NRHEG School Board
By REED WALLER
Staff Writer
A survey of the MCA test results over the last five years shows that NRHEG still needs to do some work.
At Monday’s regular meeting of the school board, Curriculum and Instruction Director Terry Engel had tables of class scores color coded so board members could compare not only the grades and years, but also the progress of individual classes through the grades.
“Sometimes you get a class with a lot of bright kids,” said Engel, pointing to the diagonal line of high numbers representing this spring’s seventh-graders. “And sometimes you get a class with a lot of lower-level students.”
A comparison between NRHEG and other districts showed the NRHEG elementary math scores were “far ahead of everyone.”
Nonetheless, bright or not, the charts seemed to show a clear drop in reading, math, and science performance after fourth or fifth grade.
“We’re a little above the state average in the lower grades,” said Engel. But between fourth and sixth grades, performance drops noticeably, even dramatically, as much as 20 percentile points.
Some of this shows in other schools’ results too, and may be partly a function of the higher grades presenting different, more complex types of problems.
There was more to the findings than just the charts Engel showed.
“For example there are several threads followed in the math tests, and we can see how comparatively well they are doing in algebra, numbers, geometry. We have a great base,” she said, “but we need to emphasize problem-solving skills.”
Superintendent evaluation
Supt. Dale Carlson recommended that the board give the go-ahead to a service being offered by the Minnesota School Board Association, an assisted Superintendent Evaluation.
More than it seems, it is a process where MSBA staff work with a board and superintendent to create an evaluation tool that is in line with the district’s strategic plan, and with the board’s own goals (which may not be exactly the same) for the superintendent.
“Sandy Gundlach from the MSBA,” said Carlson, “was one of two staff members who presented at a MSBA workshop on Superintendent Evaluation in Rochester last fall where Joann Maloney and Travis Routh joined me in attending.”
If the board approved, a work session woud be set for early September and the board would have an evaluation instrument to approve at the September meeting, where, once approved, they would use the instrument to do an evaluation.
“I can see the advantage of having more than just a generic ‘one-size-fits-all’ evaluation tool, when we are trying to prioritize our particular goals,” commented board chair Rick Schultz.
The evaluation process enables the board to not only evaluate the superintendent, but also provides a framework within which a board and superintendent can develop a more focused approach.
“Wouldn’t this more valuable a year from now? When we can have a checklist and a roadmap for the next year?” asked Maloney.
“I talked with Gundlach about that, and she agreed we would ‘need some customizing’ to get it to work for us this year,” Carlson answered. “You need to identify what you need me to do in this coming year.”
“We need to prioritize what’s important to us,” added Travis Routh.
The cost for this service is $950.
“Would this be an annual fee? Or just a one-time charge? Could we use this service over a number of years?” asked Schultz.
“It’s just a one-time charge,” answered Carlson.
It was approved to go forward with the service.
Other business
Secondary Principal David Bunn reported that he was looking into issuing parking permits for the New Richland lot.
“It would be free, but it would be useful to know what vehicles we have in the lot, and who owns them,” he said.
Bunn also reported that Flex-Comm Security is installing sound to the Commons area, and that “Knox Boxes” purchased in collaboration with Waseca County have been installed, emergency boxes which contain important facility information for law enforcement.
“We hope to never use the boxes, but have them set up in case of an emergency.”
Some troublesome rooftop air handling units have been repaired.
Elementary Principal Doug Anderson reported some things have been added to the Student Handbook, including the NRHEG Mission and Vision Statements, and some detailed information on Cyber Bullying.
The school’s application for voluntary pre-kindergarten funding was denied, but the application remains pending.
“In total, 183 districts and charter schools applied for this funding, but nearly 60 percent did not receive any.
Staff changes
Resignations were approved for Terry Jensen and Katherine Slegh, paraprofessionals.
Approved for hire pending background checks were seven new paraprofessionals: Patti Carlson and Amy Klimmek for the Elementary, and Christina Maas, Susan Abbott, Kara Kahle, Miriam Hanna, and Denise Tipton for the Secondary.
Pat Churchill, previously approved as 8th Grade Football coach, has been moved to 9th Grade Football coach, with Palmer Peterson taking the 8th Grade.
Donations
Donations were accepted for the Elementary Playground. They were: NRHEG PTO $3,000, Cargill Inc. $2,500, Kona Ice $110, and Broskoff Structures $20.