Curriculum Council Minutes 05-25-23

2022-2023 Ida Curriculum Council Minutes

Thursday, May 25, 2023 8:15-10:15 a.m. 

High School, Room 110

Staff and Community Representatives Present:

*Elementary School:

*Elementary Parent Representative: Sara Batson

*Middle School: Audrey Hamm, Ann Capling, Amy LaVigne-Benore

*Middle School Parent Representative:

*High School: Megan Alexander

*High School Parent Representative: Andrea Allen

*Administrators: David Eack, Lucy Becker, Allison Bondie, Chuck Fuller, Stacy Maynard

*Board Member: Jamie Hunter

*Chairperson: Sarah Ash

 Ida Curriculum Council Minutes for May 25, 2023  

1.  District  

• A summer learning program (K-8th grade) is being offered in person two days per week with additional workbooks for all Young 5’s-4th grade students to work on outside of the program. High School will also offer credit recovery for those who need it.
  • Exact Path will be used in lieu of E2020 for students at the Middle School level attending summer school. This aligns with NWEA and should provide extra practice for students in specific areas of need. If there is positive feedback on the program it will also be available for use during at risk classes during the 2023-2024 school year.
• MICIP Continuous Improvement plan update was shared. We are still moving forward with one district goal of strategic planning which will start in the fall and all buildings will work toward the same proficiency goal on state assessments. This is a change from school improvement plans in the past where every building set their own goals. The elementary school will also complete the Title 1 Program Evaluation as they receive Title 1 funds.

2.  K-12 Communications: High School Topics

• Leadership Update was given by Megan Alexander. Students ran a successful Earth Day collection and collected 17 pounds of plastic and 74 pairs of blue jeans. The plastic is being made into plarn mats for the homeless and jeans will be made in to 288 dog toys for various animal shelters. In March and April the prevention group worked on the dangers of vaping and prescription drug initiatives. Students have also helped with various events such as powderpuff, staff versus student kickball game, teacher appreciation week, making posters, putting up locker signs, and other needs throughout the building.
• Curriculum/Assessment Changes/Needs and/or Updates
  • Intr to Teaching course proposal was reviewed and discussed. This course ran as a pilot this year and has had positive feedback from students and staff. The course is intended for 10th-12th grade students interested in teaching and will run as a full year curse. A vote was taken and the proposal passed with 13 people in favor and 0 rejections. The course will continue to be offered in the fall of 2023.
  • Teacher Cadet curse proposal was reviewed and discussed. This course would be a continuation for students who successfully complete Intro to Teaching and allow for more time in a classroom placement. A vote was taken and the proposal passed with 13 people in favor and 0 rejections. This course will be offered in the fall of 2023.
  • Advanced Leadership curse proposal was reviewed and discussed with Megan Alexander present to share the need and vision. This course would provide students with additional leadership course opportunities. Students will need to complete Intro to Leadership and Student Leadership courses to enroll in this class. A vote was taken, and the proposal passed with 13 people in favor and 0 rejections. This course will be offered in the fall of 2023.
  • Environmental Science course proposal was reviewed and discussed. This course is intended as a science elective for students in 10th-12th grade. It will run as a semester long course and be offered periodically when it fits in the master schedule. A vote was taken, and the proposal passed with 12 people in favor and 0 rejections.
  • Agribusiness curse proposal was reviewed and discussed. This would be a full year course and students will need to have successfully completed Intro to Ag to enroll in this course. A vote was taken and the proposal passed with 12 people in favor and 0 rejections. The course will be offered when it can fit in the master schedule.
  • Floral Design course proposal was reviewed and discussed. This would be a semester long course for 10th-12th grade students. A vote was taken and the proposal passed with 12 people in favor and 0 rejections. The course will be offered when it can fit in the master schedule.
  • History textbook proposal was reviewed. A discussion about the content in the new textbook and the need for the text was held. Everyone present had an opportunity to look through the book before a vote was taken. The adoption passed with 12 people in favor and 0 rejections, a class set of the new textbooks and student online access will be ordered for the 2023-2024 school year.
• Decision Day is Friday, May 26th as a school wide assembly
• Many senior events will be happening in the coming days such as honors night, the senior parade, and graduation.
• The master schedule is coming along very well, and counselors have been scheduling students for next year.

3.   K-12 Communications: Middle School Topics

• Curriculum/Assessment Changes/Needs and/or Updates
  • Big Ideas Math Pilot Proposal was reviewed and discussed. This is the same program the elementary school adopted and they have had positive results when using the program with fidelity. A discussion about topics such as student homework, the request, student online access, and NWEA scores took place. A vote was taken and 11 people were in favor and there was 1 rejection. The middle school will move forward with a pilot for the 2023-2024 school year.
  • Earth Science credit proposal was reviewed and discussed. There have been conversations about removing the high school credit from this course as students take the M-Step science test in 8th grade nw, instead of 7th. The 8th grade class should cover additional middle school standards to prepare students for the state test. This change has minimal impact on students. A vote was taken and the proposed change passed with 12 in favor and 0 rejections. The change will be effective in the fall of 2023.
  • Wit and Wisdom proposal was reviewed and discussed. Questions were raised about the number of modules required for implementation, a list of the texts the students would read, what the online component looks like and pricing. At this time a vote was not taken due to not having enough information. When more information is gathered it will be shared and a digital vote can be taken.
• HIV and AIDS instruction was on May 18th for 8th grade students during science class
• Testing is starting to wrap up at the middle school
• Discussions are taking place on revamping the skills classes to include Exact Path or additional targeted support for students.
• Many special events have been taking place and are coming up such as the awards breakfast, Field Day, and some grade level field trips.
• Teacher appreciation week went well with many special treats for the staff.
• The healthy relationships, cooking, and art after school classes have been going well.
• The Middle School would like to integrate additional High School support for students through Bluestreak Buddies or Leadership students. These positive role model connections are beneficial for students.

4.  K-12 Communications: Elementary School Topics

• Curriculum/Assessment Changes/Needs and/or Updates
  • Stacy Maynard shared the Science f Reading LETRS training that 18 elementary teachers are participating in. Teachers will also be getting UFLI manuals in the fall and training from the ISD on how to implement this phonics instruction.

• 3rd Grade Reading Bill – End of year IRIPs will be sent home and filed in CA60s. Data will be reported. The retention component of the law has been removed for next year.
• HIV instruction for 4th grade was presented on February 10th and maturation on April 13th.
• Lots of special events and field trips taking place.
• Field Day will be on June 7th.

5.  Technology Updates 

• Technology Committee Updates
  • Met n April 13th – the group discussed and shared information from the MACUL Conference and reviewed programs being used in each building.
  • Teacher laptops should be ordered soon.  

6.  Parent Group Report

• Ida Public Schools, Parent Groups –
  • BOGO bok fair was a success for students and also for stocking the book vending machine.
  • PTA has been very busy with end f year activities such as the book fair, teacher appreciation week, helping with kindergarten roundup, and helping with field day.
  • The playground was ordered and should be installed this summer.
  • Kalahari fundraiser trips have been booked for June and October
  • Students are very excited fr the book vending machine!

7.  Upcoming Student Events

• Young Author Event took place in April, Jayli Birr took 2nd place in the narrative writing category for 1st/2nd grade and Sadie Lusky took 2nd place in the narrative writing category for 3rd-5th grade.
• Science Challenge event was held on May 23rd our 3rd grade team took 2nd place and the 4th grade team took 3rd place.
• Spelling Bee will be held on May 30th – Jackson Schoolcraft and Oliver Hearl will be attending the 5th/6th grade competition and Rylee Schoolcraft and Elizabeth Rosas will be attending the 7th/8th grade competition.

8. Assessment Updates

• Spring 2023 Testing window is closed. Preliminary results are coming back for M-Step and students are able to access their PSAT or SAT scores through their College Board account.
• NWEA and STAR testing is wrapping up for kindergarten-8th grade students
• Spring 2024 testing calendar has been released. It is very similar to the calendar from this year with the exception of College Board testing having a longer test window due to the test being online next year.

9. Professional Development Opportunities

• If you have any PD ideas for the 2023-2024 school year, please share them with Sarah Ash. Post-PD surveys are being reviewed for potential topics of interest.
• EdTech on the River Raisin – August 15, 2023 – 8:30-3pm
• Google Bootcamp Level 1 – June 20, 2023 – 8:30-3pm
• Google Bootcamp Level 2 – June 21, 2023 – 8:30-3pm
• Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conference – July 19-20, 2023 in Detroit
• VanBuren ISD Mix and Mingle Conference – August 23rd, $30 to attend. Engage and motivate.
• Always available: EduPaths and Michigan Virtual online professional learning. https://www.edupaths.org. www.michiganvirtual.org.  Free, self-paced courses, SCECHs are available for most courses

10. Future Meetings

• Meeting schedule day/time for the 2023-2024 school year will be developed and shared in August.

*** For all ISD PD register on the ISD course where/wisdomwhere site:

https://www.solutionwhere.com/ww/monroeisd/

Adjournment 10:15