Committee Report | June 2012

Report of

REGENTS P-12 EDUCATION COMMITTEE

to

The Board of Regents

June 18, 2012

Your P-12 Education Committee held its scheduled meeting on June 18, 2012.  All members were present. 

ACTION ITEMS

Charter Schools

Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents finds that the proposed charter school: (1) meets the requirements set out in Article 56 of the Education Law, and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations; (2) will operate in an educationally and fiscally sound manner; (3) 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) will have a significant educational benefit to the students expected to attend the charter school, and the Board of Regents therefore approves and issues the third renewal charter of the Opportunity Charter School as proposed by the Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, and that its provisional charter be extended for a term up through and including June 30, 2017.    [P-12 (A) 1]

Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents approves and issues a charter and provisional charter to the Brilla College Preparatory Charter School for a term of five years in accordance with §2851(2)(p) of the Education Law.  [P-12 (A) 2]

Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents approves and issues a charter and provisional charter to the Harlem Hebrew Language Academy Charter School for a term of five years in accordance with §2851(2)(p) of the Education Law.  [P-12 (A) 2]

Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents approves and issues a charter and provisional charter to the South Bronx Classical Charter School II for a term of five years in accordance with §2851(2)(p) of the Education Law.  [P-12 (A) 2]

Concussion Management Awareness Act

Due to time constraints, this item was moved to the June 19, 2012 full Board meeting for action.  [P-12 (A) 3]

Roosevelt UFSD and State Oversight Authority

Your Committee recommends that the Board of Regents endorse the Commissioner’s continued oversight of the District until June 30, 2013 through the following actions:

• Periodic visitation of the District and continued monitoring of the board of education by the Commissioner and/or his designee(s) with quarterly reports to the Board of Regents;
• Extension of the Superintendent’s contract for an additional year in accordance with the terms and conditions therein and relevant provisions of law;
• Monitoring the implementation of Education Law §3012-c (Teacher and Principal evaluation system) and provision of technical assistance as needed;
• Provision of technical assistance in the completion of and, if approved, implementation of a School Improvement Grant at the high school.;
• Provision of technical assistance in the collection and reporting of district and school level data;
• Continue the fiscal oversight authority, including the appointment of a fiscal administrator, until June 30, 2013. The fiscal administrator will continue to provide progress reports to the Department on a quarterly basis.  [P-12 (A) 4]

MOTION FOR ACTION BY FULL BOARD


Madam Chancellor and Colleagues: Your P-12 Education Committee recommends, and I move, that the Board of Regents act affirmatively upon each recommendation in the written report of the Committee's deliberations at its meeting on June 19, 2012, copies of which have been distributed to each Regent.

MATTERS NOT REQUIRING BOARD ACTION

Graduation Rate Update – Commissioner John King provided an update on recently released graduation rate data stating that statewide graduation rates are increasing slowly, but are still too low for our students to be competitive; graduation rates remain low for English language learners and students with disabilities; and the overall graduation rate achievement gap has remained stable – the widest gap being for the Advanced Designation diploma.  The Committee discussed Aspirational Performance Measures (APMs) currently being used by schools and districts (Advanced Regents Diploma Percentage and ELA/Math). The Department will update these APMs as new research findings become available and as State assessments become aligned with the Common Core Standards.

Special Education Impartial Hearings – The Committee discussed proposed amendments to regulations relating to special education impartial hearings.  The proposed amendments were discussed at the January 2012 P-12 Education Committee meeting.  Due to extensive public comment the proposed amendments have been further revised and will be published in the State Register for a 30-day public comment period.  The proposed amendment will be brought back to the Regents in September for permanent adoption.  [P-12 (D) 1]

Enrollment and Retention Targets for Charter Schools – due to time constraints, this item will be discussed at the June 19, 2012 meeting of the Board of Regents.  [P-12 (D) 2]
High School Career Credential – the Committee discussed proposed principles and policy directions for the establishment of a high school career credential that could be awarded as a supplement to the regular high school diploma and, for those students with disabilities who are unable to earn a regular diploma, as a replacement to the individualized education program (IEP) diploma.  This item will be discussed further at the July Retreat.  [P-12 (D) 3]

Safety Net for Students with Disabilities – The Committee discussed proposed amendments to regulations that would expand the safety net options to also authorize a school district to award a local diploma to a student with a disability if the student:

• scores between 45-54 on one or more of the five required Regents exams, other than the English or mathematics exam, but scores higher than 65 on one or more of the required Regents exams, in which case the lower score(s) can be compensated by the higher score(s); and
  
• obtains a passing score in the subject area of the Regents examination in which he or she received a score of 45-54;

• has an attendance rate of at least 95 percent for the school year during which the student took the Regents examination in which he or she received a score of 45-54, exclusive of excused absences; provided that

• a student may not use the compensatory score option if the student is using a passing score on one or more RCTs to graduate with a local diploma.  

The proposed amendments will be brought back to the Regents at the October 2012 meeting for action.  [P-12 (D) 4]

CTE Technical Skills Assessment Study – The Department recommended that the Board of Regents commission an operational study, led by researcher Stephen F. Hamilton, Cornell University, and supported by researcher William C. Symonds, Harvard University, to develop a methodology by which comparability of selected CTE technical assessments to Regents exams might be determined. The study will guide decisions on the establishment of a CTE graduation pathway.  A report will be provided to the Committee at the September 2012 meeting of the Board of Regents.  [P-12 (D) 5]

Content Panel on Strengthening the CTE Continuum – The Committee continued their discussion on expanding CTE integrated course options and recommended that the Department appoint a statewide content panel of practitioners to develop guidelines for strengthening the CTE K-12 learning continuum. The content panel will address the gaps seen in the CTE learning continuum statewide.  The Committee suggested that the panel also address cost implications for CTE programs and consider other CTE content areas beyond the current six areas (agriculture, business and marketing, family and consumer sciences, health occupations, technology, and trade and technical).  Recommendations of the content panel will be reported to the Board of Regents in September. The Department will identify potential revisions in Commissioners Regulations needed to implement the recommendations of the content panel.  [P-12 (D) 6]
NYS Growth Model for Educator Evaluation – The Committee was provided with an update on internal and external processes relating to Educator Evaluation, including an update on the Review Room where over 600 school districts have logged in to receive information.  Updates were provided on various studies relating to teacher effectiveness; the American Institutes for Research (the Department’s growth and value-added vendor); and the Technical Advisory Committee.  Discussion focused on two major points:  measuring student growth and not achievement, and measuring growth compared to similar students. 

Consent Agenda Items - The Committee discussed the following items scheduled for approval on the Full Board consent agenda:

• Petition of the Hornell City School District for Consent to Exceed the Constitutional Debt Limit.
• Proposed rule relating to the requirements of the Concussion Management Awareness Act.

June 19, 2012