The Geneseo Schools pride themselves on their mission statement: “High Expectations for Academic Achievement in a Safe and Caring Environment using Effective and Efficient Operations”.  For the past seven years, the Board of Education has focused attention on improving student achievement in regards to readiness for post-secondary learning and employment.  In the fall of 2004, the Board adopted the 2010 Initiative – a blueprint for both improving and evaluating the district’s K-12 curriculum and instruction and student achievement.  The primary goal of the initiative is:  All students who desire may enroll in courses that will earn college credit before leaving high school.  In order to provide the opportunities necessary to achieve this lofty goal, the Board of Education approved the Academic Targets policy and supported increases in the number of courses offered at the high school that provide students with the possibility of gaining college credits.

ACADEMIC TARGETS

In order for students to find success in college credit bearing courses at the high school level, preparation for academic rigor must begin early.  The American College Testing program has conducted research on the levels of competence students should achieve in order to have a reasonable prediction of success in college level courses or in vocational training programs after high school.  The Geneseo Schools’ Academic Targets policy supports a district wide goal of preparing students academically in order to meet the level of proficiency recommended by the ACT battery of tests for college readiness – starting in the middle school years.  Students, parents, counselors and teachers are more aware now of the types of skills and knowledge that should be taught and learned through opportunities provided in the core curriculum.  Student readiness for higher levels of thinking and problem solving, along with higher degrees of competency in reading and mathematics, is now preparing more Geneseo students for successful completion of courses that produce a greater likelihood of post-secondary achievement.

CREDIT BEARING TRANSITION PROGRAMS

The Geneseo Schools offer a wide range of courses through which students can earn college credit before they officially enroll in a post-secondary institution.  These classes are not only focused upon students who are preparing for a two or a four year college, but also for students who are looking at careers in the technical/industrial areas.  Entering college with credit has some substantial perks – including allowing students to enroll in classes earlier than their Freshman peers, giving students an edge in understanding the enrollment, registration process, and familiarity with college expectations.  Recent research has shown that students who complete college credits while still in high school have a greater likelihood of persisting in post-secondary education to completing a credential.

Advanced Placement Courses

Students in Geneseo have been participating in Advanced Placement classes since the 1989-90 school year.  A wide range of courses is available, but varies from year to year based on student enrollment.  All enrolled students complete the national Advanced Placement exams for the subject area of their course.  Over the years nearly 75% of Geneseo students taking an AP exam have earned at least a 3 or higher score, which generally qualifies students for comparable college credits – at least 3 and up to 12 credits depending on the college and specific departmental requirements.  Students who complete the AP course and the exam are better prepared for college classes upon entry to post-secondary learning than students who did not participate in the course or did not prepare for the national exam.

Dual Enrollment Courses

Black Hawk College in Moline, Illinois has partnered with Geneseo High School to provide college credit classes for at least a decade.  However, the beginning of the 2005-06 school year marked a dramatic change in the delivery of these courses.  Before that time, the college sent instructors to our high school to teach the students – generally in an early bird class format.  Three BHC classes were available for students, at the full tuition rate.  Starting in 2005, teachers at Geneseo High School who met the qualifications for adjunct status at Black Hawk College were able to teach courses for the community college as a part of their regular class load.  Students who enroll in BHC courses taught by Geneseo teachers pay an administrative fee and book costs, but no tuition fees.  Students needing assistance to pay for college textbooks have been supported by the local community through scholarships.  Black Hawk College continues to provide instructors for additional classes, including the Certified Nurses Assistance Certificate program, co-sponsored by Hammond Henry Hospital.  The HHH Auxiliary and local Geneseo foundations provide tuition assistance for students enrolled in the C.N.A. program.  Our high school instructors also offer welding classes for BHC credit as a part of a college certification program.  In the past school year, students at Geneseo High School earned a total of 654 college credits.  This figure represents a tremendous savings to students and families in the Geneseo community.

Pre-College Courses

Between 35-45% of Geneseo students enter a two-year college upon graduation.  In the past, teachers and counselors had been concerned about students who had entered college but were either repeating courses or starting off in classes below the 100 level (non-credit courses) to bolster their skills and knowledge to the point of being “college ready”.  In order to meet this need, pre-college courses in reading and mathematics, modeled after identical classes offered at Black Hawk College, are now taught by Geneseo High School instructors.  Students pay no tuition fees or book costs to complete these classes.  No credit is earned, but students do participate in the COMPASS examination as their final evaluation for the class.  The COMPASS exam is required for entry to Black Hawk College, and gives students an indication of their readiness for 100 level classes in Mathematics and Reading.  This has been a very successful program, and has seen an increase in participation and the addition of a third math class to the sequence in recent years.

For more details regarding the Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment and Pre-College courses, please see the Geneseo High School Course Planning Guide, available at the Geneseo High School website under Counseling Department.

The goals of the 2010 Initiative continue to impact students throughout their K-12 school careers, however there is so much more to preparing students to enroll and complete at least one college course before high school graduation.  As a result of working toward this goal, all members of the Geneseo Schools family have looked deeper at what we teach, how we teach, and what we expect of students as a result.  The curricula in all areas have been revised and updated with the Academic Targets and the goal of college credit in mind.  New courses have been implemented, while others have been modified or abandoned.  More students are enrolling in accelerated math courses at the middle and high school levels.  And, more students have completed four years of math and science instruction at the high school level.  In fact, the math and science course sequence is designed with the knowledge that students who complete Physics and Pre-calculus before high school graduation have a much higher likelihood of completing a post-secondary credential than students who do not complete these courses.  The thinking skills required for such classes are the primary indicator of post-secondary success – regardless of the student’s career pathway.  We realize that all students will need some type of post-high school training and more than likely that training will require students to be able to show their competency in reading and math skills and knowledge at a much higher level than at any time in our recent past.  Students in Geneseo are competing with students around the globe for employment opportunities.  We are also keenly aware that our graduates are our best local resource and we do support businesses that will attract our local talent as they come back to the area equipped with new skills and knowledge.  The professional educators in the Geneseo School District are working very hard to ensure that both preparation and opportunities to learn are available for all students – for their future and for that of the greater Geneseo community.

A newly revised census report of our Geneseo Dual Enrollment Program was shared at the May 13, 2010 meeting of the Board of Education.  This report looks at student enrollment, course offerings and credits earned from 2004-2005 school year to the present 2009-2010 school year.  The report is included in this posting.  The college credit totals earned by our students are impressive, and when grouped with some Advanced Placement credits earned through national tests taken in May may allow some students to enter college at a status higher than Freshman.  Entering college with credit has some substantial perks – including allowing students to enroll in classes earlier than their Freshman peers, giving students an edge in understanding the enrollment, registration process, and familiarity with college expectations.

Dual enrollment courses, taken at Geneseo High School and taught by our high school teachers, require students to pay a small enrollment fee.  Classes offered by BHC and taught by instructors from the college cost our students the standard fee per credit normally charged to BHC students.  High School students have taken advantage of scholarships to off set cost of books and tuition in the past years.  And, high school students are not eligible for financial aid, as they are not yet graduated from secondary school.  The cost savings to families of students who enter college having earned credits through dual enrollment programs in high school over these past 6 years is substantial.  Add that savings to the credit hours earned in our Advanced Placement program; the figure saved by our families through quality and rigorous instructional opportunities in the high school is significant.

Thank you to all of the students who dared to dream, who chose to work hard, and reap the benefits of the programs that have been put into place to help bridge the gap between high school and college expectations.  Revised Report 2004-2010 BHC DE Class Enrollments

Elementary teachers have used inservice time this winter and spring to bring the revision of the elementary science curriculum to a very positive conclusion.  Each grade level has used time together – either in one or three hour increments – to finish writing assessments to units of instruction or to finalize consumable supply lists for the coming year.  This year’s curriculum project has emphasized teacher involvement.  Mr. Eaker, Elementary Technology Specialist, has also secured a number of probes to be used next year in scientific experiments revolving around temperature change.  A group of teachers representing each grade level are using their newly written curriculum units to plan experiments using temperature probes and computers.  Students in the upper grades will be using this data to learn to create charts and graphs on the computer software – either Numbers or EXCEL.  Most non-consumable supplies and trade books for the new curriculum have been ordered and received by the teachers.  No new textbooks were ordered during this curriculum revision and review cycle.  Finally, it is noteworthy to mention that each grade level’s units of instruction include topics in the Life, Earth/Space, Physical/Chemical Sciences along with Health and Safety programs.  All students will learn about scientific investigation, along with the use of charts and graphs to display data.

During the week of March 15 – 19, elementary teachers will engage in evaluating student data from the DRA2 and local math assessments given thus far in the 2009-2010 school year.  Teachers have been sent spreadsheets with classroom scores – names of individual staff have been removed.  Longitudinal data for these two assessments (from 2007-08 to the 2009-10 school years) have also been created and sent to teachers.

Teachers interested in discussing math and reading data for Kindergarten and 1st  grade students should plan to meet at the Milikin Library on March 16th from 3:30 – 4:30 pm.

Teachers interested in discussing math and reading data for students in 2nd and 3rd grades should plan to meet at the SW 5th grade Pod on March 17th from 3:30 – 4:30 pm.

Teachers interested in discussing math and reading data for students in the 4th and 5th grades should plan to meet in the Northside Library on March 18th from 3:30 – 4:30 pm.

All elementary teachers are welcome.

Dual Enrollment programming continues as a very strong program at Geneseo High School.  This year students have enrolled in the largest numbers to date in the English 101/102 program, taught by Geneseo faculty, as well as the Certified Nurses Assistant, Psychology and Speech clsses taught by faculty from our dual enrollment partner, Black Hawk College in Moline Illinois. See the high school course guide for a full listing of dual enrollment offerings through Black Hawk College, as well as articulated classes available through the science and vocational/technical education department.

Geneseo students continue to earn college credits through Advanced Placement classes offered in the following content areas:  Music Theory, Spanish, French, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Calculus, US History, US Government, English Language, English Literature.  See the 2010-2011 course guide, scheduled for posting on the High School website by the end of January, for more details on Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment course offerings.

Parents and high school students in the Geneseo Schools who are interested in learning more about Dual Enrollment and Advanced Placement classes, should plan to attend the orientation meeting on February 22nd, as well as arrange to take the COMPASS exam in the spring. A meeting about the COMPASS exam will be held by the guidance counselors on Feb. 3rd and 4th at 7:30 am.

The Education Department at the University of Iowa has noted my receipt of the 2009 NASSP Dissertation Award.

See the following article:  Alumni Notes

Just as high school students are preparing for final exams next week, elementary classroom teachers are busy at this time of year with end of year assessments. On Jan. 5th and 6th, students in grades 2-5 completed mid-year mathematics tests – aiming to see what new concepts and skills they have learned so far this year.  These assessment results will be entered into SKYWARD for parents to see by the end of next week (Jan. 15th).  Teachers recently completed scoring K-5 students’ fall semester writing samples. Scores should be available to parents on SKYWARD at the present time.  Finally, students in grades K-5 are just about finished with the DRA2 tests for the mid-year reading evaluation.  Reading levels, as determined by the DRA2 scoring guides, will be placed onto SKYWARD no later than January 15th.  Elementary assessments at this time of year serve as a gauge for progress toward grade level proficiency.

The next round of assessments will take place in early March with the administration of the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) – March 1st through 11th.

Attention Parents of students in 6-12th grades:

Please consider reading through an analysis of a recent survey produced by the National Association for College Admission Counseling regarding how to plan for college admissions.  You will find this report in this blog as a page – Preparing for College Admissions.

Thank you,

Dr. Joni Swanson

The K-5 Science Committee continues its task of decision making regarding updating and revising the topics and skills which will be taught to students starting in the 2010-2011 school year. The Committee has met four times this year – Sept. 2nd, October 1, November 17th, and December 7th.  The group is slated to meet again on Jan. 27th and 29th to conclude the curriculum writing and assessments for the 2010-2011 school year.  Decisions will be shared with teachers at grade level meetings in February, and proposals for new ancillary materials will be prepared by March 1.

Members of the Science Committee attended the National Science Teachers’ Association convention in Minneapolis, MN at the end of  October.  Since that time, Kathy Heller – 4th grade teacher at Millikin – has been working with the Elementary Technology Specialist Bill Eaker to infuse technology into the classroom in science.  Several of the committee members have also experimented with Science Notebooks – a way of encouraging students to write about observations and understand more about scientific experimentation and methods.  These two examples describe the emphasis of the revision of our District K-5 Science curriculum:  more emphasis on thinking skills and experimental methods and the use of reading and writing to demonstrate a greater understanding of these scientific methods.

The Science Committee members are also working on ways to make more readily available a wide range of internet based activities and simulations, as well as videos and other visual resources available for display through computer projection.  The shared library on the District Blog site may become the repository for all things technology related to K-5 science in the coming year.  Mr. Eaker continues to pursue grants in order to bring more high tech equipment to the district for teacher use in the science classrooms.  This year there are three teachers who teach Science in the 5th grade – helping the students to receive a more consistent curriculum in that content area.

For more information about changes in the K-5 Science Curriculum, please contact our members:  Amy Rittenhouse, Kindergarten; Jodi D’Hondt, 1st grade; Stephanie Rickman, 2nd grade; Lori Johnson, 3rd grade; Kathy Heller, 4th grade, and Nikki Pierce, 5th grade.

Teachers in the Geneseo Schools have completed training in procedures to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of student assignments and teacher generated activities in a group setting.  Inservice time this year, including today’s early release day, are being used by teachers to sit down together and critically analyze instruction and the products of that instruction through looking at examples of student work.  Learning Points Associates, from Naperville, Illinois, have come to the district to assist teachers in learning protocols to assist each other with professional development.  Teachers meeting in groups volunteer to share an example of student work samples.  Teachers are given the opportunity to give the group an overview of the context in which the work was produced, listen to questions generated by colleagues and receive constructive criticism in order to improve/modify/re-design the instruction leading up to or following the assignment or activity.  To date, teachers are finding this time to be quite gratifying and useful.  Teachers in all subject areas have been involved in the training.  Math teachers at the middle school are planning to use this strategy for a segment of their fall work day.

This type of collegial work demonstrates the power of collective thinking and strategic planning on the part of our professional staff.  Administrators in the district will participate in a similar activity on Nov. 12th, as we sit down to critique methods of evaluation used thus far this year.