##### *REVISED 3/2/06*

##### *2005-2006 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program*

*U.S. Department of Education*

Type of School: **Elementary (Pre K -- 5)**

Name of Principal **Mr. Brian Nichols**

Official School Name **T. Ryland Sanford Elementary**

School Mailing Address **480 Colony Road**

**Newport News, VA 23602-6310**

State School Code Number **290**

Telephone **(757) 886-7781** Fax **(757) 989-0385**

Website/URL **[www.sbo.nn.k12.va.us](http://www.sbo.nn.k12.va.us/)**
e-mail
[**brian.nichols@nn.k12.va.us**](mailto:brian.nichols@nn.k12.va.us)

I have reviewed the information in this application, including the
eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my
knowledge all information is accurate.

Date\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

(Principal's Signature)

Name of Superintendent **Dr. Marcus J. Newsome**

District Name **Newport News Public Schools** Tel. **(757) 591-4502**

I have reviewed the information in this application, including the
eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my
knowledge it is accurate.

Date\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
(Superintendent's Signature)

Name of School Board Chairperson **Mrs. Debbie H. Johnston**

I have reviewed the information in this package, including the
eligibility requirements on page 2, and certify that to the best of my
knowledge it is accurate.

Date\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

(School Board Chairperson's Signature)

**PART I ‑ ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION**

**\[Include this page in the school's application as page 2.\]**

The signatures on the first page of this application certify that each
of the statements below concerning the school\'s eligibility and
compliance with U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights
(OCR) requirements is true and correct.

1.  The school has some configuration that includes grades K-12.
    (Schools with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an
    entire school.)

2.  The school has not been in school improvement status or been
    identified by the state as \"persistently dangerous\" within the
    last two years. To meet final eligibility, the school must meet the
    state's adequate yearly progress requirement in the 2005-2006 school
    year.

3.  If the school includes grades 7 or higher, it has foreign language
    as a part of its core curriculum.

4.  The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from
    at least September 2000 and has not received the 2003, 2004, or 2005
    *No Child Left Behind -- Blue Ribbon Schools Award.*

5.  The nominated school or district is not refusing the OCR access to
    information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to
    conduct a district‑wide compliance review.

6.  The OCR has not issued a violation letter of findings to the school
    district concluding that the nominated school or the district as a
    whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes. A
    violation letter of findings will not be considered outstanding if
    the OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to
    remedy the violation.

7.  The U.S. Department of Justice does not have a pending suit alleging
    that the nominated school, or the school district as a whole, has
    violated one or more of the civil rights statutes or the
    Constitution\'s equal protection clause.

8.  There are no findings of violations of the Individuals with
    Disabilities Education Act in a U.S. Department of Education
    monitoring report that apply to the school or school district in
    question; or if there are such findings, the state or district has
    corrected, or agreed to correct, the findings.

**PART II ‑ DEMOGRAPHIC DATA**

**All data are the most recent year available.**

**DISTRICT**

1\. Number of schools in the district: **28** Elementary schools

**9** Middle schools

**0** Junior high schools

**5** High schools

**10** Other (Early Childhood Centers; PEEP; Alternative Education 6 --
12)

**52** TOTAL

2\. District Per Pupil Expenditure: **\$7953.00**

Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: **\$8552.00**

**SCHOOL**

3\. Category that best describes the area where the school is located:

> \[ **x** \] Urban or large central city
>
> \[ \] Suburban school with characteristics typical of an urban area
>
> \[ \] Suburban
>
> \[ \] Small city or town in a rural area
>
> \[ \] Rural

4\. [**\<1**]{.underline} Number of years the principal has been in
her/his position at this school.

[**3**]{.underline} If fewer than three years, how long was the previous
principal at this school?

5\. Number of students as of October 1 enrolled at each grade level or
its equivalent in applying school only:

  ----------- --------- ----------- ---------- --------- -- ----------- --------- ----------- ---------
  **Grade**   **\# of   **\# of                **Grade      **Grade**   **\# of   **\# of     **Grade
              Males**   Females**              Total**                  Males**   Females**   Total**

  **PreK**    **8**     **2**                  **10**       **7**                             

  **K**       **39**    **55**                 **94**       **8**                             

  **1**       **44**    **44**                 **88**       **9**                             

  **2**       **49**    **40**                 **89**       **10**                            

  **3**       **46**    **43**                 **89**       **11**                            

  **4**       **31**    **38**                 **69**       **12**                            

  **5**       **50**    **44**                 **94**       **Other**                         

  **6**                                                                                       

                                    **TOTAL                                                   **533**
                                    STUDENTS                                                  
                                    IN THE                                                    
                                    APPLYING                                                  
                                    SCHOOL →**                                                
  ----------- --------- ----------- ---------- --------- -- ----------- --------- ----------- ---------

6\. Racial/ethnic composition of **35%** White

the students in the school: **56%** Black or African American

**4%** Hispanic or Latino

**3%** Asian/Pacific Islander

**2%** American Indian/Alaskan Native

**100%** Total

7\. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: **45%**

  ------------------------- --------------------------- ------------------
  **(1)**                   Number of students who      **92**
                            transferred ***to*** the    
                            school after October 1      
                            until the end of the year.  

  **(2)**                   Number of students who      **143**
                            transferred ***from*** the  
                            school after October 1      
                            until the end of the year.  

  **(3)**                   Total of all transferred    **235**
                            students \[sum of rows (1)  
                            and (2)\]                   

  **(4)**                   Total number of students in **523**
                            the school as of October 1  

  **(5)**                   Total transferred students  **.449**
                            in row (3) divided by total 
                            students in row (4)         

  **(6)**                   Amount in row (5)           **45**
                            multiplied by 100           
  ------------------------- --------------------------- ------------------

8\. Limited English Proficient students in the school:
**[\<1%]{.underline}**

**[6]{.underline}** Total Number Limited English Proficient

Number of languages represented: **[3]{.underline}**

Specify languages: **[Spanish, Hungarian, Chinese]{.underline}**

9\. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals:
**[58%]{.underline}**

Total number students who qualify: **[324]{.underline}**

10\. Students receiving special education services: **[21
%]{.underline}**

[**108**]{.underline} Total Number of Students Served

> Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to
> conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education
> Act. Do not add additional categories.

Autism Orthopedic Impairment

Deafness **6** Other Health Impaired

Deaf-Blindness **64** Specific Learning Disability

**3** Emotional Disturbance **34** Speech or Language Impairment

**1** Hearing Impairment Traumatic Brain Injury

> Mental Retardation Visual Impairment Including Blindness
>
> Multiple Disabilities

11. Indicate number of full‑time and part‑time staff members in each of
    the categories below:

    **Number of Staff**

**[Full-time]{.underline}** **[Part-Time]{.underline}**

Administrator(s) **2**

Classroom teachers **30**

Special resource teachers/specialists **11**

Paraprofessionals **11** **1**

Support staff **10** **9**

> Total number **64** **10**

Average school student-"classroom teacher" ratio: **17:1**

13\. Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a
percentage. The student dropout rate is defined by the state. The
student drop-off rate is the difference between the number of entering
students and the number of exiting students from the same cohort. (From
the same cohort, subtract the number of exiting students from the number
of entering students; divide that number by the number of entering
students; multiply by 100 to get the percentage drop-off rate.) Briefly
explain in 100 words or fewer any major discrepancy between the dropout
rate and the drop-off rate.

  -------------------------- ------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
                             2004-2005     2003-2004   2002-2003   2001-2002   2000-2001

  Daily student attendance   **96%**       **95%**     **95%**     **95%**     **94%**

  Daily teacher attendance   **96%**       **97%**     **93%**     **93%**     **\*%**

  Teacher turnover rate      **\*\*31%**   **20%**     **23%**     **18%**     **16%**

  Student dropout rate       NA            NA          NA          NA          NA
  (middle/high)                                                                

  Student drop-off rate      NA            NA          NA          NA          NA
  (high school)                                                                
  -------------------------- ------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------

\* Data not available \*\* The seemingly significant increase in teacher
turnover is attributed to four retirements, two promotions, three
resignations (1-family and 2 -relocation), and one transfer.

**PART III ‑ SUMMARY**

There is good reason to be hopeful about the education of students who
attend public schools in poor communities. Schools where over half of
all students live in low-income situations *can be* schools where all
students achieve at high levels of academic success. This is not known
in theory, but in the practices and results at T. Ryland Sanford
Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia.

Sanford Elementary has a rich heritage of excellence and unwavering
responsiveness to community expectations. It has safe, orderly, and
nurturing learning environment; a place where students discover how to
explore, imagine, and hope. The student academic success this Title I
school has experienced is vastly different from the stereotypes of urban
minority schools. As one of the city's top performing schools, Sanford
Elementary has established itself as a learning community where there is
trust and respect for all, including students, teachers, and support
personnel, and where there is a powerful commitment to ensure the
academic and personal success of every child.

Aligned with the direction of Newport News Public Schools, the mission
at Sanford Elementary is to ensure that each student is empowered with
the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the challenges of the future.
To see this to fruition, the school focuses daily on the 3 R's --
*rigor, relevance,* and *relationships*. Numerous initiatives for
improving the delivery of curricula have been launched and untold hours
creating goals, strategies and action plans, have been spent. These
efforts offer great promise both for the sustainability of the students'
academic achievement and the school's continued recognition of meeting
of state accreditation standards and AYP (adequate yearly progress).

At Sanford, school improvement is no mystery because nothing about
teaching and learning is left to chance. Every action, practice,
conversation, approach, or decision happens purposefully and as result
of being *evidenced informed*. Most would call Sanford's ambitious goals
of 100% student pass rates a gaffe, but not this school staff. Sanford
educators know that incremental, even dramatic, improvement is not only
possible but probable under the right conditions. And they have the
results and *evidence* to prove it.

Everyday Sanford teachers coach learners to think at higher levels -- to
master competencies that stretch and broaden the edges of possibilities
-- and to connect their learning to meaningful entities. They provide
classroom atmospheres conducive to learning through warm, non-coercive
relationships with students; relevant and meaningful learning; and the
expectation of skill attainment instead of memorization. Every effort is
made to provide a school environment where teachers can teach and
students can learn without the concerns of safety or undue infringements
upon the instructional process. Daily, students are provided with
significant learning opportunities designed to stimulate creativity,
foster problem solving, and enhance intellectual growth. Data, used
judiciously and with discretion, monitors and assesses performance, and
provides instructional direction. Communication, collaboration, and
cooperation among staff, students, and the community makes success
possible: for this staff knows the results of deliberate efforts will
reach far beyond the school walls.

Dedicated to student achievement and continuous improvement in the
delivery of curriculum and instruction, T. Ryland Sanford Elementary
School continually strives to be values-led, people-centered, and
achievement oriented. The results of which, speak for themselves.

**PART IV -- INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS**

1.  **School Assessment Results**

The Commonwealth of Virginia has established Standards of Learning (SOL)
to ensure all students are provided a quality education. These standards
describe the commonwealth\'s expectations for student learning and
achievement in grades K-12 in English: Reading and Writing, Math,
Science, and History. These SOL assessments are criterion-referenced
achievement tests. The grade three SOL tests are cumulative and cover
curricula taught in grades kindergarten through grade 3. Students are
tested in the following categories: English, Math, Science, and History.
In Newport News Public Schools students in fourth grade are given the
Virginia Studies SOL test which covers the Social Studies content taught
in fourth grade. The grade five SOL tests cover curricula taught in
grades four and five. Fifth grade students are tested in the following
areas: English reading, writing, math, and science.

A minimum scaled score of 400 is required to pass each subtest, with 600
being a perfect score. Scaled scores from 400 - 499 are deemed pass
proficient while scaled scores from 500 - 600 are considered pass
advanced. The state of Virginia school accreditation ratings require a
70 percent pass rate in all elementary school content areas except for
English which requires a grades three and five combined 75 percent
passing score, and grade three history and science which each require a
50 percent passing score. In addition to accreditation, state SOL scores
are also used to determine Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as outlined in
the No Child Left Behind Act.

T. Ryland Sanford Elementary School, one of twenty-eight elementary
schools in Newport News Public Schools, became fully accredited in 2002.
Third grade reading scores have increased from 63% in 2001 to 87% in
2005. In mathematics, third grade students have increased their
proficiency from 72% in 2001 to 93% in 2005. Fifth grade students have
also made impressive gains. In reading, students have increased their
proficiency from 79% in 2001 to 94% in 2005. Similarly, fifth grade math
scores increased from 72% in 2001 to 81% in 2005. In addition to earning
full accreditation, Sanford Elementary School has also met the
provisions for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as set by the standards of
No Child Left Behind for the years 2003, 2004, and 2005.

Each subgroup continues to make similar growth. The gap between the
minority and non-minority students has been significantly reduced over
the past five years. In third grade reading black students have
increased their proficiency to 88% compared to 91% proficiency in white
students. Similar success is also noted in fifth grade. In the area of
reading, 93% of black and 97% of white fifth grades passed the reading
portion of the SOL test. In the area of math, 88% of black third graders
and 81% of fifth, scored at or above the standard compared to the 91%
pass rate of white students in grade three and 97% in grade five. The
pass rates of students exceeding the standard have increased in both
reading and math for all subgroups.

T. Ryland Sanford Elementary School is a Title I school with greater
than 58% of students receiving free or reduced meals. Third grade scores
have continued to rise in this subgroup. In reading, economically
disadvantaged students have increased their proficiency from 68% in 2003
to 83% in 2005. Third grade students scoring in the advanced range
increased from 0% in 2003 to 14% in 2005. Fifth grade economically
disadvantaged students have also made impressive gains. In fifth grade
reading, the percentage of economically disadvantaged students scoring
at or above the proficient range increased from 78% in 2003 to 90% in
2005. Students achieving pass advanced in the area of reading increased
from 3% in 2003 to 41% in 2005.

The state website used to complete this document is www.pen.k12.va.us/.

2.  **Use of Assessment Results to Improve Student and School
    Performance**

Sanford Elementary School uses SOL, quarterly assessment, and classroom
generated data to interpret and address the diverse academic needs of
its students. Instructional goals are developed once SOL test scores
have been disaggregated. The School Improvement Plan is the vehicle by
which school related goals are refined at the grade level. Staff members
discuss data trends during weekly, collaborative planning meetings to
determine students' strengths and weaknesses according to subgroups
identified in the No Child Left Behind legislation. The result of this
data analysis then guides instruction, in order to differentiate and
therefore eliminate any potential achievement gaps.

Grade level representatives comprise the building-based Data Team to
facilitate dialogue about data trends during the weekly planning
sessions. The team guides teachers through the process of analyzing
data, and assists them in realizing how such a practice must guide their
instructional decisions. The Data Team reports to the principal monthly
and designs additional training as needed.

Each teacher inputs quarterly data for each student into a spreadsheet.
The result, compiled with other teachers' data, allows for a collective
look at grade level, building and division strengths and weaknesses -- a
springboard for data dialogue during collaborative planning periods.
Data results included on the spreadsheet include interventions used,
oral running record score, reading level, SOL reading score, Quarterly
Assessment reading score, English grade, SOL math score, quarterly
assessment math score, SOL science score, quarterly assessment science
score, etc. By taking a closer look at the data on a regular basis,
teachers are better able to identify achievement gaps earlier and
address the gaps by adapting their instructional strategies accordingly.
The subject area results are also used to create individual intervention
plans for students at risk of future failure.

**3. Communication of Student Performance**

As a school with a keen sense of community, Sanford Elementary maintains
two-way communication with students, families and the community. Student
agendas are used daily by all students to communicate with parents and
guardians. Feedback regarding student assignments, projects and tests is
shared and discussed through student conferences, communication folders,
interim and 9-week reports, phone calls, and home visits. SOL scores are
mailed home annually. Parent conferences are held throughout the year,
and to accommodate a variety of family schedules, two evenings are
dedicated to parent conferences as well.

Sanford teachers take advantage of every opportunity to discuss student
performance. Family and community members are welcome at informal
functions such as Doughnuts with Dads, Muffins with Moms, Curriculum
Fairs, PTA Meetings and Family Fun and Fitness Nights. Workshops such as
a Transitions Workshop for 5^th^ grade students matriculating on to
middle school and the school division's Family University Network
offerings are more formal. While the purpose of these workshops is to
enhance student success, they go a long way in ensuring strong
family/school relationships. The Parent Involvement Specialist maintains
a Parent Resource Center in the front lobby of the school. This center
houses information for parents to help them enhance their children's
school performance. Grade level curriculum information is periodically
featured. Information regarding available community services and help
accessing these services is offered as well.

Frequent celebrations also highlight student success. Monthly
citizenship receptions, quarterly awards assemblies, the *I Make a
Difference* program and a formal promotion ceremony for fifth graders
are all presented to celebrate student success. Families and friends are
always welcome to join in the celebrations and community participation
is encouraged. Civic minded business partners generously contribute
student incentives and funding to help implement and support these
programs. Business partnerships with the

school have grown from one in 2003 to an impressive 28 in 2005. A
school-wide network of television highlights recipients of Honor Roll
and Citizen of the Month awards. Technology has also increased
communicate through the school website; a wealth of information is
available to keep Sanford families informed of upcoming assessments and
study guides. As new students enroll at Sanford they are given a
brochure outlining student achievement, services and accomplishments as
a part of the school counselor's Welcome to Sanford program. Sanford's
success has been well documented. An Associated Press article entitled,
"Rigorous School Closes the Achievement Gap" was released in the fall of
2003, and published in several newspapers across the country.

**4.** **Sharing School Success**

The staff and students at Sanford Elementary School seize every
opportunity to share documented successes with other schools.
Neighboring schools are encouraged to observe and consult with Sanford
staff as a result of its documented academic success. The staff at
Sanford enjoys a variety of on-site professional development sessions
designed to improve the effectiveness of classroom instruction,
implement Newport News Public Schools required curricula, and provide
instructional support. These activities are open to all schools.
Sanford's staff members also attend professional development activities
within the district and participate in workshops and conferences
throughout the country. Staff members have supported the efforts of
other schools by presenting workshops on topics including Behavior
Management Strategies That Work, Questioning Strategies, and Enhancing
Speech and Language Development in Kindergarten. These training
opportunities provide information about the researched-based teaching
strategies utilized by the Sanford staff, and the successful data driven
results achieved.

Sanford's staff members attend district-wide curriculum meetings that
provide a welcome opportunity to share school success. The principal
attends divisionwide administrative training meetings on a monthly basis
and lead teachers attend curriculum meetings for social studies,
science, math, and special education. Team meetings for Reading
Recovery, guidance, media services, and speech pathology provide an open
forum for sharing school success in these areas.

Sanford also enjoys a "paired-school" relationship with another Newport
News school, Hilton Elementary. Each school shares improvement plans,
walkthroughs, and regularly dialogue sessions. Sanford has also
developed a cohort for teachers new to the school; a model has been
adopted by the paired school. Sanford's teachers are recognized locally
and nationally with awards, citations, certificates, commendations and
appointments: Who's Who among American Teachers, City Employee of the
Month, Past President of the Newport News Reading Council, Leadership
Academy completion, and Coordinator of the New Principal's Cohort.
Recently, our former principal was recently appointed Executive Director
for Curriculum and Instruction, because of her successful leadership.

Sanford uses innovative approaches to share its success in presenting
staff development, providing a safe and nurturing school climate for
students and parents, and raising SOL scores to eliminate achievement
gaps. Parent activities are announced throughout the district and the
school improvement plan is always available for review. The school
utilizes numerous medium in order to share its success including video
conferencing, the *Friday Focus* staff newsletter, shared data
collection instruments and numerous planning tools for teaching and
school improvement.

**PART V -- CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION**

**1. Outline of Curriculum**

The basis curriculum development in Newport News is the Virginia
Standards of Learning. This standards-based curriculum provides students
with rigorous, high quality, learning activities, by subject and grade.
Sanford Elementary utilizes the Understanding by Design, or backwards
design, curriculum framework developed by Jay McTighe and Grant Wiggins.
In this backward design, the state standards are used to determine the
big ideas or major understandings that students should learn. Once the
big ideas are identified, appropriate assessment and learning activities
are created to provide students with problems and situations that mirror
those found in the world at large. Instructional strategies are chosen
to challenge and engage students while keeping the focus on learning.
The curriculum design, as well as the instructional strategies it
contains, is composed of the best practices identified to date by
current research on learning theory. Curriculum and pacing guides are
developed by district supervisors with the support of trained classroom
teachers. As curriculum units are completed, they are posted on a
locally accessed website for use by classroom teachers who then provide
feedback for consideration during the revision process.

The goals of the English curriculum are to teach all students to read
fluently, to comprehend a variety of printed materials, to write
effectively, and to speak in standard English. In Newport News, this
curriculum reflects a comprehensive program that uses a variety of
materials in to meet the needs of our diverse student population. At the
foundation of the reading program are teacher read alouds, shared
reading, guided reading, and independent reading. The writing and
language arts program encompasses demonstration writing, shared writing,
guided writing, independent writing, grammar, and word study. *Harcourt
Trophies* is the core reading series and is used to explicitly and
systematically to teach and assess phonemic awareness, phonics,
vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Harcourt instruction is
supplemented in the primary grades by the use of the *Earobics Literacy
Launch* program. The *Earobics* program provides students with rich,
diverse language experiences and facilitates the transition from spoken
to written language. Reading achievement is assessed using components of
the Harcourt assessment program. This assessment program is supplemented
in the primary grades with the use of the *Phonological Awareness
Literacy Screening* (PALS) tool.

The mathematics curriculum in the Newport News Public School division
follows the state guidelines for Standards of Learning at developmental
readiness levels. Throughout a student's mathematics education, specific
content strands or topics are taught: number and number sense,
computation and estimation, measurement, geometry, probability and
statistics, and patterns, functions, and algebra. The Standards of
Learning for each strand progress in complexity at each grade level. The
elementary mathematics curriculum covers problem solving, communicating,
reasoning, making connections, and creating representations. Children as
young as age five interact with data to answer questions and illustrate
trends. As a result, frequency tables, line plots, bar graphs,
pictographs, and line graphs abound in classrooms at Sanford. Strands
are repeated at various times throughout the year to spiral the learning
and revisit important skills.

The history and social science Standards of Learning are designed to
develop the knowledge and skills of history, geography, civics, and
economics. Concepts such as democracy, freedom, government or scarcity
can only be understood if the language of those concepts is more than
just words. Classroom instruction capitalizes on the rich historical
context of the Virginia Peninsula Region and is supported by museum
partnerships and the school division's participation in the federal
Foundations of Freedom grant project. This grant supports fourth and
fifth grade teachers through summer history academies, study groups,

teacher field trips, and teacher artifact kits. Partners in this effort
include Colonial Williamsburg, Endview Plantation, Lee Hall Mansion,
Yorktown Foundation, and the Marnier's Museum. Sanford students take
advantage of division sponsored field trips to these and other community
amenities.

The science curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop
process skills and build content knowledge through student engagement
and hands-on, interactive activities including student programs at the
Virginia Living Museum and citywide science fairs. Students in grades
kindergarten through five focus on the scientific method: observing,
hypothesizing, predicting, measuring, communicating, and interpreting
data. Centrally located science closets provide teachers easy access to
consumable materials and equipment for the required weekly science
experiments.

Art education emphasizes learning through inquiry. Students examine
aspects of the artistic process through idea generation, problem
solving, and self-assessment. Students learn to recognize and apply the
elements of art and principals of design in completed works of art.
Students investigate and respond to the integral role of art in their
own lives, across time and within cultures.

**2a. The** **Reading Curriculum**

## 

Reading is recognized as the foundation of all learning at Sanford
Elementary School. Early intervention in reading is deliberate and
designed to front load success rather than remediate failure. The
language arts curriculum is an integrated and literature-based program
that provides a balanced approach to the teaching of reading and
writing. Within the structure of "model, practice, and apply," students
are taught to read and write through real-world literacy activities
instead of isolated exercises. Sanford students appreciate reading for
information and enjoyment.

Newport News Public Schools' adopted reading program, Harcourt Brace,
directs language arts curriculum and instruction. As part of an
integrated approach, teachers make natural cross-curricular connections.
The series' basal provides for relevant and literature based language
arts instruction, providing meaningful learning. The program features
instructional support in teaching phonics, phonemic awareness,
vocabulary development, fluency, and reading comprehension for both
whole and small group delivery. The series incorporates the seven
research-based comprehension strategies outlined in the
school-implemented book by Ellin Keene, *Mosaic of Thought*. During
whole group instruction, teachers model reading comprehension strategies
and skills. Students are given opportunities to practice and apply
skills at their instructional level during guided reading, guided
practice, and independent reading.

The division's balanced literacy framework - guided reading, independent
reading, shared reading, reading aloud, demonstration writing, shared
writing, independent writing, interactive and guided writing, and word
knowledge - is incorporated across grade levels and allows for
appropriate, leveled reading and writing instruction. Ongoing assessment
and evaluation is central to the framework. As a result, teachers form
guided reading groups and make text selections based on students'
determined instructional and independent reading levels. Guided reading
groups provide for differentiated instruction and are flexible.

3.  **The Mathematics Curriculum**

Sanford teachers use a variety of resources to move students toward
understanding and mastery of mathematics. The National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics have established six content strands: number and
number sense, computation and estimation, measurement, geometry,
probability and statistics, Patterns, Functions & Algebra. At Sanford,
the teachers use these strands to foster problem solving, critical
thinking and logical reasoning skills.

The Virginia Standards of Learning provide teachers with a knowledge
base in which to build learning. It assists teachers as they plan their
lessons by identifying essential understandings, defining essential
content knowledge, and describing the intellectual skills students need
to use. Sanford teachers use their curriculum frameworks and division
wide pacing guides to plan instructionally appropriate lessons. Teachers
are provided common planning time and given extended release hours on a
regular basis to devote time for team-based instructional planning. This
time allows for common goals to be established and for quality planning,
ensuring that students connect mathematical relationships to
mathematical experiences.

Newport News Public Schools provides teachers with a building block of
knowledge to develop life long learners through the Understanding by
Design (UbD) framework for instructional planning. UbD works to help
teachers set learning goals, plan assessments, and develop meaningful
learning activities. At Sanford, the teachers work together to plan and
develop the math program. Lessons are tailored around math skills such
as measurement, graphing, time, and money in a hands-on, manipulative
based manner to help make mathematical connections to the real world.
Necessary computational skills are taught early and spiraled throughout
the K-5 curriculum through daily practice and homework connections.
Continuous monitoring of student understanding via data analysis of
state, division and teacher assessments drives instruction. The students
at Sanford are given the opportunity to work in small, flexible groups
with teacher collaboration to bolster each student's mathematical
education. The teachers augment their math instruction through
integration of the curricula to support understanding of how
mathematical concepts relate to all aspects of their lives.

4.  **Instructional Methods to Improve Student Achievement**

School-based administration sets the tone for instruction with high
expectations, time on task, and scheduled use of all resources.
Instructional decisions are expected to be deliberate, evidence
informed, and data driven. Planning for optimum instruction and student
learning begins at the division level. All elementary teachers are
provided a weekly, collaborative, uninterrupted planning session of two
and one half hours, which supports the adopted philosophy and research
of Richard DuFour as detailed in *Professional Learning Communities at
Work*.

At the school level, an additional common planning period of 160 minutes
a week is scheduled for each grade level. These planning times are used
for disaggregating and analyzing division, school, and classroom
assessments and data, discussing and determining common areas of
strength and weakness within each instructional area. Weekly grade level
plans are generated using pacing and curriculum guides aligned with the
division objectives and Virginia Standards of Learning essential
questions, knowledge, and skills. The resulting weekly planning document
is used as the framework for daily lessons, and it is shared with
resource, enrichment, and intervention personnel. This practice ensures
that related arts staff fully support classroom instruction. Daily
lessons are delivered via recognized best practices and an established
common language -- which language allows for quality discussion, as well
as lesson and assessment design, during the monthly vertical planning
session, which supports academic achievement through spiraled
curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Various research-based instructional strategies are implemented
school-wide. During uninterrupted literacy blocks of instruction, the
instructional method of "Model, Practice, and Apply" allows for a
systematic approach to scaffolding - from explicit instruction, to
authentic practice, to independent application. Students are encouraged,
as described in the heavily used *Mosaic of Thought* by Ellin Keene*,*
to make text to self, text, and world connections. In addition, students
are prompted to visualize, infer, question, and determine importance of
information. Teachers model and emphasize how these techniques will
assist students in comprehension, thus promoting strategic processing
when students are reading.

**5. Professional Development**

To remain abreast of the most current and relevant educational research,
the faculty and staff participate in, and often deliver, a variety of
professional development opportunities from the individual to the state
level. Upon assignment to Sanford, teachers participate in a "new
teacher cohort" that is designed to establish the common language and
practices of the school. New teachers are assigned a Pathwise Mentor, or
specially trained peer coach, in order to enhance his/her understanding
of the planning, preparation, and facilitation of learning activities
and assessment strategies. Teachers are encouraged to participate in
classroom management workshops as well.

A literacy team, in place at all grade levels, assists with professional
development. The literacy team members lead readings, book talks, and
the school-based Teachers as Readers group, impact instructional
understandings, decisions, and practices. The TeachFirst program, an
outcome-based, monthly, site-based professional development offering, is
also in place to enhance the skills of the classroom teachers in order
to impact student learning.

To further increase student learning and achievement, a grant-funded
staff development residency with Ellin Keene - author of the school
adopted *Mosaic of Thought*, will offer a variety of demonstration
lessons in classrooms, assist in developing a long-range literacy action
plan to guide future professional learning, and provide professional
books and materials that teachers may use as a platform for further
professional book studies. This, coupled with Marzano's work in
*Classroom Instruction That Works,* will enhance student achievement for
all students in all subject and at all grade levels, as Marzano's
research recognizes the classroom teacher as the most important factor
to student success. As a result, Sanford teachers are effectively
trained to develop and deliver high quality instruction.

Sanford educators share their expertise by providing staff development
at the division level in all academic areas, behavior management, and
parent workshops. In addition, staff members have presented workshops at
state and regional conferences including the Virginia State Reading
Conference, Association of the Supervision and Curriculum Development
Conference, and the Virginia Society for Technology in Education.

**PART VI - ASSESSMENT RESULTS**

# Virginia's Reporting Form for NCLB Blue Ribbon Data

**ENGLISH 3^RD^ GRADE**

**T. Ryland Sanford Elementary**

**Harcourt/2003**

  -------------------------------- ------------- ------------ ------------
                                   2004-2005     2003-2004    2002-2003

  Testing month                    May/June      May/June     May/June

                                   This is data               
                                   that is                    
                                   reported on                
                                   the Website                
                                   for SOL                    
                                   Report Cards               
                                   for                        
                                   Virginia's                 
                                   schools. ¹                 

  **SCHOOL SCORES**                                           

  \% At or Above Meets State       87            58           72
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    18            9            3

  Number of students tested        60            92           64

  Percent of total students tested 100           100          100

  Number of students alternatively 0             0            0
  assessed                                                    

  Percent of students              0             0            0
  alternatively assessed                                      

                                                              

  SUBGROUP SCORES                                             

  1\. **Economically                                          
  Disadvantaged**                                             

  \% At or Above Meets State       83            43           68
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    14            4            0

  Number of students tested        35            51           31

  2\. **Black**                                               

  \% At or Above Meets State       88            49           71
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    21            6            0

  Number of students tested        33            53           31

  2\. **White**                                               

  \% At or Above Meets State       91            70           74
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    14            13           6
  -------------------------------- ------------- ------------ ------------

**¹ [http://www/pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/src/index.shtml]{.underline}**

# Virginia's Reporting Form for NCLB Blue Ribbon Data

**ENGLISH 5^th^ GRADE**

**T. Ryland Sanford Elementary**

**Harcourt/2003**

  -------------------------------- ------------- ------------ ------------
                                   2004-2005     2003-2004    2002-2003

  Testing month                    May/June      May/June     May/June

                                   This is data               
                                   that is                    
                                   reported on                
                                   the Website                
                                   for SOL                    
                                   Report Cards               
                                   for                        
                                   Virginia's                 
                                   schools. ¹                 

  **SCHOOL SCORES**                                           

  \% At or Above Meets State       94            73           88
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    48            28           11

  Number of students tested        80            109          72

  Percent of total students tested 100           100          100

  Number of students alternatively 0             0            0
  assessed                                                    

  Percent of students              0             0            0
  alternatively assessed                                      

                                                              

  SUBGROUP SCORES                                             

  1\. **Economically                                          
  Disadvantaged**                                             

  \% At or Above Meets State       90            69           78
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    41            18           3

  Number of students tested        41            61           32

  2\. **Black**                                               

  \% At or Above Meets State       93            70           89
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    40            16           3

  Number of students tested        42            64           37

  2\. **White**                                               

  \% At or Above Meets State       97            81           86
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    59            51           20
  -------------------------------- ------------- ------------ ------------

**¹ [http://www/pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/src/index.shtml]{.underline}**

# Virginia's Reporting Form for NCLB Blue Ribbon Data

**MATHEMATICS 3^RD^ GRADE**

**T. Ryland Sanford Elementary**

**Math in my World/1999**

  -------------------------------- ------------- ------------ ------------
                                   2004-2005     2003-2004    2002-2003

  Testing month                    May/June      May/June     May/June

                                   This is data               
                                   that is                    
                                   reported on                
                                   the Website                
                                   for SOL                    
                                   Report Cards               
                                   for                        
                                   Virginia's                 
                                   schools. ¹                 

  **SCHOOL SCORES**                                           

  \% At or Above Meets State       88            78           89
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    37            32           45

  Number of students tested        60            91           64

  Percent of total students tested 100           100          100

  Number of students alternatively 0             0            0
  assessed                                                    

  Percent of students              0             0            0
  alternatively assessed                                      

                                                              

  SUBGROUP SCORES                                             

  1\. **Economically                                          
  Disadvantaged**                                             

  \% At or Above Meets State       86            76           94
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    34            14           42

  Number of students tested        35            50           31

  2\. **Black**                                               

  \% At or Above Meets State       88            75           90
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    33            21           32

  Number of students tested        33            53           31

  2\. **White**                                               

  \% At or Above Meets State       91            87           87
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    41            53           61
  -------------------------------- ------------- ------------ ------------

**¹ [http://www/pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/src/index.shtml]{.underline}**

# Virginia's Reporting Form for NCLB Blue Ribbon Data

**MATHEMATICS 5^th^ GRADE**

**T. Ryland Sanford Elementary**

**Math in my World/1999**

  -------------------------------- ------------- ------------ ------------
                                   2004-2005     2003-2004    2002-2003

  Testing month                    May/June      May/June     May/June

                                   This is data               
                                   that is                    
                                   reported on                
                                   the Website                
                                   for SOL                    
                                   Report Cards               
                                   for                        
                                   Virginia's                 
                                   schools. ¹                 

  **SCHOOL SCORES**                []{.mark}     []{.mark}    []{.mark}

  \% At or Above Meets State       88            70           79
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    39            15           25

  Number of students tested        80            108          72

  Percent of total students tested 100           100          100

  Number of students alternatively 0             0            0
  assessed                                                    

  Percent of students              0             0            0
  alternatively assessed                                      

                                                              

  SUBGROUP SCORES                                             

  1\. **Economically                                          
  Disadvantaged**                                             

  \% At or Above Meets State       83            64           63
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    27            15           13

  Number of students tested        41            61           32

  2\. **Black**                                               

  \% At or Above Meets State       81            63           76
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    38            14           16

  Number of students tested        42            64           37

  2\. **White**                                               

  \% At or Above Meets State       97            81           83
  Standards                                                   

  \% At Exceeds State Standards    47            19           34

                                                              
  -------------------------------- ------------- ------------ ------------

**¹ [http://www/pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/src/index.shtml]{.underline}**