16A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • January 21, 2015
Polk County Schools/Education
Kindergarten readiness rated
SCHOOL NOTES
By Emily Mentzer
MONMOUTH/INDEPENDENCE — A fundraiser to benefit the
Central High School Senior All-Night Party will be held Wednes-
day (today) from 5 to 8 p.m. at Monmouth Burgerville.
During that time, 10 percent of all sales will go toward the
annual all-night party for Central High’s graduating senior class.
Burgerville is located at 615 Main St.
For more information: Central High School, 503-838-0480;
Monmouth Burgerville, 503-838-6096.
The Itemizer-Observer
POLK COUNTY — Four
months after kindergarten-
ers started school, the Ore-
gon Department of Educa-
tion released the results from
tests that were taken in those
first weeks.
Kindergarteners at local
and statewide schools were
tested on self-regulation, in-
terpersonal skills, early
mathematics, and identify-
ing English letter names and
sounds.
Polk County schools
ranked both above and
below state average, depend-
ing on the school district.
The information can be
useful, but is mostly to guide
pre-kindergarten learning,
whether it be preschool,
Montessori school or at-
home learning, said Steve
Tillery, Independence Ele-
mentary School principal.
“Our children are very low
in comparison to the rest of
the state in the skills they are
coming in (to school) know-
ing,” he said. The assess-
ments “give us a good indi-
cation that our children
aren’t attending preschool.
“It’s also showing us that
our parents aren’t spending a
lot of time working on those
school readiness skills.”
In early mathematics, IES
kindergarteners averaged 7.2
compared to the 8.0 state av-
erage. When it came to iden-
tifying English letters, IES av-
eraged 7.9 compared to 17.7
statewide. In getting letter
sounds right, IES students
averaged 2.1 compared to
6.6 statewide.
The math test is com-
prised of 16 questions and is
untimed. The scores admin-
istered reflect how many
questions a student an-
swered correctly.
The English letters and
sounds are scored 0-100 in a
timed environment. But stu-
dents are not expected to
identify 100 sounds and letter
names, said Aimee Craig,
early learning public affairs di-
rector for the ODE. The reason
CHS senior party fundraiser on tap
Bond oversight committee named
DALLAS — The Dallas School Board appointed seven mem-
bers to its recently passed facilities and maintenance bond Citi-
zens Oversight Committee Jan. 12.
Committee members are responsible for making sure bond
revenue is spent properly, prioritizing projects and making rec-
ommendations to the board.
Those appointed to the committee were: Dave Pederson,
chairman; Bill Blair; Matt Forsberg; Vonnie Good; Rich McFar-
land; Sheila Myers; and Gary Suderman. District officials Dennis
Engle, interim superintendent; Tami Montague, business man-
ager; Kevin Montague, facilities director; and Tim Larson, athlet-
ic director, also are assigned to the committee.
The group met for the first time on Thursday and will meet on a
monthly basis. All meetings of the committee are open to the public.
For more information, or to see meeting agendas and min-
utes from committee meetings, go to the district website:
www.dallas.k12.or.us.
Budget committee member needed
Itemizer-Observer
Results from kindergarten assessments in Polk County were mixed, with some schools
scoring above the state average on knowledge measures and others scoring below.
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Monmouth Elementary School kindergarten teacher
Samantha Henderson helps Abdullah Aldeghaithir with
a math problem during a recent class session.
100 choices are provided is so
a teacher doesn’t run out of
letters during the assessment.
“It’s a fluency measure,”
she said. “So if a kid comes in
who knows a lot of letter
sounds and letter names,
they can get through a lot in
60 seconds.”
The letters and sounds test
includes duplicates, lower
and upper case, Craig said.
So the state average on
identifying English letter
names is 17.7, which means
kindergarteners could, on
New 2014 Tonka Truck
average statewide, identify
17.7 letter names in 60 sec-
onds, she said.
Tillery said the informa-
tion in the assessment is not
used to make decisions
about instruction.
Caleb Harris, principal at
Oakdale Heights Elementary
School in Dallas, said the
state test can’t be used to in-
fluence instruction because
it is released four months
after the fact.
“Here we are in January
and we’re just now looking at
our results,” he said. “From an
instructional standpoint, this
is not something we can use.”
Instead, teachers at IES
and Oakdale Heights use
their own assessment tools
throughout the school year.
Those tests at the building
level go beyond a child’s
knowledge of letters, sounds
and basic math, Harris said,
and include things such as
can he or she hold a pencil
or cut on a line.
See READINESS, Page 14A
DALLAS — The Dallas School District Board of Directors is
seeking an individual to fill a vacancy on the district’s budget
committee.
To serve on the committee, an individual must be a registered
voter who resides within the Dallas School District, and cannot
be an employee, officer or agent of the school district. The term
of appointment begins March 1 and continues through Feb. 28,
2018.
Those interested in the position should contact Dennis Engle,
interim superintendent, at 503-623-5594 no later than Feb. 6.
Candidates will be interviewed and/or announced at the Feb. 9
Dallas School Board meeting.
KVCS ‘kindergarten lottery’ slated
KINGS VALLEY — Kings Valley Charter School is accepting
kindergarten registration for its upcoming “kindergarten lot-
tery” for the 2015-16 school year.
Any parent who wants to have a chance at having their child
enrolled in the kindergarten class at KVCS must have submitted
completed paperwork in advance of the lottery. Forms are avail-
able at the school office.
The “kindergarten lottery” will take place Jan. 29 at 1 p.m. in
the school office, 38840 Kings Valley Highway, between Dallas
and Philomath.
For more information: Kings Valley Charter School, 541-929-
2134.
ACADEMIC HONORS
Monmouth youth earns recognition
FRONT ROYAL, Va. — Lucas Costa of Monmouth has been
named to Randolph-Macon Academy’s president’s list for the
first quarter of the 2014-15 school year. To be named to the
president's list, a student must earn a grade-point average of 4.0
or higher. Costa is a sophomore at Randolph-Macon Academy.
NEW IN STOCK!
If unique
is what
you seek...
2013 Ford F-150
Platinum
SuperCrew ® 4x4
2013 Ford F-150 Lariat
SuperCrew ® 4x4
Was $51,560 MSRP
Limited Time Sale Price!
#86 of 500
ever built!
5.0L V8 FFV Engine, Elec 6-Speed Auto w/Tow
Mode, Fog Lamps, 6” Lift, Cusom Interior, Power
Sliding Rear Window, W/Defrost & Privacy Tint, Tow Hooks,
$75,090 LIST
4.2” LCD Cluster Screen, Adjust Pedals w/Memory, Auto
Dim Rearview Mirror, Cruise Control, Dual-Zone Electronic,
5,090 Hayward Discount
Auto Climate Control, Leather Wrapped Str Wheel, 2-Spd
1,500 Rebate
Automatic 4WD, 4-Wheel disc Brakes w/Abs, Fully Boxed
1,500 FMCC
Frame, Power Windows/Locks, SelectShift Transmission,
1,500 Trade-in Assist
Sync w/MyFord Touch, Trailer Sway Control, Trailer Tow
Pkg, Advance Trac With RSC, Keyless Keypad, Lariat Se-
SALE PRICE
ries, Lariat Plus Package, Universal Garage Door Opener,
Rear View Camera, Remote Start, Integrated Trailer Brake
Con, HID Headlamps, Power Moonroof, Sony Single-CD w/HD Radio, Navigation, 5.0L V8 FFV Engine,
Elec 6-Speed Auto w/Tow Mode, 36 Gallon Fuel Tank, Tailgate Step, Heat/Cooled Front Seats, 3 Year/36K
Mile Warranty, 5 Year/60,000 Powertrain, 5 Year/60,000 Roadside Assist. #F53837.
$66,000
$41,397
Was $53,930 MSRP
Ecoboost 3.5L V6 Engine, Electronic 6-speed Auto,
10-Way Leather Pwr Heated/Cooled Driv/Pass Front
Seats, 4.2” LCD Cluster Screen, Adjust Pedals w/Mem-
ory, Auto Dim Rearview Mirror, Dual-Zone Electronic,
Auto Climate Control, Sirius Sat SVC, Tilt Steering
Wheel, 2 Spd Automatic 4WD, 4-Wheel Disc Brakes
w/Abs, Hill Start Assist, Pwr Fold/Heat/Sig
/Mem Mirror, Rear View Camera, Remote Start, Re-
verse Sensing System, Selectshift Transmission, Sync
w/MyFord Touch, Trailer Brake Controller, Trailer Sway
Control, Trailer Tow Pkg, Univer Garage Door Opener,
AdvanceTrac With RSC, Safety Canopy, Perimeter
Alarm, SOS Post Crash Alert sys, Tire Pressure Moni-
tor Sys, Fog Lamps, Locking Removable Tailgate,
Power Sliding Rear Window w/Defrost & Privacy Tint.
#F53837.
Ecoboost 3.5L V6 Engine, Electronic 6-speed Auto,
2nd Row Heated Seats, 4.2” LCD Screen, Ambient
Lighting, Dual-Zone Electronic, Auto Climate Control,
Htd/Cooled DVR/Pass Seats, Leather Wrapped Str
Wheel, Memory Driver Seat, Navigation, Power
Tilt/Telescope, Steering Column, Sirius Sat SVC Fog
Lamps, HID Projector Headlamps, Power Sliding Rear
Window, W/Defrost & Privacy Tint, Running Boards -
Power, Deploy, Tow Hooks, Advance Trac With RSC,
Safety Canopy, Mykey, Perimeter Alarm, Securicode
Keyless Keypad, Securilock Pass Anti Theft, SOS
Post Crash Alert sys, Tire Pressure Monitor Sys, 110V
Outlet, 2 Spd Automatic 4WD, 4-Wheel Disc Brakes
w/Abs. #B91371.
3 YR/36,000 Bumper. 5 YR/60,000 Powertrain. 5 YR/60,000
Roadside Assist.
3 YR/36,000 Bumper. 5 YR/60,000 Powertrain. 5 YR/60,000
Roadside Assist.
Limited Time Sale Price!
$45,163
These trucks come with 6 Year/100,000 mile extended warranty at no extra charge!
Joe’s January Clearance Sale
4X4 Trucks
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 ................$28,995
Heavy Duty Quad Cab, SLT 4x4, 5.7 Liter HEMI, Big
Horn Edition, iPod Ready, Spray-in Bedliner, Auto
Tran, PS, Rear Slider, Running Brds, Tow Pkg. 237715
2003 Chev Silverado ...................$18,995
One Owner, Crew Cab, 4x4, Dual Auto AC, Locking
Rear Differential, Running Brds. 75639
2001 F-150 Lariat 4x4....................$9,995
Leather, Htd Seats, Moonroof, 5.4L V8, Tow Pkg, Off
Road Pkg, PS, 6 Disc CD, 6 Passenger. 63751
2008 Sport Trac 4x4 ....................$19,995
Auto, Heated Seats, Moonroof, P.Seats, Running
Board, Tow Pkg, Hard Tonneau Cover. 60168
1997 F-150 XLT Ext Cab 4x4.........$9,995
Lifted, Off Road Pkg, Running Brds, Prem Alpine
Sound Sys, 3 Doors, 6 Pass, Tow Pkg. 93580
SUV’s
2011 Ford Explorer Limited........$29,995
One Owner, 4x4, Leather, Dual Power, Heated/AC
Seats, Driver Side Memory, Moonroof, Nav, Reverse
Sensors, Backup Camera. 68753
2011 Honda CRV 4x4 ..................$19,995
One Owner, Auto, Traction Control, MP3 CD, iPod
Ready, more. 67462
2010 Nissan Rogue .....................$14,995
AWD, CD, AC, 2.5 Liter 4 Cylinder, iPod Ready,
Cruise Control, All Power Equipment. 09587
2005 Escape ..................................$7,995
4x4, CD, AC, Cruise Control, Auto Transmission, PW,
PL, So Much More. 07227
2002 Ford Explorer XLT 4x4.........$8,995
Loaded with Leather, Moonroof, Running Boards, 6
Disc CD, 7 Passenger 3rd Row Seating, Power Seat,
Reverse Sensors, Tow Pkg, Rear AC, more. 00629
Domestics
2013 Mustang ..............................$19,985
One Owner, Loaded Premium Pkg, Leather, Sync
Voice Activated Bluetooth, Shiftable Auto Tran. 42145
2012 Fusion SEL .........................$17,995
One Owner, Leather, Heated Seats, Moonroof, Sync
Voice Activated Bluetooth, More. 94893
2011 Fusion SEL AWD ................$17,995
One Owner, Leather, Htd Seats, Sync Voice Activated
Bluetooth, Backup Camera, Reverse Sensors. 74179
2013 Chevy Cruze .......................$15,995
One Owner, 1.4L Turbo, 6 spd, Triple OD, Prem
Wheels, Rear Spoiler, Back-up Camera, PS. 00928
2003 Taurus SES ...........................$5,995
Equipped with Power Seat, CD, AC, 6 Pass, CC, Tilt,
PW, PL. 64555
Imports
2003 Audi TT Coupe......................$9,995
1.8L Turbo, 6 Spd Shiftable Automatic Rear Spoiler,
Leather. 05458
2007 BMW 328XI Coupe .............$19,995
AWD, Leather, Heated Seats, Memory Seats, Moon-
roof, Dual Auto AC, Dual Power Seats, Push Button
Start, more. 06575
2009 Jaguar XF............................$23,853
Premium Luxury Sedan, 4.2L V8, Leather, Htd Seats,
Memory Seats, Navigation, Moonroof, More. 22983
2008 Hyundai Entourage ............$10,995
Dual Sliding Doors, Dual AC, Rear AC, Sto-n-Go 3rd
Row, Quad Captains Chairs. 45293
2011 Honda Accord.....................$17,995
One Owner, Automatic, iPod Ready, Traction Control,
MP3 CD, All Power Equip. 77010