ROGERS — By any standard measure, the Rogers School District is a good school district. We are in full compliance with the Standards for Accreditation for Arkansas Public Schools and also those of the North Central Accreditation Association for our high schools. We are truly committed to our mission to provide an environment of educational excellence where all belong, all learn and all succeed. We have a lot to be proud of in Rogers.

We are…

A school district with 112 AP Scholars

A school district where 40 teachers have now earned national certification — 10 of whom earned it last year

A school district with four Milken Fellows

A school district with the state Odyssey of the Mind winners

A school district with the state championship team in boys cross country and boys indoor track

A school district with Runner-up State Champions in wrestling, girls cross country, volleyball, girls golf, boys basketball and mock trial

A school district with 17 students selected for Arkansas Governor’s School

A school district with an Arkansas Music Education Association Administrator of the Year

A school district with the state Dance Educator of the Year

A school district with the National School Personnel Administrator of the Year

A school district with a school who received the state’s highest rating — a school of excellence for improvement

A school district with one of the top 5 elementary schools in the state for Benchmark achievement

A school district with 14 All-State orchestra members, 4 All-State band members and 2 All-State choir members

A school district with seven National Merit semifinalists

A school district with eight seventh-graders recognized for exceptional ACT scores by the Duke Talent Identification Program

A school district with four award-winning economics teachers last year

A school district with graduates who received over $5 million in scholarships

A school district with one of Newsweek’s top 1,500 high schools in the United States – four years in a row

We also have hard evidence of our students’ learning. I am pleased to report that we scored very well on the norm-referenced achievement test, the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT8) and the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT10).

On the MAT8, our kindergarten students scored at the 59th percentile in reading, well above the national average which is the 50th percentile. The SAT10 percentile scores for reading in 2008-09 were: 1st Grade — 51; 2nd Grade — 55; 3rd Grade — 49; 4th Grade — 66; 5th Grade — 61; 6th Grade — 49; 7th Grade — 59; 8th Grade — 60; 9th Grade — 55.

In math, the results were: kindergarten — 60; 1st Grade — 60; 2nd Grade — 64; 3rd Grade — 69; 4th Grade — 74; 5th Grade — 71; 6th Grade — 67; 7th Grade — 63; 8th Grade — 71; and 9th Grade — 71.

In April 2009, students in grades 3-8 took the Benchmark examination. The percentage of our students who scored proficient or advanced in literacy by grade level was: 3rd Grade — 73; 4th Grade — 73; 5th Grade — 74; 6th Grade — 76; 7th Grade — 74; 8th Grade — 84; and on the 11th Grade end of course literacy exam — 68.

In math, the percentage of students who were proficient or advanced on the Benchmark exams was: 3rd Grade — 89; 4th Grade — 84; 5th Grade — 82; 6th Grade — 84; 7th Grade — 72; and 8th Grade — 71. On the end of course exams, 75 percent of our students scored proficient or advanced in Algebra I and 79 percent in Geometry.

Although most of our test scores are above the state and national average on the MAT8, the SAT10, and the state average on the Benchmark exams, our goal is to have all students score proficient or advanced. There were significant gains by the general population and the sub-populations at Kirksey and Elmwood. However, the progress by students with disabilities at Kirksey was not great enough to make Adequate Yearly Progress in math, so they moved to Year Four School Improvement. The progress of students with disabilities at Elmwood was not great enough to make Adequate Yearly Progress in literacy and math, so they also moved to Year Four School Improvement. Elza Tucker School did not make Adequate Yearly Progress in literacy with economically disadvantaged students; con sequently, they are in Year One School Improvement. We have appointed a school improvement officer for each of these buildings, and are working with the schools on improving curriculum, instruction and facilitating change. We have room for improvement and will continue to focus on increasing student achievement in the general population as well as the sub-populations.

Our college placement scores are above the state and national averages. In 2008-09, 464 of our seniors took the ACT (college entrance) examination. Rogers’ average score was 22.1, compared to 20.6 at the state level, and 21.1 nationally. The average score of RHS students who reported that they had completed the recommended core of courses for college admission was 22.8.

A great point of pride in our school system is our Advanced Placement Program. We had 619 students who took 1,087 AP tests in 2008-09 — an impressive number of students taking AP courses and in the number of tests taken. Students who score 3, 4 or 5 are given college credit at most schools across the nation. We are pleased to announce that during the 2008-09 school year, greater than 50 percent of our students scored of 3 or better with the potential of receiving college credit.

Rogers has experienced minimal growth in the past several years. Even so, in 2008-09 we hired approximately 100 certified parttime or full-time teachers due to growth and attrition. In 2008-09, we completed the following projects:

Annex: sealed the front parking lot

Bellview: added a security access entry and installed a new computer lab

Eastside: installed new outside doors on the east wing

ESOL: replaced (1) set of exterior doors and installed a security access system

Elmwood: remodeled the gymnasium including new paint, bleachers, lighting, and floor refinishing; repaired the front and rear canopy ceilings including painting; replaced the roof on the north section; sealed and striped front parking lot

Garfield: replaced windows in classroom and men’s restroom areas; replaced carpet with laminate flooring in teacher’s lounge; painted kitchen, art room, and restroom areas; installed a new computer lab

Grace Hill: replaced HVAC units in (18) classrooms; painted office, restrooms, kitchen and room 201; and installed a new computer lab

Heritage: installed landscaping around campus areas; installed a new parking lot south of the main building; and installed additional security access entry

Jones: added additional security cameras and installed a new computer lab

Lingle: installed a new kitchen floor and installed a new computer lab

Lowell: installed new library carpet; installed new entry sidewalk and also a new sidewalk in front; painted the administration area; and installed a new computer lab

Mathias: installed new flooring in halls and cafeteria; installed 6 new HVAC units in classrooms; and applied overlay and striped rear parking lot areas

Northside: improved landscaping around campus; replaced restroom windows; painted exterior trim; extended bus canopy; installed new floors in kindergarten and 1st grade restrooms; installed a new computer lab; and replaced the library roof

Oakdale: remodeled gym including new ceiling, lighting, bleachers, painting, and floor refinishing; replaced ceiling tiles in south halls and restrooms; replaced flooring in music area corridors; and repainted the front canopy ceiling

Old Wire: installed new north parking lot; installed additional access security point; and installed a new computer lab

Reagan: installed new exit doors to 200 and 300 wing; installed security access to 200 and 300 wings; and installed a new computer lab

Rogers High: painted exterior stairwells; refinished gym floors; and added additional landscaping to the courtyard area

School Services: installed additional pavement in bus lot area and sealed and striped the front parking lot

Tillery: resurfaced multipurpose courts; refinished the gym floor and installed a new computer lab

Tucker: remodeled 8 classrooms for PreK; installed a new Pre-K playground area; added new sidewalks; installed an additional paved parking lot; installed a new bus canopy; and installed a new security chip access point

Westside: painted exterior trim; installed a new gym floor; and installed new computers

In accordance with Arkansas Code Annotated §6-13-629, all members of the Rogers Board of Education have met their state training requirements for the preceding year. We are also fortunate to have board members who spend endless hours attending regular and special meetings, policy and study sessions, strategic planning meetings and serving as committee liaisons.

We would like to inform our public about our transfer policies. The Rogers School District accepts non-resident students who request to transfer into the district as required by Arkansas Statute 6-18-206, known as the Arkansas Public School Choice Act of 1989, and the applicable rules and guidelines for School Choice issued by the Arkansas Department of Education, unless the addition of such students creates the need for additional staff, services, or facilities. School Choice transfer application forms must be on file in the Superintendent’s office or postmarked by July 1. The Board may also approve legal transfers of students who have been released from their resident district if the transfer does not cause the district to add personnel or facilities. Petitions for legal transfers must be submitted by July 1 to be considered for the fall semester and December 1 for the second semester. The general policy is that the Rogers Board of Education will not approve requests for legal transfers out of the district but may make exceptions to this general policy in extraordinary circumstances upon the recommendation of the Superintendent.

Patrons are encouraged to review our ACSIP (Arkansas Consolidated School Improvement Plan) that is posted on the district Web site. Any questions or comments may be directed to the Federal Programs Coordinator.

Our 2008-09 budget was $107,202,009, the majority of which (79 percent) was spent on salaries and benefits for certified and classified personnel. Of the remaining 21 percent, 11 percent was used for debt payment, 6 percent for supplies, 1 percent for equipment and 3 percent for utilities and services. Approximately 5 percent of our funding came from federal restricted funding. Of those federal funds, we received $2,032,208 in Title I funds which were used for salaries to teach reading and math and for professional development. We received $447,343 in Title II, Part A funds, which were used for professional development. We received $434,326 in Title III funds which were used for ESOL salaries and professional development. We received $45,036 in Title IV, Part A funds, which were used for safe and drug free programs. The district also received $82,000, and the individual schools collectively received $31,767, from the Coca-Cola competitive beverage contract, which was used for materials, supplies, and professional development, as well as to assist student activity clubs and to enhance activity facilities.

Rogers Public Schools is at a pivotal point in its development. As noted earlier, RPS is a good school district; however, we are not content to rest on our positive attributes but aspire to become a great school district. To help us in our move from “good to great,” the district and the community worked together to develop, and are in the fourth year of implementing, a strategic plan which guides us in our efforts to increase student achievement and close achievement gaps. Our overarching goal is: All students meet high academic expectations and graduate from high school prepared for college and/or successful careers. To meet this goal, we continued to work on the five domains of the strategic plan: leadership, communication, data, professional development, and curriculum. We focus on these domain areas weekly and update board members and the public monthly. The strategic plan is the way we do business. In addition, in 2008-09, Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) conducted a curriculum management audit of our district which gives us a blueprint for improvement for the next several years.

If our school district and community continue to work together, we can prepare our students to become intelligent, thoughtful, responsible citizens of our community and the world. It’s our responsibility to fulfill that vision of greatness — for our community and for our students.

Scholars, Pages 8 on 10/21/2009

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