CCSC approves raise for non-certified personnel
By Jennifer Archibald

Carroll School Board gave non-certified personnel a pay raise at its Dec. 19 meeting.

The raise is one and a half percent for 2006, retroactive to Jan. 1, and two percent for 2007. The board had earlier approved a one percent raise for noncertified personnel for 2006, making a total increase of two and a half percent for this year.

As of Dec. 19, the corporation and the Carroll Education Association have still not reached an agreement on the teachers’ contract.

In other business, the board heard reports on ISTEP+ results.

Principal Carolyn O’Connell presented the report from Carroll Elementary School. She handed out a chart showing the percentage of students who passed the statewide test in math and English/language arts in grades three through six.

Carroll consistently scored above the statewide average, with one exception.

O’Connell said the only surprise was the third grade pass rate in math, 68%, which was below the state average. Last year, 74% of the third graders passed in math.

Other grade level results in math for 2006 were: Fourth grade – 77 percent. Fifth grade – 91 percent. Sixth grade – 88 percent. The statewide average in math (grades 3-10) was 73 percent.

Carroll’s results in English were: Third grade – 80 percent passed. Fourth grade – 78 percent. Fifth grade – 84 percent. Sixth grade – 77 percent. The statewide average was 70 percent.

Comparing this year’s results to last year’s at each grade level, there were some improvements and some declines. But O’Connell noted that a better comparison is this year’s performance compared to how the same students performed over time.

As an example, in math, this year’s sixth graders had a pass rate of 86% in 2004 as fourth graders, 92% as fifth graders, and 88% this year. The

same up-down trend was shown in English – 81% passed in 2004, 87% in 2005, and 77% in 2006.

The school analyzes ISTEP results to determine strengths, weaknesses, and reasons for patterns, in order to improve performance on the tests.

At the junior-senior high school level, principal Charles Huckstep presented charts, prepared by assistant principal Fred Schnarr.

Results show that Carroll’s pass rates in math were higher than the English rates at all grade levels in which the test is administered.

Math results, showing percent who passed at each grade level, were: Seventh grade – 91 percent. Eighth grade – 84 percent. Ninth grade – 88 percent. Tenth grade – 80 percent.

English results were: Seventh grade – 75 percent. Eighth grade – 74 percent. Ninth grade – 72 percent. Tenth grade – 72 percent.

Percentages were also given for students who passed both math and English at each grade level. Those results were:

Seventh grade – 75 percent passed both. Eighth grade – 73 percent. Ninth grade – 69 percent. Tenth grade – 69 percent.

The tenth grade ISTEP is the Graduation Qualifying Exam. It must be passed in order to graduate from high school. Tenth graders who do not pass the GQE have additional chances to pass it as juniors and seniors. Huckstep said all of this year’s seniors have passed the math portion of the test. The four who have not passed the English portion will still have another chance in the spring.

The chart shows that for the Class of 2007, pass rates in English have steadily improved since they took the test in 2000 as sixth graders. In 2000, 52 percent passed; in 2002, 65 percent passed; and in 2004, 72 percent passed. (This year, as juniors, the class as a whole didn’t take the test.)

In math, the pass rate went from 75 percent in 2000, up to 79 percent in 2002, then back to 75 percent in 2004.

The State Department of Education provides a breakdown of the results to show how students did in specific areas

of the English and math tests. For each grade level, a breakdown of the results is also given according to other criteria, including male, female, general education, special education, paid lunch and free/reduced lunch.

The board approved the school calendar for the 2007-2008 school year. The first day of school for students will be Aug. 14, and the last day will be May 19. Christmas vacation will be Dec. 21- Jan. 2, and spring break will be March 24-28. Graduation will be May 24. The calendar is posted on the corporation web site.

After a trial year for girls’ golf and good participation, the board approved officially adding the sport to the corporation’s school sports program and creating the position of girls’ golf coach.

Sara Thompson was hired as part-time remediation aid, and Jenelle Pullen as food service cook.

The board will have only one regular meeting in January. It will be Jan. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Administration Building.