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Commendations
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The Oxford School District is commended for the following goals, programs, and practices:
- Results of norm-referenced Terra Nova tests administered in the District exceed the mean of cohort group school systems in almost all cases, and exceed the effectiveness level in many grade and subject levels.
- The 27.4 percent of high school students enrolled in College Board approved Advanced Placement programs greatly exceeds the effectiveness level of 12 percent and the mean of 10 percent. Likewise, the 4.08 percent taking Advanced Placement examinations exceeds the 3.2 percent mean and 3.7 percent effectiveness level. Significantly, the 78.5 percent passing rate on Advanced Placement examinations places Oxford among an elite group of school systems in the nation.
- College entrance examinations on the ACT average 21.1, slightly exceeding the effectiveness level of 21 and mean of 19. The limited select group of students taking the SAT greatly exceeds both the effectiveness level of 996 and the mean of 960 in the cohort group with a score of 1175.
- Student attendance rates of 96.4 percent exceed the effectiveness level of the cohort group of 95 percent and the mean for the cohort group of 92 percent.
- Respondents to questionnaires designed by SchoolMatch indicate strong support for the overall leadership in the District. Parents, teachers and administrators all rated leadership as effective.
- Respondents to questionnaires indicated strong support for the District’s emphasis on learning. While there were some concerns about interruptions in the classroom day, evidence from site visits indicates corrections have been in the 2002-2003 school year to reduce or eliminate this problem.
- Respondents to the questionnaires give high marks to the school climate and the system for monitoring student progress established in Oxford.
- Parents, teachers and administrators agreed District leadership and staff had established high expectations for students.
- There appears to be an eagerness on the part of the administration and the faculty to embrace empirical research findings on school improvement.
- The administration and faculty are focused on dealing with the special needs of students with low test scores.
- Principals in the District are perceived as and encouraged to be instructional leaders. Recent in-service education through Phi Delta Kappa has stimulated more systemic classroom observations of teachers.
- A genuine attempt is being made to bring curriculum, instructional practices, state standards and assessments in to alignment.
- The students of the District enjoy a good deal of support through the “foster grandparents” program and the large number of adult volunteers in the schools.
- The Oxford Endowment for Public Education has, over the last fifteen years, provided over $185,000 in “mini-grants” for various projects at each of the schools.
- Teacher engagement with students is apparent, even to the point of some teachers eating lunch at student tables in the middle school.
- The introduction of the teaching of foreign language (Spanish) in the primary grades is commendable.
- School improvement plans are well organized and developed, and the District organizational chart is easily accessible and understandable.
- The pre-school program using both Title I and local District funds is commendable.
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