by Patrick Tepoorten

The North Branch school board approved the 2006-2007 school calendar at last Thursday, without any pre-planned snow days. ìSnow days are good in theory,î said Superintendent Rodney Reisnouer, ìbut in practicality are confusing for parents and staff.î

For years the district has built into the schedule days during the year to be used for make-up classes if weather forced a school closing. In addition to being confusing for parents who may not be sure if the make-up date is being used or not, it is also costly for the district. According to Reisnouer, it costs the district upwards of $1,000 to get word to parents as to how the day will be used.

Starting next year, any school days missed due to weather will be added to the end of the year.

District parents interested in next yearís calendar can pick up a copy from the school, or download it from the district Web site at www.northbranch.k12.mn.us/.

As well as a next yearís calendar, the school board approved a two-year contract with district custodial staff. The agreement, effective from July of 2005 to June of 2007, includes a 2.35 percent increase in salary schedules in the first year and a 2.3 percent increase in the second year. It also includes increases in the districtís portion of medical insurance costs.

In other news:

ï The school board heard a presentation from middle school principal Todd Tetzlaff on what the school is doing to improve its model. He discussed the ì14 characteristics of a successful middle school,î which includes high expectations of both students and teachers. Reisnouer commended Tetzlaff for what the middle school has been able to achieve as it relates to metro area school districts. ìOur students are in good hands,î he stated, and made note of the fact that North Branch is keeping pace with bigger districts despite having roughly one-third the licensed teachers. ìItís pretty phenomenal,î he concluded.

ï Director of Teaching and Learning Jan Ashlin gave a summation on the value of NWEA Assessments. NWEAís are just one of at least five different ways the district measures progress. Ashlin explained to the board that the value of NWEA testing is that it tracks the progress of not just grade levels, but specific classes and individuals as well.

The most recent round of NWEA tests shows that the district is strong in specific areas of math, like data analysis, statistics, and geometry, but needs improvement in the area of computation and operations. In the area of reading, the district shows no areas of weakness.

Unlike tests mandated by the federal or state government, the district chooses to use NWEAís measure of progress, at a ballpark cost of $24,000 per year. Ashlin believes it is money well spent, as NWEA provides information well above and beyond what can be learned from mandated tests.

ìThe MCAís are summative,î said Ashlin on Tuesday, ìThey give a snapshotî of yearly progress.î

NWEAís, on the other hand, provide local data measured against nationwide norms, establishes patterns over a period of years, and provide test results within 24 hours, as opposed to months later, as with MCAís.