Report of Regents P-12 Education Committee to The Board of Regents
Your P-12 Education Committee held its scheduled meeting on October 15, 2018. All members were present except for Regents Norwood and Cottrell, who were excused.
ACTION ITEMS
Revision to Charter Authorized by the Board of Regents [P-12 (A) 1]
Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that: (1) the charter school meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) the charter school can demonstrate the ability to operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) granting the request to amend the charter 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) granting the request to amend the charter 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 KIPP S.T.A.R. College Prep Charter School and amends the provisional charter accordingly, nunc pro tunc to July 1, 2018. The motion passed. Regents Collins and Mittler abstained.
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 October 16, 2018, copies of which have been distributed to each Regent.
MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION
Senior Deputy Commissioner’s Report – Senior Deputy Commissioner Jhone Ebert updated the Committee on the following initiatives.
Promoting Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education – The Department is currently in the process of creating a framework that will serve as guidance for culturally responsive practices for educators, administrators, students, families and communities. This summer, we convened three meetings of representatives across the State. The representatives included a racially, geographically, linguistically, and culturally diverse group of current teachers, administrators, professional support staff, parents, education advocates, and higher education faculty. A second round of conversations is planned for this fall.
Diverse and Learner-Ready Teacher Initiative – New York was one of nine states invited to participate in the Chief State School Officer’s Diverse and Learner-Ready Teacher Initiative in recognition of our ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and cultural responsiveness. Our State team, consisting of diverse stakeholders from across P-20, recently represented us at a national meeting where they learned best practices and were able to share some of our work with peers from other states. A second national meeting will be held later this month.
Update on Recent Changes to State Law Relating to the Educational Stability of Students in Foster Care [P-12 (D) 1] – the Committee discussed the responsibilities of school districts for enrolling, educating, and transporting students in foster care as directed by the “Education of Children in Foster Care” law that was part of the 2018-19 Enacted Budget. Over the past eighteen months, the State Education Department has partnered with the Office of Children and Family Services, local departments of social services, and educational providers to develop guidance to implement the new federal and State laws. The new law requires, among other things, that states develop procedures to ensure that a child in foster care remains in his or her school of origin, unless it is determined that remaining in the school of origin is not in that child’s best interest. The Committee also discussed a toolkit that was developed jointly by OCFS and NYSED which prepares school districts, charter schools, and local departments of social services to meet the needs of children placed in foster care by focusing on the creation of processes and relationships between the local agencies. The Department and OCFS will be providing a statewide educational session on October 29, 2018 at Capital Region BOCES regarding the new State law and will provide an overview of the Toolkit as well.
2019 Non-State Aid Budget and Legislative Priorities [P-12 (D) 2] – the Committee reviewed and discussed non-State Aid budget and legislative proposals advanced during the 2018 budget cycle and legislative session. Committee members identified and recommended modifications to the 2018 proposals, as well as reviewed new proposals for inclusion in the Board’s 2019 State Budget and legislative priorities. The proposals will be sent back to committees as appropriate in November for further consideration and will come before the full Board in December for approval.
2018 Grades 3-8 ELA and Math Test Results [P-12 (D) 3] – the Committee discussed the results of the 2018 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics Tests. In ELA, 45.2 percent of students in Grades 3-8 scored at the proficient level (Levels 3 and 4). In math, 44.5 percent of students scored at the proficient level. Due to the State’s new two-session test design and performance standards, the results cannot be compared with prior-year results. The new baseline established this year will enable comparisons with student scores in 2019 and 2020. The Committee also discussed the outcomes of the operational assessments that were offered on computers and the test refusal rate.