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BOURBON - Two elementary teachers presented the Triton school board Monday with the Triton Elementary writing committee's goals.
Triton teachers Catherine Cook and Dawn Gould said they are stressing the mechanics of writing in their classrooms. Their committee set up four areas in which to assess the students.
The first criterion is based on the state's standards regarding what to write, like narratives, letters and research papers, how to write and how often to write.
The second criterion ensures that teachers are prepared to teach the entire writing process from brainstorming to publishing the work.
Third, teachers are learning "power writing," a technique aimed at organizing the writing process.
Finally teachers will begin to assess writing rubrics. Assessing the students' writing is the toughest part because of its subjectivity, said Gould, a second-grade teacher.
The students' work was rated once thus far. That left a baseline for grading future writing. The next schoolwide writing day is in April, elementary principal Tom Bowers said.
The writing committee and its action plan resulted from Public Law 221 legislation, said Cook, a sixth-grade teacher.
Also, the school board approved a one-year maintenance contract with Havel, an EMCOR Co., for the junior-senior high school. The elementary school's three-year contract with Havel lasts through 2004, superintendent Ted Chittum said.
The cost per year is $8,890.
Chittum said the school corporation has had problems when Havel "dropped the ball" in the past.
The board also unanimously approved raising driver's education class costs $25 for non-Triton students to $331.68. Costs for Triton students will remain unchanged at $286.68.
Triton school board members are: president Kevin Boyer, vice president Steve Feldman, secretary/treasurer Larry Lemler and Dave Shively. Corporation treasurer is Janet Barker. Superintendent is Ted Chittum. Board member Steve Blackford was absent.
