Graduation Requirements Discussed by Warsaw School Board
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Beginning with the class of 2012, all Indiana students who want to graduate high school with a diploma must pass the Algebra I End of Course Assessment, the English 10 ECA and take the Biology I ECA.
Students only have to take the Biology I ECA, but do not have to pass it.
This year was the second year that students took the English ECA exam and biology exam as a requirement. It is the third year the Algebra I ECA has been required.
Chief Accountability Officer Tom Kline gave a report to the Warsaw School Board Monday night on the preliminary results of all three assessments taken at either Warsaw Community High School or the two Warsaw middle schools.
“I think you’ll be pleased with it because everything I’ll show you shows our results going up,” Kline said.
In English 10, for the class of 2012, 87 percent (329) passed in 2010. In 2011, another 20 students retook the ECA and passed. Fifty-three students did not pass yet.
The class of 2013, 79 percent have passed (385 students) to date, with 103 students who did not pass yet.
In Algebra I, for the class of 2012, 367 students passed the ECA the first time. Sixty more passed on the retake, and 70 have not passed yet.
The class of 2013, 370 students passed the first time, with 88 passing the retake. Seventy-five students have not passed yet.
As for biology results, Kline said they were not excited about the results, but are glad to see the results going up. Since students only have to take the test and do not have to pass it, that might affect how well the students have been doing on it, he said.
For 2010, 41 percent passed Biology I, while 54 percent passed for 2011.
At WCHS, in 2010, 70 percent of students passed English 10 on their first try, while 79 percent passed in 2011.
For algebra at WCHS, 18 percent passed Algebra I on their first try in 2009; 44 percent in 2010; and 55 percent in 2011. Kline said while that doesn’t seem like a lot, many of the students didn’t take algebra in middle school.
At Edgewood Middle School, 61 percent passed Algebra I on their first try in 2009; 96 percent passed in 2010; and 98 percent passed in 2011.
For Lakeview Middle School, 86 percent passed Algebra I on their first try in 2009; 98 percent passed in 2010; and 97 percent passed in 2011.
Kline compared Warsaw Community Schools’ Algebra I ECA results to the state’s.
In the first year, 44 percent of Warsaw students passed compared to 41 percent for Indiana. Second year, 69 percent of Warsaw students passed, compared to 62 for the state. For year three, Indiana’s results have not yet been figured, but 74 percent of Warsaw students passed.
“The students are doing better each year,” Kline said.
When adding in the students who have successfully passed a retake test, Kline showed, 87 percent of the class of 2012 passed the English 10 ECA; and 88 percent of the class of 2012 passed Algebra I ECA.
For the class of 2013, 79 percent passed the English 10 ECA.
“That only includes first-time takers. It’s the highest we’ve had with first-time takers,” Kline said.
For the Algebra I ECA, 86 percent of the class of 2013 passed.
Instead of textbooks for science at the middle schools, students will be using laptops beginning with the 2011-12 school year. Health classes at the middle schools hope to begin using laptops instead of textbooks beginning with the 2012-13 school year.
Kline presented the middle school science and health adoptions.
Kline said the middle schools will get 120 laptops for their science curriculum. Each laptop will be shared by six students a day. Over a four-year period, that equals out to 24 students sharing the cost of the computers. For free and reduced lunch students, the state reimburses up to $70 of the cost, and the state allows for adoption of computers now.
The middle school science teachers mapped out the curriculum and found websites that address all the state standards.
Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz said the science teachers have done an excellent job of making their proposal. He said computers in the classroom are the wave of the future.
Dan Metzger, school board member, said he was excited about it.
“Welcome to the 21st Century,” said Metzger.
The board approved the laptop computers for use as the textbooks in seventh and eighth grade science classes by a vote of 5 to 0.
For the middle school health adoption, the board approved the continued use of the current textbooks being used now. Kline said the health teachers want another year to map the curriculum so they can also move to laptop computers.
Kline also said teachers are considering using heart monitors so students can be measured and graded on how hard they work in physical education classes instead of just participation and dressing out.
The board approved the health adoption also by a vote of 5 to 0.
