<p> Mary M. Lofy Director of Instruction P: (920) 467-7893 E: [email protected]</p><p>Board of Education Update – March 21, 2016</p><p>ESEA Reauthorization: ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) ESSA was signed into Law December 10, 2015. Below is an overview of what is contained in the reauthorization. The four major areas covered include: Accountability, Assessment, High Schools, and Teachers & School Leaders. The state, as well as local districts, will need to make many decisions on how items will be implemented for the 2017-18 school year. </p><p> Repeals AYP and replaces it with statewide accountability system</p><p> Annual statewide assessments in reading and math for students in grades 3-8 and once in high school; and science tested three times between grades 3-12</p><p> States have control over selecting academic standards (reading and math)</p><p> States are responsible for identifying and determining supports for low performing schools</p><p> Places a state participation cap of 1% of the population of students with severe cognitive disabilities that can take the alternative assessment (WI participation is currently 2%)</p><p> Moves accountability for ELL from Title III to Title I</p><p> Maintains funding targeted for at-risk children (maintenance of effort and supplement not supplant)</p><p> Provides resources for activities designed to support teacher, principal, and other educator quality</p><p> Supports at-risk populations </p><p> Greater funding flexibility to support local priorities to better serve disadvantaged students</p><p> Promotes high quality choices for parents</p><p>Update on School Safety Though the Safety Team meets four times per year, I wanted to include some updates in my report:  After the recent work of the crisis team involving the loss of students, the section in the Safety Plan that highlights Response to Student Death has been updated. Key updates include changes to communication to staff and external partners.  There is more movement toward county-wide cooperation on school safety planning. SRO Doug Hall and Emergency Management Director Steve Steinhardt continue to use the district’s safety plan as a model when working with area districts. Their goal is to every district in the county on a similar plan.  Five Safety Team members have applied to attend FEMA training, Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools, at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmetsburg, MD, from July 11 through July 14. We are hopeful the applications are approved and we can continue to grow our safety planning knowledge. </p><p>March is Music in our Schools Month Our schools are recognizing the month with special announcements for students and families. In order to show the involvement of students in music electives in grades 6-12, I have included course elective data below. Please note that music is required in earlier grades. Middle School Band 6-8 and Jazz Band = 148; Choir 6-8, Music Appreciation, and General Music = 212 Percent of MS students involved in music electives = 73% High School Band and Jazz = 124; Choir (Concert, Treble, and Show) = 81 Percent of HS students involved in music electives = 38%</p><p>March is also Youth Art Month Our Art Teachers’ Twitter feed and Instagram has been busy with art updates this month. The middle school hosted an art show during the recent middle school musical. I have included art electives in grades 7-12 below. It should be noted that Art is required at earlier grades. Middle School Grades 7-8 = 201 Percent of 7-8 students involved in art electives = 84% High School Grades 9-12 = 186 Percent of HS students involved in art electives = 34%</p><p>Kudos to our Exceptional Educators in Science  Staff to Attend National Conference in Nashville Grade 8 Science Teacher, Tammy Huenink, will be attending the National Science Teachers Association (NTSA) National Conference in Nashville at the end of March. Tammy is attending as the State President of WSST. High School Science Teacher, Brad Hoffmann, will also be attending the NTSA Conference in Nashville, as he was selected to present along with Mike Beeth from UW-Oshkosh. They will present a sectional on “Alternative Careers in Teaching” program which licenses teachers who previously had STEM careers that Brad has been fortunate to take part in and our district has greatly benefitted from.  Science Presentation at WSST Conference Grade 1 Teacher, Roy Schwab, will be presenting at the Wisconsin State Science Teachers conference at the end of April. He will be presenting sectionals on STEAM and improving elementary science.  Science Teacher Support Their Colleagues During the months of February and March, grades 8-12 science teachers have been “coaching” their K-7 colleagues as they work to implement the Next Generation Science Standards. The 8-12 teachers have done a great job of helping their colleagues better understand the standards and the rich science content required at each grade level. Many thanks to Tammy Huenink, Marlee Clark, Andy Jagow, Brad Hoffmann, Pam Salm, and Jenny Given for their coaching support! </p>