PIERCETON – Whitko Superintendent Steve Clason informed the school board that as a corporation third-graders had a 90.4 pass rate without exemptions for IREAD-3 testing.
The test gauges the reading skills of third-graders and those who don’t pass can be held back.
Clason noted that with exemptions, Whitko’s rate was 95.6 percent.
Only five students out of 115 corporation-wide failed the test.
“I think it was extremely successful,” said Clason.
Clason said Whitko’s reading program was a big factor in the good results.
Students who failed the test can take a retest after completing a three-week summer reading program.
The program will run two hours a day, four days a week for three weeks.
It will be open not only to third-graders but kids in kindergarten to second grade.
Scout John Langmaid Jr. gave a presentation to the school board about a Scout project that will qualify him to become an Eagle Scout.
Langmaid Jr. will complete a handicapped-compliant sidewalk from the resource office at the high school.
He was able to get the concrete donated and will have help from his troop and his grandfather.
Langmaid Jr. told the board that he expects the project will take a couple of weekends.
The project will start in July.
He said he thought of the project when he heard employees in the resource office talking about how tough it was to get kids in wheelchairs around in that area of the school.
Jennifer McCauley, Whitko’s special services consultant, gave a brief presentation on the Community-Based Instruction Program. It helps special needs students in all the corporation’s schools.
The program helps students learn life skills like communication, decision making, personal management and career and vocational skills.
“We really prepare our students to go out in the community,” said McCauley.
Currently, there are 19 students in grades K-12 in the program.
McCauley said the program will expand to preschool next year.
Whitko High School Principal Parrish Kruger told the board that starting with the class of 2016, who will be freshmen next year, graduation standards will require that they take four years of math or quantitative reasoning courses.
In other news:
– South Whitley Elementary School’s kindergarten roundup registration is Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
– Seventh-graders at Whitko Middle School will attend a career fair at Warsaw this week.
Whitko’s next meeting will be May 21 at 7:30 p.m.
The school board meets at the administration building in Pierceton.
