for

Office of Education Performance Audits

Brooke County Board of Education

Board Room

1201 Pleasant Avenue

Wellsburg, WV 26070

April 15, 1999 - 8:30 a.m.

I.

President James J. MacCallum called the meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education with the Office of Education Performance Audits to order at 8:35 a.m. on April 15, 1999, in the Brooke County Board of Education Board Room, Wellsburg, West Virginia. Members present were Secretary Cleo P. Mathews, Sandra M. Chapman, Michael D. Greer, Sheila M. Hamilton, Jim L. McKnight, J. D. Morris, and Paul J. Morris.

II.

Upon motion by Cleo P. Mathews, second by Jim L. McKnight, the Board approved the minutes of the February 11, 1999 meeting as submitted.

III.

Upon motion by Paul J. Morris, second by Sandra M. Chapman the Board approved the agenda with the following change(s) and addition(s):

IV.

A request has been made from John F. Elcesser, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston for the West Virginia Board of Education to consider a review of the policy and procedures which formerly governed the process for nonpublic school accreditation.

Upon motion by Cleo P. Mathews, second by Sheila M. Hamilton, the Board approved a review of the policy and procedures which formerly governed the process for nonpublic school accreditation. (Attachment B.)

V.

A random and unannounced education performance audit was conducted in the Wood County School System. All schools in Wood County were evaluated by members of the on-site review team. Based on the performance data and results of the education performance audit, it is recommended that the Wood County District be issued Temporary Approval status, ten (10) Wood County schools granted Full Accreditation status, and twenty-one (21) schools issued Temporary Accreditation status.

Upon motion by J. D. Morris, second by Sheila M. Hamilton, the Board granted the Wood County District Temporary Approval status, ten (10) Wood County schools granted Full Accreditation status, and twenty-one (21) schools issued Temporary Accreditation status. (Attachment C.)

VI.

The Final Education Performance Audit Report for Wood County Schools was submitted to the State Board and the Board issued Wood County Temporary Approval status, granted ten (10) schools Full Accreditation status, and issued twenty-one (21) schools Temporary Accreditation status.

Wood County submitted a revised Unified County Improvement Plan and revised Unified School Improvement plans for all school issued Temporary Accreditation Status. A review of the revised county plan and school plans revealed that the plans were comprehensive and included all the required components.

Based upon the revised County and School Unified Improvement Plans, Wood County and the schools have complied with the statutory and policy requirements. Therefore, it is recommended that the approval status of the Wood County School System be upgraded from Temporary Approval to Conditional Approval status and the twenty-one (21) Temporary Accreditation status schools also be upgraded to Conditional Accreditation status.

Upon motion by Jim L. McKnight, second by Sandra M. Chapman, the Board granted the Wood County District Conditional Approval status and twenty-one (21) schools issued Conditional Accreditation status. (Attachment B-1.)

VII.

West Virginia Code §18-2E-5 and Section 8.5.1 of Policy 2320, A Process for Improving Education: Performance Based Accreditation System, require that whenever a school is determined to be seriously impaired the West Virginia Board of Education shall appoint a team of improvement consultants to make recommendations for correcting the impairment. At its December 1998 meeting, the State Board appointed a team of improvement consultants to Magnolia (Matewan) High School and a team to Tug Valley High School in Mingo County. The attached reports provide each Team's 1) commendations, 2) findings, and 3) recommendations for the schools.

Upon motion by J. D. Morris, second by Sheila M. Hamilton, the Board approved the Improvement Consultant Teams' Recommendations for Magnolia (Matewan) High School and Tug Valley High School, Mingo County. (Attachment D.)

VIII.

County boards are required to ensure that any school issued temporary accreditation status revise its Unified School Improvement Plan to increase the performance of the school to a full accreditation status level. The revised plan must include objectives, a time line, an evaluation component, cost estimates, and a date certain for achieving full accreditation. This plan must be submitted to the State Board for approval. Seventy-one (71) plans were reviewed and acted upon previously by the Board. Forty-eight (48) plans have been received and reviewed. Seventeen (17) plans previously returned to the schools and counties for further development have been resubmitted and reviewed. Staff reviewed the plans to determine that the required elements were included, addressed the performance deficiencies, and the date certain was realistic for achieving full accreditation status. The attachment summarizes the elements of individual Unified School Improvement Plans.

Upon motion by Paul J. Morris, second by Cleo P. Mathews, the Board approved the forty-eight (48) Unified School Improvement Plans and that the schools be upgraded to conditional accreditation status. (Attachment E.)

IX.

West Virginia Code §18-2E-5 and Section 3.4 of State Board Policy 2320, A Process for Improving Education: Performance Based Accreditation System, indicate that "The State Board shall establish early detection and intervention programs to assist underachieving schools and school systems in improving performance . . . ."

Two county superintendents have agreed for an early detection and intervention pilot program to be conducted at a school in their county. The schools are Barnes Elementary School in Marion County due to Stanford (SAT-9) results and Mount View High School in McDowell County due to SAT-9 results and the student attendance rate.

Upon motion by Sheila M. Hamilton, second by Jim L. McKnight, the Board approved the Office of Education Performance Audits to pilot an early detection and intervention program at Barnes Elementary School in Marion County and Mount View High School in McDowell County. (Attachment F.)

X.

The next meeting of the West Virginia Board of Education with the Office of Education Performance Audits will be held on May 13, 1999, in Hardy County, West Virginia.

XI.

Upon motion by Cleo P. Mathews, second by Sandra M. Chapman, the Board adjourned at approximately 9:00 a.m.

Minutes approved by the Board on May 13, 1999.

James J. MacCallum, President