USD 253 Emporia is utilizing new resources to help ensure that state assessment data will align with other educational proficiency metrics following a report to the USD 253 Board of Education Wednesday night.
The presentation, led by Interim Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning and Student Services Sheryl Leeds, noted an apparent misalignment in state assessment data in comparison to other educational metrics, including ACT, SAT scores and post-secondary success. Essentially, the data did not paint an accurate picture of the educational mastery of students.
According to Leeds, the district narrowly missed state averages with recent assessment data. However, Leeds says it is unclear what the exact cause of those trends may be, stating that the district is investigating a few possibilities, including the potential alignment issue.
This was identified by the Kansas State Department of Education, which has since made alterations to the assessment cut scores, the score that measures a student’s mastery of content, to better align with the previously stated metrics in addition to offering new resources to districts to better help prepare students for the state assessments. This includes the Kite Portal, which provides districts access to both mini and interim tests that act as “warmups” for the state assessments.
Leeds adds that with the interim and mini tests, the district can receive the data and scores immediately, unlike the state assessments, meaning they can have a more accurate gauge of student performance prior to students taking the actual assessments.
In other business Wednesday, board members approved the purchase of the Read 180 resource, specifically 121 units, for a total of just over $13,100. Following a brief executive session, board members voted 5-1 with one abstention to approve the following motion, “I move that the Board of Education approve the stipends for Cory Nicolet and Cate Cape as submitted, acknowledging that the duties outlined in the Additional Duties Acknowledgement document define the ongoing expectations tied to the stipend.” Board member Jamie Reever was the lone nay vote, saying she voted as such, “Because I believe process and procedure were not followed in this, and I am not going to be tied to a vote that does not follow procedure.”
Board member Jeremy Dorsey was the lone abstention. Neither Reever nor Dorsey offered any further comment on their decisions and district leadership had no further comment on the matter.
The USD 253 Board of Education will next convene on Wednesday, November 12 at 6 pm inside of the Mary Herbert Education Center.
