The start of the school year in the Mars Area School District is bringing a host of new programs and ideas.

Topics such as new methods of measuring achievement, new clubs and introducing science in kindergarten were discussed during the school board's regular meeting Tuesday.

Richard Cornell, principal of Mars Area Middle School, said brainstorming among the staff at his school and the Centennial School has resulted in a list of possible new after-school clubs.

Some of the ideas for the middle school, which has students in grades 7 and 8, include a science club, book club, arts and crafts club, technology student association, jazz band and American history film studies, Mr. Cornell said.

Ideas for the Centennial School, which has students in grades 5 and 6, included Spanish club and organizations for pet lovers, scrapbookers and quilters, he added.

The clubs will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays. Signups will be held in the next few weeks. A minimum of 20 students must sign up for a club for it to be offered, said Superintendent William Pettigrew. Teachers who sponsor clubs will be paid for their time, he added.

Also new will be a science curriculum that will introduce the subject as early as kindergarten.

"This is the first year where we are being much more proactive," said Sharon Kamicker, assistant superintendent.

At the Primary Center, which has kindergarteners and first-graders, science will be incorporated into reading, she said. For example, a storybook about a farm will lead to students learning more about farms, said Elizabeth McMahon, Primary Center principal.

Science education in the lower grades was primarily hit-or-miss in the past, and depended upon the teacher, said Dr. Pettigrew. "Although science is important, we have not emphasized science in the primary grades," he said. "There are only so many hours in a day."

The Primary Center will also move toward "standards-based" report cards this year, said Dr. McMahon. Similar report cards are being used in the Pine-Richland and Upper St. Clair school districts, and measure achievement according to state early childhood standards and meeting goals.

The report card committee will report to the board on its findings at 6 p.m. Sept. 16.

Measuring achievement among special education students will also change this year, said Deborah Adams, director of special education.