Kim Barker

Standardized test results in social studies were invalidated for about 100 students at Salk Middle School because their teacher prepared them with questions similar to those on the actual test. About 400 eighth-graders at Salk originally took the 40-minute social studies portion of the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills on Oct. 7. About 100 students had to retake another form of the test Jan. 4 after teacher Michael Holland told the school that the test may have been compromised, Principal Mary Haugen said.

The Central Valley School Board on Monday gave initial approval to a guidance policy that would require counselors to consult parents in almost all cases before recommending outside help for students. The long-debated policy is slated for final approval Jan. 23. Some parents had objected to the policy proposed in August because they feared they wouldn't be told about their children's non-school problems.

For many kids, recess is a time to hang on the swingset or choose up teams to play kickball. But for some, recess means stress. Some kid has to be the last one picked for the team. Some kid sits by himself because he's too shy. "Some kids don't want to go out at recess," said Sandi Deccio, who has two children at South Pines Elementary. "A lot of times, recess is when trouble happens."

Spelling isn't just the ABC's anymore - at least for the 10 elementary schools in a new spelling program designed to improve Spokane School District 81's low spelling scores. Students in the program concentrate on learning objectives, such as dropping a silent "e" before adding "ed," rather than memorizing a certain list of words.

Test scores increased in 15 of Spokane School District 81's 35 elementary schools. But most junior high and high school scores remained about the same as last year, except for 11thgrade math scores, which jumped between five and 16 points. Some of the increases and drops are more dramatic than others, especially in the elementary schools.