FARMINGTON – SAD 9 Assistant Superintendent Susan Pratt told school directors Tuesday night that three MBNA grants had been given to the district.
MBNA awarded the district $14,477 toward a kindergarten literacy program, she said, and awarded the Girls Talk mentoring program another $4,420. The company also gave $1,030 to the After-School Adventure Program.
Pratt reviewed the district’s extended-year summer program for the board, telling members that, at the program’s end, many teachers said it is the way they should be teaching. She said the teachers thought the personalized, goal-driven instruction in the program was responsible for much of their students’ success. Of the 223 third- through 12th-graders who attended, 175 had met the goals set for them. Of those who did not meet the goals set, she said many had improved in several, but not all, areas.
School board members passed a chemical hazards policy governing the administration of medication to students, and a family care leave policy unanimously. They also voted unanimously to allow four field trips, including a foreign exchange trip to France.
Members of the Farmington Rotary Club attended Tuesday’s meeting with a request to start a Rotary-backed service club at Mt. Blue High School, to be called Interact. The board voted to allow the club and thanked the Rotary Club for its efforts.
Finally, Pratt announced that the district had received its Adequate Yearly Progress reports from the state. She said that, for the first year, Mt. Blue High School did not make adequate progress in math, and is currently “on monitor status.” Mt. Blue Middle School did not make adequate progress in reading, she said, and that school is also now on monitor status. She said both failures are in specific subgroups of students, and told the board she could not tell them which subgroup.
Mt. Blue Principal Joe Moore told directors, “Any assessment like this is one measure in time, it’s not the be-all and end-all. I’m sure when we look at the subcategory for math, we’ll be able to identify some youngsters who have special needs. We are trying to fill those gaps and meet the needs of the youngsters.”
Pratt also announced that state education authorities announced a change in assessment policy. From now on, 11th-grade students will be required to take the SAT, rather than the traditional MEA test.
Pratt’s announcement drew vocal complaints from many board members, as well as from Moore. Robert Flick of Farmington said, “It’s the ETS (Educational Testing Service) in New Jersey twisting our arm. This is utterly ridiculous!”
Moore said that though he supports the state’s apparent aim of increasing students’ access to post-secondary education, he said he thinks, “Implementation should be more gradual. I really kind of look at this as an opportunity for the rich to get richer, and the poor to get poorer.” He also said he is worried “about some of the built-in cultural bias in the SAT.”
No one at the meeting defended the state’s move.
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