(FRANKFORT, Ky.) -- At its regular meeting Wednesday and Thursday, the Kentucky Board of Education heard presentations and had in-depth discussions on a number of items, including the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 and state funding for P-12 education.
On the NCLB issues, the board agreed to:
- adopt a two-tiered system that holds public schools and districts accountable for both federal and state requirements
- add augmented norm-referenced tests in reading at grades 5 and 8 and mathematics at grades 4 and 7
- adopt components that will indicate adequate yearly progress (AYP) in schools
- adopt "confidence intervals" that indicate whether schools have met AYP
- adopt a motion that school district accountability calculations be consistent with school accountability calculations
- adopt a motion to define "proficient" for NCLB to mean the same as "proficient" in the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System (CATS)
- adopt an option to determine annual measurable objectives for reading and mathematics at the elementary, middle and high school levels for NCLB
- adopt a motion to require participation in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) by schools
- defer action on defining "full academic year" to give time for review and input by outside groups
- explore solutions to the issue of reporting timelines
The board also confirmed its intent to comply with NCLB requirements on the following items:
- inclusion of students with limited English proficiency (LEP)
- provision of an English Language Proficiency Exam for LEP students
- monitoring and reporting progress of LEP students toward meeting state standards
- establishing a "safe harbor" for schools that do not meet AYP
- federal and state consequences for AYP and biennial performance
- school choice, supplemental services, corrective action, alternative governance plans and alternative governance
- data review regarding identification for consequences under NCLB
- starting points for determining AYP
- definitions and requirements for subpopulations of students and AYP
- the formula for determining graduation rates
- establishing accountability rosters of all students
The board heard information on the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) public school funding formula. The information included details of the Phase I study of SEEK, the goals of which the board has agreed to pursue, and cost estimates for additional professional development, resources for struggling students, preschool, full-day kindergarten, smaller class sizes and school technology. The board also discussed tax issues associated with funding adequacy.
The board also took the following actions:
- agreed to change the status of the Floyd County school district from "state-managed" to "state-assisted"
- approved the unmet technology needs of local school districts for fiscal year 2004
- approved the Leslie County school district's local tax rate levied
- approved district facility plans for Ballard, Barren, Garrard, Ohio and Simpson Counties and Bardstown and Russellville Independents
- approved facility plan amendments for Butler, Clay, Muhlenberg and Wayne Counties
- approved a proposed resolution by the Kentucky School Food Service Association to eliminate the reduced-price category of school meals
- approved the appointments of Bess Douthitt of Breathitt County and Thomas Ginter of Jefferson County to the Kentucky School for the Blind Advisory Board
The board heard reports and had discussions on the following items:
- the status of the Kentucky School for the Blind and Kentucky School for the Deaf
- implementation of the Kentucky Education Technology System (KETS)
- the status of the GEAR-UP Kentucky program
- implementation of Occupational Skills Standards
- Kentucky's Reading First program
- the status of the Covington Independent school district
- a follow-up on Title IX deficiencies for schools audited during 2002-03
- NAEP 2002 reading and writing data releases
- the 2004 legislative agenda
- a proposed framework for a research agenda
The next meeting of the Kentucky Board of Education will be October 8 and 9 in Frankfort. Click here for more information about the board.
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