1. Assessment Changes to Come
State Superintendent Tony Evers announced Wisconsin will transform its statewide testing program.
The eventual new system will combine state, district, and classroom assessments and be more responsive to the needs of students, teachers, and parents while also offering public accountability for education.
“We will be phasing out the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE),” Evers said. “We must begin now to make needed changes to our state’s assessment system.”
He also explained that the WKCE will still be an important part of the educational landscape for two to three years during test development. “At minimum, students will be taking the WKCEs this fall and again during the 2010-11 school year. Results from these tests will be used for federal accountability purposes,” he said.
“A common sense approach to assessment combines a variety of assessments to give a fuller picture of educational progress for our students and schools,” Evers explained. “Using a balanced approach to assessment, recommended by the Next Generation Assessment Task Force, will be the guiding principle for our work.”
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2. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grants
Getting children to eat healthy foods can be a challenge, but grants to 73 public and private elementary schools will make a difference. The schools will receive approximately $51 per student to provide a fresh fruit or vegetable snack during the day.
The DPI awarded $1.3 million in Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grants will serve approximately 26,000 children in schools from lower-income communities.
Typically, schools in the program serve fruits and vegetables in the classroom, pairing snack time with nutrition education, silent reading, or another compatible activity. Some schools use hallway kiosks, free vending machines, tables or baskets in the nurse’s or school office, or other locations to distribute the produce to all students.
State Superintendent Tony Evers said of the grants, “Because the program matches healthy snack time with teachable moments, schools that participated in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program in previous years have noticed that students are bringing healthier foods to school.”
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3. Presidential Awards Finalists
Six Wisconsin teachers have been named finalists for Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the nation’s highest honor for elementary and secondary school mathematics and science educators.
Wisconsin’s 2009 mathematics finalists are Curtis Dumermuth, Ellsworth Community High School; Weston Glasbrenner of Boscobel, Fennimore High School; and Joan Heacox, Northstar Middle School in Eau Claire. Science finalists are Melissa Hemling, Pulaski High School; Marian Schraufnagel of Waterford, Mukwonago High School; and Tonya Young of Kaukauna, West High School in Green Bay.
Earlier this year, Karen Nesbit, a teacher at Pleasant View Elementary School in Franklin, was named one of the Presidential Teaching Award recipients for 2008.
“Those who receive Presidential Teaching Awards are among the finest educators in our schools,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers.
Of Wisconsin's six finalists, as many as two may receive Presidential Awards from a national panel. Winners receive $10,000, be honored in Washington, D.C., and attend professional development sessions.
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4. Afterschool Program for Community Support
Afterschool programs have demonstrated a significant impact on student achievement and behavior. Since they also require resources, it can be important to have community support over the long haul. Building that support is a key goal of Lights On Afterschool, an annual celebration of afterschool programs on a national level. This year's event is October 22.
Lights on Afterschool can look different from city to city and school to school. Some programs hold open houses for parents. Others use contests to command a higher profile. In New York, the Empire State Building is lit up with yellow lights to call attention to the movement.
Afterschool programs wishing to join the effort should begin planning now. The website offers an event planning kit including a timeline/checklist, a sample news release to generate media interest, and activity ideas.
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5. Artistic Entrepreneurs in Eau Claire
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While it often takes creativity to establish a successful and enjoyable way of making a living, everyone knows a pertinent stereotype about people who consider themselves "creative:" that they are about the least likely to show an interest in practical business skills.
Well, not anymore—at least, not at DeLong Middle School in Eau Claire.
Students at DeLong run a company called Prime Products. They sell ceramic creations like birdhouses, toad huts, and miniatures. Students fill every role—not only creating the products, but also visualizing, prototyping, and researching their viability before they reach production. Students handle sales, marketing, mass production and quality control. They even perform supervisory roles: every product line has a manager—a sixth, seventh, or eighth grader who has to oversee and motivate kids from all grades in the school. Their goal is to ensure the company has enough quality products to bring to the big sales events.
Prime Products buys all its own materials. Not a cent for clay or glaze comes from the school budget. Even after those expenses, the venture usually brings in enough money that there are a couple thousand dollars left at the end of the year to give to a local charity.
The art teacher behind Prime Products is Kathy Rulien-Bareis. She started the program in 2000 with students in afterschool "prime time" hours.
In 2008-09, Rulien-Bareis took Prime Products to a new level after obtaining funding from Arts @ Large to allow students to work on the enterprise during school hours. This is creativity that has only just begun to pay off...
This article was suggested by a DPI-ConnectEd subscriber. We are looking for your news of exciting programs, promising practices, initiatives that could benefit from publicity, or your questions about working with Wisconsin students. E-mail just a sentence or two to benson.gardner@dpi.wi.gov, with "Story Idea" in the subject line.
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