Indiana State Board of Education
| Jo Blacketor, South Bend Daniel Elsener, Indianapolis Todd Huston, Fishers |
Suellen Reed, Ed.D., Chair James Edwards, Santa Claus Stephen Gabet, Grabill Michael Pettibone, Monroe Vicki Snyder, Evansville |
Edward Eiler, Ed.D., Lafayette Gwendolyn Griffith-Adell, Ph.D., Gary David Shane, Indianapolis |
MINUTES
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
May 7, 2008
Department of Education
James Whitcomb Riley Conference Room
151 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
The meeting of the Indiana State Board of Education convened at 9 a.m. with a public hearing on LSA Document #08-112, Proposed Amendments to Special Education Rules. Testimony was presented by 34 individuals and ended at 11:25 a.m. The Board reconvened at 12:20 p.m. Board members Dr. Suellen Reed, David Shane, Steve Gabet, Dr. Edward Eiler, Todd Huston, James Edwards, Jo Blacketor, Dr. Gwendolyn Griffith-Adell, Mike Pettibone, and Vicki Snyder were present. Daniel Elsener was not present.
Call to Order
Dr. Reed led the Pledge of Allegiance.
II. Approval of the Minutes
Mrs. Blacketor moved for approval of the minutes. Ms. Snyder seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
III. Statement of the Chair
IV. Member Comments and Reports from Board Member Representatives to Other Groups
V. Committee Reports
A. Mr. Edwards reported that the Strategic Planning Committee will hold their next meeting in June.
Mr. Gabet reported on the Regulatory Review Committee and said the committee is planning a meeting to look at rules that are scheduled to expire January 1, 2009. The committee also wants to amend the accreditation rules to embody the notion that accreditation is a process and not an event. Mr. Gabet discussed the charge of the Board to adopt rules containing nonbinding guidelines for school construction. Board members agreed by consensus that an ad hoc committee will work on this task. Mr. Huston expressed a desire to work on this committee. Dr. Reed asked that other interested Board members let her know of their interest.
VI. Discussion
A. Wes Bruce, Assistant Superintendent, discussed assessment and accountability issues. School superintendents have been asked to verify that the Department of Education has correct information regarding their interest in the diagnostic assessments. Over 370 schools have been accepted for the Wireless Generation K-2 diagnostic assessment, and over 400 schools will participate in the CTB/McGraw-Hill Acquity Grades 3 - 8 assessments. The vendors will contact schools in a few weeks, and training for both of these tools is set to take place this summer. Mr. Bruce also discussed an online pilot for the new accountability assessments. CTB/McGraw-Hill will pay for the pilot.
Board members asked about the status of the graduation rate audits. Mr. Bruce said the basic methodology has been worked out, but the audits have not been completed. Five onsite audits will be conducted, and the remainder will be done on paper. More information on this matter will be presented to the Board at the June meeting.
B. Dr. Reed discussed Internet safety issues and said the Indiana School Safety Academy has been addressing this issue at their training sessions. More information will be available at a later date.
C. Dr. Robert Marra, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Exceptional Learners; and Terry Spradlin, Center for Evaluation and Education Policy (CEEP), discussed the financial impact of the proposed special education rules.
Mr. Spradlin said an advisory team consisting of superintendents and directors of special education was formed by CEEP to help determine the costs associated with implementing the proposed rule changes to Article 7. The advisory team used a spreadsheet template to submit estimates of the fiscal impact of each rule change.
Dr. Marra said the final report from CEEP shows a net average personnel savings of $21,592,822, (the value of time saved by personnel under the proposed rules.) A savings of $521,868 is estimated for materials (actual monetary savings that can be redirected towards student instruction). By combining both the personnel and the materials cost categories, there is a total effective net reduction in costs of $22,114,691. Dr. Marra said a final breakdown shows the cost estimates for each of the 43 rule changes. persons interested in reviewing the report may go to: http://ceep.indiana.edu.
D. Dr. Reed and Linda Miller, Assistant Superintendent, discussed technical assistance to schools. Dr. Reed gave Board members a copy of the Developing a State System of Supports for Low-Performing Schools and Districts in Indiana. The report was prepared in 2003 by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), and the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL). Dr. Reed discussed the current status of low performing schools and said 40 schools are in Year 3 of probation (14 are school corporations, two are charter schools, and one is a state-operated school.) The next steps are to assign an Improvement Liaison Team from the Department to each school corporation with a school on Year Three probation; develop a detailed report that analyzes disaggregated assessment results; and align the school improvement plan and professional development plans to the data. These findings should be presented to each corporation, and a meeting should be convened with local school officials to discuss the findings and coordinate responses. Dr. Reed also talked about resources available to help schools, such as high school redesign, TOPHAT, and Title 1 officials.
Ms. Miller discussed the proposed differentiated accountability proposal including the following features:
- Diagnostic Assessments.
- Literacy and Math Coaches (Reading First Curriculum).
- Teacher Reading Academies.
- Math Now.
- Algebra Initiative.
- Adolescent Literacy Initiative.
- Institute for School Leadership Teams.
Board members asked that this matter be brought back in June for further discussion.
E. Dr. Reed presented a request for approval of the recommended Year Two School Corporation Accreditation and updates to Year One School Corporation Accreditation.
Mr. Shane moved for approval. Mr. Gabet seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
VII. Public Comments
VIII. Consent Agenda
A. Mr. McDowell presented a request for adoption of final orders in administrative adjudications where no objections have been filed to the recommended order of the hearing officer. [Agenda item IX, A]
Mr. Pettibone moved for approval of the consent agenda item. Mrs. Blacketor seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
IX. Action
A. Mr. McDowell presented a request for approval of the Common School Fund loans for tax collection shortfalls in Lake County.
Dr. Eiler moved for approval. Mr. Gabet seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
B. Dorothy Winchester, Director, Office of Program Development, presented a request for approval of Core Standards for English/language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.
Dr. Eiler moved for approval. Mr. Shane seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
C. Mr. Bruce presented a request for approval of ISTEP remediation and preventive remediation grant formula.
Mr. Pettibone moved for approval. Mr. Edwards seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
D. Dr. Marra presented a request for approval of revisions to the criteria for participating in ISTAR.
Mr. Shane moved for approval. Mrs. Blacketor seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
E. Mr. Bruce presented a request for approval of ISTEP+ testing dates.
Mr. Huston moved for approval. Mr. Edwards seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
X. Board Operations
Mr. Gabet moved for adjournment. Mrs. Blacketor seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 2:20 p.m.