The State Board of Education met for their November meeting. The committees met Wednesday and the Committee of the Whole and the State Board meetings were held Thursday. To view the list of board items click here to see the full board meeting click here.

The only change to the schedule this month were that the state board of education added two work sessions: one to discuss the future of Foothills, Mountain Education Center, and Coastal Plains charter high schools and the other to discuss assessments. There is more on these below.

Rules Committee

The Rules Committee had three items to consider. The State Board is changing their bylaws to periodically hold meetings outside of Atlanta. This item was pulled for a separate vote. The Bylaws must sit for 30 days before adoption during the December meeting. The next item was the posting of the K-12 English Language Arts Standards. These standards are to revise/ develop and implement viable academic standards that engage learners with essential knowledge, skills, and enduring concepts, according to the GaDOE. The ELA standards were also pulled for discussion and a separate vote for the full meeting. 

A change in the State Board rule on student attendance was also discussed.  It will be adapted to incorporate the legislative change in HB 1292 to count a student present if they are participating in an activity or program of 4-H. This went on the consent agenda for initiation. Adoption of the standards for Research, Design, and Project Management course revision was originally on the agenda but was removed from consideration the day before the meeting.

District Flexibility & Charter Schools Committee

The only item for discussion was a reappointment to state charter schools commission from the Lt Governor, the item went to the consent agenda for the full meeting.

Audit Committee

The Audit Committee discussed the list of moderate and high-risk school districts as it relates to financial controls. Since the last meeting one district was added and four were removed. For more information see the list by clicking here. The goal of this committee is to work with the districts for corrective actions and improvements.

Budget Committee

All items were added to the consent agenda for the full meeting. 

State Schools Committee 

The State Board heard a presentation from the state schools director and his staff regarding student enrollment, data assessment, and results.

Work Session State Charters Foothills, Mountain Ed, and Coastal Plains 

To kick off the session, House Speaker Pro Tem Representative Jan Jones took the podium and spoke of the findings of the report for the house education working committee for alternative education (students who are at risk for dropping out), the committee was in agreement in their conclusions. Speaker Pro Tem Jones indicated that the current model for these three schools needs to be changed. Currently, school districts who are in the region of one of these charter schools can send a student who has dropped out or in jeopardy of dropping out to take classes in a non-traditional way. The current model is a unique option for night/evening school so the student who may have extenuating circumstances can still graduate.  Pro Tem Jones said the committee is concerned with the accountability and the cost of this program which also shifts the burden to the state. This program operates at $43 million for the three schools. The legislative committee also feels the program is over funded for what it provides. They are encouraging school systems to come to the table to help find a solution and the committee requests local districts to step up to allow the schools to become local charters. The legislative committee agrees the schools and the program are valuable but not in its current model. Especially since two of the schools’ contracts are ending next year. She encouraged a collaborative effort on the schools governing boards, local superintendents and boards of education and the state to find the solution.

If you are interested in watching this presentation, click here . The first part was cut off but most of the discussion is captured in the link.

Work Session Assessments

The State Board held a discussion among the members to determine what direction the pilot alternative assessments will go. As of now the districts piloting the assessments are double testing and need to know if it is reasonable to continue the process. The alternative assessments are a formative test. The State Board feels the alternative assessments are high quality and give a picture of how a student is progressing versus a summative assessment which shows how a student performed the previous year. USED wants to see a summative assessment and therefore a discussion must be held with USED to see how they can come to an understanding or gain relief. The State Board wants to hear from the GaDOE on the background, USED guardrails and the state perspective. They also want to know if there is any alternate funding to finish out the pilot since the funding has not been in the budget.

SBOE Committee of the Whole

State Board member, Phenna Petty, brought greetings and introduced Georgia Supreme Court Justice Charlie Bethel to speak for the Inspiration and Pledge of Allegiance.

The full meeting agenda was built during Committee of the Whole.

Full SBOE Meeting

The Board heard a presentation from the GaDOE on the process and background for creating the new ELA standards and how they will be implemented. These standards are available for the 30-day public review and will be up for approval during the SBOE’s December meeting. One concern from the board is timing of the public review, will teachers have the opportunity with Thanksgiving and the end of the semester coming but recognize that finding a perfect time is not possible. The posting of the standards was approved, and the State Board commended the staff for all the work on this initiative and how important these new standards are for Georgia.

Chair’s Report

The State Board Bylaws have been submitted for the 30-day review period and will be up for approval in December. The change allows for meetings outside of Atlanta. New meeting dates for 2023 will be released soon.