Dr. Cerny's B-R Hype

Frequently asked questions about Bancroft Village Sales Tax

2012-02-01T09:33:00.000-08:00

Reprinted from powerpoint by Garry Clark, Cuming County Economic Development director.

SUSTAIN BANCROFT VILLAGE SALES TAX FAQ’S…

Which purchase will I pay a village sales tax on?

Simple Rule of Thumb: If you don’t pay sales tax on it now, you won’t pay village sales tax on it either.
Sales tax is NOT paid on: Edible Groceries, Prescriptions
Also, the village sales tax is only collected on taxable purchases made within the village limits.

Will people stop shopping in Bancroft if a village sales tax is passed?

Where do you shop? Do you consider the sales tax before making purchases in Pender, West Point, Lyons, or Norfolk? Each of these communities has a city/village sales tax of at least 1%.

How would a village sales tax affect my property tax?

Property taxes are something that few of us truly understand, but we all agree that we dislike having to pay them. However, many of the services we enjoy as a community such as streets, police and fire protection are funded through taxes on property. Since these services cost the same regardless of the number of people using them, it makes sense that the more people who contribute to the tax, the more economical these services become for each individual. As rural populations decline, the property taxes paid per household or business rise in order to maintain these essential services.

I like Bancroft the way it is, why should it change?

Personal, business, and government budgets continue to tighten. The state and federal funding that most municipalities have received in the past has dried up. Gas prices continue to rise, along with raw materials and utility costs. If this trend continues, businesses and government will not be able to provide the same services without additional income. By implementing the village sales tax everyone who shops in Bancroft will help pay the costs, not just the property owners and utility users.

Define Capital Improvements.

The term “Capital Improvements” is a general term that encompasses a wide range of projects and undertakings. Projects might include street paving, library, parks, playground equipment, sidewalks, and storm sewers.

How would passing the village sales tax affect the cost of farm equipment repair?

As The Nebraska Sales and Use Tax Regulation tend to be complex and contradictory in nature, specific questions regarding the effect of a village sales tax on big-ticket items should be addressed to your accountant for interpretation.
If the farm equipment is tax-exempt when purchased, then the labor to repair and install parts of the piece of equipment is also tax exempt to provided that the labor charges are separately itemized on the invoice. However, the parts would be taxable regardless of whether or not the equipment was tax-exempt.

How would implementing a village sales tax effect commercial agriculture operations of local farmers and feeders?

State sales tax is not currently charged as follows, nor would a city sales tax be assessed.
• Seeds that are sold exclusively for use in commercial agriculture are exempt from the sales tax. Commercial Ag also includes the commercial production in greenhouses, nurseries, tree farms, and sod farms.
• Ag chemicals such as fertilizers, anhydrous ammonia, minerals, insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, and herbicides are exempt from sales tax.
• The sale of cattle, swine, sheep, baby chicks, turkey poults, and bees whose products ordinarily constitute food for human consumption are exempt from the sales tax. Other animals such as horses, dogs, and cats are subject to sales tax even when purchased for breeding purposes.
• Feed, ag chemicals, veterinary medicines, feed supplements, and water are exempt from the sales tax if consumed by, used on, or used in caring for animals whose products ordinarily constitute food for human consumption or whose pelts are ordinarily used for human apparel.
• The purchase of depreciable Ag machinery and equipment such as tractors, combines, and implements are exempt from sales tax if the item purchased is used in commercial Ag and the purchaser has completed a NE Resale of Exempt Sale Certificate.
Village sales tax is not collected on purchases subject to sales tax when delivery is made outside of the village limits.
Additional information can be found on Ag related questions at: www.revenue.ne.gov/legal/regs/slstaxregs.htm

Is this the right time to implement a sales tax?

Bancroft has always been a great place to live and has been supported by dedicated owners and businesses, coupled with an excellent school district. By investing in our community, we can continue to offer quality services and improve those services, such as, facilities, and resources to attract new residents and maintain our high quality of life. When we shop in West Point, Pender, and Lyons we pay to fund their projects and quality of life.

Board meeting minutes

2012-02-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

An emergency meeting of the Board of Education of Bancroft-Rosalie Community Schools was held in the School Library on Tuesday, January 31 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting was open to the public and preceded by public notice.
The meeting was called to order by President Kent Neumann and on roll call the following Board Members were present: Anderson, Browning, Brummond, Hennig, Neumann and Reil. The President publicly announced the location of a current copy of the Open Meetings Act posted in the meeting room for access by the public.
The President stated that the only item on the agenda was to consider the approval of the agreement with Crafts, Inc. to build an addition to the existing school building in Bancroft.
Motion by Reil, second by Brummond to approve the agreement with Crafts, Inc. to build an addition to the existing school building in Bancroft. and pay the contractor the $10,000 down payment. On roll call vote, the following Board Members voted in favor of the passage of the Resolution: Anderson, Browning, Brummond, Hennig, Neumann and Reil.
There being no further business to come before the meeting, motion by Hennig, second by Anderson to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed 6-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:10 p.m.

February Biz Buzz at Ru-De's

2012-01-31T16:07:00.001-08:00

Social Monday February 13th and 10:00 am.

Special School Board meeting tonight to approve construction contract

2012-01-31T06:41:00.000-08:00

The Bancroft-Rosalie School Board will hold a special meeting tonight at 6:30 pm in the school library. The purpose of the special meeting is to approve the contract with Crafts, Inc to build the two classroom addition at the north end of the secondary building.

Jessica Tietz signs with Morningside

2012-01-30T08:16:00.000-08:00

Jessica Tietz signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Morningside this morning. The newest Mustang joins former B-R players Shelby Beaudette and Kalene Anderson on the nationally ranked team.

USDA announces new nutrition standards for school meals

2012-01-30T07:15:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, January 25th First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced new nutrition standards for school meals. The new standards include:
• offering more fruits and vegetables
• serving more whole grain-rich foods
• offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties
• make sure kids are getting proper portion sizes.

Our school district has already brought a variety of healthier choices to our school cafeterias that address goals in the new regulations. For example,
o We serve at least one fresh fruit and vegetables every day
o We already made the switch to 1% or fat free milk
o We offer salads every day

The federal restrictions on the amount of sodium and calories from fat make it difficult to prepare meals that taste the way meals do at home or from fast food places. Since all meals are partially subsidized by the federal government, students and parents need to understand that school meals must follow the federal guidelines for proper portion size and nutritional requirements.

Kindergarten admissions

2012-01-27T06:20:00.000-08:00

From Roger Breed Commissioner of Education.

"With many school districts making plans now for kindergarten registration for the coming 2012-2013 school year, I would like to clarify the options districts have related to kindergarten admissions under Nebraska law.

Section 79-214 requires that a child must be five years of age on or before July 31 to enroll in kindergarten for the 2012-13 school year.

Section 79-214 goes on to permit school boards to admit children if certain requirements are met. School districts, under the guidance of their school boards, are allowed to enroll a child who turns five after July 31 but on or before Oct. 15 if the parent requests admission and provides an affidavit that states:

1) The child attended kindergarten in another district during the current school year; OR

2) The family plans to relocate to a district that allows admission during the current school year; OR

3) The child has demonstrated his or her ability to do kindergarten level work through a recognized assessment procedure approved by the local school board.

This language is “permissive” so a school district is NOT required to admit a child who turns five after July 31."

In addition, Rule 11 does not allow students that turn 5 before August 1st to attend school-operated preschools. Exceptions can be granted for children who are identified with special needs and whose Individual Education Plan places the child in preschool as the most appropriate placement.

2011 MAP test norms

2012-01-26T05:32:00.000-08:00

Bancroft-Rosalie students in grades 3-11 just completed winter MAP testing in Reading. I am attaching the 2011 norm data that can be used to gauge individual student performance. If you know a student score, look at the reading section, find their grade level and go to middle of the year mean. This is the national average for that grade. Scores that are in the 235-240 range indicate college readiness.

Next week is the NeSA state writing assessment for grades 4,8, and 11. Grade 4 will start on January 31 and conclude February 1st. Grades 8 and 11 will write on February 1. MAP testing in Math will begin February 6.

All students that increased their MAP score will get ice cream at lunch next week.

Omaha World Herald editorial "Great Teachers Can Often Be Saviors"

2012-01-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

Great Teachers Can Often Be Saviors - Excerpt
Nicholas Kristof – Omaha World Herald – Jan. 25, 2012
available at http://www.omaha.com/article/20120125/NEWS0802/701259946/-1#nicholas-d-kristof-great-teachers-can-often-be-saviors

This is a great story about how the efforts of one teacher changed the life of a troubled student. I believe most teachers want to have that kind of effect on their students. Teacher advocacy groups claim that when given well-raised students, they are almost always successful, but when given badly raised kids the results are usually disappointing. By pointing the blame at parents and society in general, are educators admitting that schools/teachers don't make a difference? The education profession needs to focus on what programs are getting positive results for "all students' and try to replicate those programs. Accepting the status quo is not the answer.

Eric Browning selected for Eight man all-star game

2012-01-25T06:39:00.001-08:00

The Eight man all-star teams were selected last Sunday. Eric Browning was picked to represent Bancroft-Rosalie on the East team. The game will be played in June at Hastings.

School accountability being discussed in the legislature

2012-01-24T06:52:00.000-08:00

The legislature is looking at two bills that would develop a multiple measure accountability system for measuring school performance. Some of the measures being considered are:

-- graduation rates,
-- student growth and student improvement on the assessments,
-- student attendance rates,
-- kindergarten readiness rates,
-- parental involvement,
-- suspensions and expulsions,
-- college and career readiness,
-- postsecondary enrollment rates,
-- postsecondary retention rates per high school,
-- growth of students who score in the top quartile and bottom quartile on the
assessments to ensure that schools and school districts that are not sufficiently meeting the needs of both high-performing and low-performing students.

The measures selected by the State Board of Education for the accountability system would be combined into a school performance score and district performance
score.

I support this type of accountability system because student growth is the most important data to consider when deciding how well a school is performing. But I am worried that the state will choose to use average growth data rather than individual student growth data. Average growth would compare how a school's 4th grade students performed one year to how 4th grade students at the same school performed the next year. It would not take into account the improvement shown by each student from one year to the next. With MAP tests (which we give to students in grades 3-11 in Reading and Math) it is possible to look at each students growth from beginning of the year to the end of the year, or from spring to spring, to see how each has improved.
That data will tell you how a school is doing (assuming students will give their best effort).

School internet costs to go down next year

2012-01-23T14:31:00.000-08:00

The school has completed its three year agreement for internet service and will be entering a new three year contract beginning next fall. The good news is that the cost will go down 31% and we will be getting 100 mgs of bandwidth instead of the 40 mg we currently receive.
Why will the cost go down and the bandwidth up? The last contract involved Great Plains connecting with Qwest, so we had to pay both carriers. Since the last contract was entered into, Great Plains applied for and received a grant to improve their infrastructure so that they can connect us directly to Omaha (no need for using Qwest, now CenturyLink).
How neat is that?

Track Districts for 2012

2012-01-23T11:14:00.001-08:00

District D-2:
Dates: May 9, 2012
Site: TBA

Schools Assigned:
Bancroft-Rosalie
Cedar Bluffs
Dodge
Howells
Lyons-Decatur Northeast
Mead
Omaha Nation
Scribner-Snyder
Walthill
West Point Central Catholic

Boys Golf Districts for 2012

2012-01-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

District D-1:
Dates: May 14, 2012
Site: Oakland Golf Club
Host School: Lyons-Decatur Northeast
Director: Bruce Knaak
Schools Assigned:
Bancroft-Rosalie
Cedar Bluffs
Clarkson
Exeter-Milligan
Friend
Guardian Angels Central Catholic
Hartington
Howells
Leigh
Lewiston
Lyons-Decatur Northeast
Osceola
Pawnee City
Pender
Scribner-Snyder

Comparative Analysis of State Assessment results and school poverty level in Class A Nebraska schools

2012-01-22T15:30:00.000-08:00

This is reprinted from a letter sent out from Robert Bligh of the Nebraska Association of School Boards. These facts below were conclusions arrived at through a study that looked at Nebraska State Assessment scores at Class A schools in Nebraska and free/reduced lunch rates at the schools.
This makes a strong case for the value of preschool education for students from low income families. And not just "play-based" preschools, but preschools that will provide academic skills to improve each students chances for academic success in the early elementary grades and beyond.

The facts about "good" schools and "bad" schools in Nebraska include the following:

1. Schools that have the highest concentration of students who live in affluent households tend overwhelmingly to have very high average academic achievement scores and, therefore, strong reputations as “good” schools.

2. Schools that have the highest concentration of students who live in impoverished households tend overwhelmingly to have very low average academic achievement scores and, therefore, strong reputations as “bad” schools.

3. It is quite easy to assign surprisingly accurate test score results to schools and school districts based solely on student poverty data.

4. Students who live in affluent households tend strongly to perform academically as well in high poverty (“bad”) schools as they do in low poverty (“good”) schools.

5. Students who live in impoverished families tend strongly to perform academically as well in low poverty (“good”) schools as they do in high poverty (“bad”) schools.

6. The level of academic success of a student is not a result of which school that student attends.

7. The level of academic success of a school is overwhelmingly the result of which students attend that school.

Senator shows support for rural Nebraska.

2012-01-20T06:12:00.000-08:00

Senator Lydia Brasch was among four senators to introduce LB850, legislation that would provide an incentive to individuals moving from outside of Nebraska to counties, primarily rural, that have been affected by population decline. LB 850 would provide such individuals with an income tax credit of $1,500 per year if they establish residence in one of these counties after having lived outside of Nebraska for five years.

Kudos to Senator Brasch for her efforts to repopulate rural Nebraska communities. If this passes, how could it affect Bancroft? Right now the biggest concern is where would they live? There is a shortage of quality housing in Bancroft, and lots for new home construction are scarce. We have been trying to address this issue for several years and have little to show for our efforts. The recent income survey, that we were informed had to be done before we could move forward on a project, did not meet the 100% return that was needed. So now we are at a standstill.

The Bancroft Betterment group has not received any post-survey feedback yet from the Northeast Nebraska Economic Development District as far as options for the community to move forward in its efforts to improve Bancroft housing. I continue to support adding two bedroom apartments with garages to Barber's Sunrise Villa.

It may be time to contact Senator Brasch and find out what her office can do to help us prepare for those who want to relocate to rural Nebraska.

Nebraska Basketball Jamboree games net $32,000

2012-01-19T13:58:00.001-08:00

Bancroft-Rosalie was one of several schools to host a basketball jamboree this season. Proceeds from jamboree games go to the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is housed in the Nebraska School Activities Association building by the University of Nebraska baseball/softball complex.

This year's jamboree events totaled over $32,000 for the Hall of Fame.

New business to open in Beemer

2012-01-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

A new business recently accepted a proposal from Beemer that will hire up to 10 employees. Beemer received assistance from Cuming County Economic Development in developing their proposal. Beemer offered incentives to attract the business.

I have mixed feelings about this news. As a member of the County ED Board, I am glad that new businesses are moving into Cuming County. According to County ED Director Garry Clark there were five small communities considered within the Cuming County Public Power District. Bancroft was one of these communities. The fact that the Roger's Market building in Bancroft was not seen as a desirable location is disappointing.

So what needs to be done to prepare ourselves to capitalize on the next opportunity?

Local banks and property owners of the available spaces in Bancroft need to work together to develop a plan for offering incentive packages to prospective businesses. The Bancroft Village Board sounds supportive of setting aside money for economic development when the budget allows. Bancroft needs to support the Village and vote FOR the local sales tax on the May ballot.

Conference Basketball Tournament brackets

2012-01-17T16:17:00.001-08:00

Bancroft-Rosalie School will host first round basketball tournament games in both girls and boys basketball.

Binge drinking in Nebraska

2012-01-16T07:09:00.000-08:00

In a recent study by the Center for Disease Control Nebraska placed second in binge drinking. Binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks on one occasion in the month prior to the survey for men, and four or more drinks on one occasion for women. More than 22% of Nebraskans admitted to binge drinking in 2010.

Dr. Joann Schaefer, chief medical officer for the State of Nebraska, said "We've known alcohol is a problem in our state for a while."

Nationally, binge drinking is most prevalent among 18- to 34-year-olds. People in that age group also consume more alcohol in an average sitting — eight to 10 drink (Taken from Omaha World Herald).

The numbers for 18-20 year old's is alarming, given that it is illegal for them to consume. Unfortunately, underage drinking is considered "normal" behavior by many Nebraskans. There has been a statewide effort in Nebraska to combat alcohol abuse, but changing attitudes takes time. There is some hope. Attitudes toward cigarette smoking have changed over the years to the point where it is now unacceptable to smoke in most public spaces. For now, we will continue to deal with the criminal justice and health care problems associated with alcohol abuse.

What I would like to see- a group of student-athletes that would dedicate themselves to their sports and to becoming the best athletes they can be. This would mean abstaining from drugs and alcohol. The difference this would make in the school (as role models) would be extraordinary.

Annie Oakley to appear at Neihardt Center Sunday 2:00 pm

2012-01-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

Press release- Continuing with this year’s theme of “Biography” on Sunday, January 15th at 2 p.m., Nebraska author and educator, Charlotte M. Endorf will present the Life and Legacy of Annie Oakley. Oakley, or Phoebe Ann Mosey, often nicknamed “Little Miss Sure Shot” was born in 1860 to a Quaker family. Her twice widowed mother and eventually nine children relied on Annie’s increasing hunting and trapping skills to provide for the family from the tender age of nine. Eventually, her temerity in becoming a champion in a man’s sport changed ideas about the abilities of women in the 19th century, particularly after joining Wm. Cody’s Wild West Show and traveling the world exhibiting her remarkable abilities and endearing herself to everyone she met with her caring and bright personality. When Western movies had their heyday, she was a favorite character but was often portrayed more mythological than factual. Charlotte Endorf will present Oakley in a way to dispel many of the romantic myths and bring the real Annie forward.
This is not Endorf’s first such project. In 2004, she began documenting the real-life stories of the children who rode the Orphan Trains between 1854 and 1929, creating books and a DVD. It also developed into a first-person type of presentation in period dress with artifacts and photographs on display.
The Neihardt State Historic Site is located at 306 W. Elm Street, Bancroft, NE. The program begins at 2 p.m. with a reception and book signing. Author books will be available for purchase. The event is free and open to the public.

Biz Buzz Friday 10:00 am at the Country Pub

2012-01-11T14:17:00.000-08:00

The Bancroft Biz Buzz Social is scheduled for Friday at 10:00 am at the Country Pub.

Pub owner Vicky Brown will be available to answer talk about her business and answer any questions. Please come and support our local business.

I will have an update on school and community news.

See you friday morning- 10:00 am at the country Pub.

Board accepts bid from Crafts Inc

2012-01-11T04:48:00.000-08:00

The school board resumed the monthly board meeting Tuesday night at 7:00 pm. Representatives from low bidder Crafts Inc of Norfolk went through their proposal and answered questions from the board. The classroom addition will be a 3,120 square foot addition to the north side of the lower level of the existing building.

Concrete will include a sidewalk on the north and west ends of the new addition to connect to the existing sidewalk. The board will consider adding a concrete parking lot to the project west of the new addition. The building will rest on a concrete slab and will have a retaining wall on the east side.

Masonry will match the existing school lower level.

Insulation will be R-19 on exterior walls and R-38 on the roof.

Doors and windows will match the existing building.

The music room will be carpeted and the other rooms will have vinyl tile.

The current storm drain system will be moved.

The following costs were not included in the bid because the school chose to work with their existing system providers:
Fire sprinkler system, heating and air conditioning unit, and Data cables, fire alarm system and intercom system.

I am including a copy of the proposed Timeline in which work would start April 30 and be completed August 1.

School Board opens bids for new classroom addition

2012-01-10T08:04:00.000-08:00

Bancroft-Rosalie School Board news

The Bancroft-Rosalie Board of Education met Monday, January 9, 2012 at 7:30 pm in Bancroft. Board officers elected for 2012 were Kent Neumann- president; Naomi Brummond- vice president; Gary Anderson - secretary; and Marlon Hennig- treasurer.

Superintendent Cerny presented the December transportation report, Superintendent evaluation forms, and information on board workshops. Principal Sjuts reported honor roll.

In old Business, the board opened bids on the two classroom addition. The bid from Crafts, Inc of Norfolk was $312,785. The bid from Heritage Homes was $394,744. The board will meet with Crafts, Inc Tuesday January 10 at 7:00 pm to discuss their bid.

The board approved the purchase of 6 additional security cameras for the new classrooms, the school parking lot and the playground.

In new business, President Neumann appointed the following board committees:

1. Negotiations – Anderson, Reil, Neumann
2. Citizenship/Instruction/Americanism - Hennig, Brummond and Neumann
3. Personnel – Browning, Brummond and Reil
4. Buildings and Grounds – Hennig and Anderson
5. Transportation – Reil and Browning
6. Insurance - Brummond and Hennig
7. Reorganization- Neumann and Browning

President Neumann also appointed Jon Cerny, Naomi Brummond, and Patty Wegner to three year terms on the Bancroft-Rosalie Educational Foundation.

The Bancroft-Rosalie Education Association was recognized as the exclusive bargaining agent for certified non-supervisory staff for 2012-13 and 2013-14.

The meeting was recessed and will resume Tuesday, January 10 at 7:00 pm.

Washington DC considering requiring all senior students to apply to college

2012-01-09T06:25:00.000-08:00

A bill being considered by the District of Columbia would mandate that all 75,000 students in D.C. public schools would have to take the SAT or ACT college entrance exam to graduate from high school. Every student would also be required to complete “at least one” application for admission to college or vocational or trade school — even if the student does not intend to continue schooling beyond 12th grade.

The bills sponsor, Councilman Kwame Brown, commented “I’m not saying everyone should go to college, but, my goodness, we have to get more young folks prepared to go to college if they want to go college. A lot of them don’t even know how to prepare to apply to go to college. They have never seen a college application. We have to set high expectations.”

Eleven states (not Nebraska) require students to take college entrance exams. If properly utilized, these tests can help students prepare for college.

At Bancroft-Rosalie, our goal is for all students to attend a two or four year college, a vocational or trade school, or join the military.

All 8th and 9th grade students take the EXPLORE test, a pre-ACT test. The results show students what the ACT test will be like and give students feedback on their academic strengths and weaknesses so that they know where they need to improve. All B-R sophomores take the PLAN test, which is also a pre-ACT test. The Plan test results give the students a predicted range that the student will likely score on the ACT.

In their junior year, Bancroft-Rosalie offers all students the chance to take to take an ACT test prep class in the spring and the district pays for the first ACT test fee for all students.

Students not taking the ACT are given the COMPASS test, the college admission test used by Nebraska Community Colleges.

Dr. Chipps new President at Northeast Community College

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Northeast Community College Board made a great choice when they hired Dr. Michael Chipps as College President. Dr. Chipps was very successful as President at Mid-Plains Community College in Nebraska. I met Dr. Chipps when we both served on the Governor's Panel for Career and Technical Education. We were part of a small group that visited programs in the Baltimore, Maryland area. Dr. Chipps impressed me with his knowledge, vision and great sense of humor. He will be a great leader for our community college and Northeast Nebraska.

DIBELS Winter Results

2012-01-06T06:49:00.000-08:00

The DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessments were given before Christmas to students in grades K-6. Of the 132 students that were assessed, 100 were at Benchmark. That is 76%, which is close to the goal of 80% that we set. Even more impressive is that 22 of the 23 6th grade student are at benchmark. This tells me two things: 1) that our reading program is accomplishing what we want it to, and 2) that the program is effective at accommodating students that transfer in to our elementary school.
Job well done, B-R elementary.

January 9 School Board Meeting Agenda

2012-01-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

Bancroft-Rosalie Community School
Regular Board of Education Meeting Agenda
Monday, January 9, 2012 --- 7:30 p.m. in Bancroft

1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Reorganization of the board for 2012.
A. Appoint Supt. Cerny temporary chairperson.
B. Nomination and election of board President.
C. Nomination and election of board Vice-President.
D. Nomination and election of board Secretary.
E. Nomination and election of board Treasurer.

4. Read and approve the minutes of the December 12, 2011 regular board meeting.
5. Treasurer’s Report
A. Approve the Bills
B. Financial Review
6. Review Agenda
7. Public Hearing
8. Administrator’s Reports:
A. Superintendent’s Report
B. Principal’s Report
9. Old Business:
A. Open bids for classroom building addition
B. Purchase of surveillance cameras.
10. New Business:
A. Appointment of Board Committees.
1. Negotiations
2. Citizenship/Instruction/ Americanism
3. Personnel.
4. Buildings and Grounds.
5. Transportation.
6. Insurance.
B. Appoint educational foundation members-
Jon Cerny, Naomi Brummond, Patty Wegner
C. Recognize the Bancroft-Rosalie Education Association as the exclusive
bargaining agent for the district’s non-supervisory certificated staff for the
2012-13 and 2013-14 contract years.
11. Discussion Items
A.
12. Executive Session- Personnel
13. Future Planning- Next meeting- Monday, February 13, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in Bancroft.
14. Adjournment.

Wind Turbine Data

2012-01-04T08:51:00.001-08:00

If you would like to see how the B-R wind turbine is doing, go to
http://wind-for-schools.caesenergy.org/pagewind.php?turbine=bancroft&period=10min.

Or google Wind For Schools, click on Nebraska, click on Brancroft-Rosalie (yeah, it is misspelled).

The turbine has generated 2176.51 KW-Hrs since it has been installed. The cost of 1 KW-hr of electricity is approximately 12.8 cents.

Five B-R students receive Academic All-State for Fall Sports

2012-01-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

The Nebraska School Activities Association released the Fall Academic All-State Awards. B-R students receiving the award were-
Tyler Ruge- Football
Jasmine Greenfield- Play Production
Molly Hermelbracht- Play Production
Makala Muller- Volleyball
Jessica Tietz- Volleyball

Congratulations.

Good weather = No snow days

2012-01-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Knock on wood. The forecast for the first half of January is continued good weather. Typically we have used at least one snow day by this time. The B-R school calendar has four snow days built in for students and we are using one of those days March 12 when B-R hosts District speech. March 12 will become a teacher workday to take the place of the scheduled January 2nd workday that was canceled (I see Omaha Public Schools still had teachers come in; that must have been a pleasant work environment).

Three snow days left. Let's hope we can make it through February without using them.

B-R plays consolation basketball games today at 2:00 and 3:45

2011-12-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

Following losses to Guardian Angels Central Catholic, the B-R boys and girls teams play the consolation games this afternoon in Homer. The girls play Lyons-Decatur at 2:00 pm and the boys play Homer at 3:45 pm.

Bancroft Biz Buzz January 13 at the Pub

2011-12-29T07:40:00.000-08:00

The next Bizz Buzz Social will take place on Jan. 13th at the Country Pub at 10am to 11am. All community members are welcome to attend and hear about what is happening in Bancroft.

Five Day Activity Moratorium Dec. 23-27

2011-12-22T06:42:00.000-08:00

For five days in December, high school athletes across the Nebraska are required to go through what the Nebraska School Activities Association calls, "a five-day dead period," away from school activities.

The moratorium starts Friday December 23 and continues through Tuesday December 27. Athletes are not allowed to participate in any organized practices, conditioning and/or meetings until Wednesday December 28. The school facilities are not to be used by any school students during the moratorium. Please stay out.

The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth

2011-12-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

Checked out this book through OverDrive this weekend and read through the first 135 pages. This Alexandra Robbins best-seller follows the lives of seven high school students who are part of the "Cafeteria Fringe". Cafeteria Fringe is the label given to people who are not part of or who are excluded from a school's or society's in crowd.

The author makes a case for these students in her "Quirk Theory". Quirk theory suggests that popularity in school is not a key to success and satisfaction in Adulthood. According to Quirk theory, many of the differences that cause a student to be excluded in school are the same traits or real-world skills that others will value, love, respect, or find compelling about that person in adulthood and outside of the school setting. These traits include Individuality, Courage, Creativity,Originality, Freethinking, Vision, Resilience, Authenticity, Self-awareness, Integrity and Candor.

Some examples of successful cafeteria fringe the author uses are Lady Gaga (who I appreciate because for her current campaign against bullying based on her own school experiences) and Steven Spielberg.

There is hope for us Nerds. Don't let others keep you from pursuing your dreams.

Checking out e-books through the Bancroft Public Library

2011-12-16T06:48:00.000-08:00

The Bancroft Public Library now has access to e-books through a book source known as Overdrive. Patrons are now able to browse and checkout titles from the digital collection at the Overdrive website. E-books can be checked out for 7 or 14 days (depending on the book). After that time you are no longer able to access them unless you renew it. Most titles can be renewed once. Audio books are also available for download.

Popular books may have a long waiting list (I am on hold for John Grisham's The Litigators" behind 42 other people). You will receive e-mail notification when the book is available. You can also check the website to see where you are at on the waiting list.

Getting started on Overdrive

1. Sign up for a library card at the Bancroft Public Library to get your library patron number.

2. Go to the Overdrive website http://nebraska.lib.overdrive.com (Save this site as a favorite)

3. Click on "Sign in" in the upper right hand corner.

4. Select your library from the list (Bancroft Public Library)

5. Enter your library patron number (Must get this from the librarian).

6. Use the search engine to check for books by title or author. Or you could scroll down and select a particular genre of book you are interested in and see what is available. (I prefer non-fiction)

7. Find the book you want and in the format you want. (audio, ePub, Kindle, PDF)
If it is available click on "add to cart."
If it is not available click on "place a hold."

8. When you are finished "shopping" and have books in your "cart", then you will need to click "Proceed to checkout" to finalize the download.

9. In order to open the book to read you will need to download Adobe Digital Editions which is a free download from Adobe. If you download using a computer other than a Mac, you will probably need to sign up for an Adobe account.

Happy reading!! Hope B-R students utilize this resource to read more books.

Neihardt annual newsletter- The Word Sender

2011-12-15T09:43:00.000-08:00

Football District 2012 and 2013

2011-12-14T13:21:00.001-08:00

District D2-3

Bancroft-Rosalie
Lyons-Decatur
Scribner-Snyder
Humphrey
Humphrey St. Francis
Lindsay Holy Family

Nebraska School accountability

2011-12-14T05:45:00.001-08:00

The Nebraska Board of Education has approved a system for measuring how well schools educate their students. The "accountability model" is a point system the Nebraska Department of Education will use to rank schools based on state test scores and student growth from year to year. The student growth aspect gives schools the opportunity to show how much each student improves from year to the next. I believe this is the best way to measure a schools performance. Now they need to decide on other forms of data besides state assessments which can measure student growth during the school year. I prefer the MAP test (Measures of Academic Performance) for this.

No decision has been made yet on how to deal with the schools at the bottom of the rankings. One bill in the legislature would take away school accreditation if a school is on the lowest-performing list for five years. That bill would have required an intervention team to devise a progress plan for the lowest-performing schools that is reviewed annually.

Nebraska is operating under the No Child Left Behind law that requires all schools to have 100 percent student proficiency by 2013-14. This is an unrealistic expectation that all students will be proficient.

2012-13 Football classifications- Eight man

2011-12-13T06:57:00.000-08:00

Here are the classifications for D-1 and D-2 for the next two years.

School Board summary

2011-12-13T06:48:00.001-08:00

The December meeting of the Bancroft-Rosalie School Board was held Monday, December 12, 2011 at 9:00 p.m. in the school library. Dr. Cerny presented the November transportation report and informed the board that Monday March 12 will be a teacher workday.

In new business the board approved the audit and the annual report. The staff Christmas gathering at the Country Pub was set for Thursday, December 22. A bid from Bleacher Solutions was accepted for bleacher maintenance and repair. The bid opening for the new addition were tabled until the January 9 board meeting to allow the contractors more time to finalize their numbers.

In old business the board approved the cooperative agreement with Pender and West Point Beemer Public Schools for baseball in 2011 and 2012. A resolution was passed dissolving the golf cooperative with Pender due to the high numbers of golf participants at each school. Bancroft-Rosalie will have its own golf team this spring.

School Board Meeting tonight

2011-12-12T03:41:00.000-08:00

The bid opening on the agenda for tonight will be tabled until the January meeting to allow the bidders more time to get bid numbers put together.

Bancroft-Rosalie Community School
Regular Board of Education Meeting Agenda
Monday, December 12, 2011 --- 9:00 p.m. in Bancroft

1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call

3. Read and approve the minutes of the November 14, 2011 regular board meeting.

4. Treasurer’s Report
A. Approve the Bills
B. Financial Review

5. Review Agenda

6. Public Hearing

7. Administrator’s Reports:
A. Superintendent’s Report
B. Principal’s Report

8. Old Business:
A. Approve baseball cooperative agreement

B. Dissolve golf cooperative agreement

9. New Business:

A. Approve the 2010-11 audit.

B. Approve the 2010-11 annual report.

C. Approve amount for staff Christmas

D. Open bids for the building addition.

E, Approve bid for bleacher maintenance

10. Discussion Items

A.

11. Executive Session.
12. Future Planning- Next meeting- Monday, January 9, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
13. Adjournment.

Makala Muller signs wih Briar Cliff University

2011-12-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, Briar Cliff Head Volleyball coach Jill Muhe came to the Bancroft-Rosalie School gym to sign Makala Muller for volleyball next year. Makala informed me that she is currently undecided about her college major at Briar Cliff.

Why does Nebraska need more college graduates?

2011-12-09T08:23:00.000-08:00

This information is from the "LB 637 Study of Dual Enrollment and Career Academies in Nebraska: Current practice and recommendations for the future," Prepared by Nebraska’s Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education in December 2011.

"A recent report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that, as the economy slowly recovers, there will be a growing disconnect between the types of jobs employers need to fill and the numbers of Americans who possess the education and training required to fill them.

The report, Help Wanted: Projecting Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018, forecasts that by 2018, 63 percent of all jobs will require at least some postsecondary education.

In Nebraska, that need is projected to be even greater, with 66 percent of jobs requiring postsecondary education by 2018 – the seventh-highest percentage among all states. Within the next six years, that translates to 56,000 new jobs in Nebraska that will require postsecondary education. (Carnevale, Smith,& Strohl, 2010)

Even though progress toward Nebraska’s higher-education goals is generally in the right direction, it is not aggressive enough to meet the state’s long-term needs and goals – including this growing need for a more educated workforce. As indicated in the state’s 2011 Higher Education Progress Report, produced by the Coordinating Commission, data indicates that:

• The college-going rate of Nebraska high school students continues to improve, but is not high enough to place the state among the top 10 nationally;

• Freshmen retention rates have risen only slightly since 2004, and college graduation rates also are only slightly higher. Furthermore, graduation rates are significantly lower for Hispanics, blacks, and Native Americans compared to white and Asian undergraduate students; and

• Nebraska’s needy students – particularly males – are enrolling and succeeding in higher education at much lower rates than their higher-income classmates.

Nebraska must address this issue through a comprehensive set of strategies that encourage our young people to graduate high school, advance to postsecondary education, and earn credentials that prepare them to be productive members of the state workforce, as well as more informed, involved members of their communities. Furthermore, these efforts must target not only high-achieving students – as has
been the case traditionally in this country – but our underrepresented student populations, such as minorities and those from low-income families. Dual-enrollment and similar programs should be a part of this effort."

NSAA releases Enrollment figures to be used for 2012-13 classifications

2011-12-08T05:41:00.001-08:00

After looking over the enrollment figures, it appears that Bancroft-Rosalie will be D-2 next year for Fall and Winter sports, and probably D-1 in speech and play production. Track and golf will be Class D, softball class C, and baseball Class B.

Football districts should be released in the next week.

Author Patricia Bremmer at Neihardt Center Sunday December 11

2011-12-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

Fall Sports All-state recognition

2011-12-07T05:42:00.001-08:00

Four B-R volleyball players and three football players were recognized as all-state honorable mention. The volleyball players are Jessica Tietz, Makala Muller, Allie Vogt and Carly Tietz. The football players are Eric Browning, Anthony Bonneau and Shieler Bolen-Greve.

Nebraska Statute 79-210 School Attendance

2011-12-05T11:34:00.000-08:00

Nebraska Statute 79-210 requires all public schools to notify the County Attorney if a student (ages 6-18) misses twenty or more days of school. Bancroft-Rosalie School will comply with the statute and report all students that are absent more than 20 days to the County Attorney in the County in which the student resides. The School will include in the letter any information on illnesses or other extreme circumstances that have impacted the student’s ability to attend school.

I have attached copies of the letters that will be used to contact parents regarding their child's excessive absences. The school must report the number of students with excessive absences to the state and also how many students were referred to the County Attorney.

Nebraska bill would require the Pledge of Allegiance in schools

2011-12-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

Nebraska State Sen. Tony Fulton says he will introduce a bill in January that would require that the Pledge of Allegiance be said in each public school classroom. The bill would also require that each classroom display an American flag. The hope is that reciting the pledge will teach students patriotism.

Now, schools are required only to have an American flag prominently displayed. Many Nebraska classrooms say the pledge each school day even though it's not required by state law.

The Nebraska bill would be modeled after a Massachusetts law that does not compel
students to participate in the pledge.

The Supreme Court has ruled that requiring the pledge in schools is unconstitutional
unless it provides for parents or students to opt out.

I have two concerns with this bill. First, what are the consequences if a classroom does not say the Pledge of Allegiance? Does the teacher get charged with a crime? Second, the bill would require ALL public classrooms, including college and University classrooms (Good luck enforcing that).

I have not observed that Nebraska students are lacking in patriotism. But I am willing to accept this bill, should it pass, as long as the Pledge can be said once together as a school at the beginning of the day, and that the requirement ends after high school. And add an amendment that the State Legislature says the Pledge before each hearing and legislative session.

College-Going Rate for Bancroft-Rosalie School for the High School Class of 2009-2010

2011-12-02T06:34:00.000-08:00

The report "College-Going Rates for Nebraska Public High Schools for the High School Class of 2009-2010" presents the estimated college-going rates for each of Nebraska’s 276 public high schools that awarded regular high school diplomas in 2009-2010. These estimates are based on data obtained from the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) and the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC).

Bancroft-Rosalie School reported 22 graduates and 16 attending college from the class of 2009-10. That is a 72.7% attendance rate. That places us above the state average of 71.9%, but not at our goal of 100% college attendance. Other area school rates for 09-10 include Pender- 86%, Wisner-Pilger- 79%, West Point-Beemer- 75%, and Walthill 8%.

In 2007-08 the rates were Bancroft-Rosalie: 78%, Lyons-Decatur: 78%, Pender: 80%, West Point Beemer: 76%, Wisner-Pilger 78% and Walthill 0%.

The National Student Clearinghouse is a not-for-profit organization that serves as a central repository of postsecondary student enrollment, degree and diploma data voluntarily submitted by more than 3,300 colleges and universities. In total, these institutions enroll more than 90% of the college students in the United States.
The National Student Clearinghouse is currently the only reliable source of data for estimating the college continuation rates of all of Nebraska’s public high schools. The data obtained from the Clearinghouse are not perfect because some Nebraska high school graduates go to colleges that do not submit their enrollment files to the
Clearinghouse. These would include several beauty schools and some technical colleges like ITT. However, the estimates based on Clearinghouse data are the best available.

B-R 2011 Cohort Four-Year Graduation Rate 96.0%

2011-12-01T04:59:00.000-08:00

What is a Cohort Four-Year Graduation Rate?
This is the way that graduation rates for high schools in Nebraska are now being determined. (Previously schools self-reported drop-out's and graduates).
A cohort represents the set of students sharing an expected graduation year. The expected graduation year is determined by adding four years to the school year when the student reaches 9th grade for the first time and remains unchanged. The 2011 graduation cohort is the group of students who entered 9th grade for the first time in the 2007-08 school year.
The Cohort Four-Year Graduation Rate is calculated by dividing the number of students in a cohort who graduate with a regular high school diploma in four years or less by the number of students in the Graduation Cohort.

The cohort is “adjusted” by adding any students transferring into the cohort and by subtracting any students who transfer out, emigrate to another country, or die during the time before the expected graduation year.
The High School Diploma Recipients count does not include certificates of achievement/attendance, alternative awards or General Education Diplomas (GED), those students remain in the denominator.

Why is this important?
High schools that are below a 75% Cohort graduation rate will be identified as a low achieving school.

B-R One Act gets 2nd at Districts

2011-11-30T06:26:00.001-08:00

"Games", the B-R One Act Play, received one 1st, one 2nd, and one 3rd from the three judges at the District contest. Humphrey St. Francis won the contest with one 1st and 2 2nd place votes. Clarkson was third with One 1st and two 3rd place votes. St. Francis will advance to the State competition in Kearney.

The following students received recognition for their performance:

Amanda Brummond, Jasmine Greenfield, Molly Hermelbracht, Ian Nottlemann, Olivia Nottlemann, Shelby Ostrand, Cameron Smyth, Jessica Tietz, Brianna Wegner and Ryan Wellman.

Congratulations play cast.

Twelve areas of national need

2011-11-29T06:58:00.000-08:00

As students begin to look at different career choices, they should be aware of the twelve areas of national need. The federal government has identified certain fields that are crucial to national innovation, competitiveness and well-being in which not enough students complete degrees.

Twelve areas of national need (from National Center for Education Statistics):

1. Agriculture and conservation sciences

2. Biological and life sciences

3. Computer and information sciences

4. Education (elementary, early childhood, special education, mathematics, science,
foreign languages, bilingual education)

5. Engineering and engineering-related technologies

6. Foreign languages and literature (general foreign languages and literatures,
linguistics, foreign language interpretation and translation)

7. Health professions and related sciences

8. Mathematics

9. Nursing

10. Physical sciences

11. Protective services and criminal justice

12. Social work.

In 2002, only 31.5% of the 1,242,310 bachelor's degrees awarded in 2002 (the most recent year I could find statistics) were in these areas. Notice most areas are in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math- often referred to as STEM.

Doc Egerman leaves $5000 to B-R music department

2011-11-28T06:08:00.000-08:00

The school received a check over the weekend for $5000 from the Lyle Egerman Estate. The money was designated for the music department. Doc was always a supporter of the Arts in Bancroft, attending many school and Neihardt Center events. It was nice of Doc to remember the school music department with his generous gift. Jason Smith is looking into the purchase of some new instruments with the funds.

All-Conference Volleyball

2011-11-17T15:55:00.000-08:00

Lewis and Clark Conference
East Division
Shelby Lienemann Sr. Winside
Shelby Olsen Sr. Newcastle
Jessica Tietz Sr. Bancroft-Rosalie
Hannah Finnegan Jr. Allen
Brittany Sullivan Jr. Allen
Jerae Doffin Sr. Winside
Nazya Theis Jr. Winside
Marcell Grant Jr. Walthill
Lindsey Jones So. Allen
Shannon Gray Jr. Winside

Honorable Mention
Erin Gray Sr. Winside
Erin Sorenson So. Bancroft-Rosalie
Bridget Gray Jr. Winside
Brook Cayou So. Walthill
Devin Jacobs Jr. Newcastle
Rachel Finnegan Fr. Allen
Makayla Mueller Sr. Bancroft-Rosalie
Allie Vogt So. Bancroft-Rosalie

Study finds that preschool improves reading scores

2011-11-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

The National School Boards Association Center for Public Education recently released their report "Starting Out Right: Pre-K and Kindergarten." This report evaluated how different approaches to early childhood effected third grade reading scores, since students who are proficient readers in third grade are more likely to be successful in future grades.

Major findings of the report included:
1. Students that attend a preschool and a half-day kindergarten have significantly higher reading levels by third grade than students who attend only a full day kindergarten.

2. Students who attend a full-day kindergarten make greater academic gains and are less likely to be retained in the early grades than students who attend half-day kindergarten.

3. Two is better then one. A combination of preschool and full day kindergarten is best; but a combination of preschool and half day kindergarten is better then full day kindergarten alone.

It seems that the B-R program of half-day preschool for two years followed by full day kindergarten gives our students the best chance for success.

School Board news- Baseball cooperative to add West Point-Beemer

2011-11-15T09:34:00.001-08:00

Bancroft-Rosalie Community School Board News

The November meeting of the Bancroft-Rosalie School Board was held Monday, November 14, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. in the school library. Dr. Cerny presented: the October transportation report; District tax history; and students with excessive absences.

In new business the board voted to amend the budget by increasing the Bond Fund to $2,310,000 to allow for repayment of bonds refunded last spring. The board also approved adding West Point-Beemer to the baseball cooperative this spring and approving the final baseball agreement at the December meeting.

The board reviewed the documents for the modular addition to the existing secondary building. It was decided to remove the electric furnace from the bidding and purchase that separately so that it is compatible with the existing system. The documents were approved and will be released for bids. The bids will be opened at the December Board meeting.

Principal Sjuts gave a preliminary report on teacher evaluations. The board also reviewed the district multicultural program and the technology plan.

Rief Design Video

2011-11-14T07:03:00.001-08:00

Here is the link to the U Tube video at the Rief Design Open House.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEV07pSlvWI&feature=email

Grandmas Attic Video

2011-11-14T06:47:00.000-08:00

To see the U Tube video of Grandma's Attic Open House go to the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpEXQUIOkWw&feature=email

School Board Agenda Nov. 14, 2011

2011-11-14T06:08:00.001-08:00

Bancroft-Rosalie Community School
Regular Board of Education Meeting Agenda
Monday, November 14, 2011 --- 7:30 p.m. in Bancroft.

1. Call to Order

2. Roll Call

3. Read and approve the minutes of the October 10, 2011 regular board meeting.

4. Treasurer’s Report
A. Approve the Bills
B. Financial Review

5. Review Agenda

6. Public Hearing

7. Administrator’s Reports:
A. Superintendent’s Report
B. Principal’s Report

8. Old Business:
A.

9. New Business:
A. Annual review of Multicultural program.

B. Annual review of technology

C. Preliminary teacher evaluation

D. Amend 2011-12 Budget

E. Approve cooperative agreement for baseball.

F. Approve building addition documents before releasing for bids.

G. Accept bid for snow removal.

10. Executive session-
11. Future Planning- Next meeting- Monday, December 12, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
12. Adjournment.

Bancroft Business Social Friday 10:00 am

2011-11-10T06:21:00.000-08:00

The November Bancroft Business social will be held at Rief Design and Manufacturing at 10:00 am. Rief Design is located at 2275 N Road. The drawing for community survey prizes will be awarded.

All District Football Team

2011-11-10T04:42:00.000-08:00

D1-2 All District team

FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarter Back –
Zach Johnson Pender

Running Backs-
Ben Bermester Pender
Eric Browning Bancroft-Rosalie
Brandon Cline Omaha Nation

Ends –
Austin Heineman Pender
Joey Merritt Bancroft-Rosalie

Line–
Connor Fillipi Pender
Nick Svoboda Pender
Isaac Jessen Emerson-Hubbard
Brady Petersen Bancroft-Rosalie

Kicker-
Eric Browning Bancroft-Rosalie

DEFENSE
Defensive line –
Nick Svoboda Pender
Shieler Bolen-Greve Bancroft-Rosalie
Mason Renning Emerson-Hubbard
Eugene Zach Winnebago

Linebackers –
Eric Browning Bancroft-Rosalie
Justin Miller Emerson-Hubbard
Dyllan Fredrickson Pender
Cory Sebade Pender

Defensive backs
Anthony Bonneau Bancroft-Rosalie
Zach Johnson Pender
Eric Hansen Emerson-Hubbard

Punter-
Adam Drieling Emerson-Hubbard

SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarter Back –
Anthony Bonneau Bancroft-Rosalie

Running Backs-
Richard Kearnes Winnebago
Klint Conroy Pender
Cornell Hamilton Winnebago

Line –
Mike Schmidt Pender
Joey Galvin Omaha Nation
Ethan Trenhaile Emerson-Hubbard

Ends-
Kyle Gutzman Emerson-Hubbard
Brody VanDeBurg Pender

DEFENSE
Defensive line –
Andre Berg Bancroft-Rosalie
Patrick Mackling Emerson-Hubbard
Quinn Malmberg Pender

Linebackers –
Ben Burmester Pender
Landon Frenchman Winnebago
Chase Morgan Emerson-Hubbard

Defensive backs
Carsten Tietz Bancroft-Rosalie
Austin Heineman Pender
Tyren Saunsoci Omaha Nation
Greg Neff Winnebago

Honorable Mention

Auston Darnell Bancroft-Rosalie
Drake Luedert Bancroft-Rosalie
Daniel Lyday Bancroft-Rosalie
Logan Peters Pender
Nathan Hogan Emerson-Hubbard
Austin Emmons Emerson-Hubbard
Trey Sheridan Omaha Nation
Hugo Rodas Omaha Nation
Jason GhostDog Winnebago
TaeRyan Parker Winnebago

Budget amendment won't affect taxes

2011-11-08T09:14:00.001-08:00

Last year Bancroft-Rosalie School refunded approximately $1,767,068 of bonds that were previously issued. The refunding saved the district several thousand dollars because the new bonds were issued at a lower interest rate. The old bonds were called in and the payment date will be in January 2012. This amount was left off the 2011-12 budget because it was thought that they would be paid in the 2010-11 budget year. The school auditor noticed this during our annual audit and recommended that the budget be amended to pay for the refunding.

At the November board meeting the school board will be taking action to amend the 2011-12 bond fund from $510,000 to $2,204,000. There will be no change in the property tax asking because the payment will be made from the proceeds of the refunded bonds.

B-R alum having success on the web

2011-11-07T06:31:00.000-08:00

Brigitte Gregg graduated from Bancroft-Rosalie in 1998. She started as a newspaper advice columnist for the Lincoln Journal-Star. Writing led to podcasting, and podcasting led to creating several successful web series and a large audience for her personal video blog. She writes/blogs under the name Brigitte Dale.

Brigitte moved to Los Angeles in 2008 and works as a director, writer, or actress. She was a 2010 Streamy Nominee for best VideoBlogger. She was named one of G4's "ten hottest women on the web," won the title of Yahoo Internet Personality of 2008 and was chosen as NatureMade's "Good Mood Blogger" last year.

Brigitte has written/produced/hosted shows for AOL, ABC Family, Ford Motor Company, and NASA.

Her website is www.brigittedale.com and you can view her videoblogs on You-Tube by searching for Brigitte Dale.

Pretty cool. Congrats Brigitte.

Doane Senior Day (Devon Niewohner] this Saturday

2011-11-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

The Doane Football seniors will play their last home game this Saturday in Crete against Dordt College. According to the Doane website, B-R alum Devon Niewohner and the other Doane seniors will be recognized before the game. Kick-off is at 1:00 pm.

Join me in Crete Saturday. You can watch Devon play and catch the second half of the Nebraska game on BTN at a local Crete Sports Bar.

B-R student results on PLAN and EXPLORE tests

2011-11-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

The student results are in from the PLAN (grade 10) and EXPLORE (grades 8-9) tests. These tests are pre-ACT tests that indicate student strengths and weaknesses. Our students did very well overall.

Based on the test composite (total) score, these students scored above the 50%ile (based on national scores).

Grade 10 PLAN test- 15 of 19 students scored above 50%
Grade 9 EXPLORE test- 12 of 17 scored above 50%
Grade 8 EXPLORE test- 9 of 16 scored above 50%

The scores suggest that our students gave their best effort on the tests. Congratulations. I will be correlating these scores with the students scores on the MAP test and the NeSA state assessment to see which area(s) each student can improve on.

The guidance counselors will be meeting with students to discuss the results.

"The Coming Job Wars"

2011-11-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

Gallup CEO Jim Clifton's new book, "the Coming Job Wars", identifies 10 demands America must master to remain the leading country in the world. Schools can address demand #6- to cut the school drop-out rates. According to Clifton,"too many young people lose hope in their futures as employed, stable adults. So how do schools raise the hopes of young people? What steps can schools take to increase student motivation in school? Most experts tell us to engage students in their schoolwork and make school relevant and meaningful.

The one-to-one computer initiative is one way B-R is trying to engage students. In addition to on-line testing and 24 hour access to class materials, one goal of 1:1 is to have students using technology and the internet for problem solving and critical thinking. We are continuing to move forward in this area.

Career Education is also a focus at B-R. We want all of our students college or career ready by the time they graduate from high school. Career planning is part of junior high Life Skills class. All students will visit at least 3 college campuses in high school. The curriculum provides opportunities for earning college credit during high school. The school is working to provide a career pathway for each of the 6 career fields identified by the Nebraska Department of Education (Ag is the one area we want to offer through distance learning).

Clifton says, "the will of the world is to have a good job." Students need the support of both the parents and the school to help them stay focused on their future.

Governor Heineman's comments on Education- part 2

2011-10-31T07:16:00.000-07:00

In an earlier blog I commented on Governor Heineman's interview with the World Herald (October 9, 2011) on education in Nebraska. Here is what he said about changes that might boost student performance.

Heineman- "We need a longer school day and a longer school year. Kids who aren't performing, help them out in the summer.---(In Fremont)We were going to have kids in the fourth grade who could do fifth grade math go to the fifth grade class. "And, Oh. we can't do that." They can play together in the under 12 soccer league, but they can't be in different classes just because of age? We have to get away from some of the old mind-sets. If kids can progress faster, so be it. If we can challenge more kids in the last half of their senior year, let them take dual credit courses at community colleges.."

My opinion- I agree that a longer school year would increase student achievement (right now most schools in Nebraska schedule 180 days). Other countries have students in school at least 200 days, many are at 220 days. But the cost of adding school days makes it unaffordable in the minds of many. Especially if schools cannot produce evidence of increased learning.

As far as placing students into classes by age, in the Bancroft-Rosalie Elementary we want students placed at the correct level of difficulty so that the student can be successful. If the work is not challenging the student, we want to accelerate that student into a higher level of work. This is called cross-grade grouping. The problem with placing students is that we want to avoid placement decisions based on "parental energy"- a term I heard used by an Elkhorn administrator to describe efforts by parents to get students placed into classes that the student did not meet the critieria for. We have to get past the excuses ("my child is not a good test taker", or "it might hurt their self-esteem")and make academic decisions based on student data. Some might argue that too much emphasis is placed on reading, writing and math, but if students don't master these skills when they are young, that limits their potential as adults. There are many people who are comfortable with the status quo of "the haves and the have-nots". Public schools should be a place where family social status does not effect student learning.

I also enjoyed the sports analogy. He has a point. I know of football coaches that will spends hours on weekends collecting data on their players (watching film) and making very detailed practice plans to improve player performance. How can we get the same enthusiasm for teaching math, or science, or english?

As for dual credit courses, B-R offers a possibility of up to 29 credits through Northeast Community College. Currently 21 B-R students are taking dual credit classes.

I am glad to see our Governor is a supporter of many of the things we are doing at B-R. I hope he will support providing the resources necessary for all Nebraska schools to improve student performance.

Sub-District volleyball bracket - All Games Tuesday Nov. 1

2011-10-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

Directions to Adams and to the Adams Park

2011-10-27T06:44:00.001-07:00

If you are going to the football game tonight here are some directions.

8th grade trip to Midland and Metro

2011-10-26T07:46:00.001-07:00

Midland College received a great review from several 8th grade students after their campus visit Tuesday. The cafeteria, with the ice cream bar, was a big hit. The meal was free, courtesy of Midland University. Metro Community College in South Omaha was also visited. The trip was paid for by an Education Quest grant. The goal of Education Quest is to get every student to attend college after high school. Midland and Metro were chosen because the sophomores visit Northeast and Wayne State college, so this will give students an opportunity to see something different. Mrs. Ras sponsored the trip and Deb Bonsall made the trip as the bus driver.

Photos of new school display sign

2011-10-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos of the school display sign installed last Thursday. Today it is running short videos and photos of students of the quarter. The resolution is very good. It is best viewed driving down the hill from the south. The north view is slightly obstructed by a tree.

Cuming County sales data

2011-10-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

The following table shows the impact of a city sales tax for all four towns in Cuming County.

Football Play-off First Round game at Freeman 6:00 pm

2011-10-21T11:40:00.001-07:00

Thursday the first round play-off game will be at Adams-Freeman at 6:00 pm.

Adams is south of Lincoln, about a 2 hour 45 minute to 3 hour drive.

School will dismiss at 2:00 pm.

The football team will leave right after eating at 12:45.

School Display Sign up and running

2011-10-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

Love Signs just completed the installation of the new school display sign. Mrs. Nolting and Mrs. Ross are being trained on how to post presentations (messages) to the sign. Come check it out tonight at Parent-Teacher Conferences.

B-R 8th grade receives grant to make campus visits

2011-10-19T16:25:00.000-07:00

EducationQuest has selected 15 schools to receive Eighth Grade College Access Mini-Grants. They are Bancroft-Rosalie Community Schools; Bluffs Middle School, Scottsbluff; Burwell Jr.-Sr. High School; Centennial Public School; Crawford Public School, Culler Middle School, Lincoln; Emerson-Hubbard Schools; Gering Junior High; Lefler Middle School, Lincoln; Madison Middle School; Oakland-Craig Public Schools; Stuart Public School; Valentine Middle School; West Point-Beemer Jr. Sr. High School; and Wisner-Pilger Jr. Sr. High School.

Through the grant funding (the grant was written by Mrs. Ras), 8th grade students at these schools will go on at least one campus visit and participate in activities related to college access, such as creating an Activities Resume, exploring careers that require higher education, and learning about financial aid and scholarships. The effort is part of EducationQuest’s 8th, 9th, and 10th Grade Initiative, funded by the federal College Access Challenge Grant, with the goal to increase the overall college-going rate in the state.

Bancroft-Rosalie students will be going Tuesday, Oct. 25, to Metro Community College in Omaha and Midland University in Fremont.

iChat may need to be shut off

2011-10-18T17:03:00.001-07:00

The inappropriate student use of iChat has brought us to the point of having to make a decision about whether the distractions iChat causes during classes outweighs the educational benefits of iChat as a learning tool. iChat allows teachers and students to communicate throughout the school day. But some students are on iChat when they should be listening to the teachers or doing their schoolwork. I happen to believe that we allow students access to what the Mac computers have to offer and expect them to act responsibly. But recently I have begun to question whether or not our student body is capable of handling this responsibility in a mature way. I hope the B-R students can prove me wrong. But if we have to shut down iChat for all students in order to improve the school learning environment, then we will do what we have to.

There have been a few instances of inappropriate comments being sent between students during the school day. Any comments that are harassing, threatening or personal attacks will result in a loss of computer privileges for those students.

Football play-off shirts coming soon

2011-10-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

The shirts will be shipped this week.

Lewis and Clark Volleyball Tournament Bracket

2011-10-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

I am Cuming County Video

2011-10-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

Check out the marketing video put together for Cuming County. Mike Wegner, Danny and Amber Bridges and Family, James Hulstein and John Ross are in it. Make sure to watch the out takes at the end.

http://vimeo.com/30684932

Student Trip Fund-raiser at Senior Center Sunday Oct. 23

2011-10-17T07:27:00.000-07:00

Students will be holding an omelette feed fund-raiser this Sunday to raise money for their educational trip to Costa Rica.

B-R receives Cattleman's Ball grant

2011-10-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Linda Munderloh accepted a check for $2200 from the Cattleman's Ball last Monday night. Mrs. Munderloh wrote the grant,and funds will be used for supplies for CPR, CNA-Nurse Aide, and EMT classes.

Listen to B-R vs. Winnebago football game live Friday night

2011-10-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Governor Heineman’s thoughts on Education in the Omaha World Herald last Sunday

2011-10-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed reading the Governor’s comments last Sunday. He and I have a similar philosophy on education. Here are a few of my own thoughts on what the Governor said.

Nebraska State Accountability Tests
Governor, “We need multiple years and multiple scores before we’ll be able to figure this all out.”
Cerny- I agree. Schools are still trying to figure out exactly what is on the tests. For example, last spring when the junior high students were taking the practice science assessments, Mr. Slaughter and I were looking at the questions and making notes to see if we had taught what they were testing. It will take time for schools to make curriculum and instructional adjustments necessary to improve test scores. But once schools know what is expected, I am confident that the results will improve.

Governor, “If you give these kids four years of a good teacher, we can overcome this (low scores). So what are we doing to get good teachers in the classroom?”
Cerny- I somewhat agree. Obviously every student deserves a good teacher. But I hope readers are not interpreting his comments to mean there are a lot of “not good” teachers in the schools. I have two opinions on what “we” need to do. First, teaching is much more a science than an art; good teachers are made, not born. Therefore, teachers require professional development and it is the responsibility of the administrators to provide the structure and support teachers need to improve their teaching skills.
Second, even good employees can become complacent in their jobs. Motivating staff is the most difficult task administrators face.

Ranking schools based on test scores
Governor, “Academics have to be on the same level (as athletics).”
Cerny- I somewhat agree. We need to recognize schools that are doing a great job educating students. The problem is that the media gives all of the recognition to the good athletic teams, but in academics the attention is given to low performing schools. Schools should be ranked based on individual student growth, not on overall student performance. It is more difficult to get a below average student to achieve at an average level than it is to get an above average student to perform at an above average level.

Out of time today, I will try to finish my analysis tomorrow.

Walthill forfeits October 21 Varsity Football Game

2011-10-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

Walthill has forfeited the varsity football game next Friday October 21. They only have 7 players left on their football team.

People have asked if it will hurt our power points. A forfeit win is no different than a regular win. We would receive 40 points for winning the game or winning by forfeit. We do have the choice of declining the forfeit and not counting the game. We would only have seven games and the point average would be based on those games only.

B-R school board summary

2011-10-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

Bancroft-Rosalie School Board news

The Bancroft-Rosalie Board of Education met Monday, October 10, 2011 at 7:30 pm in Bancroft.

In new business, the board reviewed the school transportation program and the school insurance. The 1997 bus is scheduled for replacement this year. The board discussed purchasing a mini-bus or a ten passenger van. The meeting adjourned at 8:43 p.m.

Nebraska-Ohio State football game

2011-10-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most interesting Nebraska football games I have attended. The two halves were completely different games. There is a story going around that some of the fans left the game early, but that was not the case in my section, or in any section around me. Those going to get a runza or a pop at half-time were mistakenly thought to be leaving. There was a chorus of boos from the student section when we were intercepted right before half, but that was it except when Suh came out at the end of the game and received a loud "SUH!"

Unfortunately, I had a few complainers behind me that spent the whole game demanding Taylor Martinez be benched and Carl Pelini fired. They weren't even satisfied when Nebraska came back to win the game. I don't think any reasonable person thought this was going to be an easy game. Both teams had very talented players and Ohio State had a good game plan. Nebraska coaches saw what Ohio State was doing and made the necessary adjustments at half-time to win the game.

There is a lot of talk today about how Coach Pelini responded to a sportswriter from the World Herald at the Press Conference after the game. The writer wrote an article last Thursday that I feel personally attacked Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez. Coach Pelini called the writer out on it at the press conference. Maybe it would have been better to have just refused to respond to any of his questions, but the point needs to be made that 20 year old college athletes are not fair game for character assaults by sportswriters. If they want to comment on their performance, that's okay. But to say that he doesn't belong here in Nebraska? Let's save that kind of talk for drug dealers and other criminals. Even they get a chance to face their accuser.

Fall Reading testing for grades 3-12 completed

2011-10-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

The Fall MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) testing results are in. A score in the range of 235-240 indicates college readiness.

Here are the grades and the number of students scoring above the 50th percentile. The number scoring above 235 in in parentheses.

Grade 3 12 of 16 Excellent results!!!! (0 scored above 235, and we wouldn't expect 3rd grade to be college ready in reading)

Grade 4 10 of 23 (0)

Grade 5 10 of 18 (0)

Grade 6 15 of 22 Excellent results!!! (0)

Grade 7 11 of 20 (1 scored college ready)

Grade 8 7 of 17 (1)

Grade 9 9 of 17 (1)

Grade 10 11 of 19 (2)

Grade 11 9 of 14 (2)

School Board agenda October 10, 2011

2011-10-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

Bancroft-Rosalie Community School
Regular Board of Education Meeting Agenda
Monday, October 10, 2011 --- 7:30 p.m. in Bancroft

1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call

3. Read and approve the minutes of the September 12, 2011 regular board meeting,
Annual budget hearing, and hearing to set property tax amounts.

4. Treasurer’s Report
A. Approve the Bills
B. Financial Review

5. Review Agenda
6. Public Hearing

7. Administrator’s Reports:
A. Superintendent’s Report
B. Principal’s Report

8. Old Business:
A.

9. New Business:
A. Annual Review of School Insurance.

B. Annual review of transportation.

C.

10. Discussion Items
A.

11. Executive Session-

12. Future Planning- Next meeting- Monday, November 14, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

13. Adjournment.

Jean Fridays for Staff

2011-10-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Starting this week, teachers and paras have the option of wearing jeans on friday's if their students meet the following conditions:

Pre-6 Each student group completes at least one lesson a day in Reading, math and language for the week..

7-12 No students failing on the weekly eligibility list.

Students can help their teachers by working hard and getting good grades. Let's see those jeans!

SEQUEL TO SETTLEMENT STORY UNFOLDS AT NEIHARDT SITE

2011-10-04T05:34:00.000-07:00

In keeping with this year’s theme of “Biography: Written Lives,” on Sunday, October 9th at 2 p.m., amateur historian and author D.R. Haskin will read excerpts from his newest installment to the story of the Haskin family who helped settle Northeastern Nebraska. The first book, The Hills of Mars, followed the entrepreneur Samuel J. Haskin and the founding of the settlement of Mars in northern Antelope County near the Verdigris River. The sequel Beyond the Hills of Mars is a “tale of a tiny community’s struggle to survive, a mother’s heart-breaking loss and her will to keep going. “ Told through a daughter’s eyes, the book brings to life the hardships of the time and leaves a legacy of hope. Based on actual events, Beyond the Hills of Mars is a touching story of survival.

D.R. Haskin is the great, great grandson son of Samuel J. Haskin one of the pioneers in the settlement and development of Mars, Nebraska. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology, Psychology, and Animal Behavior, and has spent 10 years researching the history of Mars, Nebraska.

The Neihardt State Historic Site is located at 306 W. Elm Street, Bancroft, NE. The program begins at 2 p.m. with a reception and book signing. The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact us at 1-888-777-4667 or Neihardt@gpcom.net. Check our website for future events: www.neihardtcenter.org.

Secretary of Education proposes changes to No Child Left Behind

2011-10-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

Last week Education Secretary Arne Duncan joined Morning Joe on MSNBC to talk about proposed changes to No Child Left Behind. Duncan commented that "we basically want to get out of the way of the states. While the law has good intent, there are fatal flaws today. Far too punitive. Many ways to fail, no reward for success."

What officials want to fix is the rigidity of the current law, which set standards so restrictive that entire schools are deemed to be failing if only a few students don't meet test standards. Under current rules, a school's success is based on a statewide test that assesses several categories. If just one subcategory — such as students with disabilities or those who are economically disadvantaged — doesn't make its federal Adequate Yearly Progress benchmark, then the entire school fails.

Since President Barack Obama announced last month that he would sign an executive order allowing states to request waivers from mandatory participation in NCLB, at least 27 have indicated that they will ask to opt out.

In response to a question on what changes they are proposing, Duncan replied,"We encourage states to raise standards not dummy them down from no child left behind. Make sure districts are turning around chronically under-performing school. In exchange we will get out of their way and give them more room to move. The trade-off is a higher bar and give them flexibility to hit the higher bar."

The Nebraska Department of Education does not believe Nebraska will qualify for the proposed waiver of NCLB requirements. Many states have adopted a set of Common Core Standards- Nebraska is not one of them.

The NCLB goal that all students will be proficient in Math and Reading is a worthy one, but it is not realistic to expect all students to be proficient if you have high standards. I would like to see the feds back off on the punishment for low achieving schools, and focus on improving student achievement in those schools on "the naughty list". I believe in holding schools accountable for the performance of their students and the importance of student proficiency in "reading, writing and arithmetic." These are the basic skills that students need before they can ever be considered "college and career ready", the latest term for describing 12th grade student proficiency.

NCLB is often criticized because it "leads to teaching to the test." Yet all good teachers have objectives for their students and assess student progress toward meeting those objectives- which is teaching to the test. As far as I am concerned, this criticism is a false and misleading argument, jargon for those who fear accountability.

Second Varicella immunization now required

2011-09-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

The State of Nebraska requires a second dose of Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine starting July 1, 2011 for ALL STUDENTS AGE 5 AND OLDER attending school who have not had the chicken pox illness.

One dose of Varicella vaccine or evidence of disease, has been required for school
entry and/or 7th grade since July of 2004. The Center for Disease Control reports that 15-20 children out of every 100 were not protected against the disease with just one dose. Vaccinated students may have had a “break through” case of chicken pox
which is usually a much milder form of the disease.

Parents have received notification if their child needs to document having had the chicken pox disease or a second Varicella vaccine. If the child has not had chicken pox or a second dose of Varicella vaccine the child must get the second dose of vaccine as soon as possible.

If a Bancroft-Rosalie student is documented with Chicken Pox,then by Law we must exclude every unvaccinated child for a period of two weeks.

Homecoming Pep Rally

2011-09-29T07:00:00.001-07:00

Matthew Wegner was crowned Homecoming King and Paige Tietz Homecoming Queen at last nights Homecoming Pep Rally. Attendants are-
Freshmen- Dylan Slaughter and Brianna Wegner
Sophomores- Dre Stone and Erin Sorensen
Juniors- Brady Petersen and Kelsey Beaudette
Senior candidates- Anthony Bonneau, Eric Browning, Jessica Tietz and Kiarra Hilsinger.

Colleges working to graduate students in 4 years

2011-09-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

Midland joins Doane on the list of colleges that guarantee students will graduate in four years for the fifth year is free. Students must select a major by the beginning of their sophomore year, maintain adequate grades and take a 15 credit course load each semester.

The University of Nebraska has also taken steps to graduate students in four years by capping the hour requirements for most majors at 120 hours. This can be met if students take a 15 hour course-load for 8 semesters.

Community Pep Rally Wednesday 7:00 pm

2011-09-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

Homecoming week 2011 is now upon us. There will be a community pep rally Wednesday night at 7:00 pm at the football field. A community hamburger feed will be held during the Pep rally sponsored by First National Bank. Sodas are courtesy of the B-R student council.

The coronation of the King and Queen and the announcing of the attendants will take place at the pep rally. The cheerleaders have a plethora of activities planned for the night.

Basketball subdistricts released

2011-09-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

The NSAA released basketball sub-district assignments for girls and boys basketball. The B-R girls are in D1-4 with Allen, Emerson-Hubbard, and Omaha Nation. The boys are also in D1-4 with Allen, Emerson-Hubbard, Omaha Nation and Pender. Pender is C-2 in girls basketball.

The winner of D1-4 plays the winner of D1-3 to go to state.

Girls Subdistrict D1-3:

Cedar Bluffs
East Butler
Guardian Angels Central Catholic
Lyons-Decatur Northeast

Girls Subdistrict D1-4:

Allen
Bancroft-Rosalie
Emerson-Hubbard
Omaha Nation

Wisner named community of the year at County Dinner

2011-09-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

The Cuming County First annual Economic Development dinner was held Sunday night at the Nielsen Center in West Point. Wisner won the community of the year for their eonomic development efforts. Citizens State Bank of Wisner and West Point won county Business of the year.

Former husker football player Aaron Davis was the guest speaker. Davis manages his own consulting form and has authored several books.

Bancroft was represented by Jon and Ginger Bailey, Jon and Carol Cerny, and Roy and Jennifer Carlson.

Nebraska Vs. Wyoming on Great Plains cable channel 44

2011-09-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

Great news. Bancroft residents with Great Plains cable will be able to watch the Nebraska-Wyoming game from their homes Saturday night. The game is on Versus, which is now channel 44 on Bancroft cable.

GO HUSKERS!!

MAP reading achievement testing results

2011-09-23T08:23:00.001-07:00

Grades 3-11 will take the Fall MAP reading test this week and next. MAP reading is an on-line assessment that is given three times a year. Teachers, parents and students can look at the results to see a students growth during the year.

Grades 7-12 took the test last year. This year it is being given to grades 3-6 in place of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). The ITBS was given only once a year and the results were not available until the end of the school year. MAP results provide better information on reading and math achievement than ITBS.

The results are back for grades 3,4,9,10 and 11. Grade 3 results are impressive- 75% of the class scored above the state average. In grade 10- 7 of 18 students improved their score from last year. That means ice cream for those seven. In grade 11- 6 of 13 improved their score.