BOARD HIRES CONSULTANT FOR STATE REVIEW

JACKSON -- The Jackson School Board moved into its last phase of preparation for next month's state review during the school board meeting Tuesday night.

The board approved a contract for a Title I consultant and accepted the latest revisions of the district's curriculum guides and manuals as part of their preparation for the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) review, which will take place the fourth week of January.

Shelly Long, a former assistant director for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Title I program, will work with the district to evaluate policy and procedures, and develop staff in-service training and a needs assessment instrument. She will also help ensure the school is in compliance with the Title I program and all relevant checklists.

Long has worked with the district before, but a contract was needed to formalize the relationship. Assistant superintendent Fred Jones said Long will be a big help in preparation for the MSIP review.

A team of reviewers from MSIP will work out of Jackson Middle School Jan. 20 - 24 speaking to board members, administrators, faculty and staff as part of a comprehensive district review that takes place in all Missouri school districts every five years.

Superintendent Howard Jones said he and other administrators have worked hard on a number of projects in preparation for the review, and will be glad when it is finally over.

In other action, two teams of Jackson sixth- and seventh-grade teachers will receive computers and software to serve as a demonstration site for the American Education Corporation through a $10,000 grant from the corporation's A+ America Grant awarded to the district.

Assistant superintendent Fred Jones said the program, which is "a cross between Nintendo and a textbook", will serve as a structural learning program involving students working with computers in their major subject areas.