Letter to Local Board Presidents
December 18, 2007
Dear Board President:
The State Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on November 15-16 in St. Joseph. It was the first time our board has met in St. Joseph. Our meeting was hosted by the St. Joseph School District. We also were warmly welcomed by David Liechti, vice president of the State Board of Education, and his wife, Sandi. David was a member of the St. Joseph Board of Education before his appointment to the State Board.
We had a great visit to St. Joseph and a productive meeting. The following is a summary.
REPORT ON THE “ACES” PROGRAM
The board heard an excellent report from staff of the Area Cooperative for Educational Support (ACES) and three young men who are students in that program. ACES is an alternative school, based in Maryville, serving students from 20 cooperating school districts in the northwest Missouri region. The program faces some special challenges because of the largely rural area that it serves. It was very useful and instructive for the board to hear directly from the students about the kind of challenges they face, at home and at school, and how the ACES program helps them focus on learning – with the ultimate goal of returning to regular classrooms in their own schools.
ACES is a three-year old initiative that receives some state funding through the Safe Schools grant program. The ACES personnel work closely with the “home” schools and with an array of other agencies (Social Services, Mental Health, juvenile courts, Northwest Missouri State University, churches, and others) to provide a full range of support for young people who are struggling with academic, behavior or personal problems. ACES is partly a dropout-prevention program, but it is serving a wide range of at-risk and special needs students.
ACES appears to be a well-designed and well-managed cooperative that provides valuable and effective services to students, families and schools in the region. We commend the participating school districts and the ACES personnel who have worked together to build this successful program.
DISCUSSION ABOUT AUTISM
If you have been following the news, you know that autism is rapidly becoming a front-burner topic across the nation. Recently, a special legislative committee, headed by Sen. Scott Rupp of Wentzville, has conducted a series of hearings across Missouri. The committee is preparing recommendations on ways our state can improve services for children and families who are dealing with autism.
Tom Davis, former member and president of the State Board of Education, is a member of the task force. He has a grandson with autism. Tom met with the State Board to talk about the work of the task force and to share some of his family’s experiences.
The special committee is slated to issue its report and recommendations soon. We expect this report will lead to a variety of initiatives during the coming legislative session. Many experts now predict that one out of every 150 children born will have some form of autism. The educational consequences of this statistic are enormous. We are grateful to Tom Davis for taking time to meet with us and discuss this important topic.
UPDATE ON “MOSIS”
The Board received a status report on the Missouri Student Information System, or MOSIS. Now in its third year of operation, it is the system by which every student in public schools is assigned a random ID number. Systems like this have become commonplace across the country. States and school districts are using the ID numbers to manage the enormous volume of student-level data that is now available – and which is so essential for state and federal accountability systems.
The main point of this report was that school districts throughout the state have largely embraced the MOSIS concept and have worked with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, their own vendors, and others, to make it work effectively.
The requirements of No Child Left Behind have made it virtually essential for states to securely manage student-level information and test results. One of the major benefits for school districts is that the ID system allows them to “pre-code” students’ MAP test booklets with accurate information about each test-taker. This saves time for school personnel and greatly reduces errors.
COMMENDATION FOR NEW FFA PRESIDENT
It was my pleasure to present a formal resolution and commendation to Zach Kinne, a young man who was recently elected president of the National FFA. Zach’s home town is Eagleville (Harrison County), and he drove to St. Joseph to meet with us. Zach is now a sophomore at the University of Missouri. He is taking a one-year leave from his studies to lead the FFA and travel extensively.
It is interesting to note that there were 12 students in Zach’s graduating class. As the second Missourian in the FFA’s 80-year history to be elected president, he will be the primary voice for the organization’s 500,000 members.
We extend our special congratulations to Zach, his family, and his friends and teachers at the North Harrison R-III School District in Eagleville.
? ? ? ? ? ?
The next meeting of the State Board of Education will be January 10 in Jefferson City.
On behalf of the State Board, I have enclosed a greeting card for you and members of your board. I am happy to be able to share with you this delightful illustration by Bryan Medina, a student at Wyland Elementary School in the Ritenour School District. We extend our thanks to the students at Wyland Elementary and their teacher, Jean McMullen. This card also is a small way for us to acknowledge the important work that goes on throughout the year at the Missouri School for the Deaf.
Have a wonderful holiday season and a terrific 2008!
Sincerely,
Russell V. Thompson
President