Summary of June 11th and 12th Board of Regents Meeting
For the fourteenth time in the past two years, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was the main topic of discussion at the monthly Board of Regents meeting. Commissioner Elia presented a series of slides in an effort to provide one more summary of the key components of this very complex plan. She also updated Board members on several minor amendments that were being proposed based on feedback that was received in recent months.
After the Commissioner’s presentation, Regent Tillis expressed a concern prevalent throughout much of the room. He stated his belief that, while the plan is well intentioned, ESSA is both onerous and complex and will be extremely challenging for educators to effectively implement . He also feels that parents and community members will struggle to grasp the context of all the various pieces of data being measured and how they relate to the quality of teaching and learning that occurs in a school. The Commissioner’s consistent response whenever this idea has been brought up in the past has been that ESSA is a federal law and we are required to comply with its provisions.
Full implementation of the ESSA plan will begin in the 2018-19 school year. It is the expectation that in the coming months, superintendents will carry the responsibility for ensuring that administrators in their districts have the necessary background to implement the plan. The link below provides a copy of the power point that was used by Commissioner Elia in her presentation. The outline will assist you with the kinds of questions that need to be asked as you work with your superintendent and your colleagues. It also provides some information that will be helpful in communicating various aspects of the plan to teachers and parents.
Below is the link to ESSA Plan amendments that were approved through emergency action by the Board of Regents.
https://www.regents.nysed.gov/
The Board approved a minor change to the new 180 Day requirements which clarifies the amount of instructional time that can be credited for Superintendent Conference Days. The links below provide a summary of the approved amendment along with a series of slides which outline the overall scope of the new requirements.
https://www.regents.nysed.gov/
https://www.regents.nysed.gov/
As part of the consent agenda, the Board permanently adopted the grade level extensions for teachers of students with disabilities that had been approved on a temporary basis earlier this year. Included in the link is a chart that outlines the four different extensions, the associated requirements, and the additional grade levels included with each of the certificates.
https://www.regents.nysed.gov/
