Keystone school board celebrates high scores in M-STEP assessments

The first thing to do at the Oct. 13 regular meeting of the Keystone Academy Board of Directors was to celebrate the school’s high scores on the M-STEP tests taken last spring.
M-STEP stands for The Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress.
“This is the first time we’re higher than Plymouth-Canton,” said Jamie Steeb, Keystone’s dean of middle school and specials who was filling in for principal Jorvanna Drain. Principal Drain was absent because of a necessary trip to the Upper Peninsula.
The M-STEP results had been embargoed, but in a message to parents on Sunday, Oct. 9, Drain wrote: “M-STEP scores have been released. We are extremely proud of our 2021-22 results on the Michigan assessment. We increased our overall proficiency in every subject area (math, reading, science, and social studies) in comparison to the 2020-21 school year.
“For over 15 years, we have academically outperformed the eight local districts that are in the bar graph, but now we are outperforming Plymouth-Canton schools too. We know that there is still much work to be done, but let’s celebrate that we have made the tremendous gains despite the challenges we faced during the unprecedented years,” Drain said.
Dean Steeb explained to the board that 61% of the students in the tested grades are at or above the benchmark of 50% proficiency.
Later in the meeting, board vice president Steven Harsant asked if there was a way to advertise Keystone’s high scores. National Heritage Academies representative Andrew Roth said that would be for NHA to do, but they would probably just enjoy the scores.
“The reason we have this school is because the academics in this area weren’t strong,” said board president Vesta Losen who had helped create Keystone Academy in 2003 and has served on the board since its beginning.
Losen said Keystone was able to get the charter from Bay Mills Community College because of the poor academic standards in this area.
Losen pointed out that Keystone had also completed the Fall NWEA testing, which she said many think is a better evaluative tool than M-STEP, and the majority of Keystone students are at or above grade level.
Schoolwide NWEA math scores are 63% and reading 68%. Second graders scored 46% in math and 45% in reading, which she said wasn’t good, but grades 3-5 were 67% and 72%. And, grades 6-8 were 65% and 72%.
In other business at the one-hour-and-36-minute meeting, the board:
• Heard a lengthy report from Dawn Bandy of the PTO, asking the board to help cover bus transportation for students to go on field trips. The PTO usually helped the school by providing transportation but with rising costs, including higher entry fees, and fewer fund-raisers they needed help. The board voted unanimously to provide up to $10,000 to support field trips. Roth said he would talk to NHA about getting funds to reimburse the board for this. Up until about five years ago, parents would drive students on field trips, but now that is not allowed. Such parent driving was suspended after a parent on a field trip took a carload to McDonald’s for an hour and got lost;
• Approved providing $12,000 to pay athletic coaches and athletic director, $1,500 to purchase items for the school store where students use the Keystone Cash they’ve earned by exemplifying Moral Focus virtues and positive behaviors, and $3,200 to reward staff that go above and beyond their normal duties;
• Unanimously approved up to $4,500 for Christmas marketing. Around 70 employees and the school board are provided with gifts carrying Keystone logos. Employees have suggested possible items; and
• Reappointed the school principal (currently Drain) as liaison to work with the School Safety Commission and Office of School Safety to identify model practices for determining school safety measures.