Where you can park in Btown
IU students can purchase an E or F permit to park on campus. Most E parking is located near Memorial Stadium and Assembly Hall.
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IU students can purchase an E or F permit to park on campus. Most E parking is located near Memorial Stadium and Assembly Hall.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Wendy Tamborrino has been teaching fifth grade at Binford Elementary since 1996 and was recently awarded the Armstrong Teacher Educator Award from the IU School of Education. Awarded to nine teachers in the state, Tamborrino was the second Monroe County Community School Corporation teacher in a row to receive this award.“I think that that speaks volumes for the quality of teachers in MCCSC,” Tamborrino said.She said she is both humbled and honored to receive the award and said it is nice her and other teachers’ work is being recognized. Tamborrino said she admires the work ethic and expertise at Binford.“There are so many teachers in Binford and in the school district who could be in the same position as I am,” she said. “It just happened to be my lucky day, I guess.”Besides her students, Tamborrino has a 5-year-old son, Nicholas, a 7-year-old daughter, Gabriella, and a 10-year-old son, Anthony, who is in her class at Binford. Tamborrino said it has been a really powerful experience being able to teach her son. She has been able to see his work habits, his strengths and weaknesses.“I think it’s given me a lot of information so that when he moves onto middle school and I don’t have so much interaction with him, I know his work habits,” she said. “I know what he needs. I can kind of predict ahead of time where there might be a problem, and we can work through it and give him the support that he needs.”Tamborrino’s son calls her “Mom” in class, but she said none of the other children seem to mind. She said her classroom has a family feel.“They’re my kids,” she said. “Anthony’s biologically mine, but these kids are my kids.”Tamborrino said she enjoys teaching fifth grade because the kids are old enough to express their opinions and know right and wrong, but they’re still young enough to need some guidance and support.She said their thinking is more worldly than in younger grades, and the students realize they can make a difference in the world. This year, the class has talked about being an “upstander” instead of a bystander, and the kids have been good about stepping forward and reporting bullying, she said.Tamborrino said she was inspired to be a teacher because of her mother, who was a music teacher. She loved watching her mother make lesson plans, find fun music and teach kids in creative ways.“I appreciated the way that she moved outside the box, and that said to me that I want to do something like that — and watching my friends enjoy music from my mom’s teaching, I said I want kids to feel the same way, too,” she said. Tamborrino said she has also been inspired by her colleagues at Binford, especially her fellow fifth-grade teachers. She said the group productively pushes one another to do better each day.“We’re constantly sharing information, talking about kids, what works, what instructional strategies are most effective,” she said. “We’ve really had a sense that the kids who we teach here at Binford are all of our kids, and it’s all of our responsibility. We’re all doing this together, it’s a collaborative culture, and I think that’s what pushes us as professionals to become even better is that collaboration.”Teachers are more than just teachers, she said. They are also caregivers, nurses and coaches.“It’s definitely a job where you have many hats to wear,” she said.The Armstrong Teacher Educator Award recognizes educator excellence and also provides funding to teachers so they can work on their own professional development projects.Tamborrino said she is looking forward to the opportunity to work with other Armstrong teachers, pre-service teachers and to collaborate with IU.“I just really look forward to the year ahead and trying some new, innovative things,” she said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>About 83.9 percent of students passed the IREAD-3 test in the Monroe County Community School Corporation. Of all third graders in MCCSC, 756 students took the test, with 634 passing. Statewide, 85.58 percent of students passed, up from 85.28 percent the previous year. “These numbers show that year by year we have continued to see modest increases in our passage rate,” Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz said in an IDOE press release. “More importantly, they show that we are promoting a culture of literacy throughout our state. Moving forward, I will continue to promote literacy and reading throughout all of Indiana.”Out of 13 MCCSC elementary schools, Childs Elementary School scored the best, with a passing rate of 96.7 percent. Fairview Elementary School scored the lowest, with a passing rate of 68.6 percent. Templeton Elementary School had 90.9 percent of students pass the IREAD-3. Templeton Literacy Coach Kari Isaacson said this number also includes students who are learning English as a second language and students who are in special education classes and the Individualized Education Program. These students, whether they pass or not, are exempt from having to repeat third grade. The students who didn’t pass will attend summer school, but Isaacson said the passing rate for these students is outstanding. Students who don’t pass the test at the end of the seven-week summer school session will have to repeat third grade, as required by Indiana state law. Isaacson said there are many different approaches Templeton takes to help kids stay on track. There are both Title I teachers and preventionists who go into classrooms to work with small groups, and Issacson said they also pull some of these kids out of classrooms to work with them. At least twice a year, students choose a book to take home and participate in activities such as bookmark making, Isaacson said. As a literacy coach, Isaacson works with teachers on creating specific plans for each student who is not reading at grade level. She performs diagnostic tests to help pinpoint what each student needs to do to grow their reading abilities. She also works with teachers on research-based strategies for teaching reading and teaches some of the students who are reading more than one year behind their grade level. Isaacson said reading helps students think for themselves and problem solve, and it is a quality-of-life skill. “You can go anywhere in the world through a book,” she said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Duke Energy has recently given the Foundation of Monroe County Community Schools $27,500 to fund the Real Men Read program for the next two school years in the Monroe County Community School Corporation.The program is an early childhood literacy program that works with children in kindergarten. The program will pair a male mentor with each kindergarten classroom in MCCSC.Mentors will be in the same classrooms once a month for five months starting in the fall. The different months will probably be spread throughout the school year, said Cyrilla Helm, executive director of FMCCS. The mentors will read a book with the children and then discuss it with them. Each child will also receive a copy of the book to take home. Helm said there has been a large push in MCCSC for early childhood literacy. She said it is important to make sure children are reading at grade level by third grade. After third grade, they stop learning to read and start reading to learn, Helm said. If they don’t know how to read, students won’t do well in other subjects, such as math or science.Helm said the purpose of the program is to bring a male role model to classrooms so the students can see that adults value education. “It’s bringing the community into the schools,” Helm said. The book the children receive to take home will help build their home libraries and encourage them to read outside of school, Helm said. The children will talk about the book with the mentors, and Helm said he hopes the children might be able to participate in the same activity with their parents or siblings at home. Helm said the program is looking for men who have a passion for reading and who like children.The program can help students see that reading aids in learning and in getting better jobs. Any man who is interested can become a mentor, though he must pass a background check. Duke Energy South Central Indiana District Manager Bruce Calloway said the books not only help the children to gain literacy skills, but they also contain life lessons, such as good nutrition and financial management. Calloway said the program gives the students a positive male role model — something some of them might not have in their lives. Calloway also participated in the program as a mentor at North Lawrence Community Schools in Bedford, Ind., and he said the students would give him hugs and looked forward to having him in the classroom. “It was very, very rewarding,” Calloway said. “We’re very excited about the potential of this. It’s just another way to support education.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana State Board of Education approved the new Indiana Academic Math and English/Language Arts Standards on Monday with a vote of 10-1 for each. Board member Andrea Neal was the only one to vote no for both standards. Before the voting took place, members of the public came forward to express their opinions about the new standards. Most in attendance spoke out against approval. Tim McRoberts, principal of Speedway High School, said he did approve of the new standards.“We’re ready to move forward,” Roberts said. ”The teachers are ready to move forward.” Stephanie Engelman, a parent who attended a rally last week against the new proposed standards, also attended the SBOE meeting Monday. “We still have Common Core in Indiana,” Engelman said. The new standards are just a sloppy rewrite of Common Core, she said, and Indiana needs to take its time making standards that are superior. The Board was required to approve new standards for Indiana by July 1 of this year.Molly Chamberlin, Danielle Shockey and Sam Snideman, members of the Standards Development Leadership Team, gave a presentation about the process involved in making the new standards. More than 150 educators and industry leaders were involved in drafting the new standards, working more than 6,000 hours, according to the presentation. One hundred people testified to explain their thoughts on the standards, and more than 2,000 people participated in a public comment on the new standards. Before the math standards were voted on, board members were allowed to discuss their ideas. Neal reiterated concerns of Jim Milgram, a mathematics professor at Stanford University. In a statement released from board member Tony Walker’s office, Milgram said the math standards were not “first rate” international level math standards. Neal suggested the board delay adopting the standards and make some changes. Her statement was met with cheering from some of the audience members.Walker said there needs to be less of an emphasis on standards and more of an emphasis on education inside the home through getting parents involved in their children’s education. Board member Cari Whicker said it would be impossible to create a set of standards all Hoosiers would be able to agree on. She said all Hoosiers want what’s best for Indiana kids and said teachers are ready to know what they will be teaching next year so they can spend their summers preparing.After the vote on the math standards, Superintendent Glenda Ritz motioned to adopt the English standards. Neal, the only one who opposed the adoption of these standards, said she thinks the standards are empty skills sets that are not as rigorous as Common Core or previous English standards. Neal said the 2006 English/Language Arts standards should be reinstated.Most board members, though, voted to adopt the new standards, with many emphasizing they have Indiana children’s education at heart, because they have children of their own in school. “Today we adopted rigorous career and college ready standards that were developed through a transparent and comprehensive standards development process,” board member David Freitas said in a press release. “These standards will empower Indiana teachers to develop targeted lesson plans that will enable Indiana’s students to thrive and prosper in our global economy.”IU President Michael McRobbie issued a statement in favor of the new standards Monday.McRobbie said in an IU press release the new standards would better prepare students in Indiana for success in college, particularly through the heightened requirements in math and science and other STEM disciplines.“These standards, in particular the strengthened math requirements, will reduce the amount of remediation necessary for students entering college,” McRobbie said in Monday’s statement.Improving STEM education in the United States has been a national issue lately, and McRobbie said the new standards would help Indiana students to be more competitive internationally.He said he applauded Pence’s decision to include experts from Indiana colleges and universities in the creation of the standards. “I am especially pleased that Governor Pence sought the expertise of our state’s colleges and universities in establishing these educational standards,” McRobbie said. “Experts from Indiana University were deeply involved in this important process, and we wholeheartedly endorse these high-quality education standards.”The new standards will be implemented for the 2014-15 school year.Anna Hyzy contributed reporting.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana State Board of Education member Tony Walker has released a statement of his opinions about the new proposed Indiana academic standards. The Indiana Education Roundtable endorsed the proposed standards April 21 at its meeting, despite protests from some in attendance. The Indiana State Board of Education will vote on the final draft of the standards April 28. Walker said he will vote to approve the standards if they are coupled with sound curricula and good teaching.He said he believes the standards meet the definition of College and Career Readiness as outlined by Indiana Public Law 31-2014. College and Career Readiness is defined as “the standards that a high school graduate must meet to obtain the requisite knowledge and skill to transition without remediation to postsecondary education or training and ultimately into a sustainable career.”Purdue University has the third-largest population of foreign students in the U.S. at 9,509, according to the Institute of International Education’s 2013 Open Door Report. IU-Bloomington has the 13th-largest population of foreign students at 6,547.Walker still has concerns, though, about whether the standards are competitive with international academic benchmarks. According to the statement, Jim Milgram, professor of mathematics at Stanford University, and professor Sandra Stotsky of the University of Arkansas, said the math and English standards, respectively, are not at the level they could be. According to the Programme for International Student Assessment, the U.S. ranks 35th in the world in math proficiency and 24th in the world in reading proficiency. “Our academic competiveness internationally has real economic impact in higher education and in hiring in Indiana,” Walker said in the statement. “International students and foreign workers are aggressively competing in Indiana for seats at our flagship universities and for our value-added jobs. The academic expectations must reflect this reality.”Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz and Gov. Mike Pence motioned and seconded, respectively, to endorse the standards at the Roundtable meeting. After the endorsement, Pence read a statement, which was met with boos from some in the crowd. “As the first state to withdraw from Common Core, Indiana had a unique responsibility to create new, high standards in an open and serious process that would serve our children and strengthen our school,” Pence said in the statement. “I have long believed that education is a state and local function, and that decisions about our schools should be made closest to the parents and communities that depend upon them. “After a careful review of the process and the outcome, I believe Indiana has accomplished this task and I join the Education Roundtable in forwarding these new Indiana academic standards to the State Board of Education for approval.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>About 200 protesters gathered in the Indiana Statehouse Monday to rally against new proposed academic standards for Indiana. The Indiana Education Roundtable endorsed the proposed Indiana Academic Standards, sending them to the State Board of Education, which will vote on the standards April 28. The Roundtable met Monday to discuss new proposed Indiana Academic Standards. Before the meeting, a congregation of parents, children and educators protested the standards’ adoption in the statehouse’s South Atrium. Protesters said the standards too closely resemble the Common Core State Standards that Indiana is trying to leave behind. Participants wore buttons that read “no to common core” and held signs with phrases such as “vote no on the 3rd draft.”Hillsdale College Professor Terrence Moore was the rally’s keynote speaker. He said he does not believe Indiana politicians are concerned about Hoosier children’s minds and souls, unlike the protesters.Moore said the most recent draft of the new standards, released April 15, was just the Common Core Standards warmed over. If the standards were turned into him as a college paper, he said he would give it an F and write “plagiarism” across the top. “I find the same old mistakes that are throughout the standards,” Moore said. Moore said the proposed standards don’t embrace phonics and cannot be easily understood by anyone who is not heavily involved in education. He said the standards use words, such as “complexity,” but then don’t elaborate on what it means. “They are agnostic on what constitutes good reading and good literature,” Moore said. Students will receive only snippets of literature instead of whole stories, Moore said. If Indiana residents want a curriculum that is academic, rigorous and inspiring, he said, Indiana needs to go back to books with stories that are important for children’s lives. Rep. Rhonda Rhoads, R-Corydon, and Christopher Judy, a candidate for state representative in the 83rd District, also made brief appearances at the rally. Judy said he believes education works best at the local level. The movement was also prevalent on social media with #stopcommoncore and #nocommoncorerebrand used on Twitter. Stephanie Engelman, who has three children in school, attended the rally because she does not believe the federal government should be deciding what Indiana children should be learning. She said the new standards are a sloppy rewrite of the Common Core Standards. After the rally, attendees walked across the street to attend the Education Roundtable meeting. Not everyone could fit into the room, and many people had to stand or watch a live stream in another room. At the end of the Education Roundtable meeting, Gov. Mike Pence and Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz endorsed the standards, to the protestors’ dismay. “As a teacher, I have always trusted Indiana educators to design the best standards for our students,” Ritz said in a press release. “They have always been mindful of the changes needed to meet the future needs of our children. Academic standards are about what our children need to know and be able to do.”Pence read a statement outlining his approval of the new standards and said he believes the standards were created the “Indiana way,” written by Hoosiers for Hoosiers. The statement was met with laughter, booing and shouts of “No!” from some in attendance. In his speech at the rally, Moore said the people of Indiana will prove themselves stupid by thinking these new standards aren’t the same as Common Core. “We have to reclaim the great stories,” Moore said. “We have to reclaim the minds and hearts of our young people.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Jobs for America’s Graduates, a national organization that works to keep students in school, has seen an increasing number of members in Indiana. Since 2013, Gov. Mike Pence said in a tweet, JAG in Indiana has seen the largest growth percentage in the shortest period of time in the history of the organization. Joseph Frank, spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, said the Indiana chapter of JAG is now the largest chapter in the nation. JAG provides support services to keep students from dropping out. Frank said students in JAG learn employable skills and get involved with philanthropy work.Frank said JAG targets the most at-risk students in school and helps them move on to post-secondary education and, eventually, to well-paying jobs. At-risk students could be students who have discipline problems or who have experienced homelessness, for example.Jim Koeninger, executive vice president of JAG, said the organization began in Delaware in 1979 and is now found in 31 states. During the 2014-15 school year, Koeninger said, JAG will serve its one-millionth student. If students are unable to get a high school diploma, Koeninger said, there is a chance they will make less money and their lifestyle will not live up to their expectations. Society will probably have to support them in different ways because it might be difficult for them to find jobs, he said. After students graduate from high school, JAG follows them for one year. Koeninger said the program would like to follow students for longer than one year, but it is too expensive.Forty-four percent of JAG students that graduated high school in 2013 went on to enroll in college. Koeninger said Indiana has an extensive support system in place that is one of the best in the country. Frank said the Indiana JAG chapter currently has 91 percent of their students graduate from high school. Nationally, 94 percent of JAG participants graduate from high school.The Indiana Department of Education recently released 2013 graduation rate data for high schools in Indiana. Statewide, 88.6 percent of students graduated from high school.In the Monroe County Community School Corporation, 94 percent of high school students graduated. Indiana has seen success with the JAG program because Pence recognizes the importance of helping young people make good decisions, Koeninger said. He said the leadership in Indiana seems to want to help young people have a good start in their careers.“We think it’s a wonderful program that gives kids a chance to be successful and graduate regardless of their situation,” Frank said. JAG started in Indiana in 2006 at just a few Indiana schools. The program now currently services 6,000 students at 106 different programs in every Indiana region. “It really has blossomed into a great state-wide program,” Frank said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Monroe County Community School Corporation has released a guide for families to learn about summer opportunities available for their children. The guide, which features more than 50 pages of information about summer activities, can be accessed online. Girls Inc. offers both Camp Red Fox and a summer volleyball season for girls. Lucy Berger, director of operations, said Girls Inc. has been working with girls in Monroe County since 1975. Berger said Girls Inc. wants to inspire girls in Bloomington by offering activities and after school programs, such as intramural sports. Berger said the organization serves girls of all backgrounds, not just the underprivileged.Girls must be members of Girls Inc. to participate in programs, Berger said. About 550 girls in Monroe County are members of Girls Inc. Summer camps give children something to do when they are not in school, Berger said. “We provide a safe, girl-friendly environment in the summertime,” Berger said. She said the camp includes activities such as hiking and field trips to IU and Indianapolis. Each week of the camp has a different theme. Girls ages 12 and older who participate in the Red Fox Camp also have the opportunity to participate in science activities. They will have the opportunity to travel to Marble Hill Farm in southern Monroe County to learn about animals and the environment. Berger said girls about 12 years old are less likely to participate in activities seen as unfeminine and start to shy away from the fields of science and math. Berger said the camps give girls an opportunity to get their hands dirty — both literally and metaphorically. The Bloomington Boys and Girls Club also offers summer events for kids at their Lincoln Street center. Audrey Hall-Pine is the director of Camp Rock. Two other programs, one full-day and one half-day, are also offered at the Lincoln Street center. Hall-Pine said these programs give children the opportunity to interact with their peers and gain exposure to positive adult role models. Hall-Pine said the mission of the Boys and Girls Club is to help all kids reach their full potential and become caring citizens. For kids participating in Camp Rock, most of the day is spent at Lake Lemon in Unionville. Students participate in fishing, boating, swimming, kayaking, archery and other sports. Hall-Pine said the camp takes kids to a calming, beautiful environment and gives them the chance to learn skills they otherwise might not be able to. Camp Rock is accredited by the American Camp Association. Hall-Pine said she likes that the camp helps kids develop their character and puts them in an environment where they can take risks and make mistakes. Twenty-four new spots will be added to the camp this year so more children can participate. Hall-Pine said she thinks the community feels the same way about the camp as she does. “We feel strongly that we provide a high-quality experience,” Hall-Pine said. Some other organizations that offer programs for children are IU’s School of Informatics and Computing, Ivy Tech Community College, Bradford Woods and WonderLab Museum of Science, Health and Technology. Those interested in summer programs can find more information at mccsc.edu/summer2014.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Several eighth graders at Tri-North Middle School had the opportunity to volunteer in the Bloomington community Friday. Students from Tri-North collaborated with the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs for Global Youth Service Day. Members of the National Junior Honor Society volunteered to spend part of their day at Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Backstreet Missions, Bloomington Community Orchard, People and Animal Learning Services, Stone Belt, Head Start, Shalom Community Center and Hilltop Garden and Nature Center.The Indiana Daily Student followed a group of students who volunteered at Backstreet Missions. “Backstreet Missions, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving the homeless and those with spiritual and physical needs, reaching out to people where they are, extending Christ’s love in practical ways,” according to its website.Any man who is homeless can stay at the shelter. Men in the community can also enroll in the “Abundant Life” program and stay at Backstreet Missions for one year. These men must help clean and do laundry and relinquish their cell phones and cars. They participate in Bible study and life skills lessons. The mission also serves Walnut Grove Apartments on the weekends by providing food. The food at the mission comes from community donations. Sue Payne, who volunteers at Backstreet Missions every Friday, said she thinks it is important for the students to learn to understand the homeless. “I think they are eager to work,” she said. Planning for the service event began in November, and it is hoped the partnership will extend to other area middle schools. Candace Ewing, assistant principal at Tri-North, said SPEA lecturer Alvin Lyons contacted Tri-North and said he wanted Global Youth Service Day to involve more than just high schools. Sophomore SPEA student Megan Kelly said the Monroe County Youth Council plans these volunteer days for high school students. Kelly helped plan the service day for Tri-North. She said all the middle schools in Bloomington were contacted, but Tri-North seemed the most enthusiastic. Before embarking on the projects, the students organized donation drives at Tri-North to get items for some of the projects, for Stepping Stones and the Homeward Bound 5K Walk. The school raised more than $200 to buy personal items for Shalom Community Center. Twelve students volunteered at the mission. The students helped by cleaning tables and making food. They shucked corn, cut potatoes and made sandwiches. Ewing said service is a good way to build character. “When you start thinking about service, it really builds your character for leadership,” Ewing said. Ewing said a celebration was planned at Tri-North for after the projects were completed, and each group was going to talk about their experience. She said the project can help the kids realize it takes a community to make the world a better place. Gretchen Nall was a chaperone for the group. Her daughter, Ruth, helped cut potatoes. Nall said she thinks it’s important for these children to understand how little some people have. She said her family volunteers a lot but said some children don’t have the opportunity. A project like this might instill in them a lifelong commitment to service, Nall said.At 11 a.m., lunch was served, and some of the Tri-North students helped serve the food. Tri-North student Grace Williams said she liked participating in the project. “It’s fun helping people,” she said. “It’s a fun experience.”Fellow student Audrey Schmalz said she thinks it’s good they have the opportunity to lend a hand in the community. “I think it’s really great that we got to help out these people,” she said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana is increasing the amount of reimbursement given to childcare providers who care for children from low-income families. The FSSA is trying to help low-income, working families find affordable care for their children, according to an Indiana Family and Social Services Administration press release. Beginning in May 2014, the FSSA’s Bureau of Child Care will increase the reimbursement amount for childcare providers who accept vouchers from the federal Child Care Development Fund. Marni Lemons, deputy director of FSSA Communications and Media, said families have to apply to be a part of CCDF and find a provider who is willing to accept them into the program. Then, the provider is reimbursed.Families who are members of CCDF receive financial assistance in the form of vouchers. According to the CCDF, 23,809 Indiana families and 44,145 children are receiving vouchers as of March 2014. She said the program encourages those involved to increase their ranking and improve their Paths to QUALITY level. The Paths to QUALITY program rates childcare providers on four levels. At level one, a child’s basic health and safety needs are met. At level two, the environment of the provider encourages children’s learning. At level three, a planned curriculum guides children’s learning and helps children prepare for school. At level four, the childcare provider is nationally accredited. The amount of increase of reimbursement will vary based on the Paths to QUALITY program. Level four childcare providers will receive the highest increase in amount of reimbursement. According to the FSSA, level two childcare programs will receive a 10-percent increase from the base rate, level three programs will receive a 20-percent increase and level four programs will receive a 30-percent increase.Lemons said what makes the Paths to QUALITY program so effective is that it encourages providers to move up levels and improve their education program.According to the release, the biggest barrier to work for low-income families is finding child care. The program makes sure there are more spots for low-income families at high-quality day cares, Lemons said, many experts say a child’s brain develops the most from birth to school age. According to the FSSA, improving childcare programs often costs money and the new reimbursement rates will help cover these costs. Lemons said this program is just one part of an ongoing effort at FSSA to improve childcare and pre-K education and help children prepare to learn in school. “Our goal is to not only ease the burden of finding affordable child care for low-income working families but also to help improve the overall quality of care available to all Hoosier families,” said Melanie Brizzi, administrator of FSSA’s Bureau of Child Care, in the press release. “Increasing reimbursements will help ensure that high-quality providers are able to continue to serve low-income families.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship in Bloomington was awarded an Ivy Tech Civic Engagement Award. Principal Bruce Colston said the Academy has worked extensively with Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington throughout the years and the award is given to one of Ivy Tech’s outstanding community partners. Colston said Ivy Tech and the Academy work to create programming opportunities for the Academy students, and the Academy will receive $500.“They’re acknowledging the degree to which the Academy works to provide opportunities for young leaders in the community,” Colston said. Joann Novak, a business and marketing teacher at the Academy, said Ivy Tech has helped create dual credit opportunities for the Academy students, so students can take college classes while still in high school. Some examples of the classes offered include Introduction to Business and Principles of Marketing. The Academy is currently in its sixth year of operation, and Colston said students have taken classes through Ivy Tech since the opening of the school. Colston said students can currently take up to 30 credits of tuition-free courses through Ivy Tech. The Academy, which is a part of the Monroe County Community School Corporation, was originally named Bloomington New Tech High School, but was renamed at the beginning of this school year. The school is a part of the New Tech Network, a national network of schools that all operate under the same guiding principles, such as project-based learning and the smart use of technology. Colston said the Academy is different than other schools because it offers the dual credit programs, as well as four career pathways — biotechnology, information technology, entrepreneurship and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).Colston said the Academy serves students who want to be at a smaller high school and enjoy project-based learning and learning that is tied to the real world. Novak said the goals of Ivy Tech and the Academy line up nicely and said both are very student-focused and student-driven. She said the people that support the Academy through Ivy Tech do so with dedication to students and said she hopes this partnership strengthens in coming years. “I really appreciate the fact that this partnership is being recognized through this award,” Novak said. Ivy Tech honors community members with civic engagement awards through the Ivy Tech O’Bannon Institute for Community Service. The categories include the Community Partner Award, the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center Community Partner Award, the Gayle and Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship Community Partner Award, Excellence in Service Learning, Excellence in Volunteerism and the Jeanine C. Rae Humanitarian Award.The Academy will be honored April 23 at Ivy Tech’s annual Excellence in Civic Engagement awards ceremony.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services recently announced its Birth to Five: Watch me Thrive! program, which aims to get all children on the same track once they reach kindergarten.This is part of a nationwide push to enhance early childhood education. Gov. Mike Pence signed House Bill 1004 into law Thursday, which will create a pilot pre-kindergarten program for 4-year-olds in up to five Indiana counties. The Birth to Five program encourages behavioral and developmental screenings for young children to help catch problems early on. The program also encourages families to celebrate milestones their children reach. “Early screening can lead to better access to services and supports, which can enhance children’s learning and development, minimize developmental delays and result in more positive outcomes in school and life,” said Michael Yudin, acting assistant secretary for the U.S. Education Department’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, in an USDOE press release. These screenings will check children’s development progress and find any developmental delays, which can then lead to getting these children the help they need. According to the release, the initiative is meant to encourage early childhood experts — including practitioners in early care and education, primary health care, early intervention, child welfare and mental health — to work with children and their families.Most children are diagnosed with autism after the age of 4, although it can be diagnosed as early as age 2, according to the release. Rebecca Swanson, instructor for early childhood education at Hoosier Hills Career Center, assists high school students interested in working with children in the education field. Swanson said she thinks the new program seems like a sound option, and said she is also supportive of any federal money going toward early childhood education in any capacity. Getting kids the support they need helps them catch up and go to school without being held back, Swanson said. Swanson said at this point in a child’s life, the brain is developing very fast, faster than at any other point in life. If a child is delayed developmentally before the age of 5, it can be harder for them to catch up once they get to school.Swanson said the initiative will be especially great if it works hand in hand with other programs, such as Head Start, a federal program that helps children from low income families prepare for school by age 5. It is important to get children learning experiences early on becausechildren’s brains are like sponges at this age and they are excited to learn, Swanson said. “Every family looks forward to celebrating a child’s first steps or first words,” Linda Smith, HHS deputy assistant secretary and interdepartmental liaison for early childhood development for children and families, said in the release. “Combining the love and knowledge families have of their children with tools, guidance and tips recommended by experts can make the most of the developmental support children receive.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Fairview Elementary School Principal Tammy Miller welcomed several IU Herbert Presidential Scholars to Fairview Tuesday night to introduce them to the literacy program they will participate in with Fairview students.Fairview, which has received two failing grades by the Indiana State Board of Education two years in a row, is implementing a literacy program and incorporating the help of the Scholars. “It’s just phenomenal that we have connected,” Miller said. Miller said despite what people think about the A-F rating system, students at Fairview aren’t receiving what they need to succeed. Miller said about 90 percent of students at Fairview are on free and reduced lunch and 70 percent are behind in lessons they should be learning at their grade level. The program will take place once a week during April and the sessions will last an hour. The students who will participate in the program are ones the Fairview community believes will benefit from the program the most, Miller said. The parents of these children will also be involved with the tutoring sessions.Miller said they hope parents will learn some new skills so they can help their children at home. Dinner will also be provided for the families. Miller said about 30 Fairview students will be paired with Herbert Scholars on a one-to-one basis. Miller told the Scholars to engage the students by doing activities such as asking them to imagine another character’s point of view and encouraging them to read throughout the week. The students who participate in the program will be able to take an iPad home with them during the program. Miller said the Monroe County Community School Corporation has agreed to buy Hotspots for families without Internet access. The program will also receive books from Barnes and Noble, and each week the student will be able to pick out a book to take home. In the fall, Fairview hopes to start a year-round program.Miller said she thinks the program will be beneficial for both the Scholars and the students and said the relationship will keep the children coming back. “You bring many gifts and assets to our children,” Miller said. “We’re very grateful.”The Scholars will spend their first day with the children next week. Junior and Herbert Scholar Elizabeth Rettig said she volunteered for the program because she hasn’t ever worked with children. She also said she thinks she did well in school because she read well for her grade level. “I wanted to challenge myself because reading is really important,” she said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Members of the Bloomington community met Thursday at the Monroe County Public Library to discuss the Green School, a charter school that could open in Bloomington.Michelle Henderson, member of the Founders Group for the Green School, said 19 people spoke in support of the new charter school and about 15 people spoke out against it.She said the auditorium in the library was full for the meeting.The school would focus on teaching sustainability and social justice, and Henderson said these two ideas would drive the curriculum.According to the school’s charter proposal, Green School “students, teachers and parents will foster respect, dignity and love for people and the natural world.”Henderson said proponents of the Green School had a variety of reasons why they supported it, but opponents mainly said they didn’t want money taken from public schools and given to charter schools. “It’s a very polarizing topic,” she said.Henderson said parents came from other areas of the state such as Kokomo, pledging they would send their children to the Green School. She said the charter school hopes to partner with IU and participate in activities such as having School of Public and Environmental Affairs students partnering with students from the Green School.“I think our vision for the school is such a perfect fit for Bloomington values,” she said.Henderson’s children will not attend the Green School because they are no longer elementary school-aged. She said she plans to work as the life skills educator at the school, helping students with social-emotional education.She said it is important for children to learn at a young age that they can make a difference in the world. She said at the school, students can learn how to make the world a better place, but would still perform well on standardized tests.Henderson said the school’s target population are students who struggle in traditional public schools. The Green School could serve a maximum of 240 students by its fourth year of operation.Students will be selected through a lottery system.Henderson said by May 1, the potential school will know whether or not its application was accepted by the Indiana Charter School Board. If it is, the school will open in August 2015.Jennifer Robinson, secretary for the Indiana Coalition for Public Education — Monroe County and South Central Indiana, attended the meeting Thursday and spoke in opposition to the Green School.Robinson said she respects the goals of the people founding the Green School, and the school will serve its students well.But she said she is concerned about the resources that will be taken from public schools to support the charter school.Robinson currently has two children in elementary school and one in preschool.“It really matters to me that they have qualified teachers,” Robinson said, adding that her children have had wonderful experiences in public school so far. She said components of the Green School, such as the arts-infused curriculum, is something that the community wants for all its students, not just a small group. Similarly, Robinson said she is thrilled Bloomingfoods Market and Deli will make lunches for students, but said all students need to have this opportunity.Robinson said she also worries about how transparent the charter school will be. There is no local control over how many charter schools come to Bloomington because it is decided by the Indiana Charter School Board. To take away groups of parents from public schools would be taking resources away, Robinson said.She said she is worried about charter schools taking away engaged families.“I’m just worried about the fragmentation of the community,” she said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>House Enrolled Act 1004 is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence.HEA 1004 creates a pilot pre-kindergarten program for 4-year-olds in up to five Indiana counties. The Act is authored by House Education Committee Chairman Rep. Bob Behning, R-Indianapolis, and co-authored by House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis.On Feb, 12, 2014, Pence testified in front of the Indiana Senate Education and Career Development Committee in favor of HEA 1004.“Because every child deserves to start school ready to learn, I believe the time has come for a voluntary pre-K program to help Indiana’s low-income kids, and I am honored to endorse that proposal before this committee today,” Pence said.The program is designed to help children who live in poverty and whose families have an income up to 127 percent above the federal poverty level. While the poverty level is about $23,850 for a family of four, families making about $30,000 could qualify, according to a press release from Behning’s office.The grants range in amount from $2,500 to $6,800.“Last year, House Republicans took a small step toward our goal of improving pre-K education opportunities for students,” Behning said in the release. “This session, with bipartisan support, we were able to accomplish our goal of establishing a preschool pilot program for children of poverty. These children typically start almost a year and a half behind their peers, and it’s important that we set them up for the best future possible.”Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, chair of the Indiana Coalition for Public Education — Monroe County, agreed that early childhood education can help children who may not be receiving any education at home, such as reading books with their family.“It can be a huge step up for kids when they get to school,” Fuentes-Rohwer said.Fuentes-Rohwer sent her children to preschool to gain social skills, and said she thinks early childhood education is important. She also said she is happy that one part of HEA 1004 originally written in the act was eliminated. An original component of the bill would have made children who participate in the program automatically eligible for K-12 vouchers, allowing them to transition to higher-quality programs, but was taken out. She said she saw it as a pipeline to get kids more vouchers. Fuentes-Rohwer said she doesn’t want the push for preschool to take more tax money away from public schools.According to the act, the grant money can be used toward enrollment in a public school, including a charter school, a licensed child care center, a licensed child home care center or a licensed child care ministry.All schools and care centers must meet the standards of quality recognized by a level three or four Paths to QUALITY program rating. Paths to QUALITY is a program within the Indiana Association for Child Care Resource and Referral in which these schools and centers can enroll. The counties that will be part of the pilot program will be diverse in geographic location, population and whether the counties are rural or urban. The amount of grant money given in a fiscal year will not exceed $10 million.“There is no doubt that a high quality education provides the foundation of a child’s education,” Bosma said in the release. “A solid educational foundation provides a child with limitless career opportunities in the future.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A recent grant will provide Monroe County Community School Corporation with $300,000 in grant money each year for four years. MCCSC was one of 53 organizations in Indiana to receive 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program grants to help enrich students’ learning experiences. MCCSC was one of eight organizations to receive $300,000, the highest grant amount that could be received. According to an Indiana Department of Education press release, the program is designed to help students who attend high-poverty, low-performing schools. The money will be used to fund the Fairview EdVenture Camp at Fairview Elementary, as well as after-school programs at six of the neediest MCCSC elementary schools: Arlington Heights, Fairview, Grandview, Highland Park, Summit and Templeton, said Timothy Pritchett, director of school age care for MCCSC. EdVenture is a day camp that also provides academic hands-on opportunities for students. He said the staff of the camp will create lesson plans.The goal of the after-school programs are to provide a safe and active after-school environment for students, Pritchett said.Pritchett said the programs are voluntary for parents to enroll their students, but students in need might be referred to the program. Students in need might be students who are not doing well academically, but they also could be students who have a troubled home life, for example. MCCSC has been receiving this grant money every year since 2000, except for the current school year because of the government sequester, Pritchett said. Pritchett said one of the main goals of the program is to get children to experience activities in class they don’t normally get to and maybe inspire some of the students to pursue careers in these fields. A second goal of the 21st century program is to facilitate collaboration between school districts and community agencies, such as IU Health and Bloomington Parks and Recreation, Pritchett said. Pritchett said he estimates more than 300 students in MCCSC benefit from this money each year. “I look forward to working with these community organizations over the coming years as we continue to increase student performance throughout Indiana,” Indiana Superintendent Glenda Ritz said in the release. “These groups work throughout the state to support student learning and development in communities affected by poverty. I am honored to award these organizations, which are working every day to strengthen our communities.”Seventy-eight school corporations, nonprofits and community organizations applied for grants in Indiana. The IDOE applies for funding, which is then distributed from the IDOE to organizations as sub-grants. Indiana organizations received $11.1 million in grant money, with awards starting at $50,000.DeVonne Richburg, 21st Century program manager for the IDOE, said reviewers who are experts in after-school education score each application, and the scores help determine which organizations receive grants. Richburg said schools can receive priority points if they meet a certain set of criteria, such as a certain amount of students living in poverty in the school or if a school’s plans revolve around literacy achievement. She said the program tries to help programs become 21st Century Learning Centers. “We try to help as many programs as we possibly can,” Richburg said. Richburg said they try to reach programs in both rural and urban areas so they get good coverage throughout the state. She said these grants are important because the programs are an extension of the school day. “Any out-of-school learning helps with in-school learning,” she said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Indiana Coalition for Public Education and members of the community met Tuesday at the Northwest YMCA to discuss ISTEP and other standardized testing.Phillip and Joan Harris, authors of “The Myths of Standardized Tests: Why They Don’t Tell You What You Think They Do,” led the meeting, which began with a question: “What do you think test scores tell us about students, teachers and schools?”Attendees divided into groups, and many of the groups said testing can reveal the social-economic status of a student, but not much else. One group said the test does not reveal anything about what students need to be taught next.“What’s interesting to me is what’s not there,” Phillip Harris said. Phillip Harris said many standardized tests are group-based and group norms establish a passing score. He said the standardized tests are designed so half of students will score below average. Phillip said test items are not objective because someone decides what item should be used to measure a certain skill. He said if a question is asked to a sample group and half the group answers incorrectly, it will be kept. But, if the whole group answers incorrectly or the whole group answers correctly, the question will be thrown out. He said this method makes it seem like the test is objective, but he said the test is still made up by someone, created by trying to use science. The Harrises then presented the group with a standardized test of their own. Each person was given a short paragraph and told to pick out the F’s on the page. Out of 18 people who took the test, only four counted the correct number of F’s. Phillip said children’s test scores are compared to a group that no one knows anything about and that might be different from a student taking the test. Phillip also mentioned that teachers don’t receive the results of what problems their students answered correctly and incorrectly, so teachers don’t know what their students aren’t learning properly. “You don’t learn much from what you got right,” Phillip said. As the meeting went on, those in attendance participated in another task. The Harrises passed out a cardboard square with a handmade ruler and participants were told to measure the square. Each ruler had a different unit of measurement and therefore everyone received different answers. Phillip made the point that society has agreed upon units of measurement for many different things, but not for education, though he said people seem to think test scores are that unit. He said proponents of testing conclude an indirect measure of knowledge, such as testing, is better than a direct measure of knowledge, such as a student’s actual performance. “We shouldn’t let our children be subject to indirect observation,” Phillip said. “Period.” He said the amount of students opting out of testing is growing. Sofia McDowell attended the meeting with her son and said she is an active supporter of public education. She said it is important to address all aspects of education, including standards and accountability. Gina Weir, a parent of two children in school, said she wanted to attend the meeting to discuss other ways of changing the testing system in place, which she said often discriminates against children of a lower socio-economic status or children whose first language is not English. She said testing starts making children compare themselves to other people. She said a lot of money is being wasted on testing that could be spent on reducing class sizes so teachers can address the needs of all students. She said the current system penalizes schools and teachers based on an inaccurate measure of learning. Phillip Harris said two of the biggest myths in testing are that scores can be used to evaluate schools and teachers. Phillip said teachers shouldn’t be held accountable for other people’s behavior, similar to the way a dentist shouldn’t be held accountable for a patient’s bad teeth. “Only in education do we expect teachers to be responsible for learning, when the learning is done by students,” he said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The College Board announced March 5 changes will be made to the SAT. The new SAT will first be administered in spring 2016. Changes will be made to both the math and English/language arts portions of the exam. Vocabulary words will be changed from obscure words to ones that students will use more often in their college and professional careers, according to a College Board press release. The essay portion of the exam will no longer be required. According to the release, while the writing work students complete in the reading and writing portion of the test is predictive of college readiness and success, one essay alone has not contributed greatly to the overall predictive nature of the exam. John Livingston, counselor and SAT coordinator at Bloomington High School South, said the changes to the test are positive. Many school officials and students have been asking for change, and the new test will be more relevant to students, he said. He said the test will relate more to what students are already learning in the classroom, instead of requiring that students study vocabulary outside of school. Livingston said all students will most likely improve, so comparing students against one another would still be relevant. Livingston said although Indiana has always been an “SAT state,” the ACT’s popularity has been growing. “It seems like this is market driven,” he said. Livingston said the SAT is changing because students have a choice in tests, and the SAT seems to be aligning more with the ACT. The exam will also contain passages from important documents in American history, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Federalist Papers. Students will no longer be penalized for an incorrect answer. The math section will focus on three topics — algebra, problem solving and data analysis, and advanced math. Adam Terwilliger, math department chair at Bloomington High School North, said the math section of the SAT will now focus more on applied knowledge instead of procedural problems. Terwilliger said the procedural components are important to learn, but it is also important for students to be able to apply knowledge to outside world situations. He said the math curriculum won’t change much, but changes will be made in how the questions are asked. College Board President David Coleman said the Board will expand the organization’s reach to college-ready, low-income students to also help them in the college application process. Every income-eligible student who takes the SAT will be given four fee waivers for applying to college. “We can cut through so much red tape and hesitation by giving students the admission fee waivers they need, information they understand and the encouragement they need to apply more broadly,” Coleman said in the press release. The Board will also partner with Khan Academy to provide all students with free SAT preparation. This free preparation is expected to be released in spring 2015. For students who are currently taking the SAT, they can access hundreds of previously unreleased practice problems on the Khan Academy website, as well as video tutorials for the problems. “For too long, there’s been a well-known imbalance between students who could afford test-prep courses and those who couldn’t,” Sal Khan, founder and executive director of Khan Academy, said in the press release.“We’re thrilled to collaborate closely with the College Board to level the playing field by making truly world-class test-prep materials freely available to all students.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indiana is the first state in the country to officially join an initiative launched by the National Council for State Reciprocity Agreements that will help connect Hoosier students with online education in other states.Ken Sauer, senior associate commissioner for Academic Affairs with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, said the initiative was created to remove complexities surrounding online education.In order for a higher education institution to deliver distance learning to students in other states, the institution has to receive approval from each of those states. But Sauer said each state has its own regulations for approval, which makes the process complicated. While some states have a lot of paperwork, others barely have any.Institutions must also pay fees to enroll students from another state, and Sauer said some rates would be so high institutions would avoid enrolling students from that state. Under the new initiative, an institution the size of IU would only pay $6,000 to enroll students from other states in online programs, instead of possibly hundreds of thousands.The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement launched this new initiative to create more consistency across states. The initiative will be an agreement between states in which an institution can easily enroll students from another state also involved with SARA. Jennifer Parks, director of the Midwestern district of SARA, said there are multiple phases for states to become involved with SARA. The state must set up a portal agency that applies for membership in SARA. The agency will then accept applications from institutions to become members.In order for institutions to become members, they must be nationally or regionally accredited and have an adequate federal financial responsibility score.Each state that becomes a member of SARA must implement an adequate system for students to file complaints about institutions in that state. States must also create a catastrophic response process in case an institution in their state shuts down, so affected students can be helped in completing their degrees.Parks said this new legislation is important because it acknowledges the direction that technology, society and education are heading. She said students are no longer limited to their location in gaining an education and also have the convenience to complete an online degree during their own time.According to the Sloan Consortium, 7.1 million higher education students were enrolled in at least one online course in 2013. Sauer said the new initiative can help gather more information about online education.“I think there’s a real opportunity to get better data on the number of students enrolled in distance education programs,” Sauer said.Indiana is the only official member of SARA from the Midwest, but Parks received an application from North Dakota on Wednesday. Parks said this is an integral issue for those involved with higher education to embrace.Parks said SARA hopes to have 26 states become members by the end of 2014 and 45 members by the end of 2015. “It’s good for students because it allows more opportunity for students to take online courses and programs if they want to,” Sauer said.