School Improvement Profile

&
Updated Action Plan
2011-2016

Spring 2011

Our School's Statement of Beliefs

Our top priorities are pleasing Allah (SWT) and providing a safe environment for our
students to learn.

We must recognize and honor the dignity and worth of each individual.

We must continuously strive to offer the highest quality education.

It is important to follow the guidelines of the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH).

All people have the ability to learn, but do so in different ways and at different rates.
Therefore, we differentiate our instruction to meet all of our students' needs.

Teachers are critically important in every students education.

Education is the responsibility of the students, staff, parents, and the entire community

School provides a foundation for life-long learning and helps to reinforce Islamic moral
and ethical standards taught at home.

Educators can promote a love for learning and help to build a student's self-esteem
through encouragement, enthusiasm and positive feedback.

Educated Muslim-American citizens can impact society in a myriad of positive ways.

Our School's Mission

It is our mission to teach students to nurture a positive self-image as American Muslims by
instilling the fundamental principles of faith, character and scholarship.

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Our School's Vision

Our vision is that each of our students leaves the school:
able and willing to live according to Allah's (SWT) will as established in the Quran and the
Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
serving as a shining example of what it is to be a young, American Muslim and proud of his or
her identity as an American Muslim
possessing a complement of academic skills--linguistic, mathematical, scientific,
technological, physical and social

Location & Community

Avicenna Academy is a co-educational, Islamic school providing services to students, ages 18
months through grade six. It is located in the Northwest corner of Indiana in an area known
simply as the region. This largely industrial region is considered an extension of the Chicagometropolitan area. We are also located approximately 130 miles from Indianapolis, our state
capital.
Avicenna Academy is located in Lake County, one of six counties in Indiana that falls within the
Central Time Zone. While the school has a Crown Point address, it is actually nestled between
the city of Crown Point and the towns of Merrillville and Hobart. Crown Point is a city of
approximately 20,000 people within a 16.6 square mile area. Merrillville has a population of
over 30,000 people within 33.3 square miles, while Hobart has a population of over 25,000
people over 26.7 square miles.
Avicenna Academy provides an excellent education in an Islamic environment. Our campus is
composed of two buildings, each of which is attached to the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center
(mosque). While there is no accurate information regarding the population of Muslims in
America, the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center has between 500 and 600 active members.
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Enrollment & Student Demographics

Our current enrollment is 61 students with the following ethnic makeup: 54% Arab, 24% IndoPakistani, 11% Mixed, 7% African or African-American, 2% Hispanic and 2% White (NonHispanic).

Number of Students

Student Ethnicities
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Arab
Indo-Pakistani
Mixed
African-American
Hispanic
Caucasian (non-Hispanic)

Academic Year

Our students come from 32 families, over half of which are receiving financial aid. Currently it
costs an average of $9750/student/year to educate our population. Our tuition is based on
income and ranges from $8,000/student to $5,000/student, without additional financial aid or
sibling discounts. The difference between tuition and actual cost of educating students is
subsidized by donations from the community. Four of our students, from two families, live in
single-parent households. All but one of our families live within Lake or Porter counties in
Indiana.

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School Staff
Our staff consists of one full-time administrator, one secretary, three specials teachers, seven
classroom teachers, one teachers assistant and one part-time library attendant. We have a
toddler school program with five students, kindergarten with four students, first grade with ten
students and fourth grade with seven students, each with their own classroom and teacher. Our
preschool and Junior- kindergarten are consolidated and have a full-time teacher and full-time
teacher's assistant for 19 students. Our second and third grades are combined in one room with
one teacher for the ten students and our fifth and sixth grades are combined as well, with a total
of six students. Our kindergarten, first, second/third, fourth and fifth/sixth grade teachers are
licensed to teach in the state of Indiana. Our toddler teacher is also a licensed teacher. Of our
fourteen staff, six are Muslim.

School Operation
Our instructional hours run from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., five days a week. On Wednesdays, our
first, second/third, and fourth grade teachers meet to collaborate on curriculum, differentiated
instruction techniques, student needs and to discuss student progress. Also on Wednesdays, the
fifth/sixth grade teacher meets with the principal for the same purpose. Wednesdays, after
school, there are whole-faculty meetings in which the staff discusses school business such as
upcoming events, new textbook adoption, new technology available and other issues.
Avicenna Academys students annually participate in the Islamic Fair, the Quran Competition
and the Hajj simulation. These events give our students the opportunity to showcase what they
are learning in their Islamic Studies, Quran and Arabic classes. In addition, our students
participate in the annual science fair. Our sixth grade students attend the regional science fair,
where they will have an opportunity to compete for a spot in the state science fair.

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Due to our small size, we are unable to provide any organized, extramural, team sports as extracurricular activities. However, we do offer after-school martial arts, sign language and Spanish
class. We also periodically offer other activities such as soccer training camp and art club and
we also recently established an after-school program that focuses on teaching life/academic skills
such as public speaking, self-confidence and note-taking.
Avicenna Academy has also recently partnered up with Crown Point High School (CPHS) in an
effort to get our students more interested in the community outside of our walls. In the fall,
CPHS students who are interested in the field of education, will be coming into our classrooms
to assist teachers for four hours every week.
Our staff, parents and community are committed to making Avicenna Academy a safe,
supportive environment in which our students can grow into proud Muslim-Americans with
devout faith, strong character and a genuine interest in scholarship.
Avicenna Academys mission is to teach students to nurture a positive self-image as American
Muslims by instilling the fundamental principles of faith, character and scholarship.
Specifically, our vision is that each of our students leaves our school able and willing to live
according to Allahs (SWT) will as established in the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet
Muhammad (SAW), serving as a shining example of what it is to be a young American Muslim
and proud of his or her identity as an American Muslim, and possessing a complement of
academic skills--linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, physical and social.

Current Improvement Efforts

Our current effort is to begin collecting and organizing data for analysis as it pertains to
academic achievement. Our students in kindergarten and up have taken the Iowa Test of Basic
Skills (ITBS) every year since the 2006-2007 academic year. The ITBS measures achievement
according to national standards, however we teach a curriculum largely based on Indiana state
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standards. Therefore, ITBS is not a fair assessment of our students abilities. Beginning in the
spring of 2009, we have given the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress-Plus
(ISTEP+) to our students in grades three and up. Due to the fact that we only have two years of
data and because our student population is so low, it is difficult to accurately assess the
effectiveness of our program using only this assessment tool. For example, during the spring of
2010 testing, we had one student out of sixteen not pass English Language Arts or Math. This
student has been identified as one with additional needs, and the teacher has made modifications
to lessons and product and is tracking the students progress. The other fifteen students tested,
achieved pass or pass plus on all tests taken.
One of our goals, as mentioned in our vision, is to help each student in their acquisition of a
complement of academic skills. To help us achieve this, we have enrolled in Northwest
Evaluation Associations (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing. The results
from these tests will give our teachers more quantitative data on each of their students, which
will guide them in their lessons. Also, this MAP testing will provide individual reports, three
times a year that will be shared with our students in grades two and up so that they may begin to
track their own progress in an attempt to make them more responsible for learning. The MAP
test uses a scale that spans the breadth of their education, meaning that their growth can be
tracked through the years. The results from this testing will be much more valuable to us in
determining whether or not we are reaching our goal. One of the benchmarks we will be looking
to achieve in order to know that we are succeeding in our goal is that each of our students will
continue to increase their MAP scores in each subject area. In order to facilitate this progress,
our teachers will be using the individual scores to differentiate instruction and in some cases,
curriculum, for her students.

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Challenges
As a small, private school without federal funding, we have faced several challenges since
opening our doors. The major challenges in the last three years include the need for a full-time
principal to oversee daily instruction, developing a curriculum and obtaining support for the
middle school and establishing a means for continuously tracking student progress.
The first challenge was originally addressed by seeking part-time support from a professor with
experience in elementary education. She acted as the part-time consultant in lieu of a full-time
principal for two years. In the spring of 2010, however, a full-time principal was hired to begin
working at Avicenna in the fall of 2010. This step forward has helped in supporting the middle
school as the principal also acts as the fifth and sixth grade science teacher, because she holds
graduate degrees in both education and science. In addition, the new leadership, with support
from the Board of Trustees, has adopted the NWEAs MAP testing to track student progress.
This step will presumably have a huge impact on our school.
During the 2009-2010 school year, a teacher was hired to create a curriculum for the middle
school and to act as the fifth/sixth grade teacher for the following (our now current) year. The
curriculum she created was based off of the Indiana state standards and the newly adopted core
standards. She also selected the texts for middle school.
Enrollment has been an ongoing issue since our school opened. Enrollment is often an issue for
many private schools and we have addressed the issue by focusing on offering the best education
we can, lowering our tuition and providing financial assistance for families that cannot afford
very much and by advertising our strengths, such as our ISTEP+ scores and our Islamic
atmosphere and curriculum.

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Previous School Improvement Goals & Progress

Avicenna Academy has made progress toward some of the school improvement goals listed in
the minutes from an Excellence Transformation Committee meeting in 2008-2009. The
document that grew from the minutes became the school's first formal school improvement
document and it listed five main goals:
1) Avicenna will be one of the top schools in Indiana in three years and one of the top
schools in the US in ten years, by American education standards, by test scores and other
possible measurable modality.
2) Arabic and Islamic teaching will be at par with best Islamic schools in the US.
3) Professional development training will be integrated above and beyond what public
and private schools provide to their staff.
4) Financial stability and prosperity will be achieved (school will have a positive balance
sheet), in order to assure sustainability and be able to provide for improvement programs.
5) Increasing community base and student enrollment by integration into the community,
public relations, positive image marketing and systematic and frequent assessment of
factors affecting enrollment.
Progress: Goal One
In order to compare ourselves to other schools, nationally, we must first utilize an assessment
whose scores can be easily compared to other schools within the nation. Our recent adoption of
NWEA's MAP testing will provide us with one assessment that we can easily compare to other
schools, not necessarily only those located within the state of Indiana. In fact, one of the reports
that we may choose to share with parents and other stakeholders compares our school's average
scores with those of schools using MAP in this country. This assessment will also be able to
provide us with a more thorough comparison as students in kindergarten and up will be able to

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test, not only students in third grade and up, as with the ISTEP+ test. As we do not yet have
data, though, we cannot compare ourselves nationally.
However, as our curriculum is based on the Indiana state standards and the newly-adopted core
standards, it is appropriate to compare ISTEP+ scores with other schools within the state. When
looking at our most recent ISTEP+ scores, our average percentage of students achieving pass or
pass+ is higher in every subject area, for every grade level than the average percentage of
students achieving pass or pass+ for the whole state of Indiana.
Avicenna Academy (AA) Percent Passing Average
vs. Indiana State (IS) Percent Passing Average
English Language Arts
Mathematics
Social Studies
grade
AA
IS
AA
IS
AA
IS
3
88
79
88
75
n/a
n/a
4
100
77
100
75
n/a
n/a
5
100
71
100
80
100
64

Science
AA
n/a
100
n/a

In addition, when compared to local elementary schools within our county, Lake, and the
adjacent county, Porter, we see that Avicenna Academy is within the top three for Math and is at
the top in the counties for English Language Arts. The data source used was the Indiana
Department of Education's (IDOE) School and Corporation Summary and the Grade and Content
Area Reports, 2010. For Morgan Township Elementary, the School and Corporation Summary
data does not match that found in the Grade Content Area Reports. The percent reported in the
table is based on the School and Corporation Summary only. The tables show all schools with at
least 90% of their population achieving pass or pass+ scores on the spring 2010 ISTEP+.

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IS
n/a
75
n/a

Spring 2011

Math
School Name
location
Morgan Township Elementary School
Valparaiso
Washington Township Elementary School
Valparaiso
Avicenna Academy
Crown Point
Beiriger Elementary School
Griffith
Wallace Aylesworth Elementary School
Portage
James H. Watson Elementary School
Schererville
Parkview Elementary School
Valparaiso
Northview Elementary School
Valparaiso
Memorial Elementary School
Valparaiso
Kolling Elementary School
St. John
Jerry Ross Elementary School
Crown Point
English Language Arts
Avicenna Academy
Crown Point
Morgan Township Elementary School
Valparaiso
Washington Township Elementary
Valparaiso
Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School
Crown Point
Northview Elementary School
Valparaiso
James H. Watson Elementary School
Schererville
Memorial Elementary School
Valparaiso
Kolling Elementary School
St. John
Jerry Ross Elementary School
Crown Point
Parkview Elementary School
Valparaiso
George Bibich Elementary School
Dyer
Jonas E. Salk Elemenary School
Merrillville
Peifer Elementary School
Schererville
Boone Grove Elementary School
Valparaiso

% pass or
pass+
97
95
94
94
93
93
93
92
92
91
91

number of students
tested, grades 3-5
157*
185
16
157
243
235
121
168
165
282
527

94
94
94
93
93
93
93
92
92
92
91
90
90
90

16
157*
185
232
168
235
165
282
527
121
234
238
215
140

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Progress: Goal Two

Our Islamic program which includes Islamic Studies, Quran and Arabic courses, follows a
curriculum designed and carried out by our lead Islamic Studies teacher. For the Islamic Studies
course, all students are placed according to their grade level. For incoming, older students, they
are started in the early books and put on a fast-track until they catch up with their grade level
content. The books are written at grade-appropriate levels, therefore the earlier books are easy
for an older child to get through. Quran and Arabic, however, are organized according to ability
level. Early assessment provides the data for which placement is determined and then course
content is delivered to the class according to their ability level for that course. Due to the nature
of our program, we are finding it difficult to find a national assessment that can accurately
represent the effectiveness of our program. Specifically, we would need to test the curriculum as
well as the method by which it is being delivered. In recognition of this fact, the Board of
Trustees is planning to bring an outside assessor to Avicenna Academy in order to evaluate our
entire program.
Progress: Goal Three
Avicenna Academys staff is interviewed at the beginning of every new academic year and
professional development goals are stated and a plan of action is developed for each teacher.
Each teacher has the opportunity to approach the administration with requests for attendance at
workshops and conferences. In addition, the administration encourages whole-faculty
participation in the annual Islamic Teachers Conference in Skokie, Illinois.
As members of Northwest Indiana Educational Service Center (NWIESC), Avicenna Academy
faculty and staff are invited to workshops and roundtables sponsored by the service center. Our
faculty is encouraged to attend any workshops that align with their particular stated professional
development goals and Avicenna Academy provides not only the funding for the particular
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workshop or conference, but also provides a substitute teacher for the day(s) that the teacher will
be out for said professional development experience. During the 2010-2011 school year, no
requests for professional development have been denied.
Progress: Goal Four
Avicenna Academy has not made progress toward this goal. Specifically, our annual deficit
percentage has increased from 31.05% for the 2008-2009 school year to 33.03% for the 20092010 school year. Our projected annual deficit percentage for the 2010-2011 school year is even
higher. Presumably an increase in enrollment, combined with an increase in tuition and/or
donations will fill the gap between revenue and expenditures.

Annual Percent Decit

100.00%
90.00%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%

31.05%

33.03%

2008-2009

2009-2010

30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%

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Progress: Goal Five

Avicenna Academy has tripled its enrollment since the school opened its doors to the public
during the 2004-2005 school year. This population growth is likely due to positive image
marketing. For example, Avicenna Academy published annual profiles and bimonthly
newsletters reporting student achievement. In addition, Northwest Indiana's Muslim community,
our target demographic, is a very tight-knit group and student achievement is often spread by
word of mouth. Many of our students, for example, are related to each other.

Population Growth
70

Number of Students

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2004-2005

2005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

Academic Year

While enrollment has grown, however, there are still members of the greater Chicago-area
Muslim community who relay their surprise at learning about our existence. So, there is still
room for great improvement in this area.

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Updated School Improvement Goals & Action Plan

In an effort to progress with our dedication to continuous school improvement, new and updated
goals have been determined within the following categories:
1) Student Achievement
2) Increasing Enrollment
3) Human & Financial Resources
4) Adoption of New Technology
5) Building Expansion

Student Achievement
Specific Goals
1A) 100% of students tested will achieve pass or pass+ scores on the ISTEP+
examination in all subject areas tested.
1B) 100% of students will show growth between beginning of year (BOY), middle
of year (MOY) and end of year (EOY) MAP assessment scores.
1C) 100% of students MAP assessment scores will be, at minimum, equivalent to
their grade level at the time of testing.
Purpose
Our vision statement addresses the secular academic subjects and these goals are aligned with
that portion of the vision statement.

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Plan
The ISTEP+ assessment is aligned with Indiana state standards and the core curriculum that is
being adopted, according to a schedule published by the IDOE. Our curriculum, if effective,
should yield a high percentage of students achieving pass or pass plus scores. Similarly, the
MAP assessment program that we are in the process of implementing, has been aligned with our
curriculum.
Any student not showing growth between BOY and MOY and MOY and EOY on the MAP
assessment will be identified as having a need for additional resources and adaptations will be
made within the classroom to facilitate an increase in learning. The child will be monitored
closely by the teacher and will receive additional help, as needed. For example, we are
succeeding in goal 1A for fourth and fifth grades, but we were not successful with last year's
third grade students. Nine third graders were tested last year and one student did not pass

Third Grade
ISTEP+
100

% Pass or Pass+

98
96
94
92
90

2009

88

2010

86
84
82
English Language Arts

MathemaWcs
Subject Tested

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% Pass or Pass+

Fourth Grade
ISTEP+
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

2009
2010

English Language Arts

MathemaWcs

Science

Subject Tested

% Pass or Pass+

FiGh Grade
ISTEP+
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

2009
2010

English Language Arts

MathemaWcs

Social Studies

Subject Tested

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neither the ELA nor Math portion of the ISTEP+ assessment. The student has been identified as
having additional needs and the teacher has made accommodations within the classroom to try to
aid this student's learning and subsequent achievement. Further, should analysis of data suggest
that multiple students within one grade level are having difficulty with a particular subject, then
Avicenna's curriculum alignment to state standards and specific pedagogies will be analyzed in
an effort to improve learning for the students.
In addition, differentiation has and will continue to take place within the classroom based on
classroom observations, formative assessments and will soon also be partially based on MAP
assessment scores.

Increasing Enrollment
Specific Goals
2A) Maintenance of a positive trend in enrollment each year.
2B) A minimum of 50% increase in enrollment by the 2015-2016 school year.
Purpose
An enrollment increase will not only help us to carry forward the mission of the school, but will
also help to support the remaining school improvement goals.
Plan
An increase in positive image marketing must occur. A portion of the annual budget should be
allocated specifically to advertisement during key times of the year, immediately preceding an
open house. After a portion of the budget is allocated for advertisement, Avicenna can
determine the return on investment by comparing the enrollment increase to the enrollment
increase in years when such advertising did not occur.
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Avicenna Academy has also recently revamped the bimonthly newsletter to be more studentcentered in that it announces events from each grade level in each edition. Also, a teacher is
highlighted in every edition, thus informing the community of our teachers' qualifications and
specialties within the field of education. These newsletters are not only given to parents of
current students, but it is also handed out to members of the greater Northwest Indiana Muslim
community and is posted on our website (www.avicennaacademy.org) for all to see.
In addition, the website itself has undergone reconstruction and it is much more user-friendly for
new visitors and contains more information for current parents and students. This alone may
prove to be quite valuable to us in our quest for positive marketing and increasing enrollment,
given today's preferred mode of communication and research.

Human & Financial Resources

Specific Goals
3A) A minimum of one teacher per grade level
3B) Acquire a resource teacher
3C) Acquire a specials instructor (computers, PE, art)
3D) Eliminate annual deficit by increasing revenue
Purpose
Avicenna Academy currently has four teachers delivering the core subject area curriculum to six
grade levels, with exception to fifth and sixth grade science which has another teacher altogether.
Grades two and three are combined as are grades five and six. In an effort to increase productive
class time for each grade level, there should be one teacher for each grade level. A resource
teacher will help us to achieve goals 1A,B and C, by providing concentrated time with
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individuals identified as needing the additional time or instruction while a specials instructor will
also provide an opportunity for core subject teachers to focus on their students' learning goals.
Eliminating the annual deficit will directly contribute to achieving goals 3A, B and C as well as
all of the goals listed under categories four and five.
Plan
Succeeding in goals 2A and B will aid in the progress of 3D. In addition, Avicenna Academy
plans to seek outside funding sources in the forms of grants. The administration will work on
seeking grants and the school is working on creating an internship program for students of
finance, economy or other relevant majors at local colleges and universities that will focus on
grant research and grant proposal writing. The opportunity will give the students experience
with grant and fundraising work within a multicultural non-profit organization and may provide
Avicenna with additional funding sources. An increase in the number of faculty and staff will
occur as the enrollment increases and as the deficit shrinks.

Adoption of New Technology

Specific Goals
4A) Improved media center to include at least one computer per student, to accommodate
the largest class in the school. In addition, the computers must be able to run efficiently
and quickly.
4B) Adoption of Apple iPads or a similar technology to replace the use of textbooks.
Specifically, each student will have his/her own iPad which will have the required text
resources uploaded into the memory.
4C) Adoption of the CPS Pulse technology that is supported by the Mobi technology
already utilized in our classes.

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Purpose
As part of our vision for our students is to possess a complement of academic skills, which
includes technology, we must increase the amount and quality of technology available to our
students. Specifically, in order to better serve a generation of students who were raised with
screens in front of their faces, we must not only adopt technology but infuse it into every subject
area, at all times. In order for our students to compete in tomorrow's global job market, they
must not only be familiar with technology, but fluent in its use.
Plan
In order to support this plan, donations will be solicited and grant proposals will be written. In
addition, as 2A and 3D become realities, a significant portion of the budget should be allocated
to technology adoption and maintenance. Goal 4A is our first priority, followed by 4B and 4C.
Either a pilot study or research on current pilot studies should be undertaken prior to widespread
use of iPad technology. It is important to determine which grade levels should utilize iPad
technology in lieu of textbooks.

Building Expansion
Specific Goals
5A) To expand the building to provide one classroom for each grade level as well as one
classroom for each Islamic Studies teacher.
5B) To undertake a cost/benefit analysis of opening up a high school on our current
campus to accommodate not only our current students' growth, but also to increase
enrollment.
Purpose
To support goal 3A which in turn supports goals 1A,B and C, it is important that each teacher
and grade level has its own class. In addition, Avicenna's current goal is to grow by one grade
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level each year until eighth grade and we currently do not have enough space to give each grade
level their own classroom. In addition, in order to extend our mission to other students and to
continue providing an excellent education in an Islamic environment to our current students,
expanding to high school may be a reasonable goal, in which case a cost/benefit analysis must
predate any further building expansion plans.
Plan
Funding must be secured to expand the current building, which has a footprint that may be
expanded outward, toward the wetland, by a total of four classrooms. In addition, our main
building was built with expansion in mind and it can support a second floor addition. Building
expansion must first go outward and then upward. Grant proposals may be written and
internal/intra-community fundraising may be undertaken to support these efforts.

Target Areas for Improvement

We have two target areas for improvement: one educational and one operational:
Our educational target area for improvement is the implementation and subsequent tracking of
student growth through the MAP assessment data. We will begin MAP assessments in the spring
of 2010-2011 and will proceed henceforth. We will focus on achieving success in goals 1B and
C by using the data collected from the most recent MAP assessment results to alter instruction.
Our operational target area for improvement is increasing revenue while decreasing the deficit.
Time must be spent seeking out grant opportunities, donors, and other fundraising opportunities
as the rest of our school improvement goals require funding. In addition, increased efforts must
be made during the month of Ramadan, a special time of year for Muslims, when donations are
often more freely given.

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