Understanding test scores
I am writing this editorial to help people better understand just how our students rank when it come to national testing like the ITED’s and ITBS. As many of you may or may not know the school district goes through an evaluation by the Iowa Department of Education every few years and one of the things they look at is our schools test scores on the tests mentioned above. You can view the results of this evaluation yourselves on the schools website www.benton.k12.ia.us/ you then go to the district info tab at the top of the page, then down the right hand side of the page under the heading “About Benton” you will see a link to “Dept of Ed summary 2008.” I have copied some of the information from pages 17 & 18 into my editorial that pertains to the testing and what the Department of Education has found to be a strength of our school. I urge you to go on-line and look at the complete document and I think you will find out that Benton does a very good job of preparing our students for the future.
Areas of Strength
31.A - Higher percentage of Benton Community School District (CSD) students performed at the proficient level during the 2006 - 2007 school year when compared to the same group of students across AEA 10 and the State of Iowa on a number of Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED) assessments.
In addition to district-wide assessment data, other indicators show evidence of students’ high performance in the district. Some examples are given below:
• 85.85% of students who took the ACT scored 20 or higher (91 out of 106 students), a level indicating college readiness
• The 2005-06 graduation rate was 94.20% (state average is 90.78%)
• 86.62% of graduates intend to pursue postsecondary training opportunities (123 out of 142 students)
• 97.18% of the graduates completed a core program including four years of English/language arts and three or more years each of mathematics, science, and social studies compared to 60% for the state.
• The 2006-07 K-8 attendance rate was 95.80% as compared to the state average of 95.12%.
If you have any questions about Benton Community whether it is about standardized testing or any other aspect of how the school operates I urge you to contact an administrator or teacher and I am sure they will be more than happy to give you the information you are looking for. These administrators and teachers are our friends and neighbors in the communities we live in, and I for one support them in the job they are doing preparing my children for their future.
I urge the school board to see all of the good things we have going on at Benton Community and to start communicating and working with our administration. Face to face good friendly communication and understanding is the way out of the mess we have right now. I also urge the school board to include all members of the board in all discussions and decisions. Nobody disputes the fact that you had the right to change your legal representation, what we have a problem with is the way you went about it, it makes us all wonder what else you are talking about behind closed doors. As an elected official one of the most important things you must have is the public trust and you have lost that. You now need to work twice as hard to earn it back and it will not be easy. We are now paying close attention to everything that goes on and will be at all of your meetings and communicating to the voters what is going on. I don’t believe voter apathy will be a problem at a Benton Community school board election for a long time.
Speaking of school board elections please be aware that it will be in the best interest of the school board and the school district to adopt the Secretary of States recommendations on how to make the transition to four-year terms. Only by adopting these recommendations are you sure to not be accused of trying to manipulate the terms based on bias. This goes back to the public trust issue. We have reviewed the recommendations and know what they are. This can be the first step towards regaining the public trust.
Derrick Samson, Atkins Iowa
Master gardener
The ISU Extension Master Gardener program trains individuals who love to garden and gives them the opportunity to share those skills with others.
The Belle Plaine area is blessed with nine ISU Extension Master Gardeners. One of our projects is to assist the city in the management of 14 flower beds at Box Park. We have also offered classes on tree care and pruning, growing berries, weather folk lore, garden maintenance, and this fall a composting class.
Master Gardeners also assist at local churches, the library, and answer general garden questions. In the next few weeks, individuals will have the opportunity to apply to the Master Gardener program. When you see the ISU Benton County Extension invitation to participate in the Union, please consider applying. This program could make a difference in your life and the lives of others.
There are so many exciting things waiting to be done in Belle Plaine, and all you have to do is say----Yes!
If you would like more information, please contact the Iowa State University Extension Service in Benton County at (319) 472-4739 or contact one of the following Master Gardeners.
Kaye Buch
Erin Janss
Kathy Janss
Mary Ann Kollmorgen
Walter Kollmorgen
Marvin Kucera
Ruth Laackman
Vicki Schwab
Dick Wells