Greenfield schools consider flex credits
Lead Summary
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
The Greenfield Exempted Village Schools is working on a plan for the development of a flexible "flex" scheduling policy that would allow students to receive physical education credit for participating in extra-curricular activities such as sports and marching band.
During GEVS board of education meeting held April 19 at Buckskin Elementary, Superintendent Terry Fouch reported that McClain High School Principal Dr. Dan Strain had taken the lead in researching flex credits. Flex credits have been available to Ohio high schools for the past four years, he said, but recently the state department of education began pushing for the credits.
Fouch said that if flex credits are approved, students would apply to have one completed season of a sport, marching band or ROTC count as one credit. Strain said that the completion of two sports seasons in a year would "get that credit taken care of."
Through use of the program the district could decrease classroom size, and thereby "free up the ability of our staff members for teaching more core content classes," Fouch said.
Fouch said that when participating in an activity such as marching band for a period from August through the end of football season, a students engages in an estimated 184 hours of physical activity. A students taking a gym class for 45 minutes a day for that same time period engages in 75 hours of physical activity.
Strain said there are still "bugs" to be worked out in the plan, on the district level as well as the state level.
"In two years the state department of education will revisit this, and then we may have to regroup," Strain said.
Although a flex class is not, by law, allowed to be noted on a transcript, Strain said, it was still uncertain how "the NCAA clearing house will view this," according to Strain, or how this will affect class rankings.
Fouch said a formal plan will be presented for approval by the board during the May meeting, but the district needed to know how the board was leaning so they could further proceed, regarding the schedule for students and placement of teachers.
"I can't see how it's anything but win/win for both the kids and the schools," said board member Greg Barr.
The board did acknowledge that flex credits seemed at odds with recent state mandates that will require k-12 students to receive 30 minutes of physical activity each day.
In other business, the board:
• Entered into executive session to discuss personnel.
• Heard a report from Rose Milnes, a fifth grade teacher at Buckskin Elementary, on the grade level's use of technology in study and test preparation. Milnes said that fifth-graders have the use of 28 laptops and have been utilizing them in the study of core courses, and in studying for the Ohio Achievement Assessments (OAA) through a program called "study island." Principal Mike Shumate said that study island has logged more than 199,000 questions answered and that 70 percent of them have been answered correctly, which shows the students are working hard and not just guessing. Milnes said that if students answer questions incorrectly and too fast, the program alerts them it believes the student is guessing and makes them slow down.
Earlier this year students learned to do develop Power Point presentations and some completed geography reports using the program. By the end of the year, each fifth-grader will be required to complete a Power Point presentation on an endangered species, Milnes said.
Fouch thanked Milnes for the report, saying, "It is an excellent example of teachers utilizing technology to assist the students."
• Voted 5-0 to approve the consent agenda, which included: approval of the treasurer's March 2010 report; approval of the 2011 indirect cost rate plan; approval of mowing bids; approval of Commercial Cleaning Solutions for custodial services at Rainsboro Elementary, Greenfield Elementary and the old vocational building; approval of S&S Cleaning for custodial services at Greenfield Middle School and the new vocational building; approval of 2010 summer help requests, as requested; approval of the purchase of band instrumentation as presented at a cost just over $6,000; approval of new, replacement and revised board policies as presented; approval, adoption and purchase of Spanish, health and agriscience textbooks, as an estimated cost of $30,000; approval of membership into the Highland County Chamber of Commerce; acceptance of the resignation of Lois Peabody, a Rainsboro Elementary teacher for retirement purposes; acceptance of the resignation of Deborah Anderson for retirement purposes; acceptance of the resignation of middle school language arts teacher Heidi Ferguson.
• Voted 5-0 to approve the following recommendations for employment, pending all required documentation:
Certified limited contracts, one year - Beverly Beltz, Stacia Barnes, Julia Bateman, Jennifer Bruney, Amy Crago, Shanna Burchett, Emily Hickok, Deborah Lagorio, Karen McGuire, Diane Hill, Melissa Murdock, Emily Anderson, Janes Finnegan, Tyler Shultz, C. Pat Stevens, Matt Raike, Ashley Kesler.
Certified limited contracts, two years - Tara Walker, Katie Paugh, Megan Cheesebrew, John Penwell, Toda Shrout, Carolyn Arthurs, Grace Duncan, Jason Evans, Michael Sykes, T.J. Dreher.
Certified limited contracts, three years - Julie Shonkwiler, Amy Cockrell, Molly Smith, Mckenzie Henson, Linda Harper, Joyce Benner, Rick VanMatre.
Classified substitutes - Charlotte Sampson, cafeteria; Ella Kolle, aide/monitor; Anthony Skipworth.
Supplemental: April Leaverton, assistant quick recall advisor.
The next meeting will be held May 17, 2010 at 6 p.m. in the board room.
The Greenfield Exempted Village Schools is working on a plan for the development of a flexible "flex" scheduling policy that would allow students to receive physical education credit for participating in extra-curricular activities such as sports and marching band.
During GEVS board of education meeting held April 19 at Buckskin Elementary, Superintendent Terry Fouch reported that McClain High School Principal Dr. Dan Strain had taken the lead in researching flex credits. Flex credits have been available to Ohio high schools for the past four years, he said, but recently the state department of education began pushing for the credits.
Fouch said that if flex credits are approved, students would apply to have one completed season of a sport, marching band or ROTC count as one credit. Strain said that the completion of two sports seasons in a year would "get that credit taken care of."
Through use of the program the district could decrease classroom size, and thereby "free up the ability of our staff members for teaching more core content classes," Fouch said.
Fouch said that when participating in an activity such as marching band for a period from August through the end of football season, a students engages in an estimated 184 hours of physical activity. A students taking a gym class for 45 minutes a day for that same time period engages in 75 hours of physical activity.
Strain said there are still "bugs" to be worked out in the plan, on the district level as well as the state level.
"In two years the state department of education will revisit this, and then we may have to regroup," Strain said.
Although a flex class is not, by law, allowed to be noted on a transcript, Strain said, it was still uncertain how "the NCAA clearing house will view this," according to Strain, or how this will affect class rankings.
Fouch said a formal plan will be presented for approval by the board during the May meeting, but the district needed to know how the board was leaning so they could further proceed, regarding the schedule for students and placement of teachers.
"I can't see how it's anything but win/win for both the kids and the schools," said board member Greg Barr.
The board did acknowledge that flex credits seemed at odds with recent state mandates that will require k-12 students to receive 30 minutes of physical activity each day.
In other business, the board:
• Entered into executive session to discuss personnel.
• Heard a report from Rose Milnes, a fifth grade teacher at Buckskin Elementary, on the grade level's use of technology in study and test preparation. Milnes said that fifth-graders have the use of 28 laptops and have been utilizing them in the study of core courses, and in studying for the Ohio Achievement Assessments (OAA) through a program called "study island." Principal Mike Shumate said that study island has logged more than 199,000 questions answered and that 70 percent of them have been answered correctly, which shows the students are working hard and not just guessing. Milnes said that if students answer questions incorrectly and too fast, the program alerts them it believes the student is guessing and makes them slow down.
Earlier this year students learned to do develop Power Point presentations and some completed geography reports using the program. By the end of the year, each fifth-grader will be required to complete a Power Point presentation on an endangered species, Milnes said.
Fouch thanked Milnes for the report, saying, "It is an excellent example of teachers utilizing technology to assist the students."
• Voted 5-0 to approve the consent agenda, which included: approval of the treasurer's March 2010 report; approval of the 2011 indirect cost rate plan; approval of mowing bids; approval of Commercial Cleaning Solutions for custodial services at Rainsboro Elementary, Greenfield Elementary and the old vocational building; approval of S&S Cleaning for custodial services at Greenfield Middle School and the new vocational building; approval of 2010 summer help requests, as requested; approval of the purchase of band instrumentation as presented at a cost just over $6,000; approval of new, replacement and revised board policies as presented; approval, adoption and purchase of Spanish, health and agriscience textbooks, as an estimated cost of $30,000; approval of membership into the Highland County Chamber of Commerce; acceptance of the resignation of Lois Peabody, a Rainsboro Elementary teacher for retirement purposes; acceptance of the resignation of Deborah Anderson for retirement purposes; acceptance of the resignation of middle school language arts teacher Heidi Ferguson.
• Voted 5-0 to approve the following recommendations for employment, pending all required documentation:
Certified limited contracts, one year - Beverly Beltz, Stacia Barnes, Julia Bateman, Jennifer Bruney, Amy Crago, Shanna Burchett, Emily Hickok, Deborah Lagorio, Karen McGuire, Diane Hill, Melissa Murdock, Emily Anderson, Janes Finnegan, Tyler Shultz, C. Pat Stevens, Matt Raike, Ashley Kesler.
Certified limited contracts, two years - Tara Walker, Katie Paugh, Megan Cheesebrew, John Penwell, Toda Shrout, Carolyn Arthurs, Grace Duncan, Jason Evans, Michael Sykes, T.J. Dreher.
Certified limited contracts, three years - Julie Shonkwiler, Amy Cockrell, Molly Smith, Mckenzie Henson, Linda Harper, Joyce Benner, Rick VanMatre.
Classified substitutes - Charlotte Sampson, cafeteria; Ella Kolle, aide/monitor; Anthony Skipworth.
Supplemental: April Leaverton, assistant quick recall advisor.
The next meeting will be held May 17, 2010 at 6 p.m. in the board room.
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