Verified EESAC Meeting Minutes

Principal’s message: Mrs. Stroleny called the meeting to order at 8:20 a.m. and led the meeting in the absence of Mrs. Robledo and Mrs. Gonzalez. Mrs. Robledo was absent because she was working on a task force for the Race to the Top funding and Mrs. Gonzalez was attending a district meeting. Mrs. Stroleny began by introducing two parent members who have been elected to be representatives for the upcoming school year. Mrs. Planell and Mrs. Holian were introduced. They are replacing Mrs. Dawson and Mr. Wurmser who will no longer have children at Carver after this school year. Mrs. Stroleny then advised that the release of FCAT scores has been delayed. She reviewed the Spring Interim data, which shows excellent progress. In reading, grade six students at or above mastery increased from 51 percent on the District Baseline Assessment to 94 percent on the Spring Interim Examination; on the 2009 FCAT, 94 percent of Carver sixth-graders scored at or above mastery. In grade seven, students improved from 77 percent on the Baseline to 96 percent on the Spring Interim; on the 2009 FCAT, 98 percent of seventh-graders scored at or above mastery or above. In grade eight, students improved from 48 percent on the Baseline to 91 percent on the Spring Interim; on the 2009 FCAT, 97 percent of eighth-graders scored at or above mastery. In mathematics, grade six students improved from 36 percent at or above mastery on the Baseline to 88 percent on the Spring Interim; on the 2009 FCAT, 93 percent on Carver sixth-graders scored at or above mastery. In Grade seven, students improved from 18 percent at or above mastery on the Baseline to 93 percent on the Spring Interim; on the 2009 FCAT, 99 percent of seventh-graders scored at or above mastery. In grade eight, students improved from 39 percent at or above mastery on the Baseline to 99 percent on the Spring Interim; on the 2009 FCAT, 100 percent of eighth-graders scored at or above mastery. Mrs. Holian asked how Carver compares to other schools, and Mrs. Stroleny said that the interim data is not readily available from other schools; Mrs. Junghahn said scores at Sunset Elementary also reflect this pattern. Mrs. Stroleny explained that there have been many changes with mathematics benchmarks in recent years because of the new generation Sunshine State Standards, which allow for more depth; all math teachers attended three day workshops to become knowledgeable regarding the new benchmarks. Mr. Viscito commented about the data and asked if interim scores predict FCAT scores; Mrs. Stroleny said she expects Carver to be close to FCAT goals based on interim data and that we are working in right direction. In grade eight, for science, students improved from 39 percent at or above mastery on the Baseline to 82 percent on the Spring Interim; on the 2009 FCAT, 91 percent scored at or above mastery. Mrs. Stroleny said science teachers also are attending workshops to become knowledgeable regarding their new state standards. In writing, 85.6 percent of sixth-graders scored 4.0 or better on the Midyear assessment with an average performance of 4.45; 100 percent of seventh-graders scored 4.0 or better on the Midyear with an average of 5.07. In grade eight, 86.2 percent scored 4.0 or better on the Baseline with an average of 4.3; on the midyear, 93.8 percent scored 4.0 or better with an average of 4.7. With other School Improvement strategies, Mr. Rivers, Mrs. Plaza, and Mrs. Stroleny participated in a SIP training meeting on May 17. Mrs. Stroleny explained that all departments work together to maintain our high standards. Social studies, foreign languages, and electives reinforce reading standards. Among other successful endeavors this year were the Writing Rally led by Mrs. Plaza on January 19-21 and 25. Mrs. Byrd and Mrs. Jensen led a book club, and we hope to expand that program next year and also improve homeroom reading. Mrs. Fernandez informed that the math department is assessing new strategies for next year but will continue with FCAT Fridays and homeroom tutoring. Mrs. Planell suggested a Spanish book club such as the one currently at Sunset, and Mrs. Stroleny said it could be considered. Mrs. Szmulewicz commented that it would be more beneficial if the administration of the Baseline tests were delayed for a month into the school year. She believes that this would yield results more reflective of the students’ proficiency. Mr. Sarkar commented that fluctuations in math data reflect the new aspects taught each year. Mr. Viscito said the tests at the beginning of the year are needed to assess starting levels. Mrs. Szmulewicz disagreed, explaining that the students are not mentally ready for these assessments after the summer break. Mrs. Stroleny said the district mandates most of the test dates. Mr. Hudson said that FCAT scores tend to be higher than interims. Mr. Sarkar agreed that kids work hardest when they know the scores count. Upcoming dates to remember include review week on May 21-28; the high school senior alumni reunion at 5 p.m. on May 27; the French drama performance at 6:30 p.m. on May 27; the awards ceremony for all three grades on May 28; and final exams on June 1 (periods 7 and 5), June 2 (periods 2 and 6), June 3 (periods 3 and 1), and June 4 (period 4). Eighth-grade etiquette training is June 7 and 8, the eighth-grade banquet is June 9, and the last day of school is June 9. There will be early dismissal the last three days of school.

Open Forum: Mrs. Gramling reported that Carver earned first place and $1,000 in the Fairchild Challenge for environmental activities. More than 74 middle schools participated, generating more than 40,000 different entries; 70,000 students and 2,000 teachers were involved this year. She said the amount of work that the students and faculty put in was incredible. Mr. Sands said we will miss Mrs. Gramling (who is retiring) and that the work she put in was incredible. Mr. Sands introduced new EESAC representatives Alexandra Holian, Kevin Torgas, and Camile Poirrier who were elected recently by the student body. Mrs. Daniels informed that the golf team is competing in the county finals, with three sixth-graders and two eighth-graders. The boys’ junior varsity basketball team also qualified for the county finals. Mrs. Fernandez informed that the Math Counts team participated in the Math Bowl and earned sixth-place as a team with member Ivan Permuy taking third as an individual. Mr. Viscito asked about class size for next year, and Mrs. Stroleny said Carver is preparing for an average class size of 22 to comply with the state amendment. Mr. Hudson informed that former Carver student Alexandra Martinez, now a senior at Coral Gables High School, recently won the Silver Knight Award in Journalism and that this reflects positively on our school.

Approval of minutes: The minutes from April 6, 2010 were reviewed and approved.

Adjournment: Mrs. Stroleny adjourned the meeting at 8:55 a.m.