Ledyard High School - Strategic Profile

24 Gallup Hill Road • Ledyard, Connecticut 06339 • (860) 464-9600 • Fax: (860) 464-1990

72-61

Strategic School Profile 2006 - 2007

High School Edition

Ledyard High School
Ledyard School District

MARCIA P GRIFFIN, Principal
WILLIAM WINTERS, Asst. Principal
WILLIAM T TURNER, Asst. Principal
School Type: Traditional/Regular

Telephone: 860-464-9600

District Reference Group (DRG): D DRG is a classification of districts whose students' families are similar in education, income, occupation, and need, and that have roughly similar enrollment.

This profile was produced by the CT State Department of Education in accordance with CT General Statutes 10-220(c).

STUDENT ENROLLMENT
School Grade Range
Total Enrollment
5-Year Oct. Enrollment Change

9-12
1085
3.6%

SCHOOL NEED

Current and Past School Need	Year	School	DRG High Schools	State High Schools
% of Students Eligible for Free/Reduced-Price Meals	2006-07 2002-03	7.5 4.0	8.5 N/A	22.9 17.6
% of K-12 Students with Non-English Home Language	2006-07 2001-02	1.9 0.6	5.2 N/A	11.4 11.6
% of Juniors and Seniors Working More than 16 Hours Per Week	2006-07 2001-02	25.1 22.1	23.0 N/A	20.2 29.1

Enrollment in Special Programs	Students in School	Percent in School	% in DRG High Schools	% in State High Schools
Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language Services (K-12)	8	0.7	1.1	3.4
Compensatory Education	25	2.3	1.1	12.5
Gifted and Talented Program	0	0.0	2.5	1.7
Special Education	134	12.4	10.5	10.8

STUDENT RACE/ETHNICITY

Race/Ethnicity	Number	Percent
American Indian	46	4.2
Asian American	44	4.1
Black	47	4.3
Hispanic	61	5.6
White	887	81.8

Total Minority 2006-07 18.2%

Total Minority 2001-02 16.2%

EFFORTS TO REDUCE RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND ECONOMIC ISOLATION
Below is the description submitted by this school of how it provides educational opportunities for its students to interact with students and teachers from diverse racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds.

Ledyard High School partnered with the Mashantucket Tribal Nation and New London High School to form a Youth Leadership Coalition. Student leaders from all three partners are being trained to respect diversity and carry the positive message back to their respective groups.

The Amnesty Club continues to provide students with the opportunity to participate in activities that support the goals of Amnesty International which are to "focus on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights."

Ledyard High School has a Gay/Straight Alliance Club that sponsors many activities during the year such as The Day of Silence which encourage students to think about diversity and celebrate differences.

Ledyard High School students participate in many state-wide activities that bring them in contact with a diverse peer group. State world language poetry contests, regional and state math team competitions, and regional, state and national FFA conventions are a few examples.

Ledyard High School is known for its award-winning music program. Almost half of the student body is enrolled in the choral and/or instrumental classes. Concerts and daily instruction support a focus on works composed to celebrate diversity.

This past summer students were encouraged to participate in "One Book One Region" project. Students read the book, Across a Hundred Mountains, by Reyna Grande. The book was a fictionalized account of the struggles of two women - one born in Mexico and one in the United States. The summer reading program promoted discussion about differences and discovery.

SCHOOL RESOURCES

Instructional Time*	School	DRG High Schools	State High Schools
Total Hours of Instruction Per Year	981	997	1,002

*State law requires at least 900 hours for grades 1 through 12.

TECHNOLOGY

% of Classrooms, Libraries,and Laboratories Wired for:	School	DRG HighSchools	State HighSchools
Video	100.0	85.4	76.0
Voice	100.0	75.2	84.9
Internet Access	100.0	97.7	97.1
Multi-Room Network (LAN)	100.0	88.8	82.4

Computers	School	DRG HS	State HS
# of Students Per Academic Computer	2.8	3.3	2.9
% of Computers that are High or Moderate Power	88.0	95.6	91.7
% of Computers with Internet Access, All Speeds	98.2	99.2	98.7
% of Computers with High Speed Internet Access	98.2	99.2	98.7
% of Internet Computers with Filtering Software	100.0	100.0	98.7

This school does not have a functional satellite link.

LIBRARY MATERIALS
Free on-line access to periodicals, newspapers, and other resources is available to all Connecticut schools through the Connecticut Digital Library.

Library Materials	School	DRG HS	State HS
# of Print Volumes Per Student*	19.4	16.1	15.7
% of Print Volumes Purchased in the Last Three Years	5.2	8.8	11.1
# of Print Periodical Subscriptions	106	62.6	45.9
# of Non-Print Materials	550	676.4	848.1

*Because a certain number of volumes are needed for a library of adequate breadth and depth, a small school may need a higher number of volumes per student.

STAFFING RESOURCES

School Staff Count Full-Time Equivalent	2006-07	2005-06
# of Certified Staff
Teachers	77.2	78.7
Administrators	4.2	4.2
Department Chairs	1.6	1.8
Library/Media Staff	1.0	1.0
Counselors, Social Workers, and School Psychologists	5.9	6.9
Other Professionals	0.7	0.7
# of Non-Certified Instructional	9.7	9.7

Average Class Size	School	DRG	State
Algebra I Biology I English, Grade 10 American History	20.9 22.1 19.3 27.9	19.0 20.0 20.1 21.9	19.5 20.0 19.5 20.8

Professional Staff Race/Ethnicity	2006-07	2005-06	2001-02
% Minority	2.1	2.0	2.0
Professional Staff Experience and Training	School	DRG High School	State High School
Average Number of Years Experience in Connecticut and Other Locations	14.9	14.7	14.6
% with Master’s Degree or Above	83.3	76.3	76.0

HOME AND SCHOOL COMMUNICATION AND SUPPORT
The following narrative was submitted by this school.

Ledyard High School recognizes the essential role parents/guardians have in the education of their children. At the beginning of every course, a syllabus is given to students, and they are encouraged to share the document with their parents/guardians. The syllabus includes such information as the course's student learning objectives, when the teacher is available for help, and the best ways of communicating with the teacher. All teachers have laptops with internet access and voice mailboxes.

Two Open House Nights are held every year. These nights are scheduled for the beginning of each semester and reinforce the information given to the students. Attendance at these nights is always strong.

Every six weeks a newsletter is mailed to all parents/guardians. The newsletter articulates news from the various academic departments as well as extra-curricular areas. A calendar of events is always included to encourage the attendance at the various school events. The newsletter is also posted on the school's website.

Our award winning student magazine, The Colonel, is distributed to students and left in prominent places in the community. It is a student written reflection of student opinions and accounts of student activities.

Also on the website is a copy of the daily "morning meeting" notice. This notice is read to the students each day communicating upcoming events and important information.

Parents were asked to be part of the NEASC self-study that will be completed in the spring of 2008. Committees working on each of the eight standards sought out parents and students to be a part of their membership.

SCHOOL PROCESSES

Student and Teacher Statistics	School	DRG High Schools	State High Schools
% of Students Retained in Grade after 2005-06 School Year	3.6	N/A	4.5
Teacher Attendance, 2005-06: Average # of Days Absent Due to Illness or Personal Time	7.4	8.6	8.5
% Certified Staff Assigned to Same School the Previous Year	91.7	87.4	86.3

Types of Remedial Instructional Services Provided to Students Lacking Basic Skills	Available in Mathematics	Available in Language Arts
Pull-out Instruction	No	No
In-Class Tutorial	Yes	Yes
After School Program	Yes	Yes
Summer School (2006)	No	No
Other	No	No

% Juniors and Seniors Enrolled in a Course or Courses for College Credit	School	State High Schools
During the 2005-06 School Year	29.7	28.3
During the 2000-2001 School Year	15.8	22.8

Advanced Placement Courses	School	State High Schools
Number of Courses for which Students were Tested	8	8.9
% of Grade 12 Students Tested	8.0	20.1
% of Exams Scored 3 or More*	83.0	71.9

*A score of three or higher is generally required for earning college credit.

Interactive Distance Learning: This school does not utilize interactive distance learning. Interactive distance learning ranges from on-line courses with student-instructor interaction via the internet to live classroom interactions through two-way audio and video transmissions.

Total Number of Credits Required for Graduation	School	DRG	State Requirement
Required for Class of 2006	26.0	22.8	20.0

% of Class of 2006 Graduates who Earned Credit in Selected Subjects	School	State High Schools
Algebra I or Equivalent	57.9	91.1
Chemistry	89.1	70.6
4 or More Credits in Mathematics	85.4	64.0
3 or More Credits in Science	100.0	88.1
4 or More Credits in Social Studies	61.9	51.9
Credit for Level 3 or Higher in the Same World Language	59.1	59.1
2 or More Credits in Vocational Education	74.5	57.9
2 or More Credits in the Arts	65.6	39.8

STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Student Attendance	School	State HS
% on October 1, 2006	96.2	93.9

Physical Fitness Grade 10	School	State	Of All Schools in State
			Lowest %	Highest %
% Passing All 4 Tests	46.5	39.5	0.0	70.3

Connecticut Mastery Test, Second Generation, % Meeting State Goal: The CAPT is administered to Grade 10 students. The Goal level is more demanding than the state Proficient level, but not as high as the Advanced level, reported in the No Child Left Behind Report Cards.

CAPT Subject Area	School	State	Of All Schools in State
CAPT Subject Area	School	State	Lowest %	Highest %
Reading Across the Disciplines	36.2	45.6	0.0	87.2
Writing Across the Disciplines	49.3	52.9	0.0	87.6
Mathematics	49.8	45.2	0.0	86.3
Science	56.1	44.4	0.0	84.5

These results reflect the performance of students with scoreable tests who were enrolled in the district at the time of testing, regardless of the length of time they were enrolled in the district. Results for fewer than 20 students are not presented.

For more detailed CMT results, go to www.ctreports.com. To see the NCLB Report Card for this school, go to www.sde.ct.gov and click on "No Child Left Behind".

SAT® I: Reasoning Test	Class of 2001	Class of 2006
	School	School	State	Of All Schools in State
	School	School	State	Lowest %	Highest %
% of Graduates Tested	80.9	73.3	74.7	11.7	100.0
Mathematics: Average Score	514	490	510	284	604
Mathematics: % Scoring 600 or More	27.5	13.8	23.9	0.0	55.6
Critical Reading: Average Score	528	517	505	314	595
Critical Reading: % Scoring 600 or More	24.2	24.3	21.3	0.0	48.5
Writing: Average Score	N/A	504	504	304	595
Writing: % Scoring 600 or More	N/A	17.7	19.6	0.0	48.8

Graduation and Dropout Rates	School	State	Of All Schools in State
Graduation and Dropout Rates	School	State	Lowest %	Highest %
Graduation Rate for Class of 2006	95.0	92.2	40.0	100.0
Cumulative Four-Year Rate for Class of 2006	4.4	6.6	0.0	100.0
2005-06 Annual Rate for Grade 9 through 12	1.3	1.8	0.0	29.8
2000-01 Annual Rate for Gr. 9 through 12	3.1	3.0	N/A	N/A

Class of 2006: Number of National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists: 0

Activities of Graduates	Class of	School	State
% Attending Two- or Four-Year Colleges	2006 2001	83.0 74.2	78.3 76.3
% Employed or in Military	2006 2001	11.3 17.3	12.9 17.1

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS AND ACTIVITIES
The following narrative was submitted by this school.

Ledyard High School has been focused on revising curriculum in the core academic areas for several years. The math revisions included the introduction of a new course called Integrated Math. There are three levels and the courses are designed to meet the needs of students needing support in the four strands tested on the CAPT. The first two levels are taught year-long unlike most courses that are scheduled for a semester in a 4 X 4 block schedule. We will continued to revise curriculum and next year will update all the elective areas.

Ledyard High School became one of the few schools in Connecticut to offer courses in pre-engineering. We began the Project Lead the Way program by offering the first two courses in the series. Next year an additional course will be added and eventually all five courses will be available for students interested in preparing for a career in engineering or just exploring the possibilities.

The NEASC self-study will be completed in the spring of 2008. At that time, recommendations will be made by a visiting committee and much of our school improvement plan will be dedicated to following those recommendations.

To better meet the needs of at-risk students, an alternative educational program was initiated this year. Students took selected courses online and nine out often students successfully gained credits toward graduation; an after- school program was also started for credit recovery. Students needing to complete one or two credits to satisfy graduation requirements could remain after regular school hours with a certified teacher and complete coursevork in a virtual setting for the needed credit.

The special education department began a new program that matched case managers with their siudents for resource by grade. The department is hoping that the students can be better supported if case managers see them on a regular basis. Expanded use of electronic communications has significantly improved parental engagement in the school.

SUPPLEMENTAL SCHOOL INFORMATION
The space below was optionally used by this school to describe aspects of the school not presented elsewhere in the profile.

Close to 1,100 students attend Ledyard High School in grades 9-12. The commitment of the staff, community and students to high standards is evidenced in the following:

- Three new AP courses will be added in the 2007-2008 school year.

- A wide variety of challenging courses and extra-curricular activities are offered to students.

- Our Career Center offers a strong component to our school counseling/guidance department

- After-school review classes for CAPT and AP exam preparation are offered to students

- Extra-curricular eligibility has higher standards than the state requirement

- High standards for attendance are monitored by a strict loss of credit procedure

- After-school tutoring is offered three afternoons a week in the Learning Center.

- A late bus is offered to support after-school activities three days a week

- A School Development Team works on site-based decision making and improving communication with the school and community.

To view Strategic School Profiles on the internet, go to www.sde.ct.gov and click on Connecticut Education Data and Research. Additional education data are also available at this site. For the school web site, see http://www.ledyard.net/lhs.