Meeting of the Board of Regents | October 2007

	THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234
TO:
FROM:		Theresa E. Savo
SUBJECT:		2008-2009 Budget Development Process
DATE:		October 19, 2007
STRATEGIC GOAL:		Goals 1-6
AUTHORIZATION(S):

Executive Summary

 

Issue for Discussion

 

              At the September Regents meeting the Board outlined five budget priorities based on the Regents P-16 Plan and its 13 strategies for improving results system-wide:

 

1. Improve achievement for students in greatest need.
2. Reduce and then eliminate inequitable distribution of teaching talent.
3. Implement year 2 of P-16 Accountability.
4. Improve achievement by increasing access to museums, cultural institutions and on-line library services.
5. Enable more individuals with disabilities to live and work independently.

 

              To build on the accomplishments already underway, the Board asked that the 2008-2009 budget recommendations be revisited to make sure that the 2008-2009 budget proposals focus on the five budget priorities above. 

 

Reason(s) for Consideration

 

Board direction and input are sought to insure that the 2008-2009 budget proposals are properly focused on the five budget priorities outlined in September.

 

Proposed Handling

 

              Approval at the October Full Board meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

Procedural History

 

          The Department budget proposals are developed over several months and involve staff from all areas of the Department. The Department budget proposals are expected to:

 

• be linked to the Regents P-16 Plan and Department’s strategic plan;
• achieve the outcomes established by the Regents Goals; and
• include all program areas in the development process.

 

Background Information

 

Each year the Board of Regents reviews the existing initiatives and suggest changes.  The Commissioner and Deputies then make adjustments to existing initiatives or to develop new initiatives for the upcoming year.  Deputy Commissioners involve the respective Regents Standing Committees in the review and evaluation of the initiatives for the upcoming year.  The draft budget proposals, reflecting any changes recommended by the Regents Standing Committees, are then reviewed with the Full Board in July and the Regents act on the final budget proposals in the Fall.

 

Recommendation

 

              I recommend that the Board of Regents approve the 2008-2009 Regents Budget Proposal as presented.

 

Timetable for Implementation

 

              N/A

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 2007


THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK

Regents of The University

ROBERT M. BENNETT, Chancellor, B.A., M.S. Tonawanda

MERRYL H. TISCH, Vice Chancellor, B.A., M.A., Ed.D. New York

SAUL B. COHEN, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. New Rochelle

JAMES C. DAWSON, A.A., B.A., M.S., Ph.D. Peru

ANTHONY S. BOTTAR, B.A., J.D. Syracuse

GERALDINE D. CHAPEY, B.A., M.A., Ed.D. Belle Harbor

ARNOLD B. GARDNER, B.A., LL.B. Buffalo

HARRY PHILLIPS, 3rd, B.A., M.S.F.S. Hartsdale

JOSEPH E. BOWMAN, JR., B.A., M.L.S., M.A., M.Ed., Ed.D Albany

JAMES R. TALLON, JR., B.A., M.A. Binghamton

MILTON L. COFIELD, B.S., M.B.A., Ph.D. Rochester

ROGER B. TILLES, B.A., J.D. Great Neck

KAREN BROOKS HOPKINS, B.A., M.F.A. Brooklyn

NATALIE M. GOMEZ-VELEZ, B.A., J.D. Bronx

CHARLES R. BENDIT, B.A. Manhattan

 

President of The University and Commissioner of Education

RICHARD P. MILLS

Deputy Commissioner for Operations and Management Services

THERESA E. SAVO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The State Education Department does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, national origin, race, gender, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or sexual orientation in its educational programs, services and activities. Portions of this publication can be made available in a variety of formats, including Braille, large print or audio tape, upon request. Inquiries concerning this policy of nondiscrimination should be directed to the Department’s Office for Diversity, Ethics, and Access, Room 530, Education Building, Albany, NY 12234.

THE REGENTS PLAN FOR THE NEXT STAGE OF EDUCATIONAL REFORM

For a decade, student achievement has improved in response to Regents policy and local action. But the improvement is not sufficient. The achievement gap has narrowed but not closed. The world has also changed as billions of people have entered the global economy and ignited a global education boom. Every society that can afford to do so is moving urgently to improve knowledge and skill and close their own version of the achievement gap. The Regents will engage with statewide and local partners on the actions below, adopt or recommend policy as appropriate, and, with the State Education Department and all of USNY, seek improved results systemwide:

STUDENTS 1. Promote a sustainable early education program for all students. Resolve issues of standards, funding and service delivery for young children.

2. Improve academic outcomes for children with disabilities by setting performance targets, promoting effective practices, and holding schools accountable for dramatic improvements.

3. Improve outcomes for English Language Learners by setting performance targets, promoting effective practices, and holding schools accountable for dramatic improvements.

4. Improve high school attendance and graduation rates by setting performance targets, promoting practices that remove barriers to graduation, and holding schools accountable for dramatic improvements.

5. Report student persistence and college completion results, and increase investment in programs that have been shown to remove barriers to graduation.

SYSTEMS 6. Raise the learning standards to exceed global standards to graduate all students ready for citizenship, work, and continued education. Align standards, assessments, curriculum and instruction across P-16, emphasizing transitions.

7. Strengthen instruction. Define, reduce and then eliminate the inequitable distribution of teaching talent. Require all teachers of core academic subjects to be highly qualified in the subject they are teaching by July 2007. Improve teacher retention. Focus professional development on effective practices in areas in which academic needs are greatest. Accelerate the integration of technology into teaching and learning practices in P-16 institutions.

8. Advocate for a Foundation Formula to provide State Aid that is adequate, sustainable, fair, and commensurate with the cost of education that enables students to meet the standards.

9. Strengthen the capacity of the State Education Department to support schools as they work to improve student achievement and the Department’s capacity to hold them accountable for doing so.

10. Create a P-16 student data system to drive improvements in graduation rates in high school and higher education.

STRUCTURES 11. Reduce barriers to teaching and learning in high need schools by creating a vision and leadership framework for an integrated education, health and mental health collaboration. Promote strategies found to be promising in resolving high incident health and mental health problems among children.

12. Create P-16 Councils to advise the Regents on actions to strengthen USNY and improve student outcomes dramatically at each transition point in the P-16 system.

13. Focus regional education networks on joint P-16 strategies and actions to improve student outcomes.

THE REGENTS APPROACH: THE PRINCIPLES

The Regents propose this plan for the next stage of educational reform to accomplish the six USNY aims. As the Board and the State Education Department act to implement its plan, we commit to do so in a manner that is consistent with the following principles:

 

? We will confront the data, share it broadly, and use it to define as precisely as possible where resources and energy should be applied. We will recognize the achievements and also declare the problems as clearly as we can.

? We will engage everyone by listening to the people the education system is supposed to serve, to parents, to the educators at every level, to the employers, and to the elected officials who must weigh enormous competing demands for scarce resources. In particular, we will engage students and their parents, and the wider community because educational institutions do not belong to the educators but to the people. We will create a communications plan to listen to, inform, and involve people statewide.

? We will define measurable objectives so that others can hold us accountable, and we can hold education leaders accountable for improving results.

? We will study the practices of high performing education systems, states and nations, and adapt the best to New York’s situation. We will examine what actions are most effective, and invite others to learn with us.

? We will take action focused on systematic change to effect sustained improvement. We know, for example, that closing the achievement gap for students requires correcting the unequal distribution of teaching talent. And we know that in demanding change in educational institutions to achieve better results, we must also build capacity in our own State Education Department to take on its part of this improvement strategy.

? We will continually renew the alignment of our actions to ensure coherence and effectiveness. For example, academic standards, curriculum, assessment, and instructional practice have to be aligned to be effective. When one element changes, all other elements must be examined to ensure that the system remains effective.

? We will strengthen USNY, because it has great potential to build more effective transitions for students from one level of the system to the next.

? We will advocate for State and federal financial resources and legislative actions that will help achieve better educational outcomes. And we will be accountable for the effective use of those resources.

 

 

Regents Budget Priorities

(Increase in Millions)

 

• Improve Achievement for Students in

Greatest Need $135.1*

*Excludes State Aid

• Reduce and Then Eliminate the Inequitable

Distribution of Teaching Talent $ 6.84

• Implement Year 2 of the P-16 Accountability $ 9.0

• Improve Achievement by Increasing Access

to Museums, Cultural Institutions and

On-line Library Services $ 44.0

• Enable More Individuals with Disabilities

to Live and Work Independently $ 5.0

Details on Regents Budget Priorities

(Increase in Millions)

FTE

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN

GREATEST NEED


• Regents Foundation Aid Program (Page 3) $ (Embargoed)

• Regional Education Alliances

• P-16 Regional Education Alliances (Page 7) $ 15.0 8

• Smart Scholars Program (Page 9) $100.0

• Family and Parent Outreach (Page 9) $ 6.5

• Planting the Seed (Page 10) $ 1.0 9

• Expansion of Programs that Close the Student Achievement

Gap in Higher Education (Page 11) $ 12.6

REDUCE AND THEN ELIMINATE THE INEQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION

OF TEACHING TALENT

• Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs (Page 15) $ 6.84

IMPLEMENT YEAR 2 OF THE P-16 ACCOUNTABILITY

• P-16 Data System (Page 16) $ 2.0

• Digital Education: Technology to Advance Teaching and Learning (Page 17) $ 7.0 4

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT BY INCREASING ACCESS TO

MUSEUMS, CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND ON-LINE

LIBRARY SERVICES

• Cultural Education and Museum Act (Page 19) $ 20.0

• Permanent Statewide Internet Library (Page 20) $ 10.0

• Public Library Construction (Page 21) $ 14.0

ENABLE MORE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES TO LIVE AND

WORK INDEPENDENTLY

• Independent Living Centers (Page 22) $ 5.0

Total $199.94 21

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN GREATEST NEED– Regents Foundation Aid

 

Regents Foundation Aid Program

 

The Regents Foundation Aid program will continue the approach that defines a foundation amount based on the cost of successful programs, and then adjusts for difference in student need, regional cost variations, and an expected local contribution.  This approach would provide almost three-quarters of the increase to high need school districts, up from 65 percent in the enacted budget. The recommendation reflects the Regents vision for the second year of Foundation Aid, informed by some of the steps taken in the budget process last session. There will be ongoing debates about availability of funds. The proposal would continue adjustments in the calculation of property valuation that emerged in the last legislative session, and would keep in place the consolidation of some thirty then-existing programs. In effect, this would be the second year of a transformational state aid program. The State Aid Subcommittee will review the proposed increase and recommend the final amount at the October meeting.

 

Four components of the Regents State Aid proposal deserve special focus: Universal Pre-K, increasing the number of approved Career and Technical Education programs, improving instruction of students with disabilities, and enhancing services to English Language Learners to improve achievement and graduation rates.

 

The number of Prekindergarten programs increased by over 50 percent this year as a result of a $145 million increase in funding, energetic outreach by SED and our interagency partners in the Children’s Cabinet, and the Regents timely action to allow school districts to begin a program at mid-year.  In addition, several school districts have proposed to use some of their Foundation aid for pre-kindergarten in their Contracts for Excellence. The Regents seek further expansion of Pre-kindergarten in the 2007-08 budget, and a funding method that supports a full-day option.  The Regents will advocate to make Universal Pre-kindergarten an entitlement within State aid.  The Regents also recognize the challenge in the lack of transportation reimbursement for Pre-kindergarten.  The Regents Subcommittee on State Aid recommends that early childhood education continue to flow as a single funding stream, separate from but aligned with the K-12 foundation funding.     

 

Career and Technical Education (CTE) enables students to reach Regents standards and achieve a Regents diploma, while also securing an industry-approved credential signifying possession of workplace skills.  Two evaluations in the last four years identified effective elements of the CTE model and barriers to implementation. This proposal reflects what we learned.

 

• The immediate target is to raise enrollment in approved CTE programs among children in greatest need by 20,000 students, or 10 percent.  The longer term target is graduation for all CTE students.

 

 

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN GREATEST NEED– Regents Foundation Aid

 

 

• The Regents would appoint a Leadership Group that includes the most accomplished CTE educators; District Superintendents who not only have certified CTE programs but also demonstrated a personal commitment to children in high need districts through their leadership of SURR teams; employers and labor leaders with a commitment to CTE; and representatives of the Board of Regents.  Their task will be to ensure visibility and guidance for this effort.

 

• The Regents would establish a professional development capacity to enable local educators to learn how to apply effective CTE practices with rigor and fidelity. This would be a continuing seminar for recipients of these new funds, and a requirement for participation in the program. Participants would learn best practices, receive coaching from practitioners in conducting their own self-study and in building their program.

 

• CTE funds would be available to high need school districts, as need is defined by the Regents.

 

• Funds would flow in the form of challenge grants.

 

• Recipients would commit to creating at least one approved CTE program in the 2008-2009 school year.

 

• The Commissioner will provide on-going external review of progress in a manner that is designed to help recipients increase their effectiveness in preparing students to meet Regents standards through approved CTE programs.

 

The Regents proposal would also provide assistance to low performing schools to improve instructional programs for children with disabilities.  In poor performing schools, instructional programs are often incompatible with sound research and evidence-based instructional practices.  This proposal would provide research-based reading instruction with increasing instructional support to struggling learners (often called “Response to intervention” or Rti) and professional development on effective instructional programs and implementation strategies.

 

The purpose of RtI is to build better readers through a systemic literacy instruction process around scientific research-based instruction, progress monitoring and the availability of multi-tiered levels of interventions.  The main goal of RtI is to intervene early and prevent students who are at risk for reading difficulty from falling behind, and more appropriately identify students with learning disabilities.  RtI is identified as an effective program in the Contracts for Excellence.  Unlike some other states, far too few

 

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN GREATEST NEED– Regents Foundation Aid

 

school districts in this State have RtI programs.  This year, VESID is investing $2.5 million in federal funds to develop a State technical assistance center on RtI and to

provide start up grants to approximately 10 school districts to develop RtI programs.  The Department plans to invest additional federal funds in this program in 2008-09 so that more districts can participate. 

 

Special Education Training and Resource Center (SETRC) specialists work with low performing schools to improve literacy instruction, behavioral programs and services, and special education services.  Research-based “Quality Indicator Assessment and Resource Guides” in each of these instructional areas have been developed, and SETRC is using these tools with schools this year.  We will invest in the ongoing professional development of our technical assistance providers to enhance their knowledge and skills and build state-of-the-art expertise in the research-based components of effective instruction.

 

This proposal is entirely federally-funded and requires no State funds.  In 2007-08, VESID is investing $2.5 million (federal funds) to fund a Statewide Technical Assistance Center to provide technical assistance to schools developing RtI programs and to provide grant funds to a limited number of school districts for RtI program development.  VESID plans to spend an additional $1.5 million in federal funds for grants to districts in 2008-09.   Due to the resulting reduction in classification rates of students with disabilities in these districts, savings in State Aid are estimated at approximately $1.4 million annually following the 2008-09 school year.

 

SETRC provided technical assistance to 106 identified districts last year.  VESID has more than $19.5 million invested in SETRC support to low performing schools.  A relatively small investment of additional federal dollars for staff overseeing the ongoing professional development of SETRC staff statewide is recommended.  The cost benefit will be seen in improved results for students with disabilities in our identified school districts (improved performance on State assessments, higher graduation rates and reduced dropout rates).

 

Expected Gains:

 

• The performance of students with disabilities in identified low performing schools would significantly improve toward meeting the State targets for graduation rates for this group of students (44 percent in 2008 increasing to 52 percent by 2010).
• Improved performance on State ELA assessments.
• Reduction in the dropout rate.

 

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN GREATEST NEED– Regents Foundation Aid

       

The Regents will also consider funding to create assistance programs for school districts that serve the highest proportion of New York’s English Language Learners.

 

Here are some important elements of such a program:

• Districts will identify in their comprehensive plans the outcomes they intend to reach with new funds. These outcomes would be measured in graduation rates, test scores, and successful transition to high school.
• The Regents-appointed Committee of Practitioners will help identify effective practices, and those will be made available through professional development statewide.
• The State Education Department will deploy new monitoring practices intended to help schools apply successful practices with rigor and fidelity, as well as to ensure that program elements required by statute and regulation are in place.
• The proposal will include greater outreach to parents through the libraries to enable them to strengthen their own fluency in English.

 

Districts would be able to use the funding for Universal pre-K, Dual Language Programs, Services for Students With Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE), professional development for teachers and administrators on the educational needs of ELL students, after-school and Saturday enrichment programs for middle and high school students, and literacy programs for newly arrived English-speaking immigrant  students.

 

Requested Resources:

 

Embargoed until October 22, 2007

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN GREATEST NEED-Regional Education Alliances

 

P-16 Regional Education Alliances

 

The Regents and SED already provide hundreds of millions of dollars each year to partnerships statewide. Many of these partnerships are dedicated to closing the achievement gap and exist in areas of poverty. It is time to galvanize their combined strength and coordinate their efforts. In this way we can expand and combine many of the partnerships and, at the same time, launch innovative new ways to reach all at-risk students and ensure they succeed.

 

We could establish P-16 Regional Education Alliances in every high poverty community. Each one would be administered by a local council of partners from USNY institutions plus service organizations and employers. Alliances would form in designated areas of low achievement and high poverty. We would encourage them to form, help them get started, and nurture them to grow. The Regents will consider proposing additional funds to ensure their success. Alliances would set performance targets, measure results, evaluate progress, and report annually to the public, the Regents, the Legislature, and the Governor.

 

Include the State’s 8 Literacy Zones in the Regional Education Alliances. Based on the pioneering work of the Harlem Children’s Zone, the Regents and SED have established or currently help support Literacy Zones to offer coordinated services in severely distressed communities throughout New York. These Literacy Zones enable children, adults, and families to access a variety of existing community services that they might not otherwise be able to obtain. In a Literacy Zone, adult education strengthens eight primary partnerships essential for family and community success: education; business; labor and workforce; health and mental health; financial and economic development; arts and culture; community agencies and the private not-for-profit sector that provides services to families; programs for special needs populations; and the volunteer sector. Literacy Zones, partly supported through SED, currently operate in the following eight locations: Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Onondaga County, Schenectady County, Bedford-Stuyvesant (Brooklyn), the Bronx, and Long Island City/Western Queens. The Regents could expand the number and the scope of Literacy Zones throughout the State. Such an expansion would require a concomitant increase in State funding.

                                                

There are many successful examples of partnerships already funded through the Regents and State Education Department. Here are a few:

 

• Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) increases the number of historically underrepresented and disadvantaged students who are prepared in mathematics, science, technology, health related fields and the licensed professions and therefore ready to enter college. Competitive grants are awarded to colleges and universities to work with schools and school districts with high enrollments of disadvantaged students. More than 50 institutions of higher

 

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN GREATEST NEED-Regional Education Alliances

 

        education throughout the State partner with local schools and districts to make            this program a success.

 

• The North Country has a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Partnership (STEM) that combines North Country BOCES with 18 school districts and Clarkson University and SUNY Canton, with others set to join. The purpose is to improve the quality of teaching in science, technology, and math; and to ensure disadvantaged students get the same kind of instruction and move on to college. Starting with one part-time person to raise funds, they have now attracted $15 million in funding from state, federal, and private sources. Most of that money comes in competitive grants through SED. Their programs now serve 6,500 students and 250 teachers.

 

• Literacy Zones: Founded in 1970, the Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ) is a non-profit, community-based organization that works to enhance the quality of life for children and families in some of New York City's most disadvantaged neighborhoods. The HCZ focuses not only on education, social service and recreation, but on rebuilding the very fabric of community life. Based on the pioneering work of the HCZ, the State Education Department established or currently helps support Literacy Zones to offer coordinated services in severely distressed communities throughout New York. These Literacy Zones enable children, adults, and families to access a variety of existing community services that they might not otherwise be able to obtain. In a Literacy Zone, adult education strengthens eight primary partnerships essential for family and community success: education; business; labor and workforce; health and mental health; financial and economic development; arts and culture; community agencies and the private not-for-profit sector that provides services to families; programs for special needs populations; and the volunteer sector. Literacy Zones, partly supported through SED, currently operate in the following eight locations: Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Onondaga County, Schenectady County, Bedford-Stuyvesant (Brooklyn), the Bronx, and Long Island City/Western Queens. The Regents are considering expanding the number and the scope of Literacy Zones throughout the State. Such an expansion would require a concomitant increase in State funding.

 

Requested Resources:

 

$15 million in new State funds to the P-16 Regional Education Alliances to expand the State’s Literacy Zones. An additional $5 million in federal Adult Education funding will be provided for competitive grants.

 

The following are innovative new programs that would enhance the work of P-16 Regional Education Alliances:

 

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN GREATEST NEED-Regional Education Alliances

 

Smart Scholars Program We propose a new Smart Scholars program that would ensure at least 12,000 at-risk students each year get the skills they need to finish high school and transition successfully to college. This Dual Enrollment program can work in many cases  through the Regional Education Alliances described above that will link colleges, school districts, BOCES, and other educational and  community organizations and agencies to ensure every student gets all needed help.  Smart Scholars would enable students to take college-level courses while still in high school, thereby giving them as much as one year of college credit and ensuring a smooth transition to the college of their choice. This is a proven program that ensures students excel, according to the most recent comprehensive study by Columbia University researchers.

 

Requested Resources:

 

$100 Million

 

Family and Parent Outreach Longitudinal analyses conducted over a 15-year period at Yale University show that students achieve more when schools work with parents and families. Family and Parent Outreach can accomplish this goal by linking families to schools beginning at birth; helping parents understand and participate in the Contracts for Excellence; and creating resources so that parents can support their

children’s learning through a working knowledge of the State learning standards, State assessments, individual Student Progress Reports, School Leadership Report Cards, and School Progress Report Cards. This can be accomplished by connecting Regional Alliances to Family Welcome Centers, which already exist in the eight Literacy Zones that have been created. This will extend the outreach significantly.

 

Requested Resources:

 

$6.5 Million

 

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN GREATEST NEED-Regional Education Alliances

 

Planting the Seed  This program has two key components to ensure that more at-risk middle and high school students learn about college and professional opportunities through guidance counselors and through members of the professions themselves. First, members from the 750,000-strong professionals licensed by the Board of Regents will reach out to at-risk students and mentor individuals. Second, students and their counselors, parents, and teachers will have a single website that provides key information about career options, educational requirements, and links to college programs, financial aid, and grants available to students. Nothing else now exists to provide this kind of comprehensive information to students.

 

Many of the other programs proposed by the Regents and described below rely on the proven partnership approach described above. Regional Education Alliances can provide an excellent catalyst to increase their power. Examples of such programs include the expanded Alternative Certification Program, the proposals for Digital Education and Cultural Education, and the proposed expansion of Career and Technical Education.

 

Requested Resources:

 

$1 Million and 9 FTE

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN GREATEST NEED-Regional Education Alliances

 

Expansion of Programs that Close the Student Achievement Gap in Higher Education

 

New York State has many existing successful partnerships between P-12 and Higher Education that help close the achievement gap in higher education and increase access for students who are historically underrepresented in higher education.   These partnership programs reduce the drop-out rates for students at risk of dropping out of high school; provide academic and counseling services to support student success in middle school, high school and college; provide financial assistance to attend college; increase college graduation rates for minority and economically disadvantaged students; and prepare students for careers in science, mathematics, technology and the licensed professions. 

 

Increasing the investment in these programs will permit more students to participate in the programs and benefit from the services provided. 

 

The State Education Department is asking for an additional appropriation for these successful partnerships in the amount of $12.6 million to expand the programs to serve more students. 

 

The Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) was established to address the significant dropout rate among New York’s youth. The failure of many young New Yorkers to complete their secondary education limits their opportunity for a life of fulfillment, prevents them from advancing into postsecondary education and hinders the State’s efforts to provide a well-trained workforce for business and industry in New York. LPP offers comprehensive pre-collegiate/dropout prevention programs and services to students enrolled in grades 5-12 to improve their ability to graduate from high school and enter postsecondary education and the workforce.  The Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) prepares historically underrepresented or economically disadvantaged secondary school students for entry into postsecondary degree programs in scientific, technical, health-related fields, and the licensed professions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN GREATEST NEED-Regional Education Alliances

 

The Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) help to close the performance gap by providing financial assistance, supplemental instruction, internships, and counseling to students who otherwise might not pursue postsecondary education.  HEOP provides access and success for students who show potential for postsecondary study but who would not be readily admitted to a college or university without HEOP financial and academic support.  CSTEP continues the work begun through the STEP program and provides college and university students with learning opportunities in mathematics and science, as preparation for advanced study in professional careers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Requested Resources:

 

The additional $12.6 million would be divided among the programs in this way:

 

• HEOP: An increase of $4.5 million for a total appropriation of $29,737,000
• STEP and CSTEP:  An increase of $2.5 million for a total appropriation of $21,500,000 (60% goes to STEP and 40% goes to CSTEP)
• Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP):  An increase of $5.6 million for a total appropriation of $18,125,000

 IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN GREATEST NEED

 

Short -Term Behavioral Assessment and Treatment Units

 

 

 

• Provide intensive evaluation and behavioral intervention for students with the most severe behavior disorders.
• Short-term (3-6 months) length of stay.
• Promote placement of students in less restrictive settings.
• Reduce placement of students with autism and severe developmental disabilities out of State.

 

 

Out of State Placements	Projected # of Students to be Served in Three Years	Projected Savings
837	100 students	$2.1 Million

 

 

Requested Resources:

 

No State funds are requested.  Federal funds are being used for this initiative.

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT FOR STUDENTS IN GREATEST NEED

Improving Core Instructional Practices for Students with Disabilities

 

Response to Intervention Programs and Professional Development to Technical Assistance Providers

 

 

• Improve technical assistance to school districts on research-based instruction.
• Intervene early and prevent students at risk of reading difficulty from falling behind.
• More appropriately identify students with learning disabilities.
• Reduce classification rates with resulting savings to State Aid projected at $1.4 million after 2008-09.

 

 

Results for Students with Disabilities

 

Year	Graduation Rates	Dropout Rates
2007 Results	38%	19%
2010 Target	52%	15%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Requested Resources:

 

No State funds are requested.  Federal funds are being used for this initiative.

REDUCE AND THEN ELIMINATE THE INEQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF TEACHING TALENT

 

Alternative Teacher Preparation Programs

 

Despite improvements, the Regents still find an inequitable distribution of teaching talent in New York.  Students in high poverty schools are more likely to have teachers who are not highly qualified in the subjects they teach than students in low need schools. In 2005-2006, over 14,400 teaching assignments in New York State (7% of all teaching assignments) were held by teachers without appropriate certification.  These assignments were in every subject area. 

 

The Regents will consider a proposal to prepare 1,000 new teachers within three years in subjects where there are shortages and for children in greatest need.  This would be accomplished by expanding the proven Alternative Certification program and also the traditional teacher education program in the context of eight P-16 alliances that will be supported through competitive grants.  Here are important elements of the proposal:

 

• Challenge grants are essential to assemble and sustain an effective P-16 partnership involving schools, colleges and universities.
• P-16 alliances and teacher education programs supported by this proposal must have or develop particular competence in urban and rural education where needs are greatest.
• A P-16 alliance reflects the Regents recognition that teachers are not prepared by higher education alone but through a joint effort of recruitment, preparation, student teaching, placement, retention, and continuous professional development that involves both teacher preparation programs and the P-12 schools in which the teachers work.
• Alternative certification is well established in New York. The Regents have supported research by James Wyckoff and colleagues to evaluate the efficacy of alternative certification in relation to other pathways to the teaching credential. Regents policy has provided the foundation for alternative certification since 2000.
• Effective practice, including classroom management strategies, will be part of the teacher education program.
• Alliances will be supported as a group through opportunities to learn teacher retention practices.

 

Requested Resources:

 

$6.84 Million first year ($25 Million over three years).

 

 

IMPLEMENT YEAR 2 OF THE P-16 ACCOUNTABILITY

 

P-16 Data System

 

The New York State Education Department (SED), with the leadership of the Board of Regents, and the partnership of the City University of New York (CUNY), the State University of New York (SUNY), New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), the Big 5 schools and BOCES District Superintendents, have embraced an ambitious P-16 reform strategy to ensure comprehensive, unified efforts to improve student achievement at all levels.

 

The education partners have committed to the design of a comprehensive data system across all sectors of the State’s education system, from pre-K through higher education (P-16).  Currently, there is an array of different data systems maintained by multiple entities, including local school districts, BOCES, SED, and individual institutions of higher education, including SUNY and CUNY.  Connecting P-16 data statewide could provide educators with information about students from their earliest years of education, as well as their patterns of achievement over time.  This information can be used to improve student persistence and graduation.

 

The Regents have contracted with Parthenon Group to perform the strategic planning for a P-16 data system.  Parthenon Group is coordinating the work between the partners to do this initial data analysis and system design.

 

Expected Gains:

 

The outcomes for a fully-implemented P-16 Data System will be to:

• Provide a unified view of student achievement from year to year across the P-16 system.
• Support programmatic actions to raise student achievement by giving early indications of problems and where to apply resources, new practices, and innovations.
• Support policy changes and resource investments.
• Identify the value added by programs at every level.
• Build on and combine the strengths and achievements of existing data systems and accountability measures.
• Be secure, accurate, and timely.

 

Requested Resources:

 

$2 million for work during the data analysis phase with SED’s current data systems to prepare for a full P-16 system:

 

• Eliminate duplicate data collection; improve and consolidate links between current data systems.  Link teacher certification data (TEACH) to current teacher placement

IMPLEMENT YEAR 2 OF THE P-16 ACCOUNTABILITY

 

data in schools (BEDS/PMF); consolidate and link USNY core information files (IMF/SEDREF); improve links between the higher education data system (HEDS) and program registration systems (IRP). Move these core systems to the web with self-service capabilities.

• Identify and collect the right data to track performance across the full P-16 education continuum, and eliminate irrelevant data.

 

Digital Education: Technology to Advance Teaching and Learning

 

 

Every student in New York State urgently needs to have a high-speed connection to the Internet and access to other advanced technologies.  Further, every educator needs to be prepared to support and enhance student achievement through informed use and integration of technologies in their everyday work that will:

 

• Enable all students to compete in the global economy.
• Enhance teaching and learning to attain better academic results for all students.
• Help close the achievement gap.

 

From 2002 through 2006, over $1.4 billion in eRate money was distributed in New York State, and $280 million in federal Title IID, Enhancing Education Through Technology Act (EETT) and state Learning Technology Grant monies.  This investment provided a foundation for the use of technology within USNY.  The State would be even better served if the investments were made with benefit of a clear shared vision for how technology best affects teaching and learning.  A shared understanding for the use of technology will enable these funds to be leveraged more systemically.

 

The Board of Regents recently completed a year-long study coordinated by a 25-member field-based Technology Policy & Practices Council.  The results of the Council’s efforts have provided a framework to move New York State into national leadership around the use of technologies to support teaching and learning.  The Council will continue to identify polices for consideration by the Board of Regents, including public-private partnerships needed to accomplish state technology goals.

 

Researchers analyzed dual enrollment programs in Florida and New York. They concluded that “Dual enrollment participation had a statistically significant positive association with students’ likelihood of earning a regular high school diploma and enrolling postsecondary education.” This remained true for continuing in college into the second and third years. See Karp, Melinda Mechur, “The Postsecondary Achievement of Participants in Dual Enrollment,” National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, October 2007.

IMPLEMENT YEAR 2 OF THE P-16 ACCOUNTABILITY

 

Our goal is to increase student performance through higher levels of access to advanced technologies and digital delivery systems.  To accomplish this, SED will commence the following initiatives:

 

• Identify and implement best practices in innovative professional development models for teachers and administrators which engage educators in 21st century technology integration practices.  Initiate competitive grant awards for this process, including evaluation across models. ($5 million)

• Establish standards and expectations for the creation of digital content in the State’s museums and cultural organizations for use by the P-16 community. Provide funding to public television to expand creation and distribution of their current web-based, standards–based digital content in key subject areas. ($1 million)

• Enhance the capacity for SED to coordinate and lead activities that will position New York State as a national leader in the use and integration of technologies in schools ($1 million and 4 new FTE).  Provide capacity to:

 

 

Expected Gains:

 

• Students prepared to use 21st century skills.
• Standards for the use of certain technologies, resulting in lower costs to schools, libraries, and museums.
• State and federal technology grant programs focused on a comprehensive vision for the use of technology in teaching and learning.
• Further pre-service and in-service professional development for teachers and administrators that prepares them for increased integration of technology in the classroom.
• Improved State agency collaboration to create digital networks for all public institutions and reducing telecommunications and Internet costs for USNY.
• Increased access to broadband networks and other technology tools to bridge the digital divide between those institutions with fiscal resources and those without.

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT BY INCREASING ACCESS TO MUSEUMS, CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND ON-LINE LIBRARY SERVICES

 

Cultural Education and Museum Act

 

Proposed funding will enable museums, historical societies and performing arts institutions in New York State to partner with schools to use cultural resources and programs to support and enhance classroom teaching, close the achievement gap, and give students the skills they need for today’s global economy. 

 

The Proposal: The New York Knowledge Initiative will create a formula-based funding stream for museums based on hours of certified standards-based educational programs, create a competitive grants program to foster innovative standards-based educational programs in museums and performing arts and other cultural institutions, and enable the evaluation and assessment of each component of the Act to ensure accountability and effective programming.

 

P-16 Action:  Increase literacy of children and parents by expanding programs in museums; raise the learning standards to exceed global standards so all students graduate ready for citizenship, work, and continued education.

 

Expected Gains:

 

• The number of children who enter school with below-average preliteracy skills will be reduced.
• Parents will be engaged in their children’s learning experience.
• The availability of innovative museum programs will increase by more than 20 percent by September 2009.
• The Office of Cultural Education will establish a clearinghouse for innovative programs and partnerships.

 

 

Requested Resources: 

 

$20 million – year one

 

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT BY INCREASING ACCESS TO MUSEUMS, CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND ON-LINE LIBRARY SERVICES

 

Permanent Statewide Internet Library

 

Proposed funding will provide a strong foundation for New York’s information infrastructure with information technology, including databases and other digitized resources, that will give New York’s students, businesses, researchers, and universities a competitive edge.

 

The Proposal: The New York Knowledge Initiative will develop the State’s information infrastructure by investing in the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library (NOVELNY) pilot project to fuel a comprehensive Statewide Internet Libraryto serve higher education, research and development, the business community, and students and educators in K-12.

 

P-16 Action:  “Raise the learning standards to exceed global standards so all students graduate ready for citizenship, work and continued education” by making extensive on-line resources and standards-aligned content available for teachers and students; support life-long learning for all New York citizens and access to information and resources to achieve that goal.

 

Expected Gains:

 

• Increased student reading scores and academic achievement increases in states with access to strong electronic libraries with enhanced learning and student achievement and enriched teaching.
• Greater entrepreneurial success and improved economic productivity.
• Avoidance of duplication of effort and costly infrastructure at the local level.

 

Requested Resources:

 

$10 million annually

IMPROVE ACHIEVEMENT BY INCREASING ACCESS TO MUSEUMS, CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND ON-LINE LIBRARY SERVICES

 

Public Library Construction

 

The New York Knowledge Initiative will provide permanent and ongoing support for the renovation and construction of public library facilities so that New York’s libraries are energy efficient, can accommodate current Internet and computer technology, and are accessible to New Yorkers with disabilities.

 

The Proposal:  The New York Knowledge Initiative will provide permanent annual funding to support public library construction and renovation. Matching grants will be made available for construction, remodeling and retrofitting of public library and public library system buildings to provide access for individuals with disabilities and to accommodate modern technology. 

 

P-16 Action:  Regents Goals 1 through 6; all aims of the Regents Summit

 

Expected Gains:

 

• More public libraries will be fully accessible to New Yorkers with disabling conditions.
• Public libraries will be more able to accommodate modern computer technology and meet new standards of energy efficiency.

 

 

 

Requested Resources:

 

$14 million annually

ENABLE MORE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES TO LIVE AND WORK INDEPENDENTLY

 

Independent Living Centers

 

New York’s existing 36 Independent Living Centers (ILCs) serve over 80,000 individuals and thousands of businesses throughout New York State.  They have become the primary resource for information necessary to enhance community integration of people with disabilities, increase physical and communication access and remove disincentives to work.  ILCs remain instrumental in facilitating implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead Decision, creating strategies with school districts for youth to enhance transition planning and services for youth with disabilities.  ILCs continue to be the only consumer controlled, community based, nonresidential, not-for-profit network in New York State operating based on self-help, peer driven model.

 

VESID is seeking an additional $5.0 million for the 40 ILCs that include 3 new Centers located in Herkimer, Putnam, and Sullivan counties established by the 2007-2008 State budget and one additional Center, to focus efforts on successful transition of youths into adult life, job readiness skill development for people entering the job market, and targeted outreach and coordination of de-institutionalization for New Yorkers with disabilities.  The $5.0 million would enable an additional 7,500 individuals with disabilities to be served by the ILCs.

 

Requested Resources:     

 

$5 Million

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

People Served

 

Projection based on current allocation and 3 new centers

 

Projection based on additional $5 million allocatio

 

n

ENABLE MORE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES TO LIVE AND WORK INDEPENDENTLY

 

Workers Compensation Rehabilitation Management Services (WCRMS)

 

VESID is proposing WCRMS to facilitate the expeditious return to work of individuals with disabilities receiving workers compensation benefits.  The available services would include but not be limited to:  skill assessment, job assessment, retraining, vocational exploration and intensive placement.  The injured worker would be referred to VESID by the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB), State Insurance Fund (SIF), Department of Labor (DOL) or other insurance carrier.

 

Expected Gains:

 

 

Requested Resources:

 

No State funds are requested.  Federal funds are being used for this initiative.

 

 

Projected Cost Savings and Increased Revenue for New York State
Number of individuals with disabilities who will return to work	1,600
Value of estimated worker compensation benefit savings per re-employed worker*	$20,000
Projected cost savings over two years	$32,000,000
Estimated annual tax revenue per re-employed worker**	$383
Projected annual increased revenue after two years	$612,800

 

*Source:  VR Database

**Source:  VR Database:  Projection based on 2006-07Average Annualized Income of VESID Consumers and a NYS tax rate percentage of .022

ENABLE MORE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES TO LIVE AND WORK INDEPENDENTLY

 

Employment of Inmates with Disabilities Returning to Communities

 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been developed with New York State Department of Correctional Services (DOCs) and New York State Division of Parole (DOP).  Through this MOU, VESID, DOCs and DOP will collaborate on referral, training and placement activities for inmates with disabilities returning to the community. Counseling and guidance regarding housing, benefits, and transportation will be provided.  This initiative will be implemented in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, and Erie counties for targeted inmate populations determined eligible for VESID services and involved in pre-release activities.

 

Expected Gains:

 

 

Requested Resources:

 

No State funds are requested.  Federal funds are being used for this initiative.

 

 

Projected Cost Savings and Increased Revenue for New York State
Number of inmates with disabilities who will not return to custody	1,600
Cost of incarceration of one inmate for 6 months*	$16,000
Projected cost savings over two years	$25,600,000
Number of inmates with disabilities who will be employed	1,400
Estimated annual tax revenue per employed inmate**	$383
Projected annual increased revenue after two years	$536,200

*Source:  NYS Department of Corrections “2002 Releases: Three Year Post Release Follow-Up” Report

**Source:  VR Database:  Projection based on 2006-07Average Annualized Income of VESID Consumers and a NYS tax rate percentage of .02