BOARD CURRICULUM COMMITTEE

MEETING MINUTES

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2007

                                       

Members of the Board Curriculum Committee met on Tuesday, January 16, 2007, at 6:00 p.m. in the Education Center Dining Room. Present were Curriculum Committee Members Anthony R. Villani, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, and Richard Agretto, director of special education; and Board Members Rosario Amato, Judith Dexter, Dr. Craig Haytmanek, William Heske, Loretta Leeson, and Diane Rowe. Also in attendance were: Dr. Joseph A. Lewis, superintendent of schools; Robin Lutcher, director of information technologies; Stanley J. Majewski, Jr., assistant to the superintendent for finance; Thomas Washington, director of student services; Kathleen Bast, coordinator of literacy 6-12; Mary Katona, coordinator of English language arts; Dr. Joanne LoFaso, coordinator of literacy K-5; Frank Arbushites, coordinator of academic computing; and representatives of the press.

 

Mrs. Rowe called the meeting to order at 6:10 p.m.

 

COURTESY OF THE FLOOR TO VISITORS (15 minutes allowed)

 

Mr. Stephen Antalics, 737 Ridge Street, Bethlehem, PA, spoke regarding the Department of Education’s Distinguished Educator’s Quality Review Report.

 

Mrs. Rowe noted that Mr. Antalics only read selected negative portions of the report, and she wanted to mention that there are also many good recommendations in the report as well.

 

Dr. Lewis then introduced the five Distinguished Educators who were present at the meeting and thanked them for all the work they are doing. Dr. Lewis stated that these people have one plan and one focus, and they are here not to embarrass our administration or the district, but to help the district in their planning to improve student performance. Mr. Paternostro thanked everyone for the great welcome his group has received from everyone. He stated that their goal here is to assist in making a very good school district great. Their mission, as defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, is to help build capacity so all children across the district will be safe academically, socially, and emotionally. As an outside independent group from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, it is their responsibility to take their collective views and share them with our district personnel in a supportive capacity.

PROJECT 720 UPDATE

 

Mr. Villani also thanked the Distinguished Educators who have worked closely with him over the past months to come up with the Corrective Action Plan that he discussed at the meeting.

 

 

Mr. Villani reminded the board of the presentation he made a year and a half ago when the district submitted their application to participate in the original Project 720 Initiative. Mr. Villani

mentioned that Project 720 is named for the number of days that a student attends high school: 180 days x 4 years = 720. Mr. Villani explained that the main goal of Project 720 is to create high school environments that are student-centered, result-focused, data-informed, and personalized in a way that is seamlessly supported by system resources, technology, and shared leadership. He also noted that the major tenets of Project 720 is to ensure that every student graduates ready for college or a career; to strengthen the academic infrastructure and increase student achievement; to design and implement data-informed student advisory services; and to provide pathways to prepare students for postsecondary success.

 

Mr. Amato remarked that he is worried that the district will be putting more responsibilities on our counselors.

 

Mr. Washington stated that he is working on a new program for counselors that will include setting up advisory counsels/mentors to assist counselors.

 

Mrs. Leeson asked if the district can address the literacy problem and also how we can encourage middle school students to get ready for a rigorous program in the high school.

 

Mr. Villani responded that this will be a topic of discussion at the February Board Curriculum Committee Meeting.

 

Mrs. Dexter asked what it means to be in the second level financially, and what will the district be doing with this money to implement Project 720?

 

Dr. Lewis stated that the district will be given $15,000-$18,000 for the second level of Project 720. The district will use this money to attend training sessions and work with a committee on changes. He also noted that Mr. Washington will be making a presentation to counselors at a February in-service for their review and input. Then he will be bringing a recommendation to the board for their approval.

 

Mrs. Rowe stated that being in the second wave is to our advantage.

 

Mr. Villani noted that the administration will be visiting schools who began the Project 720 initiative last year to see how our district can implement what they are doing.

 

Mrs. Leeson noted that she strongly supports the need to prepare students for after high school. She also noted that there is a big drop from the honors program to the academic program and asked if the district is looking into correcting this gap?

 

Mr. Villani responded that part of the process is looking at the program of studies and pushing students into more rigorous programs.

 

Mrs. Leeson noted that the high schools are lacking a second biology course and asked if the administration would look into this.

 

Mr. Heske noted that there are many transfers into our district and some are quite deficient. He asked how Project 720 can help this problem.

 

Mr. Villani stated that the district will look at what other school districts are doing and what kind of programs they are using that our district can replicate.

 

Dr. Lewis noted that many schools are going back to continuing reading/literacy in grades eight, nine, ten, and eleven for their struggling students. Some are even going to yearlong programs for continuous improvement in literacy.

 

Mrs. Dexter noted that changes will be communicated to high school students and she hopes they will also be communicated to middle schools students to promote higher expectations among middle school students.

 

CAREER PATHWAYS UPDATE

 

Mr. Villani noted that in 2004 a consortium was established to look at a common Career Pathways Model across Lehigh and Northampton counties. It would host a conference for educators to build capacity for the initiative and support for the concept. It would provide for curriculum development and sharing between academic and technical teachers. It would also provide in-service opportunities for teachers and counselors across the two counties in developing a common curricular framework for career exploration and counseling.

 

Mr. Villani explained that a career cluster is a grouping of occupations and broad industries based on commonalities. The 16 career clusters provide an organizing tool for schools, small learning communities, academics, and magnet schools. Career clusters link what students learn in school with the knowledge and skills they need for success in college and careers. They identify pathways from secondary school to two- and four-year colleges, graduate schools, and the workplace.

 

Mr. Villani explained that the benefits of Career Pathways is that high schools can be organized around career clusters to prepare students to meet the demands of postsecondary education and employer expectations. Educators can also gauge how well they are meeting the academic and career needs of their students. Guidance counselors can use career clusters to help students explore options for their future. Parents can learn what academic and technical courses their children need for college and a variety of career fields, and students can see the relevancy of their required courses. This will help students select their elective courses more wisely.

 

Mrs. Leeson inquired if there is any progress in the 2 + 2 + 2 Program?

 

Mr. Villani responded that yes, with this program at the Bethlehem Vocational Technical School, many students require an additional two years of schooling in their programs to complete their education.

 

Dr. Haytmanek commented that he sensed that people who are born and raised in the Lehigh Valley have a tendency to stay here. He would like to see guidance counselors encourage students to look outside the Lehigh Valley, there is a whole world out there beyond the Lehigh Valley.

 

Mrs. Rowe commented that the Morning Call reported on what they called “Brain Drain,” where students are educated here and then go off to other locations to work. She noted that we need to educate students on careers here in the Lehigh Valley in their pathways, show them ladders – steps along the way in their chosen career path. We also need to make students aware of various positions within a career, and the number of years in education each career requires.

 

Mr. Villani assured her that the Career Pathways will do that for our students.

 

Mrs. Leeson noted that scouts have an Explorer’s Program and would like to see something similar promoted in our schools.

 

Mr. Washington stated that the Explorer’s Program is utilized in some of our schools.

 

DISTRICT ACTION PLANNING UPDATE

 

Mr. Villani reviewed a handout regarding the framework for school improvement and the Corrective Action Plan which was originally distributed prior to the December 11, 2006, Regular Board Meeting. He noted that the Bethlehem Area School District’s Mission Statement is that the Bethlehem Area School District, in partnership with the home and community, is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment in which each student will attain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become a productive citizen and life-long learner in our technologically demanding and culturally diverse society. He explained that district cabinet members, building administrators and staff, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education appointed Distinguished Educators will work in concert to accomplish the many tasks as outlined in the action plan. He noted that the plan will be adjusted and revised over the next 18 months.

 

Mrs. Dexter stated that she appreciated the time involved but would have appreciated more time to review the document which was just distributed at the beginning of tonight’s meeting. As a board member she would appreciate more time to analyze materials prior to a meeting.

 

Dr. Lewis noted that the board was not expected to read and analyze the report at tonight’s meeting. He stated that it is a living document which will be updated monthly. It was distributed tonight because the updated document was not complete until yesterday and will be updated monthly.

 

Mrs. Leeson requested that the administration bring the document to each meeting with updates. She also requested that if there isn’t adequate time tonight to discuss the document, time should be set aside after everyone has read it.

 

Mrs. Leeson noted that testing will again be held in March, and she hopes it goes better than last year. She noted that the improvement targets for the plan jump in 2008 to 63 percent for reading and 64 percent for math. She has concerns because we are currently targeting reading at 54 percent and math at 45 percent. She stated that the district needs to move closer to 60 percent so we can move closer to next year’s goals. She stated that the district needs to start planning to move the target closer.

 

Mrs. Leeson also noted that the district depends on high school students to carry their report cards home. She recommended that all report cards be mailed home. She also noted that we need to strengthen communications with parents.

 

Mr. Villani noted that once the parent portal is available, they will be able to access all report cards on the Web site.

 

Mr. Heske commented that in Chicago report cards are only distributed when a parent/guardian accompanies their student to pick up a report card. He noted that this assures a great success in parents receiving information.

 

Mrs. Dexter noted that middle school conferences are only held in the fall and not in the spring. She recommended that the administration look into this matter.

 

OPEN FORUM

 

Mrs. Leeson and Mrs. Dexter noted that for parent/teacher conferences, not all parents are being allowed meeting times with teachers. The administration recommended that both high school principals review procedures with their teachers regarding parent/teacher conferences.

 

OTHER

 

Nothing to report.

 

 

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

 

Minutes Prepared By:

 

 

 

Charlotte L. Zimmerman

Administrative Assistant to the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction