Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson City Public Schools Mr. Mark Pittman, Principal 655 Colice Jeanne Road Nashville, TN 37221 Document Generated On January 19, 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 5 Additional Information 6
Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1
Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? Bellevue Middle Prep is located roughly 13 miles southwest of the downtown area of Nashville, TN via Interstate 40. Nashville is noted for the music and health care industries. Bellevue, an unincorporated area of Nashville, is served by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County and has a population of approximately 79,157. Bellevue is in close proximity to parks, the steeplechase, restaurants, and tourist attractions, including the Natchez Trace Parkway and the world famous Loveless Motel Restaurant. While Bellevue is located in the suburbs, the school has a racially diverse population. Bellevue Middle Prep serves the following sub-groups: Asian, African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander, and White. About half of the 670 students fall into the economically disadvantaged category. Bellevue also includes a small English Language Learner population, approximately 32 students. 89% of the student body lives in the Bellevue Community. The remaining students choose Bellevue as their zoned option school. Bellevue competes with many private schools directly in or around our community as well as numerous charter schools within the Metro area. Bellevue's attraction is multi-faceted. BMP is an IB Middle Years Programme School serving all students in grades 5-8. All 8th grade students complete a community service project by the end of the spring semester. The public library and the Bellevue Community Garden are adjacent to the school. Bellevue has high growth proficiency scores and free after school tutoring. Bellevue offers ENCORE, athletic programs, student leadership groups, intramurals, clubs, enrichment, and high school credit classes. Bellevue has a Response to Instruction and Intervention program that adjusts instruction for struggling as well as advanced students. Bellevue Middle Prep has 27 full time certificated classroom teachers, 6 full time certificated special education teachers, 5 related arts teachers, 1 librarian, 2 guidance counselors, and two administrative staff. Additional staff includes one full time academic coach, one full time Dean of Students, one part time RTI2 coach, one part time speech and hearing teacher, and one part time school psychologist. The school has experienced four administrative changes in the last three years. There have also been three assistant principal changes in the last three years. Mr. Pittman is the current executive principal and Dr. Carter is the current assistant principal. Page 2
School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. The mission of is to cultivate in everyone a love for learning through a commitment to: Advanced Achievement, Quality Character, and Community Action Vision Statement: Our vision is that all students will be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to graduate high school, pursue higher education, and succeed in a competitive global community. Motto: Committed to excellence from all for all. The belief statements were developed in collaboration with the PTO, community representatives, administration, faculty, students, and support personnel. What We Value: We value putting the needs of students at the heart of what we do. We value building relationships centered on respect and quality character. We value setting high expectations for students, faculty, staff and leaders. We value open communication to support consistency and collaboration. We value excellence in growth and learning. We value building a strong community within our building, in Bellevue and beyond. Signed, The Teacher, Staff, and Administration of Bellevue Middle These beliefs drive the decision-making process as develops policies for academics, attendance, discipline, extracurricular activities, and community involvement. Educators value young adolescents and are prepared to teach them. Students and teachers are engaged in active, purposeful learning. Curriculum is challenging, exploratory, integrative, relevant, and rigorous. Educators use multiple learning and teaching approaches. Varied and ongoing assessments advance learning as well as measure it. A shared vision developed by all stakeholders guides every decision. Leaders are committed to and knowledgeable about this age group, educational research, and best practices. Leaders demonstrate courage and collaboration. Page 3
Ongoing professional development reflects best educational practices. Organizational structures foster purposeful learning and meaningful relationships. The school environment is inviting, safe, inclusive, and supportive of all. Every student's academic and personal development is guided by an adult advocate. Comprehensive guidance and support services meet the needs of young adolescents. Health and wellness are supported in curricula, school-wide programs, and related policies. The school actively involves families in the education of their children. The school includes community and business partners. The school offers RTI2 for all students. The school sponsors community service projects with every 8th grade student. Page 4
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. During the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years, the school scored an overall achievement of a 5 on the TVASS. A challenge the school faces is a drop in the TVASS from a 5 to a 1 in overall achievement during the 2014-2015 school year. The new administration is working hard with teachers, students, and families to bring the overall achievement score back to a 5 during the 2015-2016 school year. Efforts administration is making to achieve this goal include, but are not limited to, teacher progress monitoring meetings each month between administration and classroom teachers, student data folders in each classroom, new teacher mentoring program headed by Mr. Pittman, and RTI2 data meetings with teams every five weeks. In 2014-2015, BMP introduced the first class of National Jr. Honors Society members in the school's history. The Scholastics Art Competition, with over 1,300 entries, this year the competition was tough. We had 1 student receive Honorable Mention this year! She also received 2nd place for 8th grade at the TSU International Art Contest. Overall we had 3 students receive Gold Key Awards, 1 Silver award, and 4 Honorable Mentions at the Scholastic's Art Competition in the past 4 years; last year 3 students received 1st place for their grade level at the TSU International Art Contest. In volleyball this year Bellevue was top 16 in the city, top 8 in the district; last year, 2014 Bellevue was top 6 in the district tourney; 3 years ago, 2013 Bellevue was top 6 in the district, top 8 in city tournament. In the fall 2015, the 7th grade scored top in math on the district benchmark for zoned schools. Students from Bellevue participated in the math and science program at Vanderbilt. Bellevue also had over 100 students participate in sitebased Encore in the 2015-2016 school year. Page 5
Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. Bellevue Middle Prep is an IB MYP (Middle Years Programme) school. The IB program is provided to all students grades 5-8. A full time IB coach, Mrs. Hancock, oversees the program. Bellevue Middle Prep has a one acre garden called the Bell Garden. The BELL Garden exists to cultivate, guide, and encourage shared community values of healthy living and lifelong learning. The BELL Garden supports this mission by providing practical learning opportunities for residents of the community in a setting that promotes physical activity, healthy eating, environmental stewardship, and multi-cultural connections for all generations. Current initiatives include classroom interaction & hands on lessons in the garden, community events, garden workdays, an after school garden program, and produce tastings. Bell Garden is committed to sharing our harvest with the entire community, including those in need. You can learn more by visiting http://www.bellgardennashville.org/home.html Page 6