PORTAGE | Mike Berta makes no excuses for where his priorities lie.

Speaking at the Portage Chamber of Commerce's monthly luncheon on Thursday, the Portage Township Schools superintendent said the focus of educators and parents has to be on providing a quality education for all children. He said that starts with making expectations clear.

"Before you compete in the marbles tournament, before you play on the football team, you're going to learn," Berta said.

And, with an initiative to provide detailed report cards to students and parents, the district is making clear its goals.

Berta said report cards are being reformatted to not only include the letter grade a student earns, but explain how it is that grade was achieved.

"From kindergarten through physics at the high school, it's well-defined," he said. "Moms and dads will understand exactly what has been mastered and what hasn't."

He said hiring quality teachers and retaining the ones already in the district is key to helping students succeed.

"We seek teachers who have the ability to put themselves in the learner's place," Berta said.

One of those teachers, he said, is Kyle Elementary first-grade teacher Kris Buechner. Last year when he paid a visit to her class he was proud of what he saw.

"Those students all displayed grade-two proficiency," he said. "That's a good teacher."

Pointing to a steady increase in the district's ISTEP scores since 2002, Berta said a few changes in leadership and adjustments in leadership style also have helped enable teachers, giving them the support they need to tailor their lessons and encourage students to excel

But, he said, some of the responsibility ultimately rests on the students.

"If you don't work, you're not going to advance," Berta said.