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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014_08_13 Board Minutes� DA 0III L LS S C 0 0 L D � S IIU.... III � C IIU.... III BOARD OF TRUSTEES -- BUSINESS MEETING DISTRICT OFFICE BOARD ROOM -- 7:00 P.M. 690 JOHN ADAMS PARKWAY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2014 Chairman Lisa Burtenshaw called for a motion to go into Executive Session at 6:17 PM. Trustee Haws made a motion to go into Executive Session per IDAHO CODE §67-2345 (1) (b) Personnel, Student. Trustee Zollinger provided the second. A roll call vote was taken: Lisa Burtenshaw —yes Deidre Warden — yes Larry Haws - yes Bryan Zollinger — yes Dave Lent - Excused EXECUTIVE SESSION Superintendent Boland and the Board of Trustees met in Executive Session pursuant to Idaho Code §67-2345 (1) (b) regarding personnel matters and a student hearing. Trustee Warden made a motion to return to Open Session at 6:46 PM. Trustee Haws provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. Trustee Warden then made a motion to amend the agenda to include Student 2013-2014G as Action Item a. and move the remaining action items down sequentially. Trustee Haws provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. Trustee Warden made a motion to allow Student 2013-2014G re -admission in District 91 at Emerson High School subject to guidelines set by the Emerson High School administration. Trustee Haws provided the second. Motion carried. 4 ayes, 0 nays. Present from the Board of Trustees: Lisa Burtenshaw, Chair Deidre Warden, Treasurer Larry Haws, Clerk Bryan Zollinger, Trustee Trustee Lent, excused Present from the Administration: George Boland, Superintendent Kelly Coughenour, Director of Elementary Education Randy Hurley, Director of Secondary Education Carrie Smith, Director of HR & Finance Margaret Wimborne, Communications & Community Engagement Coordinator Ralph Frost, Director of Transportation Debbie Wilkie, Recording Clerk Chairman Burtenshaw called the business meeting to order at 7:00 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by patron Terry Layland. SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY No presentations. 8/13/2014 D91 Board Minutes Page 1 of 6 ADOPT AGENDA Trustee Zollinger then made a motion to approve the agenda as amended. Trustee Haws provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. Chairman Burtenshaw explained that the agenda was amended so that a timely answer could be given to Student 2013-2014G. REPORTS/I N PUT/I N FORMATION a. Superintendent's Report —The Superintendent's written report is attached. A brief discussion was held regarding tiered licensure for teacher certificates. b. Patron Input —Written comments, if provided, are attached. Mr. Suketu Gandhi shared comments regarding confidence in the public school system. c. IFEA Report — President Elect Mary Robinson reported, a written report is attached. d. Education Foundation Report —Program Director Tonya Bunnell reported on the following items: • Education Foundation Restructure —The Ed Foundation is moving from a pass-through entity to a granting entity. School level donations will be taken at individual schools so the Education Foundation can focus on larger district -wide projects. • "Your TOYOTA Ride" Raffle update — hope to beef up ticket sales over the next two months. the drawing will be held during half-time at the Emotion Bowl on October 25th • Maeke Foundation Grants — encourage all recipients to spend the funds awarded as soon as possible so the Maekes' can see that requested items are being purchased. e. Other Items Westside Athletic Club Updates Terry Layland, on behalf of the Westside Athletic Club, reported that the athletic complex at Skyline High School is now complete with the additions of the restrooms, two sheds and a concessions stand this past year. Mr. Layland thanked everyone who helped with the project or provided donations to see it through to completion. Terry stated this project is a great addition not only for Skyline High School but also for the community. Terry thanked the District Administration and the Board of Trustees for allowing the Westside Athletic Club to build it. Board members thanked everyone for their contributions and especially Terry for organizing it. ii. Girl Scout Gold Award Sarah Novak, IFHS 2014 graduate, received the Girl Scouts Gold Award for organizing and hosting the First Annual Scramble for School Books this summer. Sarah raised $1800 to purchase textbooks for District 91 high school libraries. Sarah stated she decided to do this after finding out that some classes only carried a classroom set of textbooks and it was hard for students to take them home when they needed to. Chairman Burtenshaw will correspond with Sarah to identify which books are needed and then pass the information on to Jennifer Jackson, D91 Curriculum Director, to get the correct ISBN numbers for ordering them. Board members thanked Sarah for her efforts and wished her well as she heads off to college at Montana State tomorrow. 8/13/2014 D91 Board Minutes Page 2 of 6 CONSENT AGENDA Trustee Haws made a motion to adopt the Consent Agenda as presented. Trustee Warden provided the second. Motion carried 5 ayes, 0 nays. Items approved included: a. Approval of Minutes July 22, 2014—Annual Meeting b. Payment of Claims — July 2014 $4,460,893.26 c. Staff Actions— August 13, 2014 Retirement: Employee Position Location Kimberly Allemeier 2nd Grade Edgemont Elementary 2014-2015 New Hires: Employee Position Location Emily Z Cannon 3rd Grade Longfellow Elementary Suzanne E Gierke Art Eagle Rock Middle School Kathryn Lounsbury 2nd Grade Fox Hollow Elementary Cindy Youngstrom Counselor Eagle Rock Middle School Amanda R Byrd English Eagle Rock Middle School Greer Gurganus Science Skyline High School Justin B Webster Special Ed Idaho Falls High School Melissa A Hiltbrand 6t" Grade Sunnyside Elementary Robert D Peck Math Skyline High School Russell W Braiden Assistant Principal Taylorview Middle School Rita L Rose .50 FTE Kindergarten Sunnyside Elementary Matthew B Dixon Science Skyline High School Pamela Lee 6t" Grade Dora Erickson Elementary 2014-2015 In -district Transfers: Employee From: To: Holly Curtis Dora Erickson Special Programs - Eagle Rock Middle School Kristi Howard Fox Hollow Special Assignment — District Office Kirsta Mayes Skyline Art — Idaho Falls High School Terra Marjonen A H Bush PE — Eagle Rock Middle School Michael Peila Westside PE/Health — Eagle Rock Middle School d. Early Graduation i. Student 2014-2015A e. Other Items (as needed) No other items were discussed. 8/13/2014 D91 Board Minutes Page 3 of 6 PROPOSALS a. Second Reading — Child Nutrition Charging Policy Superintendent Boland reviewed that the purpose of this policy is to accomplish two things, one to maintain consistency across the district when we deal with students that have a negative balance or don't have funds to pay for lunches and also to address requirements that come from the Department of Agriculture regulations that govern the National School Lunch Program. After discussion at the last meeting Superintendent Boland took the opportunity to revise the existing policy to add a financial management section regarding these issues. The expectation is that students will be provided a lunch as they go through the line. No charges can be allowed in the Ala Carte line. The district is required to reimburse the food services department for any negative balances which would become a general fund expenditure. A discussion was held. This item will be brought forward to the August 27, 2014 meeting as an action item. b. Strategic Plan Superintendent Boland reviewed this is the third time this has been brought before the board in order to meet the September Vt statutory requirement of posting a District Strategic Plan. The superintendent stated that principals worked diligently over the summer to get this put together. It is the intent of the administration to bring this in its final form at the August 27th meeting for board approval. A discussion was held regarding development of the targets and rubrics. The superintendent stated based on other plans that have been posted so far the quality of this plan is commendable. ACTION ITEMS a. Student 2013-2014G — voted on earlier in the meeting b. Safety Bussing Zone Recommendations Superintendent Boland stated this is an annual requirement to review and approve the safety bussing zones that fall outside the standard parameters of reimbursable transportation expenses. Ralph Frost, Director of Transportation, provided a handout with a list of the areas identified. A brief discussion was held. Trustee Zollinger made a motion to approve the list of Safety Bussing Zone recommendations as presented. Trustee Warden provided the second. No discussion. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. c. National School Board Association 2014-2015 Membership Renewal Superintendent Boland reviewed the question at hand is whether the Board would like to renew the Affiliate Membership of the National School Board Association (NSBA). The board has regular membership with the NSBA through their membership with the Idaho School Board Association (ISBA) but the Affiliate Membership does provide some extended services if the board wishes to take advantage of them. A discussion was held. Trustee Warden made a motion to discontinue the Affiliate Membership with the National School Board Association (NSBA). Trustee Haws provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. 8/13/2014 D91 Board Minutes Page 4 of 6 d. Authorization of Student Teacher/University Relations Contract Superintendent Boland reviewed this is an annual motion in regards to the authorization of student teacher contracts. This motion would give the superintendent authorization to sign contracts as they come in throughout the year. A discussion was held. Trustee Haws made a motion to authorize the Student Teacher/University Relations Contract as presented. Trustee Warden provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, no nays. e. Leadership Premiums Superintendent Boland provided and reviewed the list of Leadership Premiums (Stipends) identified by a committee made up of district and building administrators as well as teacher representatives from each level. A brief discussion was held. Trustee Warden made a motion to accept the Leadership Premium proposal as presented. Trustee Haws provided the second. No discussion. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 f. American Heritage Charter School 2014-15 Transportation Contract Superintendent Boland reviewed that with the opening of American Heritage Charter School last year they approached the district to provide transportation services under a contract basis and it seemed to work well. There are two revisions to the contract this year dealing with the financials, the per mile cost and to and from percentage. It is the recommendation of the administration that the District continue this contact, it good for District 91 and it helps American Heritage so it is a win-win situation. Trustee Zollinger made a motion to approve the American Heritage Charter School 2014-2015 Transportation Contract as presented. Trustee Haws provided the second. No further discussion. Motion carried 4 ayes 0 nays. g. Suspend Board Policy 603.1.3 Regarding Odyssey Charter School Transfers Superintendent Boland reviewed that Odyssey Charter School is in jeopardy of losing their charter authorization. Regardless of the outcome, they did not receive accreditation for the 2013-2014 school year. Students living within our boundary area are transferring back to District 91 and need to have a plan in place regarding their credits earned. In Board Policy 603.1.3 - Transfer Students, it states that in order to receive a diploma from District 91 all credits applied toward graduation must have been earned from an accredited institution. It is also states in Board Policy 108.11 that the Board can suspend a policy with a majority vote. It is the recommendation of the administration that the Board suspend BP 108.11 and allow those students transferring from Odyssey Charter this fall, and passing a course with a B or higher, be able to apply the credits earned from Odyssey as an elective credit toward their graduation requirements. Trustee Warden made a motion to suspend Board Policy 603.1.3 for transfer student this fall who attended Odyssey Charter School as described by the superintendent. Trustee Haws provided the second. A brief discussion was held. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. h. Employee 2014-2015B Trustee Haws made a motion to release Employee 2014-2015B as requested contingent upon finding a suitable replacement. Trustee Warden provided the second. No discussion. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. 8/13/2014 D91 Board Minutes Page 5 of 6 Chairman Burtenshaw shared that she would not be in attendance at the work session on August 27, 2014. Trustee Haws stated that he recently attended the student athletic meeting for parents at Taylorview and the place was packed. Trustee Haws commended Kerry Martin, Athletic Director, for a job well done and said the presentation was great. Chairman Burtenshaw called for a motion to adjourn. Trustee Zollinger made a motion to adjourn. Trustee Haws provided the second. Motion carried 4 ayes, 0 nays. Meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM. 8/13/2014 D91 Board Minutes Page 6 of 6 Superintendents Report —August 13, 2014: • Staffing: o Secondary: ■ Taylorview Science; Russ Braiden AP ■ Skyline .5 English; Math p Elementary: potential .5 K at Temple View • Meetings: o Principals Monday & Tuesday ■ DO reorganization & schools — working together ■ School Based Professional Development (tied to 1% PD stipend) ■ Strategic Planning ■ Department updates ■ Teacher Evaluation o State Superintendents' Meeting ■ Accountability & Assessment • No Star Ratings • ISAT 2.0; 11th grade optional; phased in grad requirement beginning with class of 2017 (current 1011 grade) through class of 2020 ■ Tiered Licensure • Residency, Professional, Master • OSBE meeting August 14 o New Teacher meetings: ■ New Teacher Induction August 21 & 22 ■ New Teacher Breakfast August 25 (All teachers begin August 26) o All Staff: PD August 27 ■ Elementary @ Taylorview — Math In Focus • Secondary @ ER — LDC/MDC • Registration: Posted on web page — beginning Aug. 14 with new students @ high schools, elementary 181h & 19th • Facilities: o Summer work o Construction ■ Skyline well underway (mid-October) ■ E. Boyes ■ Edgemont ■ Longfellow • Registration moved to Taylorview • August 19 determine if delayed start (Sept. 8) 10 minutes per day; 8:05 vs 8:20 start and/or 2:35 vs 2:25 dismissal or some combination based on transportation. Longfellow serves as a significant transfer hub. • Advanced Opportunities: o Fast Forward 0 8 in 6 Program o Dual Credit for Early Completers o Mastery Advancement Program IDAHO FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT ##91 PUBLIC INPUT SHEET Guidelines for Patron Involvement In School Board Meetings School Board meetings are meetings of the elected Board of Trustees held In public for the purpose of conducting the business of the Board. Patron input is invited during board meetings on the following basis: To request to speak to the Board of Trustees: In order to be recognized, the patron must sign and complete the Public Input portion below prior to the beginning of the meeting. The Public Input Sheet should be located on a table at the bock of the boardroom. Patrons will be recognized by the Chairman of the Board. Public Input should not exceed three minutes. The Board will listen to public input without comment except to ask germane questions. Expressions must be appropriate to the public setting. Discussion of personnel matters or personal attacks are not appropriate. Board Policy 506.0 item 5 states that complaints against a particular teacher or District employee shall be in writing. The contract between District 91 and the teacher's association, as well as traditional concepts of the due process of law, require that the affected employee be notified of a written complaint. The Chair has the authority to control the meeting whenever necessary. PUBLIC INPUT SHEET Name: �t yAke"t Qci yd(4+ Date: Address: ��� 7 V k S� Phone: E-MailAddress: Gc 'Ai Q� OL" Co M Do you have children attending School District 1191 schools?pp� if so, which schools do your students attend: U7 S-iaP Topic: C u.lnli'd C C0 ' c& 4* in 5126/2008 Suketu Gcsi fu Is Co»mzer& on the Pubhc's CogJWk ce m School System Augumtl3, 2014 In the past several years, District 91 has undergone drastic changes in a number of areas. Support to make additional changes to have a high standards of education will occur when there is a public confidence in the school system Common Core Standards have been adopted to reach this goat. Recently, Common Core Standards have been criticized, and one argument forwarded that it will not meet the expectations. It is appropriate to understand time arguments, their reasoning, and mediate the valid criticisms. This way, the Board can take necessary actions to instill the public confidence. The gaining confidence is not same gaining popularity. It is about addressing legitimate criticism, or removing deficiencies that may exist to achieve the stated goal. In summary, the Common Core Standards are better than those it replaced in Idaho. However, they are not high enough. In mathematics, they and at Algebra 2. Thus, they cannot be deemed as college ready for STEM curriculum, as advertised. The issue is how to bring about stronger education. The choices: i) Keep the Common Core Standards, and adopt textbooks that adhere to it; a) keep the Common Core Standards, but adopt textbooks that exceed them, and ensure that student are positioned to take AP Calculus BC in 11s' grade; M) drop the Common Core Standards, and rewrite the standards only by those in Idaho. Both the Board and the patrons have to determine which approach leads to a higher level of education for the students. For this to happen, it is important to understand each criticism and determine their merits. Do thorough discussions persuade people to change their position on the Common Core Standards? The personal experience in the local area is that those people who are committed to having a first rate education, are amenable to change their positions when they understand how their concerns are addressed using different approach that certainly differs from their strategy. One example has been to have a subject matter expert play a role in the textbook evaluation process, which may not happen in each school district. In a span of one year, one of the major locxal opponents of the Common Core Standards a clearly satisfied with the process that lead to adopting mathematics instructional materials for KG -6 by Idaho Falls School District 91. This instills the needed confidence when subject matter experts are involved. This also means that they find that there are more common views between the Common Core opponents and with yours tnily. The difference do persists, but they are. small, but will be eliminated when these concerns are addressed N the Board agrees with the cotes provided, hopefiilly, every member will work to involve subject matter experts (professors of mathematic, science and engineering departments) to review the educational contents & standards, the professional development, and teachers training on specific subject. The professors of education lack the expert knowledge that is needed to handle various subjects of mathematics and sciences in intricate details, even at the elementary grades. Professors of Mathematics Education are not the same as professors of mathematics, science and engineering. When the knowledgeable people evaluate, their comments and recommendations have credibility, and the public gains the confidence. Recently passed law, under Idaho Statue Title 33/Chapter 134 makes the connection between the local Board of Education and the committee to evaluate the contents of the standardized tests. The public has a direct contact with the local Board. Hopefully, the Board will seek to understand the public's comments thoroughly in details before undertaking actions in the evaluation of the SBAC. Suketu cad 's Comments on the Public's Confidence in School system August13, 2014 There is a significant difference in the perception on the Common Core between the supporters and opponents. To understand the views of the Common Core opponents, their spoken words must be deciphered for the true meaning (translation of their statements). The difference between the spoken worlds and their intended meaning is discerned through detailed discussions. Idaho Falls School District 91 has done a lot to address these issues, but more needs to be done. However, we focus our attention on the mathematics side, but provide limited comments on the English side. Spoken Oftisnu The Common Core Standards have been imposed on the schools at the behest of the corporate interests; through the sponsorship of the Federal Govermnent The textbook publishers are pushing these standards to sell more book& Upon adopting the standards, the publishers will claim dud afigns their standar& The soukrdiaed tests have been written it will be dffkult to make changes Sped)7ca1tK the local sentiments will not be reflected when compelling changes needed to be made to the sAwdards By bkndly accepting the standards, it will be difficult to change in the coming years Natural question that must be answered- Are the Standards developed for my child to learn at the highest ieve4 or for o struggling child to learn at the min n um level? Translation of the above statement: There are many grade specific topics and exercises have been neglected. The standards writers have not considered all the topics, despite having access to various comments. Without the subject matter expertise, it is difficult to identify and metre the deficiencies. The public schools want parents to believe that they are learning at the highest level. But in reality this has not been the case. The public fines of the Common Core defenders m Idaho are those without any knowledge. They lack the capability to discuss matters in details that commands confidence, or they would make the needed correction to the deficiencies. In general, textbook publishers will not incorporate the needed changes. Their goal is to sell books, not challenge stridents They are not concerned about incorporating topics in their textbooks that were neglected by the Common Core Standards. They are powerful. In the past, they have coerced the local school officials into accepting their books that had many deficiencies,. The local school board had played a ceremonial role in accepting them. They spoke positively about the books, without examining each page to determine the mathematical accuracies in the derivation of relationships, clarity of exposition, coherence in the sequences of topics, or difficulties in the exercises. Thus, the procedures used by the local officials relied on the publishers' assurances, instead of verification of the contents through subject matter experts. Thus, how will the problems be mediated at the local level? Comments: Many topics have been neglected in textbooks. Consider neglected math topics such as divisibility of a number through inspection of the digits, mentalmultiplications, or a derivation of an equation that leads to computation of a square root of an arbitrary positive number (without use of a calculator, but prior to Calculus). What are the available mechanisms to incorporate these topics in standards so that the students would learn them? Only when a person with strong inclination exists, the needed topics get incorporated. All the evidence indicates that "professionals writers" of the standards do inferior job than an individual who has the passion, and genuinely committed to writing the standards at the highest level. Evaluation of the standards, their deficiencies can be discerned only when the evaluators has the needed expertise. 2 Suketu Gandhi's Comments on the Public's Code»ce in School SyMm, Augustl3, 2014 Idaho State Department of Education relies on a professor of education to guide the mathematics education. It is well known that the subject matter expertise of those on the mathematics side is at a higher level than professors of mathematics education. Idaho does not seek expert knowledge from professors of mathematics, sciences or enghwerft disciplines. Professors Matheics, Sciences and Engineering know the derivation of mathematical relationship, or complex math problems. Their knowledge is relevant at both the elementary and secondary grades. They know grade appropriate complex problems. The public gains confidence when professors of mathematics, sciences or engineering are involved in the standards formulation, curriculum evaluation, and the teachers' training, which includes professional development. Examination of select videos (available on the State Department of Education) on professional development of teachers by professors of education contains serious mathematical errors. One such topics of interest have been derivation of division procedure. In textbooks, one example of common error has been on the multiplication of the signed mmbers [e g., (-1)x( 1) =1]. Furthermore, the public has high expectation that when relevant reports from think-tank are made available, they would be rad thoroughly. In the past, the reports have ranged from —50 to —600 pages. These reports are freely available online. Examples of think tanks are National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council (Washington, DC), American Institute of Research (Washington, DC), and those studies that have been commissioned by US Department of Education. (Keep in mind that one will have to read an entire report to extract useful information that may be scattered throught.) Additional reports are regularly published at the imernational level are TWSS, PISA It is not clear whether the official defenders of the Common Core standards have read these reports to understand the contents and practices of quality education. Neither the local schools nor the state officials know the significance of taking multiple AP courses in high school that prepares them for the STEM curriculum in colleges. The underlying reasons are that students need to take more courses than a similar curriculum 25 years ago. This has come about due to the rapid development of various disciplines. The focus must be on today's reality, instead of yesterday's needs. The schools need to setup so that students have realistic opportunity to take multiple AP courses for the STEM subjects. Is Suketu R. Gandhi a supporter or an opponent of the Common Core? If it is black & white issue between the existing standards that are not amenable to change, then the issue is wbich state? In California, Suketu Gandhi would be an opponent of the Math Standards. A member of standards were higher in CA than the Common Core. In Idaho, Suketu Gandhi would be a supporter of it. If the Common Core is amenable to change when the curriculum is selected, then I am a supporter of the Common Core as long as students will be learning at a higher level, or learn advanced topics in timely manner. Is the Common Core Standards college ready? If these standards are for grades KG -12, then they are not college ready. If the mathematics standards are for grades KG -9, then the standards are incomplete to be college ready. There must be additional standards for pre -calculus (e.g., trigonometry, analytic geometry, combinatorial, etc.) that prepares students to take AP Calculus BC in 116 grade. Unless Common Core covers the topica covered in pre- Calculus, it should not be called College Ready. Spoken CWddmn: Standardized Tests are developmentally inappropriate. For example, students should not be asked questions on topics they know nothing about. 3 Suketu Gan&n's Comawo on the Public's Confidence in School System August13, 2014 Translation of the above statement: There are many topics that students will learn, and they should be tested only on those topics. For example, in 3 grade, students should not be asking multiplication of fiaction by a whole number, which is a Oh grade topic. Students may be asked question that was not covered in their curriculum. Comments: A higher level material may not be known to the students, but they are in the SBAC tests to identify the degree of students' knowledge at an advanced level. For example, asking 3d grade students on a topic in 0 grade will fiustrate an average student. However, it will be difficult to ascertain how advanced students are without asking questions at a higher level. When students are asked to solve problems not taught, their in--- aticsrl maturity allows them to handle complex problems of varying level of difficulties based on the fimdamentals that they have learned There are exempla of a member of interesting problems that may not be encountered in their classrooms, but have the capability to solve them. Answers to complex problems determine students' maturity. The opponents of the SBAC (or the standardized teat) believe that students should be tested only on the topics covered in classrooms. When questions are limited to the classroom topics, the student's level of the subject matter maturity is not probed. Spoken Criticism: Students are asked questions that probe their private views on certain topics. For emonple, do the skid mis agree dud the global warming is real, and what must be done about it? There is no solid evidence the the global warming rs man made. Thus, studer& should be spared from making commerce Translation of the above statement: Students must not be asked to write essay on questions when they are not properly taught on a subject matter. Comments: When students are asked to write on firmffiar topics, it is an easy matter, regardless of person's views. Writing ph or essays is about English structure, not about the personal views. High profile topics are likely to be known to students, and they might have formed an opinion on it. In other words, it is easy to write essays on specific topics when there is a conflict of ideas or solution, instead of conformity of opinion. With regards to global warming, it is inappropriate in schools. The reasons are more to do with their command of technical knowledge. From the scientific side, the global warming results from molecular collistonal energy transfer from vibration to translation. This has been shown in scientific laboratory many times on variety of atomic & molecular system. Models have been developed to describe the outcome of collisional deactivation of energy. Scientists use these models to study impact of CO2 (and other green house gases) when they collide with nitrogen, oxygen and other constituents in the atmosphere. There have been both direct and indirect evidence (m scientific literature), and it is an accepted fact. (Suketu Gandhi knows about this. The science is relevant to his PhD work in physical chemistry. Professors Flynn and Bernstein showed direct evidence for the vibrational to translational energy traasfer between atom and molecule and molecule and molecule. It should be noted that Prof. Bernstein was Suketu Gandhi's research director for his PhD work) The molecular foundation of the science behind the global warming is at an advanced level, and appropriate for college, but not for high school. ITigh school students know about molecules, but they don't know anything about their internal structures (rotation, vibrational energy levels). G1 Suketu Gandhi's Commenft on the Public's Conftderrce in School System Augustl3, 2014 Thus, it is difficult to provide convincing argument to those without adequate scientific background, as is the case for high school and the lower level grades. However, writing essay on high profile topics is needed so that students can demonstrate their writing skills. It should be kept in mind that students normally write several drafts of essays before reaching the perfect version. Any essay topics should be easy to write. For this to happen, the topics must be well known to them. In general, high profile topics are well known, than obscure ones. On familiar topics, students have the command to choose the right words. ,Spoken : The Midna' data will be tracked from KC -12, and they will lose privacy. In addition, str &W's personal information (e g., parental income, religio); personal views that needs to be kept private) will become accessible to those who have no business of kwwft them. It will haunt them rest of their fife This also means that book publishers will Aww how to utilize this information to market products to the schools Translation of the above statement: What are the merits in tracking students from KG -12, the information that will be accessible to researchers, and the researcher's profile that will have access to the information. Comments: There is a sign fic ant difference between computer programs that have multiple parameters, and the data that the schools will enter. In US, there are traditional public schools, private schools, charter schools and religious schools. However, computer programs are written in general terms, and they are sold to the concerned organization. Only way to market programs at competitive prides is to make it versatile. This means that the relevant data for public school students will not necessarily be used in secular private schools, or religious schools (that may track student's religion). For secular private schools, they may want to track parental income to better market their schools to targeted consumers. Consider a case where researcher would utilize data to determine impact of Singqpwe Math. Right now, there is ample evidence to suggest that one curriculum works in certain region, but not another region. In the case of SYnggwe Math, it has been suc cesdbI in North Middlesex Regional School District (Massachus). The same curriculum has been failure in both Maryland and New Jersey school districts. Anecdotal evidence shows that it has been successful in an inner city Los Angeles public school. To make a strong case for Singapore Math, one needs to identify the underlying reasons for their success and failure. The research done on a Massachusetts school district show that the professional development of teachers and grade wise rolling out of the program contributed to their success. However, the failure in Maryland and New Jersey is attributed to lack of professional development, and frequent migration of students. On the other hand, only limited data are available for Los Angles school district. When all of the needed data are available to make meamnSU comparisons, then deeper questions are easily answered whether the income or the quality of teachinghextbooks play a significant role in students learning. The standardized test would allow mem comparison on the level of subject matter maturity attained with specific textbook. At the local level the necessary information for students' success is well known. However, the needed information would remain unknown to researchers far away from the local area unless they have access to reliable data 5 Suketu Gan&d's Comments on the P'ublic's Confidence m School System Augustl3, 2014 Is new research necessary, given the Past research? At the gross level, it is easy to discern profile of successful students: Studer' families who have adequate finances, which sets students to live in the school districts that offer high level of education. However, at a deeper level, the impact of money is seen through proper operation of schools, adequate compensation for both teachers and administrators, and suffiicient involvement of parents in their children's education. This creates the divide between the have and the have not. If the money is the only issue that impacts the quality of education, then there is no possibility to provide quality education to all. This means that Idaho students should continue to receive inferior education when compared to the students in affluent neighborhood schools in urban areas. When comparing the quality education in US with other parts of the world, it a evident that there are many other parameters that play a significant role in the children's education. When various data are made available to the researchers, like those in universities and think tanks, they are in position to discern the credible reasons for the success in the quality education that are outside of the finances. When students' outcome results from a number of variables, it is possible to answer many questions. For these reasons, there is a compelling reason to track students with a number of variables. However, knowing their names is unnecessary when maldng statistical analysis. Among the important variables that play a role in learning is the birth date with academic success. In specific grade, do the students born in the band of September 2 -December 31 of the school year do better than those who were born on June 1 -August 31 band? This information allows one to understand the role of age in learning, and how it propagates throughout the school years. Another variable is the role of teacher's preparation time and their impact on the student's learning. In mathematics, the issue is what is needed for students to gain subject matter maturity. The standardized exams play a significant role only when they are properly written. It reveals information on what students know, and the level of their advancement. The struggling students need to be probed at the highest level that they can handle. A computerized exam is a best way to get the needed iformation. The issue that needs to be decided is the best way to determine the level of the skills attained by students. Ideally, this is handled through oral examination. Typical oral examination questions are asked based on the response to previous questions. At the school level, it is an impossible task to remove any bias inherent in oral examination. However, a well written examination having variable questions (or the questions are formed in response to certain answer) is a close substitute without any bias. spoken CS dad: High Stare Testing are harmful to both stridents and teachers. The MAC test results will be abused to remove teachers, reduce funding for schools They wlll result in teaching to the Tests Translation of the above Statement: SBAC will be used as high stake testing that determines the fate of a student, despite having a bad day for either domestic or health reasons. Teachers will be evaluated based on the students' performance on a single test. The mentality of teaching to the test is harmful to learning process. Comments: It is up to the local school Administrators to ensure that teachers are not teaching their students to the test and how to evaluate teachers. The standardized test snores depends on a multiple factors that are beyond the teacher's control. The ultimate goal must be to teach students 6 Suketu Gandhi's Comments an the Public's Confidence in School System AuSw113, 2014 to attain subject matter maturity. When students attain subject matter maturity, they are in a position to handle any questions in a reasonable amount of time. This practice would be in place when teachers' evaluations are based on standardized test scores. However, the standardized test ensures that there is a feedback given to the parents on how well their children are performing in schools m select subject, and hopefully they know how well their child is doing. The real questions that the parents need to is there an internal consistency between the standardized test scores, the classroom performance, and their view of their child's level of proficiency. School's performance will be based on the standardized tests. The star rating system in Idaho serves as a Public Relation of the schools with each student's parents. It has no impact on the instructions. The Star Rating provides a feed back to parents. The parents cava make a decision whether they want to send their children to another school, or keep them m their original school. However, the students who fail to complete SBAC im their high school, they would not be eligible to receive their high school diploma. Those students who are already high performers m select subjects will not have difficulty in passing the SBAC. For the borderline students, it provides fedback on their capability. When students master the necessary skills by the time they graduate, they will have earned their high school diploma that certifies that the students have mastered academic skills at the minimum level. If the students receive the diplomas without passing the SBAC, their Diploma are certdic ate of attendance, which has no meaning. The question that the parents and the Board must answer. What is the best way to measure academic skills in high school in both English and Mathematics? What are the barriers to implem - C7 the best approach? Spoken CWfichm: The SBACEx minafion has a very long duration. It is intimidating to students to sit in exam for an extended period of time. Translation of the above statement: Is it necessary to have a long duration of SBAC? ff so, what are the underlying reasons for the duration? This was not the case in the case of ISAT. Comments: When ISAT was give% it was evident that the standards were very low in mathematics. Questions asked in 7s' grade mathematics are at the level of 0 grade Singapore Math. The questions were very easy so that everyone would pass. It did not provide any challenging problems. In 0 grade ISAT Math, for one question there was no correct answer m the multiple choice format. To parents, the test results failed to provide meaningful results to the parents on the mathematics proficiency level of their child. with new c uriculum m mathematics, standardized test questions have to be rewritten. For the test to have credibility, it must ask several questions (e.g., 4-5) per each topic at the same level of difficulty. The questions must not be simple multiple choice. It must have "essay" questions where one can probe the reasoning. This was missing element in ISAT. There must be word problems, where students have to identify the information given, and the problem to be solved. The world problem gaups credibility when multi -steps are required to answer them. For the w aimination to be credible, the problems must have varying level of difficulties for each topic. It should also have multi -steps so that students fo ubde their strategy to reach answer. When huimans evaluate the test, it will be prone to bias. To ensure that students can handle easy questions, several problems are given. If students consistently get correct answer, they have mastered the topic. However, this is not known at the 7 Suketu Gouft's Comnwntr on the Public's Confidence in School System Augustl3, 2014 outset" As long as there is a need to provide accurate information on each students' proficiency level, it will take time. When the curriculum is taught at a higher level than the Common Core Standards, the students are expected to do very well. The SBAC is based on the Common Core Standards, not on the curriculum used at the local level. Unspoken hmer Do the common core sAvidards actually lead to the critical thinking skills? (Critical thinking skills should be synonymous with essential thinking.) This will only happen when proper curricular nwterials are selected, and credible tests are administered Success of the e&xational objective requires expertise knowledge and in depth undersw ding of each issues so dud every elements are there to Adfiff their role. Rather than blindly support or criticize the Common Core Standards, it is appropriate to assess whether they fulfill the expectations. When this assessment is made, it is easy to make improvements so that the curriculum, and the textbooks would have the needed contents. Once this is done, it is necessary to identify the best approach to reach the needed outcome: t) Keep the Common Core Standards, and adopt textbooks that adhere to it, but refrain from considering those textbooks that exceed the standards. it) Keep the Common Core Standards, but adopt textbooks that exceed them, and ensure that student are positioned to take AP Calculus BC in l ls' grade. iii Drop the Common Core Standards, but rewrite the standards only by those in Idaho. Through the discussion offered in this document, it is hoped that the Board gains different perception of the Common Core. It is easy matter to drop the Common Core Standards to appease the restive opponents. However, it is more difficult to raise the educational standards to the highest level without the needed expert knowledge. Personal experiences teach us that development of highest level of education occurs in evolutionary form. When starting at a very low level means that it will take a long time to reach at the highest level. However, when starting at a higher level, it is faster to reach the highest level. The arguments made here have resulted from the knowledge accumulated over a number of years. Unfortunately, the public relation (PR) has not address the legitimate concerns raised by the Common Core Opponents. The personal experiences have been that the one of the local opponents have been able to hear the explanations from different side, but still shares the same goals. The impact has been that they gain confidence. Their arguments against the Common Core have been curtailed, and now their focus is on standardized tests, and student tracking. After understanding various issues on the Common Core, the Board should take necessary action that gains the confidence of the public that seeks highest level of education. When the issue of SBAC comes to the Board, as per Idaho Statue Title 33, Chapter 134, it will take into consideration on the benefits of having expert level knowledge in the evaluation Process. 8 IFEA Report August 13, 2014 1. Several district employees attended IFEA leadership summit in Boise Aug. 6-9. Opportunities to attend classes and earn up to 4 credits from NNU. Classes in Education law, organizing membership, elections, etc. 40 workshop options total. 2. New teacher Breakfast will be held August 251i at Hilton Garden Inn. Check in is at 6:30 AM and the event starts at 7 AM. Who is attending from the board? 3. Executive Board and Rep Council will meet Aug. 25 in the afternoon. 4. IFEA and BEA cosponsor Pizza night for new teachers. Informational booths will be set up. Hope to do it at Dora Erickson cafeteria sometime before first payday in Sept. S. Emotion Bowl tailgate. Food available to general public for a donation to the children's fund; free meal to members and their families. Board members -are welcome. 6. IFEA and BEA are collaborating to put together a public candidate's forum for state superintendent and governor. Info to come. "Your TOYOTA Ride" Raffle 2014 Chart Title uW0 I 8000 6000 — — t 2000 0 .._� __ i I Compass IFHS SHS Professional Taylorview Non Program j Technical __ _...........�t Total Raised from 10-1-13 through 8-11-14:$22,496 Compass BPA $1,242 Compass Non Program $18 FP NL Non Program $2,267 IFHS Band $432 IFHS Boys Basketball $1,854 IFHS Cheerleaders $711 IFHS Debate $90 IFHS FCCLA $243 IFHS Football Boosters $414 IFHS Girls Basketball $918 IFHS Orchestra $2,169 IFHS Tech Student Assoc $126 IFHS Tennis $945 IFHS Track $684 IFHS Wrestling $1,377 Prof Tech Education $123 Skyline Cheerleaders $3,969 Skyline Debate $288 Skyline Girls Basketball $315 Skyline Golf $1,359 Skyline Instrumental Music $369 Skyline National Honor Society $243 Skyline Outdoor Club $45 Skyline Tennis $342 Skyline Wrestling $540 Skyline yearbook $819 Taylorview Track $594 HOME $22,496 Our Supporters STATE FARM A so INSURANCE t ;_-.-TAKC'N RAKE PIZZA --.•-- . - '-Ic5° RESTAURANT f &BAKERY • johnjohnson • Rae Nims • Bev Novak • Bobby Romander — State Farm • Christy Sowa • Dorothy Sowa All of You! O 1St Annual Scramble for School Books Thank you for participating is our sc=blel This scramble was started to raise money in order to purchase text books for the high schools in district 91. Scramble Rules This is not a shot gun start. It will have Tee times. In a scramble, each player tees off on each hole. The best of the tee shots is selected and all players play their second shots from that spot. The best of the second shots Is determined, then all play their third shots from that spot, and so on until the ball is holed. Rules taken from aboutcom/golf/scramble There will be a silent auction after the tournament The items have been donated by both individuals and business. There will also be some small games to be around the holes that you can play during the tournament Prizes will be awarded to the winners of the games. Reasons Why this is my Girl Scout Gold Award. Idaho is ranked 40& in the nation in education. One of the reasons for our low ranking could be because of out lack of test books in some of the classes. I have had a homble experience with one of my required classes because I could not have a test book to take home for the night I almost failed my class because it takes hours to shift through the information on the internet and the book had the information I needed I have friends who have had tine same problem with being unable to use a text book they needed It's a problem within the high schools. Our school needs text books for the required classes. Books most needed are in classes like History and Chemistry. I hope to raise enough money to purchase at least two books for the Idaho Falls high schools on subjects that are needed. Your proceeds from the scramble, silent auction and games will go directly to purchasing these books. You will have the opportunity to sign a sticker that will be placed in the books. A Gid Scouts' Gold award is the absolute highest award she can receive. It is very similar to the Boy Scouts Eagle Project The Gold award is an award not often given out because of how much work is required to do it It is required to be sustainable long after the girl has Left It also requires the Gold Award Council to approve the project If they do not like the project it doesn't happen. I thank you all for participating and making this possible.