Student Achievement Committee

Minutes–February 5, 2018

Our Mission: The Sioux City Community School District exists to educate students to believein their talents and skills, achieveacademic excellence and succeed in reaching their potential.

Facilitator: Dr. Kim Buryanek

The Student Achievement Committee (SAC) met on Monday, February 5, 2018,in the Educational Service CenterBoard Conference Room. Copies of the Agenda, the TLC Changes, theInternational Baccalaureate Programme summary, the IB Middle Years Programme -Programme at a glance, the IB Primary Years Programme - Programme at a glance, and the IB Learner Profilewere available for distribution.

Committee Members Present: Dr. Kim Buryanek, Dr. Paul Gausman,Mr. Ron Colling, and Dr. Mike McTaggart

Teacher Leadership and Compensation Changes

Dr. Kim Buryanekreminded the committeemembers she had presented the Teacher Leadership and Compensation(TLC) Program Review at the December 11, 2017 Student Achievement Committee meeting. The Iowa Department of Education approved the District’s proposed changes. Those changes were as follows:

1. Budget to shift funds to support more Teacher Leaders in higher poverty schools. The district will move away from every building having its own Consulting Teacher. Working with the original 39 Consulting Teachers, the District will share teachers across buildings and reduce the ratio of Consulting teacher to general classroom teacher in schools with higher poverty. Teachers know the change would be taking place. Dr. Buryanek met with the Consulting Teachers impacted by the change.

2. Reduction of extra contract days for Teacher Leaders due to reduced need for training days.At the time the District applied for the grant, the District put 10 days extra of professional development into the calendar for the TLC Consulting teachers and 20 extra days for program coordinators. It has been determined that less time is needed and the recommendation is now extra days of professional development on an “as needed” basis be scheduled. Dr. Buryanek met with the Coordinators regarding this change. The pay will remain $500 per extra contract day.

3.Addition of model 3 model classroom teachers at elementary buildings.These classrooms will be demonstration sites for small group, skills-based literacy instruction. The District will develop a job description for the model classroom teacher and the three model classroom teachers will receive a stipend of $2,000.

4.Addition of curriculum facilitators to support curriculum cycle.The new positions will be up to three-year terms. The proposal is for two positions.

International Baccalaureate Programme

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme provides a challenging continuum of international education. Schools must be authorized to teach IB programmes and must have a rigorous curriculum. There are four options for IB programs.

The IB Primary Years Programme provides education to students ranging from ages 3 to 12 and focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside.

At previous Board meetings, parents have stated they want more challenges for their students. The IB Middle Year Programmeis inclusive in design; students of all interests and academic abilities can benefit from participation. The option provides education to students ranging in ages from 11 to 16. This framework encourages students to make practical connections between their studies and the real world. It help students achieve success in school and in life.

The IB Diploma Programme and the IB Career-related Programme provide education to students ages 16-19 and lead students to higher education apprenticeships or employment.

The application deadlines to become an IB school are April 1 and June 1 of 2018 with an application fee of $4,000 for each school. The schools who will become a part of this program will enter the candidacy phase, which may take 2-3 years with an annual candidate fee of $9,500. This fee covers the cost to process the application and consultancy from IB. Candidate schools will have access to the IB’s online curriculum center and will receive program updates. When a school becomes an authorized IB World School, there is an annual fee.

There are schools in Iowa districts who currently participate in this program. Carter Lake, Council Bluffs, and Des Moines all have elementary schools participating in the IB Primary Years Programme. The Des Moines District has some schools participating in the IB Middle Year Programmeand both Des Moines and Waterloo have schools involved with the IB Diploma Programme.

Dr. Buryanek stated she believes this curriculum would increase rigor and student performance. At this time, the administrators would like to see the program used in the elementary and middle schools first. The Committee compared the IB Programme’s mission statement with that of the Sioux City Community School District’s mission statement and found the two are closely aligned. Dr. Buryanek will take the proposal to the Finance Committee on Tuesday, February 6, 2018. At an upcoming meeting, Dr. Paul Gausman will inform the Board of Administration’s decision regarding moving forward with the IB Programme.

The next Student Achievement Committee meeting will be on Monday, February 19, 2018, beginning at 12:00 noon in the Board Room of the ESC.