Superintendent's Update

We are almost to the halfway point of the school year, and as so I would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and enjoyable holiday season. I think it is safe to say that the weather outside was frightful for much of late November and December, and most days things were definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Lucky for us, the last two weeks have presented some relief from an early, bitter winter. I hope we are able to continue this trend into January.

The Christmas season is filled with lights, music, festive decorations, presents, and many other cheerful activities. This is the Christmas experience for some, but certainly not for all. We can speak at length about the commercialism of Christmas and how we have lost the true meaning of what this time of year should represent. I will save all of that for another place and another time. We can, however, make a big difference in the lives of others without looking too far and hard for an opportunity.

• Osage Caring Projects- Although the drive has concluded for this year, I encourage you to find out how you can offer support in the future.
• Adopt A Family/Child- Many churches and organizations offer opportunities to anonymously donate gifts to families who need some extra assistance this time of year.
• Salvation Army- Nobody can shield themselves from the persistence of the Salvation Army bell ringers. Two hours of bell ringing can raise about $60 for the local community.
• Pet Donations- Many pet stores and organizations also need a little extra help to support animals in shelters or those who have experienced neglect or abuse.
• Simply ask someone you know if they can help you identify a need in your community.

The act of giving can take many forms other then money and gifts. For those who may not be able to offer gifts, try and find another way to help someone out. Shovel a driveway or sidewalk for someone who may not be able to do so themselves. Share part of your holiday meal with someone who may be hungry. The possibilities are endless and all of them worthwhile.

The release of student MAP and EOC scores from the spring of 2018 were delayed for a variety of reasons. The administering of new ELA and Math assessments played a large role in the release schedule. Individual student reports have been sent home, but overall district results are not available just yet. The delay in releasing student scores also causes a delay in the release of our Annual Performance Report (APR). We anticipate those reports becoming available to the public in early February.

Please keep a few things in mind when reviewing data from 2018 MAP/EOC/and APR reports.

• Tests in English language arts (ELA) and math were new and completely different for 2018, so comparisons with results from previous tests would be pointless.
• You will not see a science score because science assessments were field tests, meaning that scores will not be reported. The field test was administered to allow new performance levels to be set before actual test administration in 2019.
• State assessments are an end-of-year measure of overall student performance across a district or charter school and are intended to evaluate the effectiveness of education programs, measure progress toward improvement goals, and, most importantly, to determine learning progress and achievement.
• State assessments are not designed to guide classroom instruction during the school year, they can contribute meaningful information as part of a coherent system of assessments, including interim assessments administered by the school district.
  
• Teachers and other stakeholders developed the Missouri Learning Standards that were adopted in spring 2016. The new standards set a higher bar, which is reflected in more challenging, teacher-developed state assessments.
  

State assessments and district performance reports are very important to review and identify what areas we are doing well in, and what areas need to be improved. The nature of educators is to sometimes discredit data that measures a student at a single point in time during the school year. I think this is a mistake. Any data that evaluates the alignment of standards-curriculum-instruction-assessment-performance should be looked at closely. We also can learn a great deal about student performance and growth by implementing formative assessments that provide many data points. We can also evaluate the success of curriculum implementation and instructional practices by promoting a collaborative environment among staff. We can also make progress by reviewing real time data and modifying instruction to help students of all levels work toward the same target.

The process of evaluating school districts based on summative assessments will likely always be a part of our performance evaluation. The state has little flexibility on that topic. However, it appears the new version of MSIP will look more closely at what is happening at the local level. So while most are in agreement that a single assessment does not tell the entire story of a school district, we must prepare for how we want the rest of the story to be told.

• Christmas Break December 24-January 2
• Staff In-Service January 2nd
• 2nd Semester Starts January 3rd
• School Board Election Deadline January 15th
• Hermann Basketball Tournament January 21-25
• MLK JR Day January 21- No School
• President's Day February 18-No School
• 3rd Quarter end March 7