By Dr. Thomas Little
Superintendent of
Perry Township Schools

I believe every successful leader takes the time to get out from behind the desk and talk with the individuals who his decisions impact.  

Several years ago we started a tradition by having informal working luncheons every spring and fall with a group of high schoolers who are respected by the student body. These individuals hold key offices or are active members within clubs/organizations such as the National Honor Society, class officers, Riley Dance Marathon, school spirit, academic top 20, athletics, scholarship recipients, student publications, Falcon Radio and the arts.  

We asked the students to share success stories in their schools, and they mentioned the recent and numerous Indiana State School Music Association gold ratings, scholarship recipients and athletic achievements.
There was excitement in the air when the students discussed the upcoming spring break. In the same breath, reality returned when concern about the Advanced Placement course testing was raised.

I talked about the challenges in the district: capacity needs in our elementary schools and the open-concept classrooms at Winchester Village Elementary. Most of the students had attended elementary school in the district and were surprised to learn that we have 26 trailer classrooms. Collectively, the students agreed that teaching art and music from carts as a solution was not acceptable. They said they firmly feel that media centers must remain intact for student growth and research.

The students would like to have more pep sessions to bring attention to activities like robotics, color guard and drum line, not just athletics. They also would like the opportunity for both high schools to work jointly on projects.  

Surprisingly, the group expressed interest in having college lecture-hall-type classes to prepare for higher education. The conversation also touched on school spirit/pep sessions, commencement, snow days and schedules/classes.  

The majority of students want to wear sweat pants to school. We chatted about the dress code and the importance of decorum in our schools and the fact that actions as well as attitude reflect your dress. While they understood, they were a bit disappointed. I encouraged them to continue to ask questions.    
Discussions like this impact school and district decisions. Over the years, many changes for the good of the district have been made as a result of these conversations.  

It is an honor to meet with the leadership teams from our high schools. I admire their maturity and their work. They are responsible, driven people having a good year. They describe their schools’ environment as resembling family and fun. 

I leave these meetings filled with pride in our district and for the future of Perry Township.

The balanced calendar has proven to be quite popular. It allocates two-week breaks from school in the fall, at Christmas and in the spring. Students also have seven weeks off during the summer.  
Perry Township Schools has elected to take advantage of the fall and spring intersession time to provide opportunities for students to either review specific curricular material or participate in enrichment programs.
During that first week of spring break, students are invited to attend instructional programs that reinforce skills previously presented, provide test preparation and delve into subject areas not explored during the traditional school year.  

This year the instructional opportunities will be offered during the week of March 23. Elementary classes will be held from 7:30-11:30 a.m. at Winchester Village and Burkhart. Open spaces are filling up quickly as more than 275 pupils have already signed up. Transportation and a quick breakfast will be provided. The same dress code and expectations for good behavior continue on whenever school is in session.  

We are offering an intervention program that identifies third-graders who are struggling with reading. In addition, level 4 English learners will attend the intersession. The instruction will address their weaker English domains while also providing content grade level support that will improve achievement on the next round of ISTEP. Fifth-graders will undertake project-based learning opportunities.

Five-hundred students in Grades 6-12 are scheduled to participate in the intersession from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 
Sixth-graders will focus on improving their math and English skills while being introduced to college and career readiness.  
Middle schoolers will receive either math or English instruction with a focus on language acquisition and ISTEP+ prep.

High schoolers may receive intensive instruction in either Algebra I or English 10. The added remediation will assist students as they prepare for the End-of-Course exams in those subjects. 
Other high schoolers will use the intersession for enrichment and to prepare for the SAT and ACT.  

All children 18 and under are welcome to participate in Baxter YMCA’s meal program during spring break. Breakfast and lunch will be served from 7:30-8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., respectively. We are grateful for our community partnerships.  
Perry Township Schools … strong schools reflect a strong community.

By Dr. Thomas Little
Superintendent of
Perry Township Schools

An interesting debate is taking place on the merits of conducting achievement tests, the length, and the use of these exams in measuring not only student achievement but the quality of the educational program. The 2015 ISTEP+ test, specifically, is under a great deal of scrutiny because of its length.   

On Feb. 23, Gov. Mike Pence signed a bill into law to shorten the exam by three hours. The measure also eliminated the social studies portion of the test. 

The 2015 ISTEP+ is a new test for Indiana students and is aligned to new College and Career Ready Standards, as well as the new state standards similar to the nationwide common core standards. The test requires the state to compile a bank of pilot test items for use in 2016.  In the overall spring 2015 ISTEP+ program, approximately 32 percent of the items were slated to serve as pilot items. Now, schools are only required to administer half of the pilot questions, thus cutting down on the amount of time to take the test.  
The length of the test was reduced about 25 percent, from more than 12 hours to less than nine. While we support the Indiana Department of Education’s plan to reduce the testing time, we continue to be concerned about the time requirement of nine hours of state-mandated assessments.  

All Perry Township assessment-related decisions will be made to best serve the educational needs of children. We recognize the stress that standardized testing places on students, parents and teachers. The district is committed to protecting instructional time; when permitted, we will limit our participation in assessments to only those that benefit students.  

Your school board cares a great deal about the district and plays an active role in keeping abreast of the issues that affect the instructional program. 

At last week’s public work session, assistant superintendents Vickie Carpenter and Robert Bohannon provided a presentation to explain the basic changes in the ISTEP+ test and how your school district is responding to these changes. As part of the presentation, board members participated in hands-on activities that demonstrated the rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order thinking and problem-solving skills. 

The test has been moving from a paper and pencil evaluation to an online, computer- based assessment. Changes from 2014 to 2015 include multiple response questions and new computer-enhanced tools that require students to click on multiple tabs, scroll bars, drag/drop answers, drop-down lists, manipulate digital rulers, plot graph points, mouse over highlighted areas and more. It is important for our students to have a working knowledge of computer-related skills to score well on these tests.  

Our instructional teams work hard to prepare students to take on the challenges of any testing situation: state assessments, national assessments, college entrance exams, military service assessments, interest inventories and others.