Jefferson County Public Schools
May 2012
Students are taking new state tests (page 2)
Around the business world in a day (page 6) High school graduation schedule (page 8)
Keep your child learning during the summer (page 10)
www.jcpsky.net Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Offering Equal Educational Opportunities
Students are taking new state tests
Kentucky is the first and only state that is testing students according to the new Common Core State Standards in math and English/language arts. These academic standards determine what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. For instance, according to the new math standards, sixth graders should be able to divide fractions and solve such word problems as “How wide is a rectangular strip of land with a length of 3⁄4 mile and an area of 1⁄2 square mile?” The new standards have been adopted by more than 45 states, but a national test based on them won’t be available until 2014. 2
In the meantime, Kentucky is forging ahead with its own tests in math and English based on the new standards as well as new tests in science and social studies based on the old ones. The new testing program is called the Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP).
Testing in grades three through eight Students in grades three through eight are taking tests that include a combination of “criterion-referenced” questions (which measure how much students know) and “norm-referenced” questions (which compare how much each student knows to others
who take the test). The tests include multiplechoice questions as well as open-response items that require students to show their knowledge and to apply it in some way. For instance, an open-response question about fossils might ask the student not only to describe two ways that fossils form but also to explain why fossils help us understand how living things have changed over time. K-PREP tests also include short-answer questions. Here’s an example of a fifth-grade short-answer math question: Mara needs to buy 2 pieces of rope to hang a swing. Each piece of rope must be
10 FEET long. The rope is only sold in lengths that are whole numbers of YARDS. What is the LEAST number of YARDS of rope Mara must buy to make the swing? Show your work or explain your thinking. Tests that focus on the mechanics of writing are used in grades four and six. Ondemand writing tests are used in grades five, six, and eight. The on-demand tests ask students to write argumentative, informative/ explanatory, narrative, or opinion pieces in response to something they’ve read in the test booklet or to a stand-alone prompt. Here’s an example of a sixth-grade writing prompt: Think about what it would be like to be the first to at-
tend a newly built school. Write a narrative about that first day. Describe what you do, see, and feel throughout the day.
Testing in high school Students in grades ten and eleven take on-demand writing tests that ask them to write argumentative, informative/explanatory, or narrative pieces in response to a passage in the test booklet or to a prompt. Here’s an example of an eleventh-grade writing prompt: Write an explanation for your school newspaper about your chosen career for the future. Support your choice logically and effectively. High school students also take new end-of-course exams in English II, Algebra
II, Biology, and U.S. History. All students must pass these courses to graduate. Each end-of-course exam has three parts. Parts one and two consist of 35 to 38 multiple-choice questions each. The other part has one to three questions that students must answer in writing. Scores on these exams count for 20 percent of the course grades. The new tests are part of the education reforms resulting from Senate Bill 1, passed by Kentucky lawmakers in 2009. The bill required the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS) to be replaced with a new state system that focuses on making sure students are ready for college and careers.
Which tests will your child take? Grade three: reading and math Grade four: reading, writing, math, and science Grade five: reading, writing, math, and social studies Grade six: reading, writing, and math Grade seven: reading, math, and science Grade eight: reading, writing, math, and social studies Grade ten: writing Grade eleven: writing
The testing period for elementary students started on Wed., May 9, and lasts through Tues., May 15. The testing period for middle and high school students is Mon., May 14, through Fri., May 18. You’ll get your child’s test results near the start of the next school year. As in the past, students’ scores will
be labeled Novice, Apprentice, Proficient, or Distinguished. Because the standards on which the tests are based (continued on next page)
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are more difficult than they were in the past, scores may go down in the short term, but they should go up as students and teachers become more comfortable with the new standards. Some high school students will take end-ofcourse tests in English II, Algebra II, Biology, and U.S. History near the end of the school year. Other students already took these tests in February at the end of the first two trimesters. In March, all Kentucky high school juniors took the ACT. Last September, tenth graders took the PLAN test and eighth graders took EXPLORE. The results of these tests, the endof-course exams, and the K-PREP tests are part of the data that the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will use to calculate overall student performance for the district and for each school. 4
Does your child dread test time? Most students don’t like tests, but some have a deep-seated dread that nearly—or actually—reaches the level of a phobia. These students have test anxiety, and it has nothing to do with how well they’ve prepared. Even students who study hard can have test anxiety. “They are so worried about taking the test that they can’t show what they know,” says the Parent Institute, which points out that it doesn’t help to tell a child with test anxiety to just relax. Instead, the institute says,
share these tips: • Don’t cram. A good night’s sleep is more important than an extra hour of studying. Studies show that last-minute cramming doesn’t work. • Read the test directions carefully. • Look over the test quickly. Before answering any questions, skim quickly through the test. Figure out how much time to spend on each section. • Don’t be afraid to skip a question. Don’t waste time worrying about a question you can’t answer. Instead, go on to questions you know you can answer. If there’s time, go back to the items you skipped. • Remember past tests where you did well. You can do well again.
Famous authors write personal letters to students By Tonya Schulz, Laukhuf Elementary teacher
we mailed the letters. Project over, right?
The students in my fourth-grade class love to read. I wanted them to understand there are real people behind the books, so I asked them to read at least three titles by one author.
Letters from authors started arriving in the mail. One letter came all the way from England, and the student said, “Wow! I can’t believe it!”
The students researched their authors using the Internet and the school library, and then they had to do an oral presentation of biographical information and a visual display about the author’s work. In addition, the students wrote letters to their authors. The entire experience was amazing from start to finish. The students loved researching, reading, and working on their projects. They presented them, and then
Well, then it got even better.
You would have thought he had received a letter from a movie star. The students couldn’t wait for me to check the mail each day. We also received several autographed photos from the authors. We are displaying the letters and the photos on a Wall of Fame, and the students feel very proud and important. This study unit encouraged a lifelong love of reading as well as a new connection with the faces behind the books.
Meyzeek earns fourth straight math championship Meyzeek’s MATHCOUNTS Team won the 2012 State Championship. It’s the school’s fourth consecutive title. The team consisting of Yue Zhang, Yuhan Long, Tiger Teng, and Emily Liu competed against 26 other Kentucky teams and 145 students. Yue, Yuhan, and Noe Middle student Shravan Ravishankar will be members of the Kentucky team at the 2012 Raytheon MATHCOUNTS National Competition. It will be held this month at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Florida. Yue was the overall individual champion in the state competition. Shravan placed third, and Yuhan placed fourth. Kentucky’s national team members receive a free trip to the competition in Orlando. They also receive a four-year scholarship
to either the University of Kentucky (UK) or the University of Louisville (UofL). Meyzeek coach Greg Moore will coach the Kentucky team at the national competition. Noe’s MATHCOUNTS team placed third in the state competition. The team consisted of Shravan, Mukund Venkatakrishnan, Andrew Nguyen Vo, and Jordon Bowden. Noe’s coaches are Stephanie Fields and Brenda Carr.
Mark your calendar
May 22 No school for students—Primary Election May 28 No school for students—Memorial Day May 30 Last day of school 5
Around the business world in a day
Atherton students present business cards and gifts to a Japanese businessman.
Students from three schools participate in a simulated global marketplace
Atherton High student Lorena Maldonado had to take a business trip to Japan. But first, she and the four other students on her team had to meet with an attorney, create a budget, get a passport, and visit a travel agency. When their plane landed, they had to go through customs, exchange their currency, and hire a translator. All of these activities took place last month during an event called the Amazing Global Marketplace—a series of simulated business scenarios and role-playing exercises on the Bellar6
mine University campus. Four teams from Atherton, one from Seneca High, and one from Eastern High participated during the daylong event. (Atherton and Seneca offer the Human Services, Education, and International Studies Professional Career Theme Program. Eastern offers the Business and Information Technology Professional Career Theme Program.) Each team had to go through several simulated scenarios: traveling to another country, attending meetings with business people who don’t speak
English, and negotiating contracts to produce or sell a product or service. But, even though the activities were simulated, the students learned real-world business skills. Lorena says she learned about the importance of being familiar with other cultures and their customs. Before the meeting, her team practiced Japanese business customs, such as bowing, formally exchanging business cards, and giving gifts. Handling the cultural aspects of the meetings determined a large part of
the score that each team received during the marketplace. “It doesn’t matter how well you negotiate if you offend. Then you aren’t going to make a deal,” says Lonna Versluys, director of public programs for Crane House: The Asia Institute, a Louisville organization that helped produce the event. The student teams “traveled” to not only Japan but also China, India, Mexico, Germany, and France. The Amazing Global Marketplace was the culmination of a program that began in the fall when the students were matched with a mentor from one of several international companies in Louisville: Yum! Brands, Papa John’s International,
the electrical equipment company LINAK, the chemical company Süd-Chemie, the beverage company Flavorman, or the technology company GlowTouch. Students visited their mentor company, participated in videoconferences with representatives, and collaborated with them to solve business case problems. Experienced international businesspeople from several Louisville companies helped enact the business scenarios during
the marketplace. For more information, visit www. amazingglobalmarketplace. com.
the School Lunch Program increased the number of local farm contracts from two to six, with a projected $127,000 in total sales for the farmers—an increase of $93,000 from last year.
tion lessons, solicited bids for the first time this year. Two distributors have been handling deliveries of Kentucky-grown products to 33 schools.
Photo: Lorena Maldonado negotiates during a business meeting.
More local produce served in JCPS lunchrooms Indian Trail Elementary second graders got to eat homegrown lettuce this year. Well, actually it was “schoolgrown” lettuce. When it was served in March, it was the first time that a vegetable from the school garden was available through the School Lunch Program.
And Indian Trail’s cafeteria isn’t the only lunchroom that has been serving locally grown food. Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) School and Community Nutrition Services contracted with Kentucky farmers for fresh produce to use throughout this year’s growing season and beyond. In fact, in February,
Five new items were added to the program, and quantities were increased for five fruits and vegetables, including Winesap apples, cabbage, kale, spinach, and butternut squash. Overall, 17 locally grown items have been included in the program this year, 6 more than last year. Plus, JCPS’s USDA-funded Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program, which serves 17,000 students three days a week in conjunction with nutri-
“It’s so important that children know where food comes from,” says Julia Bauscher, nutrition director at JCPS. “Local food is one part of our continuing work to improve school lunch, and it complements our work to use more whole grains and reduce sodium in our recipes.”
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2012 High School Graduation Schedule School Graduation Location Academy @ Shawnee Durrett Auditorium Atherton High KEC (Freedom Hall) Ballard High KEC (Freedom Hall) Brown School Brown School Butler Traditional High KEC (Freedom Hall) Central High KEC (Broadbent Arena) Doss High KEC (Freedom Hall) DuPont Manual High KEC (Freedom Hall) Eastern High KEC (Freedom Hall) Fairdale High KEC (Broadbent Arena) Fern Creek High KEC (Broadbent Arena) Iroquois High Iroquois Amphitheater Jefferson County High Durrett Auditorium Jeffersontown High KEC (Broadbent Arena) Liberty High Durrett Auditorium Louisville Male High KEC (Freedom Hall) Moore Traditional Durrett Auditorium Phoenix School of Discovery Durrett Auditorium Pleasure Ridge Park High KEC (Freedom Hall) Seneca High KEC (Freedom Hall) Southern High KEC (Broadbent Arena) Valley High KEC (East/South Hall) Waggener High KEC (East/South Hall) Western High KEC (East/South Hall) 8
Date May 30 May 30 May 30 May 31 June 1 May 30 May 31 May 31 May 31 May 31 May 31 May 30 May 30 May 31 June 1 June 1 June 1
Time 8 p.m. 8 p.m. 5 p.m. 12 noon 9 a.m. 5 p.m. 7 p.m. 9 a.m. 3 p.m. 3 p.m. 12 noon 5 p.m. 4 p.m. 9 a.m. 12 noon 3 p.m. 9 a.m.
June 1
7 p.m.
May 31 June 1 May 30 May 31 May 31 May 30
12 noon 12 noon 8 p.m. 3 p.m. 9 a.m. 5 p.m.
Keeping kids safe
Teens and parties
The following information is derived from a Web site hosted by the JCPS Safe and Drug-Free Schools Office. What should you do when your teen is hosting a party? • Set ground rules before the party. • Limit attendance and hours. • Provide entertainment. • Welcome calls from other parents. • Keep guests in the party location. • Never provide alcohol to
Answers to the April Math Questions
guests under 21. • Be aware of social host liability laws. • Frequently walk through the party. Adult presence is important. • Watch for any strange behavior. What should you say to a teen who wants to go to a friend’s party? • Talk to your teen about the dangers of underage drinking. Don’t lecture, but send a clear message that drinking isn’t acceptable. • Set firm rules and discuss consequences for breaking them. • Keep the lines of communication open. • Tell your teen that you will call the friend’s parents to
confirm the location and time of the party. • Make sure your teen has money and a cell phone. • Have your teen agree to leave a party if it is unsafe because of drinking or drug use. • Have your teen agree to refuse to ride with someone who has been drinking or using drugs. • Encourage your teen to call home if he or she needs help. • Greet your teen when he or she gets home. For more information on how to protect your child from the dangers of alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, and violence, visit www.jcpsky. net/Parents and click Keeping Kids Safe on the left side of the page.
The answers to the eleventh-grade math questions in the last Parent Connection are 1: C, 2: D, 3: B. To review the questions, visit the newsletter’s Web site and click on the April issue. The first parent to send the correct answers was Sherrie Weber, mother of two students at Butler Tradi-
tional High. (Weber and her children are shown above.) Other winners were Ron Sahoo (Noe Middle) and
Judith Mhlanga (Meyzeek Middle and Chenoweth Elementary). 9
Keep your child learning during the summer The summer months are looming. What is your child going to do during all that time when she’s not in school? Without a plan, she’ll probably spend too much time in front of the TV. She’ll probably also drive you crazy by announcing, “I’m bored.” So start planning for the summer months now. Work with your child to set learning goals for the summer: • Read at least four books. Research shows that kids who read just four books over the summer will avoid “summer slide,” or the gap in academic skills, when they go back to school in the fall. Listening to audio books will also build your child’s vocabulary and her confidence. Many public libraries have these available to check out. 10
• Try something new. The child who has never thought of herself as an athlete could spend the summer learning a sport. The kid who feels shy might look for a chance to be in a summer play. Summer is a good time to stretch. • Let your child take a risk. No, you don’t have to let her try skydiving! But trying and mastering hard things is how your child learns. • Don’t let weak areas slide. If there is a subject your child struggles with, don’t let her take the whole summer off. Ask the teacher for some ideas about how she can practice over the summer so her learning doesn’t slide backwards. Reprinted with permission from The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: “It’s Summer, Let’s Read!” Instructor, Summer 2011.
JCTMS student Tyler Lucas reads to Navarro Walker, a Cochran Elementary first grader.
Older + younger students = win-win education Throughout the JCPS District, older students have partnered with younger ones to boost academic skills. For instance, nearly 140 seventh graders in Donna Duvall’s language arts classes at Jefferson County Traditional Middle School (JCTMS) read books to 5- to 8-year-olds at Cochran Elementary. But these weren’t just any books. The middle schoolers themselves wrote and illustrated them. This project was featured in Kentucky Teacher, a KDE publication (www.kentuckyteacher.org). Duvall told a reporter that the project helped her students learn how to write for a real audience. It helped the younger students at Cochran understand not only that “kids can be authors” but also that “kids care about kids,” Duvall says. Caring older kids also helped Cochran
students learn math. Through a program called Monster Math, the school’s third graders worked one-on-one or in small groups with students from duPont Manual High. The program helped the elementary students master the multiplication tables. They showed off their skills during the school’s first Monster Math Multiplication Bee, which was held for grades three through five in late March. Westport Middle students got help in math from both high school and college students. Through a program called Superstar Saturdays, Westport math teacher Julie Williams collaborated with students from Waggener, Eastern, and Ballard High as well as Bellarmine University and the University of Louisville (UofL). The high school and college students provided more than 1,000 hours of tutoring for Westport’s eighth graders.
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Students throughout district receive Vogt Scholarships
Seventeen outstanding JCPS students have received a $10,000 Vogt Achievement Scholarship. The students were selected based on their SAT/ACT scores and cumulative grade point averages (GPAs) as well as community and campus leadership, participation in extracurricular activities, and recommendations from principals and community leaders.
several university and college presidents from the region. Nine universities supplement the Vogt Achievement Scholarships for students who attend their schools.
The 2012 Vogt Achievement Scholars are Drake Lee-Patterson (Atherton High), Michelle Roh (Ballard High), Gina Uccellini (Brown School), Case Hoskins (Butler Traditional High), Megan Robinson (Central The Vogt endowed scholarship fund was es- High School Magnet Career Academy), tablished by Louisville businessmen Henry Meghamsh Kanuparthy (duPont Manual V. Heuser Sr. in 1999. To date, more than High), Megan Parker (Eastern High), Bryce $1.7 million has been awarded to more Wise (Fairdale High), Kourtney Shirley than 200 students. (Fern Creek Traditional High), Benjamin Henry V. Heuser Jr., chairman of the Henry Reece (Jeffersontown High), Alexander Oyler (Louisville Male High), Christopher Vogt Machine Company, presented the Reynolds (Moore Traditional School), Jared 2012 scholarships in March at the UofL University Club. He was joined by Louisville Colston (Pleasure Ridge Park High), Roger Riddick II (Seneca High), Marianne Crow Mayor Greg Fischer, JCPS Superintendent (Southern High), Joshua Reece (Academy Donna Hargens, Eileen Pickett of Greater @ Shawnee), and David Weller (Waggener Louisville Inc., JCPS principals, more than High). 100 business and community leaders, and 12
JCPS students win top Governor’s Cup awards Within their divisions, both Meyzeek Middle ematics and duPont Manual High won first place in • Shravan Ravishankar (Noe Middle), Third Quick Recall and second in overall points at Place, Mathematics the 2012 Governor’s Cup State Finals. Students on the Meyzeek Quick Recall Team are Praneeth Goli, Avani Kabra, Patrick Quick Recall is a Jeopardy!-like academic Marchal, Sanjana Rane, Madan Subheeswar, competition in which a team of students Tiger Teng, Amanda Tu, Yue Zhang, Vaannilistens to a moderator’s questions and la Annadurai, Lavanya Kanneganti, Sanjana tries to beat the clock—and the opposing Kothari, Emily Liu, Harsha Paladuga, Matteam—with the correct answers. thew Raj, Sneha Thirkannad, Manting Xu, Maria Marchal, mother of an eighth grader Sophie Lai, Meghan Sharma, Elijah Shina, on the Meyzeek team, says the students and Abi Thout. do a great deal of research and hold intensive practice sessions for the competition. The team’s coach is Alexandra Moody. “It has been fantastic watching the team High School work together, everyone honing their fa• Meghamsh Kanuparthy (duPont Manual vored subject and truly working as a team High), First Place, Science to get to the level they achieved,” she • Yuyao Ding (duPont Manual High), Third says. Place, Composition She also notes that Quick Recall “has had The Manual students who won the state a wonderful impact on [her son] Patrick’s Quick Recall competition are Carolyn Brown, self-confidence as he studied to become Ankush Gupta, Chris Gunnell, Meghamsh more knowledgeable about history, art, Kanuparthy, Nicholas Neuteufel, Ava Chen, and literature.” David Ferguson, and Eliza Scruton. Overall, Governor’s Cup includes eight Christian Jensen is the coach, and Carole events. Besides Quick Recall, students Sanders is the Manual Academic Team sponcompete in Composition (on-demand writ- sor. ing), Future Problem Solving (a creative thinking competition), and written assess- Complete State Final results for all events ments in math, science, social studies, lan- are available at http://data.kaac.com/asap/ finalresults/state/default.htm. guage arts, and arts/humanities. The following JCPS students earned a first-, second-, or third-place award in these events at the State Finals. Middle School • Emily Liu (Meyzeek Middle), First Place, Language Arts • R.J. Radcliffe (Farnsley Middle), Third Place, Composition • Yue Zhang (Meyzeek Middle), First Place, Math13
JEFFERSON COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
School Calendar for Parents 2012-13
First and Last Days for Students
AUGUST MON TUE
8/21, 6/5*
*6/5 will be the last day of school unless there are days to be made up. Inclement weather may alter the school calendar, grading periods, and report card distribution dates. See below for more information on Make-Up Days.
First and Last Days for Teachers (No School for Students) ................................8/17, 6/6
No School for Students Labor Day ................................................................9/3 Election Day ...........................................................11/6 Thanksgiving Break ...................................11/21–11/23 Winter Break .................................................12/21–1/4 Martin Luther King Jr. Day .....................................1/21 Spring Break .....................................................4/1–4/5 Memorial Day.........................................................5/27 Professional-Development Days ..10/5, 10/8, 11/5, 1/4, 2/25, 3/1, 5/3
Make-Up Days for Students In case of inclement weather or other emergencies, missed school days will be made up in the following order: 2/25, 2/26*, 2/27*, 2/28*, 3/1, 6/6, 6/7, 6/10, 6/11, 6/12, 6/13, 6/14 *If 2/26, 2/27, and 2/28 are not used as Make-Up Days, schools may choose to offer remediation/enrichment activities for some students. If no activities are scheduled, students will not attend school on these days.
Parent-Teacher Conferences Parent-teacher conferences may be scheduled on the following dates: 10/8, 11/5, 1/4, 3/1
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
WED THU
1 8 15 22 29
2 9 16 23 30
3 10 17 24 31
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SEPTEMBER MON TUE
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
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OCTOBER MON TUE
1 8 15 22 29
2 9 16 23 30
3 10 17 24 31
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
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NOVEMBER MON TUE
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
1 8 15 22 29
2 9 16 23 30
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FRI
7 14 21 28
DECEMBER MON TUE
3 10 17 24 31
4 11 18 25
FRI
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
www.jcpsky.net
JANUARY MON TUE
7 14 21 28
1 8 15 22 29
WED THU
2 9 16 23 30
4 11 18 25
WED THU
FRI
FEBRUARY MON TUE
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
MARCH
MON TUE
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
APRIL
MON TUE
1 8 15 22 29
2 9 16 23 30
MAY
MON TUE
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
JUNE
MON TUE
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
FRI
3 10 17 24 31
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
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1 8 15 22
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7 14 21 28
1 8 15 22 29
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6 13 20 27 3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
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1 8 15 22 29
2 9 16 23 30
3 10 17 24 31
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5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
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