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Serving Bureau County Since 1847
Saturday, April 4, 2015
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Easter blessings As the Easter holiday arrives on Sunday, April 5, the Bureau County Republican wishes you a blessed holiday, filled with the Easter story of sacrifice, love and resurrection. We wish you a day filled with memory-making moments that will stay with you and your family for many years to come.
The new initiative Teachers weigh in on Common Core By Zita Henneberry zhenneberry@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — The diverse interpretations and opinions on Common Core have found their way into Illinois classrooms as well as Illinois homes. While some teachers feel not much has changed, others find the new standards drastically alter classroom education. “To me, Common Core is not asking teachers to do (anything) other than (what) they should have been doing all along,” said long-time Princeton Year 169 No. 41 One Section - 20 Pages
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High School educator Elaine McVety. “In my own classroom, these learning standards have changed my focus in ELA (English language arts) and math to concentrate on fewer concepts but in greater detail,” said Bureau Valley North third-grade teacher Zach DeMay. The Common Core standards are focused on a student’s depth of understanding. Many educators have explained the standards require students to think abstractly and independently. “Common Core, to me, is nothing more or less than critical thinking skills, and I do believe that helping students develop them is a major reason I became a teacher,” McVety said.
However, in younger grade levels, where abstract thinking may be more challenging, DeMay said education has drastically changed. “The demands are higher for teachers and students. Foundational levels, such as Pre-K, become very important and should be heavily involved even more, as skills students used to learn in second grade will need to be taught in kindergarten,” he said. While the expectations on students have changed, DeMay acknowledged the progressive nature of the standards. “This will ultimately guide our students to better problem solving skills and increase their reasoning,” he said. A Bureau County
teacher who wished to remain anonymous said, “Instruction in the classroom has changed considerably because students are to read more information … The world has quickly evolved these days where students read and quickly answer questions at a superficial level much like wanting to know a quick answer and Googling it, reading it, and moving on. We have to teach thinking and studying skills. We have to teach them to question what they read.” While this teacher believes Common Core has helped some students think on deeper levels, there are students who struggle to keep up. “It is too challenging for
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Some cuts may not heal Perry Memorial Hospital argues against Medicaid cutback By Zita Henneberry zhenneberry@bcrnews.com
PRINCETON — A statewide cut to Medicaid may have more effects on Illinois than Gov. Bruce Rauner has foreseen. A recent resolution passed by the Perry Memorial Hospital (PMH) Board of Directors said Rauner’s recent budget proposal has made radical and inadvisable cuts to the Medicaid program. “These Medicaid cuts jeopardize access to health care services and good paying, professional jobs for our community,” the resolution stated. According to an article on Modern Healthcare.com,
Rauner proposed the state cut $1.5 billion from the program. Rauner and his administration believe the state needs be more aggressive in ferreting out current Medicaid recipients who should not qualify for the program. In an attempt to diminish Medicaid recipients, the article said Rauner has added about $5,000 to the state’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Prevention Fund and stressed the agency’s need to watch costs. Perry Memorial Hospital agreed the state should examine the number of Medicaid patients and eliminate those from the service who are not eligible. However, “With the state
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