USD308 BOE hears presentations on conferences, Dyslexia, and HHS programs

USD308 BOE hears presentations on conferences, Dyslexia, and HHS programs

HUTCHINSON, KANSAS – The USD 308 Board of Education held their regularly scheduled meeting last night at 6pm at the Administrative Center, 1520 N. Plum.

During the allotted presentations time, the Board heard three presentations.

Student-Led Conferences

Lynette McLean, Principal at Wiley Elementary School was joined by Kristi Link, Instructional Support, and Taylor Stivers, School Counselor. The group spoke about student-led conferences which Wiley will be conducting during parent-teacher conferences on October 5th. Wiley students from kindergarten to 6^th grade have been hard at work creating their personalized Leadership Notebook that tracks their goals and progress for the trimester. The notebook is a part of USD308’s Leader in Me program.

From www.leaderinme.org: “Leader in Me is an evidence-based, comprehensive model that builds leadership and life skills in students, creates a high-trust school culture, and lays the foundation for sustained academic achievement”

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held from 8am-8pm at all schools on Thursday, October 5^th. There is no school on October 5^th and 6^th.

Dyslexia Support Presentation

Sheila Berridge, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, addressed the board regarding Dyslexia support. She was joined by Assistant Superintendent of Special Education, Jessica Engelland. Berridge spoke about the support that all schools within USD308 are able to provide to students with skill deficits characteristic of Dyslexia.

“There is a misnomer that parents must go beyond public schools and pay extra to support their student with reading deficits characteristic of Dyslexia. Our public schools are equipped to support these students with targeted instruction in deficit areas followed by continual progress monitoring,” Said Berridge.

AP, IB, Honors and Dual Credit

Ryan Ewy, Hutchinson High School Principal, presented on the Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Dual Credit options at HHS. The programs have seen continued success as USD308 students are able to customize their high school schedule allowing them to pursue the path that best fits their needs. Around one third of students are in honors classes at HHS. “You can go anywhere and get AP, but IB is only offered in 8 schools in Kansas and Hutchinson High School in Reno County is one of them”, Said Ewy.

Ewy stated that roughly 56% of grads are heading into the workforce; 36% attend a two-year college or vocational program, and 14% attend a four-year university upon graduation. Over half of HHS seniors are enrolled in at least one dual credit course, a growing trend between HHS and Hutchinson Community College. The IB Career Path (IBCP) and Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy (HCTEA) support HHS students in their workforce readiness goals.