POMEROY — The progression of work being done in Meigs Local School District classrooms toward achieving the Ohio Department of Education’s new common core standards was reviewed by administrative staff for Board of Education members at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Michael Barnett, director of curriculum and instruction and federal grant coordinator, reviewed the efforts now to identify “gaps,” and to come up with a way to close those gaps either through instruction or the updating of materials in order to achieve the core standard requirement.

The importance of getting everything integrated into the system now, he said, is that in 2014 a much more rigorous educational testing program will be put into place by the ODE. He said it will be a whole new system of testing, all electronic, and it will be geared more toward determining that students are college or career ready. As for what is being done now to prepare students for the coming change, each administrator gave a report.

Bill Francis, Meigs High School assistant principal, talked about the 21st Century grant which funds after-school programs at Meigs High School. He talked about intervention for seniors at the high school, where they receive additional help on certain subjects in order to pass the graduation test. Mindy Chancey is the instructor of that program which now has a total enrollment of about 40 students who voluntarily remain two hours, four days a week, after school for special assistance.

Vicky Jones, Middle School principal, announced that assessments are going on now in the Middle School, and that will provide the information needed so that staff can better prepare students for the Ohio Achievement Tests. She said that “intervention” follows evaluations which are now on-going, and that teachers are being trained on the appropriate techniques of assessing and evaluating student progress.

Darin Logan, intermediate principal; Kristin Baer, primary principal, and Mary Hawk, assistant principal of the Meigs Elementary School, all spoke briefly about changes taking place and the intervention and special assistance being offered students. Logan credited the leadership team for giving guidance toward change and talked about some of the special education accommodations being put in place.

Baer described the new “level reading program” in the school curriculum, and the teaching techniques which go along with that. She said the method change helps move kids from one level to the next. The level reading which somewhat changes the techniques used in the accelerated reader program is more aligned with the common core concept, she added. Hawk also talked briefly about level reading and the difference in response by the students who are learning the new way.

During the business meeting, the Meigs Board announced a $6,814.96 technology grant from the federal government to be spent during the period, March 1 through June 30.

As for personnel the board accepted for retirement purposes, the resignation of Mary Sue Brauer, Middle School teacher; and the resignations of Steven Cotterill as bus mechanic, and Cheryl Halley as Meigs Middle School newspaper advisor.

Mike Chancey and Ron Hill were hired as assistant track coaches. Also hired were Eric VanMeter, junior varsity baseball coach for the 2012 season; and Eddie Fife, Mike Kloes, Derik Miller and Vince Reiber as volunteer assistant baseball coaches for the season. Also hired was as a substitute teacher for the remainder of the year.

Attending were Superintendent Rusty Bookman, Treasurer/CFO Mark Rhonemus, and Board members, Ryan Mahr, Larry Tucker, Roger Abbott, Todd Snowden and Ron Logan.