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NYSSBA Conventions Notes
Good Morning,
The Convention at Rochester went very well. Highlights are summarized below:
All of the recommended resolutions and bylaw amendments were passed by wide margins. In fact it only took 34 minutes to pass all of them.
The work on the non-recommended resolutions saw four of them passed even though they were not recommended by the resolutions committee. The passed resolutions from the non-recommended list included the BOCES special election resolution, the BOCES resolution regarding BOCES ability to expand their services to municipalities and the resolution that would end the requirement for school districts to report budget and trustee elections in the legal
notice portion of the paper.
One additional resolution was adopted from the non-recommended portion of your convention booklet. It was amended on the floor so that non-certified and certified staff would be treated equally if the commissioner received information regarding sexual misconduct. This resolution, was amended and then passed overwhelmingly by the delegates.
Anne Byrne was elected president of NYSSBA and gave a stirring speech on Saturday night. Peggy Zugibee of North Rockland will run to replace Anne as Area 10 Director.
Stephanie Gouss of BOCES was elected president of the NYSPRA. Additionally her Public Relations publications for BOCES were honored at the NYSPRA luncheon. Her efforts and commitment to excellence should be honored by us all.
The Rockland County School Boards Bookmark (done with the assistance of Gail Fleur and Stephanie Gouss of BOCES) was a huge hit. We will be giving copies of this bookmark to each of you at our next Rockland County School Boards Association Meeting in November.
The reception for Anne Byrne will be held on November 20, 2003 at the Nyack Seaport. It will run from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. We need to know how many board and administration members from your districts will attend this event. I need those numbers by November 7th.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Bryan
Bryan R. Burrell
Executive Director
RCSBA
Congratulations! The Regents responded to your call for a delay in raising the high school graduation requirements and also made significant changes to both the Math A and Physics Regents exams.
On the recommendation of Commissioner Mills, the Regents agreed to:
1. Retain 55 as a local option passing score to give students and schools more time to boost achievement. This provision pertains to all students now in high school and for those entering 9th grade in the fall of 2004. Students who score 55 or higher on 5 Regents exams (English, Math, Science, Global Studies and US History) will receive local diplomas. Regents diplomas will continue to be awarded to students who pass 8 Regents exams with scores of 65 or higher. The Advanced Regents Diploma which was supposed to be implemented in 2005 is now on hold.
2. Continue the Regents Competency Tests (RCT) known as the "safety net" for students with disabilities through the fall of 2009.
3. Adopt the major recommendations of the Independent Panel on Regents Math A which include: revising the standards, curriculum and exam. The panel concluded that "the standards were not clear and that necessary support systems for students and teachers are not in place." A Mathematics Standards Committee comprised of math teachers, mathematicians and professionals who use mathematics will be appointed to overhaul the standards. In addition, a "suggested" grade-by-grade K-12 curriculum that matches the revised standards will be published. A new Regents Math A exam will be designed that will cover a year of math instruction rather than 1 ½ years. The Department will also develop a network of math training for teachers. NYSSBA commends the panel for their fine work. The report can be found on SED's website at www.regents.nysed.gov/October2003/1003brd3.html
4. Convene a committee of practitioners to establish new scoring for the
next Regents Physics Exam. The Regents agreed physics should be accessible to all students, not just the elite. After a heated debate, the Regents directed the Commissioner to come up with a plan for adjusting the physics scores of the students who failed the exam, but remain in high school. Citing concerns over pending litigation and precedent, Mills urged the Regents to back off from this directive, but he eventually acceded to their wishes.
While these initiatives are certainly a step in the right direction and long overdue, we believe the state must come up with alternative courses and multiple ways for assessing students. We will continue to advocate on your behalf for these changes. It is probably no coincidence that the Regents opted to take action on these issues before legislative hearings on the Regents testing system conclude. A joint-hearing of the Senate and Assembly Education Committees will be held in Albany on October 22. While at convention, you might want to stop by the Rochester City Hall for an Assembly hearing on October 23rd. City Hall is two blocks from the Convention Center on Main Street. The hearings will be held in Room 406.
Diane S. Ward
Governmental Relations Representative
New York State School Boards Association
24 Century Hill Drive
Latham, NY 12110
518-783-0200 Phone
518-783-3542 Fax
diane.ward@nyssba.org