Recent school rankings topic of board discussion

New school rankings was on the mind of board members at the North Putnam Community School Corporation meeting last Thursday.

During Thursday's meeting, member Mark Fordice brought up the new school rankings presented by the state Department of Education.

Fordice asked Supt. Murray Pride what that meant and what they needed to do about that.

Pride said that the rankings were the result of Public Law 221 and the school improvement plans.

PL 221 states that groups of students, also known as cohorts, will be tracked as they progress from grade to grade. This law was established a couple of years prior to the No Child Left Behind program.

"Its a little bit different way of evaluating and grading schools," said Pride.

Pride also explained that No Child Left Behind program is a one time thing, that deals with third graders this year and third graders next year.

"It's not looking at the same set of students that move from third grade to fourth grade to fifth grade," said Pride.

Pride informed the board that the rankings received from the Department of Education were based on ISTEP scores and school improvement over a period of time.

The corporation has two schools with exemplary progress, Bainbridge and Roachdale Elementary, while North Putnam Middle and High School are under "academic watch."

"This means that there are certain groups of students that we need to work with them in order to bring their scores up," Pride said.

Pride informed the board that he had told the BannerGraphic that the corporation does not particularly like the rankings, but it does mean the corporation has work to do in order to improve the scores.

"It is a challenge to us," Pride said. "And probably just as much of a challenge to us next month when we try to explain."

Pride will be providing the board with a report explaining the rankings by next meeting.

Later in the meeting, the board approved the resignation of the following staff members: middle/high school assistant band director Amanda Grahn; bus drivers Charles Reeves, Wayne Gehlback, and Lori Herbert; high school head girls track coach Michelle Spencer; high school FCA leader Brenda Anderson; Roachdale destination imagination coach Patty Jones; Central Elementary teacher Abigail Sirianni for Old National Trail; ONT job coach Susan Wainman; ONT instructional assistants Amy Mitchell, Jill Cummings, Mark Ginder, Donna Lawson, Teri Metzger, Leslie Sims, and Rodney Warfield. The retirement of ONT instructional assistant Jo Ellen Alexander was also approved.

The board also approved the hiring of the following staff members: middle/high school assistant band director Matt Verplaetse; Roachdale Elementary instructional assistants Christina Shaffer and Tina Bucy; middle school instructional assistants Susan Rising and Melanie Schreiber; bus drivers Amy Winings, Sharon Davis, and Nancy Thomas; Bainbridge Elementary instructional assistants Dawn Smith, Mendy Ruble, Michelle Elliott, and Treva Henninger; high school boys open gym instructor Wes Peek; middle school head swim coach Wes Richardson; middle school assistant swim coach Lori Baker; middle school eighth grade volunteer volleyball coaches Jean Badten and Julie Harbison; middle school seventh grade head volleyball coach Jodi Clodfelter; middle school eighth grade head volleyball coach Mandy Stephenson; ONT occupational therapist Shelly Starbuck; ONT instructional assistant Janet Musser; and ONT job coach Renee Eaton.