LUTHERAN QUILTERS – Members of the Quilts for Comfort Group stand between pews draped with some of the 205 quilts they made, in the Sitka Lutheran Church Tuesday. The group made the quilts for five local non-profits and one in Anchorage. The remaining quilts are sent to Lutheran World Relief which distributes them to places around the world in need, such as Ukraine, as part of Personal Care Kits. Pictured are, from left, Helen Cunningham, Kathleen Brandt,Vicki Swanson, Paulla Hardy, Kim Hunter, Linda Swanson and Sue Fleming. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
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Daily Sitka Sentinel
Student Performance Reported to Board
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka schools are performing better than most other districts in the state, according to a report presented at the School Board meeting Monday, but the achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged groups in Sitka remains substantial.
Sarah Ferrency, co-assistant superintendent of schools, presented the results of the most recent PEAKS (Performance Evaluation for Alaska Schools) to the board.
Ferrency summarized the results by saying that Sitka schools are “doing well in all subjects compared to the districts in the state; more than half of our students are proficient compared to the standards in ELA (English language arts) and science, and just under half are proficient in math.”
Before diving into the detailed statistics, Ferrency noted that Sitka is a small town, and “data for small groups is not very reliable.”
Ferrency added that it was critical that PEAKS data not be used “to make generalizations about students, but to inform our work especially around equity. It’s really important to know that none of this says anything about any individual student.”
She continued to say that there was an achievement gap between Caucasian students and other ethnicities. There was also an achievement gap between economically disadvantaged students, and non-disadvantaged students.
Ferrency said PEAKS data confirms “that the largest gaps affecting the highest number of students are between Caucasian students and American Indian students, and economically disadvantaged students and those who are not.”
In addition, the overall rate of proficiency in science has fallen over the past three years, she said. “The decline was greater both for Alaska Native students and economically disadvantaged students, in science, than it was for Caucasian or non-economically disadvantaged students. In each of these cases… it appears that the declines for these marginalized groups accounts for about 75% of the overall decline for all students.”
“We still have work to do in closing the achievement gap,” Ferrency concluded. She hoped that the School District would “use this (PEAKS) data to see where our kids are now, and where we need to bring them.”
Ferrency’s full presentation, including detailed statistics, is available at https://www.sitkaschools.org/domain/28.
In addition to the PEAKS data, the board heard a presentation by Sitka Sound Science Center Education Director Janet Clarke about the Science with Math (SWiM) program for middle school students.
Clarke said the program was funded by a federal grant, and was designed as an “intervention for middle school students.” She noted that “in teaching secondary math and science… what I grew to understand is that math is a gatekeeper for our students moving from middle school to high school. Students struggling in math find that their course choices are limited.”
In the SWiM program, the Science Center uses a “math program that’s tied to an incredibly interesting science event.” In particular, students have participated in an event called “Sampling Salmon,” in which, Clarke said, they measure the fish and collect a variety of data.
She noted that the program has had an effect in that “all of our SWiM team kids are volunteering in class… they have a pride in their SWiM cohort.”
“We’re hoping that at the end of this year we can come back and report and tell you that we’ve met our goals of increased grades, increased test scores, and students that are more confident in their ability to do math,” Clarke said.
Along with these reports, School District Superintendent Mary Wegner noted that enrollment numbers are now final, and very close to the projections that were used to predict revenues for the 2020 budget. Wegner also took time to congratulate the boys and girls cross country teams on their victory in the Region V championship, September 28.
The School Board will meet again on Wednesday, December 4.
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20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Advertisement: Tea-Licious Tea House & Bakery 315 Lincoln Street Grand Opening! Freshly Baked Scones, Cakes & Pastries Innovative Salads, Soups & Sandwiches Harney & Sons Tea. Lunch * Afternoon Tea * Supper.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Photo caption: National Republican Chairman George Bush takes a drink of water offered by Jan Craddick, Sitka delegate, during the Republican convention held here. Mrs. Craddick explained to Bush that the water was from Indian River, which means, according to local legend, that he will return.