ACS Board of Education Meeting February 13, 2024

Alexander County Schools Taylorsville, NC2024-02-14

1K views|6 months ago

💫 Short Summary

The School Board meeting highlighted achievements such as National Board Certification for teachers, a grant for a classroom makeover, and support for aspiring educators. Endale Elementary School focused on student leadership and improving academic performance. The Student Success Center aided students in overcoming obstacles and achieving success. The district emphasized data analysis, literacy programs, and math curriculum improvements. The board discussed policies, budget challenges, and potential job cuts. Efforts were made to engage parents, provide career and technical education opportunities, and address financial concerns through land sales. Overall, the focus was on supporting student success, staff recognition, and community involvement.

✨ Highlights

📊 Transcript

✦

Recognition of National Board Certification for Teachers at School Board Meeting.

01:15

Pledge of Allegiance led by students Kennedy Hall and Paisley Winter.

Approval of agenda and recognition of Alexander County teachers for earning and renewing national board certifications.

71 staff members in Alexander County have national board certification.

North Carolina ranks first in the US for the number of nationally board-certified teachers, with 24% of the state's teachers holding this certification.

✦

Danielle Ortiz wins $40,000 grant for classroom makeover.

10:24

Ortiz competed against teachers from Atlanta and Boston in a public vote competition.

The project was organized by the principal and intern at Bethlehem Elementary.

Ortiz's victory was achieved through a statewide public vote, being the only contestant from North Carolina.

✦

Recognition of Miss Holler from Endelle Elementary School for her hard work and dedication.

12:38

Miss Holler is pursuing a teaching degree at Gardner Webb University with tuition reimbursement from the Alexander County aspiring Teachers Program.

The program supports teaching assistants in obtaining their state license and becoming teachers in Alexander County.

Miss Holler's achievement is celebrated with applause and congratulations.

Highlights the importance of investing in education and supporting aspiring educators.

✦

Endale Elementary School emphasizes leadership opportunities for students.

16:18

The school is a Lighthouse school, prioritizing student success and growth.

Efforts are being made to increase daily attendance from 92% to 94%.

Families are engaged to emphasize the importance of regular school attendance.

The Improvement Team is actively working towards academic goals and improving school performance.

✦

School focuses on increasing family and community involvement to reach 60% engagement in activities.

19:30

Student and staff achievements are highlighted through monthly spotlights and awards.

Academic successes celebrated with a trip to the movies for Honor roll students.

Successful parent-teacher conferences and engaging events like Fall Into Reading Night and a Veterans Day assembly honoring servicemen and women.

Principal emphasizes celebrating positive aspects to boost morale and foster a supportive school culture.

✦

School events like Winter Fest and Fall in Love with Math Knight were successful with family participation.

22:15

Community partners sponsored Christmas families to support students in need.

The school year started successfully with the speaker expressing pride in being part of the school.

Communication strategies for involving parents include texting, using Dojo, Facebook, and sending home flyers.

Early advertising led to better event turnout this year.

✦

The Student Success Center aims to reduce suspensions by 50% and enhance academic achievement for students who have overcome extreme obstacles.

25:03

Staff members, including teachers, counselors, and social workers, play a crucial role in the success of the center.

The center's approach is based on a Behavior Matrix emphasizing choice, commitment, honor, integrity, and cooperation.

Efforts are made to engage students in online learning to keep them interested in school.

Additional opportunities are provided to support students in the Student Success Center.

✦

Importance of commitment and honor in achieving success and guiding students towards positive choices.

28:11

Success stories of students who transitioned back to their home schools or pursued further education are highlighted.

Emphasis on individual student achievements and the impact of the Student Success Center in helping students graduate and pursue their goals is evident.

✦

Impact of High School Graduation on the Community.

30:12

Students who do not graduate cost $443 per year for the community and state.

Graduating three students saved $113,000, and over a lifetime, each graduate contributes $876,000.

The Student Success Center helps students succeed, with examples of graduates entering the military, working full-time, or attending community college.

The center focuses on creating visions and goals for students' futures, leading to a decrease in suspension days and incidents, attributed to students following rules and seeking help when needed.

✦

Students are thriving with additional support and resources, showing improvement in behavior and academic performance.

33:17

Teachers are partnering with organizations like Alexander operative extension for food labs, engaging students in cooking healthy meals.

Partnerships with high schools are being created for more activities, including a Simulator Trailer and virtual reality.

Students are participating in hands-on learning experiences like masonry and science experiments.

The community is providing tutoring and art opportunities for students.

✦

The Student Success Center promotes integrity, cooperation, and encouragement among students.

35:40

Integrity is emphasized through honoring the rights and differences of others with student awards like Student of the Month and the Student Choice Award.

Cooperation is taught through class agreements and outdoor activities to emphasize teamwork and following rules.

Encouragement is provided through guest speakers sharing their stories, offering inspiration and motivation to students.

✦

Speaker's journey from police officer to motivational speaker inspiring students.

38:13

School celebrations including honoring students of the month and student choice awards mentioned.

Emphasis on teamwork and community involvement, such as making Valentines for senior center.

Focus on building relationships with students through regular check-ins to earn trust.

Commendation of high school options like CTE classes and vocational training for students' future success.

✦

Importance of supporting children with mental health issues in an educational setting.

40:47

Success of the program in helping kids graduate who may have otherwise not.

Focus on meeting kids at their level and providing a smaller, supportive environment for education.

Behaviors like walking out of the building and serving higher-need kids are discussed.

Emphasis on teaching children that there are more opportunities available to them.

✦

Success of 'I Ready' Assessment Program

44:05

Program has positive impact on students' skills and knowledge.

Provides personalized learning opportunities, especially during the pandemic.

Emphasis on importance of classroom teachers despite effectiveness of online tools.

Results show improvement with reduced reliance on online learning.

✦

Academic Achievement Summary

47:17

Kindergarten, first, and second-grade students are performing well above grade level, exceeding state and national averages.

Third-grade students are excelling, with 64% in the green category.

Fourth-grade performance is slightly below the benchmark for North Carolina but comparable to the state.

Fifth-grade students have shown significant improvement in reading and math performance.

Sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students consistently outperform state and national averages in academic achievement.

✦

Assessment of student performance compared to previous year.

50:07

Challenges due to impact of COVID-19 on learning.

Improvements in student performance, with fewer students below grade level in kindergarten.

Decrease in struggling students overall.

Focus on promoting growth and reducing struggling students, particularly in sixth grade math.

✦

Importance of phonological awareness, phonics, and high-frequency words in developing strong reading skills.

56:06

Systematic phonics program highlighted as essential for decoding words and improving literacy.

Implementation of Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach in early grades to address weaknesses and promote reading proficiency.

Progress showcased in improving reading capabilities through targeted interventions.

Foundational reading components emphasized for student success.

✦

District's focus on improving vocabulary instruction and math curriculum.

58:53

Transitioning away from Engage New York for math has led to positive results in comparison to state and national levels.

Sixth-grade math performance is particularly impressive, attributed to a solid curriculum and foundational skills.

Acknowledgment of the efforts of teachers, instructional leaders, students, and parental support in achieving success above state and national averages in various areas.

✦

Impact of COVID Recovery on Student Performance

01:01:09

Fluctuations in focus from reading to math seen in third grade post-COVID recovery have implications for subsequent math performance.

Sixth graders have fully recovered in math performance, while seventh and eighth graders may need additional support.

Some schools have seen growth in low-performing students achieving high levels of growth.

The importance of aligning curriculum and addressing patterns in seventh grade math performance for future improvements is emphasized.

✦

Identifying and addressing academic challenges in seventh grade.

01:03:21

Data analysis shows improvement in student skills, particularly in areas like algebra and geometry.

Individual student growth is emphasized, with examples of significant progress in various subjects.

The effectiveness of teaching methods is highlighted through improved student performance levels over time.

✦

The video segment focuses on interventions for students based on assessment results, emphasizing quantitative reasoning and computation.

01:07:33

Data is used to customize interventions for individual student needs and create standard treatment protocols.

Instructional coaches lead problem-solving meetings, analyze data, and collaborate with teachers to monitor student progress.

A multi-tiered system of support ensures interventions are tailored to student needs, providing flexibility and enrichment for students at different skill levels.

✦

School focuses on individualized interventions, curriculum collapsing, and student support teams.

01:09:51

Interventions are assessed for effectiveness and IEPs or 504 plans may be implemented if needed.

Compliance with federal legislation ensured through EC and 504 referrals.

Counselors no longer involved in testing for social-emotional needs.

Coaches have taken on additional responsibilities due to high EC Department needs.

✦

Importance of data analysis in understanding intervention effectiveness for children's skills.

01:13:11

Recovery from academic setbacks due to COVID noted, with lingering issues in mental health and anxiety.

Schools have shown improvement, especially in reading, with elementary schools exceeding performance expectations.

Success attributed to the shorter distance elementary students have to progress academically.

Teachers and interventionists praised for supporting students through challenging times.

✦

Impact of raising rigor in elementary school on student performance in middle school.

01:16:10

Emphasizes importance of teachers adapting to changing skill levels of students and continuous improvement for proficiency.

Regression to the mean is highlighted as a natural statistical progression of student performance.

Discussion on strategies between coaches and principals to maintain and increase student proficiency levels over time.

Collaboration and dedication from all involved parties is required for successful implementation.

✦

Importance of using data to support students and teachers.

01:17:51

Recognizing teachers' dedication and commitment to their students.

Emphasis on treating the whole child beyond just numbers.

Value of data in informing strategies for individualized support and growth.

✦

School Awards and Recognitions Process.

01:20:48

A committee screens recommendations for awards based on specific criteria and eligibility rules.

Nominations can be made annually, with nominees needing letters of recommendation.

Awards are given at a specific time, and nomination forms can be obtained from the Board of Education office.

The superintendent received an Innovative Breakfast Grant and will host the North Carolina K12 Culinary Institute to provide staff training in culinary techniques and equipment usage.

✦

Career and Technical Education program in Alexander County receives $67,850 in grants for storage facility and equipment.

01:23:54

An elective fair is held to showcase CTE programs and other electives, drawing in rising freshmen and parents.

CTE mobile career lab visits schools, providing hands-on experiences aligned with high school career pathways.

Students have the opportunity to use power tools, interact with animal models, and learn various skills in the lab.

An online auction on the CTE Facebook page features student-made products, showcasing the talents and creativity of CTE students.

✦

Highlights from School Auction and Sugarloaf Project Update.

01:27:28

The auction features items from carpentry students, gift certificates, and donations from local businesses to support CTE student organizations for field trips and competitions.

Progress on the Sugarloaf project is reported with weather-related delays but is still on track to finish on time, with minimal disruptions at school and praise for the staff's professionalism.

Encouragement is given to share the auction event and bid on items to help raise funds for student organizations.

A board meeting is scheduled for February 23rd, and enrollment numbers are compared between December and January.

✦

Success of Family Academy Planning Efforts

01:31:43

409 family responses and 203 staff responses were received from surveys, exceeding expectations.

Parents expressed interest in help with schoolwork, building their child's confidence, and concerns about internet and drug abuse awareness.

The Family Academy steering committee will analyze feedback and begin creating content based on family interests.

✦

Board of Education Policies Discussion and Approval.

01:34:05

Policies related to student-staff relations, immunizations, health requirements, and child safety were unanimously approved on second reading.

Approval was given for policies 4040, 4110, and 4240.

Five policies, including rental involvement and student searches, were presented for first reading.

The board also approved a carryover request for unobligated funds and discussed the selection of a search firm.

✦

Need for a search firm to find the best candidate for the community and school system.

01:39:02

Concerns raised about cost and timing, emphasizing the importance of investing in the right leadership for the county's largest employer.

Discussion on options for an interim before Dr. Hefner leaves.

Despite cost considerations, focus remains on the potential benefits of choosing the right firm or direction for the future.

✦

Importance of Strong Leadership in Schools

01:43:23

Encouraging interested individuals to apply for positions in school leadership.

Selection of recruiting companies for superintendent searches should have resources and expertise.

Broadening the pool of talent beyond statewide searches, considering adjoining states to address risks.

Recognizing the value of networks and different approaches to recruitment for successful search processes.

✦

Selection of Masonboro Group for Project Management Process.

01:44:24

The board members voted on choosing Masonboro Group for the project management process.

Assistant chair Matt Ree is proposed as the liaison between Masonboro Group and the board for weekly updates.

✦

Formation of committee for search activity and nominations for committee members and chairman assigned.

01:50:06

Plans to inform the recruiter and meet communication deadlines promptly.

Presentation of reduction and force plan by Chairman Josh Denhart for the budget committee.

Josh emphasizes setting expectations in day-to-day interactions.

✦

Budget reform and transparency expectations set by the board.

01:51:51

Community meetings held to gather data and identify areas for consolidation or cuts through a heat map.

Discussions on trimming $1.5 million from the budget.

Outlining a budget action plan, allowing colleagues to share opinions, and initiating motions to implement changes.

Focus on minimizing impact on children, addressing financial challenges, and making decisions on specific positions to reduce costs.

✦

Discussion on budget action plan and potential job cuts in the education sector.

01:57:45

Six teaching positions and other roles may be cut due to declining enrollment.

Some board members are hesitant about layoffs, advocating for county support instead.

The focus is on striking a balance between financial stability and preserving essential services in schools.

✦

The speaker emphasizes the need for assistance from the board and County to prevent layoffs and retirements.

01:59:52

The speaker suggests searching for new personnel to address financial challenges.

Leadership and budget work are highlighted as crucial areas for improvement.

Time is advocated for finding solutions, with a call for County support for departments in need.

Taxpayers are reminded of their responsibility to expect assistance during difficult times.

✦

Board member recommends slowing budget cuts to assess alternatives and prioritize retaining good employees.

02:02:24

Retirement savings and sale proceeds could be used to buy time for decision-making.

Delay notifications to May and June to explore other solutions and gather more information.

Concerns raised about low response rates to intent forms and challenging decision-making process.

Community preparing for potential changes with looming decisions ahead.

✦

Concerns raised about declining fund balance and 1.5 million shortfall in the school system.

02:05:35

Emphasis on finding solutions to support children and prioritize financial stability.

Calls for a working session with County Commissioners to address challenges and explore potential funding sources.

Need for a sit-down with commissioners to discuss ongoing financial difficulties faced by the school board.

✦

Discussion on potential job losses and building sale to address financial challenges.

02:10:02

Concerns expressed regarding long-term implications of building sale and the necessity for collaboration with County officials.

Emphasis placed on the importance of having a clear plan and presenting it effectively.

Financial details shared regarding fund balances and operational costs.

Highlighting the significant impact of a million-dollar expenditure on the overall budget.

✦

Importance of Fund Balance in Financial Planning.

02:11:58

Having sufficient fund balance is crucial to protect against unexpected changes in funding conditions and avoid insolvency.

The board stresses the importance of addressing cost structures and structural costs before seeking approval from commissioners.

Detailed plans are requested from the administration, focusing on performance appraisals and skill sets for teaching positions.

Decisions are made based on evaluating performance, longevity, and other factors.

✦

Board members emphasize the need for a concrete plan to address financial concerns.

02:15:54

Lack of specific details in the current plan leads to frustration among board members.

Advocacy for a more substantive approach to engage with commissioners and make informed decisions.

Concerns raised about potential job cuts and the necessity of presenting a comprehensive proposal.

Emphasis on the board's request for a detailed budget plan and the need for a more thorough discussion to move forward effectively.

✦

Strategies to address turnover rates in the school system and reduce costs.

02:17:55

The need for a plan to handle turnover without hiring replacements was emphasized.

A $1.5 million cost reduction goal was mentioned in the operating structure.

Clarification on the process involving ESER positions and the requirement for a board vote to implement detailed strategies.

✦

Selection criteria for certified and classified staff emphasized, including job performance, evaluations, seniority, and other relevant factors.

02:21:31

Fair and thorough evaluation processes highlighted to ensure best decisions for personnel.

Potential budget implications considered before making decisions that may impact employees.

Importance of exploring all options before making decisions emphasized.

Focus on transparency and accountability in decision-making to support staff and uphold organizational values.

✦

Urgency of addressing financial issues within the school system.

02:24:52

Debate on whether to proceed with a plan that requires further execution.

Importance of protecting the balance sheet, complying with budgetary laws, and positioning for the future.

Questioning the necessity of waiting another month for more information to avoid delays.

Highlighting the need to change mindsets regarding employment sustainability and long-term planning.

✦

Importance of Financial Responsibility in School System.

02:27:56

Emphasis on protecting financial health and preventing insolvency in the school system.

Urging board members to act responsibly and make tough decisions to avoid financial crisis.

Call for a plan outlining consequences of no help and seriousness of the situation.

Highlighting the need to avoid damaging the community through financial mismanagement.

✦

Budget constraints lead to potential loss of 22 positions in schools.

02:29:44

Uncertainty exists regarding the impact of the budget constraints and the need to find $1.5 million.

Board members have differing opinions on timing for decisions and strategies.

Proposal to delay decision until March fails, while motion to kick off Dr. Hefner's strategy receives mixed support.

Plans for future budget committee meetings and clarification on next steps are discussed.

✦

Proposal to sell two parcels of land totaling 8.8 acres for $600,000 to Barrel X Development Group.

02:32:53

Buyer, Kenneth Ordol, has put down a $30,000 deposit and requested a 105-day inspection period followed by a 30-day closing period.

Seller's broker is Jenny Eard with Commercial First.

Facilities committee is asked to approve the contract signing for inspections to proceed.

Board unanimously approves the proposal to move forward with the offer.

00:57how do we how do we do that

01:06good evening everyone we're calling to

01:08order our regularly scheduled School

01:11Board of Education meeting for today

01:13February 13th

01:152024 we would like to begin with our

01:17Pledge of Allegiance and our Pledge of

01:19Allegiance are going to be done by two

01:22magnificent members of our Allendale

01:24School Kennedy Hall who's a daughter

01:26daughter of Daniel and Emily Hall as

01:28well as Paisley winter who was the

01:30daughter of Christopher and Kelly

01:32Winters join

01:45us I pledge alance to the flag of the

01:49United States of America and to the

01:52Republic for which it stands one nation

01:55under God indivisible with liberty and

01:59justice for

02:00all thank you girls thank

02:22you

02:28so

02:39great job I think those two young ladies

02:41deserve a round of applause

02:43[Applause]

02:47you so next on the agenda is approval of

02:50the agenda what is the pleasure of the

02:52board motion approve second we have one

02:56motion approved and two all in favor say

02:58I I I all opposed the board is app the

03:02board has approved the agenda as follows

03:04so the next agenda item is honors and

03:06recognitions Dr Hefner you have the

03:12floor thank you board members I am just

03:15so grateful to have this opportunity

03:17every month uh it is no secret this is

03:20my favorite part of the entire meeting

03:23anytime that we can celebrate students

03:25and staff it's a good day in the

03:26Alexander County School System t tonight

03:30I would like to start our honors and

03:32recognitions talking about national

03:34board certification for teachers

03:37national boards are the most respected

03:39professional certification available in

03:42education it provides numerous benefits

03:44to teachers students and schools

03:47national boards were designed to develop

03:50retain and recognize accomplished

03:52teachers and to generate ongoing

03:55improvements in schools

03:57Nationwide board member Ryan will will

03:59you come up and help me with these

04:08[Music]

04:10presentations we have two teachers this

04:13evening who've earned their national

04:14board certification for the very first

04:17time and then 11 more who renewed their

04:20national board certifications this fall

04:24these Alexander County Teachers add

04:27their names to the list of other

04:28teachers in North Carolina which by the

04:31way ranks first in the country for the

04:35number of nationally board certified

04:37teachers according to the national board

04:40for professional Teaching Standards 24%

04:44of North Carolina's teachers have earned

04:46the

04:47certification here in the Alexander

04:49County School System I'm proud to report

04:52that 71 of our teachers counselors and

04:56certified staff members have national

04:59board certification wow that deserves a

05:02round of

05:03[Applause]

05:08appla those who newly earned the

05:11credentials are Dixie cascaden teacher

05:15at East Alexander Middle School please

05:17come

05:19[Applause]

05:28forward

05:40stay also first time recipient so proud

05:44of Don Robinette teacher at West

05:47Alexander

05:49[Applause]

05:58School

06:11[Music]

06:28yes

06:36another round of applause

06:43job good job

06:45Don next are the teachers who renewed

06:49national boards this fall we're going to

06:51start with Josh BS teacher Alexander

06:54Central High

06:58School

07:01next we have Scotty cook also a teacher

07:04at Alexander Central High

07:10School Kimberly Burgess Curry counselor

07:14Sugarloaf Elementary

07:21School Natasha hos teacher Alexander

07:24Central High

07:28School

07:30Heidi Hefner teacher West Alexander

07:32Middle

07:34[Applause]

07:39School Tyler Mitchell teacher Alexander

07:42Central High

07:48School Sonia TIG teacher Bethlehem

07:51Elementary

07:58School

08:00Adam Walker teacher Alexander Central

08:02High

08:08School Chrissy Williams teacher

08:11Bethlehem Elementary School good job

08:13[Applause]

08:19neighbor and Michael May teacher West

08:22Alexander Middle

08:28School

08:46he's

08:51chent think she wanted you to do a

08:56[Music]

08:58fle

09:03one more one more hang hang

09:17on I am so very proud of all of

09:21[Applause]

09:28you

09:33board member Bowman will you help me

09:35with the next recognition this school

09:37just happens to be in your

09:41District how many of you do

09:47Facebook sometimes I'm embarrassed to

09:49admit that but yeah I do I do how many

09:52of you voted for Danielle

09:55Ortiz how many of you were able to vote

09:57multiple times for

10:01we are going to recognize Danielle Ortiz

10:04from Bethlehem Elementary and her team

10:08they're going to come to the front of

10:09the room and for those of you who don't

10:11Facebook and you didn't hear about this

10:14there was a competition recently where

10:16we were able to go on social media and

10:19vote for her and as a result Miss ortise

10:24receives a

10:25$40,000 Grant to fund a classroom

10:29makeover from a CL from a classroom

10:32Furniture Company wow wow great

10:39J Mrs Ortiz was competing against two

10:42other teachers on the Eastern side of

10:45the United States for this award one was

10:48in the Atlanta area the other in Boston

10:51wow principal intern cat Ceno and

10:55principal at Bethlehem Charles Draper

10:59helped organize and promote this project

11:01so we thank both of you miss Ortiz was

11:05able to win through a public vote which

11:07was published Statewide since she was

11:10the only contestant in North Carolina

11:13the new furniture will replace some

11:15pieces in her classroom that are more

11:18than 20 years old and she hopes it will

11:21make the classroom more functional for

11:23the children I say congratulations to

11:27Danielle Ortiz and her team

11:29I cannot wait to see the the

11:33transformation please come forward

11:36[Applause]

11:52team come this way just a little

11:57bit

12:06wait wait a

12:20minute another round of applause great

12:24[Applause]

12:26job and lastly board member Robinson if

12:30you'll come help this person being

12:33recognized is in your

12:34District I want to recognize Mara holler

12:38from ell andelle Elementary School while

12:40working with our district full-time Miss

12:44holler is also going to Gardner web

12:46University to earn a teaching degree

12:49Miss holler has earned tuition

12:51reimbursement from local funding called

12:54acat the Alexander County aspiring

12:57Teachers Program

12:59this program was developed in hopes of

13:02supporting teaching assistance while

13:04they work toward earning a state license

13:08the goal is then for those staff members

13:10to work in Alexander County as teachers

13:14this money is available to teaching

13:16candidates in conjunction with the

13:18support of the Alexander County public

13:21Education Foundation please come forward

13:24Miss

13:25holler I'm

13:27sorry

13:33great job Mar congratulations great

13:35[Applause]

13:36job principal Katie Nash will join her

13:40for the picture

13:49wonderful wait a

13:57minute

14:00Miss holler you are the first recipient

14:02way to go great

14:04[Applause]

14:17job next on the agenda is public

14:20comments do we have any public

14:24comments no no one has signed up for

14:26public

14:27comment very well so then next on the

14:30agenda will be to enter the consent

14:32agenda what is the pleasure of the

14:33board a motion motion we approve the

14:36consent agenda second so we have a

14:38motion and a second are all in favor say

14:40I I all opposed by unanimous decision of

14:45consent agenda is

14:47approved so third is

14:50reports first will be endale Elementary

14:52School update Miss

14:57Nash

15:08you don't need to leave so soon I have a

15:09great

15:13report ah good job that's

15:17[Laughter]

15:25good we heard you was singing

15:34thank

15:35you we call me up well good evening

15:38chairman argas Vice chair Reese board

15:41members and Dr Hefner thank you so much

15:43for the opportunity um to come out

15:45tonight and report on my home away from

15:48home Endo elementary

15:53school so who we are um we have

15:58currently two 201 students we have 12

16:00classroom teachers U four Specialists

16:03eight Tas um and then you can see the

16:06rest of the team noted on there it truly

16:08does take um the team to make our entire

16:11School successful coming from a

16:14secondary background this Elementary

16:16world is new for me but let me tell you

16:19one thing we celebrate big in elementary

16:21school and if you have never experienced

16:24a birthday in kindergarten you are

16:26missing out I mean I had a hat

16:28everything so they um they really

16:31celebrate in elementary

16:34school we are a leader and me um

16:36Lighthouse school and just what this

16:38means is it gives our students

16:39additional opportunities to grow as

16:41leaders and then showcase their

16:44abilities um we do have leadership

16:46opportunities for our students um

16:48throughout the building they apply for

16:50these jobs and they are based on their

16:52interest and then specific skills and

16:55then we cater to those so just some of

16:57our jobs that we have include media

16:59helpers recycle leaders morning greeters

17:02for the car riders when they come in and

17:05um student White House Representatives

17:06just to name a few the two young ladies

17:08that were here tonight for the pledge

17:10they are part of our student Lighthouse

17:12a

17:14representative so as you can see by our

17:16motto at endale we truly do believe that

17:19every child can be successful we recite

17:22this motto um as a staff as students as

17:25a school every day in our morning

17:27announcements um and it really is what

17:30we live

17:33by so I just wanted to take a moment to

17:35update you on our school Improvement

17:37goals and where we are for the year so

17:39for the 2223 school year endale was a c

17:43school um we did not meet our academic

17:46proficiency goals or we did meet our

17:48academic proficiency goals but we did

17:50not grow as a school so our school

17:52Improvement team felt that that was um

17:54definitely a big identified need this

17:56year and that is something that we are

17:58are currently working on and I do

18:00believe that um middle of the way

18:02through the year after looking at our

18:03data we are on track to meet that goal

18:06um since CO as a district we really are

18:09working to recoup our average student

18:10daily attendance um and at endale we are

18:14looking to do that too um we started the

18:17or ended the year last year with 92%

18:19which is fairly low um and so our school

18:22Improvement team um identified that as a

18:25need and we're looking to up that to 94%

18:28this year

18:29um we have been working with families um

18:32constantly once they hit some um lower

18:35Milestones just to reach out to them

18:37about the importance of their child

18:39being in school and then we do offer

18:41incentives um for students that are

18:43there um and have positive attendance we

18:46do offer those periodically um and then

18:49one of my first actions as principal was

18:51to give teachers over the summer an

18:53opportunity to express needs and um also

18:58some areas for growth and things that

18:59are going well at endale um so I had

19:03them come in in individual meetings over

19:05the summer and the revolving topic was

19:08that we needed more family and Community

19:09involvement so that was um our third

19:12School Improvement goal for this year

19:14last year we had about 30% student or um

19:18family community involvement in our

19:21activities and um today I checked today

19:24because we had our last event last night

19:27um our goal is to 60% and current to

19:29date we're at

19:3066% um family community engagement in

19:33our activity so um we felt like this was

19:38our highest areas of need for the school

19:39year and where we wanted to spend our

19:41Focus this

19:43year we love to celebrate at endale um I

19:48definitely think in order to boost

19:50student and staff morale it's essential

19:52that we highlight and celebrate the

19:54positive things that are going on so the

19:56first ones you can see is our student

19:57spotlight and these are just a few we do

19:59have them every month um and they do

20:01high highlight a leader in me habit of

20:04the month so for this month we are

20:05focusing on habit five which is seek

20:07first to understand then to be

20:11understood um next we have our staff

20:14members of the month those are voted on

20:16by all staff in the building and I do

20:18want to give a shout out to Mr Glenn Ard

20:21he does sponsor those for us through

20:22horse man and each month um teachers or

20:26staff that are picked they give a plaque

20:29um from Horseman which is a nice touch

20:31added to that and then lastly um we do

20:35highlight our academic successes um we

20:38took our kids in January we for the

20:40first semester if they made the Honor

20:42rooll we went to um the movies of

20:44downtown Hickory um and that was a fun

20:47trip um and the kids really enjoyed that

20:49so we tried to highlight attendant

20:52successes things they're doing in the

20:54building and also their academic

20:57successes

20:59um I wanted to highlight since I talked

21:01about some of our parent and Community

21:02involvement just some things that we've

21:04had this year we did host uh first n

21:07nine week conferences and we had a

21:1098% um attendance rate for those from

21:13parents um and that was I thought they

21:15went really well um we did have our fall

21:18into to reading night um you can see we

21:20were roasting s'mores in the building

21:22because we were having a burn band so

21:23the s'mores did not work out they took

21:25them home to cook in the microwave but

21:27we still had a good night um and then we

21:30had our Veterans Day assembly and it was

21:32super special to me and Dr Hefner was

21:35there um we really got to celebrate some

21:38fine men and women um that serve our

21:40country um and you can see by the one

21:42picture we had two fifth grade students

21:44who are on our flag um patrol and they

21:47presented um they folded a flag and

21:49presented it to our oldest veter and

21:51that was there and it was really special

21:53I can't remember I know he was in his

21:5590s but do you remember how old he was

21:58three I thought so yeah and another one

22:00very close behind yes so you had at

22:02least two in their 90s their 9s over

22:04there it was really special we hosted

22:06our Winter Fest in December and then

22:08last night we had our fall in love with

22:10math Knight um and we had a good turnout

22:13for that so those are just a couple of

22:15pictures from those events it was so

22:17great to see uh families in our building

22:20um and learning last night we had

22:22anywhere from kindergarten up to fifth

22:24grade fifth grade was uh they were

22:26working on fractions and and um families

22:29were doing it with them and it was

22:30really great to see so be on the lookout

22:32for our leadership date it will be

22:34coming the spring and you were invited

22:37wonderful next I just want to give a big

22:40thank you to Our Community Partners um

22:42we truly could not make it without these

22:45people um I did want to highlight from

22:48our Community Partners we were we were

22:50able to have all 43 of our Christmas um

22:54benevolence families they were all

22:56sponsored by the end of October

22:58so I mean we had a wonderful turnout and

23:01it's it's all from the community that we

23:03were able to sponsor those families so

23:05without them we truly wouldn't be able

23:07to do all that we do um in the building

23:10with our students are faced with a lot

23:12of need and this helps them be able to

23:15come to school and learn and be

23:18successful lastly I just wanted to say

23:22that we have had a very successful start

23:24to the school year um as my first year

23:27in elementary school I just really can't

23:29see what the wait to see what the

23:31remainder of the Year holds and I'm very

23:32proud to be a tiger so thank you so much

23:36does anybody have any

23:39questions how do you get the word out uh

23:41for parents to come to the community and

23:44yeah is that something you're co-

23:45calling or um we do call um I have found

23:49that we have more response when we text

23:51so I do send out text we send it out on

23:53dojo as well and then we put it on at

23:56least once or twice a week on Facebook

23:57Facebook and just having it in their

24:00face um they seem you know to come out

24:03we also send home Flyers once or twice

24:05in their homework folders and so I think

24:08the early you can advertise the better

24:10the turnout will be is what we have done

24:12this year thank you you're welcome great

24:14job thank you thank you thank

24:20[Applause]

24:23you so next is our Student Success

24:26Center update by Amy John

24:32son good evening Bo chairus Vice chair

24:35Reese um the rest of the board members

24:37and Dr hner thank you for having me

24:39tonight I don't know if I can beat El

24:41andelle that's pretty fun and impressive

24:43over there so but I'll do my best um so

24:46here I put a quote on here because this

24:48is kind of the quote that we've been

24:49living by this um year it's actually on

24:52a notebook that all of our staff and

24:53students have and I've shared one with

24:55the board as well um a hero is is an

24:58ordinary individual who finds strength

25:00to persevere and endure in spite of

25:01overwhelming obstacles and we've been

25:03living by that this year because most of

25:05the students in our building have just

25:07overcome extreme obstacles to get where

25:09they are and we just want to remind them

25:11that although it's hard work you can

25:13make it and we've got some proof of that

25:15tonight to share so um that's where we

25:18start so a little bit about Student

25:20Success Center we have two Middle School

25:22teachers uh two High School teachers one

25:25exceptional children's teacher one

25:27teacher assistant a halftime counselor a

25:30halftime School social worker a school

25:32secretary D manager Finance everything

25:35she does it all and an SRO which is new

25:37for us so we're super grateful for that

25:40um and these people make up ssse they

25:43are the reason that we are as successful

25:45as we are it is um a hard job not

25:48everybody wants to be there but um these

25:51people love what they do and I don't

25:53foresee them going anywhere they love

25:55working with our students so I could not

25:57do what we do without them so we had two

26:00goals for SSC this year um the first one

26:04was to reduce the average number of days

26:06out of school for suspensions by 50%

26:09within this Academic School year and

26:11that's a huge goal for us um especially

26:14because our population is so transient

26:17it fluctuates we do get a lot of high

26:20need students who have a lot of behavior

26:22issues and sometimes sending them home

26:25is the only thing we can do um when they

26:27get to that really high level and we

26:30have been trying really hard to bring

26:31that down this year so we are working on

26:33that and you'll get to see where we're

26:34at with that and then our second goal

26:37was just to enhance acade academic

26:39achievement um engaging them in the

26:42online ver ad mum along with trying to

26:46give them some other opportunities that

26:47will help engage them outside of this

26:49online platform that we're on um because

26:53it can be boring and we know our kids

26:55get bored so we've got to figure out how

26:56to engage them and get interested in

26:58school again so you'll see what we did

27:00with that this year as

27:01well okay so this first Slide the the

27:06way we started our plan this year was to

27:08go back to our Behavior Matrix which we

27:11call choice and it is all based on c h i

27:15c um commitment honor opportunity

27:18Integrity cooperation and encouragement

27:21and this is what we live by every day at

27:23SSC it's your choice your chance and

27:25it's your change we tell our student

27:27students every day we can't work harder

27:30than you you have to want it you have to

27:32do it and you will do it and so we live

27:35by this Matrix every day um when our

27:37students make choices good and bad this

27:40is what we refer to and so this is

27:43what's helping guide our two goals this

27:45year we even have gotten to the point

27:48where our we created a second version of

27:50this which is kind of the consequences

27:53of when you don't meet these

27:55expectations when you don't show

27:56commitment and honor to your classmates

27:58in the hallway this is what it's going

28:00to look like so there's a second one of

28:02those that we've started working on this

28:03year and it's helped us a lot because it

28:05reminds them without us having to remind

28:07them verbally this is what's going to

28:09happen if you don't make that commitment

28:11and that seems to be helping so today

28:13I'm going to focus on each of those

28:16letters first with commitment um

28:19commitment to reach destination

28:21graduation we have served about 26

28:24students so far this year um six those

28:27students have six of them have

28:29transitioned back to their home school

28:31successfully meaning that they have

28:33either gone back at the end of last year

28:36or sometime this year and they are doing

28:38great so we had two that went to the

28:41Early College one of them actually was a

28:43middle schooler last year who started

28:46with us um in the fall continued with us

28:49in the fall and when she was time um

28:51when it was time for her to transition

28:52back she said I'd really like to see

28:54back going to the Early College and so

28:57thankfully Miss Brown and her team were

28:59able to help make that happen for her

29:02and I'm hoping it's going to be a good

29:04place for her um so thank you Miss Brown

29:07for that um we have two that have gone

29:10back to Alexander Central and two to

29:12East Alexander um we have two students

29:15that are currently attending uh the high

29:17school for one or more classes um they

29:19are taking masonry they are taking art

29:23um and I believe what's my other one I

29:26think a science Maybe so we've got them

29:28trying to find their interest so they'll

29:30want to go back to the high school or at

29:32least find something to do later on we

29:35have three December graduates which this

29:38was huge for us um two are now working

29:41full-time and one is working part-time

29:43and starting cosmetology school I can

29:46tell you right now those three students

29:48had they not been at the Student Success

29:51Center would not have graduated and I

29:53say that on because they would tell you

29:55that themselves um um these students

29:58worked really hard to get out in

30:00December and they're being very

30:02successful um we've actually kept in

30:05touch with them so we know what they're

30:07doing I wanted to put this little bit of

30:10data statistics in there because I think

30:12this is really important there is a

30:14study that says that any student that

30:17does not graduate with a high school

30:21diploma on average that's

30:25$443 I believe that you lose in a year

30:28for your community and for your state so

30:31you think about that that's $113,000

30:33we've saved our community and our state

30:35just from those three kids getting a

30:36diploma and going out and get a job that

30:38they couldn't have gotten without that

30:39diploma um that's $876,000 over a

30:43lifetime last year we graduated I

30:46believe six or seven students just think

30:48about that number I can tell you the

30:50ones last year would have been the same

30:52way they probably would not have

30:53graduated had the Student sucess Center

30:55not been an option for them and they

30:56would that um last the kids we had

31:00graduate at the end of last year I've

31:01got one going to the military I have

31:02some working full-time some in Community

31:04College they're all being successful and

31:08that's the purpose of our our Student

31:09Success Center they've all shown

31:11commitment and these pictures that are

31:13here um this shows the commitment of our

31:15newest students they are making vision

31:17boards for what their destination is

31:20after graduation and so our counselor

31:22Miss Mash has been working really hard

31:24with them to create a vision and a goal

31:27um who are their people who's their

31:28Circle what are the things that they can

31:30control and this is their vision for

31:32their future

31:33so honor this goes into our first um

31:37goal for our school Improvement plan

31:40days of suspension I've got two graphs

31:42here um you can see the first one is

31:44total days of suspension at SSC last

31:46year in Fall 2022 you can see that first

31:49bar the second bar is um follow to is

31:53this past fall we're down 58% so far

31:56this year and I see that even getting

31:57better um our kids are following the

32:00rules they are um doing what is asked of

32:04them when they struggle they're asking

32:06for help they're asking to be separated

32:08they're asking for that timeout um we're

32:11not having to make them do that and it

32:13is showing and some of these students

32:15are the same students that were here

32:17last year so this isn't like you know

32:19all new students this is a lot of the

32:21same kiddos that we're talking about

32:22from last year as well as some new ones

32:26um the other graph there are incidents

32:27for this fall and you can compare what

32:31were the behaviors the kids were doing

32:33last year versus this year the yellow is

32:34last year you can see there's a lot that

32:36aren't happening this year we've not had

32:38anybody destroy property we've not had

32:40anybody communicate threats we've not

32:42had um anybody trying to remember all

32:46the ones there's so many of them and I

32:47can't even read my small stuff

32:49aggressive behavior I've had no

32:50aggressive behavior this year y'all that

32:51is a

32:53celebration um the things that are wood

32:56I knocked on wood for you miss

32:59John I did I knocked on wood for you

33:01celebrate I do that but um we do have a

33:04few things that are up and those

33:05honestly are kind of anomalies um there

33:08like one student who just came in and

33:10really struggled but I can tell you that

33:12the student that has kind of helped that

33:14blue go up above is actually being

33:17extremely successful this semester we

33:19got her some support outside of school

33:21we've got DJJ involved um we've got a

33:23lot of extra things going on with that

33:25student and all the behavior was showing

33:27last semester she's not shown this

33:28semester so that is a huge celebration

33:30for us so all right opportunity

33:34embracing by engaging in assigned task

33:36so our kids they are on adum every day

33:39which is an online um resource for us to

33:42do all of our learning but our kids need

33:44more than that so we have to get

33:46creative in our small space so my

33:49teachers have run with that this year

33:50I've challenged them I need you to get

33:52creative do things outside the box so

33:55we've partnered with Alexander operative

33:57extension they're coming in and doing um

33:59food Labs with our students they're

34:02learning how to cook healthy meals and

34:04it's so funny because they're learning

34:05how to like chop up fruit and they're

34:08learning how to cut tomatoes to make

34:11fresh salsa and make chicken case itas

34:14but it's healthy and they love doing the

34:16activity but then they're like this do

34:18tastes so good but it's just because

34:19they're not used to the healthy foods so

34:21we're really teaching them to enjoy

34:24healthy foods and to learn how to make

34:27them because a lot of them don't do that

34:28at home and they are enjoying it you can

34:30see some of them cutting fruit um

34:32cutting up tomatoes for salsa we also

34:35were trying to um create these

34:37Partnerships with the high school thank

34:38you to Crystal H and Brian Lewis for

34:40inviting our students over to

34:42participate in the activities that they

34:44do over there I think recently they had

34:46a Simulator Trailer that the kids got to

34:48go on and you can see some pictures of

34:50them doing some virtual reality stuff

34:51over there I've got my student who's in

34:53masonry he likes to touch everything and

34:57Nathan Robinson has been a gy to work

34:59with him to let him touch everything and

35:02really enjoy masonry so um our middle

35:05schoolers Have Made bread and butter um

35:09they did a science experiment um that

35:11they titled winter road safety and they

35:15had to um take ice and they each had

35:17different materials to see whose ice

35:19would melt the fastest and they loved

35:21that and it was quite interesting what

35:23actually melted it the quickest um so

35:27they're getting to do lots of things

35:29Bridge Community is going to come back

35:31in and give us some opportunity for

35:32tutoring um and as well as an art

35:35teacher again to help do some art with

35:36our kids so lots of fun things happening

35:40with

35:41opportunity next is integrity um in my

35:44actions in honoring the rights and

35:46differences of others we do this in two

35:48big ways we have student of the month

35:50which our staff vote on um that is just

35:53based on are they doing the right things

35:54are they following directions that is a

35:56h celebration for our students we take

35:59their picture they get a um they get

36:01gift cards that have been donated they

36:04get a like a plaque and then their

36:07picture goes on our wall and you can see

36:08a picture of our wall of fame and they

36:10get to be in that Center area all month

36:12long and then we move them over for the

36:14next month so anybody that walks in our

36:16building can see who our students of the

36:17month are the other award this new this

36:20year's our student Choice Award and

36:22that's based on if our students are

36:25following our motto our choice um last I

36:29think two weeks ago we did commitment so

36:31the person who won the award was the one

36:32who's been showing commitment this next

36:35one is honor our counselor goes in every

36:38two she goes in two days a week she

36:40teaches them lessons on honor commitment

36:42whatever the letter is they do different

36:44activities and then every two weeks

36:47someone gets an award for practicing

36:49that skill so that's just kind of some

36:51of our honors and some of our kiddos

36:53that have received that so far the

36:54student Choice Award has been a nice

36:56addition for our kids give them

36:57something to work for every other week

36:59and not just for the month

37:02so cooperation we have to teach a lot of

37:05that at Student Success Center because

37:06that's a lot of reasons why some of them

37:07are here because they just don't know

37:09how to cooperate sometimes and that's

37:11okay that's what we're there to teach

37:12them so part of um that is having class

37:15agreements I challenged every teacher to

37:18do class agreements with um our students

37:20and they they create that agreement

37:22themselves and they sign it and it hangs

37:23up in the room you can see who's agreed

37:25to what and they come up with some

37:27interesting rules and agreements but um

37:30it's working um we have our counselor

37:32who is phenomenal she leads activities

37:35we do outside time which teaches them a

37:37lot of cooperation because they like to

37:38play games and you got to know how to do

37:40how to play by the rules I'm you can't

37:43play and then a lot of Team activities

37:45we did a breakout box in math so

37:47learning math skills on top of um

37:49working together as a team to get the

37:51surprise treats inside that box so doing

37:54a lot of things to teach them

37:55cooperation evening

37:58knowing and the last one is

38:00encouragement um encourage myself and

38:03others we have guest speakers who come

38:05in people who have a past of their own

38:07to share about their story we've had

38:09people who were in an alternative

38:11setting at one point come in and say

38:13look what I did I'm now a police officer

38:16I'm now a speaker I go around the

38:18country speaking you can do it too we

38:21have our school celebrations so we bring

38:24out everybody in the hallway when we

38:26celebrate our student of the month and

38:27our student Choice Award so it's not

38:29just me walking in and giving somebody

38:30an award everybody comes out and

38:32celebrates that person um we do a lot of

38:35teamwork they made over 80 Valentines

38:39for the senior center last week and

38:41tomorrow I have three of my students are

38:44going over for Bingo and brunch at the

38:47Senor Center across the street and

38:49they're going to deliver the Valentine's

38:50and have play Bingo and have brunch with

38:53some of our seniors in the community um

38:55which they're really exitting about

38:56because some of them have never done

38:58that so and then me the way that I try

39:02to help encourage students is I do a

39:03ninee check in so I have a check-in

39:05sheet where we look at goals why are you

39:07here how are you going to get out of

39:09here do you want to get out of here some

39:11of them don't um what are we doing next

39:14and so I get to do that every nine weeks

39:16with our kiddos and that's a lot of fun

39:17just to sit down and get some of that

39:18personal one-on-one time with them to

39:20talk to them and that helps build that

39:22relationship for me and them and that

39:24trust because a lot of our kids have

39:26trust issues and so this is a good way

39:28for them to trust me so that is SSC I

39:32know I talked really fast but I wanted

39:34to make sure I shared everything with

39:36you tonight so any

39:38questions glad to see you're

39:40incorporating the high school options

39:42that you have right there next to you I

39:45I know it used to be it seemed like it

39:46was a issue uh being able to get some

39:50students in the CTE classes in

39:51particular and that's a golden

39:53opportunity for a lot of your students

39:55uh to see that some of them are entering

39:57the workforce some of them are going on

39:58to vocational training that's a golden

40:00opportunity right there right beside you

40:02to take advantage of it I'm glad to see

40:03you're increasing I I love it like I and

40:05our kids love it if they're willing to

40:07go and do it and Mr L and the teachers

40:09can make it happen we we will make it

40:11happen because it's the best opportunity

40:13for them and and your slide said you

40:15served 26 students this year and and you

40:17have students coming and go and graduate

40:19mid year like on any given day like how

40:21many would you have I mean I get 26

40:24served like what's your like what's your

40:25average day right now we're averaging

40:27about 20 um last year I averaged up to

40:3032 so it just depends on the needs of

40:33the middle school and the high school um

40:35we do have some higher need needs kids

40:38this year than last year so the 20 feels

40:40really good um if you saw some of those

40:42behaviors like the walking out of the

40:44building and the um we just got some

40:47higher need kids so that 20 feels really

40:49good but you know we can safely serve

40:52about 32 if we had to but the 20 is a

40:56really really good number to fit them in

40:57the room and that's about what we're

40:59averaging this year I think we built the

41:01building to serve about

41:042526 and that's that's about where we

41:07where we are that's where we started out

41:08this year but with some transitions back

41:11um our Middle School room is full um the

41:13Middle School room shouldn't hold more

41:14than six kids and that's where we're at

41:16right now so um because we only have one

41:18Middle School room we have two teachers

41:20but they co- te in that room together

41:22because I don't have another room so

41:24they have to share that space um to

41:26teach our middle schoolers so that's a

41:30great

41:31question anything else it's no

41:36secret that this is what I dreamed about

41:39when I was named

41:40superintendent the alternative school

41:42that we had at that time you know

41:45kids weren't attending it was 3 hours in

41:49the evening and to build this program

41:52and to hear this

41:54report makes my heart it makes makes it

41:56very full very happy because this is

41:59what we dreamed when we did all that

42:01planning years ago well when you you

42:03know you're graduating 10 kids that

42:05wouldn't have otherwise graduated I

42:06think that's the success right there

42:08well and that's the success for our

42:09community and what it adds to to the

42:11community and the county 100% yeah 100%

42:15I love it and it's a great place to be

42:17so and you know what some of the most

42:20hurtful things that were said to me in

42:23the process was how would you even think

42:25of building a new building for those bad

42:29kids they're not bad they I would love

42:31to know how many of you heard her talk

42:33about bad kids tonight what she talked

42:37about was children that make bad

42:40decisions sometimes they struggle they

42:43struggle a lot and a lot of it's a

42:44mental health issue a lot of mental

42:46health issues a lot of things that are

42:48actually out of their control within

42:49their families and it's the only thing

42:51they know and so we're trying to teach

42:53them that there is more out there for

42:54them and they're starting to see that

42:56and you're doing it so well it's just

42:59it's just another program where we're

43:00teaching kids where they're at at all

43:03levels 100% yeah we're meeting them

43:05where they're at for sure because I it

43:07when they're in a big setting it's just

43:09hard to do that you can do it but it

43:10takes a lot a lot of effort and it just

43:12makes it a little bit easier when they

43:14can be in that smaller space so great

43:17work thank you great job thank you thank

43:21[Applause]

43:24you Dr Curry will be sharing with us a

43:27midyear I ready assessment

43:34update thank you Amy that's a that's a

43:36hard act to follow you did a great job

43:39and I'm just so proud of that school and

43:41the students you know they build those

43:43skills and that knowledge there and they

43:44get that diploma but then they go out in

43:46the community and they apply those

43:48skills and it's those

43:50warm social skills that are going to

43:53help them to keep those jobs and and

43:55every every child deserves that and I'm

43:57just so appreciative of that these kids

43:59could enter our community as drop out

44:01causing problems or they can enter our

44:03community as a worker and somebody to

44:05contribute so that's a warm fuzzy thank

44:07you mine's data but it's good data it's

44:11really good data and I did not grab the

44:13clicker do we have a clicker

44:16here I'm gonna grab

44:25that

44:26so this is our middle of the Year academ

44:34data okay I wanted to give you a little

44:36bit of background information since we

44:37have so many um new board members this

44:39year what is I

44:42ready I ready is an online program that

44:45helps us to personalize learning for

44:47students throughout the school and it's

44:50a necessary component of what we call a

44:52multi-tiered system of support and I'll

44:54tell you a little bit more about that

44:56that in a minute as well it is a

44:58diagnostic and personalized

44:59instructional tool we use the diagnostic

45:02portion for all of our K8 students as a

45:06function of a multi-tiered system of

45:08support each school has access to

45:10licenses for 20 to 30% of their

45:13population and during covid we had we

45:16use some of the Esser money for 100% of

45:19our kids to have licenses so they had to

45:22learn at home they would have that

45:23personalized learning and that would

45:25support what they were doing in the

45:26classroom but we know that there is no

45:28replacement for the classroom teacher

45:30and I think we've knocked that back just

45:32this year to

45:3320% and our results have really improved

45:36in our way so it's super

45:39exciting what is an mtss I'm not going

45:42to read that whole thing to you but what

45:44it basically is is a multi-tiered system

45:48of support where we're meeting children

45:50at the Student Success Center or at any

45:52of their settings where they are

45:54academically socially or um we call

45:58social emotional behavioral and through

46:00attendance so you'll see each of the

46:02schools that spoke tonight we're

46:03speaking on those three

46:05elements it includes data which we use I

46:09for that systems practices and it's

46:12connected to Schoolboard policy State

46:15Schoolboard

46:17policy there you go the components of

46:21mtss we do not have an option but to

46:24have in place a multi-tiered system of

46:27support a multi-tiered system of support

46:30was not a requirement 15 years ago but

46:33we' had to develop this process over the

46:35years so I ready is a nationally normed

46:39assessment and it is a universal

46:41screener which is required by the state

46:43of North Carolina for a multi-tiered

46:45system of support we use it to progress

46:48monitor

46:49students and we want to have something

46:52very objective to look at that progress

46:54monitoring

46:58so how did the district placements

47:00compare to benchmarks this slide right

47:02here shows us this is I'm reading and it

47:05shows us the national year to date North

47:08Carolina year to date and the district

47:10year to date so if you look at our right

47:13there it's kindergarten first and second

47:15grade you will see that in Alexander

47:17County we have 60% of our students in

47:20the green which is on grade level or

47:23very much above grade level North

47:26Carolina is

47:2759 and nationally it's 57 so in little

47:31old Alexander County we are outranking

47:34both the state and the

47:36nation first grade same is

47:39true second grade not doing quite as

47:42well there but we're not far from The

47:44Benchmark we're at 43 and North Carolina

47:46is at

47:4746 and nationally it's at 44% in the

47:51green our third grade teachers because

47:54of read to achieve I

47:56believe 64% of our third grade students

47:59are in the green at this point in the

48:01year 56% in North Carolina and 54 in the

48:04nation so I think that's a really

48:06impressive statistic right there that's

48:09on the next

48:10slide you can also see the Reds on the

48:13bottom and we want to see that red

48:15number be smaller than the national year

48:17to date or the North Carolina year to

48:20date and that's kind of The Benchmark we

48:22set for ourselves and so fourth I've

48:25already t talked about third um fourth

48:27is at

48:2838 in the green and 41% in North

48:32Carolina and 38 as a nation so even

48:36where we are slightly off from The

48:38Benchmark for North Carolina we're

48:39pretty comparable with the state and

48:42fifth

48:43grade fifth grade rocked it in both

48:45reading and math this year I don't know

48:46what's going on in fifth grade but we

48:48have 45% in the green in North Carolina

48:51it's 40 and National Norms are

48:5438

48:58sixth seventh and

49:00eth we always wonder because it seems

49:03like sometimes our middle schools our

49:04children fall a little behind but in the

49:06district sixth grade was

49:0848% in the green North Carolina was only

49:1238% and nationally only

49:1636% seventh grade

49:1841 39 in North Carolina 37 in the nation

49:24and then 43 39 and 38 for 8th grade two

49:27so in the majority of cases in all grade

49:30levels except for two we are

49:32outperforming both the nation in the

49:34state on this nationally normed

49:38assessment now we want to look at how we

49:40did compared to last year at this time

49:43and this data can be a little bit

49:45misleading because we're comparing

49:46different groups of children and that is

49:48even more truthful today than it was

49:51five years ago because of the covid

49:54experience so those Litt that missed out

49:56on that first two years of school

49:58essentially and had about maybe like six

50:00months of learning as opposed to 24 or

50:0218 months of learning they miss a lot of

50:05Bible instruction so we want to see how

50:07our kids this year are doing compared to

50:10our kids last year at this same time so

50:12I look at the 2223 data and what I can

50:16see here is that

50:19kindergarten in now you look at

50:21kindergarten there's no Reds in

50:22kindergarten right because it's really

50:23hard to be below grade level when you

50:25walk in the door it takes a while to get

50:28below grade level but you can see that

50:30we went from 69 to 60 in

50:35kindergarten and then in first

50:40grade

50:46that so adding those numbers up I can go

50:49through all of those but what I want you

50:51to notice is that in most areas our

50:54greens are growing

50:56and our Reds are getting smaller and

50:58that's what we want to see

51:01happening in cases where it's not

51:03happening really well like that i' like

51:05to go back to the previous cohort and

51:07see what that cohort was the year before

51:11so it might be that one of the grade

51:14levels it looked like it decreased or it

51:16stayed the same maybe 41 to

51:1841 and I would look back at what they

51:21were in the grade prior to see if

51:24they've actually grown that grp because

51:25that could be that Co

51:30effect and this is six seventh and eight

51:33fifth grade ended up on this slide to I

51:35think so that you can have that

51:36comparison you can see um in a lot of

51:39our data as you're looking at it that

51:41sixth grade has really moved the mark

51:43this year last year we did not see so

51:46much growth in sixth grade seventh and

51:49eth are staying a little flatlined and a

51:51had some good growth in math I think it

51:53was we'll talk about in a little bit

51:57but you can see the

51:59Reds in sixth grade in particular a lot

52:02fewer Reds and more green and so that's

52:04the trend we want to see happening with

52:06the seventh graders next year and then

52:07the eth graders after that well you can

52:10see the the numbers go with the

52:12population so the fifth grader second 22

52:1623 then becomes the current sixth grades

52:19you can see the distribution is tied to

52:21that population yeah it's not t it's not

52:25respect of the grade level it's the

52:26population distribution as it moves

52:29through our system I would say that's

52:30true a lot of time but not necessarily

52:34like second and fourth grade struggled a

52:36little bit more and it was not really

52:37tied to the population all the time so

52:39it really take digging in a little bit

52:41deeper but I think this next chart

52:43you'll find this really fascinating this

52:45is the distribution of the schools so if

52:49you look at let me see if I can do the

52:50point there

52:54um

53:24you

53:34that's

53:35awesome great job R that's

53:54awesome

54:06also

54:09also when

54:24I

54:33and this is nationally the national

54:35standards tend to be

54:37Carolina well as the

54:40nation so to me this is this is data

54:43worth celebrating but it also is data

54:46that we can

54:47problem so if we look at this as a

54:51coach team and we say look at seventh

54:55grade in

54:57Reading what is going on in seventh

54:59grade in Reading you know when they were

55:0217 last and so we were really able to

55:06Target Middle grades with

55:09professional and so that enabled our

55:11coaches to go in and problem solve and

55:13have conversations with teachers what's

55:16going on and the level of rigor wasn't

55:18really transferring to the middle

55:19schools yet but we see progress in that

55:24closing

55:26so just as a reference um you can see

55:28that there are different shades of these

55:30things in all of these graphs that I'm

55:31going to be showing you Green's good

55:34Red's not so good yellow's not bad

55:36especially if you started out in that

55:38really dark red and we call some of

55:40those kiddos oranges because they're

55:43almost up to the

55:46yellow all right so this is also very

55:49very telling dat oh I have to use the

55:52mic I like to walk Okay so so this is

55:55very telling data here you may not see

55:57this too well if you're sitting out here

55:59but this breaks down the components of

56:01reading so you have phonological

56:03awareness you have phonics high

56:06frequency words vocabulary comprehension

56:08in literature and informational text

56:11these are the building blocks for

56:12reading so when we're talking about

56:14phonological awareness by the time

56:17children leave kindergarten or first

56:19grade they should have very very strong

56:21phonic awareness and we use you've

56:24probably heard of it hegerty now to

56:26teach phonic awareness because we saw

56:29that was a weakness that was preventing

56:30us from progressing to phonex and so now

56:34we have a phonic program that's

56:36systematic because there's a lot of

56:38transferring between schools and this

56:40helps kids to decode words so our

56:43phonics is that next step so we do OG at

56:48most of our schools in kindergarten

56:49first and second grade you will see some

56:52third grades at some schools still using

56:54it

56:55because their core might need that their

56:57core

56:58instruction vocabulary as a district has

57:01been very very low for us across the

57:03board PD has been a focus on vocabulary

57:07we're doing curriculum development right

57:09now looking at when we get new Ela

57:11standards what are we going to do for a

57:13systematic phonic or vocabulary

57:16program so that's our Ela data but if

57:18you look at the boy line you can see how

57:21the number of greens have grown and the

57:24red have shrunk and that's what we want

57:27to see as a

57:31district okay so now we're going to talk

57:32about

57:34math so this is um just the entire

57:38District how do we compare and you know

57:40that we largely use engage New York for

57:42our math curriculum but we're moving

57:44away from that a little bit National

57:46year to date you can see North Carolina

57:48is doing slightly better than the nation

57:50in math and then we have the district

57:54which is doing doing better than the

57:55state of North Carolina and the

58:00national here we are with the grade

58:03level

58:04breakdown again there are no Reds in

58:06kindergarten because it's hard to come

58:07in below grade

58:10level but these are the kids we're

58:11looking at because you can see how those

58:13Reds increase and that's where some of

58:16those gaps catch

58:23them and here's third fourth and fifth

58:27in

58:28math and we want the far rightand column

58:31of the district to be the most greens

58:34and you can just kind of look across

58:35there and see that largely they

58:41are look at the sixth

58:44grade look at the national year to

58:48date look at North Carolina and then

58:51look at the district that is some

58:53impressive re results for math in sixth

58:56grade and I think that's really a

58:59combination of having a solid curriculum

59:01but now we're moving beyond that

59:02curriculum because those foundational

59:04skills have really been met through

59:07having a solid core and I know yall are

59:10tired I can see these kids are you tired

59:12of engaged New

59:13York

59:15yeah I know you are but it was a

59:17necessary evil I promise you'll be

59:19better for it okay so seventh

59:22grade and eighth grade you know it's

59:25just to me it's just I know that we have

59:28awesome teachers and we have great

59:29instructional leaders in our schools and

59:33with that and the kids that we have in

59:35our building and the parental support it

59:38is no wonder that we're doing so much

59:40better than the state and the nation in

59:42these

59:44areas

59:46see uh

59:48oh

59:50okay okay how have the placements

59:52changed from Winter to Winter

59:55and so I like to look at the 2122

59:58because that was the final year of Co or

01:00:01the year after the big covid and so I

01:00:04like to compare those results because

01:00:06that helps us to look at are we have we

01:00:09recovered from

01:00:10covid have we recovered and in some

01:00:13cases you will see that we have look at

01:00:16the math in third grade to me I find

01:00:17that very interesting because it seems

01:00:20like in

01:00:212122 we did better than we did in 2223

01:00:26but then we've gained it back in 23

01:00:2924 and so when you're talking about a

01:00:32multi-tier system of support you problem

01:00:34solve this data and you have to come up

01:00:37with a hypothesis as to why this happens

01:00:40one reason we think this happened was

01:00:42because we were so focused on reading in

01:00:45third grade to the detriment of math in

01:00:49that year because we were at third grade

01:00:51is at read to achieve year and so we're

01:00:53super focused focused on getting their

01:00:55reading skills up because we know that

01:00:57if they can't read They're not going to

01:00:58be successful at that next level and so

01:01:01I think we kind of let math go because

01:01:03those were the kiddos that missed two

01:01:04years of phonics and phic awareness so

01:01:07we had to cram all that extra in to have

01:01:09those kids ready to move on to fluency

01:01:12and comprehension and all the other

01:01:14skills that are needed in

01:01:19Reading okay sixth seventh and

01:01:22eth the recover is a little slower there

01:01:26except in sixth grade look at that sixth

01:01:29grade

01:01:32math so I would say that our sixth

01:01:35graders have fully recovered now we just

01:01:37have to help those seventh and eighth

01:01:40graders oh I did it

01:01:45again okay this is the one that I like

01:01:48the best because I just think that this

01:01:50is very very telling because we're

01:01:52looking at 22 23 compared to 23

01:01:5624 and so when we look at the individual

01:01:59schools you can see that in almost all

01:02:03cases the number of students in the

01:02:05green or the median number of growth has

01:02:07come up that quadrant when you talk with

01:02:10the I ready reps anything above this

01:02:14line is

01:02:15fantastic this is low performance this

01:02:19is high growth so if you are even on the

01:02:22side of low performance and you're

01:02:24meeting high growth then you're going to

01:02:26eventually come over into that upper

01:02:28right hand quadrant which is where we

01:02:29want to see our kiddos remember we were

01:02:3244% through the line or through the year

01:02:35when we took this assessment that bottom

01:02:38dot I think that is

01:02:41East but they still are on schedule to

01:02:44meet typical growth by the

01:02:47median so a lot to

01:02:50celebrate looking at the grade

01:02:53levels

01:02:56almost all grade levels with the

01:02:57exception of seventh grade have

01:03:01improved so we're seeing a little

01:03:03pattern in math aren't we in seventh

01:03:06grade so that's something that we need

01:03:08to look at does this align to our

01:03:11curriculum what are we doing in seventh

01:03:13grade that's where we problem solve that

01:03:15are we teaching the right things in

01:03:17seventh grade do we have the right

01:03:19people at the table in seventh grade do

01:03:21we have the right interventions going on

01:03:24how can we support these kiddos to make

01:03:25sure they're

01:03:27ready just glancing at that again you

01:03:30can see that our Reds are decreasing and

01:03:32our greens are increasing which is what

01:03:35we want to have happen at the middle of

01:03:36the year if you look at the skills on

01:03:39the bottom numbers and

01:03:42operations algebra and algebraic

01:03:45thinking geometry is we're not trending

01:03:48as strong in

01:03:50Geometry but why is that can somebody

01:03:53out there tell me you know why it is

01:03:55Amber Davis there are fewer

01:04:03questions

01:04:04yes very good see see how they smart

01:04:07they

01:04:09are and it's the smaller chunk is what

01:04:11is assessed so they don't spend a lot of

01:04:13time on it and it comes later in the

01:04:14engaged curriculum so we expect to see

01:04:17that come up but that's how they problem

01:04:20solve that data they sit around and they

01:04:21saywell why is that not up there with

01:04:23everything else and then we figure it

01:04:25out so this is a classroom a real

01:04:28classroom level of data and of course

01:04:29I've taken out teacher names and student

01:04:31names but you can look at the median

01:04:34growth or the growth of those students

01:04:35during that year and this isn't all of

01:04:38the students but you can see the

01:04:40students in this classroom and this is

01:04:42how we get to that individual level like

01:04:44we look at this child he's made 177% of

01:04:47his growth for the school year of what

01:04:50he should typically make okay um

01:04:54this child was working on a first grade

01:04:57level on the first assessment at the Boi

01:05:00and now this child is working on a

01:05:01second grade level so we're able to see

01:05:04some good progress there and so what

01:05:06we're looking for in an mtss is what we

01:05:08call stretch growth if a child is making

01:05:11stretch growth then they're going to

01:05:12close that Gap

01:05:15eventually so this is a sample of a

01:05:18child's assessment and if you look that

01:05:21when the child first came in on

01:05:23phonological awareness this is a third

01:05:25grade student they tested out that means

01:05:28they had a great phonemic awareness

01:05:30program which was probably H and phonic

01:05:33combined same with um phonic they had

01:05:38the max score then they tested out on

01:05:40the second assessment high frequency

01:05:42words the same thing see how it's that

01:05:43dark green vocabulary they started out

01:05:47on early third grade they're in late

01:05:50thir grade so whatever that teacher is

01:05:52doing with that student is working in

01:05:54their vocabulary because it's

01:05:56midyear third grade and they're already

01:05:58in late third

01:05:59grade comprehension for literature

01:06:03started out in a grade two and they're

01:06:06on grade level now mid third

01:06:10comprehension informational text they've

01:06:12gone from a grade one to a grade two so

01:06:14you can see how that individual child

01:06:16the teacher would know where to

01:06:18intervene with that child that's a lot

01:06:20of the work that the interventionists we

01:06:22hired with Esser money were doing

01:06:29oh okay so this is another child's

01:06:32example a different child and this is a

01:06:35sixth grader who came in in overall math

01:06:38at a grade five

01:06:40level and we would have expected that

01:06:42child to come in on an early 6th but

01:06:44they're at early sixth now so we haven't

01:06:46seen a lot of movement there but if you

01:06:49look at measurement and data they came

01:06:52in at a mid6 and then they left at an

01:06:55early six so then we go back to we can

01:06:58see how long it took the child to take

01:07:00the test did they rush through do they

01:07:01have red flags there's all sorts of

01:07:03analytical data that we can use and we

01:07:05can pull other data in with that okay

01:07:08this is the report that the parent gets

01:07:11or can have access to and I've blacked

01:07:13out the child's name but this actually

01:07:16just says the test results suggests that

01:07:19the student would benefit from an

01:07:20intervention focused on skills and

01:07:22concepts related to quantitative reason

01:07:24Ing and representation instruction that

01:07:27connects understanding of number

01:07:28relationships with computation I don't

01:07:29have to read the whole thing but it's

01:07:31very very specific as to what that

01:07:33child's most immediate needs are in

01:07:35order to move the mark so there's a

01:07:37component in I ready that will group

01:07:39students who have that same need and we

01:07:43have developed what's called standard

01:07:45treatment protocols we meaning the

01:07:47coaches have developed standard

01:07:49treatment protocols and what that is is

01:07:51a research-based intervention with which

01:07:54is a requirement of a multi-tiered

01:07:56system of support and then we make sure

01:07:58that we're intervening with the

01:08:00appropriate intervention to meet those

01:08:02unique needs of that child and the other

01:08:05children that maybe share that unique

01:08:07need so those groups are very flexible

01:08:09and change throughout the school year

01:08:12some schools are even doing multi- level

01:08:14multi-grade level groups because those

01:08:16skills are different also gives us an

01:08:18opportunity to really enrich those kids

01:08:20that are already above grade level

01:08:22through those intervention groups okay

01:08:25so what is the role of the instructional

01:08:27coach in all of this 10 years ago we

01:08:29didn't have

01:08:30mtss now we have and we're required to

01:08:33have a multi-tiered system of support

01:08:36the coach leads the problem solving

01:08:38meetings the PLC meetings they analyze

01:08:42the problem they analyze a problem solv

01:08:44data at the district level at the school

01:08:47level at the grade level and also at the

01:08:49individual teacher level so they will

01:08:52work with a teacher each of the teachers

01:08:54plots their students on that quadrant

01:08:56map so they can see which kids are

01:08:58growing at a high level and which kids

01:09:00they need to work with more so it's very

01:09:03targeted at those individual kiddos they

01:09:06design interventions and develop the

01:09:08standard treatment protocols aligned to

01:09:10specific deficits they provide job

01:09:12embedded professional development for

01:09:14teachers they develop the Core

01:09:17Curriculum when we first came back we

01:09:19had to collapse some of the curriculum

01:09:21because it was too much for kids because

01:09:23they were behind mind so they knew what

01:09:25they could collapse and that would have

01:09:27the least impact on children they also

01:09:30chair the student support team and the

01:09:32student support team is that team that

01:09:35meets at least monthly parents are

01:09:37invited to that that looks at all the

01:09:39individual data for the students and

01:09:42looks at whether or not the child is

01:09:44responding to the intervention If the

01:09:47child is not responding then we have to

01:09:49do additional interventions or that

01:09:51child may be in need of an IEP or a 504

01:09:55we know that might be what they need

01:09:56because everything we've done as far as

01:09:58standard treatment protocols which are

01:10:00research based it's very very analytical

01:10:03they have not responded to at this point

01:10:06and so they almost become like di

01:10:09diagnosticians they train the

01:10:11interventionists they're training our PE

01:10:13teachers and our media coordinators and

01:10:15our art teachers and a lot of our

01:10:17schools everybody participates in

01:10:19intervention time they document document

01:10:22document and they lead that student

01:10:24support team EC and 504 referrals for

01:10:28compliance it used to be prior to mtss

01:10:31when it was an EC referral process it

01:10:34used to be the school counselor or an EC

01:10:37teacher that would lead that team I'm

01:10:40getting dry from talking so much I'm

01:10:42sure you're all tired of hearing too but

01:10:44um I've got the soap box for just a few

01:10:46more minutes so I'm going to tell you

01:10:47what they do but they lead student

01:10:50support teams and EC and 504 referrals

01:10:52to make sure that we are in compliance

01:10:54with Federal legislation you know the

01:10:56the general assembly has limited what

01:10:58counselors are able to do for us

01:11:00counselors are no longer allowed to be

01:11:02involved in any kind of testing or

01:11:04assessment with good reason because

01:11:06they're meeting the needs that are

01:11:07social emotional of some of these

01:11:09children that are coming back with

01:11:10anxiety and some mental health issues

01:11:12thank you so much um so a lot of the

01:11:16duties that have been taken away from

01:11:17counselors and because we have so many

01:11:20needs in our EC Department right now

01:11:23these coaches have taken on those roles

01:11:24and responsibilities as

01:11:26well so I think that's all I have for

01:11:29you today but that is our middle of the

01:11:31Year update I think it's largely very

01:11:33very positive and I just want to thank

01:11:37um all of our teachers and our

01:11:39principles for doing such a fantastic

01:11:41job and really not forgetting that these

01:11:43children are children even though we

01:11:45look at a lot of data if we don't have

01:11:47the data we don't know that what we're

01:11:49doing is working and it's so empowering

01:11:53to be a able to see down to what

01:11:55specific skill a child needs a little

01:11:57support in to be able to mediate that

01:11:59skill so I I suspect that we will

01:12:02continue to grow and grow and grow very

01:12:04excited about that thank you any

01:12:07questions in your professional opinion

01:12:10you mentioned this a couple times about

01:12:12the co effect in your opinion how long

01:12:17do we have left for the co co effect in

01:12:21the data I think if you look at that

01:12:24data you will see that we have largely

01:12:26recovered from covid I I say we have

01:12:30recovered academically but I think that

01:12:32there are still some issues with

01:12:35students with mental health and some um

01:12:39anxiety

01:12:41and just from being out I mean it it's

01:12:43taken every bit of two years and it's

01:12:45taken the extra support that we've

01:12:47gotten from that eser money hiring

01:12:49interventionists and having small groups

01:12:51of children and really teachers working

01:12:54their tails off to to pull these kids

01:12:57over the line but you will see back to

01:12:592122 and largely we are recovering

01:13:03couple grade levels couple areas but

01:13:05that's what we problem solve every year

01:13:07that will never change but we're doing

01:13:09better than the nation and we're doing

01:13:10better than the state and I would say

01:13:11that we are probably 90% recovered

01:13:14academically thank you socially

01:13:16emotionally I think it's another story

01:13:18Dr Curry did when you put the mic back

01:13:20in there did you turn it off I don't I

01:13:22don't hear it working as well okay I'm

01:13:25just not as close to it

01:13:27okay you know this time last year when

01:13:29it was our first time around as many of

01:13:31our new board members going over your

01:13:33data there was a lot of questions a lot

01:13:35of commitments and it's obvious that

01:13:37every one of your principles has

01:13:40delivered on the commitments that they

01:13:42had made of improvement and performance

01:13:44and for that I think that big shout out

01:13:46and a congratulations to them for having

01:13:48done a great job um Point number one

01:13:51point number two your elementary schools

01:13:55have significantly exceeded performance

01:13:58expectations and especially in reading

01:14:00right mathematics they've exceeded but

01:14:02reading

01:14:03significantly and outpacing the middle

01:14:05schools in that reading performance

01:14:07Improvement by almost 20% 25% you know

01:14:10just doing rough

01:14:13averages how how is it that we've seen

01:14:16such dramatic Improvement in the

01:14:18elementary schools and what can we what

01:14:20have we learned from that that we can

01:14:22apply to the Middle School schools to

01:14:23track

01:14:24accordingly that's not atypical because

01:14:28Elementary kiddos don't have as far to

01:14:31go if that makes sense and whenever you

01:14:33see a transition in academics when you

01:14:35have five years of solid Elementary

01:14:37instruction that will begin to translate

01:14:40into sixth grade performance you can see

01:14:43that our sixth grades have closed that

01:14:46Gap I expect to see that that group of

01:14:50children when they go into seventh grade

01:14:52will have closed that Gap Gap so the

01:14:54level of expectation is exponential not

01:14:56linear as you

01:14:58progress I don't know what that

01:15:02means when you're going into Elementary

01:15:04School it would would be just like

01:15:06you're incrementally improving but as

01:15:07you're go to Middle School significantly

01:15:09higher if you raise the level of rigor

01:15:11up here MH when you do that for sixth

01:15:14and seventh grade and they haven't had

01:15:16it

01:15:17K5 they can't meet those goals but when

01:15:20you L raise the level of rigor in an

01:15:22elementary School those kids go to

01:15:24Middle School better able however middle

01:15:28schools it takes a while for that

01:15:30adjustment because they're not k6

01:15:31they're not K8 school so they're not

01:15:33moving at the same Pace but it takes a

01:15:37couple years of saying oh what I'm doing

01:15:39is not really working these kids really

01:15:41are more prepared than the kids that I

01:15:44had two or three years ago I've got to

01:15:46change what I'm doing and so having that

01:15:50what we call efficacy or internal locus

01:15:53of control where the teacher owns it and

01:15:56says oh I have to change what I'm doing

01:16:00in order to keep these children because

01:16:02I have a different set of skills that

01:16:04are coming to me with these kids and so

01:16:07that just takes time and it's a very

01:16:09natural

01:16:10progression and I think that we see that

01:16:13sixth grade has crossed that loop with

01:16:15this data and I believe second seventh

01:16:18grade will be next and what you see with

01:16:20eighth grade doing a little better is

01:16:22sometimes there's there's a term called

01:16:24regression to the mean so if our sixth

01:16:27graders come in doing very very well

01:16:30seventh grade they're going to regress

01:16:31to the me it's a natural St statistical

01:16:34thing and then eighth grade is going to

01:16:36get the growth so eighth grade might

01:16:39look better but they're really not maybe

01:16:41doing anything than other than they

01:16:44regress to the mean in seventh grade so

01:16:47now I I know this is complicated but now

01:16:49I think our sixth graders going into

01:16:51seventh grade puts those seventh grade

01:16:52teachers on noticed oh my gosh these

01:16:54kids coming to me are 65% in the green

01:16:57what am I going to do to keep them there

01:16:59and move them to 70 and so that's the

01:17:02conversations that coaches and principls

01:17:05are having when these children entered

01:17:07your classroom they were 65% proficient

01:17:10on the EOG and their Boi I already

01:17:13showed them to be 55 or 60% proficient

01:17:16when they leave you what are we going to

01:17:19do to make sure that they're 70%

01:17:21proficient but having those

01:17:23conversations takes time and it really

01:17:26takes people nobody nobody in this

01:17:30system I would venture to say nobody but

01:17:33maybe one or two but nobody sets out not

01:17:35wanting to be a good teacher I believe

01:17:38that our teachers are committed they get

01:17:41frustrated sometimes because they maybe

01:17:43don't understand it but they all want to

01:17:47do a good job and are willing to put in

01:17:49the time and effort to do that and the

01:17:51greatest reward is having the data so

01:17:53you know where to work to have those

01:17:55results data speaks volumes it does and

01:17:59they're not just numbers but if we don't

01:18:00have numbers we can't treat the whole

01:18:02child we can't minister so to speak to

01:18:05the whole child and so we need that data

01:18:08to PPO where we do that work where we

01:18:11spend our energy with that child so

01:18:14they're more than a number but that

01:18:17number helps us to treat the whole child

01:18:20to minister do

01:18:21them

01:18:24any other

01:18:26questions I know we waited a long time

01:18:28for this data it just comes when it

01:18:31comes and it's it's it was worth the way

01:18:33that thing absolutely well done thank

01:18:37[Applause]

01:18:44you so next on the agenda is our Board

01:18:47of Education committee reports we have a

01:18:50couple of committees that are going to

01:18:51be reporting under new business us are

01:18:53there any other committee reports that

01:18:55need to be brought

01:18:56up at this point I'll report on the uh

01:18:59uh cougar boosters uh we've met Boosters

01:19:03club is doing several things right now

01:19:06to uh help our spring Sports um you'll

01:19:10be hearing more by next month I'll give

01:19:11you some dates on their Big Spring steak

01:19:14and steak dinner and raffle um and I

01:19:17think we should uh all recognize our

01:19:21high school cheerleaders they've been

01:19:22Disney this week and finished seventh in

01:19:24the nation which

01:19:26[Applause]

01:19:30is and just a big shout out to our old

01:19:33Athletic program I think they do a great

01:19:34job so that's our report from

01:19:37them well

01:19:39said any other

01:19:42updates okay next is Award of Honor

01:19:44guidelines Dr

01:19:47Hefner thank you chairman Ares I'm just

01:19:50going to read the guidelines um this is

01:19:52is the time of year every year that we

01:19:54promote the award of honor and we do not

01:19:57have any nominations Sitting Waiting for

01:20:00a committee to consider so I just say

01:20:03that in hopes that this year nominations

01:20:05will be made the Alexander County board

01:20:08of education has established the award

01:20:10of Honor in order to recognize those

01:20:12individuals who have made exceptional

01:20:15contributions to Alexander County

01:20:17Schools this award represents the

01:20:19highest honor that the Board of

01:20:21Education can bestow

01:20:23criteria for the selection of this award

01:20:25shall be based on exceptional

01:20:27contributions to the Alexander County

01:20:29school system or any of its individual

01:20:32schools in the areas of academics

01:20:35Athletics Administration student

01:20:38achievement or community service to the

01:20:40schools the contributions may include

01:20:43recognition on a regional Statewide or

01:20:46national level as well as local

01:20:48notoriety and shall have allowed our

01:20:51children the chance not only to grow and

01:20:53meet their full potential but to excel

01:20:56as well the final yard stick by which

01:20:59all nominees shall be judged as to the

01:21:01Merit of his or her application is the

01:21:04positive effect on the quality of

01:21:06Education in Alexander County as

01:21:09recognized by fellow students teachers

01:21:12administrators and the community in

01:21:14general the guidelines are as follows a

01:21:18committee shall be established to

01:21:20receive and Screen recommendations for

01:21:23this award neither current Board of

01:21:25Education members nor current school

01:21:28system employees are eligible for the

01:21:30award the final decision shall be made

01:21:34by the Alexander County Board of

01:21:36Education nominees may be made from the

01:21:39second week in February through the

01:21:41second week in March each year

01:21:44nominations will be kept on file for up

01:21:46to three years each individual nominated

01:21:50must have a minimum of three letters of

01:21:52of recommendation by non-immediate

01:21:55family members the award shall be given

01:21:58annually at the time determined by the

01:22:01Board of Education and lastly nomination

01:22:04forms are available at the Alexander

01:22:06County Board of Education office thank

01:22:11you I hope we get a lot of applicants

01:22:14that uh that was a hug honor a couple

01:22:16years ago to see Aon Sprout be

01:22:17recognized with that and I know we've

01:22:18had a lot of great individuals over the

01:22:20years I hope folks will consider

01:22:22nominating

01:22:24someone where's the list of previous

01:22:26Award winners Dr hner they're on the

01:22:28wall as you exit the building okay thank

01:22:35you next is a superintendent report Dr

01:22:38Hefner thank you you have several

01:22:41attachments in today's uh agenda and I

01:22:44will reference those hopefully you'll be

01:22:46able to to pull them up I've noticed a

01:22:48little lag in trying to open up

01:22:51attachments and different things in the

01:22:53agenda so my apology for that but uh the

01:22:57first thing that I want to um start with

01:22:59is that school nutrition received an

01:23:01Innovative breakfast Grant totaling

01:23:05$33,600 for equipment to help with

01:23:08distrib Excuse me distribution of

01:23:10breakfast and increased participation in

01:23:13the school nutrition program the second

01:23:16shout out also goes to Kathy calle's

01:23:19team they applied to become a host for

01:23:21the North Carol Ina K12 Culinary

01:23:24Institute this summer and we were

01:23:27selected there will be chefs here

01:23:29training managers in deficient culinary

01:23:32techniques it's a teach It Forward

01:23:35training or a teach It Forward type

01:23:37training model Child Nutrition staff

01:23:39will be receiving training as well as

01:23:42how to use tools and equipment in their

01:23:45kitchens and then the third uh bullet

01:23:47for school nutrition is that we're going

01:23:49to be celebrating National School

01:23:51breakfast week the week of March 4th

01:23:54through the

01:23:558th then I'm going to transition to my

01:23:58fourth bullet for those of you who are

01:24:00not aware of this February is CTE month

01:24:05and that is the month we celebrate the

01:24:07achievements and contributions that

01:24:09Career and Technical education programs

01:24:11provide in preparing students for high

01:24:14skill High wage and in demand careers

01:24:18here are some highlights from our CTE

01:24:21program in Alex Ander County Crystal H

01:24:25received notification recently that we

01:24:26will be awarded a couple of significant

01:24:29grants one is a tobacco trust fund Grant

01:24:33totaling

01:24:36$7,850 and that will fund a storage

01:24:39facility for the a

01:24:41program another is an Innovative Grant

01:24:45from the education and Workforce

01:24:46Innovation commission for this we're

01:24:49being awarded

01:24:50$60,000 that will be used used for

01:24:52equipment props and training grounds for

01:24:55the fire

01:24:58academy also an elective fair was held

01:25:01on February 88th at ACS which featured

01:25:04many of the CTE programs as well as

01:25:07other electives at the high school CTE

01:25:11program areas showcase some of the

01:25:13projects they do as well as had student

01:25:16Representatives currently in the courses

01:25:18available on site this was well attended

01:25:21by Rising freshmen and their parents so

01:25:24we're excited about that and then also I

01:25:29as a superintendent and very U proud

01:25:32because the CTE program was highlighted

01:25:35for their mobile career lab in the North

01:25:37Carolina Association of superintendent

01:25:40update which goes out to all

01:25:42superintendents in the state every

01:25:44Sunday afternoon the CTE mobile career

01:25:48lab visits elementary and middle schools

01:25:51offering Hands-On experiences aligned

01:25:53with high school career Pathways

01:25:55students rotate throughout stations

01:25:57where they can use power tools interact

01:26:00with animal models learn how to write

01:26:03checks utilize Health Care tools like

01:26:06thermometers and blood pressure cuffs

01:26:08and much much more the vision of CTE in

01:26:12Alexander County Schools is careers for

01:26:15all thus the addition of the CTE mobile

01:26:18career lab helps ensure that students

01:26:20are exposed at an early age to Career

01:26:23and Technical education Pathways and

01:26:26career

01:26:27possibilities I have attached the flyer

01:26:30that was used in the superintendent's

01:26:32update and you can see that also you can

01:26:35access a video about the mobile lab with

01:26:39the link that I have listed for you now

01:26:42this next bullet is something that

01:26:45started today and I'm so jazzed about

01:26:48this the CTE Department they're hosting

01:26:51an online auction on the CTE Facebook

01:26:54page starting today and ending on

01:26:57February 17th there are many student

01:27:00products such as pillows and tote bags

01:27:03made by the apparel students desserts

01:27:06that have been made by the foods

01:27:09students wall hangings by interior

01:27:11design students cutting boards keepsake

01:27:15boxes and metal art all designed and

01:27:18made by the a students and atar Ronda

01:27:22chairs and dog houses that have been

01:27:24made by our carpentry students the

01:27:28auction also has gift certificates and

01:27:30donations from local businesses the

01:27:33proceeds of this auction will go toward

01:27:35CTE student organizations to help with

01:27:38field trips and student competitions

01:27:41please go to the CTE Facebook at

01:27:44acct

01:27:46T1 and then share that event uh with

01:27:50your friends on Facebook or however you

01:27:52can share it by word of mouth and then I

01:27:55would encourage everybody listening to

01:27:57bid on items also I think you'll be most

01:28:00impressed I would like for you to open

01:28:02up the Sugarloaf project update it is

01:28:07the third link in your

01:28:10agenda this is the update on that

01:28:12project at sugara for the month of

01:28:15January and it shows I I've just been so

01:28:19impressed with this uh particular

01:28:22company just the way that they provide

01:28:24an update with pictures a picture

01:28:26sometimes speaks volumes and you can see

01:28:30progress being made throughout the month

01:28:32of

01:28:34January if you're driving by you see

01:28:37that outside shell that has taken

01:28:45shape they go through detail you know uh

01:28:49with their bullets on the dates

01:28:55you can look at those things lastly on

01:28:57the last slide you'll see that they give

01:29:00um that we have had since the beginning

01:29:03of the project in August 10 days that

01:29:07have been weather related delays for us

01:29:10but despite those delays they are still

01:29:13anticipating that um that we'll finish

01:29:16on time so that's always a good thing

01:29:19yeah any questions about the life

01:29:22project and project creep wise in terms

01:29:24of cost everything's on line everything

01:29:26is in line at this point yes have we had

01:29:29minimum disruptions at school I I would

01:29:32assume nothing's been a real disruption

01:29:34to school during the day no no they've

01:29:36been wonderful to work with and when I

01:29:38run into the guys the superintendent of

01:29:41the project uh he will talk about how

01:29:44nice everyone is at the school to the

01:29:47point that I'm wondering do they work

01:29:49with schools where they're not nice um I

01:29:53can't imagine that but maybe they do but

01:29:55he's very complimentary of the children

01:29:58and the staff at Sugarloaf as far is

01:30:00just so easy to get along

01:30:02with bullet number six please mark your

01:30:05calendars Miss Nash and I have scheduled

01:30:08the board meeting to Ellendale for

01:30:10Friday February 23rd beginning at 11:30

01:30:14I hope all of you will be able to attend

01:30:17and then in the February report that is

01:30:21also an attachment in the agenda if you

01:30:24don't care to to click on that for

01:30:31me this is a monthly report that I

01:30:33provide you can see that

01:30:36enrollment um you see those numbers

01:30:39December and then compare January I do

01:30:42want to note in that enrollment we had

01:30:4527 early gra early graduates excuse me

01:30:48in December you heard Miss Johnson talk

01:30:51about you know they had a couple of

01:30:53those but uh 27 I've been doing this a

01:30:56long time and that's a pretty large

01:30:58number to graduate in December so that's

01:31:00a good thing but you see we still want

01:31:03to

01:31:04yes but that's not unusual and the

01:31:08reason why your numbers go up a little

01:31:10bit during this time period is that

01:31:12families if they are going to make a

01:31:14move and a transition to school they'll

01:31:17do it at the end of a semester okay or

01:31:20the end of a nine weeks so so that's you

01:31:22know what I attribute some of that to I

01:31:24was very proud to see that bus ridership

01:31:27we're up 13 students in the

01:31:30afternoons um I want to just uh

01:31:33encourage you to to use this every month

01:31:36to track some data one thing I want to

01:31:38call your attention to again I talked

01:31:41about it last month is the work of the

01:31:43Family Academy District staff they're

01:31:46working on those efforts and they met

01:31:49again with the group RTI

01:31:52it's a grant-funded organization who's

01:31:54helping with the planning of our family

01:31:57Academy and the Personnel from that

01:32:00organization say they have never seen

01:32:02such a positive response rate with

01:32:05surveys for student excuse me for

01:32:07parents and for staff um the group works

01:32:11with districts across the United across

01:32:14North Carolina and I'm sure Beyond North

01:32:16Carolina but again I just want to shout

01:32:19out to our families we had 409 fames

01:32:22responses to our survey and then um and

01:32:25the survey was offered in English and

01:32:27Spanish and we also I want to shout out

01:32:29to the staff we had 203 staff responses

01:32:33and that was way more than they

01:32:35anticipated as I reported in January the

01:32:38feedback from those surveys will be

01:32:40included with the responses from the

01:32:42parent advisory groups at each school

01:32:45and then all of those meetings at the

01:32:47school level are wrapping up this month

01:32:50some of the things that we've already

01:32:52heard parents Express an interest in

01:32:55they want more information about how to

01:32:58help their child with schoolwork and how

01:33:00to build their child's

01:33:02confidence also some concerns were uh

01:33:06voiced about internet and drug abuse

01:33:09awareness uh I know that even just

01:33:13devices staying on top of social media

01:33:16and different things that's quite a

01:33:17challenge for the most involved parent

01:33:20but we're hearing those topics of

01:33:22interest that they have risen to the

01:33:25surface the Family Academy steering

01:33:27committee will meet later this week with

01:33:29Andrea Robinette and Dr Denita D Revis

01:33:33they're going to analyze all the

01:33:34feedback that they've gotten from all

01:33:36the parties and then they're going to

01:33:38start putting together some of the

01:33:40content for what families have told us

01:33:42that they are interested in do you have

01:33:45any

01:33:49questions okay thank you

01:33:52thank you thank you next on the agenda

01:33:54unfinished

01:33:56business Miss Sharon mfy our chief

01:33:59financial officers is going to speak

01:34:00about proposed Board of Education policy

01:34:05revisions um we are all glad that Kathy

01:34:08has the culinary uh uh Chef coming and

01:34:13we're hoping that she invites us to be

01:34:15the taste test I started to say if she

01:34:17needs any taste testers we've heard that

01:34:19we have a lot of offers yes

01:34:23we have three policies up for second

01:34:25reading uh tonight student uh staff

01:34:29student relations 44 uh

01:34:324040 immunizations and health uh

01:34:35requirements for school admissions 4110

01:34:38and child abuse and related threats to

01:34:41child safety

01:34:434240 I have um asked principles and

01:34:45directors for input I receive no

01:34:48suggestions and so I would ask for

01:34:50approval on second reading

01:34:52I'll make a motion to approve the

01:34:54policies say presented second we have a

01:34:57motion we have a second all in

01:34:59favor all

01:35:02opposed thank you they're approved so

01:35:05we've approved as a board unanimously

01:35:08policy 4040 policy number 4110 and

01:35:11policy number 4240 thank

01:35:14you we have um four uh five policies for

01:35:18first reading tonight rental involvement

01:35:21student searches survey of students

01:35:24distribution and display of non-school

01:35:27materials and daily deposits I will uh

01:35:30request feedback and read those back

01:35:32next month thank you thank you thank

01:35:40you next on the agenda is Head Start

01:35:42carryover request Miss Kathy

01:35:46NEP good evening you in front of you I

01:35:50believe a copy of the carryover um

01:35:53budget

01:35:54justification and also a budget summary

01:35:58of the categories for the carryover I am

01:36:01here tonight requesting board approval

01:36:03to carry the carry over the unobligated

01:36:07funds from last program year to current

01:36:09program year the amount of funds is

01:36:1892,5 are there any questions from the

01:36:20board

01:36:23what is a pleasure of the board as we

01:36:25move forward I'll make a motion to

01:36:26approve the request second you have a

01:36:28motion in a second all in

01:36:31favor all

01:36:33opposed the motion is approved thank you

01:36:36thank

01:36:44thank next topic is our search firm

01:36:46selection as we discussed last week in

01:36:48our board agenda we had four options

01:36:51available to us as board members

01:36:54can and what I'm doing is I'm passing

01:36:57out

01:36:58a sheet to be filled out by each one of

01:37:01board members as to what is their choice

01:37:04for which way to proceed with our search

01:37:07options obviously I'm passing this out

01:37:09for all board members to have after

01:37:12we've had our discussion and our

01:37:14conversations and points being made back

01:37:16and forth amongst all of us I would ask

01:37:17that you please fill this out with your

01:37:19name the date of today in the signature

01:37:22what is your choice I will tabulate

01:37:23those if once tabulating the choice we

01:37:26have anyone that hits four or greater

01:37:29board members supporting that will

01:37:31constitute an approval by the board with

01:37:33said uh search firm or option so the

01:37:37floor is open for

01:37:43discussion any questions or comments

01:37:45from

01:37:46anyone so just to understand this paper

01:37:50we're not going to be voting in the

01:37:51public for this well we will I

01:37:53afterwards I was it was recommended to

01:37:55me that we do this by ballot uh and then

01:37:58I'll read out once I receive everybody's

01:38:01feedback I'll read read I'll read who

01:38:03voted what gotta okay I wasn't sure what

01:38:05what's going on with that okay so um

01:38:09I'll just I make a statement again I I

01:38:11have a a concern about spending money

01:38:15for this type of expense when we're our

01:38:18next topic is

01:38:20um talking about a riff so that that's

01:38:23just my thoughts on

01:38:27it I also have the same concern um I

01:38:31know Chris Campbell had recommended some

01:38:34options that would be less cost I feel

01:38:37like the board should really consider

01:38:38that and not be willing to spend uh a

01:38:41lot of money if we're going to have to

01:38:42think about making Cuts I would rather

01:38:45put our money in Personnel than a firm

01:38:48to bring us people if we can avoid that

01:38:52well I don't think you can avoid it

01:38:54Scott um that's just my opinion uh I

01:38:56think you know we we need a firm to

01:38:59assist us to help us find the best

01:39:02candidate for our town our community and

01:39:05uh our teachers and our parents

01:39:08something that Mr Campbell mentioned us

01:39:10last week was that we could do an

01:39:12interim and that he could even um offer

01:39:16some suggestions for an interim that we

01:39:19could interview ourselves mhm so that we

01:39:22could have someone capable to run this

01:39:25school system for the next year after Dr

01:39:28Hefner leaves or or whatever time frame

01:39:30we decide um I guess we just seem to be

01:39:35putting the gas on everything and um

01:39:38with the the there's no breaks anywhere

01:39:40and I just feel like we're jumping into

01:39:41things so quickly when we have another

01:39:44option to be able to possibly do an inum

01:39:48and just slow the train back a little

01:39:50bit

01:39:55one of the things that jumped out to me

01:39:56last week uh Chris Kell shared was you

01:39:59know even I mean it's February and he he

01:40:02even made the statement you know even

01:40:04starting in February we potentially

01:40:05wasn't even looking at July 1 uh so I I

01:40:09I see concerns about starting this is

01:40:12not an easy process to go through uh and

01:40:15I think when he when he stated that kind

01:40:17of reiterated the the amount of time in

01:40:21effort that has to go into this

01:40:24process yeah and and one way to look at

01:40:27this is I do see the cost and those kind

01:40:31of things but we have to look at it as a

01:40:34potential investment as far as who is

01:40:38going to lead the largest employer of

01:40:42Alexander County and and it is my hopes

01:40:47that with choosing one of these firms or

01:40:48which direction we or I can say me I do

01:40:52not want to take the wind out of

01:40:55anybody's sales we know that there is

01:40:58we've seen the data that's been

01:41:00presented tonight which is evident by

01:41:02the strong core leadership that we have

01:41:05in our schools and we know that there is

01:41:09local folks that may be interested and

01:41:13we want to make sure that whichever

01:41:15direction you know the board chooses

01:41:17tonight that those individuals that are

01:41:19interested know to make sure to to apply

01:41:24you know for that position because

01:41:26that's one thing that we as a board will

01:41:29be able to receive it is my

01:41:31understanding and you correct me Mr

01:41:32chair that we would be able to get input

01:41:36from the community is what you know they

01:41:39see in having the characteristics and

01:41:41the trait of our next

01:41:47superintendent I would also like to ask

01:41:50are there other companies that do this

01:41:53we as a board did not direct these

01:41:55companies to be chosen so are there

01:41:57others that we could look

01:42:01at I don't know I'm I'm asking because I

01:42:05I wasn't in the the conversation about

01:42:07how the