Marion school board looks at state assessments
Marion-Florence school board members reviewed statistics Monday from state-ordered tests, which play a large role in determining if a school will maintain accreditation.
Such tests are becoming even more important due to federal requirements under the title "Leave No Child Behind," said Missy Stubenhofer, teacher and curriculum coordinator.
At the state level, schools must show general upward trends among scores. At the federal level, scores must show fewer students scoring at "basic" or "unsatisfactory" levels. There is less emphasis on students scoring at the top level, if other students remain at lower levels.
"We have to find a way to reach those kids who are coming to middle school without reading and math skills," Stubenhofer said.
Most of the tests show few students as "unsatisfactory," particularly when scores do not include special education students, Stubenhofer showed. However, numbers of students identified at the "basic" level were significant on some assessments, reaching 30 percent or more of the class.
One step is an ever-increasing emphasis on the importance of the tests. More and more, the district is finding ways to award grades for state results so students will do their best, said Gerald Henderson, superintendent. Other steps include remedial classes for students identified as "basic" or "unsatisfactory."
"We're making state assessments part of what we do, not something we add on," he said. The negative is that it puts more emphasis on one-time test scores.
Stubenhofer said some students still see taking state assessments as a way to relax because they "don't count." In one case, two students she herself awarded As in math were flagged as "unsatisfactory" on a state math assessment, she said.
In other reports:
Marion Elementary School teacher Linda Allison reported on a two-week workshop she attended this summer, sponsored by NASA. She learned a great deal of information on new ways to present math and science concepts, she said.
The board accepted the John Leslie and Ada Estelle Fruechting Memorial Scholarship Fund. The endowed scholarship, established by a contribution from Claire L. and Ross W. Meredith of Bartlesville, Okla., is in honor of Claire's grandparents, officials said. Interest from the scholarship goes to an MHS senior who plans to continue post-high school education and who demonstrates leadership in the classroom or in school activities.
Budget expenditures will decrease at least $60,000 this year, due to declining enrollment and reductions in state aid. Full time equivalent enrollment is estimated at 682.6 students, down from 704.1 in 2001. Enrollment projections estimate a steady decline over the next few years. The decline is occurring statewide in almost all districts, Superintendent Gerry Henderson said.
The board rejected bids to replace the exterior fence at the football stadium. Several broken posts have required additional steel posts to support the fence but board members said they couldn't justify the expense, with bids ranging from $7,000 to almost $12,000.
Marion Middle School Principal Tod Gordon participated in a committee that selected the Kansas Teacher of the Year. "We have teachers who can compete at that level," he said.
