School Board Gets MAP Results

The Jasper County School Board met in a work session on Thursday, Jan. 12, and for a business meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at which time they received the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) updates for winter, and handled a number of matters.

The first order of business at the regular meeting was the re-election of Shannon Barton as chairman of the school board, and the election of Erin Lynch as vice-chair. It was also Bill Schilling’s first official meeting since being elected to the board last year.

The group visited the multi-purpose building at the high school which is virtually complete and awaiting the delivery of equipment. The building will house the new weight room, and has a room for wrestling, competition cheerleading and other practices, such as band. The acoustics would not be good for the band, but it will likely be used for flag corps rehearsal particularly in inclement weather and perhaps during summer band camp. The room could also be among the facilities the public could ask to use for various meetings or gatherings.

Board members received a MAP report and explanation at the work session, and it was reviewed at the regular meeting. The assessment shows gains that have been made from when the test was administered in the fall until it was administered in the winter.

Some highlights include:

{{more}}

Kindergarten math increased from 87 students scoring at the expected level in the fall to 129 students scoring at the expected level in the winter (70% of JCPS kindergarten students met the national norm or expectation).

Fifth grade math increased from 48 students scoring at the expected level in the fall to 80 students scoring at the expected level in the winter (50% of WPES fifth grade students met the national norm or expectation).

Eighth grade reading increased from 91 students scoring at the expected level in the fall to 110 students scoring at the expected level in the winter (61% of JCMS eighth grade students met the national norm or expectation).

Areas of Continued Focus:

The data indicates that in the area of fourth grade math, only 21 percent of the fourth graders are meeting the expectation; therefore, the teachers and administration has used the instructional data from MAP to provide additional math support focused on numbers and operations/fractions to all students. By using small groups tailored to different areas of need, the students are learning math concepts with which they struggle. This will provide more opportunity for students to make progress and master the standards. This change in the approach to teaching and class time allows students to learn concepts that they have not mastered. Teachers are able to personalize the learning to the needs of the student.

The data indicates that in the area of ninth grade reading, only 48 percent of the ninth graders are meeting the expectation; however, this is drastic increase from the fall where only 28 percent of the ninth graders demonstrated mastery at the expected level. Though teachers and administrators we are very pleased with the significant progress, they also realize the importance of being a successful reader.

Ninth grade students who continue to demonstrate below level reading skills are being provided specific reading instruction with a specialized reading approach.

Virtually all grades showed improvement from fall to winter in the math and reading scores. The aforementioned fourth grade math scores were the most dismal, but other grades also showed significant needs. Third graders also struggled some in math, which shows administrators where to concentrate their teaching.

Board members also agreed to delay the roof and heating and air conditioning work at Jasper County Middle School because of a snag in the state funding.

They also previewed the upcoming budget, while recognizing current projections are too early to be accurate. However, School Supt. Mike Newton explained that if the state approves the two percent pay raise for teachers, it probably won’t fund the added cost associated with the raise, such as additional FICA. In addition, in the past when teachers receive a raise, the local system has made it across the board, and the state will not fund raises for all personnel.

Board members agreed the top priority is to return to a full 190 day year for teachers. Dr. Barton pointed out it is hard to retain and recruit when the school doesn’t offer a full schedule. They briefly discussed signing bonuses, but made it clear that until funding is restored for a full year that is probably not something to consider.

After a closed session, board members agreed to the following new hires:

*Rebecca Ashworth, Andrea Crowe, Sarah English, Lenrose Fears, and Ashley Mitchell, all as substitute teachers.

*Marcia Smith, substitute bus driver.

They also agreed to terminate Allie Kinard, paraprofessional, Jasper County Primary School.

Also, during the meeting, board members:

*Approved three policies and put two more on the table.

*Approved the consent agenda consisting of field trips, fund raisers and use of facility requests.

*Agreed to hear from one chair of the school governance team at each meeting and to receive a brief report from each SGT.

*Reviewed the financial reports.