FINAL MINUTES
State Board of Education
November 9-10, 2004
Tuesday, November 9, 2004
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Room 1101
Sacramento, California
Members Present
Ruth E. Green, President
Glee Johnson, Vice President
Ruth Bloom
Don Fisher
Ricky Gill
Reed Hastings
Jeannine Martineau
Joe Nuñez
Suzanne Tacheny
Johnathan Williams
Members Absent
Bonnie Reiss
Secretary and Executive Officer
Jack O’Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Principal Staff
Karen Steentofte, Acting Executive Director/Chief Counsel, State Board of Education
Rebecca Parker, Education Program Consultant, State Board of Education
Debbie Rury, Education Policy Consultant, State Board of Education
Deborah Franklin, Education Policy Consultant, State Board of Education
Maryanna Rickner, Legal Assistant, State Board of Education
Vickie Evans, Executive Assistant, State Board of Education
Robin Jackson, Executive Secretary, State Board of Education
Gavin Payne, Chief Deputy Superintendent, California Department of Education
Marsha Bedwell, General Counsel, California Department of Education
Susan Ronnback, Chief Policy Advisor to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Cindy Cunningham, Liaison to the State Board, California Department of Education
Call to Order
President Green called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Salute to the Flag
Mr. Fisher led the Board, staff, and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of Minutes (August 2004 Special Meeting and September 2004 Regular Meeting)
· ACTION: Mr. Hastings moved to approve the minutes for the August 2004 special meeting and September 2004 regular meeting with minor corrections. Ms. Martineau seconded the motion. The motion was approved by a vote of 8-0. Ms. Bloom and Ms. Johnson were not present at the time of the vote.
Announcements/Communications
State Board Staff
President Green announced that Bob LaLiberte had joined the State Board staff as a part-time employee. She also noted that Ms. Rickner would be leaving the Board at the end of November to join the Sacramento County Office of Education.
Changes to Agenda
President Green announced that Item 15 had been withdrawn; Item 43 would be heard before
Item 42; and Waiver Item W-2 had been withdrawn by the district.
2005-06 Student Member Interviews
President Green announced that during the lunch break the Screening Committee would interview six candidates for the 2005-06 Student Member. Recommendations on the three finalists would be presented under Item 18 when the Board reconvened after lunch.
President Green announced that speakers were limited to two minutes.
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent O’Connell reported that 46 school bonds passed in the election held on November 2, 2004. He noted that on October 26-27, 2004, nearly 4,000 educators attended the Superintendent’s High School Summit, which was a tremendous success. Superintendent O’Connell thanked the Gates Foundation for co-sponsoring the event and the Board members who attended.
Superintendent O’Connell announced that he was pleased with Governor Schwarzenegger’s recent appointment of Tom Campbell to Director of the Department of Finance. He announced several CDE staff changes: (1) Kathleen Moore had joined CDE as the Director of the Schools Facilities Planning Division; (2) Camille Maben was promoted to Director of the School and District Accountability Division; (3) Jan Mayer was promoted to Director of the Learning Support and Partnerships Division; and (4) Teri Burns, Director of the Government Affairs Office, was leaving CDE to work in the private sector.
ITEM 1 / STATE BOARD PROJECTS AND PRIORITIES.Including, but not limited to, future meeting plans; agenda items; State Board office budget; staffing, appointments, and direction to staff; declaratory and commendatory resolutions; update on litigation; bylaw review and revision; review of the status of State Board-approved charter schools as necessary; Board Liaison Reports; and other matters of interest. / INFORMATION
ACTION
Board Member Liaison Reports
The reports were given by the following liaisons: Ms. Martineau on the Special Education Commission, Ms. Bloom on the California Teachers Commission, and Mr. Gill on the Students Advisory Board of Education (SABE) Conference.
Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission Appointment
President Green announced that Rebecca Brown had previously been appointed to the Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission for a term beginning January 1, 2005 through December 31, 2008. Ms. Brown is a language-arts coordinator for the Sacramento City Unified School District and has 13 years of experience in education, during which she has been a teacher, reading coach, and principal.
Nominations for 2005 State Board Officers
President Green announced that the State Board bylaws provide that the Board Officer elections take place in January each year. She explained that nominations would be taken at this meeting and at the January 2005 meeting, but a vote would not occur until January 2005.
· NOMINATION FOR PRESIDENT: Ms. Bloom nominated Ms. Green.
· NOMINATION FOR VICE PRESIDENT: Ms. Bloom nominated Ms. Johnson.
The bylaws state that no second is required for nominations made at the December meeting.
No action was taken on this item.
ITEM 2 / PUBLIC COMMENT.Public Comment is invited on any matter not included on the printed agenda. Depending on the number of individuals wishing to address the State Board, the presiding officer may establish specific time limits on presentations. / INFORMATION
The following individual addressed the Board:
Alan Bonsteel
This item was for information only. No action was taken.
ITEM 3 / 2004 Base Academic Performance Index (API) Content Weightings. / INFORMATIONACTION
Bill Padia, Director of Policy and Evaluation Division, provided background information on the process.
Edward Haertel, Professor, Stanford University, School of Education, conducted a presentation on the 2004 base API content weightings. Topics included indicator weights for 2003 base API and proposed 2004 base API calculation methods. Holly Jacobson, Co-chair of the Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) Advisory Committee, presented information on the PSAA Advisory Committee’s recommendations on weighting of each test and subject area.
The Board held an in-depth discussion on the recommended API weightings and calculation method.
The following individuals addressed the Board:
Dick Bray, on behalf of ACSA
Sandra Burdick, California Council for Social Studies
· ACTION: Mr. Hastings moved that the State Board approve the Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) Advisory Committee recommendations regarding the content weightings for the 2004 Base API, as recommended by staff. Ms. Martineau seconded the motion. The motion was approved by a vote of 9-0. Ms. Johnson was not present at the time of the vote.
ITEM 4 / School Accountability Report Cards: Proposed Changes Pursuant to Senate Bill 550 (Implementation of Settlement Agreement in Williams, et al. v State of California, et al.). / INFORMATIONACTION
Mr. Padia provided background information. He noted that this affects the areas of facilities, teachers, and textbooks. Mr. Padia stated that other developments are occurring that may require modifications in May 2005.
Ms. Bloom requested that a checklist for facilities be added to the SARC to include the percentage of working toilets in school districts. Ms. Tacheny requested that the Curriculum and Instruction section specify that instructional materials should be state-adopted (K-8) or standards aligned (9-12). President Green requested a checklist in addition to the narrative.
Jeanne Ludwig, Mathematics and Science Leadership Office, informed the Board that CDE is working with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and county offices to develop clearer language with regard to the teacher quality and misassignment issues.
President Green asked for a timeline for changes that could be made. Rachel Perry, Policy and Evaluation Division, commented that there was not an option for changes at this time for this school year, but in May 2005, Board approval would be requested for the next school year. The Board would have a chance to incorporate changes prior to that time.
The following individuals addressed the Board:
Sherry Griffith, Association of California School Administrators
Silvia DeRuvo, California Association of Resource Specialists and Special Education Teachers
John Affeldt, Public Advocates
Glen Thomas, Executive Director of California County Superintendents Educational Services Association
Ms. Steentofte provided clarification on the timeline. She stated that action could wait until January 2005, but that it would be a burden to the school districts.
Mr. Nunez noted that the Board could move forward on this piece with a commitment that the Board would work with all the interested parties. Ms. Tacheny noted that the checklist would need to be focused. Ms. Steentofte clarified that the changes are necessary to implement recent legislation.
· ACTION: Ms. Tacheny moved that the State Board approve the proposed changes in the report template and data definitions for the School Accountability Report Card (SARC), with amendments to add the percentage of working toilets in a school in the School Safety and Climate for Learning section (number 3) and to specify that instructional materials should be state-adopted (K-8) or standards aligned (9-12) in the Curriculum and Instruction section (3A), and direct staff to make the changes available to local educational agencies (LEAs) on the California Department of Education (CDE) Web site. Ms. Bloom seconded the motion. The motion was approved by a vote of 8-1. Ms. Martineau voted against the motion. Ms. Johnson was not present at the time of the vote.
ITEM 5 / California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE): Including, but Not Limited to, CAHSEE Program Update. / INFORMATIONACTION
Deb Sigman, Director of Standards and Assessment Division, commented that the CAHSEE release items were posted to the CDE Web site the previous week.
No action was taken on this item.
ITEM 6 / California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE): Presentation of the Independent Evaluation of the CAHSEE: Year Five Report. / INFORMATIONACTION
Ms. Sigman provided background information. Lauress Wise, HumRRO, conducted a PowerPoint presentation on the findings and recommendations from the independent evaluation. He noted that HumRRO had been awarded a new contract to continue the evaluation through September 2007.
The Board held an in-depth discussion regarding dropout rates.
Ms. Sigman updated the Board on the SB 964 Committee and noted that a final report is due from the committee on May 1, 2005. The committee meetings are open to the public. On October 12, 2004, the Committee discussed state and national trends. On January 7, 2005, the Committee will discuss alternative assessments. Ms. Sigman stated that draft recommendations would be brought forth from the contractor in February 2005, with the committee reviewing the draft reports in March 2005.
Ms. Sigman informed the Board that on November 30, 2004, in Sacramento and on December 2, 2004, in Burbank, CDE would be holding its annual fall assessment information meeting. She noted that approximately 600 people were expected to attend at each venue.
The following individuals addressed the Board:
Liz Guillen, Public Advocates
Silvia DeRuvo, California Association of Resource Specialists and Special Education Teachers
Jo Behm, Learning Disabilities Association
No action was taken on this item.
Lunch Break: President Green called for the lunch break at 11:59 a.m. She reconvened the meeting at 1:38 p.m. The Screening Committee (Mr. Hastings, Mr. Nunez, and Ms. Tacheny) and Mr. Gill met during the lunch break to interview the student member candidates.
President Green announced that Item 18 and 32 would be heard out of order.
ITEM 18 / 2005-06 State Board of Education Student Member: Interview of Six Candidates and Selection of Three Finalists. / INFORMATION ACTIONMs. Parker reported on behalf of the Screening Committee on the recommendations for the 2005-06 Student Member. Mr. Gill commended the efforts of all the candidates.
· ACTION: Mr. Gill moved that the State Board approve the following three finalists, in preference order, for the position of 2005-06 Student Member to be presented to the Governor for appointment consideration:
§ Paul Gardner III, Culver City, California, Culver City High School
§ Anna Couturier, Mission Viejo, California, Mission Viejo High School
§ Daniel Schultz, Porterville, California, Porterville High School
Ms. Martineau seconded the motion. The motion was approved by unanimous vote of the members present.
ITEM 32 / 2004 Health Primary Adoption of Instructional Materials: Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission Recommendations. / INFORMATION ACTIONPUBLIC HEARING
Edith Crawford, Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission Chair, presented the Commission’s recommendations for adoption. She announced that this would be her last Board meeting because her term expires in December.
President Green commented that Ms. Crawford has been an excellent chair and her many hours of work and strong leadership is very much appreciated.
Sandra Mann, Chair of the Health Subject Matter, Curriculum Commission, explained the adoption process for the health instruction materials. She noted that only the programs that met all five criteria categories (health content/alignment with curriculum, program organization, assessment, universal access, and instructional planning and support) were recommended for adoption. Ms. Mann provided an overview of the review process.
Ms. Crawford thanked all those involved in this adoption. She stated that the following publications were recommended for adoption: Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Health and Wellness
(K-8), Harcourt Health and Fitness (K-6), and Holt Decisions for Health (6-8). Ms. Crawford commented that all the submitted programs went through the same rigorous process.
President Green reminded the audience that speakers were limited to two minutes.
Public Hearing Open: 2:08 p.m.
The following individuals addressed the Board:
Barbara Moggio, President, Health Wave publisher
Dee Brennick, on behalf of Assembly Member Jackie Goldberg
Bob Lucas, Lucas Advocates
Public Hearing Closed: 2:21 p.m.
President Green called for Board deliberation.
Mr. Nunez commented that he would be recommending Health Wave (grades 4-5) for adoption. He stated that health should have more choices since it is not a core area of the standards.
President Green asked for details on the health content errors in and specifics on the universal access concerns with Health Wave. Ms. Mann responded to the questions.
· ACTION: Ms. Bloom moved that the State Board take the following actions regarding the 2004 Health Primary Adoption:
(1) Adopt and reject the Health instructional materials submissions in accordance with
the recommendations of the Curriculum Development and Supplemental Materials Commission (Curriculum Commission).
(2) Find that each of the rejected submissions did not adequately meet the criteria for adoption taking into account the totality of the information received, including but not