I know that the last thing you want to hear is more information about test scores, but do you really understand how test scores can impact your teaching position? Let’s examine ACT scores and then see the impact from a neighboring state.

Nationwide, 57% of the 2014 graduating class took the ACT exam and scored an average composite score of 21. Remember, the components of the ACT are English, math, reading, science and an overall composite score. The highest possible score is 36. In Nebraska, 86% of last year’s graduating class took the

ACT with a composite score of 21.7. Your first impression might be that Nebraska is above average, so we can relax...or can we?

Let’s take a look at a neighboring state such as Colorado where 100% of the students are tested. The average composite score in Colorado was 20.6. Colorado’s educational system is different from Nebraska in that it does provide public financing to charter schools. One such school is Liberty Common School in Fort Collins. All of the juniors in this school took the ACT test during the 2013-2014 school year and scored an average composite score of 28.6. The school has a lottery system

for student entrance and currently has a waiting list for students wanting to enroll.

Liberty Common School was chartered by a group of parents and started in an old factory building. Since then they have gotten the funds to build a new high school. More charter schools exist and new schools are being organized in Colorado.

Will Nebraska follow this trend and allow charter schools? Don’t be convinced that this could not happen here.

P.S. Charter schools in Colorado do not have teacher tenure.

- Dennis Radford

In 2010, Amanda graduated with a degree in Psychology and a minor in

Health Science from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. In 2011, she

continued her post-baccalaureate education at Texas Tech University of

Health Science in Lubbock, Texas. Amanda completed clinical rotations in

both medical and educational arenas, and graduated with her Masters of Occupational Therapy in December of 2013. She is presently a member of

the American Occupational Therapy Association and the Nebraska Occupational

Therapy Association.

Amanda was born and raised in Overton, Nebraska. She is married to Wyatt

Barstow and they currently live near Wyatt’s hometown of Springview. Wyatt and Amanda have a two-year-old son, Wylie. When not working, Amanda

enjoys spending time with her family, reading, learning, traveling, and

wrestling with Wylie.

ESU #17 began providing school

occupational therapy services to

schools in February of 2014, when Amanda Barstow became a

full time staff member. During

the spring of 2014, Amanda got

her feet wet by serving eleven

students within the ESU #17

service area. She has been a great addition to the staff and

has given students an opportunity

to receive personal and one-on-

one therapy in their school and

home environments. This school year, she is serving over 30 children

in 4 of our area districts.

Occupational therapy is provided

as a related service within

special education to support a student’s independence within

his school environment. Occupational

therapy in an educational based

setting addresses each student's

physical, cognitive, sensory, and self-care performance. The goal

of therapy is to facilitate meaningful

activities within the child’s

school to assist him in reaching his/her full potential. This may

include adapting the environment,

supporting various accommodations

to ensure access in school activities

and programs, and teaching life

skills required for community integration.

While in the school setting,

occupational therapists spend

time observing students engaging in everyday activities. It is the

job of the therapist to reduce the

barriers that may be limiting

each student’s full participation

in his environment.

Occupational therapy in the

school environment could be

illustrated by working with

students so they can join in on

the playground, successfully participate in their classroom

activities, interact in the lunch

table, or even use the bathroom

successfully.

Occupational therapists are also

an integral part of the IEP team.

They complete assessments and

work with other teachers and

therapists to determine what is needed for each student to

receive an appropriate education.

During the IEP meeting, the

occupational therapist will

determine services, supports, any modifications, and any

accommodations that are needed

for a student to achieve his/her

goals.

If you have any questions about the occupational therapy services

provided by your ESU, please

feel free to call us by phone at

(402) 387-1420 or send us an

email at sbernthal@esu17.org.

On August 4-5-6, 2014, over 100 educators from all five school districts met at Valentine High School for Write Tools training facilitated by Barb Hermanson and Gwen Karas from The Write Tools in Colorado. The training focused on strategies that can be implemented in all content areas in order to strengthen K-12 writing and learning. In all, 106 educators participated, including 100% participation from the Keya Paha County Schools and the Valentine Community Schools. Writing is currently a school improvement goal in four of the ESU #17 member schools.

- Jeff McQuistan

* Above photo: K-5 educators met on the VHS auditorium stage for the workshop.

Staff members articulated department goals at the Fall ESU Staff Meeting as a component of the department/program evaluation process required action from the 2013 AdvancED External Review. Department goals reflect specific areas of focus aimed at improving support for schools and/or areas impacting agency effectiveness. Progress toward these goals will be reported at the midyear and year-end staff meetings in February and May.

Department Goals for the 2014-2015 school year is as follows:

Core Services

1. Create an online video/digital resources library

2. Provide targeted data assistance to schools related to improving student achievement

Health Services

1. Meet the newly mandated competency requirements set forth by the state of Nebraska

2. Revise the health screening protocols of K-12 students to meet the new state mandates

Media

1. Increase awareness and usage of digital and distance learning opportunities available

Special Education

1. Ensure that all state SPED policy changes reach all special education staff within a week of receipt by administration

2. Assist districts and PRT in the development of Target Improvement Plans

Staff Development

1. Implement a curriculum articulation process that reflects current best practice and leverages technology

Technology

1. Create and/or find and organize online videos that apply to teaching with the Schoology LMS

2. Improve wireless access at Administration and Training Building

3. Create and/or find and organize online videos that apply to Google Apps for Education and Google classroom

1. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park your car at the far end of the street or parking lot.

2. Have “walking meetings” with colleagues at work.

3. Rearrange your home so you can stand upright or walk on a treadmill while watching TV or using the computer.

4. Set an alarm on your computer to go off every hour and prompt you to move around for a minute or 2.

5. Try walking as if you’re already late for the bus or an important meeting.

6. Have small weights in your office or around your home for doing arm exercises.

- Reprinted with permission from NIH

News in Health, December 2012 Issue, http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/issue/

Dec2012/Feature1

In this article in Reader’s Digest, author Glennon Doyle Melton

describes what her son’s veteran fifth-grade teacher does every

Friday afternoon: she has students take out a piece of paper and

write the name of one student who has been an exceptional

classroom citizen that week and four classmates with whom they’d

like to sit the following week. Students pass in their papers

understanding that their buddy requests may or may not be

honored. After dismissal, the teacher spreads out students’ papers

and looks for patterns:

Who is not getting requested by anyone?

Who can’t think of anyone to request?

Who never gets noticed enough to be nominated for citizen of the

week?

Who had lots of friends the preceding week and none this week?

What she’s looking for is isolated children – those who are struggling

to connect with their peers and falling through the cracks of the

class’s social world, not being noticed, perhaps being bullied.

“As a teacher, parent, and lover of all children, I think this is the

most brilliant Love Ninja strategy I have ever encountered,” says

Melton. “It’s like taking an X-ray of a classroom to see beneath the

surface of things and into the hearts of students… those children

who need a little help, who need adults to step in and teach them

how to make friends, how to ask others to play, how to join a group,

or how to share their gifts… the truth comes out on those safe,

private little sheets of paper.”

Melton asked the teacher how long she had been using this system

and she said ever since Columbine. “This brilliant woman watched

Columbine knowing that all violence begins with disconnection,”

says Melton. “All outward violence begins with inner loneliness…

And so she decided to start fighting violence early and often in the

world within her reach… What a way to spend a life: looking for

patterns of love and loneliness. Stepping in, every single day, and

altering the trajectory of our world.”

Reprinted with permission from Marshall Memo 539, June 2, 2014. Article is a summary of: “One

Teacher’s Brilliant Strategy to Stop Bullying” by Glennon Doyle Melton in Reader’s Digest, June 2014, http://www.rd.com/advice/parenting/stop-bullying-strategy/

For the past two years the average NeSA Test proficiency was averaging above 70% in Reading, Math, and Science. Writing, however, has been trending lower. This year, with an added emphasis on writing, the

combined performances of grades 4, 8, and 11 averaged 76%, up from 61% one year ago and 59% two years ago. Ainsworth Community Schools implemented strategies from The Write Tools during the 2013-2014 school year (see page 3) while Rock County Public Schools identified targeted strategies for K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Ainsworth, Keya Paha County, Rock County, and Valentine have participated in the NNNC Writing/Scoring/Data Retreat sessions at the NECC the past two years. A full report of ESU #17 NeSA and MAP performance will be included in the ESU #17 Annual Report, which will be available in October on the ESU #17 website.

COPS, CAPS, and COPES testing

has started already this year at Valentine High School. Testing is

scheduled in October at Rock Co. High School. More testing will be scheduled during second semester

at Rock Co. and at Ainsworth High School. These tests show students a measure of their interests, abilities

and values. These results help students plan their transition goals.

The 11th annual NDE Transition

Conference will be held on October 13th and 14th in Kearney.

Valentine High School is planning

on taking some students to the Holy Cow! What Now? Life after Graduation Transition Conference at Northeast

Community College in November. They will be able to receive grant

money from the Western Region Transition Team.

WINAHEAD, a disability transition

to college presentation, will be presented to students at Valentine

High School and at the Educational Service Unit #17 Administration Building in Ainsworth.

These presentations will be held on Friday, January 30, 2015. We are

planning on starting at 9:00am in Valentine and at 1:00pm in Ainsworth.

David Brandt will be doing the presentation along with VR Nebraska. Email Patty Pier with

any questions at pbopp@esu17.org.