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“There’s a new company that’s getting some attention,” Mrs. Steen continued. “They’re called Thrive Learning Systems and they’ve been using very innovative testing methods.”
Ron perked up when he heard the name of the company. He remembered it because it had been uttered by Kylee’s lips. He’d paid very good attention to her mouth when she’d been speaking, when she’d been quiet, too.
“We don’t need to try anything new now,” said Mr. Collins. “Let’s stick with the known.”
“No, actually,” said Ron, sitting up taller and commanding the room once more, “I think we s
hould look into this new company. Besides if Here 2 Learn knows it’s got competition, that might encourage them to make improvements.”
There were more nods of assent than shrugs, so Ron took it as a good sign.
“If that’s all,” he said, “we can adjourn the meeting.”
Every teacher gathered his or her stack of papers and rose. Except for Mrs. Steen. Ever since he’d been chosen as the newest principal of Barton two years ago, she’d been on his back. The thought of Molly Romano putting glitter on her eraser brightened his mood.
“I want to put a few things on the agenda for the next staff meeting,” she said. “We’re still facing overcrowding in the classes.”
“There’s been population growth in the city,” he said. “I’m looking to hire more teachers, but there are budget constraints.”
“You’ve spent a lot of that budget on anti-bullying when some of us believe it should go to test prep.”
“We have the budget meeting coming up at the end of the school year and I will be happy to take your concerns then, Mrs. Steen.”
“There’s also the issue of the Romano girl. If I’m going to prepare my students for this test, I can’t have antics like that in my class. She might fare better in Mr. Collin’s class.”
“I’m not moving her from your class.” As much as he wanted to. Molly might challenge her authority, but Ron knew Mrs. Steen was one of the best teachers on his roster. A bright kid like Molly needed the challenge that only she could bring. Still, he felt sorry for the kid. “The two of you need to find a way to get along.”
Mrs. Steen didn’t look happy. Her jaw tensed and he saw her grinding her molars. Ron remembered her doing that in his youth when she was thinking up the perfect punishment for a naughty student.
“If I remember correctly, you and the Romano girl’s mother were quite close in your youth.”
“Kylee. Kylee Bauer. We were friends through our entire school years.”
“She’s divorced now, I understand?”
Ron didn’t nod. He wasn’t sure where this was going, but he felt that he was back in Mrs. Steen’s class and she was setting him up.
“Of course, you know it’s against school policy to date any of the parents.”
Ron only raised an eyebrow, but it was clear Mrs. Steen knew she’d gotten under his skin. He did know that. He’d used that line a few times on some of the single moms of the PTA, and once with an unhappily married one. But he hadn’t considered it when Kylee had stepped into his office and back into his life. He wasn’t sure he wanted to consider the ramifications now.
Chapter Seven
Kylee was great at tests. She got a perfect score on the SATs four times. She’d never needed to truly study. Once she was told information, she cataloged it in her head, and it stayed in its compartment. When she needed it, she was able to open that cabinet and pull out the details again.
She didn’t have a photographic memory. The visuals of her past were often hazy. But she could remember large swaths of information for long periods of time. And she had excellent organization skills.
That, along with a true passion for knowledge, enabled her to ace every test she met. Tests were just a system. A system that had made sense to her since her first spelling bee.
She got a thrill when she looked down at the bubbles of a multiple-choice test. She was excited to fill a blank. The sound of a timer ticking away on a teacher’s desk had never made her sweat. It had always presented a challenge.
She was well-versed in all forms of testing, but standardized tests to measure the effectiveness of the education system was a tricky beast. These tests didn’t so much measure the individual kid’s skill as it measured the effectiveness of tests and the teachers of the tests. They didn’t measure the uniqueness of the test taker so much as they measured the similarity of them.
Crafting lessons and assessments to prepare kids for these standardized tests was a true challenge. A challenge she’d been shaky on her first few days at Thrive Learning Systems. But now that she’d cracked the code to get into the computer system, it was a challenge she was up for. And like all problems presented to her, Kylee was prepared to ace this one.
“Ms. Romano?”
“Bauer.” Kylee looked up to see the president of the company standing over her desk.
