Board Briefs - July Meeting 2019

Regular Open Meeting Brief – July 18, 2019

The entire meeting agenda can be viewed at: July 18, 2019 BOE Meeting

i-Ready Diagnostic Assessment

 The Curriculum and Instruction department assesses all Kindergarten through ninth graders and all CAIR students three times a year using the i-Ready Diagnostic Assessment in both reading and math. The i-Ready Diagnostic & Instruction program is a two-part product that includes online assessments and online instruction. Spring test results showed significant gains of 27% in reading and 33% in math across the district, moving students into ‘at or above grade level’ (Tier 1).  The data is delineated by school and identifies areas of strength as well as where improvement is needed.

Safety Survey

 A series of surveys have been developed to ascertain how our various stakeholders perceive safety issues in their schools and is administered annually.  The surveys were differentiated by school and location within the building to provide the most accurate information.  Overall, elementary school students report feeling safe in their schools.  Over 88% of middle school students feel safe at school, an increase of nearly 19% over last year.  High school students indicated a decrease in weapons, gang activity, drug use and bullying from last year. Click on the meeting link above to view the survey report.

Before and After School Services

The Board approved continuing the partnership with the Local Investment Commission (LINC) to provide before and after school care at no cost to families for the 2019-20 school year.  The morning program begins at 7:00 a.m. until school starts and the afternoon program begins after school dismissal until 6:00 p.m.  LINC services will operate each weekday school is scheduled except on early release days or when schools are closed due to inclement weather or other emergency.

Head Start and Early Head Start Programs

The Board approved a contract with the Mid America Regional Council (MARC) to continue providing Head Start and Early Head start programming at the High Grove Early Childhood Center for the 2019-20 school year.

Grant Funding

The Board approved the submission and acceptance of over $2,000,000 in grant funds for the 2019-20 school year.  Grants included the United Way Success By Six Resource Center, Consolidated Federal Programs, Carl Perkins IV, and the CTE Base and Performance grant administered through the DESE.