Last BOE meeting of 2018 reviews recognitions, standardized test results

With just a few weeks before the winter holiday, the Mountain Brook Board of Education gathered for the last meeting of 2018.

First on the agenda, and the main portion of the meeting, were recognitions.

Each principal in Mountain Brook Schools took the time to introduce their nominees for teacher of the year. They were as follows:

• Brookwood Forest: Tracy Cole, sixth grade English
• Cherokee Bend: Samantha Austin, third grade
• Crestline Elementary: Tara Davis, third grade
• Mountain Brook Elementary: Mitchell Nelson, kindergarten
• Mountain Brook Junior High: Pam Pugh, English
• Mountain Brook High School: Jane Major, English

These teachers will go on to the state competition for Alabama Elementary and Secondary Teacher of the Year, and from there, have the possibility of being named National Teacher of the Year.

Several students were also recognized for their achievements.

• Elaine Russel, a MBJH student and member of TEDxYouth@MBJH. Russel was chosen out of thousands of applicants to be one of 13 speakers at the annual TED-Ed event in New York in November.
• MBHS junior Elizabeth Hanaway, who was named the 2019 Miss Olympian.
• MBHS girls and boys cross country. The girls team was the runner up in the 7A state championship, and the boys team placed third in the state championship.
• MBHS football, for their success this season. Head coach Chris Yeager also earned his 101^st win during the 2018 season, making him the most winning coach in the history of MBS, and assistant coach Robert Evans was named the 7A Assistant Coach of the Year.

Missy Brook, MBS director of curriculum and instruction, spoke about results from recent student testing, too.

For all tests, which included the ACT, PSAT and SAT, the average score for Mountain Brook students placed above the national average and hovered within a few points range of previous years’.

For those who took the Advance Placement courses and exams in spring 2018, 84 percent earned a score of three or higher, which could qualify for college course credit depending on the university. The global average for earning scores three or higher was 61 percent.

Seniors are also state mandated to take the ACT Work Keys, which is an assessment test that reviews skills that would be used in a job scenario such as technical reading and applied math. Ratings are given from bronze to platinum, but students can only earn a platinum rating if all subtests also earn a platinum score.

This year, 40 percent of students were given a platinum rating, which Brooks said is the highest MBS has earned.

Also during the meeting on Dec. 10, board members:

• Approved minutes from November’s meeting.
• Approved this month’s financial statements to the board.
• Approved the academic calendars for both 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years after being tabled for one month to allow for community input.
• Approved personnel recommendations.
• Approved the sale and/or disposal of designated surplus items.
• Reviewed new course proposals that included seventh grade math and accelerated math; calculus 3; linear algebra; American studies 11 (containing both history and English 11); film production; documentary film making; and AP capstone. The board tabled these new courses for one month to allow for community input.

Mountain Brook students will be on winter holiday from Dec. 20 to Jan. 4. The next board meeting is Jan. 14 at Cherokee Bend Elementary at 3:30 p.m.