Tecumseh Public School Board rates superintendent ‘highly effective’

Tecumseh School Board members voted 6-0 to give Supt. Kelly Coffin a $5,000 raise at the Tuesday, Nov. 25 meeting, after rating her “highly effective” for her first-year evaluation. Coffin’s annual salary is $130,000 for 2015. Board member Jim Rice was absent.The board also approved the last of Tecumseh Public Schools (TPS) employee contracts with the approval of a three-year contract with instructional assistants and approval of wage scales for non-affiliated personnel. At the previous board meeting on November 10, the board approved the Tecumseh Education Association’s three-year contract. Gross, Puckey, Gruel and Roof will supply TPS with auditing services after a three-year contract by the board was approved in a 6-0 vote. For 2014-15 the fee is $9,000; $9,200 for 2015-16; and for 2016-17, $9,600. In the event an audit is ordered, there will be an additional $5,000 charge. Herrick Park and Patterson Elementary School Principal Robyn Francis introduced the board to the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), which is an online assessment measuring student growth. TPS first administered the test in September in reading and math for grades two through eight. The test is assessed three times a year. The test will be administered in January and May. Francis compared the test to the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) test given yearly and how the NWEA test provides instant results to educators, allowing teachers and staff to better target student needs. “This seems like much better data to have than MEAP scores,” said board member Roger Hart. In Francis’ presentation, she included examples of reports and the amount of data available. The NWEA allows teachers, parents and staff to see results broken down into specific skill areas in reading and math, group students with comparable test results for instructional needs and set goals for student achievement. “We’re not focusing on test scores or standardized test scores,” said Francis, “We’re really focusing on making systematic changes that are going to result in growth for all of our students. This is our goal for using the NWEA.” Tecumseh Acres Elementary School Principal Carl Lewandowski also presented the board with the school’s Focus School Quarterly Report. Lewandowski elaborated on the processes used to target and evaluate students’ needs in reading and writing.