New K-6 literacy program purchased
A new K-6 elementary literacy curriculum is headed to Marshalltown this fall.
The board approved purchasing Treasures, a literacy curriculum from McGraw-Hill Companies. The new curriculum will replace materials from 2003.
Dr. Susan Pecinovsky, associate superintendent for student achievement, says benefits of Treasures include online materials for teachers and online learning opportunitites for students. Treasures also has specific materials for Special Education and English Language Learners.
“This will be an opportunity for a seamless system for instruction [with Special Education, ELL, and core instruction materials],” Pecinovsky said.
The purchase price for the new materials is $497,608.
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Federal program supports migrant student education
Approximately 280 migrant students are enrolled in Marshalltown Schools and Monday night the Board learned more about them and the Federal program designed to help them succeed.
MCSD received $276,400 in Title I – Part C Federal funding this school year for the education of “migratory children”. This funding provides supplemental education and support services for eligible children face the challenges of disrupted education.
Rachel Inks, district English Language Learneing coordinator, reviewed the migrant program for the Board and the Federal eligibility requirements. Students must be under 22 years of age without a high school deploma or GED. His or her parent, spouse, or guardian must be a migrant agricultural worker and the child must have moved in the last 36 months to accompany them to seek temporary or seasonal work. The work must be with raw agricultural product and be the primary means of livelihood.
Iowa has nine school districts with migrant programs, each one in a community with a meat processing or packing plant.
Migrant students are identified at registration. Families are asked if they recently moved to Marshalltown seeking work in agriculture, food processing, etc. If yes, the District Migrant Recruiter interviews the family and completes a Certificate of Eligibility (CoE). This is reviewed by the District Migrant Coordinator and submitted to the Iowa Migrant Coordinator for approval.
The Federal program has “priority for service” guidelines to identify students with the most pressing needs. These include an interruption to education in the previous 12 months and if a student is failing or at risk of failing.
Funds received through the Migrant Program pay part of the salaries of some employees and provide supplemental services like tutoring, after school programs, ESL services, credit recovery, preschool and other instructional resources. Migrant students also receive free school meals and are eligible for translation and interpretation services and some supportive health services in cooperation with other agencies.
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Franklin Field Gateway project, MHS classroom addition finished
The Board closed out two projects Monday night, approving the resolution of substantial completion for the Franklin Field Gateway Project and the Marshalltown High School second floor classroom addition.
The Franklin Field Gateway project was funded by community donations. Buildings & Grounds Director Rick Simpson told the Board the community volunteers had recently completed the landscaping for the project and had plans to supervise upkeep.
Both projects were completed by Hay Construction Services.
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IPI measures student, teacher engagement
The spring Instructional Practices Inventory (IPI) data collection is complete, and the results are consistent with fall collections.
The IPI process is a set of strategies for profiling student engagement on six categories. This data helps teachers assess and enhance their teaching process to increase engagement and with it student achievement.
The District worked with consultants from Area Education Agency 267, which sent a team of certified trainers to collect the first baseline information in the fall. District staff members were then trained and conducted a spring collection.
The fall collection showed 86.43 percent of observations scored in the 3-6 range. The spring collection showed 87 percent.
Dr. Susan Pecinovsky, associate superintendent for student achievement, said this information will be used as the baseline to measure future progress in student engagement as part of the district Strategic Action Plan.
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Notes from the Board
By Kay Beach, Board President
Whenever I am asked to list my hobbies, one of the activities that is high on my list is reading. Reading is truly a passion of mine; being stuck somewhere with time on my hands and nothing to read is my idea of torture. I remember clearly the hours I spent in first grade, looking at the alphabet letters along the top of the blackboard and repeating over and over their initial sounds; and I remember, too, the seemingly endless repetition of long and short vowel sounds. When I was six years old my burning ambition was to be able to read (for myself!) the Sunday comics—“Lulu,” “Henry,” “Little Orphan Annie,” “Popeye,” etc. Learning to read unlocked the doors to unlimited realms: nature, the universe, fantasy, foreign lands, the past, the future….and the Sunday comics. Today, reading remains the key to all other learning. So, tonight, when the Board voted to spend nearly half a million dollars on pre-K through sixth grade literacy materials specifically designed to help all students, it was one of the most significant votes that we, as Board members, will ever make.
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Notes from the Superintendent
By Dr. Marvin Wade, Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Pecinovsky’s report on student classroom engagement included data from observations conducted as part of our commitment to the use of the Instructional Practices Inventory. Trained observers go classroom to classroom making determinations about the extent to which students are actively engaged in the learning process. Observations conducted during the current school year resulted in a district baseline of 86 percent engagement. Knowing that engagement is a crucial component for higher levels of learning, engagement targets have been set for the next three years. District engagement targets for 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 are 92 percent, 97 percent and 100 percent classroom engagement respectively.
We look forward using IPI to gauge our progess as we work to make sure students and teachers are engaged in the learning process.
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PERSONNEL
Resignations
Teresa VandeLune Steensma, Miller 7th Grade Science teacher, effective at the end of the school year.
Daniel Lovell, MHS Special Education teacher, effective at the end of the school year.
Paula Pisney, Rogers ELL teacher/SIOP coach, effective at the end of the school year.
Carla Goettsch, B&G secretary, effective May 28, 2012.
Doug Bacon, MHS Boys Track Coach, effective at the end of the school year.
Sherry Glenney, Substitute Bus Driver, effective May 9, 2012.
Appointments
Lisa Schneck, Miller Grade 7 math teacher. Start date: Aug. 15, 2012. Salary: BA Step 5.
Stephanie Lase, Miller Grade 7 Art teacher. Start date: Aug. 15, 2012. Salary: BA Step 5.
Lindsay Delagardelle, Miller Grade 8 Art teacher. Start date: Aug. 15, 2012. Salary: MA Step 5.
Caira Young, Miller Learning Supports Specialist. Start date: June 1, 2012. Salary: $35,000/year.
Michael Britt, computer tech/auditorium assistant. Start date: May 21, 2012. Salary: $30,000/year.
Carla Goettsch, B&G warehouse/receiving. Start date: May 29, 2012. Salary: $16.73/hour.
Mark Bohan, MHS assistant football coach. Start date: 2012-2013 school year. Salary: TBD.
Matthew Butler, MHS assistant boys basketball coach. Start date: 2012-2013 school year. Salary: TBD.
Change of Contract
Sara Reed, Special Ed Level II teacher. Start date: 2012-2013 school year. Change from Miller to MHS.
Kayleen Schwartzenburg, MHS paraeducator. Start date: 2012-2013 school year. Change of assignment at same position level.
Caitlin Ellis, Anson general education paraeducator. Start date: 2012-2013 school year. Change from Special Ed Level III paraeducator at Hoglan.
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POLICY
First Reading
201.8 Vacancies, major revision based on IASB policy, waive second reading
202.1 Code of Ethics, major revision based on updates to Iowa Code, waive second reading
701.5 Post-Issuance Compliance Policy for Tax-Exempt Obligations, new policy required for bond refinancing
Initial Review
202.5 Board of Directors’ Conflict of Interest, return for first reading
202.7 Individual Board Members, return for first reading
203.1 Formulation, Review & Revision of Policy, return for first reading
203.2 Adoption of Administration Rules & Regulations, mark reviewed
203.4 Ad Hoc Committees, mark reviewed
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The Board Report 