Welcome to Madison's Award Winning Schools!

Welcome to the Madison Metropolitan School District, the second largest in Wisconsin and one of the nation's finest.

The Madison Metropolitan School District serves about 25,000 students in 47 schools, including 31 elementary schools (grades K-5), 11 middle schools (6-8), four comprehensive high schools and one alternative high school. The district also has early childhood programs and alternative programs at the secondary level (6-12).

The district covers approximately 65 square miles, including all or part of the cities of Madison and Fitchburg, the villages of Maple Bluff and Shorewood Hills, and the towns of Blooming Grove, Burke and Madison.

Because of the district's sound financial management practices, Madison is one of only a few Wisconsin school districts to have a "Triple A" bond rating, the highest rating possible.

Consider these facts about the Madison Metropolitan School District:

Expansion Management Magazine, a national business journal, annually ranks Madison among 1% of school districts in the nation, based primarily on graduation rates and college board results.
Madison is one of the few districts in the country to have schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels rated as National Schools of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education.
Madison ranked #1 in the 2002 Ladies Home Journal survey of "Best Small Cities for Women," and was #3 among all cities in the education category.
Madison receives national recognition annually for its outstanding qualities, including 5th best in the nation by Forbes Magazine for business and careers. Education figured heavily in the ranking.
In its 1997 annual ranking of the nation's 300 largest metropolitan areas, Money magazine named Madison the best place for education.
Madison Schools have small classes and low student-to-teacher ratios.
Madison invests more in the classroom and less on administration than other districts.
An updated Strategic Plan establishes new priorities that reflect emerging challenges.
Madison's AAA Bond Rating points to the district's sound fiscal management practices.
Madison students score significantly higher than do other Wisconsin students on the primary college admissions tests, and more Madison students take the test.
Madison has more than six times the National Merit Scholar Semifinalists than a district this size would have on average.
Local students outperform their national counterparts on basic skills tests and graduate at a higher rate.
Fewer children attend private schools in Madison than in other Wisconsin communities.
Each year Madison has over 50 National Merit Scholar Semifinalists, when a district Madison's size would typically have no more than nine.
Madison students surpass their state peers in the highest performance category in 14 of 15 tests on basic skills in reading, writing, math, science and social studies at the 4th, 8th and 10th grade levels.
Madison students outperform other students on the SAT and ACT college entrance exams. SAT scores for Madison students are 20% higher than the United States average, and ACT scores for Madison students are 10% higher than the state average.
Madison's graduation requirements are higher than the state requirements, and the district's graduation rate is higher than the national average.
More high school students in Madison take advanced courses, and a higher percentage of Madison students, compared to the state average, pass Advanced Placement (AP) exams, demonstrating college-level proficiency. On the AP exams, 86% of Madison students taking the test earn passing scores, compared to 70% of their Wisconsin counterparts.
The percentage of minority students scoring at proficient or advanced levels on the 3rd grade reading test, a key indicator for future success, has increased markedly over the previous five years.
Students from Madison alone comprise 33% of the Wisconsin students named as prestigious Presidential Scholar semifinalists from 1999-2003. Seventeen out of the 51 high school seniors named from throughout the state in this period are Madison graduates.

Award Winning Teachers

Behind this success is an experienced, award-winning teaching staff. Nearly half of the district's teachers have at least one master's degree arid an uncommonly high number have doctorates. The average teacher in Madison schools also has more than 10 years of classroom experience.

This outstanding faculty annually wins state and national awards and competitions for innovation and excellence. As an example, among the 12 Wisconsin finalists in 2000 for the prestigious Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching were seven Madison teachers.

High Quality Facilities

The teaching staff is supported by an ongoing commitment to invest in high quality facilities and state-of-the-art technology.

Every school in the district is electronically linked for instant communications. Computers are an integral part of the entire K-12 instructional program. Madison has a 4 to 1 student to computer ratio, better than the state average. Madison teachers, librarians and other staff are in the forefront in designing and implementing educational programs for the electronic age.

The district is unique in that it has a state-of-the-art planetarium.

Schools Are Safe

Madison's schools are also safe places to learn. Visitors are impressed by quiet, safe hallways and classrooms, which provide positive learning environments for children.

A firm policy relating to disruptive behavior coupled with innovative alternative programs have succeeded in keeping the suspension rate at the state average. The district also has a higher than average rate of school attendance and lower rates of habitual truancy compared to other districts.

Community Support

At the heart of the Madison School District's success is community support. Madison invests more in its public schools than other Wisconsin communities, spending over $11,118 per student compared to the state average of less than $9,213 per student.

The percentage of children attending private schools in Madison is well below the state average, another strong indication of public confidence in the public schools.

The combination of smaller-than-average class sizes, an excellent staff, rigorous academic standards, and community involvement and support is a proven recipe for success.

Developing Resources

Madison Schools actively pursue competitive grant funds and private charitable gifts to extend its margin of excellence. During 2002-03, the district used over $7.8 million in competitive grants to support school-wide improvement initiatives, after-school programs, instructional technology and fine arts model projects, early literacy and school safety initiatives, staff professional development and training, and many other programs.

A distinguished group of retired district staff and community leaders established the Foundation for Madison's Public Schools, an independent, private fundraising organization that provides grants to support creative initiatives that are not possible through the operating budget. Since its birth in August 2000, the Foundation has awarded nearly $200,000 to district staff and students for special projects

Organized for Success

The Strategic Plan establishes priorities and goals that reflect the immediate and emerging challenges facing Madison Schools. Built on the vision that we are committed to successful learning child by child, the centerpiece of the Plan is a set of five strategic priorities:

Instructional Excellence
Student Support
Staff Effectiveness
Home and Community Partnerships
Fiscal Responsibility

The priority indicators under Instructional Excellence are the targets for continuous improvement:

All students complete 3rd grade able to read at grade level or beyond.
All students complete Algebra by the end of 9th grade and Geometry by the end of 10th grade.
The district-wide daily attendance rate is at least 94%.

A recently developed educational framework is the way we structure our work in helping all children to be successful. The framework is organized around three primary concepts:

Engagement-the student's connection to schooling
Learning-acquiring knowledge and skills
Relationships-between students, teachers and other staff, and parents.

Each concept is equally vital in organizing schools for the support of students.

Small Classes

Madison schools have smaller than average sizes, with a licensed instructional staff her for every 10.2 students, compared state average of one for every 12.6 students. More of the school budget goes the to classroom because Madison spends a smaller percentage of its resources on administration than the state average.

Madison has embraced the state's SAGE (Student Achievement Guarantee in Education) program, reducing kindergarten through third grade classes to 15 or fewer students in 26 of 30 elementary schools. The program requires a rigorous academic curriculum for students and professional development for teachers. The independent evaluations of the program show steady academic improvement for students.

Community Involvement

Madison's children have long benefited from the district's strong and productive partner-with a range of community groups. Local businesses, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and numerous non-profit organizations annually provide several hundred academic tutors, mentors and other volunteers.

These collaborations with district staff build on the efforts of parents and family members schools to support student achievement. These community partners make significant contributions to help ensure successful learning, child by child, and the continuance of a tradition of excellence.

Teaching & Learning

Students need to be prepared for life in a complex, technologically challenging world.
Learning Standards define what students need to know and be able to do with that knowledge.
The focus of instruction is on what is learned, not what is taught.
Learning Standards raise academic expectations for all students.

The Madison Metropolitan School District is committed to the successful learning of every child. As the mission of the school district clearly states, the very reason the district exists is to assure that every student has the knowledge and skills needed for academic achievement and a successful life.

The Board of Education has adopted two strategic priorities that speak to teaching expectations for staff:

Improving student achievement. Specific goals include:
All students complete 3rd grade able to read at grade level or beyond.
All students complete Algebra by the end of 9th grade and Geometry by the end of 10th grade.
Offering challenging, diverse and contemporary curriculum and instruction.

These priorities and specific goals provide all district staff with clear direction. Expectations for student achievement are clear. Standards for student performance are consistently high for all. In the hands of the district's outstanding teachers and administrators, Madison students are developing the skills they need to be contributing members of 21st Century families and communities.

Madison has a long and proud history of excellence in public education. The most significant indicator of that excellence is student achievement. In the past the district looked for evidence of that indicator from the most able students: How many students scored in the top quartile on standardized achievement tests? How many National Merit Scholars did Madison schools have? What prizes and awards did students win? And the school district looked great! Now the district looks to every student enrolled in Madison schools for evidence of academic achievement. And the school district continues to look good!

With the adoption of the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards, the development of Grade Level Performance Standards, and the implementation of instruction and assessment based on standards, Madison schools have the information to determine how students are progressing toward expectations. In addition to the results of achievement tests and criterion-referenced tests, students display their achievement in a variety of ways: classroom assignments and tests, performances, demonstrations, and portfolios, to name a few.

With this information, teachers and administrators know the strengths and learning needs of students. The goal is simple: to raise expectations for all students and to improve the process of teaching and learning to make sure that students are able to meet - and exceed - the high standards.

For general information about the schools and the school district, interested citizens are invited to call 608-663-1879 or send e-mail to comments@madison.k12.wi.us.