Homepage | Archives | Calendar of Events | Exploring Akron | Lawn & Garden | Society | Pets | Death Notices | Get email news alerts | About Us
Community News

Woodridge debuting biosciences academy

6/28/2012 - West Side Leader
      permalink bookmark

By Becky Tompkins

Plus, board briefed on new education standards passed by state

PENINSULA — The Woodridge Local Schools District is taking a big step toward enhancing its science curriculum with the debut of a new Biomedical Engineering and Technology Academy at Woodridge High School in August.

The new program is a cooperative effort of the Six-District Educational Compact, which includes Woodridge, Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Kent, Stow-Munroe Falls and Tallmadge school districts, according to Woodridge district officials. The compact provides career programs and college tech-prep, special education and other needs of the students and staff in the districts, sharing expenses and services.

Superintendent Walter Davis explained at the Woodridge Board of Education meeting June 19 the enterprise is timely because the state of Ohio’s new educational standards are focusing strongly on science and technology, with the biosciences to be taught starting in kindergarten.

The biosciences, said Davis, are “an up-and-coming career field,” with job opportunities involving health care, tissue regeneration, prosthetic limbs and related fields. The two-year academy program, he believes, will draw students from all of the Six-District Compact school districts to Woodridge.

The project has the support of other partners in addition to the compact, said Davis. These include The University of Akron College of Engineering, local hospital systems, Akron’s Austen BioInnovation Institute and, for funding, the Woodridge Foundation.

“We are not in a financial position to be starting expensive new programs,” said Davis, adding he is seeking “creative financing.”

The Woodridge Foundation, which recently raised $750,000 for the new field house that was built next to the high school, is helping with the fundraising.

Foundation Vice President Tom Shaheen said the group wanted its next project to be academic and focused on science. They are reaching out to private and corporate donors to support the academy, he said, and one incentive they can offer is naming rights.

“The goal is to do this without costing the district and taxpayers money,” Shaheen said. “The new reality is that schools need corporate support.”

After discussion, the school board approved a resolution giving the superintendent the ability to offer naming rights to individuals or corporations making a “substantial” donation. Each case would be evaluated individually as to the appropriateness of the donor, said board President Tammy Heffernan. All naming rights will be subject to board approval.

In other business, Davis announced that Ohio’s application for a waiver from some of the more restrictive provisions of the No Child Left Behind law of 2001 has been approved, along with those of many of the other states.

At the same time, the Ohio legislature recently approved new educational standards that will change a district’s curriculum and assessments, said Davis.

Davis explained the Ohio Department of Education’s (ODE) current school report cards measure students and schools against minimum standards, which results in many schools receiving high marks. Out of 613 school districts in Ohio, he said, 382 of them ranked Excellent or Excellent with Distinction last year (Woodridge earned each of those designations in the past two years).

In spite of the high school rankings, ODE research shows that 41 percent of Ohio students need remedial work when they get to college, Davis reported.

But “the bottom is about to drop out,” Davis said, because the state is raising the academic bar. The current Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA) test used in third through eighth grades and the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) for high school students will be replaced with online testing.

Kirk Bennett, director of academic services, said 10 end-of-course exams (in English, math, science and social studies courses) will replace the OGT in determining which students will be able to graduate from high school.

Doing the testing on computers will provide instant feedback, instead of having to wait until the summer to get the test results, which will make intervention easier, Davis said.

The new “common core” standards are internationally benchmarked, he said, and are aimed above the minimum standard. As a result, students and school districts are very likely to score lower than they did previously.

“Students who are currently proficient will not pass these tests,” Bennett said. “Only students who are accelerated will pass.”

The report card ratings of Excellent, Effective, Continuous Improvement, Academic Watch and Academic Emergency will be replaced by A, B, C, D and F grades, said Davis.

The new state standards and assessments will go into effect in 2014, he said. He recommended adopting the new Common Core standards soon to make the transition from the current standards during the next two years.

In his monthly commendation of someone doing something well in the Woodridge schools, Davis tapped Pat Donnelly and Bob Ballinger.

Donnelly, according to Primary School Principal Karen Sykes, has spent nearly 50 years serving the Woodridge Local Schools — 37 as a special education and reading teacher and 10 more as an active volunteer with the Reading Buddy program. She is retiring from the reading program this year.

Ballinger, also a volunteer, implemented a new program called A B Ready at the high school to help students get their academic skills ready for college or the work force. He worked with students throughout the school year, Davis said, with an improvement in the students’ cooperative learning and grades.

“I’ve never seen anyone as committed, organized and dedicated to the kids” as Ballinger, Davis said.

The board held a special meeting yesterday, June 27. Details of that meeting were not available by presstime.

The school board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for July 10 at 6 p.m. at the Administration Building, 4411 Quick Road.

      permalink bookmark