BOARD CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

MEETING MINUTES

Monday, September 15, 2003

Members of the Board Curriculum Committee met on Monday, September 15, 2003, at 6:00 p.m., in the Superintendent’s Conference Room A of the Education Center. Present were Curriculum Committee Members Anthony Villani and Richard Agretto, Board Members Joseph Craig, Rosie Amato, William Heske, Charlene Koch, Loretta Leeson, Margaret Williams, and Julie Venanzi. Also in attendance were Superintendent Joseph A. Lewis, Michele Kostem, Dr. William Nelson, Monty Perfetti, William Burkhardt, Joe Santoro, and representatives of the press.

OPEN FORUM

Mrs. Williams noted that she recently received a copy of the new school calendar and wanted to say that she thought it was outstanding.

Mrs. Williams mentioned that she would be visiting the new charter schools and asked if anyone else would be interested in going with her.

She also noted that the December Reorganization Meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 1, 2003, which is the Monday after Thanksgiving and a school holiday. The board suggested that it be moved to Wednesday, December 3, 2003. The administration will verify this date change.

ACADEMIC STANDARDS UPDATE

Mr. Villani presented an update on the Academic Standards Initiative, Phase II Implementation. The update covered the following areas:

1. Alignment: Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment

a. Standards

b. Continuation of Curriculum Alignment to Alignment of General Education Curriculum for Exceptional Students

c. Assessments

d. Portfolio Assessment System, K-12

2. Academic Interventions

a. School-Based Interventions

b. Newcomers Program

c. Academic Academy

d. Mandated Full-Day Kindergarten for Selected Students

3. Comprehensive Grading System, K-12

a. Design of New Report Cards, K-12

b. Develop and Implement Computer Software for Grading System

c. Elimination of the “D”

d. Develop and Implement Staff and Parent Manuals Concerning Revised Grading Policies

e. Implement Portfolio Assessment, K-12

4 Performance-Based Project

a. Development of Protocol/Guidelines for the State-Mandated Graduation Project

b. Implementation of Performance-Based Project With the Class of 2006

5. Promotion Policy ad Procedures

a. Develop/Select Grade Level Achievement Indicators for Elementary, Middle, and High School Levels

b. Develop Promotion Criteria

c. Develop and Implement a Process for Early and On-Going Parent/Guardian Notification for Students at Risk of Not Meeting the Promotion Criteria

6. Differentiated Diplomas/Evaluation

a. Differentiated Diplomas Eliminated Based on Changes in PDE Legislation

b. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Legislation Focuses Evaluation on Disaggregation of Data Relative to Low SES, Ethnicity, Special Education, LEP, Attendance and Graduation Rates, Not Overall School Scores

7. Initiatives for the 2003-2004 School Year

a. Creation of a Cyclical Curriculum Review Schedule

b. Alignment of all Curricula Through Clarification and Categorization Into New Curriculum Writing Format

c. Develop and Implement Student Data-Base Profile

d. Refine and Streamline Portfolio Process

e. Continue to Offer Wide Array of School-Based Academic Interventions

f. Continue Work on Revised Grading System

g. Implement Performance-Based Graduation Project at the High School Level

h. Establish Means of Communicating Test Results to Staff, Students, and Parents (School Report Cards)

Mr. Heske asked if the administration has ever considered providing another academy for students who complete middle school but are not yet ready for high school. Mr. Villani reported that a Career Prep program is currently in place at Vo-Tech.

Mr. Heske noted that the state has readjusted its criteria and inquired as to the current status of our schools.

Mr. Villani reported on the following schools:

Marvine Elementary School – has remained on “School Improvement I” status. He noted that letters in English and Spanish will be sent to all parents of Marvine students explaining the status of the school and their options. This letter is mandated by the state.

Fountain Hill Elementary School – has been downgraded to a warning.

Lincoln Elementary School – has been taken off the list

William Penn Elementary School – has been taken off the list

Nitschmann Middle School – is still on the list because it did not meet cut scores

Northeast Middle School – has been downgraded to a warning

East Hills Middle School, Freedom High School, and Liberty High School – still on the list because of special education and Latino students

The superintendent noted that a complete report will be available shortly and will include PSSA and NSRE test results.

The board inquired as to what interventions are available at the high school level? The administration stated that the following are available to students:

a. Extended classes at the 9^th and 10^th grade levels

b. After-school tutoring

c. Workshops and after-school sessions with retesting in October

It was noted by the administration that, if the state would have the test scores available by the end of June, the district would be able to offer senior classes at the beginning of the new school year.

GUIDELINES FOR GRADUATION PROJECT

Mr. Villani introduced George VanDoren and representatives of his committee (Don Midway, Eric Smith, and Diane Seip) who made a presentation on the guidelines for the new Graduation Project. Mr. Smith provided a Power Point presentation detailing the components of the project. Mr. VanDoren noted that his committee has worked with the teachers and principals at both high schools on the formation of this project. This project will enhance, not replace the curriculum for seniors. The culmination of the project will be a 10-15 minute presentation in front of a panel of teachers in either December or May, depending upon which semester a student has scheduled English. The time period was selected so that, should students need additional work on their projects, they will still have time to redo their presentations before graduation.

UPDATE ON PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING STUDENT PREGNANCIES

Dr. William Nelson presented an update on the procedures for handling student pregnancies. It was noted that all students now receive a balance of information on this subject.

OTHER

Regarding the Honors Program, Mrs. Leeson asked the administration to look into the possibility of working with local colleges regarding a connecting program where, upon completion of the Honors Program, it would guarantee a student admittance into one of our local colleges.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.

Minutes Prepared By:

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Charlotte L. Zimmerman, Administrative Assistant