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Wednesday, August 3, 2016
State board kicks PARCC to the curb SAT to replace controversial PARCC testing By Terri Simon and Dave Cook
news@putnamcountyrecord.com
Since the state began requiring students to take the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment two years
Cards read = families fed
ago, testing season became very time consuming at many school districts, but Putnam County’s investment in technology helped avoid that issue. “Luckily, with PC going 1:1 with Chromebooks, our students were able to take the PARCC tests in a more efficient manner than districts relying on one computer lab with 25-30 machines and having to rotate classes and drastically adjust schedules. We were able to block off one test a day for two days over the course of one hour, and then run regular classes with
just a few minutes knocked off to allow the test block time. Districts without these capabilities would spend weeks conducting the tests. We were able to finish in a couple of hours,” Putnam County Superintendent Carl Carlson explained. The Illinois State Board of Education announced Monday, July 18, it would be scrapping the PARCC test for high school students. After not administering a statewide college entrance test last year, ISBE announced it would provide the College Board’s SAT exam, including a
writing component, to all public high school juniors instead of the controversial PARCC test. Grades 3 through 8 will continue to take the PARCC assessment. An ISBE news release announcing the switch said discussions between officials, students, parents and educators emphasized the need for all students to receive an equitable college exam. Many also stressed the amount of time spent taking tests needed to be reduced. In the first year of PARCC testing, 30 percent of Illinois stu-
Keeping it in the family
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It’s all in the cards ... Putnam County Schools to repair card readers
Farmer’s Market vendors instituting credit and EBT card readers
By Dave Cook
news@putnamcountyrecord.com
By Eric Engel
news@putnamcountyrecord.com
SPRING VALLEY — Local Farmer’s Markets are a fantastic opportunity for area shoppers to purchase delicious local produce, but some citizens in the community just don’t have the adequate funds to buy the nutritionally-rich fruits and vegetables. In response to that, Joy Kauffman and others are making sure the lettuce on a person’s plate holds more weight than the bills in their wallet. Kauffman, Bureau and Putnam County Health Department’s public health educator, said they’re really trying to increase access at the Farmer’s Market to lower income people, so she’s pushing the growers to take Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) or Link cards, as well as senior vouchers. She’s also encouraging growers to acquire the machinery necessary for buyers to use their credit cards. “One out of every five people has the Link card, and most of those people have kids who need to be
PCR photo/Shannon Jenkins
Caleb Dzierzynski (left) gets a few words of advice from his grandfather/caddie Terry Judd during the first round of the Illinois Valley Men’s Golf Championship, held at Edgewood Golf Course in McNabb. See more photos from the event on Page 7.
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dents met or exceeded expectations on the new test and 28.4 percent “approached” standards. Area school officials previously had said results from the first year of the new assessment were tough to interpret because PARCC had more rigorous standards than past tests, it tested students in a variety of different grades, and many students appeared not to place a high priority on the test or opted out altogether.
GRANVILLE — It was a short agenda at the Putnam County School Board meeting on July 25. It was accepted as good news that the stopgap budget had been passed, ensuring the district will receive funding. Also at the meeting, Superintendent Carl Carlson discussed the problems with the card readers that are part of the security systems at the junior high and high school buildings. The same system is also in place at the primary school, though the elementary school in Hennepin uses a different system. Carlson reported the control board is damaged beyond repair, and the related software is obsolete and no longer supported. The wiring will be able to be retained which will significantly reduce costs, and a new system will only require the control panel, card readers and software. The cost to update will be roughly $7,000 per building. The needed repairs will be made before the start of school, and Carlson reported the schools were always secure, just that there were problems with the card readers.
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