BSU PDS Network
Elementary Liaisons' Meeting
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
TC 217
1:00 p.m.

• Ruth Swetnam introduced Daena Richmond, Director of the Indiana Education Project. Daena is asking the PDSs to participate in one of the research studies on ISTAR. This study will determine the reliability of the ISTAR ratings. Preservice teachers and their cooperating teachers will rate the same student using ISTAR. Appropriate written instructions and materials were given to each liaison. Ruth will arrange for Daena to meet with the liaisons who did not attend this meeting.

• Liaisons received pages from the 2004-05 PDS Directory to correct for the 2005-06 directory. The new directory will be placed on the Web site as a pdf file and can be accessed at www.bsu.edu/pds.  Liaisons were also encouraged to check the information about their schools on the PDS Web site for changes.  Any recognitions, awards, research, publications and/or presentations should be sent to Ruth.

• Ruth is scheduling fall visits to each PDS. She will work with each liaison on dates for these visits.

• The spring 2005 PDS newsletter was scheduled to be published with the help of a department at Muncie Central High School. Unfortunately, the department did not get their work completed and cannot publish the newsletter. Other resources are being investigated.

• Orchard Park and Towne Meadow will have site reviews this year.

• Ruth entertained a discussion about community partnerships. Boys and Girls Club of Muncie and The Muncie Children's Museum are just two examples of organizations that want to be recognized as partners in the PDS Network. Minnetrista and The Children's Museum of Indianapolis cannot meet the NCATE Standards and would, perhaps, better qualify as partners of the Network. The group agreed that these partners should be invited to Network meetings and should be recognized with some kind of document for public display in their buildings.

• Brochures describing the Family Outing at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis on Saturday, October 1 were given to the liaisons. This event is sponsored by the BSU Teachers College Alumni Association.

• Discussion about possible topics of interest for the fall Institute meeting centered around grant writing and grant resources. The group suggested Jim Pyle, Linda Keys, and Pat Clark as excellent resources for assistance. Liaisons were asked to discuss the Institute meeting with their site councils. Ruth will make appropriate contacts and will work with a group of representatives from PDSs to develop an agenda for the meeting. A possible date for the fall meeting is Thursday, December 1. Liaisons are to check their school calendars for any conflicts in these two weeks and e-mail them to Ruth by September 15.

The meeting was adjourned at 2:00 p.m.