Valley To Institute Point System For Achievement
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
To address the problem, the Tippecanoe Valley School Board approved "The Point System" as presented by Scott Backus, a member of the TVMS School Improvement Team. The system requires students to achieve a certain amount of points in order to pass through the middle school and into high school.[[In-content Ad]]According to TVMS Principal Earl Richter, the program is modeled after a program at Bremen School Corp. It has been discussed for the past two years.
Backus said schools now have a number of programs, initiatives and mandates they have to maintain. Among those are the NCA Districtwide Accreditation, No Child Left Behind, Public Law 221 (school accountability), Public Law 511 (gifted and talented), ISTEP and the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. school improvement plan. Backus said the school must show evidence students have made sufficient progress and are academically ready for the next grade level.
Backus said it is the responsibility of TVMS to prepare students for standards of dependability and reliability expected by the high school and business world. TVMS must demand a high level of attendance, quality work and time-on task. Backus said they must hold students and themselves to a higher standard than they currently do, and encourage better responsibility.
Currently, TVMS does not have an accountability system for students. The only incentive is grades. While students who are motivated by grades generally succeed, Backus said students who are not motivated by grades often fail to be successful. Yet, they move through TVMS and TVHS without any measure of accountability for failures.
As a school, Backus said,Z TVMS is falling behind. The only current tools the school has now to make students accountable for their failures are extended learning remediation, voluntary summer school, Tuesday/Thursday study tables and Wednesday night school.
"We have all these things," said Backus, "but they're sporadic."
In the Point System, students earn points for passing and/or improvement on ISTEP and NWEA. They also earn points for life skills such as attendance and behavior.
Backus presented an example of a blank seventh-grade point sheet.
Students can earn one point per class per quarter passed, a total of 21 points including band and choir. Under ISTEP, students can earn three points per standard for a total of eight points. For life skills, a student can earn up to nine points, and up to six points for NWEA testing.
The total amount of points a student can earn under The Point System is 42 points during their seventh-grade year. If a student earns 38 points or more, they will be promoted to the next grade level "with distinction." With 31.5 points or more, they will be promoted to the next grade level. If a student earns 12.61 to 31.49 points, the committee will review the student's points and make a recommendation. If a TVMS student earns 12.6 points or less, they will be retained and/or placed in alternative classes.
The review committee will meet after each nine weeks and after the 160th day of the school year to review student progress. The committee will review the point sheet and make recommendations on a student-by-student basis.
Backus said the Point System will provide many positives, including student accountability, a tool to allow teachers to better serve student needs, a tool to help TVMS meet PL 511 requirements and a tool to provide better transitions into and out of TVMS.
"These are just some of the things we hope to see happen as a result of the Point System," said Backus.
The system will be a work-in-progress, he said. The school board approved for the system to begin with the 2008-09 school year.
"I think once it is put together, it'll make a real positive change at the middle school," said Brett Boggs, assistant superintendent.
In other business, the school board:
n Approved the purchase of two buses from Kerlin Bus Sales for $69,965 each. The buses will be delivered to the school corporation prior to the start of the 2008-09 school year.
n Approved the 2008-09 school year calendar as previously presented. Boggs said the calendar is much like the 2007-08 calendar, except it includes two full weeks for Christmas vacation.
n Heard a presentation on the Warsaw Area Career Center strategic plan by Director Bill Kovach.
n Approved the hiring of four part-time custodians for Tippecanoe Valley High School.
n Approved the appointment of designated employees for small claims court representative.
n Announced the upcoming meetings will be: March 10, 7:30 p.m., Tippecanoe Valley High School; April 21, 7:30 p.m., Akron Elementary School; May 12, 7:30 p.m., Mentone Elementary School.
To address the problem, the Tippecanoe Valley School Board approved "The Point System" as presented by Scott Backus, a member of the TVMS School Improvement Team. The system requires students to achieve a certain amount of points in order to pass through the middle school and into high school.[[In-content Ad]]According to TVMS Principal Earl Richter, the program is modeled after a program at Bremen School Corp. It has been discussed for the past two years.
Backus said schools now have a number of programs, initiatives and mandates they have to maintain. Among those are the NCA Districtwide Accreditation, No Child Left Behind, Public Law 221 (school accountability), Public Law 511 (gifted and talented), ISTEP and the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. school improvement plan. Backus said the school must show evidence students have made sufficient progress and are academically ready for the next grade level.
Backus said it is the responsibility of TVMS to prepare students for standards of dependability and reliability expected by the high school and business world. TVMS must demand a high level of attendance, quality work and time-on task. Backus said they must hold students and themselves to a higher standard than they currently do, and encourage better responsibility.
Currently, TVMS does not have an accountability system for students. The only incentive is grades. While students who are motivated by grades generally succeed, Backus said students who are not motivated by grades often fail to be successful. Yet, they move through TVMS and TVHS without any measure of accountability for failures.
As a school, Backus said,Z TVMS is falling behind. The only current tools the school has now to make students accountable for their failures are extended learning remediation, voluntary summer school, Tuesday/Thursday study tables and Wednesday night school.
"We have all these things," said Backus, "but they're sporadic."
In the Point System, students earn points for passing and/or improvement on ISTEP and NWEA. They also earn points for life skills such as attendance and behavior.
Backus presented an example of a blank seventh-grade point sheet.
Students can earn one point per class per quarter passed, a total of 21 points including band and choir. Under ISTEP, students can earn three points per standard for a total of eight points. For life skills, a student can earn up to nine points, and up to six points for NWEA testing.
The total amount of points a student can earn under The Point System is 42 points during their seventh-grade year. If a student earns 38 points or more, they will be promoted to the next grade level "with distinction." With 31.5 points or more, they will be promoted to the next grade level. If a student earns 12.61 to 31.49 points, the committee will review the student's points and make a recommendation. If a TVMS student earns 12.6 points or less, they will be retained and/or placed in alternative classes.
The review committee will meet after each nine weeks and after the 160th day of the school year to review student progress. The committee will review the point sheet and make recommendations on a student-by-student basis.
Backus said the Point System will provide many positives, including student accountability, a tool to allow teachers to better serve student needs, a tool to help TVMS meet PL 511 requirements and a tool to provide better transitions into and out of TVMS.
"These are just some of the things we hope to see happen as a result of the Point System," said Backus.
The system will be a work-in-progress, he said. The school board approved for the system to begin with the 2008-09 school year.
"I think once it is put together, it'll make a real positive change at the middle school," said Brett Boggs, assistant superintendent.
In other business, the school board:
n Approved the purchase of two buses from Kerlin Bus Sales for $69,965 each. The buses will be delivered to the school corporation prior to the start of the 2008-09 school year.
n Approved the 2008-09 school year calendar as previously presented. Boggs said the calendar is much like the 2007-08 calendar, except it includes two full weeks for Christmas vacation.
n Heard a presentation on the Warsaw Area Career Center strategic plan by Director Bill Kovach.
n Approved the hiring of four part-time custodians for Tippecanoe Valley High School.
n Approved the appointment of designated employees for small claims court representative.
n Announced the upcoming meetings will be: March 10, 7:30 p.m., Tippecanoe Valley High School; April 21, 7:30 p.m., Akron Elementary School; May 12, 7:30 p.m., Mentone Elementary School.
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