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Students dig deep' during MCTs |
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Monday, 12 May 2008 |
For The Daily News
April and May are no time for spring fever if you’re a Mississippi public school student or faculty member. May means Mississippi Curriculum Testing in language arts, mathematics and science in third through eighth grades. High school students are focused on Subject Area Tests in U.S. History, Algebra I, English II and Biology I. The battery of tests is a part of the state’s accountability system as mandated by the No Child Left Behind federal law. Results from the assessments are a part of the accountability formula used to rate districts and schools in Mississippi.
Because the tests are based on the Mississippi Curriculum Frameworks that serve as the guide for what our students should know and be able to do, preparation for the tests begins on day one in the Starkville School District classrooms. Teachers follow the instructional plans and assess students in the classrooms in ways that mirror the tests. This past year, the SSD implemented the System To Enhance Educational Performance (STEEP) to make periodic checks on students’ progression in the key areas of mathematics and reading for Kindergarten through tenth grade. Through STEEP teachers know the skill levels of students in key areas the first day in class and can plan instruction accordingly. While emphasis is placed on the importance of the tests in ranking schools by levels, the tests’ greater purpose is to serve as an important snapshot of the teaching and learning that has taken place in the school year.
The SSD has also been preparing for success in the classroom by promoting better nutrition and physical activity. Studies show that improving nutrition and physical activity can also make a difference in academic success. The Journal of the American Dietetic Association reports that eating breakfast can be a sign of success in school. Breakfast eaters are more likely than non-breakfast eaters to have a healthy body weight, better test scores, memory and school attendance. Additionally, food insufficiency has serious negative effects on learning, while eating a healthy breakfast has a positive impact on cognition and school attendance.
Beverly Lowry, SSD director of child nutrition, said that a healthy breakfast is available to all the district's students at 7 a.m. every school day morning. The reduced fee is 20 cents for breakfast. The full fee is 30 cents in kindergarten through sixth grade and 35 cents for seventh through 12th grade.
The answer isn’t simply to feed students a lot of food because 70 percent to 80 percent of overweight children grow up to be overweight adults. Being overweight leads to physical complications such as high cholesterol and blood pressure levels, heart disease, gallbladder disease, joint problems, asthma, type 2 diabetes, depression and anxiety. Overweight students are also at a disadvantage in the classroom. A study published in the International Journal of Obesity reported that especially for girls, becoming overweight between kindergarten and the end of third grade was significantly associated with lower test scores and more behavioral problems.
“A student’s nutrition status shouldn’t be judged by their weight alone, but by several parameters including the nutritional quality of his or her daily food choices,” said Carol Ball, a registered dietitian with the MSU Extension Service.
The SSD is making the best of the time that students are in the schools. The Five Star grant received by the SSD this year has helped food service personnel present fruits and vegetables in a more appealing way to students.
Lowry said that students appear to be eating more fruits and vegetables this year as a result of this grant.
Another way that the district is helping students develop a healthier lifestyle is through development of the Wellness Policy. The Wellness Policy emphasizes breakfast and lunch choices that are consistent with the USDA’s 2005 Dietary Guidelines which includes less fried foods while offering more baked items, low-fat dairy products, whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. The Wellness Policy also includes 150 minutes per week of physical activity-based instruction for students in kindergarten through second grade. This instruction is taught by a certified health and physical education instructor. Physical activity programs in schools have shown numerous benefits such as improved test scores, less disruptive behavior, higher levels of self-esteem, better attendance and a more positive attitude toward school.
The SSD's Wellness Policy is implemented by each school’s Health Council made up of the school’s principal, community health care professionals, school faculty, parents and others.
The goal of helping children make healthy choices is not to achieve a certain number on the bathroom scale or an “hour glass figure.” Rather, the goal is setting students up for success in the classroom and helping them become successful in life.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 May 2008 )
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