The Board of Education for USD 490 gave approval of the consent calendar at their Tuesday meeting.

The consent calendar was presented in two parts.

Part one contained routine business which included minutes of the June 9 and June 30 board meetings.

Financial reports were also included in part one.

Other reports for the first part of the consent calendar were high school and middle school activity.

Preschool summer school reports, elementary and middle school reports were included.

The 2008 Extended Learning Program for the El Dorado Middle School has a two-fold rationale.

The first was to further skill development for identified sixth and seventh graders in math and reading who scored in the Academic Warning or Approaching Standards on state assessments.

Also the program was installed to further skill development and knowledge levels for eighth graders who had received a final failing grade in academic core areas.

The program’s time frame ran from June 2 through 27.

The program operated with three classroom teachers, three paraprofessionals and an administrator.

Sixty-nine students were invited to attend based on state test scores, 42 enrolled, but only 38 actually attended.

“I feel like we’re missing students,” said Board Member Bernie Spradling. “I think we’re missing some kids that would benefit.”

Twenty-six of the students completed the program.

The program allowed for a 39.5 percent sixth grade math average gain and a seventh grade gain of 53.8 percent.

In reading, the program instigated a 30.3 percent reading average gain and a 28.8 percent seventh grade reading average gain.

Student attendance was taken daily during the program, but it was difficult to establish an exact number for average daily attendance.

They were done with attending the program when they had finished their work. Some students completed their obligations during the first week of the program.

With each consecutive week, more and more students completed the necessary work.