MAHONING VALLEY Hard work pays off: 8 schools boost test scores, win grants

Winning elementary schools receive $25,000, and high schools get $50,000.
By RON COLE
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Keep your ears open, your eyes peeled and by all means, watch out for flying objects.
When visiting Mary Haddow Elementary School on the city's East Side, you never know what may be happening:
Pupils huddle in the cafeteria to learn classical dance steps from Ballet Western Reserve; children gather in a classroom for an explosive demonstration by a scientist from the Carnegie Science Center; pupils stand in the parking lot as a helicopter swoops down and lands behind the school.
"I'm a true believer that kids need a lot of experiences to kind of find their niche in the world and define their interests," Principal Kate Good said.
"The staff here has really pulled together to make sure that everything we do not only is fun for the children but has a purpose."
The approach has paid off.
Taft's announcement: Gov. Bob Taft announced this week that Mary Haddow Elementary is one of 213 schools in Ohio, including eight in the Mahoning Valley, that will receive state School Improvement Incentive Awards for progress on state proficiency tests.
The awards include cash prizes ranging from $25,000 for elementary schools to $50,000 for high schools from the Ohio Department of Education.
Southern Junior and Senior High School in Columbiana County is among 31 high schools to receive the award this year.
Southern's ninth-grade proficiency test scores in 1999-2000 increased and surpassed state minimum standards in all five subject areas: reading, writing, math, citizenship and science.
"The continued improvement shows a lot of hard work as far as teachers are concerned and by the students," Superintendent Jeff Weekley said.
Statistics: Overall, 71.7 percent of Southern's ninth-graders passed all five parts of the test, up from 41.2 percent in 1998-99. Students must pass the tests to get a high school diploma.
In addition to increased before- and after-school tutoring programs, the high school started a proficiency test incentive program called Pennies for Prizes, Weekley said.
Students passing the tests are eligible for a drawing at the end of the school year for a variety of prizes, including a car.
At Mary Haddow, scores skyrocketed on all five sections of the fourth-grade proficiency test. Overall, 13.2 percent of fourth-graders passed all five sections, up from 7.3 percent.
Good said the school uses practice tests and monthly writing seminars for pupils to prepare for the exams.
"But I think you do a real disservice to the kids if all you worry about is teaching to the test," she said.
Programs set up: So, the school conducts five to six programs every month to engage pupil learning, ranging from a performance of the Cleveland Opera to a visit from representatives of Sea World.
"When we plan these things, before and after the teachers tie in what they're doing in their classrooms," said Good, whose school has 310 pupils in pre-kindergarten to fourth grade.
In the Sea World visit, for example, pupils learned about penguins. In math classes, they studied the height and weight of various kinds of penguins. In social studies classes, they learned about where and how penguins live.
Each spring, the school has a flight festival. Children learn about the history and principles of flight and build rockets that are launched from the school parking lot. The weeklong festival also has featured hot-air balloon and helicopter landings on the school grounds.