Present: School Committee members: Downey Meyer, Jim Young, Michael Flynn.
Staff: NPS Superintendent Bill Erickson, Director of Academic Effectiveness Mark Prince, Executive Secretary Nicole Markel
A) NEW BUSINESS
2011-2012 school calendar: Bill Erickson handed out a draft "skeleton" calendar: Want to avoid the pickle we're in this year, when 5 snow days have pushed the end of the school year to 6/27, and more snow days could run up against the 6/30 union cut-off. Spoke with Smith Vocation principal today and agreed if 2 or more snow days by 4/8, will turn an April vacation day into a school day. Understand that that would be hard for many people.
To avoid this situation next school year, have discussed options with administrative team. If start after Labor Day, end during the 4th week of June. Agreed that it's best to start the school year earlier, on Thursday 9/1. Discussed a March vacation instead of February and April ones...but net gain is only three days of school, because of holidays during both February and April vacations. Would also affect Special Ed, and would need to be a regional change, not just Northampton schools.
Also looked at spread of professional development time. A 9/1 start date eliminates one professional development day. It would be great to have one professional day at the end of the school year. It's sweet that kids leave at noon on the last day and teachers soon after that, but there would be some gain to give teachers a day to close out the year with the principals, wrap up discussions and themes from the year.
By the time the calendar is presented to the whole School Committee for approval, the 6 professional development days will be mapped out.
Some group discussion on whether half day professional days would be more effective; if full days are too long for complete attention and absorption. Mark Prince spoke about how full days, and spread of professional days throughout the year, allows for development and implementation of themes.
NHS would like some half days (similar to the elementary ones that are used for parent teacher conferences) to be used for accreditation work.
Bill Erickson left.
Progress Report on the Coordinated Program Review (CPR) by the Dept of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) Mark Prince handed out a Progress Report Status Sheet and gave a quick update: good news, we are officially off their watch list. In compliance with Special Education, Civil Rights and English Learner Education requirements. Nathan (Ziegler - Supervisor of Special Education) and he will have to talk about next steps.
B) OLD BUSINESS
1) Healthy Foods Initiative - Karen (Jarvis-Vance, Director of Health Services) is co-chair of the Advisory Committee and will pull members together. Mark Prince handed out a flier about a "Sustainability in the Science Classroom" professional development workshop at Worcester State U this July. Perfect timing with Common Core coming and alignment with healthy foods initiative. It's 5 days, there's a nice stipend, professional development points and $1,000 of technology hardware for each participant's classroom. Will recommend it to teachers - there's an application process to get in but it's not daunting. Even elementary schools would be able to use this. There is some tie-in with healthy foods. Sustainability is more than just recycling, we need to change what we do. The program addresses the sustainability of goods and services. Building a unit on sustainability is not as challenging as teachers might think; they can build on what they are already doing.
2) Instructional programming - Race to the Top (RTTT) - presented by Mark Prince
Two handouts: NPS RTTT Narrative and RTTT checklist.
The question is how will DESE measure our progress. There is a roll out of the Common Core this spring. The one at Westfield State on 3/29 is already full, as are all the others Mark Prince has checked out. Poor planning re: enough space for 6 representatives from each district in state. He (and others) will go and stand if he needs to.
The statewide evaluation framework has not come out yet. Mike Flynn: I'm on the task force to develop this - it's been a long process but it has to be done and will be done soon.
Five NPS administrators enrolled in the National Institute for School Leadership training (NISL) - going to Marlborough for 2 days every couple of months into the next school year.
Discussion about moving Algebra to 8th grade and impact this has on curriculum for earlier grades. 6 middle school teachers are signed up to go to a training at Mount Holyoke College. Part of RTTT work on pre-AP training for middle and high school teachers. And goal of increasing number of minority students taking and passing AP exams by 2012.
Discussion of how Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) is used, how for kids who are meeting goals, a shorter assessment can be done after initial BAS one. With pending loss of funding for the two reading interventionists who got the BAS system off the ground, can we sustain and integrate what has been learned so far? Mark Prince: yes. It's one part of what the interventionists do.
Mike Flynn - What is the beginning of the year math assessment? Mark Prince: Ryan Road has one. Mike Flynn: Can we see it at a future meeting?
Discussion on state need to make consistent how all districts report student and teacher information and statistics. Bill Dornbusch, District Technology Director, and his staff leading this effort. NPS got some funding for this work, state will fund some of the cost, some relatively small portion (probably less than $20,000) will have to come from the district.
Science Technology Engineering, and Math (STEM) initiative for high school: Mark Prince: sense that community does not support a separate high school, or branch of the high school. Not moving forward on grant application for $100-125,000 that would support a STEM school/branch. Will need to amend RTTT application. Will be pulling together parents, teachers, and Smith College professors to ensure our STEM curriculum is 21st century. Discussion: right now students self-select into STEM offerings and we want to expose and attract all kids. Jackson Street School is piloting a robotics program that is fabulous. How can we build on this and continue into middle school; what grade is best to start in? Jim Young: can we involve Smith Vocational? Even though they have different Board/Trustees, they have similar goals. Can we collaborate? Mark Prince: Yes. We can ask them to join our collaborative. We have until 2014 to respond, so have time. Jim: Smith Vocational can offer the agricultural perspective, which ties into sustainability and healthy foods initiative. Good opportunity with both them and the new Bean/Allard farm in town. Mark: The healthy foods initiative is exciting. They tried it in Amherst and it fizzled out; what can we do differently?
Amy Martyn
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