NEW BREMEN — In 2016, the New Bremen Local School District scored above the state average in many tests and many testing categories, on the Ohio State Test (grades 3-9) and the End of Course (EOC) exams.
“Parents and community members need to be aware that this year students will be taking their assessments online,” said Superintendent Dr. Andrea Townsend. “This year students will only take the Ohio State Test (grades 3-8) and the End of Course exams (grades 9-12). A few seniors will have the option to take the End of Course exams or the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) if they choose.”
Her report continues:
The third-grade students took the Ohio Achievement Assessment in Reading last year to meet the requirements of the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. The program that was put into law three years ago that requires students to pass the third grade reading test to move up to the fourth-grade. Our third-grade students took their first reading test in December 2016 online. The scores have been returned, and we are very pleased with the results. They will take the next reading assessment in the spring.This year we have focused on early literacy in the primary grades, and we are continuing to refine our math instruction. We are frequently gathering data on our students and providing supports and enrichment based on their progress.
In the middle school and high school, we have been focusing on student leadership qualities. Finally, district-wide we are working to improve our gifted program and student writing K-12.
This year, the New Bremen Local School District continues the pre-bond work for a possible renovation/new construction of the K-8 building. The process started with two independent assessments during the 2015 school year. The district will need to meet the needs of our current instructional program as well as future needs. The footprint is just a placeholder of the necessary square footage. The actual design will start after the levy passes.
At that time, a new committee to design the building. The district has spent a lot of time looking at 21st Century instruction, building models, and visiting newly constructed 21st Century schools. Most recently the district has formed the levy committee which meets twice a month to work on our campaign for the May 2, 2017, election. The location of the new building will be on the current high school campus. We will have the ability to add our additional sports fields, review transportation needs, and create a 21st Century learning environment to meet the needs of all of our students.
For the rest of the 2016-2017 school year, we will continue to build leadership qualities in our students. We will continue to foster positive relationships, grit, and leadership with our students. Activities include job inventories, completing activities on Hometown Opportunities, exploring college and career.
This year New Bremen has increased student options through college visits and job shadowing, and creating a student digital portfolio. Additionally, each student has individual advising time during their high school years.
Students are working with local businesses through job shadowing and internships. We have also added a video production class and the Cube. The video production class enables students to continue to develop more schools from the middle school course. The Cube is our College, Career, and Community hub that helps our students work through their career development road map. We must prepare our students for their futures through real world experiences, career exploration, and community connections. We want our students to take ownership of their education and choose a path for themselves that they will be very successful at in the future.
