Though break was nice, there's still work to be done

(Published Sunday, March 30, 2008 in Examiner-Enterprise)

Spring Break is always a nice way for everyone to take some time away from the task at hand and recharge their batteries.

Some people are able to go on vacation while others might catch up on home projects which they have been putting off. March Madness got underway during Spring Break this year, no doubt providing an exciting diversion for college basketball fans throughout the area and across the country.

But now that Spring Break is behind us, we can begin to look forward to what the remainder of the 2007-08 academic year has in store for us. The year will culminate with Bartlesville High School graduation ceremonies for the Class of 2008, which are slated for Friday, May 23 (8 p.m.), at Custer Stadium. The graduating Class of 2008 will feature approximately 400 students. Should inclement weather strike us on graduation night, the event will be moved indoors to the BHS Fieldhouse.

Of course, before we begin thinking about the conclusion of the current academic year, there are still plenty of notable events on the horizon. Ranch Heights Elementary School holds its annual Land Run Day – a salute to the Sooner State 's early pioneers – in April while Richard Kane Elementary School will hold its 71 st annual pet parade in May. The Bartlesville Public School District 's Special Olympics athletes are due to take part in the 2008 State Summer Games in May as well.

The spring months are a key time for testing, also. Criterion Reference Testing – governed by the Oklahoma State Department of Education – is held in April and May. Students in grades three through eight are tested in a variety of different subject areas including reading, math, writing, social studies and science. Within the Bartlesville Public School District , we have set the bar high in terms of the scoring levels which we hope to attain. Last year, whenever the 2007 results were released in August, we received great news. Our scores had improved in virtually every area from the previous year. The CRT scoring system reveals what percentage of a grade level from a particular school district is proficient in a given subject. Within the Bartlesville Public School District , our fourth graders scored a 98 in reading and a 96 in math. The third graders boasted a 93 in reading and an 89 in math.

BPSD fifth graders – they were tested in five areas compared to the two apiece for third and fourth graders – tallied a 94 in reading, a 95 in math, a 95 in writing, an 85 in social studies and a 96 in science.

District seventh graders turned in solid scores in each of the three subjects in which they were tested – math (87), reading (86) and geography (90). The eighth grade, which was tested in five areas, showed nice improvement as they put up a 90 in reading, an 89 in math, a 94 in writing, a 93 in science and an 89 in history.

We expect more good results once the 2008 scores are released by the OSDE later this summer.

At the high school level – freshman through senior – End of Instruction testing takes place in May and gauges students in a wide variety of different subjects including English II, English III, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geography, U.S. History and Biology I. EOIs are a primary component which the Oklahoma State Department of Education uses to calculate Academic Performance Index scores for schools throughout the Sooner State at the secondary level. Both Bartlesville High School and the Bartlesville Mid-High School have continued to improve their API showings in recent years – as has the entire district – and our scores far exceed the state averages. The state department of education uses APIs to monitor the academic integrity of schools and districts.

At BHS, students never stop honing their test taking skills when it comes to the ACT, a college entrance exam. The school offers its students the chance to take the test at various times during a given academic year and began offering an ACT preparatory class this year. Earlier this month, ACT specialist Chad Cargill held a three-hour session on campus to help students prepare for the test.

While it's always nice to have some time off – such as the respite offered by Spring Break every year – it's vital to continue focusing on the task at hand. Summer is fast approaching, but there is still work to be done before we can properly conclude the 2007-08 academic year.