As ESSAA’s Regents Liaison, Paul Scampini attends the monthly meetings of the Board of Regents. Following is a summary of meeting held on July 17th and 18thof 2017:
The July 2017 Board of Regents meeting began with an update of the Next Generation ELA and Math Standards by Associate Commissioner Angelica Infante Green. The Associate Commissioner presented a summary of the feedback that has been received since the standards were posted for public comment after being presented to the Board of Regents in May.
The feedback received focused primarily around:
- The need for clarification of specific grade level expectations
- Whether or not several of the standards are grade level appropriate
- The need for guidance and supporting documents with practical ideas for implementing the new standards into classroom instruction
In response to the feedback, Associate Commissioner Infante Green stated that the department has several groups working to address the areas of concern. A summary of the work being done in the specific areas is listed in the link below.
https://www.regents.nysed.gov/
Commissioner Elia updated the Board on the changes that were made to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) draft plan based on the feedback that was received from the recently completed statewide public meetings. The key points she addressed are listed in the link below.
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/
For the remainder of the two day meeting, the Board participated in a Public Retreat. Several presentations were made on a variety of topics which were followed by informal discussions. Below you will find a brief summary of each of the topics that were discussed along with a link to the guiding documents that were used.
ESSA Accountability Dashboards – Consultants Linda Darling Hammond and Scott Marion presented various models for the dashboards that could be used to communicate and evaluate ESSA accountability data.
Models For Future Assessments – Ms. Darling Hammond and Mr. Marion outlined many of the challenges related to developing a comprehensive and equitable assessment program that both measures student learning and effectively guides future instruction. They also presented several assessment frameworks that could be used in the future as part of the ESSA accountability component.
School Quality Index – A discussion occurred around how we can improve social, emotional, physical and mental health in students, and improve attendance.
Desegregation of Schools –On Monday afternoon, Regents members participated in a presentation/discussion with student representatives from IntegrateNYC (INYC). This student-led organization works toward shaping policies that promote desegregation, equity, political action and civic leadership amongst students from all five boroughs in New York City. The presentation was followed by an open and honest discussion between the INYC representatives and the Board about the student’s experiences attending segregated schools and what they hope to accomplish through their work.
https://www.regents.nysed.gov/
Following the discussion with the INYC students, the Board was updated on the work of the Regents Research Workgroup that is working to promote diversity and decrease the level of segregation in schools across the state. Various pieces of historical and comparison data were presented during the discussion. The committee will be evaluating the work of districts that received grants through the Socioeconomic Integration Pilot Program (SIPP) and develop an agenda for future efforts.
Members of the committee also noted that there is language in the ESSA regulations that requires districts to “describe the poverty criteria that is used to select school attendance zones to minimize schools serving concentrations of students in poverty” as a potential legal mandate for change.
https://www.regents.nysed.gov/
My Brother’s Keeper – Tuesday morning’s session began with an update on the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative. With the adoption of the 2016-17 NYS Budget, New York became the first state to enact the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative into law. The program, which will be facilitated through the Office of Family and Community Engagement, focuses on improving the academic achievement and college and career readiness of young men of color. Assistant Commissioner Stan Hansen outlined the goals and objectives for districts receiving grant funding associated with the initiative.
https://www.regents.nysed.gov/
New Standards for Principals – Principal Preparation Project Final Report – Dr. Ken Turner, who chaired the Principal Preparation Project Advisory Panel, presented the key components of their final report. After soliciting feedback on their draft proposal from several stakeholder groups, including ESSAA, the final report includes eleven recommendations. The advisory panel strongly recommends that the Board of Regents adopt the 2015 Professional Standards for Educational Leaders to replace the 2008 version currently used.
Dr. Turner recommended that the Board of Regents consider a motion for adopting the new Leadership Standards at their upcoming September 2017 meeting, and bring the other recommendations up for adoption at the October 2017 meeting.
https://www.regents.nysed.gov/
https://www.regents.nysed.gov/
Pathways to Graduation – Tuesday’s session concluded with NYSED staff providing a review of the various pathways available to pursue a NYS High School Diploma along with the related course requirements.
https://www.regents.nysed.gov/
