Revised 3.13.06

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

*U.S. Department of Education*

**Cover Sheet** Type of School: (Check all that apply) \_\_ Elementary
\_\_ Middle \_[X]{.underline} High \_\_ K-12 \_\_Charter

Name of Principal [Ms. Jamie Gillespie]{.underline}

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

Official School Name [Evansville High School]{.underline}

(As it should appear in the official records)

School Mailing Address\_\_[640 S. Fifth St.]{.underline} \_\_\_\_\_

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

\_\_\_[Evansville]{.underline}\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_[WI]{.underline}\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_[53536-1362]{.underline}
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

City State Zip Code+4 (9 digits total)

County
\_\_[Rock]{.underline}\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
State School Code
Number\*\_\_\_\_[1694]{.underline}\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

Telephone [( 608 ) 882-4600]{.underline} Fax [( 608 )
882-6157]{.underline}

Website/URL [www.evansville.k12.wi.us]{.underline} E-mail
<gillespiej@evansville.k12.wi.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\* [Mrs. Heidi Carvin]{.underline}

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

District Name [Evansville Community School District]{.underline} Tel. [(
608 ) 882-5224]{.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 [Mr. Mike Larson]{.underline}

President/Chairperson

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

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 President's/Chairperson's Signature)

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

**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** (Questions 1‑2 not applicable to private schools)

1\. Number of schools in the district: \_[2]{.underline} \_\_ Elementary
schools

\_[1]{.underline}\_\_\_ Middle schools

\_[0]{.underline}\_\_\_ Junior high schools

\_[1]{.underline}\_\_\_ High schools

\_[0]{.underline}\_\_\_ Other

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

2\. District Per Pupil Expenditure: \_[\$10,230]{.underline}\_\_\_\_\_

Average State Per Pupil Expenditure: \_[\$10,590]{.underline} \_\_\_\_\_

**SCHOOL** (To be completed by all schools)

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

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

4\. [2]{.underline} Number of years the principal has been in her/his
position at this school.

[1]{.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**                                                     **8**                             

  **1**                                                     **9**       89        71          160

  **2**                                                     **10**      60        64          124

  **3**                                                     **11**      71        63          134

  **4**                                                     **12**      51        51          102

  **5**                                                     **Other**                         

  **6**                                                                                       

                                    **TOTAL                                                   520
                                    STUDENTS                                                  
                                    IN THE                                                    
                                    APPLYING                                                  
                                    SCHOOL**                                                  
  ----------- --------- ----------- ---------- --------- -- ----------- --------- ----------- ---------

***\[Throughout the document, round numbers to avoid decimals.\]***

6\. Racial/ethnic composition of [95]{.underline} % White

the students in the school: [1]{.underline} % Black or African American

[2]{.underline} % Hispanic or Latino

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

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

**100% Total**

Use only the five standard categories in reporting the racial/ethnic
composition of the school.

7\. Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the past year:
\_[1]{.underline}\_\_\_%

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

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

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

  **(3)**                   Total of all transferred    4
                            students \[sum of rows (1)  
                            and (2)\]                   

  **(4)**                   Total number of students in 520
                            the school as of October 1  

  **(5)**                   Total transferred students  0
                            in row (3) divided by total 
                            students in row (4)         

  **(6)**                   Amount in row (5)           1
                            multiplied by 100           
  ------------------------- --------------------------- ------------------

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

\_\_[4]{.underline}\_\_\_\_Total Number Limited English Proficient

Number of languages represented: \_\_[1]{.underline}\_\_\_\_

Specify languages: Spanish

9\. Students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals:
\_\_[14]{.underline}\_\_\_\_%

Total number students who qualify: \_\_[73]{.underline}\_\_\_\_

> 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:
\_\_[15]{.underline}\_\_\_\_%

\_\_[77]{.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.

\_\_[1]{.underline}\_Autism \_[1]{.underline}\_\_Orthopedic Impairment

\_\_\_\_Deafness \_[15]{.underline}\_Other Health Impaired

\_\_\_\_Deaf-Blindness \_[29]{.underline}\_Specific Learning Disability

\_[20]{.underline}\_Emotional Disturbance \_[1]{.underline}\_\_Speech or
Language Impairment

\_[1]{.underline}\_\_Hearing Impairment \_\_\_\_Traumatic Brain Injury

> \_[8]{.underline}\_\_Mental Retardation \_[1]{.underline}\_\_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) \_\_\_[1]{.underline}\_\_\_ \_\_
[1]{.underline}\_\_\_\_

Classroom teachers \_\_[33]{.underline}\_\_\_
\_\_\_[3]{.underline}\_\_\_\_

Special resource teachers/specialists \_\_[8]{.underline}\_\_\_\_
\_\_\_[2]{.underline}\_\_\_\_

Paraprofessionals \_\_[5]{.underline}\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_

> Support staff \_\_[3]{.underline}\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
>
> Total number \_\_[50]{.underline}\_\_\_ \_\_\_[6]{.underline}\_\_\_\_

12. Average school student-"classroom teacher" ratio, that is, the
    number of

students in the school divided by the FTE of classroom teachers:
\_[16:1]{.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.

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

  Daily student attendance   94 %        94 %        95 %        94 %        93 %

  Daily teacher attendance   96 %        99 %        98 %        \%          \%

  Teacher turnover rate      8 %         6 %         8 %         \%          \%

  Student dropout rate       1 %         1 %         0 %         1 %         2 %
  (middle/high)                                                              

  Student drop-off rate      2 %         3 %         4 %         2 %         2 %
  (high school)                                                              
  -------------------------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------

14\. **(*High Schools Only*)** Show what the students who graduated in
Spring 2004 are doing as of September 2004.

+---------------------------------------------------------+------------+
| Graduating class size                                   | > \        |
|                                                         | _[114]{.un |
|                                                         | derline}\_ |
+---------------------------------------------------------+------------+
| Enrolled in a 4-year college or university              | > \_[      |
|                                                         | 53]{.under |
|                                                         | line}\_\_% |
+---------------------------------------------------------+------------+
| Enrolled in a community college                         | > \_[      |
|                                                         | 18]{.under |
|                                                         | line}\_\_% |
+---------------------------------------------------------+------------+
| Enrolled in vocational training                         | > \_[5     |
|                                                         | ]{.underli |
|                                                         | ne}\_\_\_% |
+---------------------------------------------------------+------------+
| Found employment                                        | > \_[      |
|                                                         | 12]{.under |
|                                                         | line}\_\_% |
+---------------------------------------------------------+------------+
| Military service                                        | > \_[5     |
|                                                         | ]{.underli |
|                                                         | ne}\_\_\_% |
+---------------------------------------------------------+------------+
| Other (travel, staying home, etc.)                      | > \_[7     |
|                                                         | ]{.underli |
|                                                         | ne}\_\_\_% |
+---------------------------------------------------------+------------+
| Unknown                                                 | > \_[0     |
|                                                         | ]{.underli |
|                                                         | ne}\_\_\_% |
+---------------------------------------------------------+------------+
| **Total**                                               | > 100 %    |
+---------------------------------------------------------+------------+

**Part III -- Summary**

Evansville High School is a 9^th^ through 12^th^ grade public high
school located in Evansville, Wisconsin. Evansville is a small town in a
rural community that is located about 25 miles southeast of Madison.
Currently, we serve 520 students. Over 95% of our students are White,
and we have less than one percent Black, two percent Hispanic, one
percent Asian and less than one percent Native American. The
overwhelming majority of the students who enroll in our school as 9^th^
graders will eventually graduate from our school. We serve a very small
population of English language learners, all of whom speak Spanish as
their first language. We have 77 (15%) students with disabilities
requiring special education. Seventy-three (14%) of our students are
eligible for free or reduced-priced meals.

The vision of Evansville High School is to partner with families and the
community in providing a positive learning environment that challenges
all students to achieve personal excellence and to become contributing
citizens of the world community. To graduate from Evansville High
School, students must complete four credits of English, three credits of
social studies and math, two credits of science, one and one-half
credits of physical education, one-half credit of health, one credit of
an academic elective, and 13 credits of electives, for a total of 28
credits. However, our students go beyond these requirements. Most (75%)
of our students complete at least three credits of science and go beyond
the required four credits of English. Many students complete more than
three credits of math. We strive to provide our students with a
comprehensive education that prepares them for either post-secondary
education or the world of work.

Evansville High School is successful because of a strong sense of
ownership of the school on the part of the staff, the students, and the
community. Our Building Leadership Team is comprised of staff members,
parents, and administrators and leads the school in goal-setting and
data analysis. The Student Council and the Principal's Advisory Council
provide opportunities for students to be heard and to influence
decisions that will affect them. The Hispanic Community Project allows
our students to participate in activities that strive to bring our
Hispanic community members into the school and to help them feel welcome
everywhere in our community. Our professional development structure
allows teachers to identify their own areas of need and to set
individual and small-group goals for improvement.

We offer 35 different extra- and co-curricular activities to our
students and we have very high participation rates. In our academic
co-curricular activities (e.g., Math Team, FFA, Forensics), we have 28%
of our students participating. In our athletic extra-curricular
activities (e.g., football, volleyball, soccer), we have 54% of our
students participating. Finally, in our music co-curricular activities
(e.g., band, choir, musical), we have 26% of our students participating.
The majority of our students are involved in at least one
extra-curricular activity. This leads to our school being open and
actively occupied from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm nearly every day of the week.

Parents are informed of their children's progress through special
reports four times each year, progress reports four times each year, and
report cards four times each year. Additionally, we have parent-teacher
conferences four evenings each year, which the majority of our students'
families attend. The school's monthly newsletter informs parents of
activities occurring in classrooms; testing dates for the PLAN, PSAT,
ACT, and SAT; scholarship opportunities; concerts; dramatic
performances; and school-community events. Our families also have access
to school information via the school's web site. Parents can look up
their children's attendance, homework assignments, athletic
competitions, and lunch account status. We also provide a service, K-12
Now, which alerts parents to important announcements through email and
voicemail.

Our teachers constantly evaluate their practices and strive to rely on
research-based strategies and materials. All teachers incorporate the
6+1 Traits of Writing program into their curricula and expect high
quality writing from their students. Additionally, teachers use
strategies such as multiple intelligences, cooperative learning, and
differentiation of the curriculum to help their students access the
curriculum and demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways. Although
we are pleased with the performance of our students on the Wisconsin
Knowledge and Concepts Examinations, we are constantly looking for ways
to improve our practices.

**PartIV-1 -- Indicators of Academic Success**

The Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam (WKCE) assess student
performance in Reading, Language, Math, Science, and Social Studies.
Only the data from Reading, Language Arts, and Math are relevant for
Blue Ribbon consideration, but we conduct annual data retreats with our
K-12 Academic Council to analyze the results for all of the curriculum
areas further broken down by Content Standards within each academic
area.

Reading includes the State Content Standards related to
Reading/Literature. Mathematics includes Mathematical Processes and
content strands of Number Operations, Relationships, Geometry,
Measurement, Statistics and Probability, and Algebraic Reasoning.

Scores are reported at four proficiency levels. Advanced indicates the
student demonstrates in depth knowledge and skills. Proficient indicates
the student demonstrates competency in academic knowledge and skills.
Basic indicates the student demonstrates some academic knowledge and
skills. Minimal indicates the student demonstrates achievement below the
range assessed. The ultimate goal for NCLB is for 100% of students to be
proficient. For purposes of determining success in reaching this goal,
the combined number of students scoring proficient or advanced is
typically used. Assessment results can be viewed at the Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction website by selecting the WINNS tab at
<http://www.dpi.state.wi.ud/sig/index.html>.

In 1997-98, only 20% of our students scored proficient or advanced in
Language Arts, compared to 83% in 2004-05. During these same years, we
have increased our Math scores from 21% to 95% and our Reading scores
from 58% to 92%. This success is due, in some part, to the district-wide
initiatives to align our curriculum with the State standards, develop
standards-based unit plans, differentiate the curriculum, and integrate
technology into our units. We continue to work on developing quality
district assessments as part of our unit plans.

Among subgroups, there are some disparities worth noting. In Reading,
non-disabled students scored 11% higher than disabled students, and
economically disadvantaged students scored 8% lower than their
non-disadvantaged peers. In Math, non-disabled students scored 31%
higher than disabled students, and economically disadvantaged students
scored 11% lower than their non-disadvantaged peers. We continuously
review our disaggregated data to identify students who are not
proficient and we have a number of support programs in place to assist
them.

**Part IV-2 -- Using Assessment Results**

Each year, our teachers work together to study the item analysis and
standards analysis from the WKCE. Teachers identify specific items or
topics on which our students did not perform to our expectations and
then discuss how to address these areas. Frequently, teachers find that
the items on which our students did not perform well included vocabulary
that the students had not been taught or the questions were phrased in
ways that the students had not seen before. In these cases, they
identify the vocabulary and incorporate it into their instruction or
they work a broader variety of question types into their lessons.
Rarely, they discover that the curriculum does not include enough
content on a particular topic. If this is the case, the curriculum is
analyzed in relationship to the State Standards to determine the extent
of its alignment. At that point, curriculum modifications and/or
staffing additions or changes may be recommended.

Our teachers also use ACT and AP results to improve the curriculum.
Although these tests are not used as part of the statewide assessment
program, we have a steady student population that elects to participate
in these exams. Therefore, it is important for us to understand the
assessments and how our students perform on them. Annually, the faculty
reviews ACT data from the previous five years by subject area and looks
for trends. We look at our students' scores in comparison to the
national, state, and conference averages. In this way, we can determine
how prepared our students have been for college acceptance, enrollment,
and success. Specific subject areas that show downward trends are
evaluated in depth to determine why our students have struggled. We also
review our students' AP scores to determine if their instruction in
those subject areas has been successful. This helps us identify changes
to the courses and instruction that may benefit future students.

The results of our analyses of these sources of data are then discussed
by our Building Leadership Team (BLT), comprised of staff members,
administrators, and parents. The BLT determines if the school needs to
work on any particular areas and sets school goals accordingly.

**Part IV-3 -- Communicating Assessment Results**

At Evansville High School, the faculty and administration inform parents
of their children's academic performance frequently. Confidential
information, such as grade reports and standardized test results, are
forwarded to parents via standard mail, through email, or in phone
conversations. Many parents receive a weekly progress update and all
parents are mailed a special report form if their son or daughter is
experiencing academic difficulty. Four times each year, at the midpoint
of each quarter, parent-teacher conferences are held in the evening.
This event allows parents to meet individually with all teachers that
are working with their children.

Information about student performance that can be shared with the
general public is made available through a variety of avenues. The
*Evansville Review*, a newspaper published locally, reaches
approximately 4000 homes weekly. The *Janesville Gazette*, a daily
newspaper, is distributed to almost 650 households with Evansville
addresses. *The Link*, our monthly school newsletter, is mailed to all
parents who have children attending our school. These three publications
provide an opportunity for the school to communicate important academic
information, including overall assessment results, to a large percentage
of the residents in our school district.

Every year, the *Evansville Community School District Report to Parents
and the Community* is compiled and distributed to all households in the
district. This report provides information about the academic
performance, standardized test scores, and attendance patterns of
students in our schools. Evansville High School holds a National Honor
Society induction ceremony for juniors and seniors who meet the
qualification criteria to enter that organization. Additionally, our
school holds an annual Awards Night when the school acknowledges the
efforts of students earning exemplary grades in all subject areas; an
annual Scholarship Night, when seniors are rewarded financially by the
school, community, and a variety of organizations and agencies, for
being excellent students and citizens; and an annual Fine Arts Awards
Night, when students participating in the arts are rewarded for their
achievements and commitment. All of these events, held during evening
hours, are advertised in our local newspapers and are open to the
general public. Parents of students being honored at these functions are
formally invited by teachers or administrators.

**Part IV-4 -- Sharing Success**

We have several faculty members who have been invited to present their
successful instructional techniques to their colleagues at state and
regional conferences and workshops. Our teachers have presented
successful lesson activities, curriculum units, and instructional
programs. Several of our staff members attend regularly scheduled
meetings in our conference, or in our geographic region, at which they
share our school's successes and how they were achieved. For example,
the principal attends monthly meetings with other school principals and
frequently discusses strategies Evansville High School has used to
improve student performance on standardized assessments, to improve our
school's curriculum, and to support our students who struggle.

Evansville High School is also part of a consortium of area high schools
that work together to improve career and technical education through the
Carl Perkins Grant. This group meets regularly to discuss how the grant
funds are being used to improve instruction and to increase educational
opportunities for our students. We also have staff members who meet
regularly with other high-school staff and our local technical-college
staff to discuss how we are preparing our students for post-secondary
education. All of these meetings are opportunities for us to continue to
share our successes with other schools.

**Part V-1 -- Curriculum and Instruction**

Our Language Arts curriculum includes several courses in each of the
areas of language arts, speech, literature, composition, and senior
English. Our students are required to complete at least four credits of
Language Arts in order to graduate. Our course offerings include English
9, Pre-AP English 9, English 10, Pre-AP English 10, Introduction to
Communication, Mass Communications, Drama Seminar, Writing Skills,
Practical English, Writers' Workshop, Creative Writing, World British
Literature, American Literature, Modern Literature, Advanced Literature
Seminar, Seminar Composition, English 12, and AP English Exam Prep. More
information on our Language Arts curriculum can be found in Part V-2b.

Our math curriculum builds on a foundation of basic mathematical
operations. Students are required to complete at least three credits of
mathematics to graduate, but most go beyond that requirement. Our course
sequence includes Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II,
Precalculus/Trigonometry, AP Calculus, and Discrete Mathematics. These
courses allow students to progress in their fluency with mathematical
notation and computation, reasoning and problem-solving, while
instructing them in the content of the State Standards. More information
on our math curriculum can be found in Part V-3.

Science courses help students understand the scientific method and the
difference between a hypothesis and a theory. Our curriculum builds on
the skills our students develop through our math curriculum and helps
students understand that math is a symbolic language and is the language
of all scientific endeavors. Students are required to complete at least
two credits of science in order to graduate; however, the overwhelming
majority of our students complete three or more credits of science. Our
course sequence includes Physical Science, Biology, Conceptual Physics,
Chemistry, Earth Science, Astronomy, Anatomy & Physiology, AP Physics,
AP Chemistry, and AP Biology. Among other things, these courses help
students develop their understanding of the scientific enterprise.

Our Social Studies curriculum builds students' basic understanding of
the social sciences. Students are required to complete at least three
credits of social studies in order to graduate. Our course sequence
includes U.S. History, World History, World Cultural History, A Land
Ethic, Human Relations, Current Issues, Anthropology, Free Market
America, Wisconsin History, AP U.S. History, AP U.S. Government, and AP
Psychology. Among other things, these courses help students understand
significant events in history, basic concepts of economics and
geography, types of government, social problems, and elements of
culture.

Our Second Languages curriculum includes courses in Spanish, Latin,
German, American Sign Language (ASL), and Japanese. The course sequences
include Spanish I -- V, Latin I -- III, German I -- II, ASL I -- II, and
Japanese I -- II. In these courses, students build their skills in
communicating in realistic contexts, expressing personal meaning in a
variety of formats, constructing meaning from spoken and written
language, and understanding cultural perspectives. The curriculum helps
students build their technical linguistic skills, verbal fluency,
auditory comprehension, reading comprehension, and understanding and
appreciation of other cultures

Fine Arts courses build students' skills in visual and performing arts.
Our course offerings include Basic Design, Drawing and Painting I and
II, Sculpture and Ceramics, Drawing and Printmaking, Jewelry and
Metalwork I and II, Applied Design: Crafts, Photography, Art
Appreciation, Digital Design-Multimedia Production, Stage Design,
Computer Graphic Design, Chamber Choir, Concert Choir, Symphonic Band,
Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, Vocal Jazz, Solo and Ensemble Festival, and
Music Theory I and II. Among other things, these courses help our
students learn fundamental techniques, understand how the arts are
related to culture and history, practice improvisation and performing
alone and in groups, and solve challenging artistic problems.

Our Career and Technical Education courses are in seven different areas:
drafting-graphic communication, metals and manufacturing, energy and
transportation, construction trades, agriculture, business, and family
and consumer education. Among other things, these courses build
students' abilities to visualize, represent, and analyze objects in
three dimensions; investigate the role of technology in product
development; develop personal consumer economic skills, and; understand
business operations.

**Part V-2b -- Curriculum and Instruction - English**

Our English/Language Arts curriculum helps students develop their skills
in reading and understanding literature and expository texts,
recognizing a variety of genres, understanding the relationships between
literature and its historical and social contexts, grammar and writing
conventions, communicating clearly, revising and editing written work,
finding a variety of sources and using them properly, and thinking
independently. The writing portion of the curriculum builds from the
structure of the paragraph, to the essay, to the research paper.
Teachers use a variety of techniques to teach students the important
elements of writing and the instruction allows students to develop their
editing and revision skills. The curriculum helps students develop the
ability to express ideas coherently to different audiences. Students
learn to support arguments effectively, which requires understanding the
material in depth and being aware of the opposing side's arguments.

The literature portion of the curriculum builds in the complexity of the
literature throughout the four years of high school. The critical
thinking skills required for literary analysis progress over time, so
that eventually, students are required to think comparatively and make
connections across texts and points of view. The curriculum requires
students to reflect and to discuss questions in depth. Taking a position
on literature and defending it requires a careful analysis of the
material. Students are taught to analyze literature at progressively
complex levels. The literature used includes short stories, essays,
novels, plays, poetry, and periodicals.

Students who read below grade level are supported in all classes, not
just in Language Arts. Our teachers use a variety of strategies to
improve students' content-area reading skills. Some of the strategies
used are text highlighting, concept ladders or maps, K-W-L, Cornell
Note-Taking, skimming and scanning, Q-A-R, outlining, flow charts, Q-3R,
Think-Pair-Share, identifying key vocabulary, summarizing, graphic
organizers, study guides, identifying bias vs. factual statements, peer
tutoring, flash cards, and vocabulary graphs. Our program for students
at-risk provides small group and 1:1 assistance in helping students
develop the reading skills and study strategies that will allow them to
succeed in the different subject areas. Finally, for students with
disabilities, our special education program provides specialized
instruction, as needed, to build skills that will improve students'
reading skills.

**Part V-3 -- Curriculum and Instruction -- Mathematics**

Our math curriculum integrates real-world situations and problem-solving
into instruction of computational and conceptual skills. Students are
provided with opportunities to work alone and in small groups to develop
their skills in:

-   algebraic concepts;

-   problem-solving techniques;

-   the relationship between equations and graphs;

-   plane and solid geometry;

-   analytic geometry;

-   the relationships between geometry and algebra;

-   trigonometric principles;

-   functions and graphical analysis;

-   polar and complex coordinates and graphs;

-   logarithmic and exponential functions and graphs;

-   concepts of statistics and data analysis;

-   concepts of probability; and

-   real-life applications.

Our math curriculum helps students develop their inductive and deductive
reasoning skills, visual reasoning skills, and the ability to generalize
and to go from specific to abstract and back again. Students learn to
think conceptually, use logical reasoning, and to check their work.
Teachers help students understand that failure is part of the learning
process and an opportunity to experiment after reviewing the procedures
they used unsuccessfully. Students are expected to write their solutions
clearly, in a genuine effort to communicate. The curriculum helps
students develop the ability to persevere, even when understanding
doesn't come immediately. Students learn the importance of understanding
why one step must come before another in a problem-solving sequence. The
courses build in complexity until students are able to pull a problem
from a context, use math to solve the problem, and communicate the
solution to the problem effectively.

All of the skills included in our math curriculum provide our students
with skills they will need in order to be productive members of our
society and responsible citizens. If one thinks of math as an
international language, then our students' fluency in math will help
them function successfully in the world community, helping to fulfill
the mission of our school.

**Part V-4 -- Instructional Methods**

Instructional methods vary at Evansville High School, depending on the
course, students, instructor, and specific content being taught.
Teachers in Language Arts and Social Studies use lecture-discussions,
cooperative groups, web quests, investigations, and a variety of
software, among other techniques, to convey their content to students.
In our Science and Career & Technical Education classes, teacher use
those techniques, as well as hands-on activities and laboratory
experiments to facilitate learning. Fine Arts and Physical Education
teachers often model or demonstrate the skills they are teaching and use
one-on-one feedback to help students improve. Our teachers are
well-versed in the multiple intelligences and vary their instructional
methods to engage all students. They also work closely with our special
education, at-risk, and gifted and talented faculty to differentiate, as
needed. In all cases, the needs of the students and the specific content
will determine which instructional methods teachers will use.

**Part V-5 -- Professional Development**

Teachers at Evansville High School have a variety of opportunities to
further their professional learning. At the beginning of each school
year, teachers identify between one and three individual professional
goals, which they articulate in a Professional Growth Plan (PGP).
Teachers' goals must be aligned with the school's goals. Each teacher
meets with an administrator to discuss the PGP and finalize the action
plan. Teachers work throughout the year to implement their action plans,
which may include activities such as researching, visiting other
schools, attending workshops or conferences, or completing coursework.

Also at the beginning of each school year, teachers join Learning Teams.
These teams are comprised of between two and seven colleagues who work
toward team goals. The goals are aligned with the school and/or district
goals. Each team meets with an administrator to finalize its action
plan. Teams meet on 5 early release days throughout the year and on
their own time to complete their action plans. Their activities might
include reading articles or books or viewing videos or DVDs and
discussing them, investigating various instructional strategies,
visiting another teacher's classroom, or attending conferences or
workshops. These teams can include teachers from other schools within
the district, depending on their goals.

On professional development days, the principal and other staff members
lead the teachers in activities designed to help achieve the school's
goals. Together, they analyze data, review research, and identify and
share instructional strategies that have been successful. At monthly
faculty meetings, the principal leads the faculty in discussions of
professional literature and best practices. At bi-monthly department
meetings, the principal leads teachers in content-specific discussions
of curriculum and instruction. During the 2005-06 school year,
departments have been looking at the Standards for Success report from
the Association of American Universities.

Finally, our teacher evaluation program provides opportunities for
one-on-one professional development. Our program is modeled after
Charlotte Danielson's work and the Pathwise model. Teachers complete
self-evaluations and discuss them with administrators, identifying areas
in which they need to improve. Administrators do multiple observations
of teaching and provide feedback to the teachers, organized around the
four domains of planning, classroom environment, instruction, and
professional responsibilities. A summative evaluation is completed by
the administrator and the teacher together, which identifies the
teacher's strengths and outlines the improvements that have been made in
the previously identified areas. The teacher's PGP is attached to the
evaluation as further documentation of those improvements. For all of
our teachers, regardless of their levels of expertise, our evaluation
program focuses on helping them improve their teaching and student
achievement.

**[Wisconsin 2006 Blue Ribbon School Nominee Proficiency Information -
REVISED]{.underline}**

School and District Name: **Evansville High, Evansville Community School
District**

Subject: **Reading**

Tested Grade(s): 10

Test: Wisconsin Knowledge & Concepts Examination (WKCE)

Publisher: State of Wisconsin and CTB/McGraw-Hill

**[Note 1]{.underline}**: No performance data are reported for student
subgroups with fewer than 10 full academic year (FAY) students. In
addition, performance data for some subgroups larger than 10 are not
reported in order to avoid indirect disclosure of confidential
information; these are noted with an asterisk (\*).

**[Note 2]{.underline}**: Performance data for 2004-05 and 2003-04
include students scoring in each of Wisconsin's four proficiency
categories on the WKCE + the Wisconsin alternate assessments for
students with disabilities (WAA-SwD) and English Language Learners
(WAA-ELL). Data for 2002-03 are for the WKCE + the WAA-SwD only, due to
a change in the way WAA-ELL results were reported beginning in 2003-04.

**[Note 3]{.underline}**: Totals for the four proficiency categories may
not add to 100% due to some combination of (a) rounding, (b) the
exclusion of WAA-ELL results for 2002-03 (see Note 2), (c) the
suppression of certain data to protect student privacy (see Note 1),
and/or (d) student non-participation in testing.

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

  Testing month                             November        November        November

  **[SCHOOL SCORES (Full Academic Year                                      
  Students)]{.underline}:**                                                 

  \% Proficient + Advanced (meeting state   92%             77%             84%
  standards)                                                                

  \% Advanced                               66%             61%             69%

  Number of students (full academic year)   127             102             120

  Percent tested                            100%            99%             100%

  Number of students alternatively assessed 2               0               3

  Percent of students alternatively         3%              0%              2%
  assessed                                                                  

  **[SUBGROUP SCORES (Full Academic Year                                    
  Students)]{.underline}:**                                                 

  1\. White, non-Hispanic                                                   

  \% Proficient + Advanced (meeting state   \*              \*              \*
  standards)                                                                

  \% Advanced                               \*              \*              \*

  Number of students tested                 122             101             116

  2\. Economically Disadvantaged                                            

  \% Proficient + Advanced (meeting state   84%             70%             
  standards)                                                                

  \% Advanced                               50%             30%             

  Number of students tested                 18              10              9

  3\. Students with Disabilities                                            

  \% Proficient + Advanced (meeting state   81%             47%             30%
  standards)                                                                

  \% Advanced                               25%             42%             30%

  Number of students tested                 16              19              10
  ----------------------------------------- --------------- --------------- ---------------

**[Wisconsin 2006 Blue Ribbon School Nominee Proficiency Information -
REVISED]{.underline}**

School and District Name: **Evansville High, Evansville Community School
District**

Subject: **Mathematics**

Tested Grade(s): 10

Test: Wisconsin Knowledge & Concepts Examination (WKCE)

Publisher: State of Wisconsin and CTB/McGraw-Hill

**[Note 1]{.underline}**: No performance data are reported for student
subgroups with fewer than 10 full academic year (FAY) students. In
addition, performance data for some subgroups larger than 10 are not
reported in order to avoid indirect disclosure of confidential
information; these are noted with an asterisk (\*).

**[Note 2]{.underline}**: Performance data for 2004-05 and 2003-04
include students scoring in each of Wisconsin's four proficiency
categories on the WKCE + the Wisconsin alternate assessments for
students with disabilities (WAA-SwD) and English Language Learners
(WAA-ELL). Data for 2002-03 are for the WKCE + the WAA-SwD only, due to
a change in the way WAA-ELL results were reported beginning in 2003-04.

**[Note 3]{.underline}**: Totals for the four proficiency categories may
not add to 100% due to some combination of (a) rounding, (b) the
exclusion of WAA-ELL results for 2002-03 (see Note 2), (c) the
suppression of certain data to protect student privacy (see Note 1),
and/or (d) student non-participation in testing.

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

  Testing month                             November        November        November

  **[SCHOOL SCORES (Full Academic Year                                      
  Students)]{.underline}:**                                                 

  \% Proficient + Advanced (meeting state   95%             75%             86%
  standards)                                                                

  \% Advanced                               47%             32%             34%

  Number of students (full academic year)   127             102             120

  Percent tested                            100%            99%             100%

  Number of students alternatively assessed 2               0               3

  Percent of students alternatively         3%              0%              2%
  assessed                                                                  

  **[SUBGROUP SCORES (Full Academic Year                                    
  Students)]{.underline}:**                                                 

  1\. White, non-Hispanic                                                   

  \% Proficient + Advanced (meeting state   \*              \*              \*
  standards)                                                                

  \% Advanced                               \*              \*              \*

  Number of students tested                 122             101             116

  2\. Economically Disadvantaged                                            

  \% Proficient + Advanced (meeting state   84%             40%             
  standards)                                                                

  \% Advanced                               28%             20%             

  Number of students tested                 18              10              9

  3\. Students with Disabilities                                            

  \% Proficient + Advanced (meeting state   64%             53%             40%
  standards)                                                                

  \% Advanced                               13%             11%             10%

  Number of students tested                 16              19              10
  ----------------------------------------- --------------- --------------- ---------------