TOWN OF ROCKY HILL

BOARD OF EDUCATION

MEETING OF OCTOBER 25, 2007

Members Present: Neil Geldof (Chairman)

Peter Arico

Nadine Bell

Charles McMonigle

Rene (Skip) Rivard

Anne Schmidt

Jennifer Viggiano-Grosse

Catherine Vargas

A meeting of the Board of Education was held on Thursday, October 25, 2007 in the Council Chambers of the Rocky Hill Town Hall. Chairman Geldof called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.

The pledge of allegiance was recited.

Mr. McMonigle, Chairman of the Personnel & Negotiations Committee, introduced Mrs. Carol Parmelee-Blancato, Interim Superintendent. Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato served for 37 years in Middletown, the last 5 years as superintendent. She also served as superintendent in Westbrook. Mr. McMonigle welcomed her and she thanked the district for the opportunity.

AMENDMENT OF AGENDA

Chairman Geldof requested the addition of a discussion on the MRSA virus under New Business.

Moved by Catherine Vargas, seconded by Peter Arico, to add a discussion on the MRSA virus as the first item under New Business.

FAVOR: ALL

MOTION CARRIED

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Moved by Catherine Vargas, seconded by Peter Arico, to accept the minutes of the September 20, 2007 Board of Education meeting as amended.

FAVOR: ALL

MOTION CARRIED

Amendments to the 9/20/07 minutes are as follows:

-Mrs. Vargas’ name should be added to the “members present” section at the top, as she was present at that meeting.

-Mrs. Vargas also noted that there was a break for cake. (There are no motions available on tape or manual notes to break for cake or to reconvene)

-Mr. Rivard noted that on page 3, second paragraph from the bottom, the name should be changed to read Ned Gorski.

Moved by Catherine Vargas, seconded by Anne Schmidt to accept the minutes of the October 3, 2007 Board of Education meeting as amended.

FAVOR: ALL

MOTION CARRIED

Amendments to the 9/20/07 minutes are as follows:

-Mr. McMonigle noted that the motion to adjourn should have been to adjourn the special meeting, not a budget workshop.

Moved by Anne Schmidt, seconded by Catherine Vargas to accept the minutes of the October 12, 2007 Finance Committee meeting.

FAVOR: ALL

MOTION CARRIED

CORRESPONDENCE

Mrs. Carol Parmelee-Blancato reported a letter was received from Mark Carberry and read it to the Board. Mr. Carberry expressed his gratitude to each of the members for their knowledge and patience. He believes they were able to represent the people of Rocky Hill with respect and pride. He apologized for his inability to be present for the last few months of the term. He explained that an invaluable educational opportunity arose, and he had to act quickly. He thanked the people of Rocky Hill for their trust in his ability to help lead their educational system, and stated that it was his honor to serve them.

The second piece of correspondence was from Mark Williams, Director of Human Services to Donna Hayward, Principal of Rocky Hill High School. Mr. Williams thanked the members of the Rocky Hill School’s Lend-a-Paw program for the generous donation to the Rocky Hill Food Pantry. They serve over 100 households in Rocky Hill, and are solely dependent on donations from individuals, businesses, organizations, and schools.

Mrs. Carol Parmelee-Blancato also announced that a letter was received from the Director of Facilities regarding the indoor air quality concerns brought forth indicating that the lockdown drills with the windows and doors closed are not a concern regarding CO₂ levels in the schools. He added they have ordered an instrument that will create a daily log of air quality within the schools. The town will establish an indoor air quality program, with a committee that will begin meeting in January. The committee will be very carefully monitoring the air quality in the schools. Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato mentioned she came from a school system that had this type of indoor air quality program, which was very successful.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

RHTA Liaison Committee – No Report.

Student Representatives

Stevens/Moser schools:

Rebecca Fitzgerald and Sah Hallal reported on the recent events at Stevens Moser.

West Hill School:

Nabiha Ahmed Alyssa Gellano reported on the recent events at West Hill School:

Griswold Middle School:

Dan Madigan, 7^th grade student council member reported on the activities at GMS:

Rocky Hill High School:

John McKennen, Junior at Rocky Hill High School reported on RHHS recent events.

Meeting Open to Public:

Debbie Friday, of 316 Parsonage, asked if Mr. Cooke forwarded a copy of the air quality testing report to the Board of Education, when the schools will be re-tested, and who will make up the proposed air quality committee. Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato responded that once the committee is established in January, retesting should be done within the school year, and the proposed committee will have participation from both the Board of Education and the Town of Rocky Hill.

Bill MacDonald of 32 West Ridge Drive thanked the interim superintendent for giving all of the Board of Education candidates a tour of the facilities, adding that it was very informative, and realizing that it took much time and effort.

1. Consent Calendar

Moved by Peter Arico, seconded by Jennifer Viggiano-Grosse, to accept the consent calendar for October 25, 2007.

FAVOR: ALL

MOTION CARRIED

COMMITTEE REPORTS

2. Personnel and Negotiations

Mr. McMonigle indicated there hasn’t been any progress on the subject of the superintendent’s search since the last meeting. They are waiting until after the election, and then a new search committee will be formed and proceed forward. Mr. McMonigle added he continues to have contact with the search representative, and there is an extensive pool of candidates.

3. Policy

No report.

4. Finance

Mrs. Schmidt reported the Finance Committee met to discuss the results of the first quarter of the current school year. There is no surplus or deficit position at this time. She mentioned that typically, at this point there are some funds left over from the teacher turnover account, however, that is not the case this year. There was some money, but it was turned over to the hiring of a half-time teacher in order to meet the enrollment needs at the elementary school level. Due to this, Mrs. Schmidt cautioned the Board on the amount of money that gets committed to the upcoming budget. There is no indication of movement in special education however, there are several maternity leaves coming up that will need substitute coverage, so she advised keeping an eye on that area. Finally, she announced they have been notified that the district is in a deficit position in the insurance coverage based on experience. This means there are no monies there for the district to take a “premium holiday” and any surplus that we develop from this point forward will have to go toward the deficit before it becomes anything the Board can access. She added they may need to add a bus to the budget, but beyond that, the budget will most likely be status quo going forward.

5. Curriculum

Mr. Rivard reported a new progress report was distributed to parents of the elementary children. The progress report is standard-based derived from learning targets, and goes along with the new report card, adding that personal and academic goals are now posted in the classrooms on a daily basis. He recognized teachers and administration for this effort. Also, he reported administration is planning a trip to the Glastonbury school system in early November with the members of the Board of Education to investigate the language programs in the elementary schools. Finally, he mentioned the high school leadership team is exploring instructional use of time for the future of our curriculum, and noted Ms. Hayward would report on this further. Mr. Rivard asked for Board approval on a new wellness book, “Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness”- 9^th Edition for use in the program.

Moved by Rene Rivard, seconded by Catherine Vargas to accept the Book “Lifetime Physical Fitness and Wellness” – 9^th Edition for use in the Wellness program.

FAVOR: ALL

MOTION CARRIED

6. Professional Development

No report.

7. Facilities

Mr. Arico called on Mrs. Bell to discuss school population. Mrs. Bell reported that on October 1, 2007, there was a meeting between the Government Ops and Facilities Committee to discuss future enrollment in the Rocky Hill Public Schools. In regards to the disparity between the state data center study and Dr. Peter Prowda, they decided they needed to come to some kind of consensus on the enrollment projections. Future enrollment is only a piece of the facility study. There are many other problems affecting this issue, and they need to be discussed while they await the enrollment information.

Mr. Rivard reported the new high school portable classroom is now being used for study hall purposes. As the year continues, the use of the portable classroom will be re-evaluated. Mrs. Bell added the portable classroom allowed the Board to construct another science lab inside the high school that was needed. The lab was constructed in the high school rather than in the portable, because it was deemed an inappropriate place to have a science lab due to the safety issues of carrying chemicals and such between the school and the portable. Mr. Arico added the classroom was needed, is being used, and will be utilized more effectively after the first the first semester. He then called on Ms. Hayward to review the high school space usage difference between 1981 and today.

Ms. Hayward made a floor-by-floor Power Point presentation showing floor plans of the high school in both 1981 and today. Her overview statement was that the school has lost certain types of spaces, gained other types of space, and the net result is a serious deficit in space. She color-coded the floor plan in 1981 to differentiate between “program classrooms”, “simple classrooms”, and storage space. Program space is space that is generally appropriate for only a certain activity, such as a science lab, which wouldn’t be appropriate for a typing class, for example. (Back in 1981). Simple classroom space is for classes that are not to a dedicated to a particular type of program, but can house a variety of different types of classes. For example, an English class can house a social studies class or a math class if need be.

First Floor – Ms. Hayward noted the entire first floor is still devoted to program space; however, they are trying to fit more program classes into the same amount of space. For example: since there are no longer drafting classes offered, the old drafting labs have been divided in two into what is now a handicapped accessible darkroom and the digital photo lab. Also, what used to be the metal shop was also divided in half. Half is now used for the computer lab almost exclusively used for “Project Lead the Way” and the other half is the “dirty lab”, which is where soil samples are stored along with the overflow of project materials being constructed by materials processing classes. Some of the power technology classroom was changed into a computer storage area.

The Second Floor – The second floor is the main floor of the building that contains the entrance. Ms. Hayward noted there was adequate storage back in 1981. Also at that time, there were both program and simple classroom spaces on this floor. In 2007, the storage space greatly diminished to be used for program spaces. A storage garage is now the football locker room, band and music storage space is now a practice room, and the old voting machine storage room now houses the music-recording studio. In the center of the building storage space was converted into an art computer lab, and a small science lab.

The Third Floor – In 1981 there were a significant number of classroom spaces on the third floor. An attempt is made to keep related classes located together for the simple reason of access to resource materials. There were also some program and storage spaces. Previously, the mezzanine housed a darkroom and storage. Presently, the mezzanine is used as the IT staff workspace, and the old darkroom is used for housing computers that are in various states of repair, and for IT staff to practice working on them. Again, the floor space has not changed so much, but the use of it has. Classroom space was lost on the guidance office corridor, and one simple classroom became a computer lab.

In summary, Ms. Hayward noted these serious space issues:

1) There are many more teachers in the high school than there were in 1981. Although the teachers can deal with not having their own personal workspace, it would be their preference in terms of access to resource materials, etc., and not having to “float” around on a cart. More importantly, teachers need a private place where they can call parents and have confidential conversations, which isn’t usually the case in the present conditions. At present, the math and English departments, which consist of 17 teachers (along with all of the English books being stored there), share one office, the size of a regular classroom. There is room in that space for 7-8 desks. The social studies and world language departments, consisting of 14 teachers also share one office. There are approximately 6 desks in that space. The major issue here is that the space is also used as instructional space for the English language learners, some of the neediest students of all.

2) The PE and drug education lectures are a new wellness unit, and are discussion based. These classes are often held in the weight room, as there is no other available space. There are no chairs or desks in the weight room; therefore students sit on the equipment or the floor.

3) All of the students share one gym and one pool over 8 periods; therefore gym classes are very crowded, as they are required courses all four years. Also, numerous sports teams are sharing the same place, and therefore numerous teams are displaced because someone has a game.

4) The guidance office, which housed 2 guidance counselors only ten years ago, now houses 4 due to increased enrollment. The latest office was constructed at the expense of student space, the student waiting area.

5) There is serious lack of storage space. Although the administration is grateful to have the storage trailers, however, they are not climate controlled, and therefore not suitable to store items such as textbooks due to mildew growth. Also, they aren’t easily accessible depending on the weather, and what items are being transported.

Mr. Arico thanked Ms. Hayward for her concise report. He added that in their review of the Schoenhardt Report done by the facilities team of the Board of Education, these issues were not taken lightly. He added that going back to 1981, when the statement was made that the school was built to accommodate 1000 students, he thinks that the total square footage per student included the pool area, which is a misnomer. He thinks the Board is on target with their recommendation. Mrs. Schmidt added that aside from the population issue, the evolution of academic need also impacts school space significantly, maybe even more importantly. She suggests that the district, Board, administration, and new superintendent make a commitment on where they are going with the programs academically in the future.

Mr. Geldof added that he noticed Ms. Hayward didn’t mention the deplorable condition of the science teacher’s office. Ms. Hayward stated 8 teachers, and their carts occupy the area. Mr. Geldof made the suggestion that the portable be used as a guidance office. Ms. Hayward responded that most likely the guidance office would have to be split up in that case. He commended Ms. Hayward on her presentation and hard work. Ms. Hayward and Mr. Arico attested that these space issues, although greatly alleviated via the additional science lab, are still creating scheduling conflicts, which hamper the students’ ability to take certain courses. The general level sciences do not offer a lab at this time, and these students are the ones who could really use the hands-on experience.

Mr. Rivard asked how Ms. Hayward will address this in her self-study report in regards to the accreditation process, and if there is a potential non-compliance threat due to the space issues. Ms. Hayward stated they are already planning ahead for that visit. From her experience as part of a visiting team in the past, Ms. Hayward noted they do look at things like space, physical plant, and also at quality of curriculum, and access to quality programs for all students. She is worried about what they would say about a general level student without a science lab. She would list this issue as a weakness in the self-study.

8. Technology

No report.

9. Transportation/Accommodations

No report.

Chairman Geldof thanked all of those members for their countless hours of committee member work and for their expertise in their areas. He stated that in an effort to try to bring the Schoenhardt proposals to the table so the whole town is aware of what we’re confronted with over the next decade or so, the facilities committee has met 39 times. He thanked them all for their dedication in pursuing that program.

Mrs. Schmidt thanked Mr. Turansky, and stated that Rocky Hill couldn’t be in finer hands, and that he is an outstanding Finance Director.

OLD BUSINESS

None.

NEW BUSINESS

11. MRSA Discussion

Mrs. Parmalee-Blancato wanted to inform the Board of Education that she, Greg Turansky, Barbara Gilbert, Town Manager and Richard Cooke, Director of Facilities met to discuss what the school district and the town is doing to address the recent concern of the MRSA virus. She explained that a letter was sent home to parents providing them with information on MRSA including how to prevent and treat these infections. All of the staff, including coaches has received pertinent information about it. There is also information on the website for the community. In the November newsletter, there will be further information. The town checked cleaning procedures, products used, and disinfectants to ensure that the environment in the schools is kept in a clean and healthy state. On Friday, October 26, students will not attend school due to a teacher development day. To take advantage of this, the custodians will be re-cleaning all locker rooms to be sure all areas are disinfected. Hand sanitizers have been ordered for each classroom and in other areas. She stated the district and town were going to continue to take precautionary measures to address any future issues.

12. Give Back Activities

Mr. Watson outlined what the students do at the middle school for the Lend-A-Paw activities. He stated that years ago Mrs. Boutilier began a one-day give back activity. A few years ago, the format changed from a one-day event to a “GMS Cares” program. They recently completed five main activities:

· The family & consumer science students hosted a luncheon for approximately 25 seniors from local area senior centers. Among the participants were two great- grandparents.

· The food drive contributes to the Rocky Hill Food Pantry. The drive will go through November 15, 2007.

· Students have volunteered to help the Jr. Women’s Club to set up for the craft fair, which will be held on Saturday, October 27, 2007.

· Students paid visits to Elm Hill Nursing home and The Atrium. They visited and played games with residents.

· The leaf-raking activity will happen on Saturday, November 10, 2007. About 15 residents are signed up to have their yards raked.

Ms. Hayward reported Lend-A-Paw day was very successful. She announced the total number of community service hours over the last 8 years is around 8,000 hours. The nearly 300 students, parents, and chaperones, serviced 22 different sites on October 5, 2007. Three new sites were added this year including Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown, The American Red Cross, and the Governor’s Foot Guard in Hartford. She mentioned after the event, students often continue to donate their time to that organization. Ms. Hayward did mention there is somewhat of an issue with busses being available.

Mr. McMonigle questioned the extent of the bussing being a constriction on the event. Ms. Hayward stated the busses are an issue because of expense, and also because they can’t properly accommodate the volunteers. This year, many busses were late in picking up students, leaving them waiting for over an hour. Also, many are turned away from the program due to lack of busses. Mr. McMonigle requested Ms. Hayward provide the Board with an idea of how short they are on busses sometime between now and the budget meetings.

13. Internships

Ms. Hayward stated the leadership team has come together with a vision on where they would like to take the high school over the next 5 years. One idea is that the internship experience be primarily for seniors, but perhaps for seniors and juniors. The experience would allow students an opportunity to explore a career or an interest that the high school cannot provide training for. The leadership team has come up with guidelines for eligibility in the program. The student needs to be in good academic standing, good discipline standing, and they must complete a seminar on employability skills. The students will be able to earn academic credit towards graduation. There are a few students currently on internships at various places including a florist, a horse farm (for animal husbandry), and an elementary school (for music teacher experience). Students are getting excited about the program and starting to find their own internship sites. They are working with the Chamber of Commerce; who provided a list of potential internships available and added internships couldn’t be paid.

Mrs. Schmidt asked who gets copies of the internships available and who makes the decision on which student gets which opportunity. Ms. Hayward said the list would be made available to all eligible students. Both the teacher sponsoring the student, and the receiving site will make the decision on which student is chosen for which internship.

14. Rowing Team Proposal

Dr. James Zagroba, of Meadow Road, introduced his colleagues Mr. Jeff Carstens, director of the rowing program in Glastonbury, and Mr. Richard Lee, professional rower. He rephrased the language in the agenda item for clarification. He stated their goal is to seek the Board’s support to allow them to conduct an exploratory survey of high school students and their parents to determine the level of interest in participating in a rowing club sport. He referenced the survey they put together with Ms. Karen Puskas, Coach & Athletic Director for Naugatuck Valley Community College. Chairman Geldof stated he was going to propose to the Board that they get together with Athletic Director Brian Fell create a mutually agreeable survey, and he was very supportive of the idea. He noted the Interim Superintendent comes from a district that had a rowing team. He also cautioned that the priority sport that the Board would like to evolve is Lacrosse, and that the budget may not support a rowing team at this time. Mrs. Schmidt expressed her support for the rowing sport as an opportunity for a different kind of athlete in that it offers an athletic experience that is not running-based. Mr. Zagroba responded that the Glastonbury team started as a club sport, generating its funds privately, and developed into a varsity sport. He stated it wouldn’t cost the town with the exception of transportation if the Board would provide it. Mr. Geldof also referred to the coaching expense that would be incurred. Mr. Jeff Carstens stated that for the first few years, the team used almost all volunteer coaches. Now, in their 7^th year 8 of the 10 coaches are paid. (These coaches work various hours; not all are there at the same time) They formed a 501C3 non- profit group that pays most of the salaries. There are 145 kids on the crew, and the team would need much support from outside the school system. They participated in seven regattas this year, which cost them $3,500 just for registration of their seven varsity boats.

Moved by Anne Schmidt, seconded by Nadine Bell that Mr. Zagroba and his associates work with Mr. Fell in order to come up with a mutually agreeable survey to put out to parents and students to solicit back the interest in perusing a rowing club.

FAVOR: ALL

MOTION CARRIED

15. November 6^th Professional Development Activities

Mrs. Boutilier highlighted the professional development activities planned for November 6, 2007 stating Rocky Hill entered into a collaborative venture with Cromwell and Berlin to provide professional development on Election Day and combine resources, and provide networking at the same time. The topic this year was literacy, which happens to be a component in all of the school improvement plans. She invited any available Board members to drop in.

16. Class Size Analysis

Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato provided the Board with class sizes across the grades and subjects for the fall semester, and does not recommend any staff adjustments.

17. Schedule of Board of Education Meetings 2007- 08

Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato requested approval for the schedule of the proposed Board meetings.

Moved by Rene Rivard, seconded by Charles McMonigle, to accept the proposed Board of Education meeting schedule for 2007- 08.

FAVOR: ALL

MOTION CARRIED

18. 2008-09 School Calendar

Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato requested approval for the school calendar for 2008-09 noting that it is in agreement with the CREC calendar with the exception of the April vacation. She stated the CREC calendar has April vacation as the third week in April, while Rocky Hill has the second week listed. Mrs. Schmidt responded that the second week of April is GHAMAS, and that schedule wouldn’t afford the GHAMAS students a vacation. Mr. McMonigle asked for the reasoning for the scheduling as it was, and Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato answered that Dr. Vautour had prepared it before he left. Ms. Hayward stated she didn’t know if the magnet schools follow the CREC calendar. She stated that in the past there have been vacations that didn’t coincide with theirs, and so they offer the adequate bussing to get the kids transported. The item was tabled, and Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato stated she would put it as an item for a future agenda.

Moved by Rene Rivard, seconded by Charles McMonigle, to accept the proposed Board of Education meeting schedule for 2007- 08.

FAVOR: ALL

MOTION CARRIED

19. Change in Start/Stop Times for West Hill School

Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato shared with the Board that since the start of school there have been several busses arriving late at Stevens School both in the morning and the afternoon. Mr. Turansky has met with the bus company, and the company has made adjustments in bus routes, which has alleviated afternoon issues, however, there are still busses arriving late in the morning. After a study was done it was decided that by offloading West Hill students at 8:05 rather than 8:10, the morning busses would then arrive on time at Stevens School. She recommended to the Board that they change the start time at West Hill from 8:25 to 8:20, and the ending time of the school day from 3:00 to 2:55 effective October 31, 2007. She thanked administration and teachers for working with them cooperatively, and the change wouldn’t change the teacher’s workday in contractual obligations.

Moved by Charles McMonigle, seconded by Anne Schmidt, that the Board of Education move the starting time at West Hill School from 8:25 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. and ending time at the school from 3:00 p.m. to 2:55 p.m. effective October 31, 2007, and to authorize the administration to take any necessary measures to establish same.

FAVOR: ALL

MOTION CARRIED

Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato also commented that as they prepare the budget to present to the Board, they might need an additional bus because this is really a short-term solution to the problem, because as more students enter the district, it delays the runs.

Mrs. Schmidt questioned if this would give parents ample time to notify the parents of the schedule change. Mrs. Parmelee-Blancato stated she spoke with elementary administration, and they felt this notice would be appropriate.

20. ESEA Consolidated Grant Approval

Mrs. Boutilier requested approval of the ESEA Consolidated Grant approval. She explained it’s an entitlement grant, which means that it’s a formula driven grant that we don’t have to compete with others for. The formula is based on perceived need by the community. We receive approximately $70,000, half of which goes towards the salary of a teacher to reduce size of classes at the elementary schools, which leaves approximately $36,000 to initiate new programs, etc. The initiatives the administration would like to fund this year include: Wednesday Workday subs, reinstitution our core-skills coordinator, providing training at the beginning of the year for new teachers, materials for the CMT academy, and for students during the month of February, and ESOL summer school and a science consultant preparing them for the new tests that will take place in the spring.

Moved by Jennifer Viggiano-Grosse, seconded by Peter Arico, to accept the ESEA Consolidated Grant so it can be submitted to the state.

FAVOR: ALL

MOTION CARRIED

21. CAPT Results

Mrs. Boutilier explained the test began in 1994 and was decided by state statute that it was a statewide assessment for all 10^th grade students. As with CMTs every 5 years or so, the test is ramped up and a new generation of the test comes out. This test was the third generation. There are four components to the test: Reading Across the Disciplines, Writing Across the Disciplines, Mathematics, and Science. Students are given written passages, and must respond in writing to open ended questions about both fiction and non-fiction. In the writing section, they are given two different articles to read, and are asked to form an opinion and form a persuasive piece based on the information in those articles. They also have to review a few written pieces, and make the proper mechanical corrections such as punctuation, spelling, etc. The math section is 150 minutes long, and has some open ended questions as well. The science section underwent a great deal of change this year, and contains some very difficult concepts. These tests forced some curricular changes, because some of the 9^th grade science classes don’t cover material that is on this test. Because this test is a new generation test, the Commissioner highly suggested that no one does a comparison to previous years, which is why the packets distributed didn’t include prior year data. Mrs. Boutilier did include some examples of questions for Board members to review. In general, the students did very well on these tests in relationship to the state, and mirror the scores from students in towns of Rocky Hill’s DRG in all four areas. They are:

Goal and Proficiency Scores – Reading Across the Disciplines

Percentage at Advanced and Goal Levels: RH: 57%, DRG 54%, State: 46%

Percentage at Proficiency: RH: 89%, DRG 89%. State: 80%

Goal and Proficiency Scores – Writing Across the Disciplines

Percentage at Advanced and Goal Levels: RH: 64%, DRG 65%, State: 53%

Percentage at Proficiency: RH: 90%, DRG 90%. State: 82%

Goal and Proficiency Scores – Mathematics

Percentage at Advanced and Goal Levels: RH: 57%, DRG 56%, State: 45%

Percentage at Proficiency: RH: 88%, DRG 88%. State: 77%

Goal and Proficiency Scores – Science

Percentage at Advanced and Goal Levels: RH: 55%, DRG 56%, State: 44%

Percentage at Proficiency: RH: 92%, DRG 91%. State: 81%

Across the state, males generally score higher in math and science sections, while the females generally score higher in the reading and writing sections. In Rocky Hill, females scored higher on all four tests. Also, Rocky Hill students scored well above the average in the state in all four areas measured. They performed similar to their peers in other DRG districts.

Ms. Hayward stated the next step with respect to the CAPT is to continue in their fourth year of the reading and writing across the curriculum initiative given these skills are inherent in all sections of the CAPT, so they believe it will have an overall global impact. This year they opened academic labs in the mezzanine above the library. They offer tutorial services in math and writing. The tutors are hand picked by the faculty. They are earning community service credit for their services, and there is a faculty member present. The academic lab is stocked with CAPT released items and CAPT-like activities. Guidance has identified current freshmen and sophomores who are at risk to reach proficient on the CAPT and planning interventions accordingly. Professional development will be provided directly on skills measured by CAPT next August and as generation 3 progresses, they will continue to monitor students’ performance on this test and see how they grow. Mrs. Boutilier noted the state is moving toward a computerized CAPT, which will impact the school in terms of space and technology needs as 10^th graders will need to all take the test at the same time.

Mrs. Schmidt questioned where the Rocky Hill students fell within the DRG. Mrs. Boutilier stated Rocky Hill fell in the middle.

22. AP Test Results

Ms. Hayward discussed the most recent AP test results. She noted there are more AP classes this year including AP UCONN French. The participation decreased this year, and she is unsure as to why, but the guidance department and administrative team are looking into this. There were 52 test takers in a total of 9 different exams. The students tend to do very well. The philosophy within Rocky Hill High School is to encourage students to challenge themselves, so she is thinking they may see more students taking AP courses who wouldn’t have in the past.

Mrs. Bell asked if there are scheduling conflicts in the high school with the AP courses. Ms. Hayward responded there are some. They construct their schedule to do the greatest good for the greatest number. Mrs. Bell also asked how Rocky Hill stacks up against other schools of the same size with AP course offerings. Ms. Hayward stated her understanding is that Rocky Hill offers significantly more AP courses than many other schools our size.

Mrs. Schmidt observed the AP courses don’t have as much success as the other classes have, and questioned if there is a review process of the curriculum to realign it to match up better with what is going to be on the test. Ms. Hayward stated the review process is probably more intense than other classes. It is intensely reviewed, and changes to curriculum are made where necessary.

23. SAT Results

Ms. Hayward presented the summary on the class of 2007:

48% of the graduating class nationwide took the SAT.

84% of the graduating class in Connecticut took the SAT.

91% of the graduating class in Rocky Hill took the SAT.

Critical Reading Score:

Nationwide scores dropped 1 point to 502 (Male = 504 / Female = 502)

Rocky Hill scores dropped 4 points from 510 to 506 (Male = 488 / Female = 518)

Connecticut state average score is 510 (Male = 504 / Female = 502)

The Mathematics Score:

Nationwide scores dropped 3 points to 515 (Male = 533 / Female = 499)

Rocky Hill scores rose another 3 points to 525 (Male = 530 / Female = 521)

(A 26-point increase over the past 5 years)

Connecticut state average score is 512 (Male = 523 / Female = 489)

Writing Score:

Nationwide scores dropped 3 points to 494 (Male = 489 / Female = 500)

Rocky Hill scores rose by 1 point to 513 (Male = 480 / Female = 535)

Connecticut state average score is 511 (Male = 497 / Female = 508)

Mrs. Schmidt noted that higher participation rates for these tests tend to bring scores down, and so Rocky Hill scores probably made a bigger jump than what the scores are showing.

Ms. Hayward’s overall observations:

A very high percentage of Rocky Hill 2007 graduates (91%) took the SAT; this percentage is higher than the state average, and much higher than the national average.

The difference between male and female scores in math was smaller than state and national averages, while the difference between male and female scores in reading and writing were greater than state and national averages.

Rocky Hill has enjoyed a solidly upward trend across both reading and math scores, and is developing an upward trend on the newer writing section as well.

Ms. Hayward’s next planned steps:

We will continue to encourage all students to participate in the test; we will continue to inform our community as to the effect of high participation on mean scores.

We will examine the difference between male and female scores and consult best practices and research regarding the same.

We will continue to track SAT data, incorporating it into the many measures of student performance in Rocky Hill.

Mr. Geldof extended an accolade to the entire administrative team and Mr. Greg Turansky and stated that they are individuals to be trusted, and have done a tremendous job. He admires the Board members and their non-partisan dedication, and hopes this cooperation, respect, and professionalism will serve as a model for the incoming Board as they continue the pursuit of excellence in the Rocky Hill Public Schools.

Mrs. Bell thanked Anne, Peter, and Neil for pouring their heart and soul into the job, and for keeping the kids in the forefront.

Mrs. Schmidt commented she wished parents of younger children would get involved in this process. She admitted it is an up front commitment, but you really need more than two years to really understand your school system. She also noted they are facing a really exciting time with all of the changes, and she wishes all the most success.

Mr. Arico affirmed he felt a great amount of pride in knowing he served with such wonderful non-partisan people, who were very effective and presented sensible recommendations that will hopefully be carried on in an effective way to the students of Rocky Hill.

Moved by Anne Schmidt, seconded by Jennifer Viggiano-Grosse to adjourn the meeting at 9:20 p.m.

FAVOR: ALL

MOTION CARRIED

Respectfully submitted,

Lisa R. Reed

Recording Secretary

Accepted by: _______________________ Date: _____________________