Two Scioto County teachers earn top scores
Published on June 27, 2017
Two Scioto County teachers earned high marks on their Resident Educator State Assessment (RESA) this year. Matt Blaine and Madison Rapp were among the top 100 RESA scores in the state of Ohio, and were both invited to an awards reception in Columbus in the near future.
Blaine teaches 5th and 6th Grade Social Studies at Green High School, and Rapp teaches 1st grade at Washington-Nile.
“Initially, I was relieved to find out that I passed all parts of the RESA. I knew my scores were solid, but I was pleasantly surprised to receive the recognition of scoring in the top 100 statewide,” Blaine said. “The RESA challenges you as an educator. I spent countless hours recording lessons and explaining my instructional practices according to the rigorous rubric guidelines.”
New teachers starting their first job are given a Resident Educator Teaching License by the state of Ohio, and must complete four years of Resident Educator Training to receive their Professional Teaching License. The program is administered locally by the South Central Ohio Educational Service Center in New Boston.
Year One teachers meet four times a year for training; Year Two meets three times a year, Year Three meets once, and Year Four meets individually with teachers. During those four years, Resident Educator Teachers work closely with a mentor to guide and evaluate them. During their third year, teachers must participate in the Resident Educator Summative Assessment.
“After completing the Resident Educator Program for 3 years, I was anxious to receive my RESA scores. I worked on the RESA with my students from October to February. After putting in so many long hours working on the RESA, I was just hoping to receive passing scores. When I was notified about scoring in the top 100, I was surprised. I felt proud that all of the hard work I put into the past three years had paid off, and relieved to be finished with the Resident Educator program,” Rapp said.
The 2016-17 assessment concluded in April and the Ohio Department of Education released its scores on June 1. Out of 46 teachers taking this year, 41 passed all parts for an 89 percent passing rate in the South Central Ohio ESC consortium. A total of 184 tasks were submitted by local Resident Educators, and 179 were passed, for a 97 percent passing rate.
“It feels good to know that I'm helping kids in the area in which I grew up to become better students and individuals. Teachers really do make a difference and I try my best to create a classroom environment where learning is engaging, interactive, and fun,” Blaine said.
For more information about the South Central Ohio ESC, visit online at www.scoesc.org, or follow on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.