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District News
B-L HIGH CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH
By Monica Jones, Batesburg-Leesville High School teacher
February is Black History Month, a time to honor the contributions African-Americans have made to every area of the country's life. Like all commemorative occasions, it's also a great excuse to have fun - and maybe learn some things you never knew before. Black History Month is an opportunity to discover and recognize the vital role the black community has played in building a society based on the rules of law, respect for human dignity and gender equality and values. On Wednesday, February 24th, Batesburg-Leesville High School will celebrate Black History Month. It will take place at 9:45am to 10:45am in the Fine Arts Center. Please show support for the students as they display their talents as well as listen to a renowned speaker, Senator Maggie Glover.
B-L ELEMENTARY CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School’s fifth graders will present a musical in part entitled “We Haz Jazz” on Tuesday, February 23 at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center. Jazz is a music genre that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African communities in the southern United States from a mixture of African and European music traditions.
Through their study, students have learned that jazz is the music of America. This musical will highlight famous jazz musicians with speaking parts as well as a PowerPoint presentation that the students prepared by researching jazz and the musicians of choice.
The public is invited to attend this entertaining program presented by Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School. The program is under the direction of Mrs. Terry Samuels, B-L Elementary music teacher.
DISTRICT THREE TO MOVE REMAINDER OF BOARD MEETINGS TO DISTRICT OFFICE FOR 2009-10 SCHOOL YEAR
The Lexington County School District Three Board of Trustees has moved the remainder of its 2009-10 board meetings to the District Office Staff Development Room. All board meetings will continue to be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. The only change will be the location of the meetings.
“In an effort to save electricity at our schools and not have our custodians and administrators stay late in the evening, the Board felt it would be in everyone’s best interest to move the meetings to the District Office Staff Development Room for the remainder of this school year,” stated Superintendent Dr. Chester Floyd. “The Board does plan to have the September, October, November and December meetings of each school year at the schools in order for them to visit the facilities. We encourage our community to attend our school board meetings and will make every effort to inform the public as to the location of each meeting in a timely manor.”
B-L ELEMENTARY FAMILY LITERACY NIGHT FEBRUARY 8
Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School will hold a Family Literacy Night on Monday, February 8 from 5 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. The evening’s program will begin in the cafeteria with a hot dog supper. Author Fran Hawk will then speak to parents about “Ten Tips for Raising Readers.” After Ms. Hawk’s presentation, those in attendance will break into small groups and enjoy various reading activities.
If you plan to attend the hot dog supper, please return the forms that were sent home with student by Friday, February 5 at 8:30 a.m. The supper is free to all who register in advance.
STATE DEPARTMENT RELEASES 2009 AYP DATA
STATE DEPARTMENT RELEASES 2009 AYP DATA
Fewer South Carolina high schools met all of their federal targets for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as test score targets became dramatically harder to achieve. More elementary and middle schools met all of their targets, largely due to the General Assembly’s decision to make grade-level student performance on South Carolina’s new PASS tests the standard for federal reporting purposes.
“The General Assembly’s action gives us a much more realistic picture of elementary and middle school performance relative to other states,” said State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex. “But unless Congress makes fundamental changes to this fundamentally flawed federal rating system, it won’t be long before no school in the country makes AYP.”
Rex went on to add, “No Child Left Behind’s basic goal is right on target - that schools should educate all children. But more and more people are starting to realize how irrational the federal system is, and there’s a danger that the law will lose all credibility with the public.”
Schools must meet 100 percent of their federal “proficiency” goals each year - and most South Carolina schools have either 17 or 21 goals - in order to make AYP. In four years, all students - including students who are poor, speak limited English or have learning disabilities - must meet all state targets on math and English Language Arts tests.
Each state sets its own definition for academic proficiency under NCLB, and from the federal law’s implementation in 2001 through 2008, South Carolina used PACT scores to rate elementary and middle schools for AYP. Although a score of Basic on PACT’s four-level scoring system (Below Basic, Basic, Proficient and Advanced) met South Carolina’s state standard under the Education Accountability Act, a higher score, Proficient, was required to meet AYP.
“By making 'Proficient' South Carolina’s reporting standard for AYP, our schools had a much higher bar to clear when compared to other states,” Rex said. “Other states were using grade-level performance for AYP. But “Basic” on PACT was grade level, so we were actually using higher than grade-level performance as our federal standard.”
No schools in Lexington Three met AYP for the 2009 year. Scores for the district and schools are as follows:
|
School Name
|
Objectives Met
|
Objectives Not Met
|
Objectives
|
Student Performance
|
Percent Tested
|
Graduation or Attendance Rate
|
AYP
|
|
B-L Elementary
|
18
|
3
|
21
|
Not Met
|
Met
|
Met
|
Not Met
|
|
B-L High
|
11
|
6
|
17
|
Not Met
|
Met
|
Not Met
|
Not Met
|
|
B-L Middle
|
16
|
5
|
21
|
Not Met
|
Met
|
Met
|
Not Met
|
|
District
|
19
|
6
|
25
|
Not Met
|
Met
|
Met
|
Not Met
|
Information for districts with primary-level schools has not yet been released by the State Department of Education. This information will be provided when it becomes available.
A variety of independent national research studies confirmed that South Carolina’s definition was far more rigorous than other states, and that students who scored “Basic” on PACT would have scored “Proficient” in other states.
When the General Assembly replaced PACT with PASS - with its three scoring levels of Not Met, Met and Exemplary - legislators designated “Met” as grade-level performance under the EAA and also as the scoring level that would meet the federal AYP criteria.
“The General Assembly’s action did two things,” Rex said. “It maintained the rigor of our state accountability standards under the EAA, and it made changes that gave our schools a more level playing field when comparing their performance with other states under the federal system.”
He also noted that the U.S. Department of Education is allowing several states to pilot “improvement models” that would move beyond NCLB’s current “all-or-nothing” rating system to one that would indicate when schools are moving in the right direction. Under the federal law, schools must make all of their AYP targets every year. Falling short on even one objective means that a school will not meet AYP and will move toward possible sanctions.
Rex praised NCLB’s focus on serving all children - particularly minority students, children with limited English ability and children with disabilities. But he said that if the law isn’t revised, nearly all of the nation’s Title I schools will eventually face federal sanctions because they will not be able to reach the federal goal of 100 percent proficiency by 2014.
Elementary and middle school AYP ratings
In order to meet AYP this year, South Carolina elementary and middle schools must have had at least 58.8 percent of their students proficient in English Language Arts. In math, at least 57.8 percent had to be proficient.
For 2009, 527 of 887 elementary and middle schools met AYP (59 percent), up from 19 percent last year. Of the 360 elementary and middle schools that did not meet AYP, 340 fell just short by missing 1-5 goals. About a quarter (87 schools) missed just one goal.
High school school AYP ratings
High school goals jumped upward in 2009, from 52.3 percent to 71.3 percent proficient in English Language Arts and from 50 to 70 percent proficient in math.
Fourteen of the state’s 202 high schools met all of their federal AYP goals, down from 63 last year. Of the 188 high schools that did not meet AYP, 76 fell short by missing 1-5 goals.
District, state AYP ratings
None of the state’s school districts made AYP, the same as last year.
Fifty-nine districts fell short by missing 1-5 goals.
As a whole, South Carolina made 34 of its 37 goals and so fell short of making AYP.
NCLB background information and school transfer data
NCLB requires schools and districts to break out their performance data into a number of student "subcategories" that include ethnicity, special education, poverty and limited ability with English. The more demographic categories a school has, the more goals it must meet.
Most South Carolina schools have either 17 or 21 of these AYP targets, although some have as many as 37. If even one subcategory of students doesn't meet its goal for that year, or if more than five percent of those students weren't tested, the school does not meet AYP for that year. Elementary and middle schools can also miss AYP if their overall attendance rate is lower than 94 percent. High schools miss if graduation rates decline from the previous year.
For "Title I schools" - those that receive federal Title I funds because they have a significant number of students from economically disadvantaged families - not meeting AYP carries considerable consequences. When a Title I school misses the same AYP target for two years consecutively, the school is designated in "Needs Improvement"
status.
For schools identified as being in “Needs Improvement” status, parents must be offered the choice of sending their children to another school in that district that is not in "Needs Improvement" status. A second year in "Needs Improvement" (third year of not meeting AYP) requires the school to offer supplemental services such as student tutoring, as well as the choice option. The parent may request either of these options. More severe consequences follow for Title I schools that continue to be designated as "Needs Improvement."
A total of 256 Title I (high-poverty) schools will offer school transfer options this school year because they did not meet all of their federal AYP targets for a second consecutive year. That’s nearly the same as last year’s 259 schools that offered transfer options.
A school district in “Needs Improvement” status must use 10 percent of its Title I funds for professional development. In addition, the district must develop a district-wide improvement plan.
Rex said that schools should not be labeled as “failing” if they don’t meet all of their AYP goals. "If you’ve got 21 targets and you meet 20, you haven’t failed,” he said, noting that the term 'failing school' does not even appear in the federal law. “You have to look at each school’s data in depth before you can make a determination of how it performed.”
While NCLB relies on PASS scores to determine performance ratings for South Carolina’s elementary and middle schools, high school data come from student performance on the High School Assessment Program.
Background on changes in AYP reporting
When the General Assembly approved the EAA in 1998, PACT test scores were designated as the main factors for determining School Report Card ratings. PACT had four scoring levels (Below Basic, Basic, Proficient and Advanced) and the General Assembly determined that a score of Basic reflected grade-level performance. Under South Carolina’s EAA, Proficient and Advanced scores were higher than grade-level performance.
When Congress approved NCLB in 2001, it designated Proficient performance as the goal for AYP but left the definition of Proficient up to the states. Most states decided to report grade-level performance as Proficient under AYP, but in South Carolina, Proficient continued to mean higher than grade-level performance. That’s why a series of national research studies and newspaper stories determined that it was harder to make AYP in South Carolina than in other states.
One such report, in the national journal “Education Next,” was titled “Johnny Can’t Read … in South Carolina. But if his parents moved to Texas, he’d be reading up a storm.” That study, as did most others, rated South Carolina’s AYP reporting standard far higher than other states.
When the General Assembly replaced the 10-year-old PACT tests with the new PASS tests, which have three scoring categories instead of four: Not Met, Met and Exemplary. Whereas “Basic” was considered the state standard under PACT (performing on grade level), legislators designated “Met” as grade-level performance under the new PASS tests.
The Education Oversight Committee then aligned the Met cut scores from PASS to the Basic cut scores from PACT. That meant that the performance required to “pass” the new test and be considered “on grade level” remained consistent from the old test to the new one. And it allowed for “apples-to-apples” transition when rating schools under the EAA.
In terms of NCLB, the General Assembly also set “Met” as the federal reporting standard. That means that for the first time, South Carolina schools’ AYP targets are now based on grade-level performance as opposed to higher-than-grade-level performance. The General Assembly’s goal was to level the playing field so that South Carolina’s AYP results could be more accurately compared to other states.
Changing the scoring levels counted for AYP ratings does not change anything that students are expected to learn because the state’s nationally respected academic standards have not changed. Likewise, nothing has changed in terms of what teachers are expected to teach or what it takes to pass the test.
To view all of the information on the South Carolina 2009 AYP results, please visit the following website:
B-L HIGH SENIORS TO PARTICIPATE IN NAEP TESTING ON FEBRUARY 23
B-L HIGH SENIORS TO PARTICIPATE IN NAEP TESTING ON FEBRUARY 23
Approximately 95 Batesburg-Leesville High School seniors will participate in the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) testing on Tuesday, February 23rd. The 95 students are selected by NAEP and not by Batesburg-Leesville High School’s administration. NAEP staff will come to Batesburg-Leesville High to administer the test to seniors and B-L High staff will help facilitate the testing. Batesburg-Leesville High is one of 16 South Carolina high schools participating in the testing this year.
The NAEP program is a congressional-mandated testing program that provides educational data for the Nation’s Report Card. It is overseen by the National Center for Educational Statistics. The testing program measures and reports what American students know and can do in the core subject areas. Batesburg-Leesville High School seniors will participate in the social studies testing only.
Batesburg-Leesville High sent a preliminary notice to parents of seniors earlier in the fall. The school will now step up the efforts to communicate this information with class meetings, announcements and other directions.
The scores of the NAEP testing will not affect the academic standing or GPA’s of individual students.
B-L HIGH REGISTRATION INFORMATION MEETINGS FOR 2010-2011
B-L HIGH REGISTRATION INFORMATION MEETINGS FOR 2010-2011
Batesburg-Leesville High School will hold the first of three 2010-2011 registration information meetings on Thursday, January 28th at 7 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria. This meeting will be held for rising 9th graders. All rising 9th graders and their parents/guardians are encouraged to attend this very important meeting. Information will be given to them about class offerings for the 2010-2011 school year as well as other pertinent information concerning the high school.
All 2011 seniors and their parents are invited to attend their registration information meeting on Thursday, February 4th at 7 p.m. Rising 10th and 11th graders will have their registration information meeting on Thursday, February 11 at 7 p.m. Both of these meetings will be held in the B-L High cafeteria.
Please make plans to attend these informative meetings and receive information on course offerings and requirements for the 2010-2011 school year.
4 and 5 Year Old KINDERGARTEN ENROLLMENT
4 and 5 Year Old KINDERGARTEN ENROLLMENT
BATESBURG-LEESVILLE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Kindergarten Enrollment will be held at the Primary School on Wednesday, May 12, 2010, from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the school’s lower commons area. For a child to be enrolled in the four year old class he/she must be four years of age on or before Sept. 1, 2010, and for a child to be enrolled in the five-year-old class he/she must be five years of age on or before September 1, 2010.
The following items will be required at enrollment.
CHILDREN WILL NOT BE ENROLLED WITHOUT ALL FOUR ITEMS. Please get your documents ready now.
1. State or Military Birth Certificate from Bureau of Vital Statistics
2. S.C. Certificate of Immunization (available from Health Department)
3. Social Security Card
4. Proof of Residency in Lexington County School District Three (power bill, phone bill, etc. with parent’s or guardian’s name and street , not P.O. Box, address)
Remember that students currently in K-4 and K-5 will automatically be enrolled and children do not need to attend enrollment on May 12 or Fee Collection/Schedule Pick-up day in August.
LEXINGTON THREE IS ONE OF 8 DISTRICTS WITH 100% “HIGHLY QUALIFIED” TEACHERS
Lexington County School District Three recently received notification that it is one of eight school districts in South Carolina to have earned the status of having 100% of its teachers deemed “Highly Qualified.” Other districts earning this distinction are Anderson 2, Anderson 3, Anderson 4, Florence 3, Florence 5, Greenwood 52, and York 1. Fourteen other districts have greater than 99 percent HQ classes.
Districts earn the “Highly Qualified” status by having 100 percent of their core academic classes taught by highly qualified (HQ) teachers. “Highly Qualified” teachers are those that have (1) earned at least a bachelor’s degree, (2) demonstrated content knowledge in each core content area he/she teaches (core academic subjects are: English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics, government, economics, history, geography, dance, art and music), and (3) does not have any waivers of the requirements for full state certification. Certificates that meet the requirement for full state certification are: Initial, Critical Need (PACE), Professional, International, Intern, and Restricted.
“Our district is very proud of this distinction and of our faculty members who have the necessary credentials to receive the “Highly Qualified” status,” stated Assistant Superintendent, Robert Williams. “Having highly qualified teachers in all of our classes helps us to ensure that our students are receiving the best education possible.”
PRICE NAMED LEXINGTON THREE NAMED TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Mary Clare Price, a fifth grade teacher at Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School has been named as the 2009-10 Lexington County School District Three Teacher of the Year. The announcement was made during a district-wide assembly at the Fine Arts Center on September 16th. Other finalists included: Linda Harris, second grade teacher at Batesburg-Leesville Primary School; Lynn Paxton, resource and English/Language Arts teacher at Batesburg-Leesville Middle School; and Wendi Fincher, math teacher at Batesburg-Leesville High School.During the ceremony, Lexington Three superintendent, Dr. Chester Floyd and 2008-09 District Teacher of the Year, Betsy McEwen presented each of the finalists with flowers, engraved door plaques and engraved beveled glass awards. Each of the three finalists will also have the opportunity to purchase $50 in merchandise from their favorite educational supplier. The district Teacher of the Year will have $100 to purchase merchandise for their classroom. All of these items were gifts from District Three. Walgreens of Batesburg-Leesville also provided a $50 gift card for the district Teacher of the Year to use at her discretion.
Mrs. Price and her fellow finalists were selected by their peers last spring to represent their respective schools during the 2009-10 Teacher of the Year competition. All finalists completed the South Carolina Department of Education Teacher of the Year application. A panel of independent judges then reviewed the applications of all four district finalists and conducted personal interviews and classroom visits. The judges were very impressed with the four candidates and said that it was a very difficult decision to pick just one.
Personal information and their philosophy of teaching on each finalists follows:
LINDA HARRIS – Mrs. Harris has taught second grade at B-L Primary School for 9 years and been in the field of education for 20 years. In addition to teaching at B-L Primary, Linda also taught in Edgefield County Schools. She earned a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Lander University and also holds a BS in Business Administration from USC. She is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa-Phi chapter and was treasurer of that organization from 2004-08. She has also been a member of the Primary School Leadership Team since 2005 and was selected as the school’s Teacher of the Year in 2001-02. Linda’s philosophy of teaching is: “Teaching is a huge responsibility and honor. As teachers, we are entrusted to positively influence the lives of the children that will be our future. There are three basic things that I feel are vital to being an effective teacher and providing that positive educational experience that every child deserves. These three things are that every child should be safe, respected and loved; all individuals have different areas of strengths and weaknesses; and there must be a strong sense of support and connection between the school and home.”
MARY CLARE PRICE – Mary Clare Price has taught fifth grade at Batesburg-Leesville Elementary School for three years. Before coming to B-L Elementary, she taught in Lexington Four. She holds a Masters +30 hours certificate, a Master of Education in Literacy from Lesley University and a BA in Elementary Education from Columbia College. She is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She was also a 2006 Teacher of the Year finalist for Sandhills Elementary School. Her philosophy of teaching is: “Teaching children is a gift. As a teacher, I am aware that I impact each student that enters my classroom daily. My goal is to make each of their educational experiences meaningful and beneficial. My philosophy of education is centered on the fact that I believe each child should have the opportunity to achieve a quality education. This means a comfortable setting, meaningful instruction, innovative technology, and a plethora of resources which all work together to make a maximum learning experience possible.”
LYNN PAXTON – has served as a Resource and English/Language Arts teacher at Batesburg-Leesville Middle School for seven years. She has taught in Lexington Three for her entire 16 years, including years at B-L Primary and High Schools. Lynn also teaches in the Batesburg-Leesville Middle School Afterschool Program. She holds a Masters of Education with emphasis in TMD and a BS in Special Education from Winthrop University. She serves as Special Education department chair at B-L Middle and as PBIS Lead teacher. She is a member of the School Leadership Team and is a certified ADEPT evaluator. Lynn’s philosophy of teaching is ““Teachers have an incredible amount of influence over the lives of their students. Along with this privilege comes an increased responsibility to them. It is a teacher’s moral obligation to enter her classroom with the highest of expectations for each individual. It is my belief that each child has the potential to give something unique and personal to the world. I, as an educator, see my students as capable individuals who can express their thoughts and nurture their ideas. I do not “direct” my students, but instead, draw out “their” potential by serving merely as a facilitator to their discoveries.”
WENDI FINCHER – Mrs. Fincher has taught math at Batesburg-Leesville High School for three years. Prior to going to B-L High, Wendi taught for 12 years at JET Middle, B-L Middle, Hollywood Middle, and King Academy and currently teaches evening classes at Piedmont Technical College. She is a member of Alpha Delta Kappa and as served as Historian for that group since 2006. She is a member of the Batesburg-Leesville Education Association and serves as secretary/treasurer for them and is a member of the Advisee/Advisor Committee for the High Schools that Work Support Program. Wendi’s philosophy of teaching is: “We, as the teachers, must be able to lead the group cohesively and still allow individuality and personality to show through. As important as learning how to factor and when to use the Pythagorean Theorem are to me, I also find great importance is preparing students for the critical thinking required in day-to-day life, college, and the workplace. Using state standards, I weave technology and application procedures to make learning applicable. We should be held accountable for challenging our students to always do their best, encouraging the un-encouragable, nurturing those who resist, and showing that the whole educational experience is relevant.”
Mrs. Price will now represent Lexington Three in the state Teacher of the Year program which will be held after the first of the year. She will also represent the district at statewide teacher forum meetings and will have an opportunity to meet with other Teachers of the Year from across the state at various conferences. The South Carolina Teacher of the Year will be announced in May 2010 in Columbia.
Congratulations to Mrs. Price and to the other finalists.
