FEBRUARY 10, 2009
Russ Dix RICHARD ENSEY greeted only members, as there were no guests, and STEVE SOELBERG once again gave a nice invocation. Our usual song leader was not in attendance, so we did the best we could.
ROGER BELL reported on the all Kiwanis group meeting he attended on behalf of CHRIS COTE. The group decided to purchase a booth at the upcoming Chamber Business Expo, March 10th. This will be further discussed at the next Board Meeting, but Chris will be looking for a couple of Yakima Kiwanians to work two hour shifts if it approved.
A Division Council Meeting will be held Tuesday, February, 17th at 6:00 pm at the Terrace Heights location of Keith and Keith. Contact Roger for more information.
BETH KLINGELE reported that Tuesday morning’s Interclub to Ellensburg was a success with herself, RON ZIRKLE, LYNN BUCHANAN, JOHN BENSON, and Roger making the drive (which seemed to be quite the topic of conversation for some of the travelers).
Sergeant LORI CROW devised a quick way to fine each of us in relation to the upcoming Valentine’s Day, then STEVE PICKETT took over, winning Bingo (called by SPENCER HATTON) and a 50/50 Raffle chance (worked by Lynn Buchanan) at a pot of somewhere between $150 & $170.
MARYBETH WRIGHT introduced Greg Day, YSD’s Director of Academic Assessment, who gave a talk on the Yakima’s experience with the WASL, Washington Assessment of Student Learning. Greg has been in the district since 1979 and has spent 20 years in Administration.
The WASL began in 1979 as a pilot program with fourth grade students. The central idea behind the WASL was to show process, not just a recitation of facts and rote answers. As most everyone knows, the WASL is now administered to fourth, seventh, and high school students as they progress through the various grades, providing a snapshot of their abilities relative to other student populations. The high school test has become a standard of graduation, and therefore is not limited to just sophomore’s as it once was.
Greg then showed Yakima’s tenth grade score trends over the past four years. They showed impressive gains in the ability to meet standards in writing and reading, increasing 31.4% and 34.9% respectively, and more modest gains in math and science, increasing 5.0% and 5.4%. Compared to the state, Yakima’s gains in were twice as good in reading and more than one and half times as good in reading but our area still trails the state in overall success in all WASL areas. Greg had reasons for that discrepancy and presented some of the expected changes that are going to occur under the new Superintendent of Public Instruction. It is hoped that the new changes will show growth over time and allow better integration of the testing results in curriculum development and actual class teaching.
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