SILVER CREEK - The Silver Creek Board of Education heard several presentations Wednesday.
The board met for a workshop to hear Middle School Principal Paula Troutman's presentation on the comprehensive education school plan (CSEP) for the middle school.
At the last board meeting, Elementary School Princi-pal Scott Rudnicki gave his CSEP presentation for the elementary school. There were some similar themes to the presentations.
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Silver Creek Board of Education member Marjorie Foxton (left) and Board President Martha Howard presented their experience at the New York State School Boards Association Convention at the board meeting Wednesday.
Troutman explained the goals of teaching ELA and math teachers to use the STAR program for assessing students, creating performance tests and rubrics for art, library, physical education and music classes and expanding the question bank for assessments.
She also emphasized maintaining the child study teams as an early intervention system for struggling students.
Board president Martha Howard asked if there was a safety net to make sure students do not fall through the cracks.
"We need to constantly look at the data to make sure students do not fall through the cracks," Troutman said.
All of these goals go along with the district's two goals to have a 90 percent graduation rate and meet state expectations on assessments by 2014.
Another common theme both CSEP presentations emphasized was character education. Troutman said the goal is to infuse this into the school day and all extracurricular activities.
She suggested creating a positive behavioral intervention and support (PBIS) team. Superinten-dent Daniel Ljiljanich explained PBIS teams focus on very specific behaviors the district would like to improve, like riding the bus or lunch in the cafeteria.
Troutman said the school also uses PRIDE (participation, respect, integrity, dedication, excellence) cards to encourage good behavior from students.
"It encourages kids, shows them we notice them doing good things. It creates a culture of excellence," she added.
Howard and Board Member Marjorie Foxton also had the opportunity to present on the New York State School Boards Association Convention they both attended.
They were able to attend workshops on the use of data in schools, the loss of local school board control to the state, including critical and free thinking in standardized education, inequity in state aid and bullying.
Both said they were moved by the presentation on bullying, which was presented by Barbara Colo-roso, the author of The Bull, The Bully and The Bystander, who will also visit the school for staff training in March.
"It made me think 'what kind of children do we want?' We want caring students with the courage to stand up for what is right," Howard said.
The other presentation both noted as being very good was by Richard G. Timbs, Executive Director, Statewide School Finance Consortium, who spoke on the inequity in state aid. Timbs will also speak on the state budget at the Chautauqua County School Boards Association meeting on Dec. 19 at the Shorewood Country Club.
The board will next meet on Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. with a workshop on the CSEP for the high school at 6 p.m.
In other business:
The board thanked Marsha Jacobs for her 32 years of service to the district after accepting her resignation for retirement.
The board authorized a cooperative agreement with SUNY Fredonia for the responsive educator program, which provides an opportunity for education majors.
The board also authorized a service adjusted agreement with BOCES for strategic planning with a cost not to exceed $28,600. Ljiljanich said this is the cost before BOCES aid.
The board reported $349,692.88 in uncollected taxes, just 8 percent of the $4.5 million levy.
