Union Township Schools Strive for Success

UTS-Home-of-the-BearcatsWritten by John Hunter, Superintendent

Over the course of the last year, the Union Township School Board has been working with the administrative team to build a strategic plan.

We began this process by examining what we believe and value as a school corporation, particularly as it relates to education. One of our beliefs reflects that every student will have the opportunity to reach their highest level of personal success as we strive to fulfill our mission, Every Student…Every Day!

Educational research demonstrates that, for some students, continued learning opportunities must be extended throughout the summer. In absence of these extended opportunities, some students regress in their learning. As a strategy to meet this need, Union Township Schools offer a summer reading program for our students in kindergarten through grade eight. Our media centers are open in the elementary and middle school buildings on Wednesdays throughout the summer. Many of our students and their families enjoy this opportunity to check out books and return to take a test through the Accelerated Reading Program.

This program assesses the students’ comprehension of the book they read. Students earn points through this exercise which affects their language arts grade. Students participating in this program “bank” their points to give them a head start on their next year’s requirements.

Additionally, Union Township Schools has offered summer school opportunities for some of our students. This year, our summer school format was changed for students in grades 1-3. Many schools offer either a program two weeks immediately following the close of school or as a “jump start” the two weeks preceding the start of school. This year, UTSC offered our students a weekly program that was held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Students attending this program were able to reinforce their knowledge in reading and could benefit from the Wednesday summer reading program as well.

Our high school students were offered credit recovery in Algebra and Biology in the more traditional approach for 12 days following the close of the school year. Ninety-two percent of our high school students participating in summer school successfully passed their class. We are pleased with the success of our students enrolled in our summer programs. It is our hope to continue these engaging learning opportunities for our students.