##### 2006-2007 No Child Left Behind - Blue Ribbon Schools Program

*U.S. Department of Education*

**Cover Sheet** Type of School: (Check all that apply) \[X \] Elementary
\[ \] Middle \[ \] High \[ \] K-12 \[ \] Charter

Name of Principal [Mr. Peter Barry]{.underline}

(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other) (As it should appear in the
official records)

Official School Name [Lancashire Elementary School]{.underline}

(As it should appear in the official records)

School Mailing Address [2000 Naamans Road]{.underline}

(If address is P.O. Box, also include street address.)

####### Wilmington Delaware 19810- 2555

City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)

County [New Castle]{.underline} State School Code Number\*31128

Telephone [(302)475-3990]{.underline} Fax [(302)475-3999]{.underline}

Web site/URL [www.k12.de.us/lancashire]{.underline} E-mail
[peter.barry@bsd.k12.de.us]{.underline}

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. James Scanlon]{.underline}

(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)

District Name [Brandywine School District]{.underline} Tel. [(
302)793-5000]{.underline}

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

President/Chairperson Mr. Craig Gilbert

(Specify: Ms., Miss, Mrs., Dr., Mr., Other)

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\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

(School Board President's/Chairperson's Signature)

*\*Private Schools: If the information requested is not applicable,
write N/A in the space.*

**PART I ‑ ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION**

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 on the same campus with one principal, even K-12 schools,
    must apply as an entire school.)

2.  The school has made adequate yearly progress each year for the past
    two years and has not 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 2006-2007 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 2001 and has not received the No Child Left
    Behind -- Blue Ribbon Schools award in the past five years.

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

6.  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
    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: \_[11]{.underline}\_\_ Elementary
schools

\_[\_3]{.underline}\_\_ Middle schools

\_\_\_\_\_ Junior high schools

\_\_[3\_]{.underline}\_ High schools

\_\_[2]{.underline}\_\_ Other

\_[19]{.underline}\_\_ TOTAL

2\. District Per Pupil Expenditure: \$3423.70

Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: \$6358.30

**SCHOOL**

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

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

4\. [In 3^rd^ yr.]{.underline} Number of years the principal has been in
her/his position at this school.

[7]{.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**                                                  **7**                             

  **K**       43        30                     **73**       **8**                             

  **1**       46        51                     **97**       **9**                             

  **2**       34        51                     **85**       **10**                            

  **3**       43        49                     **92**       **11**                            

  **4**                                                     **12**                            

  **5**                                                     **Other**                         

  **6**                                                                                       

                                    **TOTAL                                                   **347**
                                    STUDENTS                                                  
                                    IN THE                                                    
                                    APPLYING                                                  
                                    SCHOOL**                                                  
  ----------- --------- ----------- ---------- --------- -- ----------- --------- ----------- ---------

6\. Racial/ethnic composition of [51]{.underline}% White

the school: [34]{.underline}% Black or African American

[\_4]{.underline}% Hispanic or Latino

[11]{.underline}% Asian/Pacific Islander

[.1]{.underline}% American Indian/Alaskan Native

**100% Total**

7\. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year: 9%

> \[This rate should be calculated using the grid below. The answer to
> (6) is the mobility rate.\]

  ------------- ----------------------------------------- ---------------
  **(1) 12**    Number of students who transferred        
                ***to*** the school after October 1 until 
                the end of the year                       

  **(2) 20**    Number of students who transferred        
                ***from*** the school after October 1     
                until the end of the year                 

  **(3) 32**    Total of all transferred students \[sum   
                of rows (1) and (2)\]                     

  **(4) 356**   Total number of students in the school as 
                of October 1                              

  **(5) 0.090** Total transferred students in row (3)     
                divided by total students in row (4)      

  **(6) 9**     Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100       
  ------------- ----------------------------------------- ---------------

8\. Limited English Proficient students in the school: 10%

33 - Total Number Limited English Proficient

Number of languages represented: 19

Specify languages: Amharic, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Turkish, Bengali,
Telugu, Hindi, Gujarati, Pashto, Bulgarian, Portuguese, Thai, Tamil,
Korean, Swahili, Marathi, Farsi, French

9\. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: 40%

Total number students who qualify: 135

> If this method does not produce an accurate estimate of the percentage
> of students from low‑income families, or the school does not
> participate in the federally supported lunch program, specify a more
> accurate estimate, tell why the school chose it, and explain how it
> arrived at this estimate.

10\. Students receiving special education services:
[\_\_9]{.underline}\_%

[\_\_33]{.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.

[\_\_0]{.underline}\_Autism [\_\_0]{.underline}\_Orthopedic Impairment

[\_\_0]{.underline}\_Deafness [\_\_3]{.underline}\_Other Health Impaired

[\_\_0]{.underline}\_Deaf-Blindness [\_15]{.underline}\_Specific
Learning Disability

[\_\_1]{.underline}\_Emotional Disturbance [\_11]{.underline}\_Speech or
Language Impairment

[\_\_0]{.underline}\_Hearing Impairment [\_\_0]{.underline}\_Traumatic
Brain Injury

> [\_\_3]{.underline}\_Mental Retardation [\_\_0]{.underline}\_Visual
> Impairment Including Blindness
>
> [\_\_0]{.underline}\_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) \_\_[1]{.underline}\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Classroom teachers \_\_[17]{.underline}\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Special resource teachers/specialists \_\_[3]{.underline}\_\_\_\_
\_\_\_[8]{.underline}\_\_\_\_

Paraprofessionals \_\_[4]{.underline}\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

> Support staff \_\_[3]{.underline}\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
>
> Total number \_\_[28]{.underline}\_\_\_ \_\_\_[8]{.underline}\_\_\_\_

12. Average school student-classroom teacher ratio, that is, the number
    of students in the school divided by the FTE of classroom teachers,
    e.g., 22:1 \_\_[20:1]{.underline}\_

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. Only middle and high schools need to supply
dropout rates, and only high schools need to supply drop-off rates. Also
explain a high teacher turnover rate.

  ------------------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
                            2005-2006   2004-2005   2003-2004   2002-2003   2001-2002

  Daily student attendance  93%         92%         95%         95%         95%

  Daily teacher attendance  98%         98%         98%         99%         99%

  Teacher turnover rate     0%          8%          4%          4%          6%

  Student dropout rate      \%          \%          \%          \%          \%
  (middle/high)                                                             

  Student drop-off rate     \%          \%          \%          \%          \%
  (high school)                                                             
  ------------------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------

**PART III - SUMMARY**

# *Our Vision*

The Lancashire community inspires children to be life long learners who
realize their unlimited potential!

# *Who Are We?*

Welcome to Lancashire Elementary! The spirit and positive energy that
lives in our school is fostered out of the teamwork and collaboration
that exists between the staff and families of Lancashire, and is evident
everyday in the smiles on our student's faces and the satisfaction felt
by teachers and parents. Lancashire is committed to delivering accurate
and ongoing assessments to determine the level, strengths, and abilities
for each student and implementing the appropriate and individualized
instruction to meet their needs. We strive to educate and develop the
whole child by reinforcing our school wide expectations of respect,
responsibility, cooperation and safety. We work with each student to
know them as both learners and people. We invite parents, friends, and
the community to serve as partners at Lancashire and encourage them to
become active participants in creating academic and social success for
all our students and to continue our ongoing commitment of being a
"superior" school!

# *Our Mission*

Lancashire Elementary is committed to providing an educational
experience based on the principles of equity, differentiated
instruction, and a promise and belief of academic and social success for
all, in an environment that encourages collaboration with staff,
parents, and community, effective and ongoing assessment, implementation
of best teaching practices, and fostering students to excel as life long
learners.

#  *Our Goals*

Lancashire Elementary is committed to:

-   Academic success for all students

-   Reinforcing the belief that all children can learn

-   Learning and applying principles of equity and anti-racism

-   Ongoing and accurate assessment

-   Linking assessment to instruction

-   Differentiating instruction to meet the needs and abilities of all
    students

-   Implementing best teaching practices

-   Providing opportunities for students to learn in the most inclusive
    setting

-   Creating a safe, respectful, nurturing, and positive environment for
    students to learn and grow

-   Developing strong and lasting partnerships with parents, friends,
    and the community

We here at Lancashire know that our strength truly lies with the people
who make up our community. The teachers and staff consider themselves a
family and are willing to collaborate and do whatever it takes to make
what we do successful! Our staff extends this same commitment to our
students and believes that we all share the responsibility of each child
in every classroom, and are always eager to lend help and support in
various ways when one of our students and their family is in need. Our
parents reinforce this concept and demonstrate their alliance in our
unity of effort through extensive volunteer work and strong ongoing
support of our programs and activities. But our true inspiration comes
from our students, who bring us tremendous joy, laughter, and love each
and every day and constantly remind us how fortunate we are to be part
of the Lancashire family!

## PART IV -- INDICATORS OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS

1.  **Assessment Results:** The students of Lancashire Elementary in the
    Brandywine School District participate in the Delaware Student
    Testing Program (DSTP). The following are some important facts and
    information concerning the DSTP.

-   The DSTP serves as a measure of progress toward Delaware Content
    Standards and how well students are learning the material identified
    by the standards.

-   Each question on the DSTP is designed to assess part of one of the
    Delaware Content Standards and the test allows for students to
    demonstrate what they know and are able to do in each content area.

-   Questions on the DSTP include a combination of multiple choice,
    short answer, and extended response and cover the content areas of
    reading, mathematics, science, social studies, and writing.

-   Test questions are written by both Delaware teachers and by a
    testing contractor.

-   Multiple choice questions are answered by machine while the short
    answer and extended responses are scored by trained readers through
    the use of rubrics and anchor papers.

-   For each content area students are given a raw score, which is the
    sum score earned by a student in the range of 0 to 80, a scale
    score, which makes it possible to compare test scores from year to
    year with scores ranging from about 100 to 500, and a national
    percentile rank based off of a set of norm based questions found in
    each content area test.

-   Students also receive a performance level score for each content
    area ranging from 1 to 5 (1 - well below standard / 2 - below
    standard / 3 -- meeting standard / 4 --exceeds standard / 5 --
    distinguished)

Additional information concerning the DSTP can be found at
<http://www.doe.k12.de.us/aab/>

During the past three years Lancashire Elementary has made a steady
increase with students performing at or above standard in reading (PL 3,
4, &5) going from 83% in 2003/04 (451 average scale score ranking in the
70^th^ percentile nationally) to an impressive 94% in 2005/06 (453
average scale score ranking in the 74^h^ percentile nationally). Math
scores have also increased from 80% at or above standard in 2003/04 (439
average scale score ranking in the 75^th^ percentile nationally) to 82%
in 2005/06 (446 average scale score ranking in the 76^h^ percentile
nationally). Lancashire writing scores, which are not compared with
national norms, have continued to grow going from 71% at or above
standards in 2003/04 to 77% in 2005/06.

Lancashire has also made progress with closing the racial achievement
gap between our black and white students. In reading the gap has closed
significantly with whites outperforming blacks in 2005/06 by only 12%
(98% whites performing at or above standard and 86% of blacks) as
compared to 2003/04 where the difference was 19% (90% of whites at or
above standard and only 71% of blacks). The same can be said in math
where the difference has decreased from 29% in 2003/04 (92% of whites
compared to 63% of blacks) to 18% in 2005/06 (90% of whites and 72% of
blacks).

We at Lancashire are proud of our progress with closing the achievement
gap, but know there is plenty of work to be done. We believe that the
institutionalized racism that exists in our society is one of the
predominant reasons why we have this gap and is the reason why so many
of our students of color become disenfranchised and disconnected from
making those important connections with their learning and those that
teach them. Four years ago the Brandywine School District, with ongoing
assistance from the Pacific Educational Group, established an Equity
Team to lead the district in raising its racial consciousness. Karen
Simpson, a kindergarten teacher at Lancashire, is a member of the its
Leadership Team and the principal of Lancashire has also had an
extensive two-year training in equity/anti-racism. Through the
leadership of these staff members Lancashire has established its own
Equity Team. This team has been instrumental in facilitating what they
call "Courageous Conversations" where issues of race and racism are
openly discussed. As the racial consciousness of the whole community
continues to rise, our staff is making great strides in building the
trust, relationships, and the connections with students of color that
will lead them in reaching their unlimited potential and hopefully soon
eliminating this achievement gap.

**2. Using Assessment Results:** We at Lancashire believe that effective
and ongoing assessment is essential in understanding what our students
know, what they need to improve in, and where we need to focus our
instruction to meet the varying needs and abilities of all of our
students. We also believe that the DSTP, though effective in determining
a students progress towards standards in the various content areas at
the third grade level, as well as keeping us focused in delivering
standards based instruction, does not give us the information on how our
students are progressing to meeting grade level standards at all grade
levels on a day-to-day basis. That is why, as a part of our School
Improvement Plan, assessments have been directly linked to areas of
focus as determined through our School Improvement Team. There are three
areas of focus in reading including fluency, vocabulary and language
development, and responding to text, two areas in math, including number
sense and computation and problem solving and mathematical
communication, and one area in writing, which is elaborating with
details. Our staff has determined that if students can develop in these
key areas that they will become effective readers, writers, and
mathematicians. To assess our students in these areas we use the DIBELS
for fluency, Harcourt End of the Story tests for vocabulary and language
development, and Harcourt Holistic Tests and various text-based writing
prompts for responding to text. For math we have developed grade level
specific one-on-one assessments based on the number sense and
computation grade level expectations and district created TERC (formally
Technical Education Research Centers) Investigations assessments to
determine competency in problem solving and mathematical communication.
For writing, students' proficiency in elaborating with details is
tracked through their grades on that area as a part of our new standards
based grade-reporting system. All of these assessments are ongoing and
are tracked on an Excel spreadsheet that is a part of a school on-line
public file that disaggregates data by race and special education needs.
This extensive information that we have for each of our students allows
us to differentiate the instruction, provide effective intervention, and
offer enrichment so all students can reach their unlimited potential.

**3. Communicating Assessment Results:** Each summer after our school
rating is determined through our Annual Yearly Progress report through
the *No Child Left Behind* legislation, the school principal sends a
detailed letter to current and incoming parents explaining our school
rating, how it is determined, areas where we are doing well, and places
where improvement is needed, particularly in the closing of the racial
achievement gap. AYP and DSTP results are also shared during the
principal's address to the community during Open House Night and at the
first PTA meeting of the school year. Parents are given ongoing updates
of the progress of the school and the work it is doing to continue to
raise student achievement in the principal's weekly article in the
school newsletter, *Paw Prints.* Parents are given weekly updates on
their child's progress through notes and documentation of assessments
sent home by their teacher in their weekly folders. During
parent/teacher conferences, teachers share extensive results of their
child's assessments. At the same time, the teacher and parents discuss
what the child is doing well, what s/he needs to work on, and his/her
progress towards meeting grade level expectations. Teachers take time to
discuss with their students the purpose of the assessments they take,
what information it gives them, as well as letting them know their
results. Time is also taken for teachers to let students know what they
are doing well and what they need to improve on to meet grade level
expectations. It is the hope of the School Improvement Team that
students begin in the future to track their progress on their
assessments by graphing their results and using it as a goal setting
tool as well as a motivational piece to keep them focused on continued
academic achievement.

**4. Sharing Success:** As just one of the eight elementary schools in
the Brandywine School District, the Lancashire community believes
strongly in sharing our successes with other schools. Our teachers and
staff engage in many professional development opportunities and take on
leadership to develop programs within our building to meet the needs of
our students. After being presented with an exciting and informative
Literacy program, Lancashire staff took the initiative of tailoring the
program for our parents and children. Through *Partners in Print,*
teachers developed evening workshops where kindergarten and first grade
parents and children could participate in hands on activities that
promote literacy in the home. Lancashire continues this program annually
and other district elementary schools have consulted with us in efforts
to recreate such a program within their school(s) as well. Lancashire
teachers also share key programs that have brought much success to their
students through their constant participation in the district's
Kindergarten Club, and at monthly meetings where teachers work to align
assignments and collaborate on curriculum. It is during these meeting
that our kindergarten team shared their AbeCeDarien program where most
of our children find great success in reading readiness for first grade.
At Lancashire, our commitment to developing students who are
cooperative, responsible, safe and respectful begins with our Character
Education curriculum. At our monthly school wide assemblies, each trait
is introduced and then extended with individualized classroom
instruction. Many district and state initiatives tap our talented
Lancashire staff for their expertise. New district initiatives such as
Pacing Guides for Reading, Math and Science, curriculum Alignment for
Math, Reading and Social Studies have seen extensive leadership and
participation from Lancashire staff. Also, after exhaustive planning
efforts, this year the Brandywine School District developed a new method
of reporting student progress to parents. This Standards Based Reporting
System was brought together by the intensive participation of key
leaders on our Lancashire team. In addition, several teachers have taken
on the initiative to continue ongoing participation in the statewide
TERC training program and are now piloting the updated version. Finally,
much of our success is shared with the district, state, and country
through our website. Our technology coordinator, collaborating with
staff, communicates the many learning activities and upcoming events
through the website.

#  

# PART V -- CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

**1. Curriculum:** The state of Delaware has developed a recommended
curriculum for all content areas including (but not limited to)
English/Language Arts, Math, Science, and Socials Studies. The standards
in each content area offer the essential knowledge and skills students
must attain upon graduation from high school. The curriculum has been
developed using the Understanding By Design framework and includes
Enduring Understandings, Essential Questions, and Specific Grade Level
Expectations. Enduring Understandings are the key ideas within each
content area across all grade levels. Essential Questions are broad and
far- reaching questions with no specific correct answers but are central
to the content area. Specific Grade Level Expectations explain how well
students should understand a content standard and to what extent they
should demonstrate their understandings at each particular grade level.
The curriculum was created through the use of back mapping by starting
at what students need to know and be able to do by the time the graduate
high school and working backwards to develop an aligned curriculum that
will give each student the essential skills and strategies starting at
kindergarten and working towards 12^th^ grade to reach the ultimate
goal.

The Brandywine School District in New Castle County, Delaware, of which
Lancashire is a part, has created Pacing Guides for each grade level in
the above-mentioned content areas. These pacing guides create a road map
for our teachers to follow that ensures effective implementation of the
programs we use in our instruction, including Breakthrough to Literacy,
AbeCeDarian, Harcourt Trophies, TERC Investigations, Smithsonian and
Foss Science Kits, and the Scott Foresman Social Studies program. The
guides also guarantee that our students are exposed to the curriculum,
while practicing and applying the skills that will lead to meeting Grade
Level Expectations.

English/Language Art Standard 1 starts with Writing and asks students to
write and exhibit the six traits of development, organization, style,
word choice, sentence formation, and conventions in the three discourses
of expressive, informative, and persuasive writing. Oral Communications
follows and asks students to communicate information, opinions, and
ideas with clarity to different audiences, listen and understand oral
communication, develop and use words, phrases, and idioms in speaking,
and participate effectively in a discussion.

ELA Standards 2, 3, and 4 are connected to reading. Standard 2 focuses
on constructing meaning by developing phonological awareness, alphabetic
principles and recognition, vocabulary, fluency, and spelling. Students
are asked to use their prior knowledge and assimilate it while reading.
They must also construct new meanings and understanding during and after
reading, and demonstrate this understanding using a variety of methods.
Standard 3 is linked to researching and organizing information. Students
are asked to synthesize, organize, and demonstrate understanding of
multiple sources. Standard 4 requires students to connect their
understanding of what they read to themselves, their community, and the
world.

There are eight Mathematic Standards. The numeric (number sense and
computation), algebraic (patterns, and representations), geometric
(classification, location, and measurement), and quantitative reasoning
(collect, represent, analyze, and probability) standards are associated
with content. The four process standards include problem solving,
reasoning, communicating and connecting mathematically.

Social Studies includes four Standards - Civics, Economics, Geography,
and History. The State of Delaware is currently in the process of
revising the recommended Science Curriculum and its completion is
scheduled for sometime in 2007.

There are six content standards in the visual arts that included
understanding applying various mediums and techniques, using knowledge
of structures and functions, choosing subject matter, understand visual
arts in relation to history and culture, reflecting on the merits of
their own art work, and connecting visual arts to other discipline.
Students demonstrate their understanding of the concepts connected to
the standards through the various displays throughout the Lancashire
hallways as well as during the Yearly Brandywine School District Art
Show each spring.

Lancashire's success is clearly connected to its understanding of these
standards, the effective implementation of programs to achieve the
standards, using them in line with the district pacing guides, as well
as our commitment to bringing all of our students to meeting grade level
expectations.

**2a. Reading:** Lancashire's success in developing strong readers
begins in kindergarten where students are introduced to the building
blocks through the Breakthrough to Literacy program. Breakthrough helps
build a strong foundation on the essential elements of reading by
developing concepts of print, fluency through multiple readings, as well
as practice and applications of comprehension skills and strategies. The
Breakthrough weekly book gives students opportunities to practice and
apply strategies and activities associated with the book. Students
receive reinforcement through daily-individualized practice on the
computer and participate in nightly home activities to strengthen and
extend what is taught in the classroom. Students develop their phonemic
awareness and phonics skills with the use of the AbeCeDarien program.
Here, students are given daily practice on the sounds that both letters
and words make and develop the skills to segment and blend words while
reading and writing. As students move to first grade, their phonics
skills are strengthened through the Open Court program. Through this
program, students learn the various letter combinations that make the
forty-four different sounds associated with our language. Open Court
continues in second grade. Sounds learned in the previous years are
revisited and reinforced. As students enter third grade, phonics skills
are linked to developing spelling strategies. Students learn how to
break apart words by locating familiar chunks, identifying prefixes and
suffixes, and locating the root within a word. The Harcourt Trophies
reading anthology, which is rich with high quality literature, is used
in 1^st^, 2^nd^, and 3^rd^ grades. Teachers apply the Jean Paratore
model of tiered instruction with this program. Students are given whole
group instruction on the weekly anthology story, followed by various
levels of support depending on the individual student needs and
abilities. Reading groups are established in all classrooms and all
students receive reading instruction in a small group setting using text
at their level. These small groups help students learn and strengthen
the skills and strategies needed to improve and enhance their reading
ability. For those students who need additional support beyond this
instruction, our Reading Specialist and Early Reading Intervention
Paraprofessional offer small group instruction using AbeCeDarian,
Breakthrough to Literacy, the RSS model, and the Soar To Success model.
These approaches provide the additional interventions necessary to bring
them up to grade level. All of these programs and models of instruction
are aligned with the Delaware Recommended Curriculum for Reading, are
incorporated into the Brandywine School District Reading Pacing Guides,
and allow for teachers to assist and lead all students to meeting grade
level expectations. Students are assessed in multiple ways to determine
their progress towards meeting these grade level expectations, including
ELBRS, DIBELS, QRI's, Harcourt End of the Story and Holistic Tests, as
well as an in-house created Kindergarten Checklist to determine what
students can do and the areas of needed improvement.

**3. Additional Curriculum Area:** Lancashire has implemented the TERC
Investigations program at all grade levels. This program is aligned with
the State Recommended Curriculum in Mathematics and is incorporated into
the Brandywine School District Pacing Guide. TERC facilitates
opportunities for students to explore and develop their own number
sense, learn and apply multiple steps to solving problems, and
encourages mathematical communication using pictures, numbers, and words
to demonstrate how a problem is solved. Lancashire has created a
one-on-one assessment for each grade level, based on end of the year
expectations, to check students' ability to apply their number sense and
computation skills. This assessment gives teachers a clear picture of
what each student can do in terms of number sense and computation as
well as clarifying areas of need and improvement. It also allows for
effective differentiation. The Brandywine School District has created
assessments that are aligned with the TERC program to evaluate student
understanding in a practiced skill or strategy in the various standards.
These assessments are scored on two and four point rubrics. Breaking
assessments into small increments of learning allows teachers to
determine who has mastered a skill and who needs re-teaching of a skill
or strategy. The district pacing guide includes various "Gap Materials"
to supplement the lessons and units in TERC where teachers and content
specialists have found standards and grade level expectations have not
been completely or thoroughly covered. Lancashire is committed to
bringing a standards based hands-on math program to all of its students,
in order to prepare them to be effective problem solvers and to
communicate mathematically at high levels.

**4. Instructional Methods:** When developing the Lancashire School
Improvement Plan for the 2006/07 school year, the staff discovered key
areas in reading, math, and writing that were a concern for students at
all grade levels. If these areas were attended to effectively, it is
believed that this could lead to a rise of achievement levels for all
students. In reading, there are three areas of focus - fluency,
vocabulary and language development, and responding to text. For
fluency, the whole instructional staff is participating in a study of
the book *The Fluent Reader,* by Timothy. V. Rasinski. While reading and
discussing the book, our staff has incorporated and implemented many of
the instructional strategies found in the book including increased read
alouds, repeated readings, reader's theater, and use of poetry,
resulting in a rise in fluency school wide. For vocabulary and language
development, our staff was presented a workshop from the Reading ASSIST
Institute on this subject and have incorporated such strategies as
understanding and applying one, two, and three tiered words,
incorporating a "word of the day" within daily instruction, and teaching
students effective ways to determine meanings of unknown words. For
responding to text, Lancashire has established school wide language that
students have been taught and use comfortably when discussing their
reading. This language includes the different ways to connect to text
including text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world. For
kindergarten and first graders, QAR (Question Answer Relationship)
strategies are used to determine whether questions about a text can be
found in the book or in their head. Our second and third graders learn
to determine whether a question is a Right There, Think and Search,
Author and You, or On Your Own question, as well as the strategies used
to answer each. With math, we are focusing on developing students'
number sense and computation skills through the use of various games,
activities, and instructional methods associated with the TERC
Investigations program. We are developing our students' ability to
communicate mathematically by encouraging them to talk and share their
problem solving strategies and have strategies displayed for students
reference. We also use the Read It, Draw It, Solve It, Math 4 Today, and
Math Superstars strategies/programs to give students daily opportunities
to practice and apply these strategies. In writing, we are focusing on
adding more detail to pieces through use of detailed illustrations,
journals, and open ended text-based writing prompts, as well as
instructing student on organizational models such as the Four Square
Method, with the goal of moving student towards writing elaborate five
paragraph pieces. Science is truly an investigative, hands-on learning
experience as students are instructed with the use of Smithsonian and
Foss science kits. All instruction is done in a unit format. Students
participate in experiments and activities to learn about the way their
world works. Using our new Scott Foresman social studies series, we are
working to integrate the program across the curriculum by incorporating
the grade level content with our reading standards. All the essential
elements of our instruction are carefully monitored with specific
assessments in each area to determine which students are achieving and
those students in need of intervention in particular areas. The results
determine our level of success.

**5. Professional Development:** Lancashire Elementary has been directly
involved in various professional development opportunities through the
Brandywine School District. All teachers have had ongoing training on
Marzano and CRISS strategies, various workshops on differentiated
instruction, three workshops on using assessment to support instruction
with Dylan Williams, extensive training to develop effective inclusive
practices with Stetson and Associates, and Equity/Anti-Racism training
to raise racial awareness and eliminate the racial achievement gap.
Staff has also received training on the various curriculum used
throughout the district including Breakthrough to Literacy, AbeCeDarien,
the new Scott Foresman social studies program, the districts new
standards based grade reporting system, and workshops for our new
teachers through our New Teacher Mentor Program. As a staff, Lancashire
has participated in various trainings at the building level as well to
continue to improve our instructional practices and meet the needs of
all of our students. Through the State of Delaware our staff has been a
member of the Inclusive Schools Initiative and have participated in
various workshops over the past three school years to build our capacity
with our inclusive practices. Our whole staff has done two book studies,
one during the 2005-06 school year on *Mosaic of Thought* by Keene and
Zimmerman, and this year on *The Fluent Reader* by Timothy V. Rasinski
to support our development in comprehension strategy instruction as well
in fluency, which is one of our major focuses of our School Improvement
Plan. In order to improve our instruction in vocabulary and language
development, another area of importance in our SIP, the Reading ASSIST
Institute was called to help us in assisting our students in growing
stronger in these most important areas in reading comprehension. The
Lancashire staff has also found very creative ways to find time to meet
as grade level teams to discuss and review all of the training they have
received, analyze our ongoing various assessments to determine the
effectiveness of what they are learning and implementing, and to share
ideas to raise student achievement school wide. Teams meet bi-weekly in
the morning before students arrive and monthly in common planning time
to facilitate these conversations.

**Part VII Assessment Results**

Subject: *Reading* Grade: [3]{.underline} Test: *Delaware Student
Testing Program (DSTP)*

Edition/Publication Year: XX Publisher: *Houghton-Mifflin*

  ------------------------------------ ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
                                       2005-2006   2004-2005   2003-2004   2002-2003   2001-2002

  Testing month                        March       March       March       March       March

  **SCHOOL SCORES\***                                                                  

  \% at ***Meets,*** ***Exceeds,***    94          87          83          81          78
  and ***Distinguished*** Performance                                                  
  Levels (3,4, & 5) on the DSTP                                                        

  \% at ***Exceeds*** and              32          27          35          39          28
  ***Distinguished*** PL's (4 & 5) on                                                  
  the DSTP                                                                             

  Number of students tested            81          100         100         69          78

  Percent of total students tested     96          100         1           100         100

  Number of students alternatively     3           0           1           0           0
  assessed                                                                             

  Percent of students alternatively    4           0           1           0           0
  assessed                                                                             

  SUBGROUP SCORES                                                                      

  1.African American                                                                   

  \% at ***Meets,*** ***Exceeds,***    86          86          71          63          59
  and ***Distinguished*** Performance                                                  
  Levels (3,4, & 5) on the DSTP                                                        

  \% at ***Exceeds*** and              14          16          14          4           15
  ***Distinguished*** PL's (4 & 5) on                                                  
  the DSTP                                                                             

  Number of students tested            28          43          42          24          27
  ------------------------------------ ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------

Subject: *Math* Grade: *3* Test: *DSTP*

Edition/Publication Year: XX Publisher: *Houghton Mifflin*

  ------------------------------------ ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
                                       2005-2006   2004-2005   2003-2004   2002-2003   2001-2002

  Testing month                        March       March       March       March       March

  **SCHOOL SCORES\***                                                                  

  \% at ***Meets,*** ***Exceeds,***    82          83          80          73          76
  and ***Distinguished*** Performance                                                  
  Levels (3,4, & 5) on the DSTP                                                        

  \% at ***Exceeds*** and              35          19          29          33          26
  ***Distinguished*** PL's (4 & 5) on                                                  
  the DSTP                                                                             

  Number of students tested            84          100         101         69          78

  Percent of total students tested     100         100         100         100         100

  Number of students alternatively     0           0           0           0           0
  assessed                                                                             

  Percent of students alternatively    0           0           0           0           0
  assessed                                                                             

  SUBGROUP SCORES                                                                      

  1.African Americn                                                                    

  \% at ***Meets,*** ***Exceeds,***    72          77          63          42          56
  and ***Distinguished*** Performance                                                  
  Levels (3,4, & 5) on the DSTP                                                        

  \% at ***Exceeds*** and              7           16          12          8           4
  ***Distinguished*** PL's (4 & 5) on                                                  
  the DSTP                                                                             

  Number of students tested            29          43          43          24          27
  ------------------------------------ ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------

Subject: *Writing* Grade: *3* Test: *DSTP*

Edition/Publication Year: XX Publisher: *Houghton Mifflin*

  ------------------------------------ ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
                                       2005-2006   2004-2005   2003-2004   2002-2003   2001-2002

  Testing month                        March       March       March       March       March

  **SCHOOL SCORES\***                                                                  

  \% at ***Meets,*** ***Exceeds,***    75          70          71          48          48
  and ***Distinguished*** Performance                                                  
  Levels (3,4, & 5) on the DSTP                                                        

  \% at ***Exceeds*** and              1           0           1           0           1
  ***Distinguished*** PL's (4 & 5) on                                                  
  the DSTP                                                                             

  Number of students tested            84          100         101         69          77

  Percent of total students tested     100         100         100         100         

  Number of students alternatively     0           0           0           0           0
  assessed                                                                             

  Percent of students alternatively    0           0           0           0           0
  assessed                                                                             

                                                                                       

  SUBGROUP SCORES                                                                      

  1.African American                                                                   

  \% at ***Meets,*** ***Exceeds,***    66          63          61          21          27
  and ***Distinguished*** Performance                                                  
  Levels (3,4, & 5) on the DSTP                                                        

  \% at ***Exceeds*** and              1           0           0           0           1
  ***Distinguished*** PL's (4 & 5) on                                                  
  the DSTP                                                                             

  Number of students tested            29          43          43          24          26
  ------------------------------------ ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------

Lancashire is a school wide Title I school, and thus the DSTP does not
disaggregate testing results for those students of low income or are
receiving Free and Reduced Lunch. Also, there are few too many students
in other racial sub groups to be significant enough to disaggregate and
compare and thus are not part of the above charts.

The whole Lancashire community is very honored to have been nominated as
a National Blue Ribbon School! We are also quite proud of our
accomplishments and the success that our students continue to have. We
are committed to doing everything possible for each of our kids to reach
their unlimited potential. Success and continued gains in student
achievement does not come easy. We know that along with the hard work,
dedication, and a love for teaching and the kids we serve, we have had
to pursue examples and gain knowledge from other high achieving schools
and educators about the most effective ways to improve our school. We
have seen the importance of setting high expectations, providing early
intervention, and developing trusting and caring relationships built on
mutual respect with our students. We have learned of the importance of
assessment data and how it can be used to drive our instruction to meet
the needs of all of our students. We understand the how essential
standards based instruction is to developing students that are able to
work together, think independently, and be creative problem solvers in
all content areas. And we know that ongoing purposeful professional
development is the key for the improvement of our craft as educators. It
is our hope that if we are chosen to be a Blue Ribbon School that other
schools may also benefit from our knowledge and experience, as we have
from so many other great district, schools, and educators across our
country.