At Monday night’s meeting, the Eureka Springs School Board heard about the transition to a new standardized test.
Elementary Principal Clare Haozous said the Northwest Education Association MAP tests will replace the Aspire standard tests that students have taken in the past. The MAP tests have better technology for tracking student progress over time. Haozous said the tests are designed to identify strengths and weaknesses.
The tests are given online, and they are adaptive in nature. Students answering difficult questions receive more difficult questions to identify their capabilities. Students will not have a pass/fail standard, although the state will have targets for students to meet.
Haozous also noted that the Elementary School has been named in the top 10 percent of schools in the state.
Middle School Principal Caen Dowell said enrollment has increased, primarily in the upper grades. Students took science testing earlier that day and were challenged by problems requiring multiple steps to get the answer.
High School Principal David Gilmore also said students found the testing format challenging, but said increased exposure to that format will help in later testing. The test results showed “room for improvement,” he said. Gilmore also explained the cross-curricular nature of the testing.
Supt. Bryan Pruitt said elementary teacher Carrie Gay serves on a statewide assessment committee, and she can share the district’s concerns and keep everyone informed on standards and assessment.
In other business:
- The district will receive incentives from SWEPCO for installing new condensing units at the Middle School. The 24 units will bring in nearly $10,000.
- A handbook policy update was approved, to remain in agreement with model state policies and federal laws.
- A new stipend salary schedule was approved. The Personnel Policies Committee had already approved the schedule. Stipends will increase from $1,500 to $2,000. Instead of having separate coaches for boys’ and girls’ track, one coach will handle all high school students, and another will work with junior high students.
- The district has nine buses, with eight committed to student routes. The board has tried to replace one bus every year, to keep the fleet current. A purchase was approved for next year, for $153,000. Pruitt remarked on the rising costs for buses and noted that the district had purchased a nice coach bus two years ago with underneath storage for basketball trips, and that bus only cost $125,000. The new bus will not be delivered until next year, and the district will not pay for the bus until then.
- The Personnel Policies Committee had worked on recommendations for staff bonuses. The board approved $1,000 bonuses for classified and certified staff, with an additional $50 per year of service.