PIERCETON – Elementary school-level summer reading sessions are drawing to a close, according to Whitko principals Eric Speicher and Bruce Hansen.
The men presented updates before the Whitko School Board Monday, along with their colleagues Parrish Kruger and Dave Parker.
At Pierceton, Speicher said 50 children are attending the summer reading course. Many of them stay after class for the free lunch available at PES. About 90 children have lunch each day at the school.
Several parents have requested rescoring of the ISTEP test, Speicher said.
Preliminary data shows 77 percent passing the English and language arts portion of the test and 73 percent passing the mathematics area, a higher percentage than last year.
Regarding South Whitley Elementary School, Hansen said the class lists for next year are posted on the front doors of the school, with the exception of kindergarten classes.
Two students will take the IREAD test again this week. SWES third-graders had an IREAD passing rate of 96 percent earlier this year.
Following the example set by PES teachers, SWES teachers have ordered iPads for classroom instruction. Hansen said 16 of the school’s 18 teachers will use this tool next year.
The student handbook is finished, Hansen said. New items include an updated staff directory, skirt length to be at least fingertip length when the arms are at a student’s side and new regulations regarding absences without a note from a physician.
Kruger, Whitko High School's outgoing principal and new Whitko Middle School principal, gave a final WHS report. He said the Drive 1 4 Ur School program, wherein a local Ford Motor Co. dealership gives the school $20 for each test drive during a one-day event, provided $2,480 this year. The funds go to the Student Roundtable and National Honor Society scholarships.
Incoming WHS principal Parker brought the board up to date on ISTEP scores. He said the scores might be a little misleading with a 75 percent score in the spring biology ISTEP scores, compared to 37 percent last year. Last year students taking the test were all freshmen and many of them had passed the test in the eighth grade. This year sophomores also took the test, many of them honors biology students.
In the mathematics section, 60 percent of the ninth-graders passed the test with 30 percent already passing in the eighth grade. Tenth-graders passed at a rate of 74 percent in English and language arts, compared to 70 percent in 2011.
Parker said the school's approach is now to be more proactive and offer more intervention and less remediation.
Superintendent Steve Clason said federal grant fund levels will be very close to last year with just $300 less for Title 1 funds. Title 2 and Title 3 funds are about the same.
He noted that Pierceton Woods funds were drastically reduced. The program received $70,000 last year and will only receive $31,000 this year, which, he predicted, will affect their program significantly.
Pierceton Woods Academy, located north of Pierceton, is a residential Lifeline Youth and Family Services campus for boys considered to be juvenile delinquents. To some extent Whitko Community Schools partners with the organization to offer educational services.
In other business the board:
– Approved summer school driver contracts for Gwen Ostrom, Deb Schomaker, Lucy VanHoozen and Brenda Locke.
– Approved Brittany Hamm's leave of absence effective Aug. 30.
– Approved unpaid leave of absences for Shannun Boggs, Gina Borton, Kimberly Kelley and Melissa Visalli.
– Approved wage scales for the 2012-13 school year.
– Approved annual field trips.
– Approved expansion of the WMS greenhouse as grant funds allow.
In personnel matters the board approved the following actions:
Resignations: Rob Irwin, as athletic director, effective July 1; the following resignations are effective at the end of the 2011-2012 school year - Heather Simon, as PES resource assistant; Jim Hicks, as WMS resource assistant; Marla LaRue, as WMS resource assistant; Maria Reaser, as WHS resource assistant; Eric Trump, as fall, winter and spring coach at PES; Angela Trump, as fall, winter and spring coach at PES; and Samantha Keel, as assistant volleyball coach at WHS. Paula Marietta is retiring as WMS physical education and health teacher at the end of the school year.
