open Seats Over/Under Capacity Cedar Lane ECC 265-40 Over Spring Meadow ECC 221 4 Under Townsend ECC 237-12 Over
School Capacity 85% Capacity Brick Mill ES 630 536 Bunker Hill ES 750 638 Cedar Lane ES 630 536 Olive B Loss 630 536 Old State 720 612 Silver Lake ES 560 476 Townsend ES 405 344 School Current Enrollment Projected Open Seats Over/Under Capacity Brick Mill ES 521 15 Under Bunker Hill ES 581 57 Under Cedar Lane ES 626-90 Over Olive B Loss 620-84 Over Old State 652-40 Over Silver Lake ES 503-27 Over Townsend ES 358-14 Over
School Capacity 85% Capacity Louis Redding MS 840 714 Everett Meredith MS 960 816 Alfred Waters MS 960 816 School Current Enrollment Projected Open Seats Over/Under Capacity Louis Redding MS 887-173 Over Everett Meredith MS 826-10 Over Alfred G Waters MS 941-125 Over
School Capacity 85% Capacity Middletown HS 1570 1335 Appoquinimink High 1570 1335 School Current Enrollment Projected Open Seats Over/Under Capacity Middletown HS 1448-113 Over Appoquinimink High 1597-262 Over
Timeline Reminder Appoquinimink Schools November 2, 2015: Application process begins January 13, 2016: School choice closes for Grades 1-12 By January 24, 2016: ASD must notify the district of residence that it has received the application. February 9, 2016: The Board shall take action to approve or disapprove an application. By February 29, 2016: the district shall notify the parent/guardian as well as the district of residence of the decision. March 2 and 3, 2016 Kindergarten (Testing and Registration) First Day of School: School choice closes for Kindergarten applications
Time for your Questions