Warsaw Schools hopes to know if the corporation made it out of state academic sanctions by December's end.
The school corporation also is working on meeting the requirements of new state legislation for high ability students.
Monday, the school board heard a presentation from Assistant Superintendent Dr. Sandra Weaver on curriculum development and implementation, and a report from Assistant Director of Special Education Deborah Blatz on high ability students.WCS is in year three of school improvement, said Weaver. Last year, WCS made Annual Yearly Progress but must make it for two continuous years to be out of sanctions.
WCS missed AYP since 2002 and now is under state-mandated corrective actions. No Child Left Behind requires that each year every public school and school corporation be designated by the Indiana Department of Education to have made AYP or not. Schools must meet AYP not only with total population, but also with any subgroups within the student body. Warsaw has six subgroups.
Weaver compared Warsaw Schools' English/language arts ISTEP scores to two other school corporations who are not under state sanctions.
Overall, 77 percent of Warsaw elementary students passed, compared to 60 percent at Goshen and 70 percent at Concord. Seventy-four percent of Warsaw middle schoolers passed and 72 percent of Warsaw Community High School students passed, compared to 60 and 61 at Goshen and 69 and 70 at Concord.
She also shared the numbers passing of special education, poverty and English as a second language Warsaw students compared to Concord and Goshen. The area WCS isn't passing is in special education.
Weaver said they hope to know by December if they made AYP this year. If they did, WCS will not be under state sanctions.
Last year, the sanction imposed on the district was to hire Learning Point Associates to complete a curriculum audit. The audit looked at the management systems in place for English/language arts as well as the guidance provided to teachers regarding the curriculum.
Recommendations came out of the audit and were released in June. The recommendations included for the school corporation to develop a multi-year professional development plan, implement an assessment system at the school corporation level and review and integrate literacy-based initiatives into a comprehensive curriculum.
The state is mandating WCS purchase a curriculum mapping software from three specific vendors by Nov. 30. Weaver said that will be done. The curriculum mapping, she said, will help the school corporation know if the same curriculum is being taught across each grade level.
"It's not a shelf document," she said.
On July 1, legislation went into effect in Indiana that requires school corporations to identify students and provide services to those students who are high ability, in grades kindergarten through twelfth grade.
Blatz said high ability legislation is new in Indiana. The state never has had a mandate to provide services for high ability students until now.
"Gifted as a term is out, and high ability is in," Blatz said.
Warsaw Schools has served students with high ability for the past 20 years, but the challenge now is for WCS to review its identification procedures and increase services to all grade levels.
Blatz said students with high ability will be identified on their student number. Students with high ability from all populations must be identified, including those that are traditionally under-represented. Warsaw, like all other school corporations in the state, must document identified high ability students' progress.
In the elementary schools now, Blatz said the current program begins with identification in second grade. WCS has two multi-age classrooms at grades 3-4 and 5-6, located at Lincoln Elementary.
A part-time gifted and talented consultant provides resources and services to teachers and students in the seven elementary buildings.
High ability students in middle school are in cluster groups or high ability sections, and may earn credit at middle school level.
High ability students at WCHS, Blatz said, are in honors courses and have the opportunity for advanced placement, earn duel credit from Indiana University, and some independent study courses are arranged.
Goals under the new legislation, she said, will include identifying students at all grade levels and within all populations; providing a broader range or levels of service; differentiating curriculum and instruction in core academic areas; and professional development for educators.
Blatz said the Broad Based Planning Group will review mission, goals and action plans. The new law will be implemented as part of the total WCS School Improvement Process. The school corporation will review and create new policies and procedures, and will offer educators ongoing professional development.
