ANNUAL REPORT TO DISTRICT PATRONS

NORRIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

2002-03

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

Student Progress toward State Reading, Speaking, and Listening Standards........................... 3

Achievement Test Results ..................................................................................................... 3

Student Progress in Grades 1-3............................................................................................ 4

Student Progress in Reading .................................................................................................  4

ACT Scores ........................................................................................................................  5

Statewide Writing Assessment. ............................................................................................  5

Student Enrollment Figures.................................................................................................... 6

Enrollment by Race ..............................................................................................................  6

Student-Teacher Ratios......................................................................................................... 6

Average Class Sizes............................................................................................................. 7

Average Daily Student Membership and Attendance.............................................................. 7

Dropouts and Expulsions...................................................................................................... 7

Graduation Rate................................................................................................................... 8

Student Mobility Rates.......................................................................................................... 8

Student Poverty Rates.......................................................................................................... 8

Special Education Population ..............................................................................................   9

Title I Program and Population ...........................................................................................  10

Limited English-Speaking Students  ..................................................................................... 10

High Ability Learner Program ............................................................................................   10

Advanced Placement Classes............................................................................................... 11 

Number of Student Days.................................................................................................... 11

Number of Staff Development and In-Service Days  ............................................................ 11

Average Teacher Salary  ..................................................................................................... 11

Number of Teachers and Experience at Norris .................................................................... 12

Number of Other Personnel  ............................................................................................... 12

Number of Administrative Staff ........................................................................................... 12

Professional Preparation of Staff  ........................................................................................ 13

Expenditure by Program ..................................................................................................... 13

Revenue by Source ............................................................................................................. 14

Assessed Valuation and Property Value per Student ............................................................ 14

Transportation Budget ........................................................................................................ 14

Student Transportation  ....................................................................................................... 15

High School Courses .......................................................................................................... 15

Graduation Requirements  ................................................................................................... 16

Follow-up Study of Graduates  ........................................................................................... 16

Building Needs and Plans .................................................................................................... 17

Age of Buildings.................................................................................................................. 17

Americans with Disabilities Act ........................................................................................... 17

Distance Learning ............................................................................................................... 18

Internet Access ................................................................................................................... 18

Local Area Network  ......................................................................................................... 18

School Improvement Goals and Progress ............................................................................ 18

 

 

 

 

Student Progress toward State Reading, Writing, and Listening Standards

 

The graph below indicates the average performance of Norris students in grades 4, 8, and 11 with respect to state language arts standards this past school year.  There were 11 standards in grade 4, 10 standards in grade 8, and 9 standards in grade 11 that were assessed this past year.  Based on the results of the assessments, students are rated as beginning, progressing, proficient, and advanced.  This graph shows the overall average percent of students in each of these categories at the three grade levels.

 

 

 

Achievement Test Scores

 

The graph below illustrates the percent of students, by grade level, who scored above the 50th percentile in the reading, language, mathematics, science, and social studies sub-tests of the Terra Nova II Achievement Test given to all students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11 this past spring.

 

 

 

 

Student Progress in Grades 1 – 3

 

Progress was shown in the areas of reading comprehension, vocabulary and phonetic decoding in first grade this year.  The number of students reading at or above grade level increased from 75 to 89 percent according to Individual Reading Inventories.  The STAR reading assessment showed that 4% more students were reading at or above grade level in the spring than in the fall.  Writing assessments indicated progress in writing competencies as students developed skills in writing sentences and simple stories.  In mathematics, students demonstrated increased understanding of the concepts of addition and subtraction.  Students also progressed in the skill areas of measurement, time and money, place value and estimation.

 

According to the Gates McGinitie Standardized Reading test given this spring, 79% of all second grade students were reading at or above grade level.  (47% of those students were reading at the 4th grade level or above.)  Second grade students take a computerized vocabulary assessment called STAR.  77% of the students scored at or above grade level on this.  (On this same STAR assessment, 38% of the students scored at or above a 4th grade reading level.)  In writing, students received instruction in 3 or the 6 Writing Traits of Writing.  Ideas and Content, Organization, and Conventions.  By the end of the year, a majority of second grade students were able to consistently use capital letters and punctuation correctly.  In math, students studied addition and subtraction to 20, measurement, time and money, place value and estimation, and fractions.  On an end-of-the year cumulative math test, 84% of the students scored at 80% or above.

 

The number of students reading at or above grade level increased from 90 to 94 percent according to Individual Reading Inventories and from 68 to 83 percent according to the STAR reading assessment at grade 3 this past year.  According to the California Achievement Test this past spring 71% of Norris 3rd graders were above the 50th percentile in reading.  79% of the third grade students scored above the 50th percentile in language and 73% scored above the 50th percentile in mathematics.

 

Student Progress in Reading

 

A core belief in the Norris Schools is that reading is the key to the universe, and that it is within our power to have at least 90% of students at each grade level reading at or above grade level.  Approximately 8% of the population has legitimate learning disabilities or handicapping conditions that will hamper the ability to read.  During the past four years, the staff has worked hard on standards and assessments in reading.  Improved curriculum materials have been purchased at several grade levels, and summer reading “academies” have been in place in the Elementary five years including this summer.

 

Research indicates that it is critical for boys and girls to get off on a good start in reading.  There are developmental tasks that if not mastered by the end of second grade make it difficult to catch up.  Our experience would support that research evidence.  Our focus on reading improvement has resulted in the most gains at the Elementary level.  The percentages of students who are at or above grade level at the end of the 2002-03 school year are shown in the table below.  Evaluation of students was conducted with the STAR Reading Assessment in all grades and also the Individual Reading Inventory grades 1-5.

 

Grade

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

IRI (fall)

16

75

90

91

89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IRI (Spring)

75

89

94

95

97

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STAR (fall)

 

73

68

80

74

74

78

62

67

63

63

76

STAR (Spring)

 

77

83

89

74

76

67

65

72

84

75

NA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACT Scores

 

Approximately 60% of the 2002 graduating class took the ACT test and scored as follows compared to state and national averages.  Core results are for students who completed 4 years of English and three or more years of mathematics,

 

 

Statewide Writing Assessment

 

The table below illustrates how 8th grade students at Norris scored on the Statewide Writing Assessment this past school year.  91% of Norris’ 8th grade students scored above the state cut score (4.33), which is the score at which a student’s performance is considered proficient.  The average Norris score was 5.53.  This was significantly higher than the state average according the Department of Education personnel.  It should also be noted that 78% of Norris 11th grade students scored at the proficient level and a writing assessment scored at Educational Service Unit 6 in Milford.  That is an increase from the 69% of Norris 11th grade students considered proficient in the 2000-01 school year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Enrollment Figures

 

The enrollment figures below were compiled on the last Friday in the month of September for

each of the given years including the 2002-03 year just completed.  Note that the 1997-98 year was the first for the pre-school program and the 1999-00 year was the first for the Midlands Group Home. 

 

 

 

Enrollment by Race for 2002-03

 

 

Student-Teacher Ratios

 

 

Ratio

General Education

1 teacher per 17.5 students

Special Education

1 teacher per 18.0 students

Title I

1 teacher per 51.0 students

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average Class Sizes

 

The average class sizes for the 2002-03 school year in the table below were computed by dividing the total

number of students enrolled in each grade by the number of teachers assigned to that grade.  At the

secondary level (grades 6-12), the average class sizes were computed for reading, English, mathematics,

science, and social studies classes only.

 

 

Average Daily Membership and Attendance

 

The following table illustrates average number of children enrolled in given grade levels during the 2002-03 school year and the average number of children in attendance each day school was in session. 

 

 

2002-03 Enrollment

Average Daily Attendance

K

120

115

1

113

109

2

106

102

3

126

121

4

109

105

5

119

115

6

139

134

7

140

134

8

131

128

9

140

137

10

148

144

11

123

119

12

122

117

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Dropouts and Expulsions

 

The table below shows the number of dropouts and number of expulsions during the 2002-03 school year.

 

 

Grade 9

Grade 10

Grade 11

Grade 12

Number of Dropouts

0

1

1

2

Number of Expulsions

1

2

3

0

 

 

 

 

Graduation Rate

 

The table below shows the number of 12th grade students this past school year who graduated at Mid-term, dropped out prior to graduation, lacked the necessary credits to graduate when the time came, and those who actually graduated in May.

 

Number of 12th grade students who graduated at mid-term

7

Number of 12th grade students who dropped out prior to graduation

0

Number of 12th grade students who did not meet graduation requirements

3

Number of 12th grade students who graduated during spring commencement exercises

114

 

Student Mobility Rates

 

The table below lists the total number of students by building who moved into or out of the school district from the beginning until the end of the 2002-03 school year.

 

 

In

Out

Elementary School

33

27

Middle School

16

9

High School

34

33

 

The table below lists the total number of students who, at one time or another, optioned into the Norris School District from another school district this past school year and the total number of students who reside in the Norris School District and optioned to another school district during the 2002-03 year.

 

Optioned Into Norris

Optioned Out Of Norris

155

127

 

Student Poverty Rates

 

The table below indicates the number of children in each building who come from families whose     income and number of family members meets federal guidelines for poverty levels.

 

 

Elementary

Middle School

High School

Number of Children Qualifying for Free Meals

33

12

29

Number of Children Qualifying for Reduced Price Meals

24

12

8

Percent Whose Income Meets Poverty Guidelines

8

6

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

Special Education Populations

 

The following graphs show the number of special education students per grade level and the number of students by handicapping condition for the 2002-03 school year.  The majority of these students have only one handicapping condition, although some have more than one.  The most common handicapping condition is SLD (specific learning disability) and is usually associated with reading and/or writing ability.   Speech and Language Impaired students receive services from the school district’s speech pathologists.  These graphs do not include the students at the Firth Group Home.

 

              

                

 

 

                                               

Title I Program and Population

               

Title I is a federally funded program designed to remediate reading and/or mathematics skills in students who are performing below grade level in these areas.  81 elementary students participated in the Title I Program this past year.  The table below shows breaks down their participation by subject area.

 

Number of students who received services in reading only

29

Number of students who received services in mathematics only

31

Number of students who received services in both reading and mathematics

21

 

Limited English Speaking Students

 

There are nine students currently attending Norris who have limited English speaking abilities who qualify as English Language Learner students: six in the elementary building, one in the middle school, and two in the high school.  Only the six elementary students and one high school student actually participate in the English Language Learner Program.

 

High Ability Learner Program

 

Norris is continuing the process of developing and implementing a program for high ability learners.  Initially, this program will focus on students in grades 4 through 12.  Mrs. Shari Head coordinated the program in the elementary grades, Mr. Tom Price had responsibility for the middle grades, and Mrs. Rachel Goracke with assistance from Mr. Tom Brazee coordinated the program in the high school.  The program includes after school activities, individual mentoring, and summer camps through the Imagine It Program sponsored by E.S.U 6.  Students are identified for these activities in grades 4-12 by achievement test scores, other evaluations including in-class teacher assessments of student performance, and comparisons of student characteristics with established checklists of traits of high ability learners.  Norris also offers advanced and honors courses for secondary students in several curricular areas including advanced placement and college credit courses.  In addition, Norris provides several after school clubs and activities.  These include such things as the music mentorship program, Academic Decathlon, and Quiz Bowl teams.

 

 

Advanced Placement Classes

 

Norris offers advanced placement classes (classes in which a student can earn college credits by successfully completing a test), college or dual credit classes (classes in which a student can earn both college and high school credit by successfully completing class requirements), and advanced classes (classes which are for college-bound students or classes in which students can further pursue a particular skill or interest)

 

Psychology

Distance learning class for college credit through SECC

Sociology

Distance learning class for college credit through SECC

Advanced English 11

Accelerated or honors class for 11th grade students

English 1010

Dual credit course through Southeast Community College

English 2100

Dual credit course through Southeast Community College

Calculus

College-bound or accelerated class for select students

Advanced Placement American History

Class in which college credit can be earned by passing test

Advanced Placement English 11

Class in which college credit can be earned by passing test

Individual Advanced Art

Accelerated class for students with art skill and/or interest

Advanced Accounting

2nd year class for accounting students

College Accounting

Accounting class for college credit

Independent Study Advanced Programming

Programming class for advanced computer students

Advanced Clothing

2nd semester class for clothing students

Advanced Foods

2nd semester class for foods students

Advanced Welding

2nd semester class for welding students

Advanced Industrial Technology

Accelerated class for industrial technology students

Spanish III and IV

3rd and 4th year Spanish classes

Human Life Span

Distance learning class

College Calculus

College credit class through Southeast Community College

 

Number of Scheduled Student Days

 

178 student days were scheduled during the 2002-03 school year.  Classes for students begins at 8:30 and end at 3:30.  Students have 30 minutes for lunch, making their day 6.5 hours long.

 

Number of Staff Development and In-Service Days

 

In addition 178 student days scheduled above, staff members work an additional 7 days, which includes pre-school workshops, staff development days throughout the school year, etc.

 

Average Teacher Salary

 

The average teacher salary for this past school year is $42389.23.  This figure includes compensation for coaching, extra duties, and/or sponsorships.

 

 

TAKE TIME TO VISIT THE NORRIS SCHOOL DISTRICT WEBSITE AT WWW.NORRIS160.COM.

Number of Teachers and Years of Experience at Norris

 

The number of certified staff members employed in each of the district’s three buildings during the 2002-03 school year is shown below plus their average years of experience.  The number does not include members of the administrative staff.  The years of experience pertains only to experience at Norris, not experience in other school districts.  Note that the number of teachers listed for each building reflects the number of teachers who teach one or more classes in that building.  Some teachers work in more than one building and are counted in the number for both buildings.

 

 

Number

Average Years at Norris

Elementary Building

45

11.04

Middle School Building

29

11.38

High School Building

41

10.72

 

Number of Other School Personnel

 

 

Elementary

Middle School

High School

District

Clerical Personnel

1.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

Health Aides

1.0

1.0

1.0

 

Guidance Counselors

1.0

1.0

1.0

 

Media Specialists

1.0

.5

.5

 

Special Education Resource

3.0

2.0

3.0

 

Behaviorally Disabled

1.0

.5

.5

 

Speech Therapists

1.5

.5`

.5

 

Pre-School Special Education

1.0

 

 

 

Title I

2.0

 

 

 

Psychologist/SE Coordinator

 

 

 

1.0

Technology Coordinators

 

 

 

2.0

Para-Professionals

23

5

7

 

Food-Service Workers

 

 

 

12

Maintenance Personnel

4

2

4

3

Transportation Personnel

 

 

 

21

 

 

Administrative Personnel

               

 

 

 

 

Professional Preparation of Staff

 

The table below lists the number of certified staff employed at Norris during the 2002-03 school year according to their highest degree.

 

 

Expenditure by Program

 

CATEGORY

AMOUNT

CATEGORY

AMOUNT

General Instruction

4,527,001

Health Services

54,855

English Supplies

30,400

Safety & Security Services

1,000

Speech Supplies

1,525

Co-curricular Activities

268,465

Foreign Language Supplies

3,700

Staff Development

26,647

Social Studies Supplies

5,470

Library and Media

245,263

Mathematics Supplies

15,473

Technology Support

121,239

Computer Science Supplies

90,850

Board of Education

40,075

Science Supplies

47,478

Superintendent’s Office

135,585

Home Economics Supplies

7,613

Assistant Superintendent’s Office

114,437

Physical Education Supplies

2,805

Building Administration

535,612

Art Supplies

7,100

Business Support Services

179,509

Music Supplies

17,000

Plant Operation

815,116

Diagnostic Services

83,820

Plant Maintenance

148,500

Orthopedic Services

38,300

Regular Transportation

607,913

Speech Therapy Services

117,118

Special Education Transportation

71,837

Auditory Impaired

30,000

Mentor Program

2,526

Visually Impaired

800

Quality Ed Accountability Act

20,000

Special Education Resource

773,290

Nebraska Learn and Serve

2,000

OH Homebound

2,691

Title I

131,090

Contracted Educational Services

860,000

Title I Neglected

10,000

High Ability Learners

21,624

ESEA Title VI National Goals

5,939

Drivers Education

8,958

Title IV-B OV-B Pre-School

104,575

Trades and Industries

67,011

School to Career

500

Vocational Agriculture

134,045

Summer School-Fundamentals

21,246

Business Salaries and Supplies

128,916

No Child Left Behind

51,191

Guidance Salaries and Supplies

207,451

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue by Source

 

The table below indicates the revenue and the amount from that source for the 2002-03 school year.

 

 

Assessed Property Valuation and Valuation per Pupil

 

The actual valuation of property within the boundaries of the Norris School District according to the latest figures is $436,088,253.  The figure jumps to $496,171.732 when including affiliated property from the Cheney and Rokeby school districts.  All property in Class I districts such as Cheney and Rokeby had to be affiliated with a K-12 school district several years ago.    Some of their property is affiliated with Norris; other property is affiliated with other neighboring districts such as Lincoln, Crete, or Bennet-Palmyra.

 

Transportation Budget

 

 

Regular

Special Ed

Wages

299,939

41,894

Benefits

70,974

11,311

Physical & Drug Testing

3,000

 

Electricity

9,500

 

Fuel

55,000

5,000

Parts & Tires

50,000

 

Repairs & Maintenance

32,000

5,000

Purchases

65,000

 

Insurance

12,500

2000

Other

10,000

 

Contracts with Parents

 

500

Depreciation

 

6,000

TOTAL

607,913

71,837

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Transportation Information

 

All students who reside in the Norris School District have the opportunity to ride to and from school by bus.  Each student has been assigned a designated pickup and drop off point and time.  However, a number of students, especially those with a drivers’ license or school permit chose to drive to and from school themselves.  Many other children are brought to school by parents on their way to work and picked up after school.  Several ride with older brothers and sisters.  At the present time 20 buses drive a total of 1630 miles per day to transport an average of 905 students to and from school each day.   That means about fifty-five percent of the students ride the bus to and from school.  In addition 4 vans transport 20 students with special needs to and from the pre-school program, a neighboring school district, or one of the three district buildings.  These vans drive approximately 330 total miles per day.  Nebraska State School Law requires schools to transport children who live 4 or more miles from the school site to and from school, except option students.  All but 192 children live outside the 4 mile radius from school.  However, the district has chosen make transportation available for all children and all children, regardless of distance residing from the school site, have been assigned a bus route.  Option students are usually brought to the nearest bus stop by their parents.  Many children, especially high school students, drive their own vehicle to and from school.  Others are brought to school by parents or siblings on their way to and from work or school.         

 

High School Courses

 

English Department

English 9, Composition 10, College Prep Composition 10, English 11, AP English 11, Senior Technical Writing, Senior Composition/British Literature, English 1010-SCC, English 2100-SCC

Math Department

Applied Math 1-2, Applied Math 3-4, Applied Math 5-6, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Advanced Algebra/Trigonometry, Trigonometry/Algebra III, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, College Calculus, Discrete Math, College Algebra 1150-SCC..

Science Department

Science 9, Biology, Applied Biology, Physiology, Biology II, Chemistry, Physics

Social Studies Department

Civics, Global Perspectives, American History 11, Advanced Placement American History, Modern Problems, Introduction to Psychology-SCC, Introduction to Sociology-SCC, Human Life Span-SCC.

Agriculture

Introduction to AgriScience, Companion Animals, Floriculture, Welding, Landscaping, Natural Resources, Advanced Welding, Ag Management, Ag Skills & Technology, Soil Science, Animal Science, Ag Leadership, Ag Lab Class, Horticulture

Art

Introduction to Art, Ceramics, Beginning Drawing, Individual Advanced Art, Beginning Oil Painting, Print Making, Sculpture, Graphics Design, Advanced Graphics Design, 2-D Design, Advanced 2-D Design, Advanced Ceramics, Senior Art

Business

Beginning Computer Applications, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Access, Business Management, Economic Perspectives, Accounting, Advanced Accounting, College Accounting, Business Law I, Business Law II

Computers

Visual Basic, Internet Publishing, Independent Study-Advanced Programming, Internet Publishing, Cisco Academy, Advanced Internet Publishing

Journalism

Yearbook

Speech & Drama

Speech 10, Theater I, Theater II, Speech Communications, Forensics

Family and Consumer Science

Teen Economics, Beginning Clothing, Beginning Foods, Advanced Clothing, Advanced Foods, Parenting, Child Development, Housing Design, Independent Living, Adult Living, Food Science

Industrial Technology

Engineering Drafting/Design 1, Engineering Drafting Design 1-2, Architectural Drafting 1, Architectural Drafting 1-2, Wood Technology I, Wood Technology II, Advanced Woods, Small Engines, Technology Laboratory 1and 2, Applied, Industrial Technology, CADD I, CADD II, Machine Tools 1 and 2, Principles of Electronics, Advanced Industrial Technology, Car Care, Construction Technology, Comp. Hard. Tech, IT Essentials 1-A+,

Music

Senior High Band, Flag Corps, Mixed Choir, Titan Singers, Show Choir, Music Theory, Jazz Band

Physical Education

Body Conditioning, Team Sports, Lifetime Sports, Aerobics, Personal Fitness

Spanish

Spanish I, Spanish II, Spanish III, Spanish IV

Other

Driver Education, Student Assistant, Student Tutor, School-To-Career, Study Hall, Enrichment 9, Distance Learning, Co-op, Student Internship

 

 

 

 

Graduation Requirements

 

In addition to the above requirements, students must earn a total of 240 credit hours to be eligible to graduate.

 

Follow-up Studies of Graduates

 

The post-secondary plans of the graduating class of 2002 (120 students) are illustrated in the graph below.

Several students attending Southeast Community College in Lincoln are in the academic transfer program, which means their credits will transfer to a 4-year institution should they so desire at a later date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Building Needs and Plans

               

The ten-room addition to the Elementary Building opened in the fall of 2002.  The new addition houses six Kindergarten classrooms, one 1st grade room, one 2nd grade room, one pre-school Special Education room, and one swing room to accommodate future needs.  A new driveway off Princeton Road, as well as a parking lot, will allow parent drop-off and pick-up of Kindergarten students. 

 

 Beginning with the 2002-03 school year, the all-day-every-day Kindergarten will be implemented for the first time.  Parents who prefer the current all-day-every-other-day pattern for their Kindergarteners will be accommodated. 

 

The Elementary building project also included some renovation of existing space.  One set of student rest rooms was be enlarged, faculty restrooms were added, and the nurse’s office enlarged.  Two of the old Kindergarten rooms have become the new Library/Media Center, and the existing library was renovated into a 4th grade classroom and a special education room.  Now that the project is finished, each of the grades and Kindergarten has five classrooms. There are two extra rooms to accommodate the occasional larger-than-average class coming through the system.  Projected enrollment numbers indicate that this addition should take care of Elementary space needs through 2012 at the minimum.

 

Other facility improvements include the green house, located west of the High School parking lot, for horticulture and science classes.  Completion occurred during the 2001-02 school year.

 

Landscaping of the Norris Park area, south of the High School, is an ongoing project.  The Norris Schools are always appreciative of donations of trees as memorials or for any other purposes.  

 

As one of its goals for the 2002-03 school year, the board of education is studying enrollment trends in the secondary (middle school and high school) building and doing some preliminary planning for additional space to this facility should enrollment growth continue at its current rate.

 

Age of Buildings

 

Original elementary building (1969)

Original junior/senior high building (1970)

Shops, music, and home economics addition to high school (1974)

Middle school addition (1979)

Elementary music, computer lab, and classroom addition (1988)

High school auditorium, welding shop, and classroom addition (1988)

All weather track and football field (1990)

Elementary special education addition (1993)

District offices, distance learning, and high school classrooms addition (1996)

Elementary art and gymnasium addition (1996)

Norris Park, soccer and softball fields, marching band field (1999)

Elementary kindergarten and other classroom addition (2002)

                               

 

Americans with Disabilities Act

 

Norris School District is in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act by insuring        that persons with disabilities have access to all programs provided by the school district.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distance Learning

 

The Norris School District has a distance-learning laboratory completed in the 1996 secondary facilities bond issue.  This laboratory seats 18 students with four monitors, two cameras, and a control console. The school district belongs to the Southeast Nebraska Distance Learning Consortium, which includes post-secondary institutions, service units and about 70 other public schools in southeast Nebraska.  Instruction is two-way, interactive audio and video, so that students from as many as 4 sites can see and hear each other as well as the instructor at all times. The laboratory also has been used to conduct meetings that would otherwise require travel time and inconvenience. Future use will center on expanding the offerings available from post-secondary institutions as well as staff development opportunities for the teaching staff.  In addition to the laboratory, Norris has purchased a portable cart which enables distance-learning to be moved to any of classroom simply by moving the cart into the classroom and connecting it to the media outlet within the room.

 

Internet Access

 

Norris students and staff have the Internet and World Wide Web available to them through any one of approximately 350 computers located within the district. Galaxy Communications provides the hookup for the district while Microsoft Internet Explorer software is used to actually access and communicate over the Internet. E-mail access is provided through the district's Microsoft Exchange e-mail server. The district utilizes a filtering system to help insure that sites deemed inappropriate are not accessed and employs an appropriate use policy or agreement with all students and staff. The school district also has a web site on the Internet (www.norris160.org). Individual building information such as curriculum, personal web pages for staff members, activities, and other related information are available. In addition, district information related to the district office, Board of Education, hot lunch or transportation, daily bulletins, etc. are available on the web site.

 

Local Area Computer Network

 

All computers in the Norris School District are connected to a Local Area Network (LAN), which enables users to access available educational software programs and/or send e-mail to any other user or computer. All student records are now maintained on our servers and include such items as attendance records and grades. Approximately 28-networked HP print devices handle all printing.

 

School Improvement Goals

 

Norris just completed the 4th year of a five-year school improvement cycle.  During this cycle, the school has made extensive efforts to improve student reading and writing skills and to better use technology to improve the teaching and learning process.  Action plans with specific strategies to improve these skills have been developed and implemented.  Staff development and training has been conducted.  Progress has been closely monitored.  The staff is now in the process of compiling and studying the results to determine if one or more of these goals should be maintained in the next five-year cycle.  Technology will be maintained as an on-going, continuous goal since it is an area that is constantly undergoing changes.   As a culmination activity, an external team of people with expertise in reading, writing, and/or technology will be brought into the school district next fall to validate Norris’ progress and make recommendations with regard to future school improvement efforts.