SYRACUSE – A student learning report was jointly presented to the Wawasee Community School board Tuesday night by Joy Goshert, director of curriculum and instruction, and data technician Bob Cockburn. The report cards for 2013-2014 showed schools scoring higher than scores issued by the state. Goshert and Cockburn said they based their report cards on data “which the corporation feels is important,” with an emphasis on Northwest Evaluation Association results in grades one through eight and Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark results in grades kindergarten through second. The greatest gains all around were in reading. Syracuse and Milford elementary schools both saw increases in both in-house and state report cards, Syracuse going from a B to an A by Wawasee standards and from a D to a C by the state’s. Milford and Wawasee middle schools saw improvement from the state but remained the same, at a B, from corporation scores. Milford’s state report card score went from D to B and Wawasee’s went from F to B. Wawasee High School retained an A grade from the administrators but dropped from A to B by the state. Cockburn told the board that he’s been talking with state officials about a discrepancy in that score and they agreed, although probably won’t change it. But, he said, “In my heart they have an A.” North Webster is the only school that saw its score go down in-house, from an A to a B, but its state score go up, from a B to a C. Goshert also reported that the corporation met its Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives, a report that measures how the schools are doing meeting the English learning needs of limited English proficient students. She also reported that the state has widened the window for taking the ISTEP, making a week in February available. Part 1 of the test is scheduled for the first week in March, and Goshert said that since the students could finish in a week she will hold off changing the dates.The science and social studies portion, or Part 2, are the following Monday with the remaining four days of the week being kept as make-up days. Goshert added that students would not be tested more than 1-1/2 hours a day. She also presented a video by writing coach Ruth Ayres that can be used to help students prepare for the tests. In other business, the board: • Accepted donations of $2,000 from The Shopko Foundation and $800 from Michael Shock for the Boomerang Backpack program. • Accepted resignations from support services employees Morgan Massengill, Milford School cafeteria, and Daniel White, grounds custodian. • Hired Robin Wirebaugh as MS cafeteria worker; Sandy Beer and Sarah Hite MS part time nurses; Mary Vasquez, WMS special education paraprofessional; Brandon Kiser, MS head custodian; and Jennifer Acton, MS temporary fifth grade math teacher. • Approved a request from architect Kari Vilamaa to advertise for bids for capital projects this summer. • Named Mindy Brooks to the Milford Library board. • Heard the first reading of an addition to the policies which will now include language defining the word “use” in relation to coming onto school property under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
