In Case You Missed it… March State Board Meeting Update

At the March 17 State Board meeting, DOE officials provided updates on Race to the Top, upcoming assessments, and a proposed aspiring principals program.

Rebecca Taber, Deputy Chief of Staff, reported on the progress of statewide RTTT initiatives. To date, five of the 29 data coaches have been hired to begin pilot implementation and 24 more will be hired by the fall in time for full state roll-out. These data coaches are employed through Wireless Generation and will be paired with six districts and one charter to track and measure specific targets. Some schools will get coaches that will “train the trainer”, and others will get direct coaching of teachers, depending on their need and capacity. The goal of the project is build capacity in the schools so that when the initiative expires, data expertise and knowledge have been built.

Dr. Linda Rogers, Associate Secretary of Teaching and Learning, announced that Wednesday, April 13 will be the date for the School-Day SAT test in Delaware. This is the first time ever which the test is being offered for free to all high school juniors. The goal is to increase participation and encourage college attendance of high school students. DOE is striving for a 95% participation rate. The registration deadline is Tuesday, March 29 and can be completed online.

Duncan Smith, the NAEP State Coordinator, presented the 2009 NAEP science score results, which have not seen much movement since the previous assessment.

The Professional Standards Board Executive Director, Charlie Michels, gave an update on the process for approving Aspiring School Principal Certification programs. The PSB has established criteria for these programs and reviewed the application of one, as proposed in the RTTT application.  This program will be subject to a vote at the April State Board meeting.

Look for the April update on the vote on the Aspiring Principal Program and on charter approvals for schools to open in Fall 2012.