Report of Regents P-12 Education Committee to The Board of Regents

Your P-12 Education Committee held its scheduled meeting on January 11, 2016.  All members were present, except for Regents Cea and Norwood, who were excused.

MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION

Seal of Biliteracy [P-12 (D) 1] – the Committee discussed proposed regulations relating to the New York State Seal of Biliteracy.  In January 2014, the Board of Regents approved the implementation of a year-long pilot program.  The Seal of Biliteracy pilot program afforded districts and individual schools an opportunity to develop innovative ways of measuring and creating an approved path to attaining the Seal of Biliteracy, inform statewide policy development, and share best practices. Six districts and twenty individual schools voluntarily participated in the pilot.  Discussion focused on the criteria for awarding the Seal of Biliteracy and the evaluation of the student knowledge to ensure that all the criteria have been met.  The proposed regulations set forth the minimum requirement for students earning a NYS Regents diploma and the NYS Seal of Biliteracy.  Additionally, students seeking to earn a NYS Seal of Biliteracy must earn three points in each of the following two areas:  proficiency in English and proficiency in a World Language.  It is anticipated that the proposed rule will come back to the Regents for adoption at their March meeting.

The following representatives from pilot districts presented to the Committee and discussed their Seal of Biliteracy programs:

Candace Black
Pilot representative (East Irondequoit), Seal of Biliteracy committee member and New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers (NYSAFLT) President
International Baccalaureate (IB) Coordinator - NBCT French
Eastridge High School
East Irondequoit Central School District

Francesco Fratto
SSB Committee member and former NYSAFLT President
Director of World Languages, Immersion & English as a New Language
Herricks Union Free School District     

Denise Goñez-Santos
Director, Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (RBE-RN) West

Pietro Mendola
Pilot Representative (Buffalo City Schools)
Supervisor of World Languages,
Department of Curriculum Assessment and Instruction, Buffalo City Schools

Educational Programs to Incarcerated and Detained Youth [P-12 (D) 2] – staff provided an overview of current education law and regulations that pertain to detained and incarcerated youth.  The Committee discussed the role of the State Agencies (OCFS, DOCCS and county/municipal jails) responsible for detained and incarcerated youth and the educational programs they offer.  Also discussed were the many challenges associated with providing educational programs to these youth.  With the agreement of the Board of Regents, staff will engage with stakeholders for the purpose of developing recommendations regarding changes to Commissioner’s Regulations including, but not limited to instructional time, professional development, the development of educational plans, enrichment activities and CTE, and/or state law for consideration by the Board of Regents later in 2016.

State level Review of Impartial Hearing Officer Determinations for Students With Disabilities [P-12 (D) 3] – the Committee discussed proposed amendments to Commissioner’s Regulations needed to correct citations and references, to provide clarification of the procedures concerning appeals of impartial hearing officer decisions to a State Review Officer, and to expedite and otherwise facilitate the processing of petitions for review to State Review Officers.  It is anticipated that the proposed amendments will be presented to the Regents for adoption at the April 2016 meeting.  

Consent Agenda

The Board of Regents will take action on the following consent agenda items at their January 12, 2016 meeting.

• School Receivership
• Annual Professional Performance Reviews
• CPR Instruction for Students with Disabilities
• Transition to the Regents Examination in English Language Arts (Common Core)