State Board of Education Review April 2019 “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” ~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Reflections from NC Students Two seniors were provided the opportunity to share their perspectives on being a student from North Carolina Public Schools. These gentlemen were poised and thoughtful in their speeches and provided suggestions on how the State Board of Education could benefit education for ALL students. Myles Cyrus, a senior from Fike High School in Wilson, NC, shared his background and experiences from Pre-K through his senior year. He took the audience through his trek across the state in a variety of public schools and how they shaped his life. He intertwined his major influences with suggestions for the Board to support in public education and they ranged from support for strong Pre-K experiences, increase in minority teachers, the need for the arts and extracurricular activities. He stressed the importance of impactful teachers and administrators. Myles ended with a firm suggestion to create a student advisory, host information gathering, and have meetings in various school districts as a way to get to know the students and districts personally. Greear Webb’s, speech focused around student voice, a senior from Sanderson High School in Raleigh, NC. He stressed the need to fill the two vacant positions for student advisors on the State Board. Greear, stated the need for the voices of youth to have a seat at the table, that they are not only their students but “their clients, beneficiaries, dependents, and their children.” From his perspective, “schools are the beating heart of our state” and “when we build together, what we build will work well.” In response to both of the students, who have received full scholarships to four-year universities, the state superintendent suggested that the Board look at having a student advisory. The Board members nudged back with wanting to re-establish the student advisors as part of the team. The state superintendent agreed to start the process this summer to begin looking to fill the vacant slots for next school year with a junior and senior. Elimination of Final Exams Grade 4 Science and Social Studies and Grade 5 Social Studies NCFEs were voted to be eliminated. The following charts reviewed how many students actually took the test and how many teachers would be impacted by the lack of EVAAS.
Approval for Out-of-State Teaching License Comparability has been a topic of debate as the State Board has pursued looking at ways to help staff schools but make sure NC receives high-quality and effective teachers. At this month’s meeting, PEPSC recommended the following, which was approved by the Board. ➢ Out-of-state applicant has taken a licensure exam(s) which satisfies one component of the licensure process in that state at the time the exam was taken. ➢ Out-of-state applicant demonstrates a score on the exam(s) that meets or exceeds the passing score or range of scores established by the test developer regardless of the state’s official passing score. They looked at evidence of effectiveness data for out-of-state teachers as well. Below is the approved recommendation. ➢ Initial out-of-state applicants who possess a valid, current, out-of-state educator license shall demonstrate evidence of effectiveness by providing evaluation data, including student growth from the state where the license is held. ➢ Without evidence of effectiveness as part of an initial licensure application in NC, the teacher is only eligible for an initial provisional license. ➢ Pass comparable licensure exam(s). To learn about this and how it specifically affects elementary education and exceptional children teachers in general curriculum use the following link to view the presentation. https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/meetings/TempFolder/Meetings/ES_P_LICN001_20190403_ PPT_173324xaa2bh5apmge3wi505fft1b4.pdf SB 580 – Classroom Supplies for Teachers The final day of the Board meeting took an interesting turn as the topic of Senate Bill 580 came up during the legislative update. There were mixed thoughts about the impacts of this bill. The teacher of the year advisors and principal of the year advisor all expressed the concept of putting the funds in the teachers hands is a good intention. However, they disagree with the bill when it comes down to the fact that it is just a reallocation of funds and not NEW funds for teachers. The advisors, as well a, other Board members stated that there will be further implications if this bill is approved. Ms. Godwin, Teacher of the Year, stated “I hope teachers don’t fall for the hook,” meaning the $400 each that would be given to purchase classroom supplies through a small selection of vendors using the app Class Wallet. The bill states that $37 million will be given to teachers in a $400 allotment.
Potential implications expressed during the meeting: ➢ Teachers will only receive $400 to last them the school year and districts will not be able to afford other supplies teachers need such as copy paper, bulletin board paper, copiers, toner, etc. ➢ Lack of collective bargaining. When districts and schools collectively bargain with companies to buy in bulk they can drive down the price. If teachers are buying them on their own, that will no longer happen. For example, a teacher that teaches 25 students for the entire school year who receives $400 will actually be spending $16 per student. Will that be enough for the needs of the classrooms and students? Shining Starts in Teacher Compensation Models Edgecombe and Bertie County Schools provided presentations on their teacher compensation models. Erin Swanson, director of Innovation, presented on their Opportunity Culture model, that is in partnership with Public Impact. She shared success and challenges of their implementation, while providing the Board with specific examples of how Coker Wimberly Elementary and North Edgecombe High School are seeing growth in student achievement. The successes ranged from teacher retention, student achievement, and transformation in school culture. The challenges were funding for exceptional children and CTE teachers and recruitment. Dr. Catherine Edmonds, Superintendent of Bertie County Schools, presented their beginning stages of planning and aspirations for their model called THRIVE: Teachers Raising Instructional Voice and Excellence. They have developed a four-stage plan and four areas of focus. Their areas of focus are champion teacher voice, lead culture, coach teachers, and foster continuous improvement. These are all tied together with building quality relationships.