Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SOUTH WHITLEY -ÊOverall, Whitko students did about the same as other schools on ISTEP testing, Director of Curriculum Diana Showalter told the Whitko School Board Monday.
She said the preliminary reports on the 2000-01 ISTEP testing showed "language arts scores tended to drop while math scores tended to soar." She said they don't have a reason why yet.
Showalter also said the administration is pleased with the grade 10 results.
Overall, 62 percent of 10th-grade students passed the ISTEP+ test in both language arts and math, Showalter said today. Individually, in language arts, 69 percent passed, and in math, 80 percent passed.
"They have very good scores for our students taking the retest and grade 10," she said Monday. It is beginning to sink in for them, she said, how important passing the ISTEP graduation qualifying exam is for 10th-grade students.
Larry Stoner, Whitko High School principal, said they were very "upbeat on our ISTEP progress." Monday morning he had a two-hour meeting with the language arts department to find ways to improve language arts scores on ISTEP and remediation for students who did poorly on the language arts part of the ISTEP+.
In other business, the Whitko School Board:
• Heard a short presentation from John Riley of the roof consulting architectural firm of Martin, Riley, Mock Inc. on alternatives for the repair and/or replacement of the Whitko Middle School roof.
The board approved developing specifications for the repair/replacement of the roof and bidding out work that meets the specifications.
• Approved the pay applications and change orders for the renovation project, except for $3,850.50. The $3,850.50 will be held until the architect says the work is satisfactorily completed.
• Heard building updates from each of the school principals.
Stoner said the high school has started offering credit for algebra for eighth-graders.
The FFA distributed food baskets for Christmas and the high school had a semi-formal dance that was well attended. Last weekend, the high school had a Christmas concert and 40 to 45 students went on a ski trip Monday.
The high school is preparing for the eighth-grade orientation.
"It's always an exciting time for those students and their parents," Stoner said.
"We have exceeded our scores from last year," said Whitko Middle School Principal Jerry Klausing on the ISTEP scores.
He said they are also looking for ways to conserve energy, and new phones at the school have been installed.
Parent-teacher conferences are Jan. 30 and Klausing said the school is targeting parents of students who have not been academically successful. They want to give those parents and their children some direction.
At Pierceton Elementary School, principal Ruth Jones said in November, PES students won the Spell Bowl for the second year in a row. She said, "The nice part of the Spell Bowl is that it's a team effort."
DARE graduation will be Jan. 22 and fourth-graders at Pierceton attended Gov. Frank O'Bannon's inauguration.
"They enjoyed that and it was an experience they haven't had before," Jones said.
Parent-teacher conferences are Feb. 1 and the trip to the Shrine Circus is Feb. 2. The annual talent show will be Feb. 22.
Bill Hoppus, South Whitley Elementary principal, said their fourth-graders also went to the inauguration of O'Bannon.
Grade cards will be distributed Jan. 18.
The band boosters will hold a Fish Fry Feb. 9.
• Approved nine field trip requests.
• The board reviewed the changes to the school corp. policies and bylaws. Superintendent Dr. William Worl said the approximate 20 changes are mostly "minor word revisions" or due to changes by the state. Copies of the changes will be available at all the Whitko schools.
• The Whitko School Corp. Board of Finance held a meeting prior to the regular school board meeting.
Hal Trump was voted as the finance board president and Dave Tranter, secretary. The board also approved the 2000 investment report.
Members of the Whitko School Corp. Board of Trustees are Michael Braddock, Deborah Collier, Larry Long, Dave Tranter and Hal Trump.
Their next meeting is Feb. 12 at the Whitko Administration Center, Pierceton.
