HURON COUNTY RURAL SCHOOLS

Mission Statement

Huron County Rural Schools will serve all children in the community by providing opportunities for learning and skills necessary for a productive life.

Each student's highest potential will be enhanced by a unique learning situation involving individualized attention/programs, and multi-level support in a close-knit setting.

Adams School—Jessica Tenbusch                                 Kipper School—Amy Schweitzer

Big Burning School—Michelle Daniels                            Verona School—Kathy Cregeur

Church School—David Phelps                                         Special Education—Cindy Kraft

Eccles School—Anne Kennedy & Kaleena Hampton     Coordinator—Julie Talaski

Title I― Brenda Roggenbuck                                         Rapson School—

Title I Paraprofessional – Claudia Trowhill

This Annual Report represents information compiled from all Huron County’s Rural Schools collectively.  School personnel from these seven K-8 school districts collaborate to plan curriculum and organize activities common across the districts.  Teachers meet monthly to increase student learning and to maximize resources.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002 is perhaps the most significant legislation to impact local school districts since the onset of public education.  NCLB’s goals are:

üALL students will attain proficiency or better in reading and mathematics by 2013-2014.

üALL limited-English students will become proficient in English.

üALL students will be educated in safe, drug-free environments.

üALL students will graduate from high school.

üALL teachers will be highly qualified by 2005-2006.

The legislation focuses on the need for high-quality educators in all schools.  Emphasis is also placed on the importance of accountability, which includes testing requirements and the determination of whether schools are making adequate yearly progress (AYP).  Progress in mathematics and reading are the two areas that are considered to be the most imperative.

For schools in Michigan, this means that in order to make AYP, the following percentage of students must score “Proficient” on the MEAP test:  

The law also requires at least 95% of the students take the standardized state test or an approved special-needs test for students whose qualifications for such have been previously identified.  MI Access is the approved special-needs tests.

In 2009-2010, participation in MEAP testing was as follows:

Students who were not assessed with the MEAP were given the MI ACCESS.  It was decided at each IEP that the disability of each student would make the MEAP inappropriate.

Teacher Qualifications

All teachers in Huron County’s K-8 districts are “Highly Qualified” according to Michigan standards of credentialing and the federal mandates of No Child Left Behind. 

Parents are welcome to review the credentials of teachers within their respective district.  Contact the teacher to arrange this review.

Accreditation Status

Education YES! is Michigan’s accreditation system.  In 2008-2009, Report Card grades were publicized for school districts across the state related to accreditation status. Big Burning School received an A grade, while the other schools were not graded.  All schools met AYP in the categories of English-Language Arts, Mathematics, and Overall.   

CORE CURRICULUM

Huron County Rural School teachers implemented the new science curriculum that was created to be aligned with the new Michigan Curriculum Framework.   

The K-8 districts join the K-12 districts in Huron County in aligning curriculum with Framework benchmarks and grade-level content expectations under the leadership of the Huron Intermediate School District.  Teachers are dedicated to teaching the aligned curriculum to maximize student achievement.

SPECIALIZED SCHOOLS

The Huron Learning Center provides educational programs and services to students with handicaps, age’s birth to age twenty-six, who reside within the Huron Intermediate School District. 

Students receiving specialized classroom programming at the Huron Learning Center are placed through the Individualized Educational Planning Committee (IEPC) process.  Michigan School Readiness Preschoolers apply to the program and are accepted based on a variety of criteria.

Huron County Rural School students receive support services from traveling consultants from the Huron Intermediate School District in the areas of testing and evaluation, speech and language services, hearing impaired services, and school social work.

In-house special education services are delivered by Cindy Kraft. Title I services are delivered by Brenda Roggenbuck and Claudia Trowhill. They are employed by the K-8 districts collectively. 

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

School improvement in 2009-2010 has seen participation by board members, parents, and teachers.  Community support of school improvement continues to be strong even though participation at meetings continues to fluctuate.  Goals targeted in 2009-2010 were:

     ●To improve student achievement in Math, Writing, Science, and Social                                     Studies                         

              ▪To improve data and information collection, analysis, and interpretation

              ▪To implement a Positive Behavior Support Program

NONDISCRIMINATION POLICY

It is the policy of the Huron County Rural Schools not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, gender, age, disability, height, weight, or marital status in its programs, activities, or employment.  Inquiries regarding this nondiscrimination policy should be directed to:  Robert Colby, Superintendent, 711 E. Soper Road, Bad Axe, MI  48413 (989/269-6406).

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