Keystone Academy approves NWEA MAP for reading assessment

At its regular meeting Sept. 14, the Keystone Academy Board of Directors unanimously approved the use of NWEA MAP as the academy’s reading assessment system.
The Michigan Revised School Code requires the academy board to select a valid and reliable screening, formative, and diagnostic reading assessment system to be used for pupils in grades K-3 to screen and diagnose difficulties, inform instruction and intervention needs, and assess progress toward a growth target.
The academy must assess pupils’ progress in reading skills at least three times per school year in grades K to 3, with the first of these assessments to be conducted within the first 30 school days of the beginning of the 2017-18 school year.
Michigan’s “Third Grade Reading Law” requires targeted efforts to increase reading proficiency by grade three.
The law creates a “trigger” that requires the school to retain 3rd-grade students who are more than one year behind by the end of the 2018-19 school year.
In a written report to the board, board attorney La Rae Munk said there are good-cause exemptions that permit the school to promote a student to 4th grade despite the reading deficiency.
Munk outlined the steps the board must take to abide by this new law.
Keystone Principal Keturah Godfrey said some of the new students from the Van Buren and Lincoln districts are below grade level in reading and Keystone’s interventionists are stressed out.
She said there is one new fifth grader who can barely read.
Godfrey was concerned about when the state will start counting the scores of new students.
In other business at the Sept 14 meeting, the Keystone board:
• Agreed to hold the next school board meeting at 4 p.m., Oct. 12, at the Dearborn Inn since the board will be there for a symposium and rushing back for a 6 p.m. meeting would be difficult;
• Heard Principal Godfrey report that Keystone has 804 students because some of the students they expected not to return, came back. Capacity is 768. The school’s waiting list is 114;
• Heard Godfrey report the results of SchoolDigger which rates the 647 school districts in Michigan. She said five of the schools in the top 10 are National Heritage Academy schools, as is Keystone. Keystone is rated #43 (five-star school), Van Buren is #444, and Lincoln Consolidated is #527;
• Heard Godfrey note that the school is fully staffed and they have hired two more Teachers in Residence: Laura Finkbeiner and Julie Francis-Movahhed. She said there is low teacher turnover, with only four leaving this fall. Three decided to stay home with their children, and one moved to teach at their child’s school;
• Discussed questions about the budget and Jessie Montoya, who was present representing NHA, said she would check on their questions;
• While discussing attendance, learned that it is a struggle to get any kind of help from the Sumpter Township Police Department or Child and Family Services for truancy cases. Godfrey said if Keystone were a regular school instead of a charter school they could get assistance. Sumpter PD does offer some support;
• Discussed the bullying report for the 2016-17 school year that showed five instances in February. There were three in-school suspensions on the first instance and two out-of-school suspensions in the second instance. There were no expulsions or crime to report for the year;
• Learned the M-Step test report has to go to NHA first before it is brought to the board for discussion. Godfrey said the results are about the same as last year.