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The Times Advocate, 2005-05-25, Page 22 Exeter Times–Advocate Wednesday, May 25, 2005 Regional wrap up Nursing need HURON COUNTY — Registered practical nurses could be trained in Huron and Perth counties, in cen- tres like Clinton and Seaforth, if there's a strong interest in a course offered by Georgian College. The Huron Expositor reports 25 students are needed to register by September before the new four-year course can be imple- mented. Applicants are required to complete an entrance exam. The part-time course was designed to meet the needs of mature students considering nursing as a second career. Pool closure GODERICH — The debate continues over the closure of a public pool in Goderich. Council had previous- ly decided to shut down the 50 -year-old Judith Gooderham pool which needs repairs. But according to the Goderich Signal -Star, the community thinks otherwise and is will- ing to help make improvements. Councillors have agreed to a special public meeting to fur- ther address the issue. Doggy won't! SEAFORTH — John Sinnamon doesn't want his yard to be used as a doggy dumping ground. The Huron Expositor reports the former Seaforth mayor has placed a sign on his lawn reminding dog owners about the poop and scoop bylaw. Sinnamon hasn't had any more droppings on his lawn since he put up the sign weeks ago. Province to overhaul LiteracyTest By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE T -A SEAFORTH — Major changes will be made in 2005-06 to try boosting province -wide success rates in the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT), a standard- ized Grade 10 assessment that's required for high school graduation. Since its introduction in 2002, the OSSLT has been held over two days in October, with the most recent edition adminis- tered last fall to the cur- rent group of Grade 10s. There will be no 2005 edi- tion, however, as the test will now be administered in March, thereby allow- ing for more extensive preparation throughout the Grade 10 study year. In addition, it will now be a single -day assessment, with the next one occur- ring March 29, 2006. Last year, the Education Ministry reacted to poor OSSLT success rates by creating the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course, aimed at assisting students who have difficul- ty performing under high- pressure test environ- ments. Individual reports for each participating stu- dent were also introduced for this year, with the goal of enabling teachers to target the preparation tac- tics for those who must rewrite the test. "We really got very little back before, in terms of what could be done to help each student," explained Avon Maitland District School Board assessment coordinator Wally Webster during a regular board meeting May 10. Recently -released results from the October 2004 tests show improved results from the previous year. Among Academic - level Grade 10s, 94 per cent succeeded on the 2004 OSSLT, compared to 90 per cent hi 2003. And among Applied -level stu- dents, last fall's success rate was 62 per cent, com- pared to 49 per cent in 2003. Results — both old and new — from the Avon Maitland and Huron -Perth Catholic District School Boards, however, show success rates in this dis- trict have remained con- sistently ahead of the provincial trend. In 2003, for example, 95 per cent of Avon Maitland's Academic -level Grade 10s passed the test. And at the May 10 meet- ing, Webster informed trustees the most recent test — including a 98 per cent success rate for Academic -level and a 78 per cent success rate for Applied -level students — was no different. "We're very pleased with the results," he said before explaining highlights from the October 2004 assess- ment. At the Catholic board, meanwhile, educa- tion superintendent Martha Dutrizac issued a news release stating "we are encouraged that the students of our secondary schools performed above the provincial average." Overall among students taking the OSSLT for the first time, there was an 89 per cent success rate in the Avon Maitland board and an 88 per cent suc- cess rate in Huron -Perth Catholic. Among those try- ing it for the second or third time, 78 per cent of Avon Maitland partici- pants were successful, compared to 82 per cent in the Catholic board and 62 per cent province -wide. On a school -by -school basis, the top success rates in Huron and Perth were 96 per cent at Stratford Central, 95 per cent at St. Marys DCVI, 91 per cent at Stratford St. Michael and 90 per cent at South Huron District High School in Exeter. Those closest to the provincial average of 82 per cent — although still above it — were Mitchell District High School at 83 per cent, and 84 per cent at Goderich District Collegiate Institute and Clinton's St. Anne's Catholic and Central Huron secondary schools. Other success rates were 88 per cent at Listowel Board looks at efficiency By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE T -A SEAFORTH — Six years after the forced amalga- mation of its Perth and Huron County predeces- sors, the Avon Maitland District School Board will hire an outside agency to assess how well its administrative centre runs the system. At a regular meeting May 10, after a request from the five -member Finance Committee, trustees gave the go- ahead to spend as much as $35,000 on an "orga- nizational review" of the board. According to Finance Committee chair Randy Wagler, 10 proposals for conducting the study have already been received, with an "Ad Hoc Committee on Central Office Organization" whit- tling that list down to five candidates for interviews. After the meeting, Wagler told reporters the Finance Committee hopes to have the assessment finished by the end of the 2004-05 school year. "They'll make recom- mendations, we hope, for immediate things we can do, and other things we can have for further study, for looking at down the road." Wagler wouldn't offer any specific recommenda- tions he's expecting to come out of the organiza- tional review. But the South Huron trustee stressed the importance of the process, even if trustees believe things are being run efficiently and are buoyed by the fact the board spends less money on administration than is allocated to that area by the provincial govern- ment. "It hasn't been looked at in detail since amalgama- tion (in 1999)," he said. "There was a lot of ratio- nalization then. We may not need to look at that type of thing now but there may be some things we need to think about. A review might even say we should be doing more in certain areas (of adminis- tration)." Wagler also expressed hope that, despite the short timeline before the 2005-06 budget is approved, some savings might be possible if the review is conducted quickly. District and Stratford Northwestern secondary schools, and 87 per cent at F.E. Madill Secondary School in Wingham. Explaining the more detailed results, Webster asked Avon Maitland trustees to take specific note of a gender compari- son. He said success rates among Avon Maitland males increased by 14 per cent from October, 2003, almost erasing a signifi- cant gap from their female counterparts and pulling them well ahead of males across the province. "This, I think, speaks to some of the interventions we've been putting in place in our schools, around gender disparity," the assessment coordina- tor said. Missing man By Stephanie Mandziuk TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF HURON COUNTY — Huron OPP are asking for your help locating a miss- ing man. Brian Kamrath, 36, of Brussels was last seen Friday after- noon. At the time, police say he was exhibiting signs of depression over one. personal issues. If you assisted Kamrath is just Kamrath or if over six feet tall Brian Kamrath you saw a man fitting his description walking along the highway, contact Huron OPP at 1(888)310- 1122 or Crimestoppers at 1(800)222-8477 (TIPS). On Sunday officers locat- ed an abandoned black Saab two -door convertible on Bluewater Highway (Hwy. # 21), just south of Bayfield. The vehicle belongs to Kamrath and police say it had mechani- cal problems. Officers believe Kamrath may have hitched a ride with some - with a muscular build and weighs about 200 pounds. 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