Report of Regents P-12 Education Committee to The Board of Regents
Your P-12 Education Committee held its scheduled meeting on April 22, 2013. All members were present, except for Vice Chancellor Anthony Bottar who was excused.
ACTION ITEMS
COMMUNITY Charter School
Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents denies the renewal application for the COMMUNITY Charter School, that the board of trustees of the COMMUNITY Charter School be provided notice of this action and that its charter will terminate upon the expiration of its current charter term on June 30, 2013, and that the board of trustees of the COMMUNITY Charter School is directed to take all steps necessary to close the School in accordance with its charter and the School closure procedures of the Department and cease instruction as of June 30, 2013; including but not limited to the immediate provision of notice of this nonrenewal action to the parents of existing students of the Charter School, the parents of any students in the Charter School’s most recent lottery and the parents of students on the Charter School’s waiting list, provision for the orderly transfer of student records to the Buffalo City School District and disposition of the Charter School’s assets. [P-12 (A) 1-Revised]
Believe Northside Charter High School
Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that the proposed revised charter: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) will operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law; and (4) will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves the charter revision for Northside Charter High School and amends the provisional charter accordingly. [P-12 (A) 2]
Enterprise Charter School
Your Committee recommends that, pursuant to §2852(5-a) of the Education Law, the Board of Regents returns the proposed third renewal charter of the Enterprise Charter School to the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Buffalo for reconsideration with the following comments and recommendations: based upon the consistently weak student performance data for Enterprise Charter School, it is recommended that the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Buffalo, abandon its request for a three-year renewal of the school’s charter and submit a proposed renewal charter which, at most, spans one year (expiring on June 30, 2014), at which time the Buffalo BOE as the chartering entity for Enterprise, will assess the School’s progress at meeting performance benchmarks established for the School by the Buffalo BOE and make a determination concerning renewal of the School’s charter. [P-12 (A) 3]
NYCDOE Charter School Renewal: Mott Haven Academy Charter School
The NYCDOE Charter School Renewal for Mott Haven Academy Charter School was not acted on at the P-12 Education Committee meeting on April 22, 2013. NYCDOE will send a revised recommendation to be presented to the Board of Regents at their full Board meeting on April 23, 2013.
NYCDOE Charter School Renewals
Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that the proposed charter school: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) will operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law; and (4) will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves and issues the renewal charter of the Bronx Global Learning Institute for Girls Charter School as proposed by the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, and that its provisional charter be extended for a term up through and including June 30, 2018.
Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that the proposed charter school: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) will operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law; and (4) will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves and issues the renewal charter of the South Bronx Charter School for International Cultures and the Arts as proposed by the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, and that its provisional charter be extended for a term up through and including June 30, 2018.
Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that the proposed charter school: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) will operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law; and (4) will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves and issues the renewal charter of the Future Leaders Institute Charter School as proposed by the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, and that its provisional charter be extended for a term up through and including June 30, 2016.
Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that the proposed charter school: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) will operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law; and (4) will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves and issues the renewal charter of the NYC Charter High School for Architecture, Engineering and Construction Industries as proposed by the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, and that its provisional charter be extended for a term up through and including June 30, 2016.
Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that the proposed charter school: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) will operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law; and (4) will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves and issues the renewal charter of the Bronx Community Charter School as proposed by the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, and that its provisional charter be extended for a term up through and including June 30, 2015.
Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that the proposed charter school: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) will operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) is likely to improve student learning and achievement and materially further the purposes set out in subdivision two of section twenty-eight hundred fifty of Article 56 of the Education Law; and (4) will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves and issues the renewal charter of The Ethical Community Charter School as proposed by the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, and that its provisional charter be extended for a term up through and including June 30, 2015. [P-12 (A) 4-Revised]
MOTION FOR ACTION BY FULL BOARD
Madam Chancellor and Colleagues: Your P-12 Education Committee recommends, and we move, that the Board of Regents act affirmatively upon each recommendation in the written report of the Committee's deliberations at its meeting on April 23, 2013, copies of which have been distributed to each Regent.
MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION
Revised NYSESLAT and Aligned Identification Test for English Language Learners – The Committee was updated on the development and implementation of Bilingual Common Core State Standards. In March 2012, staff presented a comprehensive plan for revising the English Language Proficiency Standards including aligning the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT). Revisions were made to the NYSESLAT that will be administered in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years to begin the alignment of this test with the Common Core Learning Standards and to reflect feedback from the field on how to improve the assessment. In addition to changing the NYSESLAT, the Department is planning to administer a new identification test, titled the New York State Identification Test for English Language Learners (NYSITELL), to replace the Language Assessment Battery-Revised (LAB-R) as the approved means of initially identifying ELLs in New York State. Aligning the NYSESLAT and the NYSITELL provides educators with an initial identification test examination that will better enable educators to determine a student’s level of English proficiency and subsequently provide the appropriate instruction. The Department expects to sunset the LAB-R and implement the NYSITELL exam during the 2013-14 school year. In order to complete the transition, the Department will later this year present a regulatory revision for consideration by the Board that formally changes in regulation the name of this test. [P-12 (D) 1]
Prior Written Notice and Parental Consent for the Use of Public or Private Benefits or Insurance – Effective March 18, 2013, an amendment to the federal regulations implementing Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was enacted relating to parental consent to access public benefits or insurance (e.g., Medicaid). The Committee discussed proposed amendments that will conform the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education to be consistent with federal regulations Following a 45-day period of public comment and public hearings as required by IDEA, the proposed amendment will be submitted for action at the June 2013 meeting. [P-12 (D) 2]
Next Generation Science Standards – The Committee discussed the potential adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The NGSS are based on the Framework for K–12 Science Education developed by the National Research Council. The Frameworkis an important research-based document that provides a foundation for 21st century K-12 science education. Through a multi-state collaborative process, the NGSS was developed to address science and engineering practices, concepts that cross multiple disciplines, and disciplinary core ideas. Department staff developed an evaluation tool to compare current New York State science learning standards and the NGSS to a set of rigorous, research-based criteria. The tool has been used in the ongoing feedback process by members of the Science Content Advisory Panel (SCAP), the New York State Science Education Consortium, and the Statewide Leadership Team (SLT) to analyze and compare both sets of standards against the criteria. In addition, a survey to gather public feedback has been devised based on this evaluation tool. The survey will be released upon publication of the full set of documentation for the NGSS expected near the end of April. Department staff will analyze feedback from the three select groups of stakeholders and the public survey and form a recommendation regarding the future of science education for the Board of Regents to consider in September. [P-12 (D) 3]
Protection of People with Special Needs Act – The Committee discussed the establishment of the new Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs which becomes effective on June 30, 2013 and creates uniform safeguards for vulnerable persons in facilities or provider agencies that are operated, certified, or licensed by State agencies to protect them against abuse, neglect and other conduct that may jeopardize their health, safety and welfare. Discussion focused on the implications for the Department and residential schools under the Department’s oversight. At the June 2013 meeting of the Board of Regents, staff will recommend emergency action on regulations that will include incident management procedures that comply with the requirements of the Chapter 501 and guidelines and standards developed by the Justice Center. [P-12 (D) 5]
Consent Agenda Items
The Board of Regents will take action on the following consent agenda items at their April 23, 2013 meeting.
- Dignity Act Regulations relating to instructional requirements, code of conduct and reporting.
- Petition of the City School District of the City of Niagara Falls for Consent to Exceed the Constitutional Debt Limit
- Amendment to Section 8.3 of the Rules of the Board of Regents Relating to State Assessments