SBE HIGHLIGHTS

APRIL 29-MAY 1, 2008

Special Note: To review background materials on each item, please go to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/stateboard/meetings/2008/05. Click on the appropriate agenda category: Globally Competitive Students (GCS); Twenty-First Century Professionals (TCP); Leadership for Innovation (LFI); Twenty-First Century Systems (TCS); or Healthy Responsible Students (HRS).

Action Agenda

Approval of Supplemental Educational Services Providers for 2008-09 (GCS 1) - Supplemental educational services providers for the 2008-09 school year were approved. NCLB requires eligible students attending Title I schools in the second year of school improvement (failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress for three years) to receive supplemental educational services paid with Title I funds.
Approval/Adoption of the School Executive: Principal Evaluation Instrument (TCP 1) - Board members approved the School Executive: Principal Evaluation Instrument. The principal performance evaluation will, among other things, serve as a guide for principals as they reflect upon and improve their effectiveness as school leaders; focus the goals and objectives of districts as they support, monitor and evaluate their principals; and serve as a tool in developing coaching and mentoring programs for principals. Professional development is being offered to superintendents or designees evaluating principal performance.
Transfer of Charter for Exploris (LF1) - The transfer of Exploris Middle School's charter to a new 501(c)3 organization that will be governed by a board of directors solely dedicated to the mission of Exploris Middle School was approved.

Action on First Reading

Changes to NC's NCLB Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook (GCS 2) - This item was pulled from the agenda pending official response from the U.S. Department of Education.
Changes and Clarifications to Policy HSP-A-012 Regarding NCLB Title III Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (GCS 3) - Board members approved making adjustments to the 2007-08 Title III Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAO) 2 criteria and target and defining AMAO 2 targets annually until the English Language Proficiency assessment is stabilized. Readjusting AMAO criteria and targets over the next two years (during and after transition to the new English Language Proficiency test) based on match-score and longitudinal data will improve the validity and utility of North Carolina's Title III accountability system.
Approval of Grants (TCS 1)
2007-08 Reading First Grant Allocations - Reading First grants totaling $22.5 million were approved for schools in the following districts: Anson, Asheboro City, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Elizabeth City/Pasquotank, Franklin, Halifax, Hertford, Hoke, Hyde, Kannapolis City, Lee, Lenoir, Martin, Montgomery, Nash/Rocky Mount, New Hanover, Northampton, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Thomasville City, Vance, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Weldon City, Wilson, Carter Community Charter, Health Start Academy Charter and Sallie B. Howard Charter.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Awarded to NCDPI from USDA - Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grants were awarded to the following schools for the 2008-09 school year: Hillcrest Elementary (Alamance-Burlington City Schools), Blue Ridge Elementary (Ashe County Schools), Hall Fletcher Elementary (Asheville City Schools), Crossnore Elementary and Newland Elementary (Avery County Schools), Waccamaw School (Brunswick County Schools), Barnardsville Elementary (Buncombe County Schools), Hiwassee Dam Elementary/Middle (Cherokee County Schools), E.K. Powe Elementary (Durham Public Schools), Cyrus P. Frazier Elementary (Guilford County Schools), Upward Elementary (Henderson County Schools), West Smithfield Elementary (Johnston County Schools), Candor Elementary (Montgomery County Schools), Alderman Elementary (New Hanover County Schools), Long Branch Elementary (Public Schools of Robeson County), Elizabeth Hanford Dole Elementary and North Rowan Elementary (Rowan-Salisbury Schools), East Albemarle Elementary (Stanly County Schools), White Plains Elementary (Surry County Schools), Tyrrell Elementary (Tyrrell County Schools), East Elementary (Union County Schools), Edgewood Elementary and Whiteville Primary (Whiteville City Schools), and Johnson Primary and Tarawa Terrace II Elementary (Camp Lejeune Dependents Schools). The program provides fresh fruit and vegetable snacks daily, free of charge, to students. Grant funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture total $1 million.
Legislated One-time Sign-on Bonus for Teachers Paid on Step 0 of the Salary Schedule (TCS 2) - Board members approved a one-time, $250 lump sum sign-on bonus to teachers paid on Step 0 of the salary schedule to be paid at the end of the 2007-08 school year. This bonus was provided under House Bill 1473.
Program Approval Exemption Requests Under the Innovative Education Initiatives Act (LFI 2) - Board members approved the exemption request for Hertford County Early College High.

Discussion Agenda

Academically or Intellectually Gifted Program Revision Update (GCS 4) - Board members continued their discussion of a proposed action plan with suggested strategies and timelines to address needed changes to the state's academically or intellectually gifted program. The action plan addresses program development, program monitoring/evaluation, AIG funding, and parent satisfaction. This item will come back to the Board when action is required.
Discussion of HSP-M-001 Course for Credit Policy (GCS 5) - Recommended revisions of HSP-M-001 addressing the requirements for an online course to qualify for credit, expectations for end-of-course test administration at the local level, and the requirement for course evaluation when a statewide assessment is not available were discussed.
Standard Course of Study for English Language Development K-12 (GCS 6) - Board members discussed adopting the Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL)/World Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Consortium Standards as the North Carolina English Language Development Standard Course of Study for students.
School Executive: Principal Evaluation Policies (TCP 2) - Beginning with the 2008-09 school year, principals are to be evaluated annually using the North Carolina School Executive Evaluation Rubric. Policies related to the new evaluation instrument address training for school executives on the rubric and evaluation process, an orientation on the evaluation process, a mid-year review, and reporting summative ratings.
State Evaluation Committee Program Approval Recommendations (TCP 3) - Program approval recommendations presented by the State Evaluation Committee on Teacher Education for Appalachian State University, Brevard College, Catawba College, Chowan University, Mars Hill College, Meredith College, Montreat College, North Carolina Wesleyan College, UNC-Pembroke, and Western Carolina University were discussed.

Issues Session

Accountability and Testing Discussion - A New Generation - State Board Vice Chairman Wayne McDevitt introduced the Issues Session, "Framework for Change: The Next Generation of Assessments and Accountability," which provided the Board's draft response to the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability. The Board convened the Commission in May 2007 and charged it with conducting a comprehensive review of the current assessment and accountability system and offering recommendations for modifications to the current testing program as well as identifying next steps for meaningful change. The Commission presented its recommendations in January. McDevitt reiterated the important work of the Blue Ribbon Testing Commission and stressed the Board's unwavering commitment to high standards for students. The report outlines action steps for immediate improvement and development of the next generation of standards, assessments and accountability. Some of these will be effective this school year with the majority to be effective in the 2008-09 school year. These recommendations are:

Release one form of each test on an annual basis.
Enact a moratorium on the content standards revision/test development cycle.
Make results from new tests comparable to prior tests.
Move to a five-year graduation rate for Adequate Yearly Progress purposes.
Count retest scores in performance composites.
Eliminate the redundancy in end-of-course (EOC) and end-of-grade (EOG) testing by allowing EOC scores to count as EOG scores in middle grades.
Change the current approach to writing assessment.
Replace the current English I EOC with a high school English assessment given in grade 10.
Revamp the current Computer Skills Test to ensure it measures 21st century Information Communication Technology literacy.
Eliminate the misalignment of assessment for the integrated math courses.
Shorten the timeframe for reporting results after new tests are administered.

The report also lists several recommendations that require the Department of Public Instruction to develop a detailed implementation plan to include timelines, resources needed and strategies for involving appropriate stakeholders in the development process. The comprehensive implementation plan is to be presented to the Board by October. These recommendations are:

Overhaul the PreK-12 Standard Course of Study (SCOS) to focus on essential standards in order to narrow and deepen the state's curriculum.
Develop a next-generation assessment system, which includes formative, benchmark and summative assessments based on the new standards.
Allow LEAs to develop and pilot 21st century assessment models.
Create a comprehensive, customized professional development system to provide teachers and administrators with the skills and understandings needed to use data to inform instructional practice and make formative assessments a daily practice in the classroom.
Update the analysis of the technology infrastructure needed to support a 21st century curriculum and assessment system and to move additional testing to appropriate technology formats.
Examine the K-8 accountability model with a 21st century focus.
Develop a new high school accountability model that includes the high school graduation rate, participation in the high school Future-Ready Core, student performance in core subjects, and other measures of readiness for postsecondary education and skilled work.

The Board anticipates taking action on the Framework at its June meeting.

Special Presentation

HeartSafe Moore County Project - Moore County Cardiologist Dr. Robin Cummings provided a presentation on Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and the importance of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in saving lives. Studies show that 75 percent of SCA victims are young and show no prior heart disease. SCA is the leading cause of death among young athletes. Victims of SCA who are brought back to life because of the use of an AED have a 75 percent survival rate. HeartSafe Moore County is a group of businesses and community partners who have come together to put AEDs in public areas in Moore County, including schools. Currently, 21 Moore County schools have AEDs.

Committees' New Business

Globally Competitive Students

Alternative Math Courses for Select Non-Future-Ready Core Students - NCDPI K-12 Mathematics Section Chief Everly Broadway discussed the mathematics options to meet the requirements of the Future-Ready Core Course of Study. Everly said they are considering calling the courses Alternative Math I and Alternative Math II. The courses will emphasize workplace tools including statistical reasoning and financial applications.

Business/Finance and Advocacy Committee

Highlights of the NC Public School Budget - Feb. 2008 - NCDPI School Business Services Assistant Director Alexis Schauss provided highlights of the North Carolina Public School Budget. The state funds schools through three basic types of allotments: position allotments, dollar allotments and categorical allotments. She noted some quick facts on North Carolina public schools including the number of students, number of schools and estimated average teacher compensation. Also discussed was the percent of the General Fund used for public schools appropriations, source of expenditures, and low-wealth supplemental funding. Committee members suggested a similar presentation be provided to all Board members at an upcoming meeting.

21st Century Professionals Committee

Update on Training on the School Executive: Principal Evaluation Instrument - The State Board of Education approved the new Executive Evaluation Instrument for principals at its May meeting. The SBE approved deployment plan began this week. The NCDPI, McREL, and New Teacher Center staff launched two in-depth training sessions (May 5-9 and May 12-16) for a cadre of professionals who will provide training throughout the state this summer.

This cadre of professionals and DPI staff will be deployed to provide two-day regional trainings during the months of June and July. The dates provided for LEA trainings are: June 23-24, June 25-26, July 7-8, July 9-10, July 14-15, July 16-17, July 21-22, and July 23-24.

These two-day training sessions are for principals, superintendents, supervisors and teacher leaders. To date, over 1,900 school leaders have registered for the regional training sessions. Following completion of the two-day training sessions, a third session for LEA Central Office/HR staff will take place on July 28-31. This session was originally planned for May 27; however, it was rescheduled to avoid school conflicts. Educators will be notified as soon as a site is selected for this training. Presenters in this session will review the information provided in the school leader training, but will focus on follow-up professional development and supports for principals. Ideally, attendees at this session will have participated in the two-day training sessions in order to have a solid understanding of the standards and the evaluation process.

A group of seasoned, master superintendents, principals, and teachers will be selected as an Advisory Committee to provide input and guide the professional development needed to ensure the successful implementation of the evaluation instrument. This group will have its first meeting in August 2008.
Report on the Pilot of the New Teacher Evaluation Instrument - Jean Williams presented results from the pilot of the New Teacher Evaluation Instrument in preparation for bringing the Instrument to the Board for discussion in June.

Leadership for Innovation Committee

Comprehensive Support - NCDPI Consolidated Assistance Director Pat Ashley discussed the Department's elements of high school turnaround and how they compare to schools designated as "Beat the Odds Schools." The schools in the "Beat the Odds" designation are schools that have been identified nationally as having high numbers of at-risk students and other challenges to overcome. The "Beat the Odds" schools provide North Carolina educators with a good comparison model for the state's comprehensive support initiative. Assistance provided for the "Beat the Odds Schools" is categorized under Elements of Will and Elements of Capacity to achieve the student learning outcomes. North Carolina's assistance model provides a number of the same elements. What is provided under professional development in North Carolina covers much of what is provided under Elements of Will. The Department does not cover every element under Elements of Capacity but does provide most of them through the Framework for Action, Reform/Redesign Model and Instructional Facilitators. Although there is much overlap between the two models, there are still some areas that need attention.
NC Virtual Public School/Learn and Earn Online (LEO) Director's Report - NCVPS/Learn and Earn Online Chief Operating Officer Assistant Director John Brim provided an update to Committee members. The update included the number of Advanced Placement Test Preparation completers (3,522); end-of-course focus courses up 15 percent in student achievement; of the students taking non-EOC electives, 50 percent received an A or B; the enrollment numbers for LEO for summer school (107), fall 2008 (1,479); and enrollment numbers for NCVPS summer school (869), fall 2008 (1,073) and year-round courses (443). NCVPS Marketing Director Dave Edwards provided an update on the Wave I pilot with 10 districts. They have seen a 35 percent increase in course enrollment and have received lots of good examples of best practices. He concluded by saying that nine North Carolina students won National Latin Exam awards.

Good News

State Board Senior Student Advisor Danielle Alston and Junior Student Advisor Brandon Young provided a joint presentation on "The Good News About Students." Alston and Young introduced four students with exemplary academic credentials who then provided insight into what made their public school experiences so successful and so important (support of teachers and parents ranked high). Presenting were Danielle Heider, West Johnston High (Johnston County Schools), who will attend UNC-Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar; John Lyon, Hillside High (Durham Public Schools), who will attend Harvard University; Rebekah Jewell, Clayton High (Johnston County Schools), who will attend North Carolina State University as a Park Scholar; and Sarah Brown, Riverside High (Durham Public Schools), who will attend the Naval Academy. Also presenting by video was Shivani Sud, Jordan High (Durham Public Schools), who will attend Duke University. At the conclusion of the presentations, Alston reflected on her public school career and her service on the State Board, which she thoroughly enjoyed. She would like to continue serving on the Globally Competitive Students Committee. Board members presented each student with a plaque and a State Board mug.

Chairman's Remarks

State Board of Education Chairman Howard Lee noted that the signing ceremony for the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Board, the NCDPI and Jiangsu Province, China would be held at 12:45 p.m. at the Summit on US/China K-12 Education, which was taking place at NC State's Friday Institute. The Board voted unanimously to approve the MOU. He also mentioned that he and State Board member Kathy Taft had recently visited Goldsboro High School (Wayne County Schools) and several Greene County schools and were very impressed with the schools' students and programs. Lee said that State Board of Education Executive Director Rebecca Garland would serve as the interim Associate State Superintendent for Innovation and School Transformation while the Department searches for a new associate state superintendent. He concluded by saying that class size waivers would now be approved by the Department with a report being provided to the Board.

State Board of Education Executive Director Rebecca Garland provided a brief report on legislative activity. Garland said the Board's budget had been presented to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee. She mentioned possible legislation that may be coming out of the General Assembly including support of National Board Certified teachers serving as full-time mentors without losing their bonuses, more connectivity in the classroom, graduation coaches, the possibility that the UNC Board of Governors may be requested to study raising the compulsory attendance age from 16 to 17 then to 18, the possible reappointment of the Joint Legislative Commission on Dropout Prevention and High School Graduation to consider other projects (there is the potential that 40 more grants may be awarded), and the possible introduction of legislation by the Arts Commission requiring high school students to take an art course prior to graduation.

State Superintendent's Report

State Superintendent June Atkinson in her report noted that 104,000 educators (84 percent of all educators) had completed the Teacher Working Conditions Survey. She also highlighted the NC State Health Plan STAR Initiative, which focuses on increasing the percentage of school staff members who practice healthy lifestyle behaviors, National Teacher Day (May 6), meetings of the State Superintendent's Parents' and Principals' Advisory Councils, and the 18 different events across the state she either participated in or addressed. She then introduced Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' (CMS) Superintendent Peter Gorman who, along with CMS Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Ann Clark, CTE Division Director Jimmy Chancey and Chief Operating Officer Maurice Green, discussed the district's "Academy of Engineering - Motorsports." To make this program possible, the district is partnering with other schools - Union County Schools, Columbia, South Carolina; a number of businesses; and institutes of higher education. The 2008-09 school year is the planning year with the first cohort of students (9th graders) accepted in 2009-10.

State Board of Education Executive Director Rebecca Garland provided a brief report on legislative activity (continuing to support the legislative education commission/committees) and noted that on April 10-11 the Annual Meeting on High School Reform would be held in Pinehurst and that they expect more business representation. On April 17, the Joint Legislative Technology Commission will meet at the Friday Institute. Garland said she also would be meeting with staff members of the Department and members of the Board to discuss potential non-budget legislative agenda items for consideration during the short session.

Deputy State Superintendent's Report

Deputy State Superintendent J.B. Buxton updated the Board on the Department's efforts to define its core functions. Staff also have been working in one of the additional districts targeted for comprehensive support and will be in the district's schools next month. Angela Quick, principal of Watauga High School (Watauga County Schools), has been hired as the Department's new Deputy Chief Academic Officer and will begin on June 9. In addition, the Department is currently interviewing candidates for the Associate State Superintendent of Innovation and School Transformation, and Cross Functional Councils are being established. Board members and districts can soon expect to receive an overview on how these councils will work.