"Trends and Changes"

"Trends and Changes" came to mind as I sat down to write this blog! The new school year is off and running and it is hard to believe that October is upon us. Our staff has worked hard to implement our improvement efforts and all indications are that student achievement results are trending in a positive direction! The class of 2011 posted the highest ACT composite score in the last 5 years. We are also starting to analyze how our students are performing in college through the recently released High School to College Success Report . All indications are that any changes to the assessment system will include the use of the ACT exam and the college readiness benchmarks. Please read the MDH article that highlights our results as reported to the Board of Education at the September meeting.

I have written about change in the past and change is certainly something we all deal with differently. This year early indications are that the students and staff are adjusting to the switch from a Block 4 to a more traditional 7 period day schedule. We are working through some growing pains as expected but the instructional energy I have experienced in my classroom visits is encouraging. Senate bill 7 and Senate bill 315 will change the way teachers earn tenure, are evaluated, and the manner in which districts implement reduction-in-force procedures. It will take a team effort to implement these worthwhile reforms. Student achievement will become a mandatory part of staff evaluation by 2016 and will become more important in the Principal evaluation process in 2012. More information comes out almost everyday on the implementation of the most significant education changes since the 1985 learning objectives legislation that was the start of standards based curriculum.

Time will tell if the recent changes create positive trends in education!!