NCAE SBE Review North Carolina Association of Educators January 2014
Student Assessment Options Discussed The State Board of Education heard presentations and information regarding North Carolina’s history and options re- garding student assessment at its January meeting. Dr. Rebecca Garland, Chief Academic Officer, shared a brief historical overview, noting that students had been tested in some form or fashion for over four decades, starting with the California Achievement Tests, and then, in the late 1980s, moving to the North Carolina based tests, including a move to the EOCs and EOGs in 1997 with the ABCs of Public Education. From 1995—2009, students were required to pass Biology, Algebra I, US History, Civics and English I to be eligible for a diploma from a North Carolina public school. Things began to change with the move in 2009 from state-based assessments to national metrics, which allow students across the country to be measured against one another. Dr. Garland also brought forth the major reasoning behind why we assess students—to know if our students are learning what they need to know and be successful after high school, and if our educators are moving student learning forward. It was also pointed out that the idea behind assessment wasn’t to be burdensome, but to provide feedback on the learn- ing objectives being met. Jenn Preston then shared what other, neighboring states are doing with regards to assessment. Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina and Florida each craft some or all of their own assessments (one reason Virginia has not joined in the Common Core State Standards assessment consortia). South Carolina also administers the Iowa Basic Skills Test, while Tennessee administers the Stanford Achievement Test Series. You can see more about these states and their testing programs here.
Quick Notes Mr. Richard Hooker, the 2014 NCSBA Raleigh Dingman Award Winner, was introduced as the new Local Board Advisor to the State Board of Education. Recognized Calvin Wiley Elementary (Guilford) and Jonathan Valley Elementary (Haywood) as National Title I Distinguished Schools. Approved the Title III Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives report. Approved two reports to the General Assembly—Implementation of ABCs and Statewide Consolidated Assistance, and Increase Access to CTE.
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January 2014
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HomeBase Update From Chief Finance Officer Phillip Price, it was reported to SBE that DPI and Pearson are working to be more responsive to issues with HomeBase. The system has become much more reliable and stable, with outages greatly reduced. Most issues now are with SchoolNet; PowerSchool issues have been almost eradicated. The support center has been revamped and is now more focused on customer service and support. There are still a number of outstanding tickets, but the backlog is being quickly reduced, as there are more tickets being resolved than being submitted. Individual support staff have been assigned to work with specific districts to work through data issues. Dr. Sarah McManus reported that OpenClass, the learning management system for use by students and teachers, is online in 23 districts, and will be in 30 more by the end of January. The rollout of OpenClass was intentionally staggered to ensure that major implementation problems could be avoided. Pilots are intentionally moving slowly, and are performing well.
Assessment, Continued Dr. Tammy Howard then shared different options for moving forward with student assessment. North Carolina could choose to continue with the current assessments (including the NC Final Exams, also known as MSLs, EOCs, and EOGs), participate in the two assessment consortia (Smarter Balanced or PARCC) related to the Common Core, or implement a vendor-developed assessment. You can see the presentation itself here. You can also find the list of assessment options here. Following these presentations, the recommendation of DPI staff to the State Board of Education was to continue the use of North Carolina-based assessments through 2015-16, and to convene a focus group to study the options for assessment over the coming months, with a final recommendation to come before SBE in Fall 2014. The focus group would consist of educators, DPI staff, parents, SBE members and other stakeholders. According to DPI staff, this would allow for “an in-depth review of all options, and will involve all stakeholders in the process.” The focus group would convene in April, and would work through September, with recommendations to the SBE at the September meeting, and a decision by SBE in October. North Carolina Teacher of the Year Karyn Dickerson told the Raleigh News and Observer, “I know from the teacher’s standpoint that continuing with the as- sessment we just started really is the wisest choice.” Her thoughts were echoed by State Superintendent June Atkinson and others. The decision on how to move forward, however, was tabled until February, when a final, formalized recommendation will be brought before the State Board of Education.
January 2014
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Other Actions & Items Discussed
Approved revisions to Essential Standards for Biomedical Technology II, Automotive Service II, Adobe Video Design, and Network Engineering Technology IV
Heard results of a feasibility study examining the potential of a western campus of the UNC School for Science And Mathematics; read the report here
Modified the procedure for seeking extension of meeting licensure requirements; policy change now delineates exactly what extenuating circumstances may be used as reasons or extension of time to meet requirements
Approved new licensure areas for teacher preparation programs at Barton College (School Administration), Chowan University (Comprehensive Science 9-12), Mount Olive College (Special Education), and Pfeiffer University (Academically/Intellectually Gifted)
Discussed requests for flexibility in measuring student growth with assessments other than statewide measures for Brevard Academy, Franklin Academy, Longleaf School of the Arts, New Dimension School, Roxboro Community School, Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, and Montgomery County Schools; will come back to SBE at a later meeting
Discussed and endorsed evaluation rubric and users guide for evaluating Career Development Coordinators
Approved the use of up to $1 million to develop a plan to move to a digital learning environment in North Carolina schools, and appointed Digital Learning Committee comprised of Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest, SBE Members Becky Taylor and Kevin Howell to move forward with development
Approved new Advisory Board members for the NC Virtual Public School
Approved new salary lanes for driver’s education instructors (see the update here)
Approved the allotment formula for Summer Reading Camps; you can see the allotment formula here and the estimated allotments here
Began discussions around Supplemental Budget Requests for the biennial budget
New Charter Schools & Innovation Initiatives SBE reviewed recommendations of the Charter School Advisory Council, and granted preliminary approval to 26 applications. You can see the approved list here. Also approved were Cooperative Innovative High School programs in Buncombe, Wake, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Northampton and Pender counties. SBE discussed renewing charters for ten additional charter schools, and not renewing charters for Coastal Academy for Technology and Science, and PACE Academy. SBE also discussed approval of expansion for grade level or student population growth for four charters— January 2014
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