Highlights from the August 14th Linn-Mar Board of Education Meeting

Here are highlights of the August 14th Board of Education meeting.

Please remember these are just highlights and should not be considered the official minutes.

Student Achievements: Associate Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer Shannon Bisgard shared information on the 2016-17 student assessments and shared that our students do very well due to the combined efforts of our parents and teachers. Information was provided on the Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST), Iowa Assessments, and NWEA. Bisgard also shared that the Consolidated Accountability and Support Application (CASA) has replaced the Iowa Department of Education’s five-year visit regarding compliance and accreditation and that No Child Left Behind has been replaced with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The State is considering various options for the future of assessments in Iowa and the final determination will be made by the Iowa Department of Education.

Homework Expectations: The board discussed Policy 603.7 and shared their opinions on the inequality of homework levels across the buildings, classrooms, and district. It was the consensus of the board that the policy is not being followed and requested administration investigate homework across the district to devise a plan on how to proceed.

Board Learning: Board Secretary and Business Manager Angie Morrison reviewed a board learning calendar that will be used to assist in building board agendas, focusing the board on various learning items, and ensure deadlines are met for items needing board approval.

Superintendent’s Goals: Dr. Shepherd outlined the process he used in determining his 2017-18 goals. As requested by the board, Shepherd narrowed his list down to the following three goals: 1) Update and work toward the Year 2 goals included in the district’s Strategic Plan, 2) Initiate work on district data dashboards/metrics with pilot metrics deployed throughout the year, and 3) Engage with additional Linn-Mar communities outside the Marion area.

Recognition: Board President Tim Isenberg read a proclamation recognizing outgoing board members Jim Green, Rene Gadelha, and Tina Patterson and presented each with crystal apple etched with the L-M logo.

The next meeting of the Board of Education will be Monday, August 28th. Please note that the September 11th Board of Education meeting has been cancelled.

To view the full agenda and exhibits, visit the Board/Policy website.