Thursday, May 23, 2013

 

Registration Packet

Kindergarten 2013-2014

 

 

 

 

Contact: John Conwell

Superintendent

Phone:(907) 581-3151

Fax:(907) 581-3152

 

55 E. Broadway

P.O. Box 570

Unalaska, AK  99685

www.ucsd.net

 

Press Release


Aidan Hunter Bobbitt Named 2013 U.S. Presidential Scholar

May 6, 2013

Unalaska, AK: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the 49th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, recognizing 141 high school seniors for their accomplishments in academics or the arts. Aidan Hunter Bobbitt of Unalaska High School, Unalaska, AK was one of two students from Alaska named as 2013 US Presidential Scholars.  Aidan stated in his application essay that Superintendent John Conwell, also of Unalaska, AK, was his most influential educator.

"Presidential Scholars demonstrate the accomplishments that can be made when students challenge themselves, set the highest standards, and commit themselves to excellence," Duncan said. "I'm honored to celebrate their creativity, hard work, and community service, and I encourage them—and all students—to continue to showcase the capacity for greatness in our nation's young people."

The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, appointed by President Obama, selects honored scholars annually based on their academic success, artistic excellence, essays, school evaluations and transcripts, as well as evidence of community service, leadership, and demonstrated commitment to high ideals. Of the three million students expected to graduate from high school this year, more than 3,300 candidates qualified for the 2013 awards determined by outstanding performance on the College Board SAT and ACT exams, and through nominations made by Chief State School Officers or the National YoungArts Foundation's nationwide YoungArts™ competition.

The 2013 U.S. Presidential Scholars are comprised of one young man and one young woman from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living abroad, as well as 15 chosen at-large and 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts.

Created in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program has honored more than 6,000 of the nation's top-performing students with the prestigious award given to honorees during the annual ceremony in Washington, D.C. The program was expanded in 1979 to recognize students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, literary and performing arts.

The 2013 ceremony will be held June 16, when each honoree will receive a Presidential Scholar Medallion.

A complete list of 2013 U.S. Presidential Scholars is available at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/psp/awards.html

A Message from the Superintendent

May/June 2013

 

Preliminary student assessment data was made available to school districts throughout the State this week. All of Unalaska’s 10th grade students passed at least one out of the three parts of the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam (HSGQE).  97% were proficient or above in Reading, 92% were proficient or above in Writing, and 89% were proficient or above in Math. All 11th and 12th grade students passed the HSGQE re-takes. Those students who did not pass the HSGQE will have four more opportunities to pass all parts of the HSGQE prior to their graduation in 2015.

Students in grades 3-10 completed the Standards Based Assessments (SBAs). These students achieved combined proficiency rates of 90.5% in Reading, 91.6% in Writing, and 88.9% in Mathematics. Percentages of students scoring in the “advanced” range were: 47.4% in Reading; 29% in Writing; and 54.8% in Math. Students in grades 4, 8, and 10 also took the Science SBA and achieved proficiencies of 63.6%, 74.2% and 83.8% respectively. The Science scores are not included for the purpose of determining AYP.

As part of the NCLB waiver, AK EED received permission from the federal Department of Education to “freeze” Alaska’s Annual Measureable Objectives at the 2010-2011 level: 82.88% for language arts and 74.57% for math. Due to the exceptional performance of Unalaska’s students this year on the SBAs, the District as a whole has a good chance of achieving the AMO benchmarks and making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for 2012-2013. However, since all subgroups need to meet the AMOs to make AYP, the District must wait until early fall for the final determination of AYP from the State.

It is anticipated that the next school year will be the final year of statewide testing under the current system and test publisher. Beginning in 2014-2015, Alaska will transition to assessments which are being developed through the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (smarterbalanced.org). These new assessments will be aligned with the Common Core State Standards and the new Alaska Standards in language arts and math. The new assessments will utilize “computer adaptive testing (CAT)” technology that adjusts to a student’s ability by basing the difficulty of future questions on previous answers. This will be a significant change from the current paper and pencil tests.

Unalaska’s students have displayed determination and perseverance when it comes time for the annual assessments. The entire faculty and support staff, in partnership with parents, have encouraged our students to commit themselves to the important job of learning throughout the school year so they are prepared for the statewide assessments. This well-established climate of high expectations and academic excellence will serve us well as we transition to the new assessments the year after next.

 


 

John Conwell

Superintendent

Email: jconwell@ucsd.net   Phone: 581-3151