Central Office Information

The Hoover City School District school year runs 180 days, up from 175 in 2005-2006. The State of Alabama passed legislation upping the number of school days by five.

The School Calendar can be accessed here.

Pat Morrow, Coordinator of Public Relations, creates a draft calendar in February of each year. Parent input is sought and appreciated. You may e-mail him at PMorrow@hoover.k12.al.us for suggestions for the Calendar.

Central Office Administration

Wherever possible, we will attempt not to duplicate the information on the Official District website. Rather, we will provide a link to the appropriate area when necessary. The following areas have their own page on this Site: Special Education, Accountability and Testing Information, and the Hoover Parent Teacher Council (HPTC). Please click on the links to take you to those pages.

Curriculum - 439-1014 - official site

Dr. Deborah Camp directs the development of the K-5 curriculum.

Mr. Ron Dodson directs the development of the grades 6-12 curriculum.

Hoover City Schools follows the Alabama Course of Study approved by the State Department of Education. Each year one area of curriculum is reviewed by a Committee within the District. The entire Course of Study can be found here.

The schedule for reviewing Curriculum is as follows:
2006-2007 - Language Arts (Reading and Literature), Driver and Traffic Safety; Language Arts (English, Handwriting, Speech, Spelling, Dictionaries)
2007-2008 - Career/Technical Education, Technology Education
2008-2009 - Math, Health, and PE
2009-2010 - Social Studies
2010-2011 - Science

The Alabama Course of Study in English Language Arts and in Driver and Traffic Safety is currently under revision. Click here to download the document outlining how you can provide input into these revisions.

The entire District curriculum framework is available on the District's website by clicking here. Check the section entitled "Curriculum Frameworks" and it is listed by subject and/or grade level.

Each year the Curriculum Review Committee will review the standards set forth by the State Department of Education for that particular course area(s). A Textbook Committee will meet after Curriculum is developed to determine which Textbook most accurately fits the new Curriculum. The new Curriculum is introduced the following academic year.

It is always interesting to view other school systems' curriculum frameworks as well. These are available on those systems' sites:

Mountain Brook City's site is www.mtnbrook.k12.al.us
Trussville City Schools' site is www.trussvillecityschools.com
Vestavia City Schools' site is www.vestavia.k12.al.us
Jefferson County Schools' site is www.jefcoed.com

The Alabama Course of Study for each subject area is available by clicking the Subject:

Arts
Language Arts
Math
Science
Social Studies
Physical Education

Advanced Placement (AP) Information - posted 03/01/07

A Birmingham News article on Wednesday reported that Hoover and Spain Park high school students are currently taking a large number of AP exams. The article also reported that the Hoover School system is considering mandating AP exams for students who take AP classes.

We thought you might be interested in learning more about the AP program. What follows is an excerpt from the Greatschools.net MySchoolStats March 2007 Newsletter:

About AP Exams

The AP program is run by the College Board, which develops the curriculum, creates and administers the exams, and provides support for teachers.
The AP program gives students the opportunity to take one or more college-level courses while they are still in high school, and to receive college credit if they receive a score of 3, 4 or 5 on the AP test.
The AP program offers 37 courses and exams across 22 subject areas. Schools vary in which AP courses they offer.
Students are required to pay $83 per exam. For those who demonstrate need, financial aid is available from the College Board, as well as from some states, cities and school districts.
Many schools offer college-level AP classes to prepare students for the AP exams, but students can take exams without completing a specific course.
When an exam is listed on a GreatSchools school profile it means at least one student at the school took the exam.
Taking AP courses helps students develop the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for a successful transition to college, and increases a student's likelihood of graduating on time.

Issues to Consider

Students who receive good grades on AP tests can bypass introductory courses and enter with college credit at many colleges and universities. Each college sets its own policy on college credit and advancement to high level courses for successfully completing AP exams. To find specific credit information for colleges you are interested in, check the College Board's AP Credit Policy Information.
Although there has been a national debate over whether high school students are feeling pressured to take too many AP courses, several studies have shown that good grades (3, 4 or 5) on AP exams correlate with better grades and graduation rates in college.
A recent University of Texas study found that students in 10 subjects who used their AP credits to take more advanced courses in college had better grades in the advanced courses than students who took the introductory courses in college instead of AP courses in high school.
Some critics argue that high school AP courses cannot match the depth and rigor of courses offered by colleges. But others counter that students are more likely to get attention in a smaller high school AP course than in a large lecture college introductory course.
Many selective colleges and universities look for students who have successfully completed the most challenging courses offered at their high school. That means AP or International Baccalaureate (IB). (IB is an international diploma program with high academic standards offered at some high schools where students take a prescribed course of study for two years in high school. Then, if they pass the IB exams, students receive an IB diploma.)

Questions Parents Should Ask:

Find out what AP courses are offered at your high school. Ask what prerequisites are required to take these courses.
Ask what scores students have received on particular tests, and if the same teachers are teaching these AP courses. Beware of a large number of low scores on a particular test. It may indicate that students are not being sufficiently prepared to pass the AP exam.
If your child is interested in a particular course, have her talk to the teacher ahead of time to find out what the workload is and what preparation will be necessary to take the course. Some teachers require that students complete work (summer reading, for example) prior to taking the course.
If your child is interested in a subject offered by the AP program but the course is not offered at your school, find out what support he can expect to receive at the school to prepare for the test. Some states also offer online AP courses.

To sign up for Greatschools.net Newsletters, click here.

Links

Bulletin for AP Students and Parents - From the College Board, the institution that oversees AP classes and exams. Great place to start to learn more.
About AP - From the College Board.
List of AP Offerings from the College Board (note: not all are offered by our Hoover City Schools).
Hoover High School AP Offerings - from Greatschools.net. Scroll down towards the bottom of the page to see in which AP classes Hoover High's students took exams.
Spain Park High School AP Offerings - from Greatschools.net. Scroll down towards the bottom of the page to see in which AP classes Spain Park High's students took exams.

Textbook Adoption

Textbooks are adopted the following year for curricula that have been developed.

Parents are invited to sit on Textbook Adoption Committees at the District Level. If you are interested in becoming a part of a Textbook Adoption Committee, please call Dr. Camp at 439-1057.

The schedule for textbook adoption is as follows.
2006-2007 - Arts Education (Dance, Theatre, Music, and Visual Arts), and Foreign Languages
2007-2008 - Language Arts (Reading and Literature), Driver and Traffic Safety
2008-2009 - Language Arts (English, Handwriting, Speech, Spelling, Dictionaries)
2009-2010 - Mathematics, Health, and Physical Education, Career/Technical Education, Technology Education
2010-2011 - Social Studies
2011-2012 - Science

Class Size Information

Class Size Reports from the Alabama State Department of Education - posted 03/10/07

The Alabama State Department of Education has collected data from all school systems about class sizes. The state "cap" on class sizes is 18 students in grades K-3, 24 students in grades 4-6, and 29 students in grades 7-12.

Click on the school below to see the PDF report. These reports will show the teacher's name, the grade level they teach, the name of the class, and the enrollment in that class.

If you would like to look at other school systems' reports, click here to use the State Department reporting system.

Bluff Park Elementary
Deer Valley Elementary
Green Valley Elementary
Greystone Elementary
Gwin Elementary
Riverchase Elementary
Rocky Ridge Elementary
Shades Mountain Elementary
South Shades Crest Elementary
Trace Crossings Elementary

Berry Middle School
Bumpus Middle School
Simmons Middle School

Hoover High School
Spain Park High School

Code of Conduct - Click to read the revised Code of Conduct, approved in June 2007. This is the Code of Conduct for Middle and High Schools, NOT Elementary Schools.

Differentiated Instruction - Adapted from discussions with Dr. Deborah Camp, Director of Elementary Curriculum, Teaching, and Technology for Hoover City Schools. Click here to read the document. Posted 11/25/06.

SACS Accreditation- official site

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools provides accreditation for schools in our region of the country. Each school undergoes the accreditation process once every 5 years. The process is generally a year-long process and includes a thorough examination of policies and procedures at the school level, along with surveys of parents and students to determine whether the school meets the standards embraced by their organization. Parents are often asked to participate in the research and the process of becoming re-accredited. Check your school's individual page to see when the school was last accredited.

Child Nutrition Program (aka the School Lunch Program) - 439-1061 - official site

The Child Nutrition Program (CNP) director is Mrs. Susan Wood. The CNP works to develop school lunches following state guidelines for healthy and nutritious foods.

The official site contains all you need to know about the School Lunch Program in Hoover City Schools, including prices, menus and nutritional information as well as information on how to add money directly to your child's lunch account online (new for the 2007-2008 school year).

The official site also contains a downloadable Free and Reduced Lunch Application in English and Spanish.

The State Child Nutrition Policy can be viewed by clicking here.

Wellness Policy

The District Wellness Policy contains information on Nutrition Standards, Physical Activity Standards, and Nutrition Education for students.

The Wellness Assessment Tool will be utilized during the 2006-2007 school year to determine how well Hoover Schools are following the State Board policy and our own Policy. Parents and community members will be part of that assessment process. If you are interested in serving in that capacity, please contact your child's principal.

Action for Healthy Kids has distributed a number of documents for use by School Districts in addressing the obesity epidemic affecting our nation's children.

Topics available are:

Click here to read information pertaining to the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. The Reauthorization of this Act required all school districts to implement Wellness Policies before the 2006-2007 school year.

The Fact Sheet on the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act
Section 204 of Public Law 108-265 --- June 30, 2004

Dress Code - Check the Hoover Schools Policy Manual for the most recent information on the Dress Code. Look for file JCDB in the Table of Contents.

Enrichment - click here for the HSCIN page on Enrichment

Dr. Barbara Mayer coordinates the Enrichment Program offered to Hoover City Schools elementary-aged children in grades 3 through 5. Dr. Mayer provided the following explanation of Hoover City Schools' Enrichment Program:

"What is Enrichment?

Enrichment in Hoover City Schools is one dimension of the basic program offered to all students. The most fundamental belief of the Hoover City Schools is that each student has unique gifts and talents. The goal of enrichment is to discover and to develop those gifts and to encourage students’ self-directed learning. The enrichment program consists of all enrichment activities that occur in the classroom, the resource room and throughout the school at all levels. At the elementary schools where there is an enrichment teacher, the program is not limited to activities that the enrichment teacher initiates or facilitates. The enrichment teacher’s role is primarily: (1) to provide services for students identified for Talent Pool (pull-out) service; (2) to collaborate with general classroom teachers to enable them to provide enrichment opportunities for all students, and (3) to facilitate independent study opportunities for students. Students in grades 3 – 5 who have exceptional skills and talents in academic and/or creative fields when compared with others of their age, experience, or environment are identified to receive additional opportunities through Talent Pool. Since Talent Pool services begin at third grade, the enrichment teacher assists second grade teachers with State-required screening procedures designed to identify potential candidates and collaborates with teachers in kindergarten through second grade to meet the needs of students. Students identified for Talent Pool display high levels of: (1) task commitment and/or motivation; (2) creative or productive thinking; and/or (3) above average abilities. When a student is recognized as having exceptional ability, this necessitates involvement in experiences not ordinarily provided in the regular classroom. Therefore, the focus of Talent Pool is on concept-based content, not curriculum-based content (i.e., not separate math or reading classes)

How is a child referred for Enrichment Services?

Teachers, parents, or any other individuals with knowledge of the student’s abilities may nominate a student in grades 3 – 5 for Talent Pool (pull-out) services in the enrichment program. The teacher of the student completes an Enrichment/Gifted Screening Nomination Form. For each student referred, information is gathered in the following areas: (1) aptitude; (2) characteristics; and (3) performance. Information such as grades, evidence of out-of-level work, achievement test scores, aptitude scores, product/work samples, evidence of any outstanding skills or abilities, evidence of creativity, and any other relevant information are considered by a team composed of at least three people. Two members of the team must be a regular classroom teacher and a gifted/enrichment teacher. The third member can be an additional staff member, such as an administrator, other general education teacher, special education teacher, art, music, and/or physical education teacher. The team reviews the nomination form and determines whether the student satisfies the criteria for enrichment services."

Enrichment at the Elementary level is offered to grades 3 through 5 and consists of school personnel identifying a "Talent Pool". Students that are part of the Talent Pool gather in Enrichment once a week for 2 hours.

Hoover City Schools currently does not offer pull-out/traditional Enrichment opportunities at the Middle School level. Check your child's school's individual page for highlights of Enrichment-type opportunities offered at each school.

Transportation - 439-1120 - official site

Mr. James Knickrehm is the Director of Transportation Services. Bus routes are posted at each school during Registration. Hoover City Schools provides buses for students living more than 2 miles from their school. Buses are also provided for children requiring Special Education services.

Click here to read the rpolicy concerning appropriate Bus Conduct for Students.

Student Services - 439-1051

Many different areas are included in this area including Federal Programs and At-Risk Student Services.

Human Resources - 439-1041

Tenured teachers are evaluated every three years. Click here for an explanation of how teachers are evaluated in Hoover City Schools. Click here to view a copy of the evaluation form that is used by Hoover City Schools to evaluate teachers. An alternative method used is called PATHE

Principal Evaluations are performed once every 3 years. Principal evaluations follow the PEPE format provided by the State Department of Education. Click here to view an explanation and copy of the evaluation form used by the Assistant Superintendent to evaluate principals. Probationary principals (those within their first three years as a Principal) are evaluated yearly.

Principals serving as Principals more than three years are evaluated every third year with PEPE. During the other two years, a PDP is used. If the PDP is deemed unsatisfactory, a full PEPE evaluation would be done the following year regardless of where the Principal was in that 3-year cycle.

To do just a PDP in a given year, a principal must:

not be probationary;
have received an overall satisfactory scores on his/her evaluation during the previous year;
maintain satisfactory progress toward accomplishment of objectives on the annual PDP.

The "PDP only" evaluation cannot be used for more than 2 years in a row.

Source: Dr. Sandra Spivey, Director of Human Resources, October 2006.

Click here for an article on Chronic Teacher Turnover and how it affects the teachers at a school. From the Education Policy Analysis Archives, 2004.

School Resource Officers

Hoover City Schools are very fortunate to have an excellent partnership with the Hoover Police Department to allow police officers to be housed at certain schools within the District. Hoover Police Department has a Community Services Division, headed by Lt. Mo Canady, which encompasses the following areas.

Each school is assigned a School Resource Officer. Assignments are as follows:

Sergeant Chuck McDonald is the Supervisor of the School Resource Officers.

Hoover High School and Trace Crossings Elementary School: Dale Harden and Delvin Brown and Chris Bryant (Freshman Campus)
Spain Park High School and Greystone Elementary School: Nina Monosky and yet unknown
Bumpus Middle School, South Shades Crest and Deer Valley Elementary Schools: Marquis Hargrove
Simmons Middle School, Green Valley, Gwin and Bluff Park Elementary Schools: James Hale
Berry Middle School, Shades Mountain and Rocky Ridge Elementary Schools: Bill Maxwell
Crossroads, Riverchase Elementary School: John Barnes

Elementary School Officers

These officers educate Hoover's elementary students on drug abuse resistance and internet safety, specifically teaching the Too Cool for Drugs and I-Safe programs. For more information on each of these programs, click here.

Chad Godsey serves the elementary schools feeding into Hoover High School.

Tim Manzella serves the elementary schools feeding into Spain Park High School.

Links and Further Reading

What Does a District Office Do? From Greatschools.net.

This website is not affiliated with Hoover City Schools or the Hoover City Board of Education. HSCIN is solely responsible for its content. Links to outside sources of information are not endorsed by the HSCIN, rather are included for informational purposes only.