Vantage board hears report card update

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The Vantage Board of Education heard a report on the school’s State Report Card performance and also hired a new assistant treasurer during its September meeting on Thursday.

Vantage Director Ben Winans provided an update on Vantage’s Career-Technical Planning District report card, which includes data from the school’s 2013-2014 school year.

Although he and Superintendent Staci Kaufman were pleased with Vantage’s results — all As on the report card — both also feel the school has room for improvement.

That’s most clear with Vantage’s technical achievement score of 72.3 percent, which would have normally earned it a “B” on the report card. But a bump for having a high participation rate of 70.1 percent moved the score high enough to turn the “B” into an “A”. Vantage received a 79.9 percent on its Joint Vocational School District (JVSD) technical skill attainment.

However, although there’s room for improvement, the score is a significant improvement over the prior year, in which Vantage received a “D” on the technical skill portion of the report card.

Vantage’s graduation rate for students who graduate in four years, and in five years, also earned the school “As” on the report card. In the school year in question, 99 percent of Vantage students graduated in four years, while 97.6 percent of students graduated in five.

The school also did well in the Prepared for Success portion of the report card, garnering a 99.1 percent for dual enrollment, and a 98.8 percent on JVSD dual enrollment. Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors Diploma percentages were low, but Kaufman pointed out that Vantage does not offer AP classes or all of the classes needed to earn an honors diploma, which means students must take those classes at their home schools prior to coming to Vantage, something difficult to do for students in their freshman and sophomore years. Typically, typically, students take AP classes in their junior and senior years.

The Post-Program Outcomes portion of the report card, which measures the proportion of students who are either employed, in apprenticeship programs, in the military or enrolled in post-secondary education or advanced training in the six months after leaving school also saw a significant improvement. Vantage showed that 97.3 percent (A) of its students are in one of those four categories six months after leaving school. A second portion of the Post-Program Outcomes section, which is coming this school year, deals with the proportion of students who earn industry credentials or certificates before they leave high school. Winans said the percentage of Vantage students earning industry credentials was low (44.7 percent), but noted that JSVD industry credentials have changed several times in the past couple of years.

The Vantage director assured the board that efforts are being made to improve on all report card scores, adding that a change from classes to courses should improve accountability, since it would allow earlier testing to determine what students are learning.

Winans also noted that Vantage’s home schools have also been made aware of testing available for students that can be taken prior to students coming to Vantage, something Board member Pat Baumle said Vantage board members should promote at their home schools.

Kaufman said she feels the Vantage staff is doing its job to ensure that the school continues to improve its report card scores.

“I want to commend our support staff, our teachers and our administration for really getting behind the effort and increasing our accountability,” the superintendent said.

Also Thursday, Vantage welcomed Wendy Baumle, who is the new Senior Health Technology instructor, as well as Tricia Taylor, Vantage’s new assistant treasurer, who was approved by the board during Thursday’s meeting.

In other personnel actions, the board gave Reesa Rohrs a one-year contract, effective September 1, as the primary instructor for nursing clinicals at the school, and also approved her as high school secondary program STNA coordinator.

The board also hired Susan Osenbaugh as a part-time cook, and Tillman Karl, Theresa Mengerink, Laura Stocksdale, Katie Drerup, Kelly Horstman, Ashley Cline and Angie Shellabarger as virtual learning graders.

On the Adult Education side, Linda Bales was employed as a substitute secretary, while Marcia Osenga, Karen McGilton, Mary Jane Fast and Christy Wortman were hired as instructors on an as needed, as scheduled basis. Kristie Jones was employed as an Ohio Technical Center instructional leader.

The board also accepted the resignation of Pete Weir as Trade and Industry programs manager, effective August 31. Because of revisions to the Revenue Sharing Agreement with Northwest State Community College, NSCC will now employ Weir, effective September 1.

In other action, the board:

• Approved Susan Farr as Paulding Agriculture Satellite FFA advisor for the current school year.
• Approved Dave Froelich and Robert Priest (Van Wert) and Todd Harmon (Paulding) as Ohio Teacher Evaluation System certified evaluators.
• Appointed Adult Education Director Pete Prichard as Title IX coordinator for post-secondary (Adult Education) students, as required by federal regulation.
• Accepted the donation of an EMD cylinder valued at $3,000 from General Motors in Defiance for the Automotive programs.
• Approved a Van Wert Community Reinvestment Area agreement with Jordan and Jenna Sherry, 259 Prairie Lane in Van Wert.
• Approved changes made to Article VIII, Evaluation System of the negotiated agreement between the Vantage Teachers Organization and Vantage.

The next meeting of the Vantage Board of Education will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 1, in the district conference room.