In Blue Valley we are committed to giving students an Education Beyond Expectations. This is an education that focuses on helping each child find academic success and experience personal growth. We are also committed to helping prepare our students for the future by equipping them with the skills they need to succeed in our 21st century world.

These efforts, in partnership with our strategic plan goals and our school improvement initiatives, make Blue Valley a great place to learn, to teach and to work.

Our efforts are truly making an impact. Preliminary data indicates that Blue Valley students were once again successful on the Kansas assessment tests. The data shows that Blue Valley and each of its schools made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act. The preliminary results show that on the reading assessments, 95 percent of our students met standards or better and in math, 94 percent of our students met standards or better.

The 2007 graduates posted the highest ACT composite score in the Kansas City metropolitan area and continue to far exceed state and national averages. The graduates registered an average ACT composite score of 24.1, which is tied as the highest score in Blue Valley history.

The number of students who have chosen to take an Advanced Placement (AP) test has continued to increase. On top of this accomplishment, student scores on the test are continuing to improve, evidence that the efforts the district has made to support and encourage students to strive for success and tackle tougher courses, has paid off.

We couldn't be more pleased with the efforts of our staff and the success of our students. But it's important to note that in Blue Valley, we're about excellence, not just proficiency. Every day we aim to deliver Education Beyond Expectations. To reach this great success, we have put into place a strategic plan and school improvement initiatives that are shaping how education looks in Blue Valley.

When the district developed the strategic plan nearly two years ago, our goal was to create a plan that would support unprecedented academic success and unparalleled personal growth for every student. These goals have become reality through the hard work and dedication of our staff and faculty members who have committed themselves to a variety of initiatives put into place to help students achieve success. For example, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), collaborative teams of staff members who discuss curriculum and intervention methods and work toward a common goal of finding the best way to reach each child, are making a cultural shift in the buildings. PLCs help teachers focus on the following questions: What do we want students to learn? How will we know they are learning? What are we going to do if they don't learn? What do we do if students already know it?

Because of the cultural shift PLCs have created in our schools, teachers now place an even greater emphasis on collaboration. Our teachers have also started using Curriculum Mapping, a tool that helps them plan and monitor curriculum while making sure teaching is aligned with state standards. A data warehouse has also been developed that provides a wealth of data and information about students and how they are doing on assessment testing. This data warehouse gives principals and teachers the information they need to make informed decisions on instructional strategies.

Together, these initiatives are providing the tools that our teachers need to reach every child and make positive impacts on their students.

These are just a few of the ways our district works to make Education Beyond Expectations a reality. After all, this is who we are and what we're about. It's our culture. It's what our patrons expect and what we are committed to delivering to our students.
Thank you for your support of Blue Valley Schools.

Tom Trigg  
Superintendent

Clint Robinson
Board of Education President
2008-09