Blue Star Elementary Annual Ed. Report

January 31, 2023

Dear Parents and Community Members:

We are pleased to present you with the Annual Education Report (AER) which provides key information on the 2021-2022 educational progress for Blue Star Elementary The AER addresses the complex reporting information required by federal and state laws. The school’s report contains information about student assessment, accountability, and teacher quality. If you have any questions about the AER, please contact Kari Huckaby for assistance.

The AER is available for you to review electronically using the following link, Blue Star Annual Report 21-22, visiting our school website, or you may review a copy in the main office at Blue Star Elementary.

For the 2021-2022 school year, schools were identified using definitions and labels as required in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). A Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) school is one that has at least one underperforming student subgroup. An Additional Targeted Support (ATS) school is one that has a student subgroup performing at the same level as the lowest 5% of all schools in the state. A Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) school is one whose performance is in the lowest 5% of all schools in the state or has a graduation rate at or below 67%. Some schools are not identified with any of these labels. In these cases, no label is given.

Our school was not given one of these labels.

We are continuously working to improve. Our continued challenge is helping our bottom 30% of students to improve at the same rate as all students. We are also working to increase our overall achievement scores on the M-STEP in ELA and Math. Some of the major initiatives we are currently involved with are MIBLSI (Michigan Integrated Behavior Learning and Support Initiative), Lucy Calkins Units of Study for reading and writing, and incorporating Canvas as our learning management system.

State law requires that we also report additional information.

PROCESS FOR ASSIGNING PUPILS TO THE SCHOOL

Hamilton students are assigned to an elementary building by geographic area, but may be accepted to a different Hamilton elementary school through the in-district school of choice process. Students from outside the district may be accepted to a Hamilton Community Schools building as part of the schools of choice process, which considers the number of students already enrolled at each grade level to determine the number of openings available.

THE STATUS OF THE 3-5 YEAR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN

The Blue Star Elementary school improvement process is coordinated with the district office; goals for improvement reflect the needs of the students in our building and support the Hamilton Community Schools’ District goals and monitor progress. Goals for improvement in 2021-2022 include:

Academic - All students will be proficient in ELA and Math as measured by the M-STEP.
Social/Emotional - We are continuing to focus on our Positive Action SEL curriculum.
Professional Development - Increase teacher knowledge of Lucy Calkins Units of Study for reading and writing from Teacher’s College (TCRWP/Lucy Calkins).

CORE CURRICULUM

Hamilton Community Schools’ core curriculum is based on the Michigan Content Standards. These include the basic learning goals for students in the areas of math, reading, writing, science, social studies, physical education, art, and music. We also integrate the Skills 4 Success Framework: technology literacy, collaboration & global thinking, communication, critical thinking and problem solving, flexibility and adaptability, ethical citizenship, and personal accountability. All students have access to Hamilton’s core curriculum. Support is provided, as needed, through a variety of supportive services including special education, Title I (in Title I schools), MTSS, summer school and individually planned accommodations. Information about the core curriculum is available on the district website at www.hamiltonschools.us.

AGGREGATE LOCAL ASSESSMENT DATA

Below is the 2021-2022 “end of year” iReady reading summary indicating where our students finished the school year.

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES ATTENDANCE

Attendance at parent-teacher conferences continues to be high. This is just one portion of the ongoing communication between home and school that strengthens the partnership. Blue Star continued the trend of very high participation in parent teacher conferences.

Fall 2021: 222 students, 211 conferences (95%)

Spring 2021: 226 students, 194 conferences (86%)

Fall 2022: 223 students, 211 conferences (95%)

Blue Star Elementary students continue to perform well in comparison to the state of Michigan, but we continue to strive for improvement in several areas. Our school has dedicated teachers and support staff, and we benefit from the opportunity to work with great students and involved, caring parents. Thank you for all your continued support for the achievement of our students!

Sincerely,

Kari Huckaby
Principal, Blue Star Elementary