For Your Information

Vol. 21, No. 16
September 11, 2009

Click here for past issues of the For Your Information newsletter.

BOARD VOTES TO REPLACE GRAD EXAM WITH END-OF-COURSE TESTS

Expect a number of changes to the state’s student assessment protocol as a result of the state Board of Education’s endorsement Thursday of a five-year overhaul.

The plan reclaims a number of instructional days and should clear a path to putting students “on pace to be career and college ready, … ultimately to be productive citizens,” said state Superintendent of Education Dr. Joe Morton at the K-12 meeting.  

Watch the changes unfold, and you’ll see the graduation exam replaced by end-of-course tests; Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), embedded in the Alabama Reading Initiative; and state-funded ACT assessments for grades 8-12. In addition, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and Alabama Alternate Assessment will become the standard, and students in grades 3-8 will take ARMT+ – a combination of Alabama’s reading, math, science and direct writing assessments, which removes the Stanford-10 reading and math tests from the mix.

Thursday’s resolution, Morton said, is the endorsement the state Department of Education needs to begin “perfecting the plan,” so changes can be woven into the Alabama Administrative Code. End-of-year exams are slated to start with the 2011-12 ninth-grade class.

Each year, funds are reapportioned in accordance with legislative actions. Board action approved those changes, including adjusting divisors for grades 7 and 8 from 20.1 to 20; taking non-funded classroom instructional support items out of Foundation Program calculations; dropping the requirement to budget classroom instruction support at the school level; and removing the state superintendent approval requirement to use Public School Fund dollars to service debt for capital improvements.

Beginning in October, boards will begin a process approved by the state board to enhance transparency. The state board adopted an amendment that requires local boards to post paid invoices on their school systems' Web sites. Morton said all school systems have the technical capability to post their accounts payable online.

Also in October, the first batch of H1N1 (swine flu) vaccines for Alabama are expected to arrive and voluntary, free in-school vaccinations will begin. As of this week, the virus has been credited with seven deaths. School absenteeism rates, according to Morton, are twice the normal 3.5 percent, though not all absences can be blamed on the flu.  Morton and the state health officer are following the federal lead and not recommending school closures except as a decision made locally, case-by-case.

If absenteeism reached a level as high as 40 percent, when it is likely teachers are also absent in large numbers, Morton said it may be time to consider closing a school. He said there is no iron-clad rule for making such a decision, however. 

Morton said he has received positive response from the draft of a legislative change the SDE plans to pursue when the session starts in January. If passed, the state superintendent would have the authority to reconfigure the 20-day period, which now falls after Labor Day, to determine average daily membership for state funding purposes.

In other business, new rules pertaining to Career Technical Education were adopted primarily to reflect updates to current practice and language, while Michael Sibley was named acting director of communication for the SDE.

The state board’s K-12 work session will be Sept. 24, and its regular meeting is set for Oct. 8.

WANT TO BECOME A DATA-DRIVEN DECISION-MAKER?

It’s not too late to register for the AASB Fall 2009 District Meetings that begin Monday and continue until Oct. 5. Attend the meeting in your area or one of the eight other regions, and learn how to use data to achieve results. Hear presentations about how to read student achievement data, identify trends, understand gaps and decipher strengths and challenges. There will also be a legislative financial update. Networking begins at 6 p.m. Central Time at all sites except District 5, where the start time is 5:30 p.m. The 45-minute program that follows is free for AASB members. The meetings will be:

• District 1 - Sept. 15
• District 2 - Sept. 14
• District 3 - Oct. 5
• District 4 - Oct. 1
• District 5 - Sept. 17
• District 6 - Sept. 29
• District 7 - Sept. 24
• District 8 - Sept. 21
• District 9 - Sept. 22

Attendees earn one hour of School Board Member Academy credit. The only cost is your meal. Register today or download the brochure and registration form to fax, 334/270-0000. You may also call 800/562-0601.

BALLOTS FOR DIRECTORS IN DISTRICTS 4 & 6 DUE OCT. 31

Congratulations are in order for re-elected District Directors Bill Minor of District 2 and Pam Doyle of District 8, as well as incoming District 9 Director Jennie Robinson of Huntsville. Robinson, the only candidate for her district, was automatically selected in accordance with AASB bylaws.

Ballots listing eligible nominees for Districts 4 and 6 will be mailed to district members by Oct. 1. Each board within a district gets one vote. The board president will certify that action was taken at an October board meeting to choose a candidate, and the ballot must be postmarked by Oct. 31 and returned to AASB.

Gail Holley of Lanett, Charlotte Meadows of Montgomery County and Matilda Woodyard-Hamilton of Tallapoosa County have thrown their hats in the ring for District 4 director. The Rev. Preston Nix of Attalla, Skip Smithwick of Sylacauga and Larry B. Stewart of Calhoun County are vying for the District 6 directorship.

REGISTER FOR OPTIMAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
CORE COURSE

Attend AASB’s Core Course on Leadership to Create the Optimal Learning Environment Oct. 25-26 at the Montgomery Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center.  Discover how the right culture, climate and environment are connected to student success.  Hear from national child advocate Kati Haycock, president of the Education Trust, Cathy Gassenheimer of the A+ Education Partnership’s Best Practices Center, state Board of Education member Ella Bell, Assistant State Superintendent for Finance Craig Pouncey and fellow local board of education members.
Book your hotel room now or call 800/468-3571 and mention the code, AASB. Conference registration is $125 for members and $250 for non-members by Oct. 20. There is a $10 on-site registration fee. To register, call 800/562-0601 or fax your registration form to 334/270-0000.

FREE PRE-K PLANNING TOOLKIT

Whether you’re arriving early for AASB’s core leadership course or simply want to learn more about pre-kindergarten, join AASB Oct. 25 for the Planning for Pre-kindergarten: Tools for School Boards workshop. The early bird session, facilitated by state Department of Children’s Affairs Commissioner Dr. Marquita Davis, will be 1-3 p.m. Oct. 25 and is worth two AASB School Board Member Academy hours. Registered workshop attendees will receive The Center for Public Education’s pre-K planning toolkit that includes sections on how to start a pre-K program and community engagement. Bring your pre-K personnel, community partners and others interested in discussing school readiness. Registration is $65 for members and $130 for non-members. Register or call 800/562-0601.

ALL-STATE NOMINEES DUE OCT. 1

AASB is once again bestowing its highest award upon current or past board members who have shown exemplary boardmanship. AASB’s coveted All-State School Board Member recognition award will be presented at the association’s annual convention in December. Nomination materials have been mailed to superintendents and board presidents and are due by Oct. 1. For more information, contact Debora at AASB at 334/277-9700.

HONOR MEDIA IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

During the month of October, school boards are asked to locally recognize media for their commitment to fair reporting and keeping the community informed about public education. AASB has discontinued its state-level Education Media Honor Roll program. However, local boards that wish to continue the tradition may follow these suggestions: pass a resolution in recognition of those you select and present an “Alabama Education Media Recognition 2009” certificate at your October board meeting. Download a customizable certificate and resolution.

SAMPLE SCHOOL BOARD TRAINING POLICY
COMING THIS FALL

AASB is developing sample policies for release in late fall to comply with the state’s new School Board Member Training legislation passed in the 2009 Regular Legislative Session. The new state law (ACT No. 2009-297), which takes effect March 1, 2010, recognizes the need to orient and train school board members for the important work they do. The law states: “Each local public board of education shall adopt a policy for the orientation and ongoing training of members of its local board of education.”

STUDENT PERFORMANCE GROUPS
WANTED FOR ’09 CONVENTION

A select number of public school performance and ROTC groups will be chosen to appear at the 2009 AASB Convention Dec. 3-5 at The Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover. Groups must represent a public school or group of public schools and have school board approval to represent their system. The ROTC group will present the colors. For details, contact AASB Meeting/Marketing Coordinator Mandy Fernandez at 800/562-0601.

NSBA ASKS BOARDS TO TAKE “DIGITAL” SURVEY

The Center for Digital Education, in conjunction with the National School Boards Association, is conducting the 2009 Digital School District Survey. Public school districts are invited to participate in the study which showcases school districts and boards around the nation that are innovatively using information technology tools. The deadline is Sept. 18.

— Denise L. Berkhalter,
publicrelations@AlabamaSchoolBoards.org

Alabama Association of School Boards:
Celebrating 60 years of developing excellent school board leaders through quality training, advocacy and services.