Meet Rambo, the Southeast Polk Education Foundation Steer

On March 6, 2015, the Southeast Polk Education Foundation will host the inaugural Black and Gold Fundraising Gala at Prairie Meadows. According to the Southeast Polk website, "The mission of the Southeast Polk Education Foundation (SEPEF) is to engage and focus local, regional, and national support to enhance opportunities for Southeast Polk students, PK through 12th grade. The foundation works with the district to develop and implement the securing of funds to support district initiatives. The Southeast Polk Education Foundation is the only funding organization with the unique mission of supporting Southeast Polk Schools. Our efforts involve corporations, foundations, civic organizations, professional associations, school alumni, and other concerned individuals. We will assist private donors in making informed decisions that will enhance educational opportunities for Southeast Polk students."

The Black and Gold Gala features a live auction, from which the proceeds will benefit Southeast Polk's educational programs. Included in the auction is Rambo, a steer who is currently residing at the Timmins farm near Altoona. Check out Rambo in action as he enjoys a fresh straw bale.

By attending the Gala and bidding on Rambo, you can help our students while also filling your freezer with tasty Iowa beef. Tickets to the Gala are available now. I hope to see you March 6 at Prairie Meadows!

Data Celebration: Statistics and Probability in 6th Grade Math

One of my goals for the second half of the 2014-2015 school year is to use this blog to celebrate some of the growth we can see through our student data at Southeast Polk. I'll kick off those celebrations with the growth we've seen from our sixth grade math students in the area of statistics and probability.

For the past three years, our sixth graders have been assessed on four statistics and probability standards:

• MA.6.6.SP.1 Recognize a statistical question as one that anticipates variability in the data related to the question and accounts for it in the answers.
• MA.6.6.SP.2 Understand that a set of data collected to answer a statistical question has a distribution which can be described by its center, spread, and overall shape.
• MA.6.6.SP.4 Display numerical data in plots on a number line, including dot plots, histograms, and box plots.
• MA.6.6.SP.5 Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context.

AVERAGE SCORES

The average scores of our sixth grade math students rose in all four students, including a jump of 14 percentage points from last year in standard SP.2.

PROFICIENCY LEVELS

Last year, sixth grade math students met our district proficiency goal by scoring at least 80% in only two of the four statistics and probability standards. This year, they met that goal in all four standards, including a fantastic leap from 52% to 83% of our students testing proficient for standard SP.2.

STUDENTS WITH IEP's

Another impressive gain was made by our special education students. Last year, only one-third of IEP students tested proficient in unit 5, where all four statistics and probability standards were assessed. This year, 44 out of 55 IEP students scored at least 80% on the unit 5 post-test. 

Sixth grade math students include most of the students at Spring Creek, as well as 35 accelerated fifth graders.