MINUTES

WEST VIRGINIA BOARD OF EDUCATION

Capitol Complex

Building 6 Room B-353

Charleston, West Virginia 25305

January 14, 1999

I.

Vice President Gary White called the regular meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education to order at 9:15 a.m. on January 14, 1999 in the Board Conference Room, Charleston, West Virginia. Members present were: Secretary Cleo P. Mathews, Sandra M. Chapman, Michael D. Greer, Jim McKnight, J. D. Morris, Paul J. Morris, and state superintendent Henry Marockie.

II.

Upon motion by Mr. McKnight, second by Ms. Chapman, the Board approved the agenda with the following additions:

Page 5, New Business:

F. Milken Exchange on Education Technology Report

G. School Calendar

Page 8, Miscellaneous:

A. Distribution of Grant Funds

Executive Session

III.

Upon motion by Mrs. Mathews, second by Mr. Paul J. Morris, the Board approved the minutes of the December 10, 1998 regular meeting as submitted. (Copy appended to Official Minutes . Attachment A.)

IV.

The Board presented a plaque to Clacy Williams, Executive Director of the School Building Authority of West Virginia, in recognition of his selection by The Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) as "The International School Facility Planner of the Year" for 1998-1999.

V.

Laura M. Huffman requested the West Virginia Board of Education to direct the Grant County Board of Education to send a bus into Pendleton County to transport students who have chosen to attend schools in Grant County following the closure and consolidation of Circleville School. The bus currently picks up students at the Grant/Pendleton County boundary. An agreement between Grant and Pendleton County has been signed to permit the transfer of the students, but it does not include a provision for transportation. (Letter from Mrs. Huffman appended to Official Minutes. Attachment B.)

Upon motion by Mr. J.D. Morris, second by Mr. McKnight, the Board referred the transportation issue back to the local boards to work out under present state law and State Board policy and report back to the State Board their resolution of the matter by February 11, 1999.

VI.

Board members heard from Debbie Akers, Superintendent of Mercer County; Steve Baldwin, Superintendent of Greenbrier County; Dwight Dials, Superintendent of Raleigh County; Larry Jones, Superintendent of Ohio County; Mona Poling, Principal, Memorial Elementary, Mercer County and Dan Zirkle, Principal, Pikeview HS, Mercer County.

VII.

Upon motion by Mr. McKnight, second by Mr. Greer, the Board approved all consent agenda items with the exception of Personnel. (Copies appended to Official Minutes. Attachments C-I, K.)

The Board approved the two instructional materials adoption waivers and six requests for continuation of previously granted waivers listed in the attachment. (Attachment C.)

The Board approved the county board of education budget supplement and transfer requests for the 1998-99 year as follows:

For the Month of December 1998

Total Supplements $26,429,239

Total Transfers $7,851,173

(Attachment D.)

Board members were provided an update on project CATS: Coordinated and Thematic Science. (Attachment E.)

Board members were provided an update on Education First: Our Future Depends on It. (Attachment F.)

Board members were provided with an update on Mingo County. (Attachment G.)

Board members were provided an update on the instructional technology projects in West Virginia. (Attachment H.)

Board members were provided an update on the administrative technology. (Attachment I.)

1999 State Plan for Implementation of the Summer Food Service Program

The Board approved the 1999 State Plan for Implementation of the Summer Food Service Program. (Attachment K.)

VIII.

Jack Wiseman provided the Board with an overview of the purpose of the Clearinghouse. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment S.)

President James J. MacCallum now presiding.

IX.

Dave Stewart provided the Board members with a report on the Comprehensive Study of School Transportation completed by MGT of America that was required by House Bill 4306. The Board asked that the Department prepare an action plan for the study. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment L.)

X.

Doris White provided the Board members with salient points from the West Virginia Report Card, a compilation of data on county, school and student performance for the 1997-98 year. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment T.)

XI.

Barbara Jones provided a report on Literacy for All, a comprehensive plan to achieve literacy for all students in the schools of West Virginia by: (1) developing and improving the reading skills and competencies of students and (2) ensuring the acquisition by teachers of content knowledge in reading instruction and the skills and competencies essential to the process of teaching students to read. It is based upon the assumption that if we read well, we will read more. The plan identifies four areas of concern: (1) pre-service teacher education, (2) professional development for in-service educators, (3) parent and community involvement, and (4) the alignment of curriculum, instruction and assessment with the commitment to develop/acquire an assessment to determine if students are reading on level by the end of grade four. An internal committee, organized across divisions, will develop a preliminary work plan to be further developed by participants in a symposium that will present current research and best practices in brain development and reading instruction for students in each of three phases, Learn to Read (Pre-K through grade 4), Read to Learn (grades 5 through 12), and Read to Succeed (Adult). The committee will seek to coordinate available state and federal funds and to obtain additional funds from the Legislature and the federal America Reads program. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment M.)

XII.

Adam Sponaugle provided a report on the initiative called High Schools That Work in cooperation with the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). The major goal for this initiative is to increase the math, science and communication achievement of students in general and vocational studies at the high school level. West Virginia currently has a total of 118 (75%) high schools and technical centers participating in the initiative; 70 are sites that have been involved for more than two years and 48 are developing sites that have been involved for two years or less. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is given every two years to assess the progress being made by the High Schools That Work sites. The attachment provides information regarding the 1998 NAEP assessment data for the West Virginia High Schools That Work sites. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment MC.)

XIII.

Brenda Williams provided an overview of a report showing the status of West Virginia's integration and use of technology prepared by the Milken Exchange on Education Technology from information provided by county technology contacts. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment N.)

XIV.

Mr. White moved, second by Ms. Chapman, that the Board enter into executive session to discuss personnel matters. Motion carried. The Board entered into executive session at 12:07 p.m.

The Board returned to open session at 2:15 p.m. President MacCallum advised that no decisions were made and no action taken during the executive session.

XV.

The Board approved the personnel items for the West Virginia Department of Education and the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind as listed in Attachment J.

XVI.

Barbara Jones reported on the history of the school calendar and provided several possible changes to the school calendars that could be undertaken by the State Board without statutory changes. The Board asked for additional recommendations on how to provide students with more instructional time to be provided at the February meeting. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment U.)

XVII.

Upon motion by Mr. Paul J. Morris, second by Ms. Chapman, the Board approved Policy 1340, Rules of Procedure for Administrative Hearings and Appeals. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment N.)

XVIII.

Bill Luff and Karen Larry provided the Board members with revisions for the Professional Development Plans submitted by six of the eight RESAs which had been returned by the State Board for clarification. Upon motion by Mr. Paul J. Morris, second by Mr. J.D. Morris, the Board approved the plans as submitted from RESAs II, III, V, VI, VII and VIII. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment O.)

XIX.

A replacement Policy 5310 has been developed to ensure that all teachers and administrators are evaluated in a fair and equitable manner and within a uniformly applied system. The revised Policy 5310 identifies a new rating structure, focuses on improving instruction and increasing student achievement, eliminates the self-assessment (Phase II), and adds new evaluation processes for professional support personnel and athletic coaches.

Upon motion by J.D. Morris, second by Paul J. Morris, the Board placed Policy 5310 on public comment until March 15, 1999. The policy will be placed on the April 1999 agenda for action. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment P.)

XX.

Upon motion by Mr. Paul J. Morris, second by Mrs. Mathews, the Board placed the revised Five-Year State Plan to receive Funds Under the Federal Adult Education and Family Literacy Act on public comment until February 15, 1999 for action at the March 1999 Board meeting. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment Q.)

XXI.

Upon motion by Mr. Paul J. Morris, second by Mr. J.D. Morris, the Board approved the Master Professional Development Plan of West Virginia for the period of June 1, 1999 through May 31, 2000, contingent on Board member review and telephone polling of the Board members the week of January 25. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment V.)

XXII.

H. B. 4306 passed in the 1998 legislative session requires that the State Board make recommendations to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability (LOCEA) regarding both an accountability and an assessment process. S.C.R. 22 passed in the 1998 legislative session created a committee to study the issue of assessment of West Virginia students. That committee has meet monthly during the interim meetings and made. Department staff provided a draft document with recommendations to the Board.

Upon motion by Ms. Chapman, second by Mr. Paul J. Morris, the Board approved the document contingent on Board member review and telephone polling of the Board the week of January 18. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment W.)

XXIII.

Policy 2510 requires that elective course offerings not based upon West Virginia Board of Education Instructional Goals and Objectives must have written goals and objectives approved by the county boards of education. In this regard, the Office of Institutional Education Programs provides a social skills program that is uniquely designed to promote positive change and enhance personal growth and development for youth in institutions.

Upon motion by Mrs. Mathews, second by Ms. Chapman, the Board approved the Instructional Goals and Objectives for the Department's Social Skills Program in Institutions. (Copy appended to Official Minutes. Attachment R.)

XXIV.

Department staff were asked to provide information about the timing for grants awarded to the West Virginia School Boards Association for school board effectiveness programs.

Upon motion by Mr. J.D. Morris, second by Ms. Chapman, the Board nominated Secretary Cleo Mathews to be President of the National Association of State Boards of Education.

XXV.

The next regular meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education will be held on February 11, 1999 in Charleston, West Virginia.

XXVI.

Upon motion by Mr. J.D. Morris, second by Mr. Paul J. Morris, the Board adjourned at approximately 3:35 p.m.

Minutes approved by the Board on February 11,1999

______________________________

James J. MacCallum, President

minutes 1/14/99