BY KIM LUTTRELL
OAKWOOD — School board members heard a presentation Wednesday from Michelle Kimbro, curriculum coordinator, about student academic assessment done in the spring and how the test scores from the first year of the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing are being used.
According to Kimbro, the MAP testing can create reports for each student, teacher, grade class, building and the district overall.
The MAP reports allow the teacher and the district to fine tune their teaching curriculum to try to ensure that students are learning at the same general level. It can point which student or group of students need more help in reading, math and writing.
The MAP program is used to help the district in meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.
The school board also heard a curriculum report on the physical education/health program at the junior high school. The report was given by Deanna Acton and Paul Stevenson, physical education instructors.
In other action, the school board members:
-- Approved the resignation of Tamara Medina as special education assistant in the junior high school.
-- Approved the employment of Kelly Ferdinand as assistant drama coach at the high school; Ann Bartlett as special education teaching assistant at junior high school; Paige Watson as teacher assistant in special education at the junior high school; and Tammy Amos Spencer as a full-time bus driver.
-- Learned the holiday meal for senior citizens will be at 11 a.m. Dec. 2 at the high school. To make a reservation call the high school office.
-- Learned from Superintendent Kevin Forney that state aid payments are on schedule but other state reimbursement funding for areas such as transportation are still lagging with the district currently owed $192,000 by the state.
-- Learned Forney and other members of the cooperative high school group, along with state Rep. Bill Black and state Sen. Mike Frerichs, will meet with the Illinois State Board of Education in November to discuss the need for funding to build the proposed cooperative high school.
-- Learned the annual school crisis plan has been reviewed by law enforcement as well as fire and rescue personnel as required by law.
-- Will have one school board member sit in on the administrative merit pay plan being developed by school administration staff.
-- Learned that as of Oct. 1 any Freedom of Information Act requests must be responded to within five days rather than seven days. Also the per page copying fee for FOIA requests is set at 15 cents per page.
-- Learned that there will be online training for school board members for the changes in the open meetings act that become effective Jan. 1, 2010.
-- Learned that there are 41 high school students enrolled in the College Express program at Danville Area Community College.
-- Approved the state mandated district pandemic influenza plan.
NEXT UP
The Oakwood School Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 18 in the grade school conference room.
