Compiled by Anna Skinner
On the evening of July 13, the Zionsville Community Schools Board of School Trustees held a meeting.
What happened: The board approved the purchase of four new school buses at $359,208.
What it means: This allows ZCS to replace two of the current buses and use the other two on a reserve fleet.
What happened: All five ZCS elementary schools were recognized as Common Sense Digital Citizenship Certified Schools.
What it means: The certification was given on the fact that all elementary schools educate students to be safe, smart and ethical digital citizens. Students are prepared to use technology safely, which will provide them with many opportunities for the future.
What happened: The Indiana Department of Education requested the board’s input on what to do regarding ZCS’s A through F grade ratings considering that the ISTEP test and standards were changed recently and there is not enough data to conduct a rating. This is to form a system for the state to grade school systems.
What it means: The board was given 12 options to choose from and suggest one to return to the DOE. Out of the 12, the board voted for option 1, which entailed assigning no A-F grade for the 2015-16 school year and carrying over the same grade system from the 2013-14 school year.
“Based on our view, there’s a huge validity question about using this year’s test outcomes for this very public accountability scale,” said Shari Alexander Richey, Board of School Trustees president. “We didn’t feel like any of the options other than option 1 treated this situation properly.”
Despite the board’s recommendation, their approval of option 1 was only a suggestion, not a resolution. The DOE will decide the final option to use once they are notified of the board’s suggestion.
