Vision
Tropical Elementary strives to involve parents and community members to participate in the
preparation of all students to be independent and self-sufficient individuals who will be able to sustain
themselves as contributing adults in their community and to provide opportunities for students in both
general and special education to work together in their quest to achieve personal goals.
Mission
Tropical Elementary provides the highest quality education to all students to ensure lifelong learning among the future contributors to this community.
Belief Statements
Pursuit of Excellence:
Pursue the highest standards in academic achievement while maintaining a positive learning
environment and striving for maximum organizational performance.
Equity: Foster an environment that serves all students and aspires to eliminate the achievement gap.
Citizenship:
Honor the diversity of our community by working as a team to ensure the educational success of all of
our students and recognize that our obligations go beyond our professional responsibilities to promote
democratic principles.
Responsibility:
Instill a sense of accountability for actions and awareness of the needs of others.
School Profile/Demographics
Tropical Elementary School is located in a lower middle-income neighborhood of a largely Hispanic population in a vast metropolitan community. The school was built in 1956 and is located on 6.12 acres of land. Currently, the school has just completed a renovation project to upgrade all classroom ceilings and light fixtures.
Tropical Elementary houses 480 students in Pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, of which 71.1 percent receive free or reduced lunch. For the 2007 – 2008 school year, the school has been designated a Title I school based on the percentage of students who received free/reduced priced meals during the 2006 – 2007 school year. The school is part of the Southwest Miami High School feeder pattern. Students from Tropical Elementary generally transition to Riviera Middle School, which received a school grade of "C" on the latest accountability report from the State. Riviera Middle School is not a Zone school.
The racial/ethnic profile of the school is 90.7% Hispanic, 6.0% White/Non-Hispanic, 1.6% Black, and 1.6% Asian/Indian/ Multiracial. Among the students it serves, Tropical Elementary has a large Special Education student population. The students with disabilities include; Visually Impaired, Physically Impaired, Educable Mentally Handicapped, Profound Mentally Handicapped, Varying Exceptionalities, and Gifted.
In Kindergarten, there are 50 regular education students. The student to teacher ratio is 16.6 to one. There are 9 Kindergarten Special Education students. In first grade, there are 54 regular education students. The student to teacher ratio is 18 to one. There are 12 first grade Special Education students. In second grade, there are 59 regular education students. The student to teacher ratio is 19 to one. There are 15 second grade Special Education students. In third grade, there are 70 regular education students. The student to teacher ratio is 23.3 to one. There are 15 third grade Special Education students. In fourth grade, there are 60 regular education students. The student to teacher ratio is 20 to one. There are 22 fourth grade Special Education students. In fifth grade, there are 52 regular education students. The student to teacher ratio is 6 to one. There are 22 fifth grade Special Education students.
On the 2008 FCAT Reading administration, 38% of students scored Level 1 or Level 2. On the 2008 FCAT Mathematics administration, 39% of students scored Level 1 or Level 2. On the 2008 FCAT Science administration, 68% of fifth grade students scored Level 1 or Level 2. On the 2007 FCAT Writing administration, 21% of fourth grade students scored below the required 3.5 on the prompt. Tropical Elementary met 14 of the 23 required benchmarks for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). The subgroups that did not meet AYP for Reading (58%) were the: Students with Disabilities (49%) and the English Language Learners (47%). For Mathematics (62%), the subgroups that did not meet AYP were the: Hispanic (61%), Economically Disadvantaged (61%), English Language Learners (58%), and Students with Disabilities (53%). The school’s retention rate for the 2007-2008 school year was 1.7%. When compared to the District’s retention rate of 5.9%, the school is meeting the academic needs of the students by ensuring success in their respective grade levels.
The school employs 110 full time staff members and 28 part time staff members. The racial/ethnic profile of full time staff (total number in parenthesis) is 51.0% Hispanic (56), 34.0% White/Non-Hispanic (37), 14.0% Black (16), and 1.0% Asian/Indian/ Multiracial (1). The racial/ethnic profile of part time staff (total number in parenthesis) is 77% Hispanic (22), 17% White/Non-Hispanic (5), and 6% Black (2). The average years of teaching in the State of Florida are 11 years. There are 40 percent of teachers with either a Masters, Specialist or Doctorate Degree. There are four teachers that have received their National Board Certification. The school's Leadership Team consists of the Principal, Assistant Principal, Reading Leader, Reading Coach, UTD Steward, Media Specialist, Community Involvement Specialist, EESAC Chairperson, and Department Chairpersons. The school is able to find highly qualified teachers in a timely manner to fill any vacancies.
The school level attendance for students is an area of great concern for the staff and community. The school consistently ranks in the lowest quartile of daily attendance among all elementary schools in the District. Over the past three years, the school has seen inconsistency with their average. During the 2004-2005 school year, the average daily attendance was 94.65%. This average dropped to 92.59% during the 2005-2006 school year. The 2006-2007 School Improvement Plan identified this as an area of focus and the average daily attendance rose to 94.17%. For the 2007-2008 school year, the student attendance rose again to 94.59%. By continuing to address this area in the School Improvement Plan, the school hopes to make another large gain in average daily attendance.
Tropical Elementary incorporates a number of special programs at the school. The Gifted program provides an advanced curriculum for students who qualify for such courses. The curriculum focuses on the increase of student achievement through the acquisition of enhanced thinking and problem-solving skills; promote acceleration and enrichment of able students through the use of investigative and shared inquiry skills; and promote the individual pursuit of special interests and development of academic talents. The school also implements the Title I Schoolwide Program. The school receives special federal funding which will be used in addition to our regular State and local funding to improve the educational program for all students in our school. The Schoolwide Program plan for our school will enable us to provide intensive instruction in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics. The school implements after school tutorials for identified students needing remedial instruction in the areas of reading, mathematics, writing, and science. During the school day, students requiring an intervention for reading use the Voyager, SuccessMaker, and Read 180 programs.
The school currently has eight Dade Partners. There are numerous activities throughout the school year that Dade Partners assist in organizing. Whether it is the donation of time or food, the Dade Partners are crucial in ensuring participation from the community. The current Dade Partners are: Baptist Children's Hospital, Baptist Health of Miami, Fit Kids Corporation, Papa John's/South Miami Office, PESCO Plus, The New Hot Wheels Skating Center/Marca Enterprise, and Target Store #0968.
Tropical Elementary also has been awarded the Reading First grant. Reading First schools will ensure that instruction in grades K-3 in all schools is guided by the data collected from the required assessments. All teachers have been trained in the use of diagnostic and progress monitoring data to ensure that differentiated instructional strategies will be aligned with student reading needs.
2008 - 2009 School Improvement Plan