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 Preshow Return to index of stories... |
Next on New Hampshire Outlook. |
| Hello Return to index of stories... |
Hello. I'm Richard Ager. Allison McNair is off on assignment. Welcome to NH Outlook. |
| Intro Assessment Return to index of stories... |
The education department released the New Hampshire Educational Improvement and Assessment Program results this week on student performance. There was not much significant change from last year's results. Overall, scores were stable, with some ups and downs in different areas. Joining me to talk more about the numbers Thomas Carroll, Superintendent of Schools for the Oyster River Cooperative School District, New Hampshire commisioner of education Nicholas Donohue and Dr. Charles Ott the superintendent for the Somersworth School system. |
| Discussion Return to index of stories... |
1: I'm going to start with a small example of the huge amount of data in these assessments. In the average grade six class assessments,we see that two years ago, 67% of students scored as basic or better. last year it went to 69%, and remained at 69% this year. In math, it went from 66% to 68 to 72%. And in science, it went from 52% to 59 and then back to 53%. Now let's look a little closer at just at the math results. The 66% earned a score of 248, so did the 68%. The 72% got a score of 250. What do the numbers tell us? How should we read these pages and pages of results? 2: Nick - Highlights of the results, i.e. top ten or bottom ten? Thomas Carroll - Oyster River grade 10 scores were in the top 10. Charles Ott - Somersworth grade 10 scores were in the bottom 10. What lessons do you draw? Can you make comparisons between schools based on their ranking in the test results? 3: Here's an example of a Grade 3 question: What is the value of these base-10 blocks? Here's a grade 10 question: The students read a passage on consumer protection, then have to answer: "A warranty is a guarantee that the product: A: Will work as promised. B: Is the best of its type. C: WIll be replaced whenever it breaks. D: Will be satisfactory to the customer. How do these tests affect what children are being taught? What aren't they learning? 4: Areas of concern highlighted by these results? Communities like Franklin, Claremont and Allenstown don't have much money - and they don't have good scor es. Wealthier communities like Amherst and Exeter do. So does the grade 3 class in Unity - a tax-poor town. But it has only 11 students. 5: How much of the impetus for these tests is educational - and how much is political? 6: How do these test results fit into the No Child Left Behind Act? That act calls for all grades to be tested every year by 2005-2006. 7: This year's results have been labeled as "stable". Is this a good thing? 8: Who grades the tests, the state or the individual schools? 9: $3 million - Is the test worth the amount of time spent taking it and the cost to the state to give it? 10: What measures should we be looking at besides this test to get an idea of how our schools are doing? 11: Are there schools that should be looked at because of their test results, either for showing great improvement or for backsliding? Let me give you my first reaction. I looked up the school where my son will be in grade 3 next year. In English skills, I see 9% are advanced, 51% are proficient, 23% are basic, and 16% are novice. |
| Intro Graymist - Tuttle Return to index of stories... |
New Hampshire is changing in many ways. As you drive through the state, you may have noticed that there aren't as many dairy farms as there used to be. The trend has been towards fewer but larger operations. Yet the dairy industry is still one of New Hampshire's largest agricultural sectors, contributing $44.5 million to the economy. For those small, family dairy farms that still remain, diversification and innovative marketing are key to their survival. And education is proving to be the catalyst for the changes taking place. In our continuing series, Growing in New Hampshire, Producer Susan Hajdu takes us to the White Mountain community of Groveton for a look at diversification in progress. |
| Graymist TuttleFeature Return to index of stories... |
Kelly 1-7:22ish "There have been so many farms that have gone out, especially up here. I hate to see that happen to us." Narr 1: Kelly Gray grew up working on this 500 acre farm with her four siblings. It's a family-owned business that began as a dairy operation. Her sense of environmental stewardship and love of farming are strong. But it wasn't always that way. Kelly 1-3:09 3:20 "We always had to help out, my sister, one of my sisters who is close to the same age as me always had chores to do, feeding calves was our job, and cleaning out the barn. At the time we hated it, at the time we wanted to be anywhere but here." Narr 2: But, as time passed, so did those feelings. After high school, Kelly left Groveton and headed south to Durham, where she studied horticulture at the University of New Hampshire. She graduated in 1997 and returned to Graymist Farm with a new vision. Gordon 3:23:30ish "She has a lot of practical ideas, hands-on ideas that she got from college, which is good. Things we can take right out there and we can put to work." Nancy 4-33:20ish "We put up the greenhouse to start most of the vegetables. We used to purchase them and put them in the garden but she wanted to start her own. It just amazed me, when we went out there when she telling me what to do, how to fertilize, and it really impressed me what she had learned, all the hands-on stuff. And she knew exactly what she was doing and how to start everything from seed." Stand-up: 5-05:45 to 5:55 While the dairy is the foundation of Graymist Farm, economic pressures have led the family to diversity by operating a composting business and growing a wide variety of vegetables. Kelly 1- 10:035 "We have started to grow more of a variety of things that aren't traditionally seen in supermarkets around here, specialty things like hot peppers. You might have it or you might not. Or, even baby corn or snow peas or baby eggplant, something that you'd find in supermarkets in the southern part of the state that, up here, maybe it's a little harder to come by." Gordon 3-24:11 "She has also gotten a business degree, which is real helpful. She started in marketing and ended up in business - the combination of that has been excellent. She has a bunch of marketing ideas that we are hoping to do in the future. And, just business in general, keeping track, she has done a lot with spreadsheets, tracking sales and customers, what goes on day to day, things that we never looked at." Nancy 3-31:46 "She also worked while she was at Plymouth State getting her business degree. She worked at a pretty good size supermarket in the Plymouth area. And watching what people bought there gave her the idea that maybe we should be bagging lettuce, and mesculin, and making our own coleslaw. That has really been a big addition, they really like the convenience of that, she has really seen a big difference in sales." Kelly 1-14:00ish "With our stand, too, we've found that just offering vegetables, we do well, but if we have other things like maple syrup, and honey, other types of products, even gift shop type products, we've done better and had more people coming in, spending more time looking around, and spending more money, too. So I think diversification is something that we need to continually look at and keep on top of." Narr 3: Diversification extends beyond what is grown in these fields. With 100 cows, there are a lot of by-products. And what's waste to some has become profit for Graymist. Gordon 4-30:40ish "We have a lot of manure here, and bedding, and I started mixing it and playing with it, and over the years got better at it." Narr 4: Last spring, the family sold 350 cubic yards of odorless, organic compost to area vegetable growers, home gardeners and landscapers. Gordon 4-25:00 "The demand is there. It's just our time to make the compost and time to deliver it. So it's a good problem to have but it can be frustrating in the spring when we are trying to get vegetable crops in, as well as field crops. That's when everybody wants their compost." Narr 5: As the Grays look for new ways to stay profitable, their long term goal is keep the farm family-owned. Gordon 3-26:50 "We'd love to have someone in the family keep it going, obviously as long as it's economically feasible. And as far as the vegetables go, I think it is, that has done well." Nancy 3-30:30 " What has Kelly brought to the farm? Enthusiasm and a desire to keep the farm going and keep it in the family. She has a lot of really good ideas of what we can do for the future. She wants to be a part of that. Of all the kids, she the one who seems most centered to the farm." |
| Tag Graymist Return to index of stories... |
To learn more about farming in the state, you can visit the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture's website at state-dot-nh-dot-us-forward slash-agric-forward slash-rural-dot- html |
| Tomorrow Return to index of stories... |
On the next New Hampshire Outlook - The campaign is in full swing. We'll look at the week's political developments as well as the top stories with journalists from around the state. |
| Goodnight Return to index of stories... |
That's it for this edition of our program. For all of us here at New Hampshire Public Television, I'm Ally McNair. Thanks for joining us. We'll see you next time on New Hampshire Outlook. |
| founders Return to index of stories... |
Thanks to our founding sponsors who have provided major funding for the production of New Hampshire Outlook: New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Public Service of New Hampshire Alice J. Reen Charitable Trust Putnam Foundation Stratford Foundation |
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Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook. The campaign is in full swing. We'll look at the week's political developments as well as the top stories with journalists from around the state. Tonight at 10pm |
| key: Education Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK AIR DATE/TIME: 10/17/02 22:00 HOST: Richard Ager LENGTH: 26:46 MINUTES In this edition of New Hampshire Outlook, NHPTV's nightly new magazine, the education department released the New Hampshire Educational Improvement and Assessment Program results this week on student performance. There was not much significant change from last year's results. Overall, scores were stable, with some ups and downs in different areas. Joining us to talk more about the numbers Thomas Carroll, Superintendent of Schools for the Oyster River Cooperative School District, New Hampshire commisioner of education Nicholas Donohue and Dr. Charles Ott the superintendent for the Somersworth School system. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Richard Ager PARTICIPANTS: Nicholas Donohue\NH Commissioner of Ed Thomas Carroll\Superintendent - Oyster River Co-Op School District Dr. Charles Ott\Superintendent - Somersworth/Rollinsford |
| key: Economy Business Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK AIR DATE/TIME: 10/17/02 22:00 HOST: Richard Ager LENGTH: 26:46 MINUTES In this edition of New Hampshire Outlook, NHPTV's nightly new magazine, following the discussion on education we turn to our continuing series on Growing in New Hampshire. And as you may have noticed that there aren't as many dairy farms as there used to be. The trend has been towards fewer but larger operations. Yet the dairy industry is still one of New Hampshire's largest agricultural sectors, contributing $44.5 million to the economy. For those small, family dairy farms that still remain, diversification and innovative marketing are key to their survival. And education is proving to be the catalyst for the changes taking place. Producer Susan Hajdu takes us to the White Mountain community of Groveton for a look at diversification in progress. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Susan Hajdu PARTICIPANTS: Kelly Gray\Graymist Farm Gordon Gray\Owner, Graymist Farm Nancy Gray\Owner, Graymist Farm |
| Tonight 10:00 Return to index of stories... |
Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook. Join us tonight at 10:00 only on New Hampshire Outlook. |
| Richard Web Reg Return to index of stories... |
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| Richard NHV Web Return to index of stories... |
For information on our program, and links to our guests and interviews, visit our web site at nhptv.org. You'll also find several pages devoted to the NH Votes 2002 Election Coverage. You can see and hear streaming video of our broadcasts and interviews. If you've got a story idea or comment on our program, click the feedback button on our website. Or, call us at 800-639-2721. |