Worthington's elementary school students will go back to school Tuesday, Aug. 24, but most will attend "Meet the Teacher" conferences on that first day, with the regular school year beginning next Wednesday, Aug. 25.

Jennifer Wene, director of academic achievement and professional development, said district teachers will implement the new Wellness for Life graded course of study in place of normal physical education classes this year.

"It shifts the focus to develop habit and dispositions that enable our students to be healthy and fit for their lifetime," she said. "We will be implementing the Fitness Gram in all of our buildings, in which assessment data is collected for each student on a variety of fitness and health measures.

"This allows students to set individual fitness goals and see their progress toward their goals," she said.

New intervention tools will help building principals better identify which students need intervention, she said.

"The principals will be using Data Warehouse, which enables them to look at multiple kinds of data such as achievement, discipline, attendance, demographic, etc., to develop more targeted intervention plans to ensure that all students are achieving and growing at a level that will enable them to be successful," she said.

Wene said Data Warehouse was purchased with Title 1 federal funds and eventually will be used by teachers as well.

Teachers will continue to focus on reading, she said.

"We are really pleased with our performance on the reading achievement assessments across all grade levels and in each subgroup," Wene said. "Our teachers have been highly focused on better meeting the needs of their learners and are finding more and more success in how they approach the teaching of reading."

Project MORE, in which volunteers work one on one with struggling readers, will be expanded to all 11 elementary schools this year, she said.

"Project MORE is a research-based intervention program that targets our special-needs population and utilizes our talented community volunteers," she said. "Anyone interested in becoming a Project MORE volunteer should contact one of our elementary schools for more information."

Assistant Superintendent Mark Glasbrenner provided descriptions of some of the elementary schools' "school renewal" plans, which he said will continue to be implemented this school year.

Brookside Elementary School will continue School Yard Enhanced Learning, using the pond and the school campus for student and community gardens, butterfly study and hands-on science.

Colonial Hills Elementary School will continue its STEM Program of Excellence, integrating rigorous science, technology, engineering and mathematics methods into the curriculum.

Granby Elementary School will integrate the 21st Century Basic School, which connects people through community, connects curriculum to achieve coherence and connects learning to life to help build character.

Slate Hill Elementary School will continue as a candidate in the International Baccalaureate School, which stresses "meaning through concept-driven inquiry" and immerses students in a curriculum that is "relevant, challenging and engaging."

Worthington Hills Elementary School will implement PLUS: Personalized Learning Utilized Strategically.

Glasbrenner described the PLUS program as a strategy in which learning targets are aligned with standards and clear expectations for student learning, including the components Assessment for Learning and personalized learning.

He said Worthington Hills created the new district elementary school vision called "Worthington 2020: Creating Tomorrow for ALL Students."

Glasbrenner said planning is in progress for school renewal programs at more schools.

Colonial Hills Elementary School is developing Partners for Character in Learning, a theme-based approach that uses character, knowledge, community, tolerance and personalized learning.

Liberty Elementary School is developing Liberty LEAPS: Learners Engaged Appropriately, Productively and Strategically. Components include an extended school day and flexible, project-based learning.

Wilson Hill Elementary School is retooling its renewal proposal, with components that will include a community school, global tools and experiences, multiple literacies and technology.

Worthington Estates Elementary School is developing Synergizing for Student Success in the 21st Century, which includes the components Leader in Me, Assessment for Learning and service learning.

For more information, visit the district's website, worthington.k12.oh.us.