Blue Star Elementary Annual Ed. Report

January 22, 2024

Dear Parents and Community Members:

We are pleased to present you with the Annual Education Report (AER) which provides key information on the 2022-23 educational progress for Blue Star Elementary School. The AER addresses the complex reporting information required by federal and state laws. The school’s report contains information about student assessment, accountability, and teacher quality. If you have any questions about the AER, please contact Principal Dean Kari Huckaby for assistance.

The AER is available for you to review electronically by visiting the following Blue Star Elementary AER or you may review a copy in the main office at your child’s school.

For the 2022-23 school year, schools were identified using definitions and labels as required in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). A Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) school is one that has at least one underperforming student subgroup. An Additional Targeted Support (ATS) school is one that has a student subgroup performing at the same level as the lowest 5% of all schools in the state. A Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) school is one whose performance is in the lowest 5% of all schools in the state or has a graduation rate at or below 67%. Some schools are not identified with any of these labels. In these cases, no label is given.

Our school has not been given one of these labels.

We are continuously working to improve. Our continued challenge is helping our bottom 30% of students to improve at the same rate as all students. We are also working to increase our overall achievement scores on the MSTEP in ELA and Math. Some of the major initiatives we are currently involved with are:

MiMTSS (Michigan’s Multi-Tiered Systems of Support);
Lucy Calkins Units of Study for Reading and Writing;
Focus on GELN Essential Practices in Early Literacy - specifically #2 (Read Alouds) and #7 (Vocabulary)

State law requires that we also report additional information.

Process for assigning students: Hamilton students are assigned to an elementary building by geographic area, but may be accepted to a different Hamilton elementary school through the in-district school of choice process. Students from outside the district may be accepted to a Hamilton Community Schools building as part of the schools of choice process, which considers the number of students already enrolled at each grade level to determine the number of openings available.

Status of the 3-5 year School Improvement Plan: The Hamilton Elementary school improvement process is coordinated with the district process; goals for improvement reflect the needs of the students in our building and support the Hamilton Community Schools’ District School Improvement Plan. The staff and parent representatives study student data, establish goals, and monitor progress. Goals include:

All Blue Star students will graduate and they graduate with the academic skills necessary for life-long success.
All Blue Star students graduate with the career and life skills necessary to be informed consumers, skillful and productive workers, and active citizens.

Core Curriculum: Hamilton Community Schools’ core curriculum is based on the Michigan Content Standards. These include the basic learning goals for students in the areas of math, reading, writing, science, social studies, physical education, art, and music. We also integrate the Skills 4 Success Framework: technology literacy, collaboration & global thinking, communication, critical thinking and problem solving, flexibility and adaptability, ethical citizenship, and personal accountability. All students have access to Hamilton’s core curriculum. Support is provided, as needed, through a variety of supportive services including special education, Title I (in Title I schools), MTSS, summer school, and individually planned accommodations. Information about the core curriculum is available on the district website: www.hamiltonschools.us.

Aggregate Local Assessment Data:

Parent-Teacher Conference Attendance: Attendance at parent-teacher conferences continues to be strong. Conferences are just one portion of the ongoing communication between home and school that strengthens the partnership. Blue Star Elementary continued the trend of very high participation in parent teacher conferences with parent participation close to 100% during the previous 4 school years. In 2022-23 specifically, attendance was:

Fall 2023: 212 students, 199 conferences (94%)
Spring 2023: 226 students, 194 conferences (86%)
Fall 2022: 223 students, 211 conferences (95%)

Closing Remarks: Hamilton Elementary students continue to demonstrate strong academic achievement, which is guided by our dedicated teachers, support staff, and parents. Thank you for your steadfast commitment to and continued support of our students!

Sincerely,
Kari Huckaby
Principal, Blue Star Elementary