Washington, DC- The DC State Board of Education (SBOE) will hold its final working session of the year on December 7, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. to discuss a number of important topics. The meeting will be held at 441 4th St NW in Room 1112.
The Dec. 7 working session will build on previous discussions and public engagement around the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). At last month’s public meeting, the Board heard nearly 25 community members provide testimony about their priorities in a new school accountability plan. SBOE members will review and discuss the viewpoints presented as we prepare to consider a final accountability plan in early 2017.
The SBOE is still eager to hear perspectives on potential accountability measures for schools that go beyond just test scores. The public can still provide input by testifying at an upcoming public meeting or by submitting comments via email at [email protected]. Feedback on what measures are important to identifying a successful school is requested in three distinct areas.
The Weight of Testing: The OSSE discussion draft suggests the new total test weight to be 80%; the SBOE response memo suggests it should be much lower. We need to hear from parents, students, and organizations on how it has affected their schools and what they think the weight on testing should be.
The Weight of Growth in Relation to Proficiency: ESSA offers the opportunity for DC to reward schools for the progress students achieve each year. We must determine the appropriate balance between students meeting college and career readiness standards and their educational growth. We need to hear from parents, students and organizations on what the appropriate balance would be.
Safety, Engagement and Environment Indicators: The SBOE believes that it is important for all students, teachers and parents to feel welcome in their schools. This relates to many factors including facilities, school discipline, attendance, bullying, parent engagement, teacher turnover, student reenrollment, etc. We need to hear from parents, students and organizations on what factors we should be looking at when assessing our schools.
ESSA replaces No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and gives the District more flexibility in determining what constitutes a successful school, and what needs to be done to fix schools that are failing. For more information about ESSA, including upcoming engagement opportunities and previous meeting materials, please visit sboe.dc.gov/essa and osse.dc.gov/essa.
At this working session, the SBOE will also discuss a two-year strategic plan for 2017-2018 and other governance items in an effort to bring additional transparency to its work on behalf of District students. The members of the SBOE looks forward to beginning work on these ambitious goals to advance equity and achievement in District of Columbia public education through policy leadership, engagement, support, advocacy, and oversight.
The working session is open to the public. However, individuals and representatives of organizations are not permitted to speak or participate during the working session. Individuals and representatives of organizations may submit written testimony for consideration by the SBOE. Written testimony may also be submitted by email at [email protected].
The draft agenda of the meeting is below. Please note that the agenda may be altered, modified or updated without notice.
I. Call to Order
II. Announcement of a Quorum
III. Every Student Succeeds Act
IV. Strategy and Process Review
i. Strategic Plan
ii. Bylaws
iii. Policy Manual
iv. Year in Review Report
V. Office Reports
i. Ombudsman
ii. Chief Student Advocate
iii. Executive Director
VI. Adjournment
The State Board of Education provides policy leadership, support, advocacy, and oversight of public education to ensure that every student is valued and learns the skills and knowledge necessary to become informed, competent, and contributing global citizens. More information about the SBOE can be found at sboe.dc.gov.