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District stumbles with new state tests
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: November 17, 2015

On new math and English learning standards, the Valley Center school district has a lot of work to do.

The school board on Nov. 9 got a look at how Valley Center students fared on new state tests, which were taken last spring and covered new and more rigorous standards of proficiency.

"The bar was raised significantly," said Rebecca Khosravipour, the district's director of student learning.

The new standards are a result of the state's emphasis on preparing students for college and careers. The standards are aligned to the so-called Common Core measures.

The tests showed that while many Valley Center students met expectations for their grade levels in English and math, most did not meet expectations for college and career readiness. Further, the number of students who achieved the expectations for college and career readiness was much lower in the upper grade levels.

The tests were taken by students in third through eighth grades and 10th-graders.

For English, 53 percent of students in third grade were at or above expectations for college and career readiness, but only 26 percent of 10th-graders met the goals.

Results on math tests were similar.

"To me, this is an indication that our curriculum was not aligned like it needed to be and was not meeting the high level of rigor that it needs to meet," Khosravipour said.

To improve those scores, the district implemented new math and language arts curriculum this year. Khosravipour said the new curriculum is aligned with the new state standards.

"State standards jumped in rigor," she said. "… Now it is so much more challenging than in years past. … The program we're implementing is supporting the standards we need to meet."

Khosravipour said she would be "shocked" if Valley Center's test scores didn't improve next year.

She called the first year of test scores "baseline data," which will be used to measure the district's progress.

"We have a lot of work to do, as you can see," Khosravipour said.

In other learning-related business Nov. 9, Superintendent Cory Gibson said the state education department is rolling out its new vision for public schools.

Based on the vision statement "Kansas leads the world in the success of each student," the department will emphasize real-world instruction with curriculum that is highly individualized for students and integrated with business and community expectations.

The Valley Center school district is embarking on a new five-year strategic plan, which will be used to tie into the state's new expectations.

In other business Nov. 9, the board:

•Learned that a special meeting involving the Valley Center City Council has tentatively been set for 6 p.m. Dec. 8. The district has invited Sen. Carolyn McGinn, Rep. Steve Huebert and Rep. Gene Suellentrop.

•Thanked LifePoint Church and Pastor Steve Rains for organizing local projects as part of Day of Hope. Youth volunteers cleaned flowerbeds at the high school and painted curbs, playground equipment and bike racks at other schools. "We're very, very grateful for their help," said Mike Bonner, assistant superintendent. "They were easy to work with and would do anything we asked them to do."

•Accepted a $1,500 grant from West PTO for Project Lead the Way supplies.

•Agreed to recycle 30 AppleTVs.

•Heard a report from the Abilene Site Council and PTO.

•Heard a report from Mark Hoy on a strategic plan objective dealing with classified staff proficiency.

•Voted to appoint Sara Osterman as Valley Center's legislative delegate to the Kansas Association of School Boards annual meeting in December.

•Approved building improvement plans for each school.

•Met in executive session twice for a combined 30 minutes to discuss personnel.

•Accepted supplemental contract resignations from Ashley Jayarathne (district leadership team, Dec. 1) and Logan Harpool (baseball assistant coach, Oct. 20).

•Approved a supplemental contract for Emily Snyder (high school girls baskeball assistant coach, $3,305, Oct. 13).

•Approved the hiring of Lori Schremmer (Title I aide at Wheatland and at-risk aide at the intermediate school, $9.40 per hour, Oct. 26) and Cina Callison (custodian at the high school, $10.35 per hour, Nov. 2).

•Accepted the resignation of Toni Trimble (food service cook at the middle school, Oct. 21).

•Learned that the district had finalized a contract with an architect to begin work on a possible bond election proposal.





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