AN UPDATE ON THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION PREPARED BY:
MARYLAND STATE
EDUCATION
ASSOCIATION · NEA
September 22, 2015

MEETING DATES FOR
THE STATE
BOARD OF EDUCATION
October 27, 2015
December 8, 2015 / Consent Agenda Items
The SBOE reviewed and approved the following:
  • August2015minutes
  • AugustPersonnel appointments
Recognition
Recognition of New Board Members
The State Board of Education (SBOE) welcomed new members: Ms. Stephanie Iszard and Ms. Laura Weeldreyer.Ms. Iszard has30 years of administrative and classroom experience in the public and private sectors of education. Ms. Weeldreyer thanked the SBOE for the opportunity to work on the team.
Recognition of Interim State Superintendent
Dr. Jack Smith, former deputy state superintendent for Teaching & Learning, & Chief Academic Officer, is the interim state superintendent. Dr. Smith stated that Dr. Henry Johnson, former assistant state superintendent, Division of Curriculum, Assessment and Accountability, is nowthe deputy state superintendent. Dr. Smith thanked Dr. Lillian Lowery, former state superintendent, for her service in Maryland, especially her commitment in the implementation of the new evaluation systems and common core standards.
2015 Principals and Assistant Principal of the Year
Elementary:
Each year, the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals (MAESP) in collaboration with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), selects a National Distinguished Principal (NDP) torepresent Maryland in Washington, D.C., at the national NDP awards ceremony.
  • The MAESP selected Mrs. Carol Hahn, principal at Bellows Springs Elementary School in Howard County, as the NDP.
  • Mr. Matthew Wagner, the assistant principal last year, at Lincolnshire Elementary school, in Washington County, was MAESP's Assistant Principal of the Year for 2015. Mr. Wagner was recognized in April, at the MAESP Annual Conference. He is currently the principal at Boonsboro Elementary School in Washington County.
Secondary:
Each year the Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) in collaboration with the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) selects a Principal of the Year torepresent Maryland, in Washington D.C., at the national NDP awards ceremony.
Middle School:
  • MASSP in collaboration with the NASSP, selected Dr. Monifa McKnight, from Ridgeview Middle School, in Montgomery County, as the 2015 Middle School Principal of the Year.
  • MASSP selected Dr. Ashanti Foster, assistant principal, at Oxen Hill Middle School, in Prince George’s County, as the 2015 Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year.
High School:
  • MASSP selected Mr. John Baugher, from Francis Scott Key High School, in Carroll County, as the 2015 High School Principal of the Year.
Governor’s Citation:
Mr. Guthrie Smith, SBOE president, read the Governor’s citation proclaiming October as Principal’s Month. The award was presented to each of the executive directors of MAESP and MASSP.
Recognition of Former State Superintendent Dr. Lillian Lowery
Mr. Guthrie Smith, SBOE president, shared a summary accomplishmentsunder Dr. Lowery.
Recognition of Maryland
Maryland will receive an award at the World Future Council Conference for their environmental literacy work in collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay foundation. The Conference will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 20, 2015.
Action Items
COMAR 13A.10.01 Home Instruction Program (AMEND) Permission to Publish
The SBOEgranted permission to publish amendments to COMAR 13A.10.01.01-.05 Administration of Home Instruction Program. The proposed amendments: (1) eliminate the phrase "to teach his or her child at home" to allow flexibility in both the instructor and location of instruction; (2) allow a home instruction program to include enrollment on part-time or full-time basis in courses offered by accredited or unaccredited colleges with verification by either a report card or transcript submitted to the local superintendent or designee; and (3) allow enrollment on a part-time or full-time basis in courses offered by accredited or unaccredited colleges with the approval of a supervising nonpublic school or institution.
Comments:
  • Mr. Chester E. Finn, SBOE member, asked what percentage of students are home schooled. Response:Three percent or approximately 26,000. Mr. Finn also inquired about the definition of school in COMAR and stated that it needs to be re-visited.
  • A SBOE member inquired about who pays for the college (dual enrollment courses) if students are home schooled. Response:The parent(s) would be responsible.
Teacher Certification Assessments Revisions- Test Approval and Establishment of Qualifying scores
The SBOE approvedimplementation dates and qualifying scores for the revised PRAXIS II content assessments for certification in Early Childhood Education and Computer Science.
Test Code / Test Name / Qualifying Score / Scale / Effective Date
5025 / Early Childhood Education / 156 / 100-200 / 9/1/15
5651 / Computer Science / 171 / 100-200 / 7/1/16
Comments:
  • Mr. Finn asked why the Praxis is the only key to determining certification. He has asked if anything else has been tried. Response: Maryland has been doing Praxis for more than 20 years and nothing else was introduced.
  • Ms. Eberhart stated that she previously asked Maryland to consider the Massachusetts test. MSDE has begun to review the Massachusetts test and will bring that information for discussion at the January 2016 SBOE meeting.
FY 2017 State Education Budget Proposal
The SBOE approved the FY2017 State Education Budget Proposal.
FY 2017 Library Capital Construction Projects
The SBOE adopted the FY2017 Library Capital Construction Projects.
Update on Financial Reporting Requirements
The SBOE authorized the interim state superintendent to notify the comptroller to withhold 10% of the November state aid payment, and each subsequent installment, for any system that is not in full compliance with §5-114 of the Education Article.
National Association of State Boards of Education Annual Conference: Maryland Voting Delegates
The SBOE ratified the appointment of Mrs. Madhu Sidhu, SBOE member, as Maryland’s delegate to the National Association of State Boards Delegate Assembly during the annual conference this October.
Information & Discussion
Annual Teacher/Principal Evaluation Report
Mr. Dave Volrath, Teacher Principal Evaluation (TPE) Planning & Development Officer, shared a brief update of Maryland’s TPE and introduced Mr. William Slotnik, founder and executive director of CTAC Mr. Slotnik shared the TPE report. “Change in Practice in Maryland: Student Learning Objectives and Teacher and Principal Evaluation,” issued by the Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center at WestEd and the Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC), which found expanded support for the evaluation process. Mr. Slotnikcommentedthat both teachers and principals are morepositive with regard to all aspects of TPE.
Highlights:
  • Dr. Volrath thanked Dr. Lowery for her work.
  • Background: The Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, partnered with MSDE to conduct the study. The study team included researchers from both CTAC and WestEd.The study is a continuation of earlier work by CTAC and WestEd, and is designed to further strengthen Maryland’s implementation of TPE and its Student Learning Objective (SLO) component.
  • Between mid-April and mid-May 2015, researchers collected qualitative and quantitative data through interviews; case studies with four districts; and surveys from educators across the state.
  • Interviews with leaders from 12 school system leaders, teacher association leaders, administrators, and principals, as well as case studies from four systems.
  • Stakeholder composition: The twenty stakeholders in 12 districts included: six superintendents, six local teacher association leaders, one statewide teachers’ association leader, central office administrators, and six school principals (two each in elementary, middle, and high school).
  • The research included a statewide survey of teachers, principals and other educators from all 24 systems, with district response rates rangingfrom 7.1 percent to 82.4 percent, and with a state average response rate of 30.3 percent. The number of respondents from 2014 to 2015 increased by 16.6 percent or 2,078 more respondents.
  • Data shared:
  • Principals are more likely than teachers to agree about the positive.
  • The aspects of TPEare becoming increasingly positive over time.While there are differences between the two groups, perception gaps are narrowing between principals and teachers.
  • Furthermore, fewer teachers and principals say they need support in receiving feedback from school or district administration on the SLO process and the change has been dramatic.
  • In addition, both teachers and principals are more confident in conducting educator observations than when the process began, and more useful feedback is being provided through observation.
  • Key issues in implementing TPE include:
  • Ensuing quality, consistency, and manageability
  • Placing an emphasis on instruction versus compliance
  • District’s and school system’s capacity to integrate initiatives
  • There are three types of district groupings and they include: (1) Instructionally-focused; (2) Range of capacities and approaches; and (3) Compliance-driven.
  • There is a direct correlation with SLO rating and grouping that districts fall under. Districts at the instructionally-focused grouping; show a positive rating for progress with SLO implementation; Therefore, Maryland should aim to move more districts to the instructionally-focused grouping.
  • For the full report, “Change in Practice in Maryland: Student Learning Objectives and Teacher and Principal Evaluation, go to the following link:
  • MSDE has organized districts in cycles called “Spheres of influence” to provide appropriate support. MSDE does not mandate participation of districts in each sphere. The foci of each sphere in 2014-2015 included:
  • Sphere 6: Crafting high quality and rigorous SLOs
  • Sphere 7: Communications
  • Sphere 8: Sustainability of TPE beyond Race to the Top (RTTT), integration of TPE with PARCC and the Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards (MCCRS).
  • Mr. Slotnik shared the issues that MSDE must address and recommendations. (See full report page 73-76 for details)
  • Issue one: Key District Decisions and Support
  • Issue two: Coherent Capacity Building
  • Issuethree:TPE and Instructional Integration
  • Issue four: Teachers’ voice and two-way communication
  • Maryland’s TPE is already promoting a significant change in practice. The next step is to maintain quality, consistency and manageability.
Comments:
  • Mr. Chester E. Finn, SBOE member, asked why district responses were anonymous. Response: Dr. Smith said that encourages full participation and confidentiality.
  • Mr. Finn asked what survey questions were constant to allow for analysis of data and observation of trend from year to year. Response: All districts had to respond to the same 18 statements/questions that have been used in all three surveys from 2013-2015.
  • Ms. Weeldreyer asked if every school board will get a copy and how the survey was circulated. Response:The survey was developed by CTAC using Survey Monkey. The union supported and encouraged participation. MSDE noted that there was a higher response rate than last year. The survey was conducted within 4-5 week timeframe and weekly reminders were sent to teachers and principals.
  • Mr. Finn said that there are two Local School Systems (LSSs) that the SBOE has no data on, and two others that had a low response rate. He urged MSDEto be more aggressivein reaching out to those LSSs since this is a significant investment by the state.
The item was presented for information.
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) Update
Dr. Douglas Strader, director for Planning and Assessment Branch, along with Dr. Smith, Dr. Johnson, shared an update on PARCC. They provided a timeline of Maryland’s transition into Common Core and PARCC.
  • 2014-15 administration of PARCC
  • 575,000 students participated
  • Tested areas: grades 3-8 reading and mathematics; Algebra I, Algebra II and English 10
  • MSDE will release statewide data on the high school tests in algebra and English 10 at the October 27 meeting of the SBOE.
  • State data for the elementary and middle school assessments in mathematics and reading/English language arts will follow at the December 8 state board meeting.
  • Home reports will be issued in November for high school students, and December for elementary and middle school students.The new assessment data will help parents and teachers identify what younger students need to know in order to advance to the next grade. For older students, the information will help gauge if they are learning what is necessary to graduate ready for college without needing remediation, or are prepared for more complex and higher paying jobs.
  • Several states were included in the performance level setting (PLS)meetings over the summer. PLS included a total of 12 communities of 20 panelists across the consortium (six high school communities and six grades 3-8 communities).
  • Make-up of PLS included teachers in K-12; teachers in higher education; administrators; and others.
  • Panelist were selected based on specific criteria such as having a strong content knowledge in English Language Arts and Math; familiarity with the common core standards; current or recent teaching experience; and experience with diverse student populations.
  • Thirteen Maryland educators were involved in the PLS process on the new test late this summer, during which experts set the following levels:
  • Level 5 - Exceeded Expectations
  • Level 4 - Met Expectations
  • Level 3 - Approached Expectations
  • Level 2 - Partially Met Expectations
  • Level 1 - Did Not Yet Meet Expectations
  • Note: The MSA had just three performance levels and were set at a less rigorous target.
Highlights:
  • Ms. Linda Eberhart, SBOE member, shared her experience on the performance setting group. She also shared that in the past the governing board had considered levels 3 to 5 as college ready. However, only levels of 4 and 5 are currently recognized as college ready.
Comments:
  • Ms. Iszard asked what happens to students who don’t fit into levels four and five. Response: The scores historically have always been less than what we would like them to be; so that is a wake up call for teachers and districts to figure out how to improve the teaching and learning process. We will assist them so they have the support to get their students to a four or five.
  • One board member inquired about how we will support parents in interpreting the data.
  • Mr. Finn also shared a similar concern about the reporting instrument.
  • Ms. Sidhu also agreed and stated that parents whose students are on level 1-3 may have a more difficult time interpreting the report.
The item was presented for information.
Interim State Superintendent’s Update-Race to the Top (RTTT) Update
Dr. Smith shared:
  • Commission to review Maryland’s Use of Assessments in Public Schools presented by Dr. Johnson and Ms. Amanda Stakem Conn, Esq,Government Relations(See attachment with timeline and roles for MSDE, SBOE and General Assembly)
  • Data pieces include but are not limited to compiling data on a number of assessments; times administered in order to meet HB 452
  • Update on Maryland Assessments
  • Shared an update on issues and MSDE action related to state assessments. This chart will be updated every month and shared with the SBOE (See attachment)
Alt-MSA Science /
  • One year extension approved by BPW
  • LAC test administration training completed
  • Testing window November 2, 2015 – March 2, 2016

HSA / October Senior administration begins October 5, 2015
PARCC /
  • Pretest file window is open for Fall Block administration (8/8 – 10/23)
  • LAC technology and test administration training October 1, 2015 (Fall Block)
  • Fall Block window begins Nov. 30 (PBA)

  • Maryland Standardized Test Scores
  • SAT participation dropped but ACT participation increased
  • SAT score average was 1456 the prior year and decreased to 1434 which is considered a flat movement
  • ACT scores increased
  • More students are choosing to take ACT
  • PSAT participation decreased
  • Maryland has been awarded a four-year, $6.9 million federal grant from U.S. Department of Education (USDE)designed to further improve data-based instruction across the state. The state will receive $1.15 million in the first year. Maryland received the competitive grant under the Statewide Data Systems program of the USDE, which enables state education agencies to design, develop, and implement longitudinal data systems to efficiently and accurately manage and use data.
The item was presented for information.
Board Member Update
  • Ms. Eberhart encouraged SBOE members to consider attending the Teacher of the Year reception if they have never attended.
The item was presented for information.
Opinions
  • Linda C., vs.Montgomery County Board of Education— (15-30); affirm the local board’s decision.
  • Deliscia Casey-Packvs. Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners — (15-31); remand the decision of the local board for further action.
  • Glen Payne., vs. Dorchester County Board of Education — (15-32); conclude that the local board’s decision was not arbitrary, unreasonable, or illegal.
  • Christopher T. and Karen D. vs. Montgomery County Board of Education — (Order 15-06); affirm the local board’s decision.
  • In the matter of Montgomery County Maintenance of Effort FY2016 — (Order 15-07); decline to order Montgomery County to appropriate an additional $1.4 million for FY 2016. We direct that the County shall not subtract $1.4 million from the FY 2016 highest local appropriation of $1,476,855,309 when calculating the FY 2017 MOE base amount.
Public Comments
  • None
NOTE:For additional details and information, all handouts are stored and filed chronologically in the SBOE file cabinet on the 4th floor

MSEA Board Briefs Page - 1 (9/22/15)