Third-graders in the McComb School District brought their reading test passing rate up from 70.2 percent to nearly 82 percent.
Superintendent Dr. Cederick Ellis reported last week that of the 40 students — 17 percent — who failed to pass the third-grade “reading gate” test the second time, 14 qualify for good cause exemptions.
Those exemptions include students who are learning English as a second language and have had less than two years of instruction, students with disabilities who have individual education plans, those who have had intensive remediation in reading for more than two years and are still not proficient, and students who have already been held back two or more years.
With the new passing rate, nearly 90 percent of third-graders will move on to the fourth grade. Eleven percent, or 26 students, will be retained unless they pass the test on the third try. Ellis said students have one more shot at passing the test in August.
Meanwhile, students who need more help are getting that extra instruction to bring up their skills, particularly through the Freedom School summer school being offered in the district.
In other matters, the board:
• Noted donations of $1,000 from Little Caesar’s Pizza of McComb to the high school varsity cheer squad; $60 from Supermarket Operations for Denman Junior High School to be used for supplies; and $100 from Supermarket Operations for Otken Elementary School activities.
• Approved payments of $37,525 and $200,483 to Mandal’s Inc. of Gulfport for the McComb High School roofing project; $97,402 to Guaranteed Roofing for school district roofing projects; $1,227 and $224 to JBHM Architecture for the high school roofing project; $7,827 to NewPath Strategy Consultants for work done to repair school district properties that were damaged by hail.
• Approved sole-source purchases of $40,000 to School Improvement for software for the department’s computer center; and $38,000 to EZ Solutions for the EZ Lesson Planner, EZ Test Tracker, EZ Assessment, EZ Evaluation and Student Support Network with Educational Materials Specialists; $13,000 to Central Access Corp for SAM Spectra Student Management and permanent training site; $30,000 to Renaissance Learning for the Accelerated Reader program.
• Accepted the sole bid of $2,100 from Grover Bros. Equipment to purchase food service salvage equipment.
• Approved seeking proposals for security services during athletic events, with a maximum of eight officers and a minimum of one officer provided.
• Re-employed school board attorney Ashley Atkinson for the 2015-16 school year.
• Elected new board officers for the new school year, with Eliece Rayborn taking on the job of president, Lynn Gilmore as vice president and Maurice Chester, secretary.
• Agreed to transfer $115,711 from the 16th Section Interest Fund to the district maintenance fund for renovation of the new Summit Elementary School.
• Approved the purchase of a van at state contract price to carry technology tools, materials and equipment.
• Approved the following student transfers into the district: six from Amite County, one from Lincoln County and two to North Pike. The board denied a separate transfer of an Amite County student.
• Approved Diane Butrick and Alberta Floyd Brooks as teachers at Otken, Melissah Shows as teacher at Higgins Middle School, Theresa Williams as literacy specialist at Denman and Tacara Garner as part-time secretary at the Tiger Activity Complex.
