Blue Ribbon Initiative

Whitehaven Elementary STEM Academy “Engage, educate and empower every student, every day”

Reply to the office of: Tommy Elliott, Principal Whitehaven Elementary STEM Academy 4783 Elvis Presley Memphis, TN 38116 Phone (901) 416-7431 Fax (901) 416-9368 Email: [email protected] August 1, 2011

Dear Parents,

As you know, our school and district are dedicated to ensuring that our students succeed. While we have always held high expectations for our students, the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) has set new standards for students to meet. The state recently released a report on the progress our schools are making toward achieving proficiency for all our students under NCLB. The report identifies whether schools have made “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP).

Adequate Yearly Progress is met by achieving a simple yes or no grade based on a complex set of measurements. To make AYP, each school in our district must reach the set target scores in the areas of test participation and test performance. These areas are measured across subgroups of students. Students are grouped by such categories as race, language proficiency, socio-economic status, and disability. In addition, schools must meet graduation and attendance targets. If just one subgroup misses just one target, an entire school does not achieve AYP. Whitehaven Elementary did make AYP for the 2010-2011 school year.

Adequate Yearly Progress is an all-or-nothing proposition, but student achievement is not. Success is measured in many ways, including but not limited to classroom tests, teacher observations, report cards, homework, and standardized tests. However, AYP focuses only on state standardized test results in Reading and Math.

We are firmly committed to achieving our goal of success for every child and we recognize that we can continually improve. Our school is filled with outstanding teachers, administrators, and support staff, who regularly update their skills and participate in training to help them meet the needs of all students. We invite you to arrange a visit to any classroom in the school to see for yourself.

We also encourage you to examine the results carefully and look at the progress our school is making. Most importantly, we ask you to join us in addressing our challenges and applauding the great work of students and staff. As always, we welcome your comments, suggestions, and involvement in our school.

In the interest of children,

Tommy Elliott Principal