Altamont School Board Hears About Ideas on Improving Student Performance

Altamont school board members Monday heard from high school principal Jerry Tkachuk regarding research into why some students are academic low performers.

Tkachuk said the research has been going on while working on the inclusion of Common Core standards across the various disciplines.  He said factors have been identified, but he said they have not been as great of a cause as first thought.  The factors have brought about an increase in discipline referrals, but Tkachuk hopes those will lessen over time.

Tkachuk said he and the staff members will be having a serious discussion about assessment and grading in preparation for the inclusion of a Student Growth Model into the evaluation process.

Altamont board members learned that enrollment was at 505 students as of September 11, 11 fewer students than a year earlier.

Grade school principal Doug Hill reported a good turnout for Meet the Teacher Night, and said a Love and Logic Parenting class will begin October 8.

Superintendent Jeff Fritchtnitch told Board members that laptops have been distributed to students for another year and that everything is up and running.  Fritchtnitch also reported on a collaboration meeting between Altamont and St. Elmo school officials held on August 28 and an as-yet unscheduled collaboration meeting between Altamont and Beecher City officials.

The Altamont board:

--accepted the resignations of bus driver Jerry Shepard, substitute bus driver Carol Hanna, substitute cook Julie Began and high school head girls track coach Tina Reel

--employed Stephanie Hudgens as high school teacher aide

--approved an early graduation request