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History
Rossville Consolidated School District (District) is located in central Indiana on 38 acres of land at the edge of the town of Rossville, Indiana. The District is composed of Clay Township, Carroll County, and two townships in Clinton County, Ross and Owen Township.
The history of the district is somewhat unique. On May 18, 1957, the township trustees and advisory boards adopted a joint resolution that created the Rossville Consolidated School District. The District had a historic transformation on April 12, 1965. One of the Palm Sunday tornadoes that brought tragedy and destruction to many parts of Indiana and other midwestern states swept through Ross and Owen townships. One-half mile west of Moran, the tornado struck the Owen school building, which housed all 5th and 6th-grade students from the entire district, plus two classes of 4th-grade students. The building was demolished beyond further use for school purposes. The immediate problem of providing educational space is solved by utilizing two local churches.
During 1965 and 1966, the School Board held several meetings, which resulted in the start of new facility construction in August of 1966. Elementary students from the entire district moved into their portion of the new building on August 24, 1967. The building project was completed on schedule, and for the first time, all elementary students in the District shared the same facility. Students in grades 7-12 first occupied the secondary portion of the building on a snowy start of the second semester, January 17, 1968. The school was operational however, it lacked a gymnasium and vocational agriculture area, which was completed by the fall of 1968.
The school community has continued to support the district and provided facility improvements since the original structure began being built in 1967. In 1984 renovations included an elementary office and library, a multi-purpose room, art and band rooms, and the middle/high school office suite. Additions to the school included kindergarten suites, an auxiliary gym, locker rooms, a weight room, storage rooms, band practice rooms, a guidance office suite, and lobby space. In addition to these building renovations/construction, a superintendent's office was built on the property by the ag construction students during the 1983-1984 school year. In 1990, through a generous donation from community patrons' endowment, the district was able to add tennis courts to the facility. In the last twenty-five years, the district has added an auditorium, science classrooms, and a choir room (1999), replaced roof sections(2003), replaced windows and doors( 2010), and renovated the kitchen and cafeteria (2013), and in 2018 began and recently completed a four-phase twenty-million dollar construction project which enhanced the safety of the facility, added agriculture, band, and art classrooms, added a central entrance and administrative office space, added a fieldhouse, and upgraded outside athletic facilities.
Demographics
The Rossville community has always had a "small town" atmosphere. The town of Rossville's most recent population is approximately 1,654. This rural area includes seven unincorporated communities with populations smaller than 100 within the corporation. The Rossville community is in a rural agricultural setting and is a bedroom community for area cities. The proximity to these larger cities allows our staff and students to explore beyond our small town's walls while maintaining a sense of community through everyday living. The schools are a hub of the community. School pride is felt and exhibited by most community members.
The Rossville community has the economic benefit of employment opportunities made available by being centrally located between larger cities. The District is 15 miles east of Lafayette, 30 miles west of Kokomo, 60 miles north of Indianapolis, and approximately 130 miles southeast of Chicago. These employment opportunities give the community a diversity of structure that includes professors, farmers, manufacturers, teachers, doctors, and other service industries. Employment opportunities abound in a variety of occupational choices. The top industry in Rossville, Indiana, is manufacturing (25.3%). Health care and social assistance account for 15.8%, educational services account for 13.1%, retail trade account for 9.1%, 6.6% work in construction, and several other occupations account for under 5% of the industries noted.
Governing Authority
The Rossville Consolidated School District is governed by a five-member elected school board. The board is made up of one at-large member and a member representing the four townships of the corporation. Members are elected by the populace of the entire district and serve four-year terms. Each January, the Board of Education reorganizes and elects a President, a Vice-President, and a Secretary of the Board. The Board also appoints the district's Treasurer, Deputy Treasure, HIPPA Officer, and attorney. The Board of Education has a tradition of participating in professional development activities and has achieved Outstanding School Board status from the Indiana School Board Association (ISBA) for numerous years. The District participates in ISBA’s Comprehensive Policy Management Services to help keep the District’s policies up to date and aligned with best practices. One of the steps is to review policies to ensure they are up-to-date and relevant. The ISBA has a model policy, and the District is working to align the District’s manual with the ISBA model.
The Board of Education is very supportive of the district and is very aware of its role in the execution of their duties. They are aware that their power is limited to the times they collectively sit as a board. They recognize their role and have delegated the administration of the district to one employee, the superintendent.
The district employs a total of 136 individuals. The district consists of 66 certified staff members, one district-level administrator, five building-level administrators, and 64 classified support staff. Dr. Jim Hanna has been serving as the district’s superintendent for the past 23 years and is supported by a treasurer and a deputy treasurer in the central office. The two schools are located in a single structure, with students entering Preschool on one end and graduating on the other.
Vision, Mission, and Values
Vision Statement
Rossville Schools: Achieve, Learn, Lead, and Inspire
Mission Statement
Students at Rossville Schools experience-rich academic opportunities in a trusting community environment and develop a positive, self-reliant mindset.
Core Values
Rossville Schools will not waiver in our commitment to:
Academic Excellence - We value rigorous educational experiences.
Community - We value differences among our students and staff.
Environment - We value a safe, secure, and trusting environment.
Philosophy of Education
The Rossville School’s philosophy reflects the educational, social, emotional, physical, and moral needs of the total school/community. A high value is placed upon attendance and the educational process. The school system provides a variety of proven strategies and techniques for instructing its students where the individual needs of each child are considered. Rossville Schools shall provide for the development of positive self-concepts and promote the understanding of continued education to enhance skills for a rapidly changing world.
Curriculum
Rossville Schools use the Indiana Core Curriculum adopted by the Indiana Department of Education. The Indiana Core was adopted by the Rossville Consolidated School District as we implement all standards as adopted.
Each year a review of educational materials and the needs of each school are assessed by Department Chairs (Rossville Middle High School) and a textbook adoption team (Rossville Elementary).
The use of curriculum maps is essential to keep our professionals on target in meeting the needs of our students. Maps were first developed after our system review in 2013 and as an ongoing process they are reviewed and adaptations are made based on need. All maps are located on the district website.
Rossville Middle High School data derived from our assessments drive our instruction and modifications are made accordingly and upon review. Professional development is encouraged and all teachers were provided professional development and certified in project based learning during the summer of 2021. Our AP teachers are supported by Notre Dame’s AP TIP-IN program and attended professional development during the summer of 2022 but have on-going support from AP TIP-IN.
After reviewing data Rossville Schools determined a need to provide extra assistance to our teachers who were responsible for providing instruction for our students taking the ILEARN tests. Dr. Michelle Grewe was contracted to provide assistance to both the elementary and secondary staff starting with the school year 2021-2022. Our intentional focus has improved our scores and we are contracted through the 2025 school year for on-going professional development and assistance four times per school year.
Project based learning has been a focus since fall 2019 and continues for both schools. Currently, Rossville Elementary School has partnered with Equitable Education Solutions (EES) to become STEM certified while our Rossville Middle High School has and will continue to train staff in PBL. Rossville Elementary School will apply for state certification during the fall of 2023. Elementary staff will utilize the Create2Think STEM/PBL units of study as their main curriculum.
All Special Education teachers have on-going support from our coop Joint Services out of Lebanon, Indiana and all other teachers may opt to attend professional development through Wabash Valley Education Service Center.
Several AP courses have been added to the rigor of our curriculum including AP Psychology, additional AP US History courses and AP Statistics. We are further adding AP World History Modern to the curriculum in 2023. One instructional method is to provide one on one discussion on a weekly basis to support those students who may need extra support in class and outside tutoring is available before and after school. The support of class lectures is provided on YouTube. Unit reviews are provided for each unit. Students in AP Psychology and AP United States History have access to class lectures on YouTube in case they are absent or are in need of further information for review. They also have access to the various video clips and documentaries that are shown in class as well.
Students also are given study guides through the college board website along with teacher created resources to help them to prepare for tests along with having the option to schedule a time before or after school for a private tutoring session with me along with accessing homework help and NHS tutors.
We use the College Board website for supplemental lectures and practice multiple choice; as well as conducting a practice exam approx. once a month.
Lastly, students take AP Exams and Quizzes throughout the year and have multiple assignments that simulate the type of material that will be covered on the AP Exam in May. In short, no question that an AP student receives is created by staff, but rather the College Board from their database.
Since 2020 Rossville Middle Senior High School added several courses based on student need such as Basic Skill Development, Creative Dramatics, Computer Science, and Research class for an additional Science elective along with pathways for graduating students such as Human Services and Business.
Social emotional issues have been addressed at both schools as we added a counselor who focuses on the well-being of our students at Rossville Middle Senior High School and currently, Rossville Elementary School has posted a position to add a counselor. 5 Star curriculum at the middle level for emotional support and currently we are working on developing a program to support students who have self-harm ideation.
Classroom Instruction
At Rossville we focus on modifying instruction based on student need and learning styles to maximize our students’ efforts at all levels regardless of race, color, or national origin in making classroom assignments.
At the elementary level students have an assigned classroom teacher with pull outs for identified special education, reading/math interventionist, Title students and high ability clustered in elementary classrooms. Some identified students also participate in an inclusionary setting based on their IEPs. Students travel to special classes such as art, music, physical education and library. Each special is given 40-minutes of instruction.
At the secondary level (grades 6-12) we have seven 40 minute class sessions with a 70 minute mid-day homeroom where students have time to study, work on academics in groups, get tutoring assistance throughout the week from teachers or from our National Honor Society students on Wednesdays, go to class meetings on Thursdays or club meetings on Tuesdays.
Guided Homerooms were established in 2021 to provide extra and intentional focus on Language and Mathematics at the middle level in an effort to improve the learning gap.
Homework Help is on Tuesdays after school from 3:20 – 4:20 for any student led by two of our certified staff members, and many individual teachers offer one on one and small group instruction in their individualized classrooms as needed.
As stated, the curriculum is based on our maps that are guided by the Indiana Core Standards allowing teachers to have the flexibility of adapting lessons based on a number of instructional strategies focused on student learning styles.
Student assessment is critical to the learning model and our staff use a variety of models ranging from paper pencil to the preferred mode of electronic. Formative assessments such as STAR testing provides our instructors with data to drive their instruction.
Grades at Rossville Elementary are traditional in 1st-5th grades while Kindergarten is more skill/standards based. Grades at Rossville Middle High School are determined by the 40/40/20 model where 40% of a student’s semester grade is determined in each 9 weeks and a final exam accounts for the remaining 20% of a student’s assessment at the high school level and a model of 45/45/10 is used for grades 6-8. The 10 percent of a student’s overall grade may be determined with testing, presentations, speeches and/or other teacher determined assessments.
Rossville Consolidated School District Strategic Plan
A committee of all stakeholders began meeting in September of 2019 to discuss current data and survey information to develop a five year strategic plan.
The committee narrowed the focus into three essential categories including curriculum and instruction, student and staff performance, and facilities and finance.
Goals were developed and submitted to the Board of Education for approval and support. Following each goal, strategies are listed that support the achievement of the goal.
Curriculum and Instruction
In Rossville Schools, 100% of K-12 certified teachers will maintain curriculum maps to ensure horizontal and vertical alignment from September 2019-May 2024.
Strategies that will support this goal include:
Certified staff will be given the responsibility to maintain curricular maps for all subjects taught each school year.
Certified staff will utilize preparation time to review and revise curriculum maps each grading period.
In Rossville Schools, 100% of K-12 certified staff will unpack power standards to ensure alignment with teaching and assessment practices by May 2022.
Strategies that will support this goal include:
K-12 certified staff will be provided unpacking standards for professional development.
K-12 certified staff will unpack power standards by the end of each grading period.
K-12 certified staff will implement unpacked power standards focused lessons or units of study.
In Rossville Schools, 100% of K-12 certified staff will be trained in common differentiated instructional practices to meet the needs of all learners by May of 2024.
Strategies that will support this goal include:
District improvement team will investigate differentiated professional development opportunities for K-12 certified staff.
District improvement team will determine the appropriate differentiated approach for K-12 certified staff.
100% of K-12 certified staff will be trained.
100% of K-12 certified staff will implement differentiated instructional practices as observed during the evaluation process.
Student and Staff Performance
Rossville Schools will provide all students opportunities to learn annually about postsecondary options and interests by 2021.
Strategies that will support this goal include:
Develop career investigation/interest opportunities at all levels of school.
Utilize outside resources to stimulate interest beyond high school.
Rossville Schools will annually educate all teachers and staff about Social and Emotional Learning (SEL).
Strategies that will support this goal include:
Provide activities to optimize our learning potential as educators about SEL.
Rossville Schools will encourage students to focus on academic performance through gifted and talented programs, dual credit classes, and AP classes.
Strategies that will support this goal include:
The principal, staff and counselors will encourage students to take academically challenging courses.
The building principal will encourage all students taking an AP class to take the AP test.
Each school year we will look at opportunities to increase the number of AP offerings with a total of 10 offerings by 2023.
All educators in Rossville Schools will be encouraged to grow professionally by engaging in focused professional development.
Strategies that will support this goal include:
Opportunities to attend sessions through the Education Service Center (Wabash Valley) will be offered to certified employees that focus on the priorities of Rossville Schools.
RCSD will encourage educators to seek out professional opportunities as needed to accomplish the priorities of Rossville Schools. All teachers are encouraged as we provide opportunities as they arise through Wabash Valley Education Center and other sources. Teachers needing extra assistance may be directed to attend additional professional development. Student performance data (summative and formative) and surveys will be used to determine the impact of the professional development.
Facility and Finance
On December 31 of each calendar year, the operating balance of the Education Fund and Operations Fund will be 8 ½% to 10% of the total budget year’s appropriation for each fund for the Rossville Consolidated School District.
Annually review the Education Fund account balance (operating balance) and determine if 8 ½% to 10% of the amount appropriated remains as an operating balance in the Education Fund at the end of the calendar year.
Annually review the Operations Fund account balance (operating balance) and determine if 8 ½% to 10% of the amount appropriated remains as an operating balance in the Operations Fund at the end of the calendar year.
On December 31 of each calendar year, the operating balance of the Rainy Day Fund will be 8 ½% to 10% of the total budget year’s appropriation for the Education Fund and Operations Fund for the Rossville Consolidated School District.
Annually review Rainy Fund account balance (operating balance) and determine if 8 ½% to 10% of the amount appropriated remains as an operating balance of the total amount appropriated for the Education Fund and the Operations Fund at the end of the calendar year.
Rossville Consolidated School District (RCSD) will increase its student population by 1.5% from the previous Average Daily Member (ADM) count taken on the fall count date of the previous school year.
The principal or designee will conduct an exit interview with a student withdrawing from RCSD to determine the underlying reason for the student withdrawing from RCSD.
The building principal will identify student attendance/engagement distractors through an ongoing review of the student attendance patterns and discussions with students with high absenteeism to determine the underlying cause.
Create a spring newsletter mailed to households bordering the school district to emphasize the exemplary programs and practices to recruit more students as determined by a comparison from transfer student enrollment from the previous year.
The building principal or designee will develop a comprehensive program to increase personal connections and enhance/encourage students’ mental health. The principal or designee will utilize the information generated from exit interviews, attendance pattern reviews, discussions with students with high absenteeism, and the review of engagement distractors as a foundation for the development of the program.
The administrative team consisting of the Superintendent, Elementary Principal, and Elementary Assistant Principal will explore the feasibility of implementing a preschool program. Consideration will be given to cost, limitation of space, and feasibility of maintaining an educationally cost-effective program.
Rossville Consolidated School District will develop a three to five-year facilities and grounds plan within the financial constraints of the district that will provide for a safe, secure, and positive learning environment.
Emergency preparedness plans (Crisis plans) will be updated to include the new administrative offices, library, agriculture classroom, band room, and art room and account for changes in the physical structures and emergency procedures.
Rossville Consolidated School District will conduct a safety audit.
The district administrative team along with the Director of Buildings and Grounds and the Technology Coordinator, will identify infrastructure and school grounds needs that enhance the educational operation and safety of the facility and grounds. A priorities listing of the areas of concern will be developed with an estimated cost identified for each issue. Thereafter, the Superintendent will recommend priorities to the Board of Education as established in the three-year Capital Projects Plan.
A preventative maintenance schedule will be developed.
Personnel Management
Rossville RISE model, Standard for Success, criminal background DCS, posting, interview process teams, recommendations and Board action
Learner Performance (All subgroups)
Rossville Schools use both formative and summative assessments to determine the academic needs. Students in grades 3-8 are required to participate in state summative assessments. While most students participate in the ILEARN assessment, a few students participate in I AM due to their disability. Third graders participate in the IREAD-3 assessment during the spring. Students in grades K-8 share a common, formative assessment for mathematics and reading through STAR 360 that is administered three times per school year to gauge student performance, create action plans for specific areas particularly identified priority standards, and to ensure school improvement benchmarks are met for Rossville Elementary School.
Both ILEARN and STAR reading assessments indicate a slight increase in Language Arts proficiency as a district while Mathematic scores have seen the greatest increases.
Of the 439 students who took ELA ILEARN in 2022, 54.21% scored at or above proficiency while 45.79% scored below or approaching proficiency. This compares to 422 students who took ELA ILEARN in 2021 where 50.00% scored at or above proficiency and 50.00% scored below or approaching proficiency.
This demonstrates a net increase of 4.21% of students scoring at or above proficiency from the 2021 ELA ILEARN assessment to the 2022 ELA ILEARN assessment.
Of the 439 students who took Math ILEARN in 2022, 54.21% scored at or above proficiency while 45.79% scored below or approaching proficiency. This compares to 422 students who took Math ILEARN in 2021 where 39.34% scored at or above proficiency and 60.66% scored below or approaching proficiency.
This demonstrates a net increase of 14.88% of students scoring at or above proficiency from the 2021 Math ILEARN assessment to the 2022 Math ILEARN assessment.
While each school has observed an increase in student achievement, our work is not done. Each school improvement plan has specific learning goals that reflect their specific academic needs. Academic data will be reviewed annually along with improvement plans.
Rossville Elementary will focus on English Language Arts identified priority standards in testing grades using both local SENS data, state ILEARN blueprints, and state SENS data. English Language Arts is our school’s top priority! Scores on summative assessments and formative STAR testing have shown a decline over the past two years therefore, a comprehensive improvement plan has been developed and implementation has begun.
Rossville Middle High School will work on increasing both academic areas. A comprehensive plan has been created and implementation has begun.
Our district’s priority after our 2017 engagement review focused on a systematic professional development plan for each school. Each school’s professional development plans focused on key goals for the district and each school. Teachers must participate in these opportunities; however, if a staff member wishes to go above and beyond the required training, we do allow them that freedom to better themselves professionally.
Since 2017, Rossville Elementary’s focused professional development plan included work with Curriculum Associates to better understand and implement the Ready Math curriculum. This need derived from both ISTEP+ and formative assessments that indicated students were not proficient in basic math skills. Recent ILEARN and formative assessments show an overall increase across each grade level assessed and subgroups as well. Starting in 2019, our goal of becoming both a PBL and STEM certified school was added to the mandatory professional development offerings. COVID closures slowed this process; however, we have started the process again and continued our partnership with Equitable Education Solutions and hope to become a STEM certified school by spring 2024.
Rossville Schools has partnered with the Northern Indiana Educational Service Center to offer support for our summative testing grades, 3-8, to better understand the ILEARN assessment, identify priority standards based off trend ILEARN SENS data for each school, align best practices from IDOE offerings, and create lessons and common assessments with the same level of rigor as assessed on ILEARN. This process is a four year commitment to our staff and students. We are in year two currently. Student performance data will be analyzed to determine the effectiveness of this effort.
Rossville Elementary STEM Program Focus
STEM Curriculum and Instruction:
Rossville Schools have embraced a forward-thinking approach to education. The district's move towards project-based learning since 2019 signifies a commitment to hands-on, experiential learning. Rossville Elementary School is on track to become STEM certified by 2023, utilizing the Create2Think STEM/PBL units of study as their primary curriculum. This emphasis on STEM is designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need for the future, especially in fields that are seeing rapid growth.
Rossville Elementary School's STEM Initiative:
Rossville Elementary School is taking proactive steps to introduce students to STEM careers through hands-on experiences and projects. This early exposure is crucial as it lays the foundation for students to pursue further education or career opportunities in STEM fields. The school's approach aims to foster high motivation for STEM learning, ensuring students remain engaged and interested throughout their educational journey. This is particularly vital for students who might not have had prior exposure to STEM or might not view themselves as typical STEM learners.
By collaborating with local STEM professionals, Rossville Elementary School offers students tangible, real-world examples of the myriad of career opportunities available in STEM fields. This initiative is invaluable for students who might lack clarity about STEM careers or might not have regular access to professionals in these fields.
Conclusion:
Rossville Elementary School's emphasis on STEM is a pivotal component of Indiana's broader strategy to amplify STEM education and opportunities for its students. By championing research-based practices and delivering engaging, integrated STEM educational experiences, the school, and by extension, Indiana, is paving the way for the next generation of leaders and innovators. This initiative ensures they are well-prepared for the evolving challenges and prospects of the future.
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