NORTH MANCHESTER - Students understand their work's relevance to their lives, said Bonnie Ingram, principal of Manchester Elementary School.

Ingram and Nancy Alspaugh, principal of Manchester High School, updated the school board Tuesday on the corporation's curriculum writing.

Manchester schools stand at "a high stakes curriculum-writing point," she said.

Teachers need quality literature in the classroom and a structure for teaching the literature and assessing student learning, said Ingram.

Quality literature is highly regarded writing, which has gained its own reputation in the genre. Students should read the entire book, Ingram said.

"The No. 1 way to improve reading is to read," she said. Students should be taught more than just who, what and when. Teachers should focus on inferencing and finding the main idea in writing.

While some teaching methods focus on excerpts and selected passages of writing, having students read the entire piece of writing makes reading compelling, she said.

For student success, the work should "compel long after the work gets hard," she said.

"It must look like something you do in the real world," she said. If the work is done only in school, it shouldn't be done, said Ingram.

Ingram said 80 percent of reading needs to be at or below the student's grade level. The only things "that are ours," she said, are those things we absorb.

The curriculum writers are in a "precarious situation" as they build a well-rounded approach to teaching and preparing students for ISTEP testing. Ingram and Alspaugh are working to meet in between. They wrestle with the question: "Which drives the curriculum, the student or the test?" said Ingram.

In other business, the school board:

• Discussed dates for the Manchester High School gymnasium's renovation completion.

Danna Wannemacher, architect from Barton Coe Vilamaa, Fort Wayne, said the board would be asked on Jan. 8 to review final drawings and specifications for the renovation.

On Feb. 19, a bid for the renovation will be chosen. In March, gym demolition will start. Wannemacher said he planned for final renovation completion in September.

After an update on gym floor details, discussion turned to the Peabody seats.

Wannemacher said there is no cost difference between renovating the Peabody seats or installing the new seats. Either choice would have no impact on the total budget, he said. After renovation, though, the Peabody seats would not be as sturdy and stable as when new, he said.

"You're not going to be happy with them," said Wannemacher.

"I have kind of done a 360-degree turn," said Alspaugh, although she was in favor of keeping the current seats.

She suggested the community "wanted the stadium seat concept" more than the Peabody seats.

"There is an attachment to the stadium seat concept," said Alspaugh.

Todd Speicher, board member, said he had changed his mind and wanted the new seats. Virginia Gunter, board member, said she was interested in making the best financial move.

Kent Trickle, board member, made a motion to accept the gym renovation committee's recommendations. "That's why we formed a committee," he said.

• Rescheduled next month's board meetings to Jan 8 and 22.

The school board members are president Sally Krouse, vice president Virginia Gunter, secretary Brad Perrott, Thom Frantz, Todd Speicher, Kent Trickle, assistant superintendent and acting superintendent Kim Thurston and School corporation attorney Al Schlitt. Larry Miller was absent. [[In-content Ad]]