BOARD CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

 

MINUTES
Monday, March 4, 2002

 

Members of the Board Curriculum Committee met on Monday, March 4, 2002, at 7:45 p.m. in the Superintendent’s Conference Room at the Education Center. Present were school board members Joseph Craig, Craig Haytmanek, Charlene Koch, Loretta Leeson, Julie Venanzi, and Margaret Williams. Also present were Edward Segal, student representative from Freedom High School, Thomas Doluisio, Superintendent of Schools, Michele Kostem, Assistant Superintendent, Monty Perfetti, Director of Secondary Education, William Nelson, Director of Elementary Education, and Richard Agretto, Director of Special Education.

 

Open Forum

Mrs. Leeson requested clarification on Freedom High School’s participation in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science and concern that an advisor was not available for students to compete in this competition. Mr. Villani responded that the same advisor oversees Science Olympiad and PJAS, however, it has been the students’ choice to place the greater emphasis for competition with the Science Olympiad.

 

Mrs. Leeson also requested an update on the status of the district’s driver education program for next year. Mr. Doluisio indicated that the administration will be presenting a recommendation to the board proposing the elimination of two driver education teacher positions corresponding to the retirement of the current teachers. The on-the-road component of driver education will be delivered by the Intermediate Unit. The remaining district driver education position would provide the classroom theory component, thereby still providing a complete driver education program for students. The administration has met with representatives from the BEA and agreement has been reached to permit the subcontracting for this program

 

There was a request that district libraries be kept open longer after school hours. Middle schools have already made accommodations for this to occur and, to some extent, it is also in place at the high schools by staggering work hours of employees. Mr. Doluisio said that the administration would investigate the possibility of keeping high school libraries open longer.

 

Mrs. Williams offered congratulations to Northeast Middle School who had the most bond recipients and first-place winners of all district middle schools in the regional Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science competition recently held at Easton High School. First-place winners will now proceed to the state competition at Juniata College with other Bethlehem Area School District first-place winners.

 

 

Academic Standards -Secondary

Mr. Doluisio introduced the topic by recognizing the fact that one year ago recommendations were made to the Board on implementation of Academic Standards initiatives by developing action plans. The presentation this evening reflects the steps that have been taken to move this initiative forward by developing criteria to be applied to students beginning with the Class of 2006, this year’s current eighth grade class, as they enter the ninth grade in September 2002.

 

Mr. Perfetti continued with the presentation by reviewing the following documents:

 

        •    Student Performance Summaries – Review (Mr. Perfetti)

                     Student performance summaries outline student achievement in English/Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. In order for students to advance to the next grade, certain criteria must be met through a system of assessments that earn points toward promotion. Categories for assessment include: course grade, portfolio entries points, district-wide exam points, and at the middle school level, effort and responsibility points. This document will also be used to determine whether a student advances from middle school to high school in a Standards Diploma or Basic Diploma Program, of Study. The Student Performance Summary will also determine student eligibility to attend Saturday or summer workshops in order to earn promotion points.

 

        •    Secondary School Promotion – Administrative Guidelines (Mr. Perfetti)

                     The total promotion points reflected on the Student Performance Summary determine a student’s eligibility to enter a specific ninth grade program of study. 70 points has been determined to be the ‘point standard’ for an average student meeting or nearly meeting standard.

       

                     Students completing grade 8 with an average of 70 points or more for all four performance summaries have the option to:

                           --   enter the Standards or Honors Diploma Program of Study full-time at Freedom or Liberty High School

                           --   enter the Standards or Honors Diploma Program of Study at Freedom or Liberty High School with part-time enrollment at the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School

 

                     Students completing grade 8 with an average of 60-69 points for all four performance summaries have the option to:

                           --   attend a prescribed middle school summer workshop in order to attain an average of 70 points to qualify for a Standards Diploma Program of Study

                           --   enroll in the Basic Diploma Qualifying School in order to qualify for enrollment in the grade 9 Basic Diploma technical vocations or business vocations programs of study

 

                     Students attending prescribed middle school summer workshops who, despite satisfactory effort, do not attain an average of 70 points may:

                           --   petition the high school principal for enrollment in the Basic Diploma Program of Study

                           --   petition the middle school principal to remain in the middle school in order to earn need promotion points for enrollment in the Standards Diploma Program of Study the following school year

                          

                     Students not demonstrating satisfactory effort at the summer workshop will be retained in grade 8.

 

                     Students completing grade 8 with an average of 50-59 points for all four performance summaries have the option to attend the Basic Diploma Qualifying School to earn admittance into the grade 9 Basic Diploma technical vocations or business vocations programs of study:

                           --   students in this category are ineligible for the Standards Diploma Program of Study

                           --   students failing to meet Basic Diploma Qualifying School standards will be retained in grade 8

 

                     Students completing grade 8 with an average of fewer than 50 points for all four performance summaries will be retained in grade 8.

 

                     Grade 9 students who successfully complete the grade 9 Basic Diploma Program of Study may petition, for the following school year, to be enrolled in the grade 9 Standards Diploma Program of Study

 

 

        •    Student Grading – Secondary School Guidelines (Mr. Perfetti)

                     Numerical grading equivalents have been defined to determine a more accurate marking period and/or exam grade for secondary students. Letter grades will now reflect numerical parameters to allow for three levels within each grade category (example – A+, A, A-) using district numerical criteria. The letter grade of “D” has been eliminated to reflect the district’s commitment to the Academic Standards initiative whereby a grade below “C” indicates a student not meeting standards. The elimination of the “D” removes confusion that would allow a student to ‘pass’ a course’ yet not meet academic standards or eligibility for a standards-based diploma. There is, however, provisions for a student who has not attained a grade of “C” at the conclusion of the course to be issued an “X”, which also allows the student more time to complete competencies.

 

                     The guidelines addressed the issue of weighted grades for ‘honors’ courses. It was suggested that grade-weighting not occur until a student takes honors courses beginning with grade 11. The rationale of the administration for this recommendation is that the honors courses in grades 11 and 12 are more rigorous and students seriously pursuing an honors diploma will have continued in the program through their freshman and sophomore years. There was concern that students in the lower school, especially in grade 9, may schedule honors courses simply to obtain a weighted grade where a “B” would give a GPA equivalent to an “A”. It has also been a district philosophy that the criteria for students entering a grade 9 honors class is not as restrictive as the upper school in order to allow an entering high school student an opportunity to experience an honors program. Through the ninth and tenth grade years, many students decide not to continue to schedule honors courses due to the rigors of the program. It was mentioned that few high schools in the Lehigh Valley weight all honors courses in grades 9 and 10. It was also noted that colleges and universities do not recognize weighted grades for admission to higher level institutions. There was extensive discussion regarding the issue of weighted grades and the elimination of the “D”. The possibility and concerns regarding the issuing a numerical value for student performance as opposed to a letter grade was also discussed. There was concern that numerous assessments such as student writing, projects, oral presentations, and other similar activities are scored with a ‘rubric’ that would cause difficulty for a teacher to define an ‘87” as opposed to an “88”, and would thereby eliminate a broader, yet still limited, range in which to measure student achievement. The administration will revisit the issue of weighted grades and GPA calculations and the impact on class rank before making a final recommendation to the board on student grading guidelines.

 

        •    Graduation Requirements/Diploma Programs of Study – (Mr. Burkhardt)

                     The administration will be recommending that the board adopt Graduation Requirements that still total 26 credits. The difference between the current requirements and those recommended is that driver ed will be considered an elective and not a requirement and that courses required to be taken will be dependent upon the student’s program of study. The diploma programs include the Honors Diploma Program, the Standards Diploma Program, and the Basic Diploma Program. Entrance criteria, as stated previously, will be dependent upon the student’s performance summary total promotion points. Students selecting the Honors Diploma Program or the Standards Diploma Program will also have the option to attend the Bethlehem Area Vocational Technical School to receive instruction for some of their academic requirements. Students in the Standards Diploma Program will also have the option to take honors courses even though they may not meet the number of honors courses taken to qualify for the Honors Diploma Program. Students in the Basic Diploma Program will attend either the Bethlehem Area Vocational Technical School or remain at the high school with a business skills component to their program. The Basic Diploma has been designed as a viable diploma option for students not successfully meeting college-preparatory academic standards.

 

        •    Differentiated Diplomas (Mr. Villani)

                     Criteria to be used to determine eligibility for the three diploma programs were identified. All three diploma programs require a student meet the requirement of earning 26 credits for graduation. Additional criteria for enrollment is based upon GPA, level of proficiency on NSRE and PSSA tests, and matrix points. For entrance into the honors program a student must also secure three supportive recommendations from current or former teachers. An appeal process for the Honors and Standards Diplomas is also identified. Students entering the district post grade 9 must be evaluated on an individual basis. In the case where there is insufficient data to appropriately place a student in a standards diploma program, this student may enter the district in the Basic Diploma Program to address any possible academic standards deficiencies.

 

        •    Basic Diploma Academic Curriculum (Mr. Donaher)

                     The Basic Diploma Program of Study is designed provide a high school diploma for students not meeting academic standards proficiency. High school department chairpersons and selected staff were involved in the design of the curriculum for students in this program. The four major topics of the program are American Culture, Global Understanding and Issues, Skills for Success, and Personal Growth and Development.

 

                     American Culture:

                          Students will become familiar with specific Americans who have made significant contributions or long-term impact upon American citizens. Sub-topics will include American Leadership, Creative Americans, American Scientific/Technical Minds and Inspirational Americans. Content will include events of the 18^th, 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st centuries.

 

                     Global Understanding and Issues:

                          Students will become familiar with specific world citizens who have made significant contributions or long-term impact upon world events or quality of life. Sub-topics include Western Hemisphere, Europe/Middle East, Asia/Far East/ Oceania, Africa, and international issues.

 

                     Skills for Success:

                          Students will develop specific abilities required for success in the workplace and productive citizens. Basic skills in the area of mathematics, reading, speaking, and writing as they apply to specific careers will be addressed. Technological skills will be applied to various career requirements and there will be an extensive focus upon financial institutions and significant budgeting decisions.

 

                     Personal Growth and Development:

                          Students will acquire specific knowledge to promote a positive life-style and enhanced quality of life. Courses of study will focus upon health/fitness, career exploration, goal setting, home maintenance, and child development and parenting. This course will include action planning to attain specified goals and aspirations.

 

                     The administration is also in communication with the community college to incorporate into the Basic Diploma Program requirements that may prepare students for admission into an associates degree program.

 

Meeting was adjourned at 10:10 p.m.

 

 

Minutes Prepared by:                                                                        

                                    Gayle Justice, Confidential Secretary