West Park Elementary School - School Improvement Year 1

West Park Elementary
1071 Jones Ave.
Ravenna, OH 44266
(330 )297-1744
Fax: (330)297-4167
Donna Sell, Principal
October 16, 2009
Dear West Park Elementary School Parents,
As you may know, a federal law known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was enacted in January 2002.
Under NCLB, schools must make adequate yearly progress (AYP) in academic areas. There are several components
used to measure academic growth of every school. These components include:
1. Reading (both achievement test scores and participation rate are counted);
2. Mathematics (both test scores and the participation rate are counted); and
3. Attendance Rate.
Each of these components has a target goal that is embedded in State and Federal law. For each grade level, test,
and student group, a certain percentage of students must achieve grade-level proficiency in the subject in order for
the school to meet its AYP proficiency goal.
West Park Elementary does not have grades in which statewide tests are given in reading and math such as the
Ohio Achievement Tests. Therefore, the West Park Local Report Card will reflect the district’s Excellent rating.
However, because the state identifies “feeder schools,” or elementary schools in which the majority of the
kindergartners attend based on enrollment and district boundaries, West Park’s School Improvement Status reflects
West Main’s status based upon 2008-2009 data.
West Main Elementary School is in School Improvement Year I because it did not meet the AYP targets on the
Math test for all students for the 2007-2008 and the 2008-2009 school years. The good news is that West Main was
rated Excellent on the Local Report Card. In addition, the Value Added measure has been above expected growth
two years in a row indicating that greater than one year of growth is being achieved by students.
Due to a continued focus on adequate yearly progress by the federal and state government, many districts and
schools in the State of Ohio have been identified as being in improvement status. As a district we are in District
Improvement Year 2 even though we received the rating as an Excellent district overall on the report card, and four
of our buildings are in school improvement.
In order to improve student achievement in math at West Main, several actions have been taken. Teachers have
aligned classroom instruction to Ohio’s Academic Content Standards, which the achievement tests measure.
Curriculum materials are also aligned to the standards. Teachers also changed the classroom assessments they were
using to include questions similar to those students will see on the state graduation tests. Students may also
participate in an after-school tutoring program. During these sessions, students develop and practice skills that are
necessary for success on the state tests through completing classroom assignments and using skill-development
software.
Parents of students in buildings with the designation of School Improvement Year I, have the option to transfer
their student to a similar school in the district that is not in need of improvement. West Park is our only building that
serves kindergarten students so we do not have an alternate school of choice.

West Park Elementary
School Improvement 2009-2010
Page Two
We know that education is very important in fulfilling plans you and your child have for the future. Here are
some things you can do to help your child at home:
• Help your child by reviewing assignments
• Talk to your child about what he/she is working on at school
• Encourage your child to read at home daily
• Build and keep strong ties with your child’s teacher
• Participate in parent group meetings held at the school
• Review report card results by visiting our district website, www.ravenna.portage.k12.oh.us . From the District
link on the left, click on the District Report Card link.
All of us at West Park Elementary School are committed to helping every child succeed. We believe all children
can succeed and are working very hard with your child to meet the achievement targets. Your support is needed and
valued.
Sincerely,
WÉÇÇt fxÄÄ
Donna Sell
Principal