MENTONE - Overall, Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. made Adequate Yearly Progress, but its middle and high schools did not meet AYP.
During the regular school board meeting Monday night, Superintendent Brett Boggs gave the board a report on Valley's 2010 AYP results.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires public schools to make AYP for both the overall student population and any demographic group within the school that includes 30 or more students. The goal of NCLB is for all students to achieve proficiency in English, language arts and math by 2014. Schools must assess at least 95 percent of students and meet annual goals in attendance for elementary and middle schools, or graduation rate for high schools.
Boggs said AYP for Akron and Mentone elementaries and Tippecanoe Valley Middle School is based on meeting participation and performance targets in the English and language arts and math portions of ISTEP+, IMAST and ISTAR, plus attendance rate.
AYP for Tippecanoe Valley High School is based on meeting participation and performance targets in English 10 and Algebra I End of Course Assessments, ISTAR and four-year graduation rate.
The overall student group is assessed for performance, participation and either attendance or graduation rate. Boggs said the following subgroups also are assessed for performance and participation: race and ethnicity, free and reduced price meals, limited English proficient and special education. In order for a subgroup to be assessed for performance, the school must have at least 30 students who are members of the group and were enrolled for at least 162 days during the school year.
Boggs said the Indiana Department of Education results show Valley made AYP by meeting all 23 categories.
Both Akron and Mentone elementary schools met AYP, making all 17 categories.
The middle school did not meet AYP because it made only 16 of 17 categories. The high school did not meet AYP because it made only six of 13 categories.
"There are some things that need improved," Boggs said.
In other business, the school board:
n Approved a one-year extension of the administrative contract of each of the following Valley administrators: Boggs; Assistant Superintendent Dr. Daniel Kramer; TVHS Principal Kirk Doehrmann; TVHS Assistant Principal Mike Schmidt; TVHS Athletic Director Duane Burkhart; TVMS Principal Earl Richter; TVMS Assistant Principal Jeff France; Mentone Principal Angela Miller; Akron Principal Blaine Conley; Director of Special Services Donna Lehmann; TVHS boys basketball head coach Bill Patrick; and TVHS head football coach Jeff Shriver.
On July 26, the school board approved a 1-percent salary reduction for Valley administrators for the 2010-11 school year. The school board was not asked at that time to extend administrative contracts.
n Approved a revision to the student random drug and alcohol testing program as presented in September.
The program will require that any student who tests positive for drugs or alcohol be tested once each grading period at the parent's expense for one calendar year from the date of the most recent positive test.
n Recognized Mentone and Akron schools for being honored by the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition and the President's Challenge as a President's Challenge Physical Fitness State Champion for 2009-10.
n Recognized the middle school Spell Bowl team and coach Susanne Siebrase for placing first in the Running Rivers Conference Spell Bowl competition for the third consecutive year.
n Was recognized by the Indiana School Board Association as only one of 11 school boards in Indiana as an Exemplary Board for the 2009-10 school year. Achieving the performance standards for being an Exemplary Board is the highest recognition a school board can achieve, Boggs said.
n Approved Leslie Brouyette's request to use the middle school gym from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on five Sundays in November and December.
Brouyette will volunteer her time to open the gym for girls in third through sixth grade from Akron and Mentone elementaries and TVMS interested in learning to play and enjoy basketball.
n Approved new "belief statements" for the school board policy manual.
n Approved the appointments of Janet Hackworth to the Akron Carnegie Public Library Board, and Honey Kuhn and Jack Fisher to the Bell Memorial Public Library Board.
n Announced upcoming meetings will be: Nov. 29, work session, Burket Educational Center, 6 to 9 p.m.; Dec. 13, regular meeting, Mentone Elementary, 7:30 p.m.; Jan. 17, regular meeting, Burket Educational Center, 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 14, regular meeting, TVMS, 7:30 p.m.; and March 14, regular meeting, TVHS, 7:30 p.m.
