Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Student tells Waterloo board mandated learning software has become 'a chore'
Summary
Eleventh-grade student Blake Smith told the board that mandated ISL/IEL assignments have become a chore for many students and discourage engagement; board members thanked him and district staff pointed to outreach resources and town-hall events.
An 11th-grade student, Blake Smith, told the Waterloo Community School District Board of Education on Oct. 28 that a district-assigned learning tool (referred to in the meeting as ISL/IEL) has shifted from a helpful resource into a mandatory task that some students complete with little engagement.
"It's just become a a chore," Blake Smith said, adding that the program can be beneficial to some students but that mandating it has conditioned peers to treat it only as required work rather than a learning tool.
Board members thanked Smith for speaking during public comment. Director Mills said she appreciated the student perspective and noted that her own daughter had a similar experience with EXL. Superintendent Dr Smith told attendees the district has posted FAQs and informational materials on the district website, planned a video summarizing the town-hall presentation, and mailed informational flyers to households inside district boundaries.
No board action on the instructional tool was taken at the meeting. Directors said they value student input and encouraged residents with questions to use the district’s resources or attend the scheduled town hall that evening.
(Reporting based on the student’s public comment and board responses recorded during the meeting.)
