Published: August 19, 2008 01:56 pm         

First year school receives district’s first ‘Exemplary’ status

By Leslie Gibson

Herald-Banner Staff



Miss May Vernon Elementary, in its first year of being open, has received the first designation of “Exemplary” given to a school in the Royse City Independent School District.

In the five years the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has rated schools based on TAKS test scores, Royse City campuses have received “Recognized”, but not the highest ranking, which is “Exemplary.”

For a first year school to accomplish this is something of which the entire district is proud, said JoNell Mellody, district spokesperson, praising the parents, students and staff.

Both the district as a whole, and the community of Miss May Vernon, contributed to the first year success of Miss May Vernon, according to the school’s principal, Paula Walker.

“This is a reflection of where we are going as a whole school community,” Walker said, in a recent interview.

Initiatives and programs established by district curriculum director Armenia Smith play a great role in helping the teachers and students improve scores district-wide, Walker believes, citing those especially in math and reading.

Bringing familiarity with those initiatives into the first year at Miss May Vernon were most of the students and staff.

“One-half of our students are from Scott; and the others from Davis and Fort,” Walker said. “We could not have achieved what we did here at Miss May Vernon without that. Us being successful is very much a reflection of the whole district and where we are headed,” she said.

Even the familiar school layout may be an ingredient in the success. Jeanette Stevenson’s son entered fourth grade at Miss May Vernon, after attending Anita Scott, he entered a building designed like Scott, and Fort as well, his mother noted. “The school is laid out very well, and everybody seems happy and willing to help each other.”

Helping one another is part of the community spirit all involved with Miss May Vernon work to foster.

“We focus here on being a family and a school community with the City of Fate and the Royse City school district,” said Walker, who also opened Anita Scott Elementary five years ago.

“I truly believe its the partnership of the community with the school and the excellence of the administrators and teacher that we have and their commitment to the kids,” parent Rich Lewis said, of the exemplary rating. He emphasized further, “It is community based — parents are looking out for all of the kids.”

Fun events contribute.

Walker, who has been in the district nearly 30 years, beginning with Browning, brought her annual “Fun Fair” with her to Miss May. She believes it is good for parents and children to come to the school and not talk about tests or school work, but to have fun. For 15 years, wherever she has been principal, Fun Fair takes place in the spring after testing. “You can spend a whole evening and not have to spend any money.

Continuity in other ways is prevalent at Miss May Vernon. Many of the teachers had Walker as a teacher, or had worked for her before.

Also credited by administrators is the district’s transportation manager, Hollie Poor, and staff, who for about five years have provided bus runs all afternoon to accommodate tutoring.

“We have a very strong after-school tutorial program,” Walker said. “This district has been very good to run a tutorial bus. Tutoring used to be just for kids who could walk home or get picked up,” she said.

Basic district-wide curriculum initiatives provide the basis for high scores also, Walker said.

“We implemented a new math program for second and third graders,” Walker said. “We saw across the district math scores rise 20 percent. That’s astronomical.” Miss May Vernon had 93 percent passing, and Scott had 95 percent, Walker noted.

“We’ve made great strides,” she said. “We are in the fourth year of Project Based Phonics Reading Program. The children in third grade have had it since kindergarten,” she said, pointing out the 99 percent passing rate. The state required phonics about five to seven years ago, she said.

To get exemplary, 90 percent of those tested within each student group must pass to get exemplary. Miss May Vernon has that, except in science, in which 87 percent of all students passed. “This shows we’re doing a good job with all categories of children.”

The TAKS test evaluates scores for several groups: African-American, Hispanic, White, and Economically Disadvantaged. An exception may be given for a particular area for one year of testing only, based on criteria in the rating system. All explanations are available on the TEA website.)

At Miss May Vernon, every evaluated group had 92 percent or more passing the reading and the math. In writing, 92 percent of all students passed; and in science, 87 percent of all students passed.

“I am most pleased that we’re scoring so consistently with our different ethnic groups and our economically disadvantaged,” Walker said. “This shows our teachers are doing an awesome job.”

Particular scores in at Miss May Vernon are: African American, 94 percent passing in reading and in math; Hispanic, 92 percent in reading and in math; White, 93 percent in reading and 92 percent in math; and Economically Disadvantaged, 92 percent in reading an in math.

About one-third of the Miss May Vernon student population is Hispanic, and about one-third Economically Disadvantaged, Walker noted.