District Administration - September 2007 - (Page 40)

factor X HONORABLE MENTIONS Mentoring for Exit Exams Natomas Uniﬁed School District, Sacramento, Calif. Natomas School District Superintendent Steve Farrar would like to expand a mentoring program across the district that recently helped 25 out of 57 Natomas High School seniors pass the California High School Exit Examination. For the program, students were meeting two hours a week for ﬁve weeks, working from a customized plan that identiﬁes individual needs. Learning the Real World Way Halifax County Middle School, Halifax County Public Schools, South Boston, Va. Marliss Barczak, associate principal for instruction at Halifax County Middle School in the Halifax County school district, would use grant funds for trips to nearby outdoor classrooms at the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, which would serve as a learning site for seventh-graders in life science class. Students would help restore wildlife populations’ habitats, observe what they have been studying in class over the school year, and learn about the impact man has on the environment and what technological tools can be used to preserve it. Special Education Management Lee’s Summit (Mo.) School District Jerry Keimig, district director of special services at Lee’s Summit, would like to use grant funds to continue to update their special education automation software to serve students with disabilities and at-risk students to ensure they get the assistance they need. In 2001 the district implemented new software to solve the paperbased and labor-intensive issues that complicated special education management. Software for Special Ed Katy (Texas) Independent School District Fred Shafer, executive director for special education, counseling and psychological services at Katy Independent School District, proposes to expand the use of software to improve special education and evaluation, documentation and accountability districtwide. The district began implementing Web-based special education automation software in 2004 to improve eﬃciency and eﬀectiveness for its enrollment increases. After-School Excellence Rio Rancho (N.M.) Public Schools Rey Cordova, manager of the Students Achieving for Excellence Before and After School Program at Rio Rancho Public Schools, proposes to contract with the Explora Children’s Museum in Albuquerque, which includes working with two Explora instructors who would teach students through science, technology and art workshops. Cordova wants to enrich the academic experiences of his students. A database would be set up to track student progress using state-mandated testing scores. Teaching English with Handhelds Comanche (Texas) Independent School District Teresa Loudermilk, district director of administrative services at Comanche Independent School District, would like to provide Limited English Proﬁcient (LEP) students with handheld technology devices to help them acquire English language skills. Spanish speakers have a diﬃcult time learning due to the language barrier, Loudermilk says, and iPods are increasingly being used in English as a Second Language (ESL), special education and foreign language classes. Extending the Day Miller Elementary School, Dodge City (Kan.) Public Schools Joyce Warshaw, the principal of Miller Elementary in the Dodge City (Kan.) Public Schools district, would use grant funds to extend the academic day. Funds would also address transportation services so parents would not be inconvenienced. Warshaw says an extended day would allow educators to focus more on depth and understanding rather than teaching curriculum “in a linear fashion.” 40 September 2007 Response to Intervention Model Lexington (S.C.) School District One Barbara Criss, lead school psychologist at Lexington School District One, plans to expand the district’s intervention model to ﬁve additional schools. Grant monies would be used to purchase a well-researched, scientiﬁcally based intervention program for struggling readers, including using professional development. “This addresses the very important issue of ensuring that the intervention is implemented with ﬁdelity,” says Criss. Growth Model Assessments Ponca City (Okla.) Public Schools Ponca City Schools Superintendent David Pennington proposes to institute a growth model to measure student academic performance over time. “The method would allow us to assess the academic skills of each student and then develop growth plans based on each individual student’s academic strengths and weaknesses,” says Pennington. The system will provide timely and accurate information to guide teachers and help administrators develop goals to drive instruction and school improvement. Research-Based Reading Program Pewitt Consolidated Independent School District, Omaha, Texas Julie Dellelo, curriculum and technology director at Pewitt Elementary School, along with other administrators, would like to purchase laptops along with an integrated, tiered, reading program for struggling students and those needing to develop the cognitive skills necessary for successful reading and learning. Dellelo wants to ensure that the Pewitt School District’s students are given the best educational resources and opportunities so District Administration

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2007

Cover Contents Editor’s Letter Letters News Update Curriculum Update Inside the Law District Profile Administrator Profile District Buying Power 2007 X-Factor Student Achievement Awards 2007 We've Got Mail Supporting New Teachers How Well Does This Web Site Work? New Products Problem Solution Computer Literature Research Corner Online Edge Supervisor’s Opinion Speaking Out Calendar of Events Understanding the Times

District Administration - September 2007

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