The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has decided to remove the on-demand writing performance assessments in the calculation of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). This issue recently surfaced during our federal peer review when we were told by the U.S. Department of Education that most states exclude writing in their AYP designations. Teachers have commonly referred to the writing assessment as one of the best tools available to assist in instruction, but adding the writing results ... [full story]

SALEM, Ore. – Summer is an important time for kids to play, go on vacation, and spend time with their friends and family.  But research shows that students who read books during the summer do better on reading tests when they go back to school in the fall than students who did not read over vacation. Kids ages 0-18 who read ten or more books over the summer can get their certificate by presenting a ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Many U.S. states meet national No Child Left Behind requirements by holding students to relatively low standards, Gannett News Service reported Thursday. The news service said that an analysis of test scores from different states often showed a wide gap between how students performed on the state achievement tests required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act and national assessment exams. The widest gap in the nation was in Mississippi, where 89 ... [full story]

Ashley West talks fluently about vitamin C, dietary protein and sugar overload. Then she shakes her head and admits that until recently she ate Hershey's chocolate bars for breakfast. That touched off a lively 7:30 a.m. discussion at West's table in the cafeteria at Peoria's Manual High School in Illinois among 13- and 14-year-olds who just months ago breakfasted on Twizzlers, Now and Later bars, Froot Loops and Cheetos hot chips.   BETTER BREAKFASTS - Brian ... [full story]

Bend-La Pine Schools to serve more than 31,000 meals this summer The Bend-La Pine Schools Summer Lunch Program will kick off June 18 at ten locations throughout Bend and La Pine. The program, which is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, expects to serve more than 31,000 nutritious meals to children during summer vacation. “School lunches are the main source of nutrition for many students,” said Terry Cashman, director of Nutrition Services for ... [full story]

A1 to Aa3 upgrade for Bend-La Pine Schools attributed to sound fiscal planning and strategic long range planning A Wall Street credit rating agency, Moody’s Investors Service, raised its rating for the Bend-La Pine Schools (BLS) general obligation bonds to Aa3 today. BLS joins an elite few Oregon schools with a rating of this caliber. Moody’s cited the area’s strong economy, high real market value per capita, the Schools strengthening financial position and continuing growth, as ... [full story]

For the second consecutive year, a Summit High School sophomore has earned top honors at a state math competition. Tadd Phillips beat out students from nearly 80 Oregon public and private schools to take the top award in the precalculus division of the Oregon Invitational Mathematics Tournament (OIMT) this month at Oregon State University.   Tadd Phillips - submitted photo Math students from throughout the state are selected by their schools to compete in regional tournaments. Those ... [full story]

Legislation will mean healthier snack options for students SALEM, Ore. - The Oregon Senate recently passed House Bill 2650, legislation that sets standards for what kind of snack food may be sold in schools. Foods with fat and sugar content beyond a certain level will not be allowed in school vending machines or to be sold by school stores. “With child obesity rates becoming a greater and greater health concern, this legislation is just common ... [full story]

Bend-La Pine Schools will welcome two new leaders starting July 1. Stephanie Bennett will take over as the new Pilot Butte Middle School principal and Jim Boen will become the vice principal at La Pine Middle School. The announcement comes after a comprehensive, nationwide search and demanding interview process. "It's exciting to find such talented leaders to bring to our schools," said Superintendent Doug Nelson. "We had many qualified applicants, and the experiences both bring ... [full story]

Janene Kallen is a working mother who very carefully chose the child care for her son and daughter. That's why she's not fazed by the flurry of recent stories with headlines like "Poor Behavior Is Linked to Time in Day Care" in The New York Times and "Study ties day care to some behavior problems" at MSNBC.com.   CHOOSE WITH CARE - Janene Kallen and her husband chose Los Arbolitos Preschool in San Diego for daughter ... [full story]

Company’s Plastic Bag Recycling Program Encourages Local Elementary Students to Help Remove Nearly 44 Tons of Plastic from the Local Waste Stream Through its Kids Recycling Challenge program, Wal-Mart today announced it is awarding $35,020 to 130 Oregon schools for students’ efforts to become responsible stewards of their environment. The company’s Kids Recycling Challenge effort is the largest plastic bag recycling program of its kind ever undertaken. From last September through March, elementary school students ... [full story]

Portland TrailBlazers will honor Kyle Kalmbach on May 31 It doesn't take a champion season—or even winning a game—to have what it takes to be an outstanding coach. Kyle Kalmbach, varsity boys basketball coach at La Pine High School, has been named the 2007 “Ford Coach of the Year” by the Portland TrailBlazers and Northwest Ford Stores.   Kyle Kalmbach - Ford Coach of the Year Kalmbach is among four selected for this year's award and will ... [full story]

Randy King plans to set up sister-school relationship between Aomori, Japan and Bend-La Pine Schools After a highly competitive national process, Randy King, a teacher at Ensworth Elementary School, has been selected to participate in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Teacher Program and will spend three weeks in the country. King leaves June 10 for Tokyo for a week-long teachers conference, before living with a family in the northern Japan community Aomori for two ... [full story]