Washington, DC - The DC State Board of Education (SBOE) will hold its monthly public meeting on Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 5:30 pm in the Old Council Chambers at 441 4th Street NW. Over the last two months, State Board members have been engaged in discussions with the Office of the State Superintendent Education (OSSE) on the DC Science Assessment. At this month’s working session, OSSE brought to the SBOE recommended cut scores for five levels of performance on the assessment. Upon review and discussion, State Board members will now vote on the proposal. This summer, schools and families will receive score reports for the 2016 DC Science assessment that describe students’ overall test performance.
State Board members will also vote on the final version of the Student Advisory Committee report. At this month’s working session, SBOE Student Representative Alex Dorosin of Wilson High School presented an overview of the second annual report of the Student Advisory Committee (SAC). The Student Advisory Committee met four times over the course of the 2016-2017 school year and selected seven key topics that the SAC feels can be changed or improved in the DC education system. The proposals submitted by the SAC focused on graduation requirements, security, access to humanities and civic engagement courses, hall sweeps, food and nutrition, grading systems, and student socialization.
Additionally, the State Board welcomes the opportunity to celebrate superb academic achievement here in the District during the past school year. The SBOE will honor the participants and winners of National History Day DC and the DC STEM Fair with ceremonial resolutions. The 2017 theme for National History Day DC, held at the National Archives of the United States, was Taking a Stand in History. District of Columbia students conducted independent research and presented original documentaries, exhibits, performances, websites or papers about positions that people have taken throughout our country’s history and the individuals and groups that supported them.
At this year’s DC STEM Fair, over 150 middle and high school students showcased their research project results, interviewed with STEM professionals, and competed for awards. The seventy-three projects submitted to the DC STEM Fair represented fourteen schools, 54 projects in junior division involving 63 students, and 19 projects in senior division with 22 students. The State Board of Education encourages all eligible students in the District to participate fully next year in National History Day DC and the DC STEM Fair.
Individuals and representatives of organizations who wish to comment at a public meeting are asked to notify Board staff in advance by phone at (202) 741-0888 or by email at [email protected]. Individuals should furnish their names, addresses, telephone numbers, and organizational affiliation, if any, by the close of business on Monday, June 19, 2017 and should submit one (1) electronic copy of their testimony in advance for the permanent record.
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. Approval of the Agenda
IV. Approval of Minutes
V. Comments from the President of the DC State Board of Education
VI. Comments from the State Superintendent of Education
VII. Public Comment
VIII. Grant Application (VOTE)
IX. National History Day Ceremonial Resolution (VOTE)
X. DC Science, Technology, Engineering & Math Fair Ceremonial Resolution (VOTE)
XI. SBOE Residency Requirement Waiver (VOTE)
XII. Student Advisory Committee Report (VOTE)
XIII. DC Science Assessment (VOTE)
XIV. Adjournment
Please note that our working session previously scheduled for Wednesday, July 5, 2017 has now been moved to Wednesday, July 12, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. 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.