INDIANAPOLIS â After school years disrupted by COVID-19, most educators expected standardized test scores to suffer.
That panned out, both statewide and locally as most school districts saw passing rates for Indianaâs ILEARN test drop in 2021, with some districts losing 10 percentage points or more compared to their 2019 figures.
To start with, ILEARN has never had good passing rates â the wide majority of students in Indiana donât pass both math and English portions of the standardized test, which is given to students in grade 3-8 as well as high school sophomores.
Statewide, the 2021 passing rate for both portions of the test dropped to 28.6%, a sharp decrease from 37.1% passing rate in the 2019 testing season.
âToday we may have two to three applicants,â Mast said.
Mast said there has been a teacher shortage for a few years.
âAnd it doesnât seem to be getting any better,â he added.
âThe cupboard is bare when it comes to hiring right now.â
DeKalb Central Director of Human Resources Wendy Pettis echoed similar sentiments on the reduced number of job applicants.
âWhile I still consider DeKalb to be an employer that attracts the best applicants, this hiring season, I have noticed that we just havenât received as many applicants for our open positions. That statement is true for both our certified staff (teachers, guidance, admin, etc.) as well as our classified staff. Certainly, there are positions that are a little easier to fill, such as an elementary teaching position, versus filling a high school science or special education teaching position,â Pettis said.
KENDALLVILLE â In a public hearing on East Nobleâs proposed new superintendent contract, no one showed up, leading to a record-short special meeting Tuesday night.
With the short hearing down, itâs paved the way for the board to approve the contract next week and get a new superintendent officially hired.
East Noble is in the process of replacing Superintendent Ann Linson, who opted to retire effective June 30 after 11 years leading the district. East Noble offered Linson an interim extension into July at a rate of $650 per day, since the district is not yet completed with the process of hiring its next leader.
ROME CITY â The Noble County Health Department rolled out the red carpet Thursday night for the 250 volunteers who gave their time and talent since December to vaccinate their fellow citizens against COVID-19 at the countyâs clinic at the Noble County Public Library in Albion.
Volunteers arrived at Sylvan Cellars for a dinner of chicken and pork chops, topped off with cake decorated with âYou made a difference!!â and âTogether we can do so much!â
Packets of coffee from Turning Point Coffee in Ligonier and Country Roads Coffee in Albion were tucked inside insulated travel mugs given to all volunteers when they arrived.
Local vaccine numbers up slightly, driven solely by Noble County kpcnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kpcnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.