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RECOGNITION FOR
STUDENTS
In keeping with the Board's recent custom, the meeting
of November 4 was preceded by a reception to honor
high school students recently named for recognition
in the National Merit Scholar competition, and/or
membership in the Byram Hills High School Cum Laude
Society. These students were also introduced, and
praised for for their academic commitment and success,
at the outset of the public meeting. To set an appropriate
tone, members of the high school string quintet also
played for the audience at the opening of the meeting.
The names of the students honored are: National Merit
Scholar Semi-finalist—Eric Schulman; Commended
Students-Benjamin Arfa, Sean Baumann,
Nicholas Cherneff, George Cholankeril, Evan Davies,
Pamela Geist, Nicholas King, Alison Peyser, Silas
Richelson, Laura Woodyard, Jonathan Zemel, Allison
Zwirn; Strings Quintet-Maya Zung, Cara
In This Issue..
| Student
Recognition |
1 |
| Special
Report: Byram Hills Mission |
1&2 |
|
Business Agenda |
2 |
| Coming
Attractions |
2 |
| Board
Action Summary |
3 |
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Raskin, Claire
Lachow, Samantha Ricken, and Monica Meng.
SPECIAL REPORT: BYRAM HILLS MISSION
Goal Report: State and Federal Policy Re Testing
The Board's agenda focused on a newly adopted goal
to study and influence State and Federal policy—in
this case, on testing. Dr. Taylor, assisted by an
array of the district's administrators, presented
information about new Federal law "No Child Left
Behind" New York State's assessment program,
and Byram Hills own testing overview. With this context,
discussion in the meeting engaged issues and questions
regarding testing, with the theme of an ongoing search
for appropriate balance in the school life of students,
teachers, and the program as a whole.
That balance is becoming harder for schools to find
because of increasing State and Federal mandates for
testing. The new Federal law, "No Child Left
Behind," requires each state to test all students
in grades 3-8 in both English Language Arts and mathematics,
beginning in 2005.
Dr. Taylor pointed out still other aspects of the
new Federal law:
- Goal of 100% of students testing at proficiency
levels by 2113-14.
- "Adequate early progress" for cohort
groups (30 or more students in a school) such as
students with disabilities, minority students, and
English
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