By Jennifer Moody
For The New Era
Primary-grade students in Lebanon are showing significant gains in their math skills so far this winter, and both math and reading scores are strengthening across the district.
That information was part of a mid-year report on academic data that Supt. Jennifer Meckley presented Thursday, Feb. 19, to the Lebanon Community School District Board of Directors. The winter assessment is a checkpoint before spring testing, she said.
Board members also received an updated report on class sizes as part of Thursday’s meeting.
Most grade levels are showing “typical to above typical growth” in math from fall to winter, with the strongest showings coming in grades 1-3, Meckley said. Emphasis on foundational skills is reflected in the findings, she said.
Growth is present but more variable in grades 4-8, with sixth grade trending slightly downward from fall to winter.
For reading, assessment results show “steady growth across grade bands,” also most consistent in grades 1-3, she said. Sixth grade again showed a slight dip from fall to winter.
While intervention takes place at all grades, “We definitely have some plans to make sure we intervene as quickly as possible to support those students,” Meckley said.
At Lebanon High School, educators look at the pass rate for the first semester, which is at 92% for grades 9-12 overall. The lowest of the four grades is 11th, at 89%. The report states that rate is being monitored to help inform targeted support and credit recovery.
The class size report showed a handful of elementary classes slightly over the recommended enrollment figure at Pioneer, Lacomb and Riverview schools, and higher case management figures for special education and speech therapy at Pioneer, Riverview and Lebanon High schools.
In answer to a question from board member Mike Martin, Meckley said when numbers climb, principals meet with teachers to look at options, such as adding extra grading days for the teacher or extra time with assistants.
In contrast to the elementary grades, some of the classes at Lebanon High School – particularly Advanced Placement classes and other electives – have fewer than 20 students. This is something the district is watching to ensure the schedule stays financially sound, Meckley said. The report indicates AP Calculus has just 10 students this year, as an example, and lifeguard training has nine.
In other business Thursday, the board:
- Learned that a work session to continue discussion about whether to issue a bond measure for school repairs and other projects has been scheduled for 5 p.m. April 9, before that night’s board meeting.
- Received a “clean opinion with no reservations” from auditors on district financial statements for the past fiscal year.
- Heard a request to name the paved walking trail at Pioneer School the “Brandt Legacy Walking Path,” in recognition of Rachel and Tony Brandt, who helped make the path project possible through fundraising and by monitoring the progress. Public comment on the request will be offered at the March meeting of the board, and board members may choose to vote on the proposal then.
- Voted unanimously to use an alternative contracting method for fire alarm control panel replacements and other fire system upgrades across the district. A report on the project found such a contracting method would save money and time in accomplishing the replacements.