School Board will hear report on four-period day

I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.

May 18, 1997

By Devlyn Brooks

Staff Writer

The Bemidji School Board will consider few action items during May's board meeting, but will hear several featured reports, Superintendent Rollie Morud said Friday.

The board will meet 7 p.m. Monday in the Bemidji High School Green Room. Prior to the regular board meeting, a special budget workshop will be heled at 6 p.m. in the same place.

First, the board will hear a statistical evaluation of Bemidji High School's four-period day. Consultant James Rafferty, a Bemidji State University professor, was hired by the district to analyze test scores and other raw data to determine whether the switch to the four-period day has worked well for the High School, Morud said.

Rafferty will report on the difference in Iowa Basic Skills, ACT and SAT test scores and other information, including what effect the switch has had on the school's dropout rate.

"We've had a subjective review of the four-period day already. This is a statistical review," Morud said. "Is it working? Is it good for the kids? How is it working for the kids? Are we doing better or aren't we? We want to know these things, and we'll find out Monday."

A second report, from Director of Instruction Dave Bucher, will concern recent graduation standards testing taken by the district's eighth-graders in April. Bucher will present the scores from the recently taken tests and also the scores from ninth-graders who failed the test last year and re-took the test in January.

"My guess is that we'll look good," Morud said. "I think our eighth-graders placed better than average compared to the other eighth-graders in the state."

The third report concerns special education compliance monitoring which was recently completed throughout the district. Morud said the state's Department of Children, Families and Learning evaluated the district systemwide for compliance to special education needs, and he believes the district scored well.

In other business, the board will:

• Consider the confirmation of three retiring teachers.

• Hear the second reading of the district's proposed harassment, violence and discrimination and conditional behavior interventions policies. The board will also consider approval of the two policies.

• Hear a "Share the Pride" presentation from the district's early childhood and special education departments.

• Consider approval of a letter of support for the upstart Junior Achievement project at Lincoln Elementary School.

• Consider amending the 1997-98 school calendar by moving a January teacher in-service day to May.