Evans Junior High staff present behavior improvements, new PLTW medical pathway

Evans Junior High teachers and students presented a multi-part update to the Ottumwa Comm School District board, reporting a decrease in office behavior referrals and describing steps to implement standards-referenced grading while keeping behavior separate from academic scores.

Teacher Kim Brisby told the board the school’s behavior office referrals have fallen compared with prior years and credited staff and administration for raising expectations. “You can see that there’s definitely a decrease in our behavior office referrals,” Brisby said, and described a behavior proficiency scale the school piloted during the second semester to let parents see documented behavior information even as grading shifts to standards-based measures.

Brisby said the school intentionally separated behavior from academics ahead of broader adoption of standards-referenced grading so students meeting academic standards would not be penalized for disciplinary issues. She said each teacher completes monthly observations and contributes to a composite behavior score.

The presentation also described Evans’ Project Lead The Way (PLTW) courses, created as a medical-career pathway. Brisby said the program includes an eighth-grade semester called Medical Detectives and a year-long ninth-grade Principles of Biomedical Science class with hands-on labs such as vital-signs practice, gel electrophoresis and dissections. “My eighth grade class is called Medical Detectives…my ninth grade class is called Principles of Biomedical Science,” she said, adding that many students report increased interest in health-care careers.

Student Adriana Hoffman told the board that PLTW gave her background knowledge that will help with future college classes and career decisions: “This class gives me an advantage above other students who have not taken the class,” she said, citing lessons on HIPAA, vital signs and genetic mutations.

English teacher Taylor Robinson described classroom strategies used in piloting standards-referenced grading, including color-coded scales, breaking scales into assignment-appropriate portions and using familiar metaphors (practice/scrimmage/game) so students better understand expectations. Staff also highlighted a Friday-school program and a new electronic hall-pass system that teachers say improves monitoring and intervention during advisory time.

The board had no follow-up questions beyond clarifying how the monthly behavior scoring is completed; presenters said every teacher records observations and a monthly aggregation produces the behavior score. The Evans update concludes ongoing pilot work; staff said they will continue refining the tools and sharing progress with parents and the board.