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8A THE HUnTSVillE iTEM
SUnDAY, JUnE 8, 2014
best bets
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in July, which will be hosted on Thursday, July 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vendor registration is free and limited to the first 15 vendors. For more information, call (936) 295-0600 or email Anthony Ormsbee, director of sales and marketing at aormsbee@rcmseniorliving.com.
Huntsville Head Start accepting applications Huntsville Head Start is accepting applications for 2014-2015. Children must be 3 or 4 years old by Sept. 1, 2014, and be from low-income families or children with special needs. Call (936) 291-9190 for information on how to enroll. Verification of family income, child’s birth certificate, immunization record, Social Security card and Medicaid card will be required. For information in Spanish, ask for Maria Dooley.
Child safety seat distribution, education program Safe Riders helps give out free car seats to eligible families to
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struggle with passing rates about 20.2 percent behind their peers. Many say the reason has to do with the lack of opportunities: fewer tutors, less educational background when they enter school and more difficult family situations. Dr. Mary Petron, an English-as-a-second-language professor at Sam Houston State University, said the language barrier is the toughest thing ESL students face. “Take the STAAR math test for example,” she said late last week. “Is the test testing what you know about math, or testing if you can actually read the test?” The STAAR test is different from previous standardized tests in that it requires students to critically think about reading passages and infer the answer, rather than finding the answer and plugging it in, according to Huntsville ISD curriculum director Marjetta Spriggs. The language component, Spriggs said, is critical and that many nonEnglish speakers start
school in various grade levels and they aren’t always given enough time to cope with learning a new language. “There isn’t enough time for them,” Petron said. “They have to test right away. It has a psychological effect in terms of you’re putting a test in front them they don’t understand.” Dr. Melinda Miller, a professor of special student populations at SHSU, said the culture described in the tests may contribute to the problem. “There was one test where they asked the students what color a banana is,” she said. “The answer is yellow. But what if you’re poor and the bananas you see are brown because they were bought after the prices were reduced.” There are other examples as well. Petron said a passage about a vacation to the Grand Canyon would be difficult for poorer students to interpret because they may not have vacations or have even been anywhere away from home. Petron said the same thing goes for ESL students. “Let’s say there is a reading passage about a
increase the number of children who ride in cars safely and decrease the number of children hurt in car crashes. Safe Riders work with a variety of local community groups to offer classes in which a family can receive a new child safety seat and learn how to use it properly. Parents interested in participating can call tollfree at (800) 252-8255. Qualifying parents will be referred to a program in their area. The Texas Department of State Health Services also provides child safety seat inspections. Contact Jessica at (936) 294-2170 to set up an appointment.
Outdoor Explorer program at state park The City of Huntsville Recreation Services division has partnered with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department to offer another season of the Outdoor Explorer program at the Huntsville State Park. Citizens who are interested in learning to hike, bike or kayak are encouraged to attend the next session, scheduled Saturday, June 21, or any of the other monthly sessions to follow. Park entrance fee is $5 for adults and free for those 12 and under. Participants should arrive just before 9 a.m. and plan to take part in Outdoor Explorer activities until 1 p.m. Classes will be held June 21, July 19, Aug. 23 and Sept.
birthday party,” she said. “The parents drop the child off ... they eat cake, play pin the tail on the donkey and the parents pick the kid up.” “If you’re from Mexico, that party doesn’t even make sense. They are giving the reading that makes sense to someone who is a mainstream person from the USA. It’d be like me giving Americans a reading on a Quinceanera and asking them to interpret that.” Black students also have a rough time with passing rates 6.6 percent below Hispanics — the second lowest race in terms of passing rates. “The test is written to the dominant, white, middle-class population, not for African-Americans, Hispanics, or the economidisadvantaged,” cally Miller said. Spriggs said the gaps get wider with every new test. “The more rigorous the test gets, the more of those gaps we’ve seen,” she said. “The gaps will only get bigger.” Miller said one reason she has heard from teachers is that the state changes the test as soon as schools start performing well. “As soon as students start performing well on a
test, they change it,” Miller said referring to the conversations she’s had with “Although educators. some might do well, (the state) doesn’t give all children the chance to do well on the test.” Spriggs said Huntsville ISD — the scores of which won’t be released until
20. For more information or to preregister, call (936) 294-5725 or nreid@huntsvilletx.gov.
Samuel Walker Houston HS Biennial Reunion Begun 40 years ago, the Samuel Walker Houston High School Biennial Reunion is set for July 24-26. The dances and picnic will be held at the Walker County Fairgrounds. The reunion will open on Thursday, July 24, with a Gospel Explosion, featuring local and area groups, at First Missionary Baptist Church, 1530 Tenth Street. The public is welcome to attend. For more information, contact Deborah Gilbert at (936) 295-2119.
Volunteers needed for community project Montgomery County Youth Services and United Way of The Piney Woods are excited to announce the launch of REVERB, a week-long community service project for Huntsville youth happening this summer. Preparations are underway to support the youth in a street art project, building a garden and hosting a community event. Volunteers with skills in art, gardening and media presentations are needed. To find out more contact Dave Waxler at (936) 756-8682 or email REVERB@youthmc.org.
mid-June — is always looking for ways to work with those underperforming students to bridge the gaps. “We’re looking at everything we can find in the data,” she said. “Attendance, what interventions were provided, what interventions have
we not used.” “We work with those students one-on-one. Many times they don’t come with foundation and you have to build foundation to work on. Some kids come from home and have a foundation with a lot of experiences. Some kids have done very little.”