~ Elementary ~	~ Middle School ~	~ High School ~

Vision Statement:

We envision a worldwide community that is free from prejudice and one in which each individual and culture is valued for its unique abilities, traditions, and strengths while students fulfill their responsibility as a member of society.

Mission Statement:

Standing Rock Community School will provide students with opportunities to excel academically, physically, spiritually, and socially by expanding curriculum and activities, increasing community involvement, and integrating culture in the school environment.

Standing Rock/Fort Yates Community School AYP Status 

  

 Dear Parents and Patrons,

 

“Enclosed please find a letter from Dr. Sanstead, our state superintendent.  Federal regulations require a state to formally notify all parents when a district has been identified for improvement.”

 

Each district’s test results are examined to determine whether or not the district has made Adequate Yearly Progress toward achieving the state’s high academic achievement standards.  Students who have reached “proficiency” or “advanced proficiency” on the North Dakota State Assessment test have met the standards; students scoring “partially proficient” or “novice” have not yet met the standard.

 

Regarding the North Dakota State Assessment, to make Adequate Yearly Progress, a district must have a certain percentage of students who score at the “proficient” and “advanced” level, the district would be identified as not making Adequate Yearly Progress.  By 2013-14, all students will be required to score at the “proficient” and advanced” level.

 

Enclosed you will find our district’s Adequate Yearly Progress Report.  There are actually four specific criteria that the state reviews to determine if a district has made Adequate Yearly Progress.  These four criteria include:

 

1. Whether the percentage of students in the composite and subgroup categories

on the North Dakota State Assessment are proficient or advanced proficient.

2. Whether 95% of the students in total district as well as in each subgroup took

the state assessment.

3. Whether the district has met the secondary indicator:

• Elementary/Middle Schools – attendance rates.
• High School – graduation rate.

4. Whether the district’s achievement and participation rates have passed the test

for statistical significance.

 

Based on the results of the state assessments, our district has not met the required percentage for proficiency for six consecutive years, meaning not enough of our students have scored at the proficient or advanced level on the test.  For this reason, our district is considered a district that is not making adequate yearly progress, and so we have been identified as a district in need of program improvement.

 

• In grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 11, we had 28.32% of our students meeting proficiency in the subject are of reading during the 2008-2009 North Dakota State Assessment.  In grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 11, we had 71.68% of our students not meeting average yearly progress (AYP) in the subject area of reading during the 2008-2009 North Dakota State Assessment.
• In grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 11, we had 29.46% of our students meeting proficiency in the subject of mathematics during the 2008-2009 North Dakota State Assessment.  In grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 11, we had 70.54% of our students not meeting average yearly progress (AYP) in the subject are of mathematics during the 2008-2009 North Dakota State Assessment.
• In grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 11, we had 88.76% of our students taking the North Dakota State Assessment which does not meet the state 95% requirement.
• In grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 11, we had a 88.01% attendance rate by our students which does not meet the 93% set by the state of North Dakota in order to meet average yearly progress (AYP) standards which are outlined in the No Child Left Behind Law.
• In grade 12, we had a 53.09% graduation rate by our students which does not meet the 90% set by the state of North Dakota in order to meet average yearly progress (AYP) standards which are outlined in the No Child Left Behind Law.

 

In our efforts to ensure that all students reach the state’s academic standards, that indeed no child is left behind, we must examine student data, gather input from stakeholders, and examine current methods of district programming and instruction.  At this time using data about our students and their achievement, we have identified the following areas as targets for instructional improvement in our state plan:

 

• The Standing Rock Community Elementary School is implementing the 2008 Scott Foresman Reading Program in grades K-5 for the second year.  The elementary school is using the SRA, Academies of Reading, and Read Right Reading Intervention Programs to address our student needs.
• The Standing Rock Community Middle School is implementing the Prentice Hall Reading Program in grades 6-8 for the second year.  The middle school is using the Academies of Reading and Read Right Reading Intervention Programs to address our student needs.
• The Standing Rock Community High School will continue to use the Read Right and Academies of Reading Intervention Programs.  The high school will also be implementing the Odysseyware Computerized Reading and Language Arts Curriculum.
• The Standing Rock Community Elementary School is implementing the Scott Foresman Envision Mathematics Program as the core program in grades K-5 for the second year.  The elementary school is using Saxon Math and Academies of Mathematics Intervention Programs to address our student needs.
• The Standing Rock Community Middle School is implementing the Prentice Hall Mathematics Program as the core program in grades 6-8.  The middle school will be implementing the Saxon Mathematics and Academies of Mathematics as Intervention Programs.  The middle school will continue to offer Pre-Algebra courses.  The middle school will implement an Algebra course for students as a new offering.
• The Standing Rock Community High School will be implementing the Saxon Mathematics Program and the Academies of Mathematics as an Intervention Program.  The high school will also be implementing the Odsseyware Computerized Mathematics Curriculum.
• The Standing Rock Community High School will be implementing the Odsseyware Computerized Science Curriculum.
• The Standing Rock Community High School will be implementing a journalism curriculum to address our students writing needs.
• The school district is increasing the number of Read Right paraprofessional/tutors to address the student reading needs.
• The Standing Rock Community Middle School and Standing Rock Community High School will be part of the College for Every Student for the third year.  The CFES Program is a program that is designed to increase the number of minority students graduating from high school and going on to college and vocational school and graduating.  The College for Every Student has the following components:  mentoring, pathways to college, goal setting, leadership through services, and families as partners.
• The Standing Rock/Fort Yates Community School will continue to employ an Outreach Social Worker to help address the student body attendance issues.

Because of our identification for program improvement, the state requires that our district submit a school improvement plan to specifically identify how we plan to raise mathematics and reading scores at our district.  We are asking for your support and participation in our efforts to address our district’s identification for program improvement and your input into our district improvement plan.

 

We are holding a parent meeting on October 11, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. to review our current improvement plan, further analyze student achievement.  Please attend this meeting so that you can offer input into our decisions and learn about how you can participate in our school’s efforts to leave no child behind.  Research continually show that a parent’s participation in their child’s education is a key factor in their child’s academic success.  We need your help and support to make adequate yearly progress. 

 

The Fort Yates Public School District #4 is providing and explaining the Corrective Action Plan that will be implemented during the 2010-2011 academic school year.  The Fort Yates Public School District #4 has extended the school year and school day.  The Fort Yates Public School District #4 will be increasing the instruction day time during the 2010-2011 academic school year.   The Standing Rock Community High School will implement a seven period day for the second academic school year.  The Fort Yates Public School District #4 has been providing summer school classes and will provide this service in future years.

 

The school district has implemented new reading and mathematics curriculums during the 2008-2009 academic school year.  These curriculums will continue to be used during the 2009-2010 academic school year.  The school district will be implementing some new intervention programs in the subject of reading and mathematics during the 2010-2011 academic school year.  The Standing Rock Community High School and Standing Rock Community Middle School will be implementing the Saxon Mathematics Series as an intervention/supplemental program.  The Standing Rock Community High School will be implementing the Odysseyware curriculum during the 2010-2011 academic school year.  The school district will be hiring additional Read Right Paraprofessional/Tutors during the 2010-2011 to address student reading difficulties.  The school district has hired two ELL/ESL Teacher to work with our middle school and high school students that qualify for this program.  The two ELL/ESL Teachers will develop plans with consultation with the administration and core course teachers.

 

The Standing Rock Community Elementary School, Standing Rock Community Middle School, and Standing Rock Community High School will continue to participate in the Advanc-ed Organization (former North Central Accreditation) which is a continuous school district improvement process.  The school district will be involved in the NDMile improvement process in the elementary, middle, and high school during the 2010-2011 academic school year.

 

The Fort Yates Public School District #4 is providing and explaining the Alternative Governance Documentation.  The school district offers signing bonuses to the following subject areas:  special education, mathematics, science, and English Language Learners Teachers.  The school district offers $ 2,500.00 signing bonus in the subject areas of Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Special Education, and English Language Learners/English as a second Language Teachers at the end of the first school year contract period.  The school district offers $2,500.00 signing bonus for the subject areas listed above at the end of the second school year contract period.  The school district offers $1,500.00 to certified staff members that live in the district at the end of the contract period. 

 

The Standing Rock Community Elementary School, Standing Rock Community Middle School, and Standing Rock Community High School has contracted with the Native American High Performance Learning Communities (NAHPLC).  The Native American High Performance Learning Communities Reform Plan is made up of ten dimensions:  Dimension 1:  Community-Based Participatory Decision-Making and Vision; Dimension 2:  Spirituality; Dimension 3:  Tribal, Community, and Family support and involvement; Dimension 4:  Maximum Use of Technology; Dimension 5:  Literacy and English Language Development; Dimension 6:  Reaching and Maintaining Heritage language and Indigenous Culture; Dimension 7:  High Expectations as Articulated in Goals and Standards; Dimension 8:  Aligned Assessment; Dimension 9:  Professional Staff Connected to the Community Culture; and Dimension 10:  School Culture Congruent with Home Culture.  The school district is focusing on dimensions 3, 6, and 7 during the 2010-2011 academic school year.  The school district is provided with NAHPLC Coaching from Patricia Stone.  She provides the school with direction and advice each month in person.

 

The school district has hired Herb Kranze as a consultant to improve our classroom management skills and time management skills of our teachers.  The training will provide information on effective teachers, positive expectations, classroom management, time management, principles of cooperative learning, and professional development plan for the school district.  He will be providing our teachers with strategies to make them more effective in the classroom.  The Standing Rock Community Elementary School, Standing Rock Community Middle School, and Standing Rock Community High School were involved in this professional development.  Our goal is to have the students actively engaged in learning and on-task during classroom sessions.

 

The Standing Rock Community Elementary School, Standing Rock Community Middle School, and Standing Rock Community High School has been provided with school improvement advice and consultation from Mr. Bill Demery and Dr. Jean Hall.  Mr. Bill Demery will provide training to our staff with the NWEA interpretation of data and the View point program.  We have been provided advice from both individuals listed in the areas of school improvement, school wide, and assessment interpretations.

 

The Standing Rock Community High School, Standing Rock Community Middle School, and Standing Rock Community Elementary School has hired Mr. Christopher Grant as a consultant to provide training in gang assessment, gang awareness, and bullying.  Mr. Grant is a retired police officer from the Rapid City Police Department, Rapid City, South Dakota.

 

Please feel free to contact the school district office if you have any questions about Adequate Yearly Progress and No Child Left Behind.  I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Clyde C. Naasz, Assistant Superintendent/Title I Coordinator

Federal Programs & Grants

Standing Rock/Fort Yates Community School

 

Enclosure

Standing Rock Community Schools

Student Education Records

Notification of

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

 

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords parents and students who are 18 years of age or older ("eligible students") certain rights with respect to the student's education records.  These rights are:

1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days after the day the Standing Rock Community Schools receives a request for access.

Parents or eligible students should submit to the respective school principal a written request that identifies the records they wish to inspect.  The school official will make arrangements for access and notify the parent or eligible student of the time and place where the records may be inspected.

1. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the parent or eligible student believes are inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy rights under FERPA.

Parents or eligible students who wish to ask the Standing Rock Community Schools to amend a record should write the respective school principal, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it should be changed.  If the school decides not to amend the record as requested by the parent or eligible student, the school will notify the parent or eligible student of the decision and of their right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment.  Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the parent or eligible student when notified of the right to a hearing.

1. The right to provide written consent before the school discloses personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.

One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests.  A school official is a person employed by the school as an administrator, supervisor, instructor, or support staff member (including health or medical staff and law enforcement unit personnel) or a person serving on the school board.  A school official also may include a volunteer or contractor outside of the school who performs an institutional service of function for which the school would otherwise use its own employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use and maintenance of PII from education records, such as  an attorney, audi­tor, medical consultant, or therapist; a parent or student volunteering to serve on an official committee, such as a disciplinary or grievance committee; or a parent, student, or other volunteer assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks.  A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility.

Upon request, the school discloses education records without consent to officials of another school district in which a student seeks or intends to enroll, or is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes of the student’s enrollment or transfer.  It is the requirement the school to make a reasonable attempt to notify the parent or student of the records request.

1. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the Standing Rock Community Schools to comply with the requirements of FERPA.  The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA are:

Family Policy Compliance Office

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW

Washington, DC  20202-8520

FERPA permits the disclosure of PII from students’ education records, without consent of the parent or eligible student, if the disclosure meets certain conditions found in §99.31 of the FERPA regulations.  Except for disclosures to school officials, disclosures related to some judicial orders or lawfully issued subpoenas, disclosures of directory information, and disclosures to the parent or eligible student, §99.32 of the FERPA regulations requires the school to record the disclosure.  Parents and eligible students have a right to inspect and review the record of disclosures.  A school may disclose PII from the education records of a student without obtaining prior written consent of the parents or the eligible student –

• To other school officials, including teachers, within the educational agency or institution whom the school has determined to have legitimate educational interests.  This includes contractors, consultants, volunteers, or other parties to whom the school has outsourced institutional services or functions, provided that the conditions listed in §99.31(a)(1)(i)(B)(1) - (a)(1)(i)(B)(2) are met. (§99.31(a)(1))
• To officials of another school, school system, or institution of postsecondary education where the student seeks or intends to enroll, or where the student is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s enrollment or transfer, subject to the requirements of §99.34.  (§99.31(a)(2)) 
• To authorized representatives of the U. S. Comptroller General, the U. S. Attorney General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or State and local educational authorities, such as the State educational agency in the parent or eligible student’s State (SEA).  Disclosures under this provision may be made, subject to the requirements of §99.35, in connection with an audit or evaluation of Federal- or State-supported education programs, or for the enforcement of or compliance with Federal legal requirements that relate to those programs.  These entities may make further disclosures of PII to outside entities that are designated by them as their authorized representatives to conduct any audit, evaluation, or enforcement or compliance activity on their behalf.  (§§99.31(a)(3) and 99.35)
• In connection with financial aid for which the student has applied or which the student has received, if the information is necessary to determine eligibility for the aid, determine the amount of the aid, determine the conditions of the aid, or enforce the terms and conditions of the aid.  (§99.31(a)(4))
• To State and local officials or authorities to whom information is specifically allowed to be reported or disclosed by a State statute that concerns the juvenile justice system and the system’s ability to effectively serve, prior to adjudication, the student whose records were released, subject to §99.38. (§99.31(a)(5))
• To organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, the school, in order to:  (a)  develop, validate, or administer predictive tests; (b)  administer student aid programs; or (c)  improve instruction.  (§99.31(a)(6))
• To accrediting organizations to carry out their accrediting functions.  (§99.31(a)(7))
• To parents of an eligible student if the student is a dependent for IRS tax purposes.  (§99.31(a)(8))
• To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena.  (§99.31(a)(9))
• To appropriate and designated officials in connection with a health or safety emergency, subject to §99.36.  (§99.31(a)(10)
• Information the school has designated as “directory information” under §99.37.  (§99.31(a)(11))

FERPA permits a school non-consensually to disclose personally identifiable information from a student's education records when such information has been appropriately designated as directory information. "Directory information" is defined as information contained in the education records of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed. Directory information will include information such as the student's name, address, e-mail address, telephone listing, date and place of birth, major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams, dates of attendance, degrees and awards received, the most recent previous educational agency or institution attended, photograph, grade level (such as 11th grade or junior year), and enrollment status (full-time or part-time).