SIGNATURE SCHOOL EVANSVILLE, INDIANA | ANNUAL REPORT 2014-2015 September 2015 I am excited and proud to submit the 2014-2015 Signature paint to voice to instrument to physical movement—to capture the School Annual Report to the Evansville Vanderburgh School essences of that natural world and, frequently, to reflect its truths Corporation, our sponsor, and to all the members of our Signature in new and exciting ways. Theory of Knowledge classes challenge School community. This Annual Report also serves to convey my Signature students to dig deeper--to question their assumptions tremendous gratitude for the indefatigable work and unwavering about their ways of knowing the world and to explain more fully how support of the Signature School mission offered by our faculty and they can be sure something is certain. staff, our students and their families, and our Signature School Board and Signature School Foundation Board members. The achievements set forth in this Annual Report reflect the labor, commitment, and passion of many individuals. I am very honored The theme of this year’s Annual Report is “Angles.” Signature to work with the Signature School team of outstanding faculty and students discover from the beginning of their time at 610 Main staff, and I thank them for their tireless commitment to broadening Street that a Signature School education is all about viewing ideas, and stretching the perspectives of all Signature students, as well as opinions, and events from multiple “angles,” or perspectives, a given their own. value of an International Baccalaureate school. From their freshman through senior years, our students immerse themselves in four I encourage you to enjoy with a critical eye this 2014-2015 Annual years of a world language to achieve the goals of communicating in a Report and to provide comments or suggestions as we endeavor to language other than their native tongue and understanding cultures provide the best education possible for the students who choose to different from the one into which they were born. U.S., World, and attend Signature School. Signature remains committed to providing European History classes help students understand the past through the best education possible to all, and we are excited to move the consideration of multiple international perspectives so that they forward with another year of opening minds and honing critical can better make sense of the world of today and reshape tomorrow. thinking skills. Worlds are broadened by the themes and situations introduced in every book read across our English curriculum, whether the medium Again, I thank all who have helped to make Signature the outstanding be the memoir of boy soldier in Sierra Leone, the verse form of a school that it is. Shakespearean tragedy, or a poignant essay of E.B. White. Science and math classes push students to think critically by application Sincerely, of formulas, theorems, and hypotheses to explain and challenge rational assumptions about the order of the natural world. Visual and Jean Hitchcock performing arts students work each day with multiple media—from Executive Director TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature at a Glance .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3 Educational Design ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Results in External Assessment ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 External Assessment: ISTEP+ .................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 External Assessment: SAT and ACT ........................................................................................................................................................................... 5 External Assessment: Advanced Placement (AP) .................................................................................................................................................... 6 Comparative Assessment AP/IB ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10 External Assessment: International Baccalaureate Programme (IB) ............................................................................................................... 11 Student Profile ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Student Recognition ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 18 Faculty Recognition .................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 19 School Recognition ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Revenue and Expenditures ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Signature School Board and Signature School Foundation Board .................................................................................................................................. 21 Faculty and Staff ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 History ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 23 Development Report ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 College Acceptances ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 25 Signature School does not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, national origin, age, disability or limited English proficiency in its programs, or employment policies as required by the Indiana Civil Rights Laws (I.C. 2-9-1), Title IV and VI (Civil Rights Act of 1964), the Equal Pay Act of 1973, Title IX (Educational Amendments), and Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973). SIGNATURE AT A GLANCE RESULTS SCHOLARSHIP Signature Awards/Recognitions End of Course Assessments: (96%) Algebra I | (100%) English 10 | (93%) Biology I 2014 National Blue Ribbon School, U.S. Dept. of Education Participation in advanced classes: Ranked #10 Nationwide, #1 in the Midwest by The Washington Post (2014) 100% of students are enrolled in advanced college preparatory classes Ranked #33 Nationwide, #7 Charter in the Country, International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme #1 in Indiana by US News & World Report (2014) •411 exams administered (excludes TOK & Extended Essay) • 51 diploma candidates Ranked #5 Nationwide, #4 Charter in the Country, #1 in the Midwest by Newsweek’s The Daily Beast (2014) • 42 diploma recipients (82%) • 34 registered anticipated candidates Four Star Award 2014 • 26 registered certificate candidates Named an “A” school by the Indiana Department of Education Participation in Advanced Placement Ranked first in Indiana for AP Access and Success - 93% of • Number of AP exams administered: 755 (2012-593, 2013-667, 2014-739) the 2015 graduating class passed at least one AP exam while in • Number of students taking AP exams: 315 (2012-215, 2013-296, 2014-307) high school • 68% scored 3 or above on AP exams (9th-66%, 10th-69%, 11th-69%, 12th-73%) SCHOLARS Average daily attendance rate: 97.2% 2014 Graduation rate: 100% (Net worth of 2015 grants & scholarships: $13.1 million) Opening enrollment: 330 students Academic Honors Diplomas granted: 97% Number of teachers: 23 full-time and 3 part-time Nine National Merit Finalists: Zuha Adeel, Kennedy Erwin, Average class size: 20 Katherine Hitchcock, Adam Lonnberg, Meryem Ozel, Shuchay Participation in the community: 9,501 service hours Subramanian, and Kathryn Wolfinger. SAT Signature Seniors Indiana National Critical Reading 635 496 495 Math 621 499 511 Writing 612 478 484 Composite (Math/Reading) 1256 995 1006 Data in this report reflect the average scores of high school