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Principals: There’s room for improvement on school report cards
Posted: Wednesday, Dec 19, 2007 - 04:49:28 pm EST
By BOB LIVINGSTON - Register Staff Writer
The School Report Cards for both Mt. Carmel High School and Mt. Carmel Middle School both indicate students are doing better.
But the respective principals, Pat Cheesman at MCHS and Rick Johnston at MCMS, both feel improvements can be made.
Cheesman told the District 348 Board of Education at Monday’s regular monthly meeting that 49.6 percent of last year’s students taking the Prairie State Achievement Test met or exceeded the state standards. He said that was down from the previous year. Cheesman also said the state average was 52.6 percent.
He added that math and reading scored were good, but the science scores were a little low.
He said male students “did an excellent job” in their reading and math scores. Those in the economically disadvantaged and disabilities group, however, have lower scores.
Cheesman said the school did meet its Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) goal, noting that the school had a 97 percent graduation rate and only a three percent drop-out rate.
As far as the School Improvement Plan, Cheesman said the goals have not changed because they have yet to be achieved. He said the key is to get the students motivated, and he has some plans in the works to do that.
Johnston said MCMS met the overall AYP goals in all categories except for those students with Individual Educational Programs (IEPs). But those students, he added, did not keep MCMS from meeting its goals.
Johnston showed the board some figures to illustrate his points. He also compared last year’s scores to those of the previous year. In the 2005-06 school year, 85.9 percent of all students met or exceeded the goals for math; the state average was 47.5 percent. In the 2006-07 school year, 86.5 percent met or exceeded the goal for math; the state average was 55 percent.
It was only in the area of reading where those with IEPs fell below the average. And then it was only those in the 6th and 7th grades.
“If you were to query only those students without an IEP from our overall school score, our general student body who take regular education classes were tested at 94 percent for math,” Johnston’s report indicated.
He also tracked last year’s 6th-grade through 8th-grade students to compare scores over several years. As 5th-grade students, last year’s 8th-grade students scored 78 percent in math. When they were 7th-grade students the group scored 86.4 percent. And last year the group posted an 87.7 percent rate.
“We will be moving our inclusion classes to literature and math courses instead of science and social studies,” said Johnston. “We believe that students will greatly benefit from the additional reinforcement in the special education rooms with reading and math.”
Johnston’s report also outlined methods MCMS will use to achieve the desired outcomes in reading and math.
PRINCIPALS’ REPORTS
Cheesman reported that MCHS students are working toward the first semester’s end. He said the school’s Music Department held its Christmas Concert on Dec. 9.
The community has become involved with fundraising for the LCD projector in the main gym, Cheesman said. He noted the senior class initiated the project with several of the school’s clubs also donating.
Johnston said ARC Construction would begin repair work on the MCMS gym roof, with the ridgecap, today (Wednesday). He added teachers are now able to check students’ eligibility in approximately 30 seconds, and those reports are then forwarded to coaches, advisors and team leaders.
The Your Choice program held its graduation, which included numerous awards and refreshments.
Whirlpool donated a full-sized, energy efficient refrigerator for the faculty lounge through the efforts of Terri Hicks, the spouse of an MCMS employee and the parent of an MCMS student.
Mike Hays, principal at North Intermediate Center of Education, reported he attended a workshop in Olney which dealt with improving student achievement. He also attended the Project Success meeting which dealt with formulating needed programs for community youth. One of those projects is to provide swimming lessons for second-grade students.
Darlene Weir, principal at South Elementary School, reported the Christmas Program was held Dec. 10. She, also, noted the swimming lessons for second grade students, as well as the workshop in Olney.
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