January 1, 2021
Dear Parents and Community Members:
We are pleased to present you with the Annual Education Report (AER) which provides key information on the 2019-2020 education progress for Bloomingdale Middle and High 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 Mary Spade for assistance. The AER is available for your review electronically by visiting the following link https://5il.co/pt72 or you may review a copy in the main office at your child’s school.
Bloomingdale Middle and High School is lucky to serve a diverse community of learners coming from many different backgrounds and life experiences. We continue to discuss best practices when it comes to instruction that will meet the needs of our learners. In 2019-2020, we continued to look for ways to create building-wide interventions to ensure that each child is receiving the instructional services that they need in the areas of English Language Arts and Math.
While our district staff continue to strive to improve the academic achievement of all of our students in all content areas, we have made a focused effort to make improvements in the teaching of math over the past few years. We worked hard to create a math intervention program to assist our students struggling in the area of math which is our lowest performance area on state assessments. In addition to efforts to improve instruction at the classroom level, the district has implemented a plan to phase in a more rigorous math curriculum K-12. We have seen a noticeable improvement in students’ math comprehension thus far and we expect that to continue.
State law requires we report the following additional information:
Since Bloomingdale Middle and High School is the only public school that accepts 6th-12th grade students within the school district, there is no process established for assigning students to this building. All residents in the previously mentioned seven grade levels attend Bloomingdale Middle and High School. Our district is in the middle of a 3-5 year school improvement cycle. Each of the core academic areas has a goal related to the improvement of student performance on the M-Step assessment. The district has identified essential academic standards and continues to teach a curriculum that follows state guidelines and requirements as set out by the State of Michigan. The purpose of our School Improvement Plan is to be a driving force in promoting academic achievement for our students.
Some of our students who are identified as having one or more handicaps are able to receive educational services at specialized schools and center in the county. The programs are run and operated by the Van Buren ISD. The decision to place a student in any special education program is made by the Individualized Education Plan Committee which includes at least one of the student’s parents or guardians, general education teacher, diagnostic personnel and a school administrator. The goal of all specialized programs is to facilitate a student’s education growth to the maximum extent possible. Many of these programs are available from infancy through early childhood. These programs include: Autism, Severely Emotionally Impaired, Cognitively Impaired, Severely Multiply Impaired, Infant, and Total Communication Program.
In addition, the Bloomingdale Strive Academy is a specialized program at Bloomingdale Middle and High School designed to assist students who struggle to be successful in the regular high school program. This program provides another option for these students for obtaining a high school diploma, and it typically involves a more individualized and blended (online/traditional) path to graduation.
The core curriculum is aligned with the High School Content Expectations (HSCE), Grade Level Content Expectations (GLEC), and common Core State Standards. All core curriculum areas have identified Essential Standards that are taught with fidelity.
If you are interested in learning more about our school/district curriculum you may schedule a meeting with the building administrator. We would be happy to discuss with you each core subject area, its implementation process, and how it has been contextualized to fit the needs and demands of our students. If you are interested in learning more about our school’s performance on any local or state achievements tests those can also be requested from the building administrator.
Bloomingdale Middle and High School continues to strive toward creating contributing members of our local community and beyond. We have adopted the vision statement of “Empowering all students to maximize their potential” to guide us in all that we do to ensure that all students have the opportunity to grow in all areas.
Sincerely,
Ms. Mary Spade
Principal