Connellsville administrators look for ways to improve scores
CONNELLSVILLE – District administrators will re-evaluate their math curriculum after falling short in required achievement levels in one area. Connellsville Area School District Superintendent James Duncan told board members Wednesday that administrators and teachers will be looking at ways to help students achieve the benchmarks set in the federal No Child Left Behind Act after learning 11th-grade students did not meet the math proficiency levels.
“It isn’t a problem at the high school level or with our math teachers,” he said. “It’s a problem with (the) mathematics (curriculum) and we are going to be working on that.”
According to the results released last week by the state Department of Education, with the exception of the 11th-grade math scores, all elementary and secondary buildings met or exceeded the math and reading proficiency targets for 2005.
Director of Federal Programs William Wilson said he was “very pleased” with the progress being made within the district.
“In 2001, when the (performance targets) were put in place, we had only three of the 11 buildings meet the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) levels,” he said. “We’ve whittled that number down to one.”
Because the district has made strides in its achievement levels, the state education department recognized it during a ceremony last week in Harrisburg, according to Duncan.
“There’s always room for improvement, but we are doing very well,” he said.
Turning to other matters, the board also conducted the following business:
– Approved supplemental contracts for Teena Pounds, senior high cheerleader coach at a salary of $1,676; Eric Deal, senior high football assistant coach at a salary of $3,749; Christopher Kerrigan, senior high cross country assistant coach at a salary of $1,103; Kristi Petko, senior high volleyball assistant coach at a salary of $1,280 and Kristopher Oswald, Junior High East basketball assistant coach.
– Named Gary Thomas as volunteer Junior High East girls’ basketball coach and Nicholas Vinoverski as a volunteer senior high cross country coach.
– Approved the replacement of a variable frequency drive for the senior high school ventilation fan at an approximate cost of $2,500; the replacement of the Junior High East roof top air conditioner compressor at an approximate cost of $2,100 and the replacement of the senior high school swimming pool chemical feed system at an approximate cost of $1,800.
– Hired William Mitchell Jr. as a four-hour custodian at an hourly salary of $13.50.
– Approved Steve Wiltrout as a long-term substitute special education teacher.
– Hired Heather Sherbondy as a special education teacher at an annual salary of $31,336.
– Added Anita Forsbrink, early childhood/elementary teacher; Kimberly May, school nurse; Katie Palya, elementary/mid-level math teacher; Rachel Richter, health and physical education teacher; Kate Armstrong, Amanda Pletcher, Leigh Ann Rice and Beth Anne Sheehan, elementary teachers and Chad King, food service/vocational-education teacher to the professional substitute list.
– Approved Thomas Zolgmann, Bethany Shaner, Jill White, Barbara Mitchell, Joyce Koballa, Joyce Lear, Tammy Lint, Kris Martray, Patricia Mowen, Charles Motycka, Richard Palya, Robert Gleason and Patricia Barnes to the emergency substitute teacher list.
– Granted the attendance of 35 Title I staff and administrators at the Fayette/Greene County mandated Federal Programs in-service day at the Lakeside Center, Uniontown on Oct. 26. The $55 per person fee will be paid by the Federal Programs fund.
– Approved supplemental contracts with Dane Shultz and Benjamin Haines, elementary co-All Star Band directors at salaries of $968 and $794, respectively.
– Hired Cynthia Umbel and Maureen Shirer as Dunbar Township Elementary School personal student aides at an hourly salary of $8.40.
– Hired Vickie McClain as a part-time senior high school office clerk at an hourly salary of $8.40.
– Added Rena Albright, Robert Bevan, Jennie Fratangelo, Emma Garvin, Angela Johnson, Pamela Kosinski, Kristy McLaughlin, James Nicholson, Georgia Stouffer and Rhonda Striner to the support professional substitute list.
– Renewed the contract with AGAPE Day Treatment Program for student alternative placement services.
– Added Eliot Cichocki to the Konetsco Inc. list of bus/van drivers for the 2005-06 school year.