Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Learning Excellence
Spirit of
Collaboration
Attaining Excellence
2004 Annual Report
Marysville Schools
1
Marysville Nestles
Library Facility
1950
1930
Today Today
Today
Thanks to Mill Valley Students for
the artwork on the cover.
2
A Focus on Learning
Looking closely at students’ work, creating projects that
are both challenging and exciting, using technology
effectively, and connecting different subject areas are a
few ways the Marysville schools focus on learning.
Writing
Marysville’s passage rates for the Writing Proficiency Tests
continue to exceed state standards. Next year, all fourth-graders
will begin taking a new state achievement test in writing.
3
Reading
Marysville’s elementary schools use a variety of
approaches to nurture a love of reading. At Edgewood,
for example, students have AM Book Talks—one student
discusses a book he or she has read over the school PA
system. Fourth-graders have monthly Literary Lunches
with parents or community members, who talk about
interesting books they are reading.
Seeing positive role models who also read heightens
students’ interest. “A parent who collects antique baseball uniforms
was here recently,” says school librarian Liz Claggett. “After that,
all the baseball books were checked out.” Mrs. Claggett also helps
students work with reference books and explore non-fiction books,
poetry, and other genres.
Mathematics
Learning mathematics is more than solving
problems on a page. As they prepare all students to
pass the Ohio Graduation Test, teachers also are
intensifying the focus on the more in-depth under-
standing reflected in the state standards, the college
curriculum, and the employment market.
Assessing Understanding
Marysville teachers don’t wait for test results to
evaluate what students need. They spend as much
time as possible during the school year working with
students individually. That enables teachers to
observe carefully how each student reasons and
solves problems.
Visualizing Problems
To be prepared for mathematics beyond the high school level,
students must be able to think mathematically. That’s why many
high school mathematics courses now use graphing calculators.
Widely used in college courses and in science and engineering
professions, those devices enable students to solve more sophisti-
cated problems and deepen their understanding of concepts.
Applying Mathematics
Marysville students also experience how mathematics
applies to problems they will encounter in other academic
areas and in their future work and lives. For example,
Creekview Intermediate students participate in Exchange
City, a nine-week social studies experience in which they
play real world roles in running a realistic city—including
the calculations involved in taxes, bank loans, and other
financial and business transactions.
4
Science
Many of the teaching strategies Marysville science teach-
ers use take into account that science is both a rapidly expand-
ing body of knowledge and a way of observing and thinking
about the world.
Encouraging Inquiry
Laura Koke’s seventh-grade class recently learned that water
quality in nearby Mill Creek is good. They found out by donning
waders and tallying the crayfish, mayfly nymphs, and other
organisms living in the creek.
“Science is too dynamic to be locked into a textbook,” explains
William Steele, head of the Middle School science department. That
is why Middle School students are monitoring the Mars mission via
internet and using astronomy software to look back millions of
years at the stars. It’s why they do dissections, bring in rock
specimens to examine, and operate a weather station.
To demonstrate what they’ve learned, students document their
learning in portfolios, create and teach science lessons using multi-
media, and present their work in a science fair.
5
Students with Special Needs
To meet Ohio’s new Academic Content Standards, Marysville
teachers are making the curriculum more challenging in every
subject area. But what will this challenging new curriculum mean
to students with special needs, especially those taking mainstream
classes alongside students with less significant physical, develop-
mental, or emotional challenges?
Teachers have a wide repertoire of tools for helping stu-
dents with special needs. Christina Gruenbaum, a Middle
School special education teacher, says she and colleagues in
mainstream classrooms help students with special needs by:
Writing on the board in more detail or providing students
with guided notes or review sheets. They also have guided
study halls for students who are struggling.
Reading test questions to a student or modifying test
instructions or formats to remove obstacles that prevent
students with special needs from showing their knowledge.
Communicating continually with each other and with
parents. Folders of students’ work, assignments, and
weekly grade reports accompany each student home and
to each class.
The Arts
As arts educators develop new lessons to help students
meet the new Academic Content Standards for the arts, they
are building upon the solid base of rich and varied arts experi-
ences already available to all Marysville students.
Visual arts teachers in the early grades are already introduc-
ing students to the art of other cultures and times. Kelly Rock
of Mill Valley Elementary organized a Chinese dragon parade
and greeted first-graders dressed as Miss Star, a colorful
substitute teacher who loves the bright colors and bold pat-
terns of the painter Matisse.
Students at Creekview already are gaining the discipline and
teamwork skills necessary for quality theater performance.
Last year’s spring play, the junior version of the Broadway
production “Honk,” had a cast of 80 students
who rehearsed over a four-month period.
According to music and drama teacher Abigail
Helmuth, there is “a huge amount of talent” at
Creekview Intermediate.
Students at the Middle School have an array
of choices in music, including chamber choir
and jazz band. This helps account for the
excellence displayed by Marysville High
School’s 200-member marching band at this
year’s Sugar Bowl and the consistently superior
ratings earned by its concert and jazz bands.
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Special Section
7
Comparing Marysville’s Performance to the State’s
50 50
State Average 40 40
30 30
Marysville
20 20
10 10
0 0
Citizenship Math Reading Science Writing
Grade 6 Grade 10
100 100
90 90
80 80
70 70
60 60
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
10 10
0 0
Citizenship Math Reading Science Writing Citizenship Math Reading Science Writing
8
The Heart of Excellence
Striving to give all students the educational
experiences they need and caring about all aspects
of students’ well-being are at the heart of
excellence for the Marysville Schools.
9
How Planning Tools Work
Each Student . . .
Sets Goals Creates an Action Plan Tracks Progress
Goals Action Plan
for Reading at Home Hours Reading
1) Maintain or Hours
improve
What? Who? When?
grades. 4
Get books at Me Every 2
2) Earn an A or B library weeks 3
on every math
test for the Read in bed. (Go Me 2 nights
2
rest of year. 1/2 hour early) a week
Teaching Responsibility
Students at Edgewood Elementary and Raymond Elementary
continue to use organizational planning tools—similar to those used
at Honda—to set and monitor their own learning goals. Each stu-
dent, with help from teachers and parents, sets goals related to
skills or behaviors that will make the greatest difference in his or
her continued progress. Because they track their progress continu-
ally, students remember their goals and are motivated to improve.
As additional schools in the district complete training in orga-
nizational planning and work with a consultant provided by Honda,
Edgewood and Raymond are expanding and refining their use of the
tools. Currently, teachers are working to match the planning tools
more closely with what they teach and how students learn. At
Edgewood, for example, teacher Cindy Teske is making the tools
more concrete and visual for her students with special needs.
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Healthy Students, Better Learning
Nurturing children means caring about every area that
affects their ability to develop and learn—including their physical
health. Because the Marysville Schools have made healthy envi-
ronments a goal in the district continuous improvement plan,
efforts to promote students’ health and fitness are becoming an
increasingly vital part of the school day.
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A Commitment to the Individual
Marysville is committed to making sure every child has a
positive school experience—whatever it takes.
12
The Spirit of Collaboration
Educators, parents, businesses, and community
organizations all work together to help the Marysville
Schools attain excellence.
A Professional Community
Candidates who apply for teaching positions in Marysville
must know their subject areas to be hired. But when the building
principals conduct a group interview with a candidate, they are
looking for more than good grades. To be hired in Marysville, says
assistant superintendent Neal Handler, a teacher must be flex-
ible, a good listener, and a good problem solver. Most of all, he
says, it must be clear that the teacher cares about kids.
A career as a Marysville educator begins with four days of
training. New employees become familiar with the curriculum
and the district’s continuous improvement planning process. Each is
paired with a veteran teacher, who will serve as a mentor. For most,
those four days are the beginning of a long-term commitment. The
strong working relationships and professional support educators find in
Marysville may be a major reason that few leave for jobs in other districts.
13
Making the Most of Resources
Thanks to Marysville citizens, who voted to pass an operating
levy in August, new business processes, and a wealth of community
resources, the Marysville Schools are attaining excellence.
Controlling Costs
As Marysville continues to grow, adopting some of the methods
large companies use to control costs will become increasingly valu-
able. Changes that will control or reduce the district’s costs include:
Ordering consumable supplies in bulk at a lower cost and dis-
tributing them to school buildings as needed.
Standardizing the purchases of computer printers so that
printer supplies can be purchased in bulk.
Keeping a central inventory of textbooks. When a building is
short of books, they can locate any extra copies other buildings
have on hand instead of ordering additional books.
Using a computer system to track office furniture, computers,
and other equipment.
The new Receiving Center provides the physical space that is
needed to carry out those cost control strategies.
Improving Communication
To help improve communication—a Continuous Improvement
goal—the district has launched “Together Toward Excellence,” a
newsletter that recognizes contributions of our community partners
and keeps them informed about initiatives that promote excellence.
Email helps teachers keep parents informed about students’
academic progress, but parents and teachers also enjoy exchanging
messages about the funny and exciting things that happen each day.
Parents can obtain training and support through the Ohio
Parent Information and Resource Center. OhioPIRC offers parenting
information, parenting support groups, parent leadership training,
referral services, Family Literacy Services, and educational issues
training. Reach OhioPIRC at 788 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Cincinnati, OH
45219. Call Toll-Free: (866) 253-1829 or email emiller@cul.org
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A Community that Gives
Parents and other members of the Marysville community
support learning by volunteering their time. They help stretch
resources by raising money for library books and extras. They
faithfully attend Donuts for Dads and Muffins for Moms at their
children’s schools.
Along with their time and commitment, community members
also are responsible for a considerable infusion of knowledge,
expertise, and wisdom into the Marysville Schools.
15
Marysville Schools
Larry Zimmerman, Superintendent
Neal Handler, Assistant Superintendent
Dolores Cramer, Treasurer/CFO
Mike White, Business Services
Ellen Traucht, Student Services
Carla Steele, K-6 Curriculum
Yvonne Boyd, 7-12 Curriculum
Gregg Stubbs, Grants and Planning
Marysville Schools
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