Reporter Kerri Sandaine at the Lewiston Tribune had a great story on her blog last week I thought you all might find of interest.
Two school districts in northern Idaho came up with an innovative way to share resources this year – they’ve decided to combine sports programs.
The Culdesac Wolves and Highland Huskies have worked out an agreement where neither school will lose its mascot. Instead, some sports programs will belong to the Wolves and some to the Huskies.
Cross country, girls basketball, boys baseball and tennis will be based in Culdesac. Volleyball, boys basketball and girls softball will be based in the Highland district. They're still working out the details for track and field and have agreements with other schools to share resources in football.
Get all the details on Kerri’s blog.
~ Melissa M.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
71 Idahoans Win Extra Money for College
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna joined Idaho Treasurer Ron Crane today to announce the names of several lucky winners statewide – who all got a little boost in their college savings this year.
It was all part of the 529 IDeal College Savings Plan contest, organized through the State Treasurer’s office and supported by local businesses.
IDeal is Idaho’s College Savings Plan. Idaho residents who opened IDeal accounts by June 15 were automatically entered into a random drawing with the opportunity to win contributions of up to $529.
The contributions were generously donated by Idaho companies Qwest, Debest Inc., Citi and Norco Inc.
About 3,500 Idahoans participated in the contest this year, contributing more than $2 million to help save for their children’s or grandchildren’s college savings.
Eleven lucky people won $529 in additional contributions, including Grant Beebe of Boise who was at the award announcement today.
In addition, 60 people from across Idaho won contributions of $52.90 through the contest. Several Treasure Valley winners, including Julie Grainger, Rosemarie Barfuss, and Jerry Nielsen, were also present at the check presentation today.
Learn more about how you can start saving for your kids’ college!
~ Melissa M.
It was all part of the 529 IDeal College Savings Plan contest, organized through the State Treasurer’s office and supported by local businesses.
IDeal is Idaho’s College Savings Plan. Idaho residents who opened IDeal accounts by June 15 were automatically entered into a random drawing with the opportunity to win contributions of up to $529.
The contributions were generously donated by Idaho companies Qwest, Debest Inc., Citi and Norco Inc.
About 3,500 Idahoans participated in the contest this year, contributing more than $2 million to help save for their children’s or grandchildren’s college savings.
Eleven lucky people won $529 in additional contributions, including Grant Beebe of Boise who was at the award announcement today.
 |
| Grant Beebe and his daughter |
 |
| IDeal 529 College Savings Plan contest award winners! |
~ Melissa M.
10 State Awarded Race to the Top Grants in Second Round
Education Week is reporting that 10 states have been awarded federal Race to the Top grants in the second round of funding. The states are:
Idaho applied for the first round of Race to the Top funding. Based on peer reviewers' comments and feedback from stakeholders in Idaho, the state chose not to re-apply in the second round.
Check out more details on the Education Week blog.
~ Melissa M.
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Rhode Island
Idaho applied for the first round of Race to the Top funding. Based on peer reviewers' comments and feedback from stakeholders in Idaho, the state chose not to re-apply in the second round.
Check out more details on the Education Week blog.
~ Melissa M.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Kids in Nampa, Vallivue districts benefit from Feed the Children Donation
Today, representatives of Feed the Children, a nonprofit relief organization, 960 backpacks full of books and school supplies to help children in need in the Treasure Valley.
Karen Seay, Homeless Education Coordinator at the State Department of Education, and about 40 volunteers were on hand at the Nampa School District Warehouse this morning to help unload the backpacks, which will specifically help students in the Nampa and Vallivue school districts who have been identified as homeless in the Nampa and Vallivue school districts.
Now, the Feed the Children truck is continuing on to make another donation to children in Montana.
The population of homeless children in Idaho has grown in recent years during this tough economic time. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, students are identified as homeless if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
The Nampa School District has seen an increase in children and youth identified as homeless, from 149 in the 2008-2009 school year to 757 students in 2009-2010.
The number of homeless students in the Vallivue district has increased as well, from 39 students in 2008-2009 to 145 last school year.
We at the State Department of Education are grateful to Feed the Children organization for its generous donation. We also extend a huge thanks to Peggy Miller, homeless education liaison for the Nampa School District, who helped make this event happen.
~ Melissa M.
Karen Seay, Homeless Education Coordinator at the State Department of Education, and about 40 volunteers were on hand at the Nampa School District Warehouse this morning to help unload the backpacks, which will specifically help students in the Nampa and Vallivue school districts who have been identified as homeless in the Nampa and Vallivue school districts.
 |
| Karen Seay of State Department of Education with representative of Feed the Children, unloading donations to kids in the Nampa and Vallivue School Districts. |
The population of homeless children in Idaho has grown in recent years during this tough economic time. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, students are identified as homeless if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
The Nampa School District has seen an increase in children and youth identified as homeless, from 149 in the 2008-2009 school year to 757 students in 2009-2010.
The number of homeless students in the Vallivue district has increased as well, from 39 students in 2008-2009 to 145 last school year.
We at the State Department of Education are grateful to Feed the Children organization for its generous donation. We also extend a huge thanks to Peggy Miller, homeless education liaison for the Nampa School District, who helped make this event happen.
~ Melissa M.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Idaho Students Outpace Nation on College Readiness
Idaho students continue to outpace students nationally in their preparation for postsecondary education, according to the most recent results of the ACT.
Despite this progress, the ACT report still showed far too many Idaho students are graduating high school without the skills they need to be successful in college or the workforce, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said.
The ACT, similar to the SAT, is an assessment that students take before applying to institutions of higher education. The ACT measures students’ college-readiness in the areas of English, math, reading and science.
“While Idaho students have continued to make progress on the ACT since 2007, I recognize we still have a long way to go. As State Superintendent, my goal is for every student not only to graduate from high school but to graduate with the skills necessary to be successful in postsecondary education or the workforce, without the need for remediation,” Superintendent Luna said.
Idaho’s average composite score has risen since 2007, consistently outpacing the national average. In 2010, Idaho students scored an average 21.8 composite score, compared to the national average of 21.0. The highest possible score is a 36.
Twenty-six percent of Idaho students met or exceeded the college-readiness benchmarks in English, math, reading and science, compared to just 24 percent of students nationally. The college-readiness benchmarks are defined by ACT as scores that indicate students will likely be ready for entry-level coursework in college.
Still, despite being above the national average in both composite score and college-readiness indicators, far too many Idaho students are not meeting these benchmarks.
Since taking office in 2007, Superintendent Luna has worked to ensure every Idaho student graduates from high school prepared to live, work and succeed in the 21st century.
He joined Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter to lead the Education of Alliance for the past two years in its effort to develop and implement a vision and mission for Idaho’s public education system, specifically focusing on raising student achievement and improving the number of students who graduate from high school prepared for college or career.
The Education Alliance is made up of the leaders of key educational stakeholder groups representing teachers, administrators, school board trustees and parents as well as leaders of major corporations across Idaho.
In 2009, the group published its Transformational Education Agenda for the State of Idaho.
As a part of these efforts, Superintendent Luna has also fought to raise the bar on Idaho’s content standards, the standards students are expected to learn and know by the end of each grade.
In 2009, Idaho joined and became an integral part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, an effort to develop more rigorous, common standards in mathematics and English language arts among states that will be comparable to any country around the world.
These proposed Common Core State Standards have been adopted by more than 30 states around the country and are now up for approval before the Idaho State Board of Education. If approved, they will go before the Idaho Legislature in January.
These are just some of the ways in which Superintendent Luna and members of the Education Alliance of Idaho are working to improve the level college- and career-readiness among Idaho’s students.
~ Melissa M.
Despite this progress, the ACT report still showed far too many Idaho students are graduating high school without the skills they need to be successful in college or the workforce, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said.
The ACT, similar to the SAT, is an assessment that students take before applying to institutions of higher education. The ACT measures students’ college-readiness in the areas of English, math, reading and science.
“While Idaho students have continued to make progress on the ACT since 2007, I recognize we still have a long way to go. As State Superintendent, my goal is for every student not only to graduate from high school but to graduate with the skills necessary to be successful in postsecondary education or the workforce, without the need for remediation,” Superintendent Luna said.
Idaho’s average composite score has risen since 2007, consistently outpacing the national average. In 2010, Idaho students scored an average 21.8 composite score, compared to the national average of 21.0. The highest possible score is a 36.
Twenty-six percent of Idaho students met or exceeded the college-readiness benchmarks in English, math, reading and science, compared to just 24 percent of students nationally. The college-readiness benchmarks are defined by ACT as scores that indicate students will likely be ready for entry-level coursework in college.
Still, despite being above the national average in both composite score and college-readiness indicators, far too many Idaho students are not meeting these benchmarks.
Since taking office in 2007, Superintendent Luna has worked to ensure every Idaho student graduates from high school prepared to live, work and succeed in the 21st century.
He joined Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter to lead the Education of Alliance for the past two years in its effort to develop and implement a vision and mission for Idaho’s public education system, specifically focusing on raising student achievement and improving the number of students who graduate from high school prepared for college or career.
The Education Alliance is made up of the leaders of key educational stakeholder groups representing teachers, administrators, school board trustees and parents as well as leaders of major corporations across Idaho.
In 2009, the group published its Transformational Education Agenda for the State of Idaho.
As a part of these efforts, Superintendent Luna has also fought to raise the bar on Idaho’s content standards, the standards students are expected to learn and know by the end of each grade.
In 2009, Idaho joined and became an integral part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, an effort to develop more rigorous, common standards in mathematics and English language arts among states that will be comparable to any country around the world.
These proposed Common Core State Standards have been adopted by more than 30 states around the country and are now up for approval before the Idaho State Board of Education. If approved, they will go before the Idaho Legislature in January.
These are just some of the ways in which Superintendent Luna and members of the Education Alliance of Idaho are working to improve the level college- and career-readiness among Idaho’s students.
~ Melissa M.
State Adds Accountability in the Middle Grades
As students get ready to head back to school, Idaho’s middle schools are getting to ready to implement a new credit system.
Starting with this school year, all 7th and 8th grade students will have to pass at least 80 percent of their courses before advancing to the next grade level.
Why? Currently, too many students are moving on to high school without the necessary skills they need to be successful in the higher grades. It’s not because they aren’t capable of passing. Oftentimes, it’s because the student has figured out that without credit requirements in place at the middle level, grades don’t really “count” until graduation requirements begin in the 9th grade.
Several school districts across the state have already done something to address the issue by implementing their own credit system – Wendell, St. Maries and Jefferson County, to name a few.
When Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna took office in 2007, he worked with the State Board of Education to create the Idaho Middle Level Task Force to find ways to increase student achievement in the middle grades. One of the group’s key recommendations was to implement a credit system in the middle grades, increase accountability and ensure students are prepared to go on and succeed in high school.
Through the middle level credit system, teachers and administrators across Idaho will now have the tools they need to hold students accountable in the middle grades.
The State Board and Idaho Legislature have approved this new credit system, which will be implemented statewide in the 2010-2011 school year.
Under the credit system, the state has set minimum requirements and then given each local school district and public charter school the flexibility to implement a system that meets the needs of its local community within those requirements.
The following are the state requirements:
Check out a great editorial in the Twin Falls Times-News about Idaho’s new Middle Level Credit System and why it’s necessary.
~ Melissa M.
Starting with this school year, all 7th and 8th grade students will have to pass at least 80 percent of their courses before advancing to the next grade level.
Why? Currently, too many students are moving on to high school without the necessary skills they need to be successful in the higher grades. It’s not because they aren’t capable of passing. Oftentimes, it’s because the student has figured out that without credit requirements in place at the middle level, grades don’t really “count” until graduation requirements begin in the 9th grade.
Several school districts across the state have already done something to address the issue by implementing their own credit system – Wendell, St. Maries and Jefferson County, to name a few.
When Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna took office in 2007, he worked with the State Board of Education to create the Idaho Middle Level Task Force to find ways to increase student achievement in the middle grades. One of the group’s key recommendations was to implement a credit system in the middle grades, increase accountability and ensure students are prepared to go on and succeed in high school.
Through the middle level credit system, teachers and administrators across Idaho will now have the tools they need to hold students accountable in the middle grades.
The State Board and Idaho Legislature have approved this new credit system, which will be implemented statewide in the 2010-2011 school year.
Under the credit system, the state has set minimum requirements and then given each local school district and public charter school the flexibility to implement a system that meets the needs of its local community within those requirements.
The following are the state requirements:
- A school district shall require a student to attain a minimum of 80 percent of his/her credits in order to be promoted to the next grade level.
- Students will not be allowed to lose a full year of credit in one academic area (i.e. a student would not be able to fail a full year of math).
- Students not meeting credit requirements will be given an opportunity to recover credits or complete an alternate mechanism in order to be eligible for promotion to the next grade level.
- Attendance is a factor either in the credit system or the alternate mechanism or both.
Check out a great editorial in the Twin Falls Times-News about Idaho’s new Middle Level Credit System and why it’s necessary.
~ Melissa M.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Nonprofit Organization to Donate School Supplies to Students in Need
The nonprofit relief organization Feed the Children will be in Nampa tomorrow morning, dropping off nearly 1,000 backpacks filled with books and schools supplies for students in need.
At 9 a.m., a semi-truck from Feed the Children will pull up to the Nampa School District Warehouse, 12 15th Ave. South in Nampa. About 40 volunteers will be on hand to help unload 960 backpacks full of school supplies and books for children and youth identified as homeless in the Nampa and Vallivue school districts.
The truck will then continue on to deliver backpacks to students in Montana.
We know the population of homeless children in the state of Idaho is growing. Students are identified as homeless if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, under the federal McKinney-Vento Act.
The Nampa School District has seen an increase in children and youth identified as homeless, from 149 in the 2008-2009 school year to 757 students in 2009-2010.
The number of homeless students in the Vallivue district has increased as well, from 39 students in 2008-2009 to 145 last school year.
We at the State Department of Education are grateful to Feed the Children organization for its generous donation. Feed the Children is a nonprofit relief organization that delivers food and other necessities to individuals, children, and families in poverty.
We also extend a huge thanks to Peggy Miller, homeless education liaison for the Nampa School District, who helped make this event happen.
~ Melissa M.
At 9 a.m., a semi-truck from Feed the Children will pull up to the Nampa School District Warehouse, 12 15th Ave. South in Nampa. About 40 volunteers will be on hand to help unload 960 backpacks full of school supplies and books for children and youth identified as homeless in the Nampa and Vallivue school districts.
The truck will then continue on to deliver backpacks to students in Montana.
We know the population of homeless children in the state of Idaho is growing. Students are identified as homeless if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, under the federal McKinney-Vento Act.
The Nampa School District has seen an increase in children and youth identified as homeless, from 149 in the 2008-2009 school year to 757 students in 2009-2010.
The number of homeless students in the Vallivue district has increased as well, from 39 students in 2008-2009 to 145 last school year.
We at the State Department of Education are grateful to Feed the Children organization for its generous donation. Feed the Children is a nonprofit relief organization that delivers food and other necessities to individuals, children, and families in poverty.
We also extend a huge thanks to Peggy Miller, homeless education liaison for the Nampa School District, who helped make this event happen.
~ Melissa M.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
