MOESC Board of Governors Meets for September
Launch the media gallery 1 playerMid-Ohio Educational Service Center Board of Governors met for their monthly meeting on Wednesday, hearing from the Teaching and Learning Department, as well as approving a personnel contract.
Lynn Meister, Director of Teaching and Learning, presented to the Board about the progress of the newly formed department, which is in its second year. The Department is currently contracted with five districts, Crestline, Lucas, Madison, Mansfield, and Northmor, to provide customized support and services, focusing on Ohio’s Content Standards and evidence-based practices linked to proven school improvement systems and strategies. She said this creates a clear focus for each district, provides exceptional support for administrators and teachers, and ensures effective practices are done with fidelity.
Meister also highlighted how the Department is providing services for Mid-Ohio’s two state literacy grants: the Striving Readers Grant, which is in its final year, and the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant (CLSD), which is in the first of four years. She noted the CLSD will create model sites for literacy instruction at Plymouth-Shiloh Elementary and Mansfield City’s Springmill STEM Elementary.
In addition to the work with districts purchasing T&L’s in-depth services, the team offers no-cost services to all Mid-Ohio districts: networking meetings, virtual classrooms for explicit math instruction, ODE virtual meetings on a variety of topics, and online classrooms at various levels explaining how to engage students with technology in the traditional classroom or online. As an additional service this year, the Department will provide support to districts to create a critical component of Ohio’s new teacher evaluation system: required assessments to collect High-Quality Student Data (HQSD) for the evaluation process.
Meister also pointed out the efforts of the Department’s Gifted Team, Mid-Ohio’s team of consultants who provide expert, personalized support in their assigned districts, offering a wide variety of services to students, teachers, administrators, and parents, including testing and identifying gifted students. The team also offers a variety of student events and professional development for teachers, including specialized sessions in each district, regional book studies, and Google classrooms.
The Board also approved the hiring of Mark DeLaney, Jr. to serve as the College & Career Readiness Coach at Mansfield Senior High School. He will be assisting students in grades 6 through 12 with making sound choices about their post-graduation future and developing and promoting graduation pathway opportunities for students.
Nikia Fletcher, Director of Career and Technical Education at Mansfield, said, “When Mr. DeLaney interviewed it was clear he had a great deal of transferable knowledge and skills. His experience with workforce development coupled with his history as a high school administrator, pushed him ahead of the other potential candidates. Mark is approachable, energetic, driven, and relatable. All four qualities that are essential for our student population and our district as a whole. We are excited to have Mark in the district!”
Mr. DeLaney said assisting Mansfield’s students takes an individualized approach. “More and more, we’re learning that students are coming up short when it comes to specific post-secondary readiness. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach, rather providing students of all abilities, backgrounds, and passions a customized pathway that will empower them to create a future that feels right to them.”