Date sent: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 14:11:32 -0600 (CST)
From: LindaP (Texas)
Subject: Birdville School District- TX

loop members [on bcc]:

http://www.birdville.k12.tx.us/PR/BISD_Highlights9596.html

Birdville Independent School District


updated 4/96

Birdville ISD information highlights


The district has charted an ambitious course to achieve excellence in all
aspects of education: academics, athletics, career and technology education,
fine arts, and staff achievements. The board of trustees in 1995 adopted a
mission statement
that reflects the district's educational philosophy and its partnership with
the community.

The mission was just the beginning of the path toward excellence. The trustees
in August 1995 also adopted
one- and five-year goals
that focus on student involvement, improved academic achievement, staff
welfare and performance, increased participation by community and parents at
BISD schools, and careful maintaining of facilities and bond monies.



Some specifics of enhanced academic performance standards for students
include:


-- the acceleration of mathematics curriculum at middle school so all BISD
students will complete at least the
first semester of Algebra by the end of eighth grade

-- district strengthening the College Board Advanced Placement Program by
introducing
AP English III
at both high schools
-- new programs added in Career & Technology Education to include law
enforcement/criminal justice and aviation maintenance
--
the addition of
World Geography
as a graduation requirement for students beginning with the freshman class of
1996-97
-- two new programs,
Apollo and Reach

, developed to support students who are not performing well at traditional
campuses. Apollo is for ninth graders who need more structure for success at
high school. Reach is for expelled secondary students.
--
New physical education wellness program
is being piloted at two middle schools and one elementary campus.
--

Block scheduling
added for the 1995-96 school year at Shannon. Students can earn up to eight
credits a year under this method (only six were possible under traditional
schedule).
--The board in January approved
three graduation plans for students entering the ninth grade in 1996-97 or
later: Recommended High School Program, High School Program, and Distinguished
Achievement Program.


Key Successes

The Birdville ISD Board of Trustees
experienced what will probably be a "once in a lifetime" honor. On Oct. 1,
1995, at the joint convention of TASA/TASB, the school board was named
"The 1995 Texas Outstanding School Board."
The honor meant the seven trustees and superintendent had the opportunity to
meet with Gov. George W. Bush and Texas Education Agency Mike Moses. Quote
from 1994-95 president Calvin White: "The award was not achieved by seven
individuals but reflects the cooperative spirit and support by the community,
staff, students and parents." This is the first time a Northeast Tarrant
County school board has won the top honor. There are 20 regions and 1,048
school districts in Texas.

Fifteen BISD schools are $37,633.06 richer in 1996

, thanks to students' attendance and performance on the spring 1995 Texas
Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) tests. The awards are part of the
Texas Successful Schools Award System (TSSAS) program
, which recognized 1,236 schools. Seven elementary schools won a total of
$21,501 for the 1994-1995 school year.

Twenty-four band and choir ninth
through twelfth grade students were named to
all-state
in 1996. This is the second highest number of students the district has ever
had.
Twenty-nine students
were named to the honor in 1995; 21 were named in 1994.

One BISD school
(Green Valley Elementary)
received the prestigious rating of "exemplary" and
13 BISD schools
were rated "recognized" by the Texas Education Agency in 1995. This number
exceeds the exemplary and recognized rating combined totals of all other
schools districts in Tarrant County. For 1994-95, six elementary schools
received the Texas Education Agency
"recognized"
accreditation status.
The district has three National Merit finalists for 1995-96. For 1994-95,
Eight national merit scholars

, one National Hispanic Scholar and one scholar for National Achievement for
Outstanding African Americans were chosen from BISD This figure was more than
any other Northeast Tarrant County school district for 1995.
BISD was named
"Industry of the Year"
in 1994 from The Northeast Tarrant Chamber for its successful relationships
and active involvement with the community's businesses. Three BISD employees
were recognized for their involvement with the chamber at the November 1995
banquet.


Five campuses held celebrations in the fall of 1995
to spotlight improvements made to their campuses as the result of the
1993 bond election
. Schools include: South Birdville, Hardeman, Foster Village, North Ridge
Middle and Richland High.
Birdville unveiled its
first middle school technology lab,
located at North Richland Middle, during a North Texas Industrial Technology
Association dinner and meeting during the spring of 1995. The lab brings the
industrial arts technology program forward and into a new direction, replacing
outdated "hobby-oriented" approaches with innovative and practical career and
technology skills. Since then, more technology has been implemented across the
district, including Tech 2000 labs at the high school level.
Harris Methodist H.E.B. in 1994/1995 gave BISD a gift of health and money so
that
each school is staffed with a fulltime registered nurse

. Under the BISD plan, Harris Methodist is providing 7.7 additional RNs to the
existing staff for the school year. The hospital will provide assistance to
BISD on a diminishing scale through the 1997-98 school year.
Twenty educators from the
Texas Education Agency
accreditation and the
Texas School Improvement Initiative
(TSII) teams converged on BISD in January 1995. The group visited three
elementary schools and met with staff to learn the secrets behind their
outstanding improvements in student performance over the past year. The BISD
pilot project allows educators to share effective academic strategies.

Birdville Council PTA
swept the
outstanding volunteer program
awards at the First District 1995 Conference, which is comprised of 14
councils and 280 local units. Honors went to Green Valley, elementary; North
Ridge, middle; Richland, high school. The Youth Advocacy Award went to Green
Valley. Cynthia Cook, Richland Elementary, won a Texas PTA Career Teacher
Summer Scholarship.
The district boasts of more than 3,065
volunteers who have logged an astounding 125,000 hours to date for the 1995-96
school year

. This is a district record! The district had 1,574 volunteers perform more
than 127,000 hours of service during 1994-95. The district is in its second
year of requiring background checks for all volunteers who work in direct
contact with children.


Patrick Moorse,
Smithfield Middle student,
won the Fort Worth Star-Telegram regional spelling bee competition and an
all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete nationally in 1995 and
in 1996.
Thirty-two choirs and bands won the coveted
U.I.L. Sweepstakes Award
in 1995.
Haltom High's production of
Once Upon A Mattress
was selected to be one of 11 shows featured at the International Thespian
Festival during 1995. The Haltom group was the only one from Texas and the
first from the state to be invited to the festival since 1989.
BISD is a co-developer of the
"Family Friendly Business"
concept. The program, a cooperative partnership between Birdville ISD, The
Northeast Tarrant Chamber and local private schools, encourages parental
involvement in their child's education by asking employers to think of their
employees' needs as parents. A list of 10 criteria has been established.
Enrollment to participate in the program, the first known of its kind in
Texas, began in May 1995. The program's concept was selected to be a
presentation topic at the Texas Association of Partners in Education in April
of 1996. It was also a presentation topic at the National Association of
Partners in Education conference in November 1995 and at the TAPE/TBEC
conference in April in Houston. The Northeast Tarrant Chamber has also been
selected to serve on a national committee about community involvement because
of this program.
BISD is one of the first districts in the state with a direct connection to
the
Internet
--worldwide information superhighway --and to develop its own home page. "Home
page" contains electronic information about the district. The district is also
the
first known in the state
to include the district's policy manual and the Texas Education Code from the
74th Texas Legislature. The home page has garnered much media and community
interest. One interesting point: the electronic age has made it possible for
the public to read about the district's latest news releases before they are
disseminated by the media. (http://www.birdville.k12.tx.us)


The Haltom High School Men's Choir
performed at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in the spring of
1996--a tremendous honor.
The Richland High School
Men's Choir
performed at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in 1995.

Five members of the BISD family
were recognized by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as
Volunteers of the Year for 1995
. Ginger Nicole Plunkett, HHS freshman, was named Fort Worth Youth of the
Year; Erica Floyd, Richland High School senior, was named Northeast Youth of
the Year; Kyle Clark, Haltom Middle School, was named Northeast Man of the
Year; and Ben and Mary Shilcutt, retired BISD employees, were named Northeast
Club of the Year for their Mended Hearts, Inc.


BISD has exceeded 240 Business Partnerships
--another district record! The Business Partnership program encourages local
companies to become involved in schools to help support campus activities.

The district entered into cooperative agreements
with the cities of Haltom City and North Richland Hills for the joint
construction and use of athletic/recreational facilities at both high schools.
A groundbreaking ceremony was just held for the new tennis center to be at
Richland High School. BISD has also entered a pact with the city of Watauga
for park construction on district-owned property.


Misc. points

South Birdville Elementary
was recognized as an Honored School by the TEA. Status was achieved because 70
percent or more of participating Title I students passed the reading and math
sections of TAAS during 1994-95.


West Birdville Elementary
is one of five schools in the state to receive the Innovative Practice Award
for its Classroom Listening and Speaking program. The program was developed
due to the large number of referrals to speech/language therapy for vocabulary
delays.


Supt. Bob E. Griggs
was honored by the Region XI Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors
Association for his achievements with the district, his focus on the needs of
Birdville students, and his dedication to public education.
The district is sponsoring a parent/student skills-building class,

Positive Steps
, for students in grades 2-12 and their parents.


North Ridge Elementary
hosted about 100 teachers and administrators during 1994-95 as a result of its
achievement of a mentor school designation by the Texas Education Agency.
North Ridge is only one of 63 elementary schools in the state to earn the
designation.
The board adopted a
non-traditional calendar for 1995-96
that provides "mini-breaks" during each six-week reporting period. The
calendar was collaboratively developed by a committee comprised of teachers,
administrators, parents, and business and community leaders. The board adopted
the same format for the 1996-97 calendar in February.
Twenty-five students from
Richland High School
have joined with engineers from the Motorola, Inc., of Fort Worth to enter the
1996 U.S. FIRST
competition. (Approximately 70 teams will compete nationwide in April.) The
contest, to be held at Epcot in Florida, requires the design of a functional
robot. No other public schools in the area are participating.
Art Teacher Ian Floyd's students at
North Oaks Middle
School in Haltom City won Best Overall Classroom in the 1995 Stock Show Art
Show in Fort Worth.