Nineteen administrators in the Manheim Central School District mentored 19 eighth-graders last year.

These students were struggling to meet academic standards in reading or math or both.

Perhaps some extra attention could help.

The superintendent mentored a student, and so did the human resources director and business manager.

Other school districts have also been coming up with creative ways to intervene with students who are falling behind. Warwick now tests students as they enter kindergarten, for example, to determine if they need more help.

Manheim Central's way is unique. It gave the eighth-graders someone to talk to directly. And it tied the mentorship program to the overall goal of the district's administrative team.

That goal: Get the students to proficiency, and then follow them to graduation. If they improved, the administrators earned a bonus.

Scores have improved markedly for most of the 19 students, according to a report compiled by Manheim Central Middle School Principal Scott Deisley.

• 16 of 19 students increased their score in at least one area (by at least 30 points).

• 14 of 19 students increased their level such as moving from basic to proficient in at least one area.

• 15 of 19 students were proficient or above in reading.

• 13 of 19 students were proficient or above in math.

• 17 of 19 students were proficient or above in writing.

The bonus for the 19 administrators involves splitting $40,000 — amounting to $2,105.26 each.

Awarding bonuses to administrators for achieving goals is not new in Manheim Central, Superintendent Carol Saylor said.

A few Manheim Central parents have questioned the bonuses. Kevin Patrick, a parent and member of the grassroots group Manheim Central Taxpayers Alliance, said he plans to bring up the issue at the school board's October meeting.

Ephrata and Hempfield school districts also award bonuses to administrators who meet goals, such as when a school meets state academic benchmarks. But the practice in Lancaster County's 16 public school districts is not common. At least 13 other districts do not give bonuses to administrators.

About two years ago, Manheim Central administrators chose to help the eighth-graders as part of their team goal because eighth grade is a crucial year, Saylor said.

The mentors sat down with the students regularly, every couple of days or once a week.

They worked on academics or just talked about, "Whatever was on their mind," Deisley said.

Each of the 19 students had a different story.

A few were just one question away from being proficient, and some had not been successful in school and felt overwhelmed when they sat down to take the assessment test, he said.

Looking at the individual scores, a few examples of improvement are as follows: One student scored a 1241 in math in seventh grade and improved by three points to 1244 in eighth grade.

But this student saw an even bigger jump in reading, from 1279 to 1341.

Another student lost ground in math, dropping from 1255 to 1153. But this student's reading score improved from 1379 to 1416.

Nearly half of the 19 students also showed marked improvement in their grades from seventh to eighth grade.

Saylor said the school officials are still working with the 19 students and will stay with them until graduation.

Some of the officials went with their student to the freshman orientation and walked them through the high school.

The transition between middle and high school is often difficult for students.

For now, the administrators have not made any plans to mentor more students.

And school board President Brian Sauder said there has been no discussion or decision to award any more bonuses related to the mentorship program.

"It was a pilot program to see what we could do to move these kids up into proficiency," Sauder said.

Saylor said this experience has been rewarding for all involved.

"I learned a whole lot more about the eighth-grade curriculum," Saylor said. "I forgot what it was like to write a book report."

It was also a "stretch" for those who never taught, such as the business manager and the food services director.

"They were real anxious," Saylor said. "And they had some of the most amazing success stories with their students."

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