Highlights of the August State Board of Education Meeting
Contact: Karla Denny, Director,
Communications and Recognition Programs
785-296-4876
TOPEKA, August 17, 2007 /The Kansas State Board of Education held its regular monthly board meeting on August 14 -15, 2007, in the boardroom of the Kansas State Department of Education, 120 SE 10th Avenue. All ten Board members were present. Following are highlights of the two-day meeting.
The Board heard a presentation by Superintendent Mike Mathes, USD 345 Seaman, on the district’s back-to-school preparations. The key to a successful school year is the preparation and organization that must occur before students arrive on the first day of school.
Dr. Martha Gage and Ms. Jeanne Duncan provided an overview of the program review process used for approval of any program submitted by an institution of higher education that prepares educators in our state. Program review templates used to accommodate non-traditional programs were also shared. Staff from the University of Kansas provided an update on the UKanTeach program that is under development at the university.
The State Board received the list of Title 1 schools and districts on improvement for 2007-2008. As part of the federal accountability process under the No Child Left Behind law, states are required to identify districts and schools participating in Title 1 that have not made adequate yearly progress (AYP) for two consecutive years and are, therefore, on improvement. The identification must occur prior to the beginning of the school year. Dr. Tom Foster and Mrs. Judi Miller made the presentation to the State Board. The list of schools and districts is available on the KSDE website.
The State Board approved the appointment of Ed Raines, USD 437 Auburn Washburn, to a three-year term on the Licensure Review Committee, representing building level administrators.
The Board also approved the appointment of Linda Stecher, USD 449 Easton, to represent public classroom teachers and Bill Meek to represent local boards of education to the Professional Standards Board, for terms of three years each.
Diana Wieland, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for USD 315 Colby, described for the Board an overview of the process and functions of a district’s Professional Development Council and a description of the process used to develop a classroom teacher’s Individual Professional Development Plan. Items covered included sample professional development plans, how professional development points are awarded, and how these points apply to re-licensure.
The Board received information regarding the teacher instructional coaches. Kay Haas, K-12 Language Arts Curriculum Coordinator for USD 233 Olathe, shared with the Board the role of instructional coaches, their function within the professional development activities of a school or district, and how their work might support the development and implementation of a classroom teacher’s professional development plan.
Marc Galbraith, deputy director of the state library of Kansas, reviewed the first year of operation for Homework Kansas and answered questions. Homework Kansas is a program specifically designed to respond to questions students (grades 4 through high school) may have regarding homework. Parents may also call Homework Kansas allowing them to provide assistance to their children regarding homework and other school assignments. The service is available from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for Spanish speakers.
The Board reviewed and adopted their goal and objectives for 2007-08. Staff will prepare an action plan to address these objectives and meet the goal.
Commissioner Posny shared ACT results for the class of 2007. Kansas continues to top the national average for overall academic performance, with a composite score of 21.9. (The national average composite score is 21.2) Kansas tested 75.7 percent of the 2007 class of graduating seniors. Five-year trend history for Kansas shows a continual rise in performance by graduating seniors.
The 4th Quarter and Year-End reports were received from the Kansas State School for the Deaf and the Kansas State School of the Blind. Budget requests from both schools were approved.
The State Board of Education reviewed potential budget recommendations for FY 2009 and voted to increase the Base State Aid Per Pupil (BSAPP) by $41, bringing the total increase for FY 2009 to $100 per pupil. Staff will finalize and submit the budget to the Division of Budget by September 15, 2007.
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