Education committee reports Move-Up Day plans, piano course proposal and assessment supports

The New Kensington-Arnold School Board received several Education Committee updates March 3. Director Mary Jendrey said the committee met Feb. 25 to review a building realignment project and staff survey results, and recommended that a proposed piano course be placed on the next board agenda for consideration.

Jendrey said the committee discussed "Move-Up Day," an event for current sixth-graders to visit the junior high/high school building ahead of next year’s transition, and reviewed current cell-phone policies. The committee also discussed starting a student aid program; no formal motion on that program was taken at the March 3 meeting.

Separately, Community Liaison Chair Sarah Yurga reported on mid-year Firefly assessments for math, ELA and fifth-grade science; teachers have received reports and are using them to identify strengths and areas for additional instruction as the district prepares students for the PSSA and Keystone exams in April. Yurga said spring tutoring and a sixth-grade Science Enrichment program are underway and that interventions to support seniors at risk of not graduating are being implemented.

Why it matters: Curriculum additions (like a piano class), assessment results and targeted tutoring can affect course offerings, staffing and student outcomes. The committee recommended placing the piano course proposal on the next regular meeting agenda for formal board consideration.

What’s next: The piano course will be considered at an upcoming meeting; Move-Up Day and assessment-driven supports will proceed under committee direction.