By DR. DEREK ARROWOOD
Hamilton Heights Superintendent
Update #64 from Dr. Derek Arrowood, Superintendent, Hamilton Heights School Corporation.
Last week, the Indiana Department of Education released the spring ILEARN exam results, and they show 40.5 percent of students are at or above proficiency standards in English/language arts, and 36.9 percent are at or above proficiency standards in mathematics. Only 28.6 percent of students statewide in grades 3 through 8 tested proficient in both English and math.
Learning loss due to the pandemic did not come as a surprise, and we know this cumulative data does not identify individual student achievement, or the many valuable new life skills our students learned such as asking more questions, improving their self-confidence, and coping with a new reality. We are grateful to our teachers, parents, and students who worked together to do the best they could through the challenges presented by a world health crisis.
For the year ahead, we will be taking a more asset-based approach to the learning loss, meeting students where they are and building from there. We will provide equitable tools for learning, continue to prepare teachers with the support and ongoing professional development they need, identify pre-requisite skills for remediation, and start with grade-level instruction all complimented by a high-quality K-12 curriculum with rigorous standards. It is our goal to improve test scores in the next testing cycle because of the comprehensive, proactive efforts we are putting forth now.
Speaking of next year, the 2021-22 COVID-19 Re-Entry Plan draft is posted online and we expect to finalize the plan shortly. The plan prioritizes a successful transition back to in-person learning and is aligned with the recommendations and latest health and safety guidance. The information contained in this plan can quickly change and current recommendations from government agencies could become requirements. We will communicate any changes to the plans when adjustments are necessary or required. In addition, you can view here the latest recommendations from the Indiana Department of Health (IDH) following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools on safely returning to in-person instruction for the 2021-22 school year.
Meanwhile, our partners at the Hamilton County Health Department are hosting a virtual town hall at 6 p.m. this evening to help answer many of the common questions parents have about getting their kids vaccinated against COVID-19. Dr. Christopher Belcher, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Ascension Medical Group in Carmel, and Dr. Shobana Pandian, a pediatrician at Community Health in Fishers, will lead the discussion and be available to help answer questions.
As a reminder, school returns to its traditional, in-person format for students on Tuesday, Aug. 10. The 2021-22 district calendar is available online here. Our schools will be on the new time schedule listed in the blue box at right.
We are looking forward to the start of school and all the possibilities the new school year brings with it!
#WeAreHuskies