Vol. 19, No.1 JANUARY 2015 w w w . c a b e . o r g Connecticut Association of Boards of Education Inc. 81 Wolcott Hill Road Wethersfield, CT 06109-1242 Periodical Postage PAID Hartford, CT www.facebook.com/ConnecticutAssociationBoardsEducation Addressing Transgender Concerns PAGE 4 Advocacy News PAGE 9 School Governance Councils PAGE 15 National Survey PAGE 17 HAPPY NEW YEAR! Full implementation of Smarter Balance nears Chris Seymour Reporter, CABE Support the new Social Studies Frameworks View from the Capitol Patrice A. McCarthy Deputy Director/General Counsel, CABE See SMARTER page 14 See LUKE page 7 SCHOOLS With the calendar on the cusp of 2015, the State Department of Education and districts across the state have been preparing earnestly for year one of statewide administration of the Common Core-aligned Smarter Balanced Assess- ments. “This is our year that 100 percent of our districts will implement Smarter Balanced in English language arts and math,” said Dianna Roberge-Wentzell, Ed.D., Chief Academic Officer at the State Department of Education. “Districts will still implement the CMT and CAPT in science and that will still be paper and pencil.” Online assessments for science are currently in the works but Roberge- Wentzell stressed those are still “several years off.” “We are beginning to pilot online delivery of science items but that is several years off for us still,” she said. “But, based on the success and the positive results of taking assessments online, it is something that can provide quicker results and we do think this has a lot of promise for us in science down the road as well.” Though this is the first year of state- wide Smarter Balanced implementation, 90 percent of Connecticut’s school districts are already familiar with the online tests, since they chose to adminis- ter them last year when given a choice between Smarter Balanced and the legacy tests, CMT and CAPT. In total, the CMT and CAPT for English language arts and math were COLCHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS Denise Merrill Connecticut Secretary of the State Luke is Standing Up for Public Education See SOCIAL STUDIES page 11 The new Social Studies frameworks presented at the last meeting of the Connecticut State Board of Education in December represent the work of many Connecticut teachers. As has been discussed in many newspapers recently and as I have said on numerous occasions, it is long past time to move Social Studies back into the school day, and the new frameworks will do that. As a veteran educator and as Connec- ticut’s Secretary of the State, it is my deep concern that as testing for basic skills has dominated our educational programs, the most profound purpose of education – Patrice A. McCarthy Deputy Director/General Counsel, CABE Robert Rader Executive Director, CABE Pat Luke, who has served as a member of the State Board of Education, CABE president, NSBA Director, and CABE Senior Staff Associate for Government Relations, has agreed to serve as CABE’s second Stand Up for Public Education representative. Pat was CABE’s 1998 Friend of Public Education Award recipient NSBA and state associations, including With the convening of the Legislature on January 7, there will be a new leadership team heading the Legislature’s Education Committee. Representa- tive Andy Fleischmann will continue as the House Chair, and Senator Gayle Slossberg will serve as Senate Chair, replacing Andrea Stillman, who retired from the Legislature. Representative Gail Lavielle and Senator Toni Boucher are the new Ranking Members on the Committee. There is general consensus that a primary focus will be on implementation of the numerous new initiatives already enacted by the Legislature, including educator evaluation and support and Common Core Standards. However, several task forces and commissions will be making recommen- dations that impact public education. The Municipal Opportunities and Regional Efficiencies (MORE) Commission includes a special task force addressing special education issues. This task force has been meeting over the course of the past year, and discussing issues ranging from costs and service delivery to burden of proof. The Sandy Hook Commission is likely to make recommendations related to mental health services for youth. Board members and superintendents will have numerous opportunities to discuss these and other educational issues with their legislators at Legislative Breakfasts around the state, as well as at CABE’s Day on the Hill on March 25.
Transcript
Vol. 19, No.1 JANUARY 2015
w w w . c a b e . o r g
Connecticut Associationof Boards of Education Inc.81 Wolcott Hill RoadWethersfield, CT 06109-1242
Patrice A. McCarthyDeputy Director/General Counsel, CABE
See SMARTER page 14
See LUKE page 7
SCHOOLS
With the calendar on the cusp of 2015,the State Department of Education anddistricts across the state have beenpreparing earnestly for year one ofstatewide administration of the CommonCore-aligned Smarter Balanced Assess-ments.
“This is our year that 100 percent ofour districts will implement SmarterBalanced in English language arts andmath,” said Dianna Roberge-Wentzell,Ed.D., Chief Academic Officer at theState Department of Education. “Districtswill still implement the CMT and CAPTin science and that will still be paper andpencil.”
Online assessments for science arecurrently in the works but Roberge-Wentzell stressed those are still “severalyears off.”
“We are beginning to pilot onlinedelivery of science items but that isseveral years off for us still,” she said.“But, based on the success and thepositive results of taking assessmentsonline, it is something that can providequicker results and we do think this has alot of promise for us in science down theroad as well.”
Though this is the first year of state-wide Smarter Balanced implementation,90 percent of Connecticut’s schooldistricts are already familiar with theonline tests, since they chose to adminis-ter them last year when given a choice
between Smarter Balanced and thelegacy tests, CMT and CAPT.
In total, the CMT and CAPT forEnglish language arts and math were
COLCHESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Denise MerrillConnecticut Secretary of the State
Luke isStanding Up forPublic Education
See SOCIAL STUDIES page 11
The new Social Studies frameworkspresented at the last meeting of theConnecticut State Board of Education inDecember represent the work of manyConnecticut teachers. As has beendiscussed in many newspapers recentlyand as I have said on numerous occasions,it is long past time to move Social Studiesback into the school day, and the newframeworks will do that.
As a veteran educator and as Connec-ticut’s Secretary of the State, it is my deepconcern that as testing for basic skills hasdominated our educational programs, themost profound purpose of education –
Patrice A. McCarthyDeputy Director/General Counsel, CABERobert RaderExecutive Director, CABE
Pat Luke, who has served as a memberof the State Board of Education, CABEpresident, NSBA Director, and CABESenior Staff Associate for GovernmentRelations, has agreed to serve as CABE’ssecond Stand Up for Public Educationrepresentative. Pat was CABE’s 1998Friend of Public Education Awardrecipient
NSBA and state associations, including
With the convening of theLegislature on January 7,there will be a new leadershipteam heading theLegislature’s EducationCommittee. Representa-tive Andy Fleischmannwill continue as theHouse Chair, andSenator Gayle Slossbergwill serve as Senate Chair, replacingAndrea Stillman, who retired from theLegislature. Representative Gail Lavielleand Senator Toni Boucher are the newRanking Members on the Committee.
There is general consensus that aprimary focus will be on implementationof the numerous new initiatives alreadyenacted by the Legislature, includingeducator evaluation and support andCommon Core Standards.
However, several task forces andcommissions will be making recommen-dations that impact public education. TheMunicipal Opportunities and RegionalEfficiencies (MORE) Commissionincludes a special task force addressingspecial education issues. This task forcehas been meeting over the course of thepast year, and discussing issues rangingfrom costs and service delivery to burdenof proof.
The Sandy Hook Commission is likelyto make recommendations related tomental health services for youth.
Board members and superintendentswill have numerous opportunities todiscuss these and other educational issueswith their legislators at LegislativeBreakfasts around the state, as well as atCABE’s Day on the Hill on March 25.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEERichard Murray .................................................. President, KillinglyAnn Gruenberg ................................. First Vice President, HamptonRobert Mitchell ................ VP for Government Relations, MontvilleElaine Whitney ........... VP for Professional Development, WestportJohn Prins ......................................... Secretary/Treasurer, BranfordLydia Tedone ............................................ Immediate Past PresidentDonald Harris ........................................................ Member at Large
AREA DIRECTORSDaniel Gentile ......................................... Area 1 Director, PlymouthJeffrey Currey ............................. Area 2 Co-Director, East HartfordSusan Karp ................................... Area 2 Co-Director, GlastonburyDonald Harris ................................. Area 2 Co-Director, BloomfieldLaura Bush ................................................. Area 3 Director, VernonDouglas Smith ........................................ Area 4 Director, PlainfieldAndrea Veilleux ................................ Area 6 Co-Director, StratfordJennifer Dayton ............................. Area 6 Co-Director, GreenwichRoxane McKay ............................. Area 7 Co-Director, WallingfordJohn Prins ......................................... Area 7 Co-Director, BranfordLon Seidman .................................................Area 8 Director, EssexAndrea Ackerman ..................................... Area 9 Director, Groton
ASSOCIATESEileen Baker .............................................. Associate, Old SaybrookSharon Beloin-Saavedra .............................. Associate, New BritainGary Brochu .......................................................... Associate, BerlinRobert Guthrie .............................................. Associate, West HavenRobert Trefry ........... Associate, CT Technical High School System
COMMITTEE CHAIRSElizabeth Brown ......................... Chair, State Relations, WaterburyDonald Harris ......................... Chair, Federal Relations, BloomfieldBecky Tyrrell ...................................... Chair, Resolutions, Plainville
CITY REPRESENTATIVESJacqueline Kelleher ....................... City Representative, BridgeportMatthew Poland ................................ City Representative, HartfordCarlos Torre .................................. City Representative, New HavenPolly Rauh ........................................ City Representative, StamfordCharles Stango ............................... City Representative, Waterbury
STAFFRobert Rader ....................................................................... Executive DirectorPatrice McCarthy .................................. Deputy Director and General CounselBonnie Carney ............................................ Sr. Staff Associate for PublicationsNicholas Caruso ............................................ Sr. Staff Assoc. for Field Service and Coord. of TechnologySheila McKay ............................. Sr. Staff Associate for Government RelationsKelly Moyher ......................................................................... Sr. Staff AttorneyVincent Mustaro ..................................... Sr. Staff Associate for Policy ServiceLisa Steimer .............................. Sr. Staff Assoc. for Professional DevelopmentTeresa Costa .................................. Coordinator of Finance and AdministrationPamela Brooks ......................... Sr. Admin. Assoc. for Policy Ser. /Search Ser.Terry DeMars ............................................... Admin. Assoc. for Policy ServiceGail Heath ........................................ Admin. Assoc. for Government RelationsWilmarie Newton ........................................ Admin. Assoc. for Labor RelationsDenise Roberts .................................... Admin. Asst. for Membership ServicesCorliss Ucci .................................. Receptionist/Asst. to the Executive Director
The CABE Journal (ISSN 1092-1818) is published monthly except acombined issue for July/August as a member service of the Connecti-cut Association of Boards of Education, 81 Wolcott Hill Road,Wethersfield, CT 06109, (860) 571-7446. CABE membership duesinclude $30 per person for each individual who receives The CABEJournal. The subscription rate for nonmembers is $75. Associationmembership dues include a subscription for each board member,superintendent, assistant superintendent and business manager. Thecompanies and advertisements found in The CABE Journal are notnecessarily endorsed by CABE. “Periodicals Postage Paid at Hartford,CT.” POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The CABE Journal,CABE, 81 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109-1242. Email:[email protected] can find the CABE Journal online at: www.cabe.org/userlogin.cfm?pp=84&userrequest=true&keyrequest=false&userpage=84
Richard Murray
2 The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015
PRESIDENT COMMENTARY
CABE Board of Directors
Reach out to ALL children
Vision: CABE is passionate about strengtheningpublic education through high-performing,
transformative local school board/superintendentleadership teams that inspire success for each child.
Mission: To assist local and regional boards of educationin providing high quality education for all
Connecticut children through effective leadership.
In 1995, John Dilulio published an article in theWeekly Standard entitled “The Coming of the Super -Predators”. This paranoid, racist, and fear mongeringrant disguised as a scholarly article has had directconsequences on laws that have led to the massincarceration of African American and Latino boys andmen and to the direct loss of life suffered by males ofcolor from, mostly white, police officers across ourcountry.
Mr. Dilulio was the Director of the BrookingsInstitution’s Center for Public Management and was alsoan Adjunct Fellow at the Manhatten Institute. Mr. Diluliosaid, then that too many, (inner city,) children weregrowing up in “moral” poverty surrounded by deviant,delinquent, and criminal adults in abusive, violence-ridden, fatherless, Godless, and jobless settings”.
He went on to say that “moral poverty will createsuper-predators, as young as 7 years old”. He continuedthis disturbing article by concluding that on the horizonare tens of thousands of severely impoverished juvenilesuper-predators. They are capable of committing themost heinous acts of physical violence...they live by acode that reinforces rather than restrains their violent,hair-trigger mentality...
So, “for as long as their youthful energies hold out,they will do what comes “naturally”: murder, rape, rob,assault, burglarize, deal deadly drugs, and get high”.Dilulio predicted that by 2010 there would be an esti-mated 270,000 more young predators on the streets thenin 1990.
Other criminologists joined in the rhetoric saying that“unless we act, we will have a bloodbath when these kidsgrow up”. Unfortunately, a bloodbath has ensuedalthough not the one predicted, two people of color havebeen killed by the police per week, on average, duringthe past 20 years.
Go back and look at the testimony of Officer Wilsonor even George Zimmerman during his trial for killingTreyvon Martin.
Although Mike Brown and Treyvon Martin wereunarmed and their killers were, each shooter said, “Ifeared for my life”, i.e., from the aggressive and demonicteenagers before shooting and killing them. Thesedescriptions come right out of the Dilulio article. Coincidence? I think not.
The first week of April, 2014 The New York Times ran
a report on the“super predator” 20years later. Thistheory had lednearly every state inthe country to passlegislation thatdramaticallyincreased thetreatment ofjuveniles as adultsfor purposes ofsentencing andpunishment. Manyschool districtsfollowed suit byenacting zerotolerance policiesthat, as we know, has led to boys of color beingsuspended or expelled at an exponentially higher ratethan other students.
Interestingly, the ‘super-predator’ prediction proved tobe completely false, violent juvenile crime rates hadstarted to decrease about the same time the articleappeared in the Weekly Standard. By the turn of thiscentury the crime rates for juveniles had fallen to pre-1985 levels.
Mr. Dilulio finally admitted his prediction was wrongand in fact testified that forcing juveniles into adultcourts and jails “had no material effect on the subsequentdecrease in crime rates”. Although the ‘super-predator’prediction proved to be a myth almost all of these lawsremain on the books and thousands of children remain inprison and many children of color are being funneledinto the school to prison pipeline because of misguidedpolicies.
I believe it is imperative for this nation’s publicschools to reach out to all children and reaffirm thateveryone’s life has value and matters to each and everyone of us. We must eliminate zero tolerance policiesfrom our books and ensure a positive school climate forall children.
This issue does not just concern people of color orcitizens who reside in urban areas, it is a moralimperative for all Americans to address and the bestplace to begin the conversation, and continue it, is in ourpublic schools.
Visiting other State Associations
Attending the New Jersey School Boards Association annualconvention were: CABE President Richard Murray (Killingly),New Jersey School Board Association President John Bulina,CABE Immediate Past President Lydia Tedone (Simsbury),and New Jersey School Board Association Immediate PastPresident Ray Weis.
Attending the New York School Boards annual conferencewere: CABE President Richard Murray (Killingly), New York
State SchoolBoardsAssociationImmediatePastPresidentFlorenceJohnson,CABEImmediatePastPresidentLydiaTedone(Simsbury).
Robert Rader
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMENTARY
The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015 3
Ovations Benefits GroupSuisman Shapiro Attorneys at Law
EDUCATIONALAFFILIATES
American School for the DeafArea Cooperative Educational Services
Capitol Region Education CouncilThe College Board
Connecticut Association of SchoolBusiness Officials
Connecticut Center for School ChangeConnecticut School Buildings
and Grounds AssociationCooperative Educational Services
EASTCONNEDUCATION CONNECTION
LEARNUnified School District #1
We are entering a year in whichConnecticut’s towns and cities will electnew school board members. It is not tooearly for current board members andsuperintendents to consider the need forensuring that high-quality board membersbe elected to the Board and that they beprepared for their school board service.
True, the elections are close to a yearaway. But, many districts still operatewithout a formal orientation process forBoard members… and this leads tofrustration and uncertainty about schoolboard service.
I know that is true, because I have seenit when I have done retreats with Boards.In one instance, midway through theretreat, a Board member with six months’experience stated that she still did notknow when it was appropriate to ask aquestion at a Board meeting.
In another district, a Board memberwas very frustrated because she hadgotten no orientation and did not under-stand the background to various issuesupon which she was being asked to vote.
And, pretty much everyone who hasbeen or is on a Board has been stumpedby the many acronyms (e.g., MBR,RTTT, PEAC, CCSS, etc.) and “educa-tionese” used as we discuss educationalissues. [Editor’s Note: CABE has aGlossary available for School BoardMembers.]
These situations are uncomfortable,especially for new Board members.When we speak to them, we remind themthat they are not expected to be experts oneducation.
Our system of grassroots democracy isbased on Board members knowingenough about the issues to ask the import-ant questions and then asking more if theyremain unsatisfied with the answers.
It is not based on expecting Boardmembers to have an educational doctor-ate!
Research shows that effective Boardmembers, however, have a positive effecton the district and student learning. Thatis part of the basis for the CABE/SDELighthouse training.
Now Is the Timeto Consider a Process
I bring this up early in the year,because we encourage Boards to adoptpolicies on professional development andone specifically addressing orientation ofnew Board members. Starting this earlywill give you time to consider the policyand ensure it’s addressed before newBoard members are sworn in.
In addition, Boards are consideringtheir 2015-16 budgets and professionaldevelopment for Board members is just asnecessary as that for district staff anddemonstrates a commitment to lifelonglearning.
One of the legacies that Board mem-
bers who will leave their Boards isensuring that there are high-quality,knowledgeable Board members tocontinue their important work. Providingfunding for professional development forBoard members is one way of helping theBoard members of the future.
At our 2014 November DelegateAssembly, delegates overwhelminglyvoted in favor of requiring professionaldevelopment for new and experiencedBoard members. This is a strong indica-tion of just how important an issue this is.
Here is what CABE does to help pre-pare those who are even just consideringattempting to join a Board if they areelected or appointed:
• In the Fall, CABE presents Candi-dates Workshops, which are aimedat those who are running for theBoard or even just considering arun. The workshops include dis-cussion of the time commitment for
• Many Boards take advantage of ourNew Board Member packets, whichare full of books, articles and othermaterial that should help newmembers understand the scope oftheir responsibilities.
• Over the course of the year, CABEStaff is available to come to indivi-dual member Boards to discussroles and responsibilities.
• And, we always include at least oneworkshop on roles and responsibili-ties during the CABE/CAPSSConference.
Most Boards provide some level oforientation for new Board members.Usually, the Superintendent will provideinformation on subjects such as enroll-ment, the staff and critical issues beforethe Board. The Board Chair will oftendiscuss the organization of the Board,how issues get on the agenda and expecta-tions of Board members.
A good orientation becomes a criticalpart of the learning of incoming Boardmembers. They will harken back to in-formation and advice they get at thesemeetings. They come on ready to workand better informed about how to do theirnew “jobs”.
Let’s ensure that by the end of thisBoard member election year, all newBoard members will be able to hit theground running! That kind of resolutionwill pay dividends to the Board, thedistrict and its students well into thefuture.
Sample Bylaws #9230, Orientation ofBoard Members, and #9240, BoardMember Development, are available fromthe CABE Policy Service.
“Research shows thateffective Board members,however, have a positiveeffect on the district and
student learning.”
Board service, which is discussedby a CABE Officer. There also isdiscussion of roles and responsibili-ties and some of the major issuesfacing public education. We en-courage you to send these individu-als to one of these workshops.
• At around the same time, we sendout brochures entitled, “So YouWant to Be a Board Member”.They contain information of theroles of Boards and Board Mem-bers. It is available in Spanish, aswell as English.
• After the election, towards the be-ginning of December, we present afull-day New Board MemberOrientation, to which both new andexperienced Board members areinvited to attend, as well as superin-tendents. The day includes someworkshops focused on the needs ofexperienced Board members, butthe major aim is to provide generalinformation to all attendees. Topicsinclude FOIA (another acronym!),roles of the Board members andsuperintendents, hypotheticals andsimilar professional development.Our hope is that as topics are dis-cussed, the experienced Boardmembers and superintendent will letthe new Board member know abouthow the topic is addressed in theirparticular town.
CABE StaffHelps at Holidays
In the spirit of the season,CABE staff sponsored 10individuals through theNewington Human ServicesDepartment. Staff recognizesthe great need that exists in ourcommunities and felt itimportant to help make theholidays a little brighter forthose in need.
4 The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015
Addressing transgender concerns through policy
Vincent A. Mustaro, Senior Staff Associate for Policy Service, CABE
The Policy Corner
The U. S. Education DepartmentOffice for Civil Rights recently reachedan agreement with a California schooldistrict concerning discrimination andharassment incurred by a transgenderstudent.
The complaint against the districtalleged that both students and school staffhad “verbally harassed” the student andthat the school staff had suggested thestudent transfer to another school. UnderTitle IX, all students, including trans-gender students and students who do notconform to gender stereotypes, are pro-tected from sex-based discrimination. Theschool district was required to take anumber of steps to correct the situation.
Survey ResultsFurther, a recent annual survey releas-
ed by the Gay, Lesbian and StraightEducation Network found that despiteimproving conditions for LGBT studentsin many schools, they continue to experi-ence hostile school climate.
The survey of LGBT students duringthe 2012-2013 school year found that55.5% of the respondents reported thatthey felt unsafe at school, with 30 percentmissing a day of school in the last monthbecause they felt unsafe. Seventy-fourpercent of surveyed students reportedverbal harassment over their sexualorientation, while 55 percent experiencedverbal harassment based on their genderexpression.
Thirty-six percent were physicallyharassed in the past year because of theirsexual orientation and 23 percent becauseof their gender expression. Many werealso physically assaulted. Also, hostileschool climate was found to be a factor inpoor academic record and diminishedpost-secondary aspirations.
During the past decade, controversiessurrounding students’ sexual orientationand gender identity have become increas-ingly common in schools. School admin-istrators and boards of education need tomanage the conflicts that arise in areas ofcurriculum, student clubs, dress codes,sports and harassment.
Law Requires EqualEducational Opportunity
Due to a more tolerant school/societycommunity, growing numbers oftransgender and gender non-conformingstudents are coming forth in schools.Transgender students are children whoseassigned birth sex does not match their
internalized sense of who they are aseither a boy or a girl, that is, their genderidentity.
For most of these children, having apersistent cross-gender identification canbe interruptive of their daily emotionaland psychosocial development unless anduntil they receive support for expressingtheir gender identity and receive recogni-tion for that gender identity.
Gender non-conforming students arethose whose gender-related identity, ap-pearance, or behavior do not in some waymeet the stereotypically expected normsfor a student of that assigned sex at birth.
It includes transgender students wholive their lives consistent with theirgender identity rather than their assignedbirth sex. The law requires that all ofthese students be guaranteed an equaleducational opportunity.
“Transgender” is a broad term forindividuals who do not fit within strictgender categories. This category includesindividuals whose gender identity differsfrom the social expectations for theirphysical gender.
Gender identification is not the sameas sexual orientation. Sexual orientationconcerns whom an individual loves ordesires. In contrast, gender identityconcerns which gender an individual feelshe or she is.
There is evidence that a school’sfailure to recognize and support a child’sgender identity or expression can result insignificant harm to the child. Schoolsneed to provide a safe, supportive andnon-discriminatory environment fortransgender and gender non-conformingstudents.
These youth, because of widespreadmisunderstanding and lack of knowledgeabout their lives, are at a higher risk forpeer ostracism, victimization and bullyingin the school environment, in addition tothe psychological harm they may suffer inan environment that rejects them for theirgender identity.
Ensuring a safe, nurturing and equaleducational environment for thesestudents requires a system-based ap-proach. The school system, in concertwith family and educational professionals,must be supportive role models andstrong advocates for the safety and well-being of such students including ensuringfull respect for the expression of thestudent’s gender identity.
Many states, including Connecticut,have laws which prohibit discriminationagainst transgender individuals. It isestimated that two to five percent of thecountry’s population is transgender.
Connecticut LawsProhibit Discrimination
Connecticut law, Public Act 11-55,prohibits discrimination on the basis ofgender identity or expression in all areasand contexts in which the laws alreadyprohibit discrimination on the basis ofsex. This includes the areas of employ-ment, public accommodations, the sale orrental and use of housing, the granting ofcredit, and educa-tion.
The ConnecticutCommission onHuman Rights andOpportunities(CHRO) hasjurisdiction overthese laws, enforc-ing antidiscrimina-tion laws in theseareas. CHRO in adeclaratory rulingstated that theprohibition againstsex discriminationin the laws overwhich CHRO hasjurisdiction coversdiscrimination onthe basis of genderidentity or expres-sion.
Further, like allother individuals,lesbian, gay,bisexual, andtransgender(LGBT) studentsare guaranteedequal protectionunder the Four-teenth Amendmentof the Constitutionand free speechunder the FirstAmendment. Court cases addressing legalissues regarding LGBT students andrelated issues have resolved manyquestions and provide some gui-dance toschools if and when conflicts arise.
However, not all issues have beenresolved. It is always good practice toseek legal advice either from district legal
Policy ImplicationsPolicy is a proactive way of address-
ing concerns before they arise. Manyspecific issues arise regardingtransgender students in the school set-ting. These issues include, but are notlimited to, such areas as privacy, offi-cial records, names/pronouns, gender-segregated activities, student informa-tion systems, restroom and locker ac-cessibility, physical education classes,intramural and interscholastic sports,and dress codes.
Policy, #5145.53, “Transgender andGender Non-Conforming Youth” per-tains to this topic. This is a recom-mended “good practice” policy for in-clusion in a district’s policy manual.
In addition, many resources areavailable on this topic which will provehelpful in the recommendation to trainall teachers, administrators, counselorsand students in transgender sensitivity,in what it means to treat all people re-spectfully and equally. The goal mustbe for a positive, harassment-free at-mosphere for all students.
counsel, the State Department of Educa-tion, and CABE to determine appropriateactions.
Connecticut statute defines “genderidentity or expression” as a person’sgender-related identity, appearance, orbehavior, whether or not that identity,appearance, or behavior is different fromthat traditionally associated with theperson’s physiology or assigned sex atbirth.
The definitionspecifies that gender-related identity can beshown by providingevidence in variousways that include:
1. medicalhistory,
2. care ortreatment of thegender-relatedidentity,
3. consistent anduniform assertion ofsuch an identity, or
4. any otherevidence that theidentity is sincerelyheld part of a person’score identity, or thatthe person is notasserting such anidentity for animproper purpose.
Boards of educa-tion are prohibitedfrom discriminatingon the basis of genderidentity or expressionin employing orpaying teachers. Thedistrict is prohibited,except in the case of abona fide occupa-tional qualification orneed, from refusing to
hire or employ someone; barring ordischarging someone from employment;or discriminating against someone in payor in employment terms, conditions, orprivileges based upon the individual’sgender identity or expression.
Save the Date
March 25, 2015CABE’s Day on the Hill
The Bushnell, Autorino Great Hall, Capitol Avenue, Hartford
Come, learn and hear about pending Legislationbefore the 2015 General Assembly, speakers include
Legislative leaders, and CABE staff who will explain howpotential legislation will impact your district.
A State Legislative Networking Program forCABE member School Board, Superintendents and Staff,
PTA/PTO members, Students and Guests.
On December 18th, CABE presented a webinar, by newSDE Social Studies Coordinator Steve Armstrong andother writers on the new Social Studies Frameworkswhich are scheduled to receive final adoption by theState Board of Education at its February meeting. Thewebinar can be found on the CABE website, http://www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=354.
See You in Court – The Nutmeg Board of Education
The Nutmeg Board Chair rules on a conflict of interest situation: was he correct?Thomas B. Mooney, Esq.Shipman & Goodwin
The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015 5
The Nutmeg Board of Educationmakes many mistakes. The latest imbro-glio created by the board will be reportedhere each issue, followed by an explana-tion of what the board should have done.Though not intended as legal advice,these situations may help board membersavoid common problems.
Mayor Megillah, long-serving Mayorof Nutmeg, is in a perpetual reelectioncampaign, and his latest gambit to panderto special interests involves a proposal toinstall lights at the football field atNutmeg Memorial High School.
Last week, he sent an email to theBoard of Education, informing it thatinstallation of lights at the High Schoolwould commence in February. Mr.Chairperson immediately called MayorMegillah to explain that the Board ofEducation had not even discussed thematter.
“No problem,” responded the Mayorbreezily. “Just tell them that the Townowns all school property, including thefootball field at the High School, and thatwe have decided to install lights.” Mr.Chairperson tried to explain to the Mayorthat the decision is up to the Board ofEducation, but the Mayor wouldn’t hearof it. Incensed, Mr. Chairperson called anemergency meeting for that night.
Seven of the nine Board members wereable to attend, and veteran Board memberBob Bombast asked Mr. Chairpersonwhat great emergency called them out ona cold night. Mr. Chairperson thenrelated his conversation with the Mayor,and he asked the Board members to joinhim in a vote to declare that that thefootball field will be a “lights-free zone.”
Bob Bombast looked stricken as helistened to Mr. Chairperson describe theconflict between the Board of Educationand the Mayor. “Well,” he began, “Let’snot rush into things. I think that lights atthe football field might be a good idea.”
Board member Mal Content eruptedwith indignation. “Bob,” he said testily,“you can’t vote here. Indeed youshouldn’t even be speaking. We are wellaware of the fact that you ran the Mayor’sreelection campaign last year. Youclearly have a conflict of interest here. Sojust shut up!”
Penny Pincher chimed in. “Bob, weall know that you carry the Mayor’swater. You are a shameless politicalanimal. I move that Bob be recused fromvoting here.”
The other Board members murmuredassent, and Mr. Chairperson ruled. “Bob,the Board has spoken. Your conflict ofinterest in this matter is apparent, and youwill not be permitted to vote on thismatter, understood?”
“No, I don’t understand!” Bobresponded heatedly. “I was elected toserve on the Board, and you have no rightto disenfranchise me.”
“Wow,” responded Mr. Chairperson.“That is a five-dollar word. But nomatter, that is my ruling.”
The Eighth Edition is finally here!!
A Practical Guide toConnecticut School Law
by Thomas B. Mooney, Esq.Shipman & Goodwin
The Eighth Edition was substantially rewritten to reflect statutorychanges, significant case law developments in state and federalcourts. Some of the numerous legal developments and update are asfollows:
• School Safety and Security • Bullying Law • Teacher Evaluation and Support• Teacher Tenure Act • New Requirements for Professional Development• Budget Issues • Prohibitions on Electronic Notifications of Referenda
• Minimum Budget Requirements • FMLA for Paraprofessionals• Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Requirements
• Uniform Regional School Calendars • Excusal • Student Assessments• Pool Safety • Concussion Prevention and Education• Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention and Education
• Administration and Storage of Epinephrine • Excused Absences• Student Free Speech • Employee Free Speech
Order your copy TODAY by going to the CABE website:www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=749
The Guide comes with a CD which provides hyperlinksto many cases and statutes and will permitord searches as a supplement to the Index.
“I appeal,” Bob responded. However,the other Board members sat mute, andMr. Chairman quickly moved on.
“Can I have amotion to informthe Mayor that wewill not beinstalling lights onthe football field?”asked Mr. Chair-person. PennyPincher so moved,seconded by MalContent.
The Boardmembers thenvoted, six in favor,with Bob votingagainst. However,Mr. Chairpersonthen instructed the Board secretary torecord the vote as six in favor with Bobabstaining from the vote per the ruling ofthe Chair.
Did Mr. Chairperson rule correctlyhere?
In a word, no. This situation raises anumber of legal issues, but first andforemost, Mr. Chairperson had no right torule that Bob cannot vote on the motion.
When dealing with conflicts ofinterest, we must keep some basicprinciples in mind. First, when a vote bya public official affects his family income,the public official has a conflict ofinterest.
While not directly applicable, the StateEthics Code provides that there is aconflict of interest “if [a public official]has reason to believe or expect that he, hisspouse, a dependent child, or a businesswith which he is associated will derive adirect monetary gain or suffer a directmonetary loss, as the case may be, byreason of his official activity.”
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 1-85. A vote thatwould affect family income in this waywould subject the board member to anethics claim.
Most conflict issues, of course, do notinvolve such a clear conflict. Boardmembers have a basic responsibility tovote objectively with the public interest inmind, without letting their personalinterests affect the vote.
Board members must ask the question– can I vote on this matter impartiallybased on the information before mewithout regard to prior connections orrelationships?
Significantly, that decision is left to theindividual board member. Here, in rulingthat Bob could not vote because of hisapparent loyalty to the Mayor, Mr.Chairperson overstepped for two reasons.
First and foremost, it was not his callto make. The public elects board mem-bers, and they have the right and responsi-bility to participate in board meetings,including votes. The board, actingthrough the chairperson or as a whole,cannot take away a board member’s rightto vote.
Second, here Bob had no conflict of
interest. Board members come to theirresponsibilities with various experiencesand allegiances, and their loyalties and
interests do notdisqualify them fromvoting.
Boardmembers may, ofcourse, decide not tovote on mattersbecause they concludethat friendship,antipathy or otherfactors make itimpossible to dis-charge their publicresponsibilitiesobjectively. But thosedecisions are left forthe board member to
make for him- or herself.Finally, if a board member has a
conflict, they may not even speak to theissue. Boards of education are delibera-tive bodies, and that discussion preced-ing a vote is part of the decision-makingprocess that the person with a conflictwould affect.
This situation raises a host of otherlegal issues. Clearly, the Mayor over-stepped in purporting to assert controlover property dedicated to use for schoolpurposes. The Nutmeg Board ofEducation has jurisdiction and controlover such property, and only if the Board
so votes will lights be installed at the highschool.
Also, Mr. Chairman violated theFreedom of Information Act in tworespects. While he was understandablyriled up by the Mayor’s presumption, thecircumstances were not an “emergency,”given the plan to install lights in February.
The FOIC will sustain a claim ofemergency (and the concomitant failure topost a meeting at least twenty-four hoursin advance) only under truly exigentcircumstances, which was not the casehere.
In addition, Mr. Chairperson violatedthe FOIA in claiming on the basis ofdiscussion that “the Board had spoken.”Under the FOIA, public agencies must actthrough recorded votes, and consensusaction is not permitted.
Finally, the Board members engagedhere in bad behavior. Rude comments(“shut up!) or ad hominum attacks(“shameless political animal”) are simplynot permitted, and Mr. Chairpersonshould have ruled such comments out oforder.
Under Robert’s Rules, civilized debateis expected, and such personal attacks area violation of parliamentary procedure.
Attorney Thomas B. Mooney is a part-ner in the Hartford law firm of Shipman &Goodwin who works frequently withboards of education. Mooney is a regularcontributor to the CABE Journal.
“Board members havea basic responsibility
to vote objectivelywith the public
interest in mind,without letting theirpersonal interestsaffect the vote.”
6 The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015
Gary Brochu, , Chair, Berlin Board of Education
The Professional Governance Board
Effective governance boards con-tinually strive for success. Highachieving boards identify, invest in,celebrate and reward success, seekingto create a culture of success that per-meates throughout the organization.
This focus on achievement andsuccess is commendable. But withinthis singular focus on success canreside the seeds of stasis and stagna-tion.
A potential side effect of develop-ing a culture where success is continu-ally identified and rewarded is a cor-responding unwillingness to acknowl-edge and discuss failure. Where thereis a focus on success failure can be-come stigmatized so that discussion oforganizational failures either does nottake place, or takes place in an atmo-sphere of discomfort and distrust.
A governance board that is commit-ted to continuous improvement under-stands that an honest and searchingdiscussion of organization failures isnecessary to sustain achievement.
Successful boards understand thattoday’s failure is often the result ofyesterday’s success, with processesthat resulted in previous success re-peated even when they no longer yieldpositive results.
In order to facilitate the discussion
Making room for failure in order to achieve successof failure in a productive manner, agovernance board needs to create anenvironment where real accountabilitycan take place.
Where individuals are comfortableidentifying and discussing where they orthe organization fell short, understandingthat the organization will not learn fromfailure unless all are willing to thought-fully examine and understand failure.
Governance boards can learn from theexample of Engineers Without Borders –Canada (EWB), a non-profit organizationthat utilizes the skills of Canada’s engine-ering sector to address issues of extremepoverty in Africa. In 2008 EWB pub-lished a report entitled “Learning fromour Mistakes.”
This report contained stories of EWB’sprojects that failed, along with reflectionson why these failures occurred. This for-mal reporting of EWB’s failures hasevolved into the “Failure Report,” anannual publication that highlights theorganization’s failures. An admittedlybold and unusual initiative for an organi-zation that is dependent on outsidefunding.
Professional governance boards canlearn from the example of EWB and it’swillingness to embrace its failures inorder to learn how to achieve continualand sustained success. As noted in theintroduction to the 2010 Failure Report,
To be effective change agents, weneed to remain humble and continu-ously learn, commit ourselves to self-reflection, be open about our mis-takes, and have the courage to takeaction, especially after failure. Wealso need to take individual responsi-bility for creating a culture in whichfailure is accepted and celebrated.It’s the only way we can progress,innovate and learn.
It is unusual to find an organizationthat is comfortable with “celebrating”failure. This type of openness and honestexamination of the roots and causes of anorganization’s success and failure as partof a process of continual learning doesnot just happen. Governance boards needto truly commit to the value of continuousimprovement, and create a culture andenvironment where it is safe to thought-fully discuss failure, with an eye towardunderstanding as opposed to recrimina-tion.
As a public agency, it is not surprisingthat a board of education might nottypically “accept and celebrate” failure.But in order to build an organization ofsustained success, a discussion of ourfailures is essential. As William Gates,Sr., Co-Chair of the Gates Foundation,wrote in the Foreword to the 2010 FailureReport,
Learning and failing are both life-long experiences. But whereasmost institutions and individualsstrive to be continuous learners,they strive equally hard to avoidfailure and rarely acknowledgewhen it occurs. This approach iswrong and problematic. The les-sons learned from failure and mis-takes are often the most impor-tant….
Failure is not a precondition tosuccess. But examined failure is. Totake the next step as a professionalgovernance board, create an environ-ment where it is safe to acknowledgeand examine failure.
Consider regularly reporting yourorganization’s shortcomings, alongwith lessons learned, in an attempt tounderstand how real, sustained successcan occur.
In this way your board can convey,in perhaps the most powerful waypossible, the great value it places onlearning and continuous improvement.Avoiding a discussion about yourfailures is understandable, but – if reallearning and improvement is to takeplace – it is also unforgiveable.
Looking at the big picture of bestreform initiatives, we need to step backand ask these three important questions aseducational leaders, parents, communitystakeholders and employers:
1. Are our Connecticut studentsachieving their full potential?
2. Is authentic learning involved(which is so critical to our urbanstudent success)?
3. Is critical thinking being taught asan integral element of instruction?
To answer these questions as well asmeet the demands of the Common CoreState Standards, we believe teachers areable to address these specific needsthrough Problem-Based Learning.
Origins of Problem-BasedLearning (PBL)
Problem-Based Learning is a model ofcurriculum and instruction that uses ill-structured problems as the catalyst for
learning. PBL was developed at medicalschool (Barrows & Tamblyn, McMasterUniversity, 1980).
Barrows and his colleagues wereconcerned that even though their medicalstudents knew a lot about medicine, theywere not prepared for professional life:their thinking was inflexible, they wereunskilled in bedside manner and, worst ofall, they wanted to stop learning.
In short, the knowledgeable newgraduates were not at all ready to bedoctors. By participating in the PBLapproach, new medical students soonfound themselves wearing white coats andstethoscopes and facing simulatedpatients.
Student doctors worked together tofigure out what was going on and instruc-tors provided guidance on how tointerpret the information, weigh varioustreatment options, and how to discussfindings with patients.
The students didn’t learn aboutmedicine, they entered the profession ofmedicine, seeing and experiencing fromthe eyes of a doctor.
Essential Elements ofProblem-Based Learning
Since the early 1990s, PBL has beenfiltering into K-12 classrooms. Funda-mental to PBL is the ill-structuredproblem that drives the learning experi-ence. Otherwise known as “messy”,“fuzzy”, or “ill-defined”, ill-structuredproblems are mysterious – elements areunclear or missing; authentic – situation ismodeled on circumstances in the realworld; flexible – many alternativesolution paths could be pursued; ambigu-ous – many possible solutions or no clearsolution; and interdisciplinary – realproblems permeate across disciplinaryboundaries.
Most important, although PBLproblems may be ill-structured, they areconstructed with great care. Selecting theproblem with the desired content focus isessential to success.
Common Core and Problem-Based Learning Connections
The Common Core requires teachers
to shift from promoting a “searching forthe right answer” mentality to explicitlyteaching students how to dive into text oran issue and search for meaning.
In PBL, projects are framed aroundcompelling problems, issues or challengesthat require critical thinking and promptstudents to craft reasoned arguments inresponse to the driving question. Perse-verance and collaboration, underlyingthemes in the Common Core Standards,are also key to the PBL learning experi-ence.
Thinking critically in an in-depth andsustained way, PBL presents to transformall students’ unique characteristics intomore mature skills, attitudes, and disposi-tions. PBL also powerfully engagesstudents both emotionally and intellectu-ally, making them feel invested in theproject.
This, in turn, provokes inquiry andgives students a reason to read, write,listen and speak about the topic ofinvestigation. In making the shift toCommon Core, think PBL!
Becky HammanVice President of Outreach, ConnecticutAssociation of the Gifted
Making the shift to Common Corethrough problem-based learning
The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015 7
LUKE
The 2014 CABE/CAPSS Conventionis now behind us and the planning hasbegun for the 2015 Convention. Theevaluations of the 2014 Conventionindicate it was a huge success – 92% ofrespondents to the post-Conventionsurvey said the Convention was “good” or“excellent”.
Thanks to all of you who participatedin the Convention! It is your interactionand energy that make this event successfulyear after year.
The Convention Committee did a greatjob selecting the General Session speak-ers. The feedback on their presentationswas positive, particularly for PasiSahlberg, our Friday morning speaker,who 96% of respondents said was “good”or “excellent” and for Astronaut RickMastracchio, who 98% of respondentssaid was “good” “excellent”.
Equally as positive was the feedbackon the breakout sessions – 93% of surveyrespondents found them to be “helpful” or“very helpful”. This is an increase in thepercentage of respondents responding sofavorably. The Committee does its best toselect the most timely and well developedworkshops from the proposals submitted.
If you have an interest in presenting aworkshop at the 2015 Convention, watchyour mail in late January-early Februaryfor the Call for Proposal information.
Why Friday and Saturday andnot Thursday and Friday?
Several respondents brought upholding the Convention on a Thursdayand Friday rather than a Friday and
CABE-MeetingCABE-Meeting is a user-friendly
online service offered by CABEspecifically for school boards. Userscan eliminate unnecessary paperwork,increase efficiency and reduce costswhile enabling board members to utilizethe latest in cutting edge technology.Using CABE-Meeting, the MeetingManager can create and electronicmeeting from developing the agenda tocreating the minutes and everything inbetween.
When the meeting is ready, theMeeting Manager emails your boardmembers and designated administratorsto let them know they can log in. Userscan login from the comfort of theirhomes or work place. With a mouseclick, agenda and related documents areopen and ready for viewing. Using thesearch features, administrators andboard members can easily locateinformation from previous boardmeetings. No more time consuming,tedious searches through mounds ofpaper!
What Else DoesCABE-Meeting Offer?• Secure login access for board and
district staff• Password protected access for
certain features and audiences• Access from any location with
Internet access• Search archived agenda and meeting
related items in a flash.• Ability to download and print
attachments• Option to provide a public link to
board meeting information• Calendar for tracking events of
district interest
Your CABE-MeetingSubscription Provides:• Access to CABE-Meeting• Initial and ongoing training• Support and maintenance• Upgrades to the service
Saturday. We have surveyed Conventionattendees about this in recent years andfound that the majority of attendees preferto attend Friday and Saturday becauseSaturday sessions still allow the option toattend for those who are unable to gettime off during the work week.
Why not another location?83% of survey respondents find the
Convention location to be “good” or“excellent”.
However, a number of people haveasked why the Convention is not held in amore central location or at one of thecasinos. Over the past several years, theConvention Committee has devoted timeto discussing these very questions.
At the Committee’s request, staff hasinvestigated numerous sites throughoutthe state of Connecticut, only to discoverthat when strictly looking at space, veryfew venues in the state of Connecticut areable to accommodate our group. Thosevenues which have adequate space for usare not necessarily the right “fit” for ourgroup.
We have outgrown sites used prior tothe Mystic Marriott, namely the Water-bury Holiday Inn (formerly the Sheraton)and the Cromwell Crowne Plaza (for-merly the Radisson).
Both CABE and CAPSS have sur-veyed their memberships about holdingthe Convention at one of the casinos, onlyto find what we believed to be true - themajority of both organizations are againstmoving the Convention to either of thecasinos in the state.
This is based on the belief that thepublic and the media would criticize usingpublic funds to hold a Convention in a
casino area and the negative perception ofpublic officials at a gaming facility, albeitthe meeting space. In a time when everydollar spent is scrutinized more than ever,we want to protect our members fromunnecessary criticism.
While the Connecticut ConventionCenter is centrally located in Hartford, weheard a number of concerns from partici-pants in the two years we were there. TheConvention Center is not a financiallyfeasible location at this time. The Com-mittee would like the Convention to bemore centrally located, but appropriatespace is not currently available.
In the past, the Committee has dis-cussed moving the Convention out-of-state, but felt this would be inappropriatefor two statewide Connecticut associa-tions.
While at times crowded, we are theonly group in the hotel and “take over” allthe meeting space at the Marriott. Thisallows all of us the opportunity to run intoone another during the course of theConvention. If we were in a larger facilityor shared space with another group, thisopportunity would be greatly diminished.
We all recognize that the current spaceis not 100% ideal, but it provides the bestpossible solution to a good problem – thepopularity of the Convention for the givenspace.
Keep your feedback coming - itenables us to continually tweak theConvention in order to best meet theneeds of the CABE and CAPSS member-ships.
Be sure to mark your calendar for the2015 Convention – November 20-21. Wehope to see you then!
(continued from page 1)CABE with the support of CAPSS, havelaunched an initiative to help dispelcontinuous negative public discourseabout our schools.
NSBA has enlisted the help of MagicJohnson, Montel Williams and Sal Khanin this effort. NSBA has shared videosand other information with the media andother groups on this effort, which can beseen at www.nsba.org/advocacy/public-engagement/stand-4-public-schools .
According to Patrice McCarthy, “Pathas long been a mentor to me in my work.I can think of few people who exhibit thethoughtfulness, breadth of experience andcommitment to public education that Pathas. When it comes to these characteris-tics, Pat is in a class by herself.”
Pat sat down for an interview with AnnBaldwin and described her thoughts on alife filled with educational leadership.She began her career as a teacher andlater became Executive Director ofEMSPAC, which represented elementaryschool principals. It is now part of the
Connecticut Association of Schools.The first CABE Stand Up representa-
tive is Astronaut Rick Mastracchio.The interview can be found at
www.cabe.org.We are hopeful that your districts will
also find individuals who will STANDUP FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS!
We welcome individual schooldistricts videotaping and getting usablepositive quotes for some of the high-profile “stars” in their communities, whogot their start in Connecticut publicschools!
Patrice A. McCarthy and Patricia B. Luke
Area 3 • January 14, 2015 • 8:00 amRockville High School, Vernon(Hallway outside of auditorium)
Area 2 • January 22, 2015 • 8:00 amState Capitol, Hartford(Old Appropriations Room 3rd floor)
Area 1 • January 23, 2015 • 8:00 amTerryville High School, Plymouth(Library)
Area 9 • January 27, 2015 • 8:00 amFitch High Schoo, Groton
Area 4 • January 28, 2015 • 8:00 amPlainfield High School, Plainfield(Upper Level Cafeteria)
Area 6 • January 29, 2015 • 8:00 amStaples High School, Westport(Library Media Classroom)
CABELegislativeBreakfastSchedule
8 The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015
Alicia RoySuperintendent, New Fairfield Public Schools
Support for the budgetary processFinancial Feasibility for Teacher Retirement by designing plans
that are in the best interest of districts and teachers.
Counselors forSenior Teachers
Bill Sudol -Retired Executive Director,Teachers Retirement Board
www.counselorsforseniorteachers.com
John Kowalsky -Independent Broker,
Husband of Retired Teacherwww.counselorsforseniorteachers.com
Call us @1-860-828-8360
Support for an integral aspect in planning for education transformation.We are offering a dedicated explanation of the partnership process and
will be contacting you to schedule a meeting at your convenience.
It’s a pleasure for the Connecticut Association of Boards of Educa-tion (CABE) to join with the Connecticut Association of Public SchoolSuperintendents (CAPSS) in sponsoring this webinar that is designedto give information to Boards of Education that may assist them as
they are looking at plans that would be available to their staff that would help individuals make thedifficult decision as to whether or not to retire. This is one resource we think is valuable for districts tolook at and we bring you this information as a service to our members.
Patrice A. McCarthyDeputy Director and General Counsel, CABE
Two of the ongoing challenges that school system administrators face are how to makeit possible to assist long time loyal and effective teachers and administrators retire into
a financially secure situation and how to secure significant budget savings withoutsacrificing quality in educational programming. To assist you with these challenges,
CAPSS and CABE have established business partnerships with John Kowalskyand Bill Sudol around an effective method for prospective retirees to obtain
health insurance coverage that is both affordable and comprehensiveJoseph J. Cirasuolo, Ed.D
Executive Director, CAPSS
New Fairfield Middle School namedCAS Middle School of the Year
New Fairfield Middle School has beenselected by the Connecticut Associationof Schools (CAS) as the 2014-2015Middle School of the Year.
Chosen from among 150 eligibleConnecticut middle schools, NewFairfield distinguished itself as a con-summate middle school, employingexemplary practices as defined by theNational Middle School Association andthe National Association of SecondarySchool Principals.
After completing a detailed applicationprocess that included attention to curricu-lum, instructional practices, schoolclimate and safety, community involve-ment, and student success, two schoolswere selected as finalists.
These schools were visited by a trainedCAS committee that included a veteranprincipal, distinguished teacher, and theCAS assistant director for middle leveleducation.
During the site visits, interviews wereheld with faculty, administration, parents,and students. Classes were observed andscores of documents were examined.New Fairfield Middle School rose to thetop to receive the outstanding honors.
Reasons CAS cited for choosing NewFairfield Middle School as the best in thestate include the following:
• The extent to which twenty-firstcentury skills are incorporated in allaspects of school life as evidencedby a commitment to making allstudents, teachers, leaders, andsupport staff into “learners;”
• Enlightened school and districtleadership that empowers all stake-
holders as part of the decision-making process;
• The inclusion of special-needsstudents with their peers in allclasses;
• Support for innovation and aca-demic risk-taking; and
• Emphasis on research and presenta-tion skills by all learners.
The administrators are very proud oftheir staff and students. Principal Chris-tine Baldelli, stated, “I am proud of thework my staff has accomplished over thepast two years. They have worked hard toembrace new instructional strategies thatwill allow all learners to achieve theirpersonal best.”
Dr. Alicia Roy, superintendent ofschools, says that she could not “be moreproud of the staff, students, and adminis-trators. This honor is a culmination ofour ongoing dedication to meet the needsof all learners.
Everyone’s commitment to our goal touse 21st Century skills and tools to per-sonalize learning brought this accolade.Everyone should be proud. I am totallythrilled for our community!”
New Fairfield Middle School is anextraordinary middle school in everyrespect.
Principal Christine Baldelli and Assistant Prin-cipal Cheryl Milo, proudly receive the bannerrecognizing New Fairfield Middle School’sachievement.
Written by:Mark J. Sommaruga, Esq.Pullman & Comley, LLC
The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015 9
ADVOCACY NEWS
Guiding PrinciplesIt is imperative to allow school districts to implement the multiple new education initiatives,including educator evaluation and support and the Common Core Standards, and to supportthem in these efforts. The effectiveness of these changes should be analyzed before any additionalrequirements are enacted.
CABE urges Legislators to analyze each piece of legislation by asking “How will this legislationpromote student achievement?” and “What is the fiscal and administrative impact on local com-munities?”
2015 CABE Legislative Priorities
FundExisting Initiatives➢ Maintain funding to local
communities including:• Educator evaluation and
support implementation• Connecticut Core Standards
implementation• School safety and security• Education Cost Sharing
grant• Alliance District funding• Expand access to mental
health services for youth
➢ Fully fund the Special Educa-tion excess cost grant
AddressAchievement Gap➢ Support opportunities to reor-
ganize and personalize learningtime to accelerate studentachievement
➢ Increase access to early child-hood programs and full-daykindergarten
➢ Provide support to low per-forming students, utilizingresearch based best practices
➢ Improve student assessmentprograms to enhance studentcreativity and recognize studentgrowth
➢ Re-examine efficacy of Sec-ondary School Reform for theclass of 2020
Maximize Resources➢ Reduce constraints on the
delivery of education andremove mandates that fail topromote student achievement
➢ Place the burden of proof inspecial education due processhearings on the party challeng-ing the placement
➢ Support interdistrict collabora-tion
➢ Continue to focus the StateDepartment of Educationresources on support to localdistricts rather than enforce-ment of instructional mandates
CABE Mission statement:To assist local and re-gional boards of educa-tion in providing highquality education for allConnecticut childrenthrough effective leader-ship.
For over a century, CABEhas been the collective voiceof more than 1,300 boardof education membersacross the State. As CABEhas grown, so has ourprominence as a leader inshaping public educationprograms — helping Con-necticut prepare for the in-creasingly competitive 21stCentury.
CABE’s positions reflect thecommitment of board ofeducation members to pro-mote public participationthrough local lay control ofpublic education, to pro-mote equal opportunity anda high quality education forall of Connecticut’s publicschool children, and to in-crease public awareness ofeducation issues.
10 The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015
CABE and Baldwin Media: Partners in Managing Communications
The Media Messagefrom Ann Baldwin, Baldwin Media Marketing, LLC
Lessons learned from school tragedyI recently accompanied former
Newtown Superintendent, JanetRobinson, to a taping of the Real Storyon FOX Connecticut. Newtown was aclient of mine prior to the Sandy Hooktragedy and I will never forget thatmorning two years ago when someoneon the other end of the phone said,“Ann, we need your help down here.”Those tragic events were days thatforever changed lives here in Connecti-cut and around the world.
Now, just after the two-year mark ofthis devastating story, Janet Robinson-who admits that this has changed herforever –feels that it is important toshare with others in education some ofthe lessons learned and that is why sheagreed to a rare interview on FOX CT.
Janet explained during her interviewwith Al Terzi and Jen Bernstein whatDecember 14, 2012 was like. She hadgotten a call from one of her bus driversthat there had been a shooting at SandyHook. She then called the public safety
folks whoconfirmed thetragic news andtold her to staywhere she wasbecause thesituation wasstill unfoldingand they didn’tknow at thattime whethermore than oneshooter wasinvolved.
Janet didn’theed thatadvice andimmediatelydrove her carfrom her office to Sandy Hook Elemen-tary School. The area was cordoned offby police and an emergency vehicles, soshe pulled over in a ditch and ran to theschool, realizing first hand that thisnightmare was true.
What people may or may not know is
that, prior to thetragedy JanetRobinson hadaccepted a newposition asSuperintendent ofStratford Schools.She made thedecision to delaythat move until shefelt that Newtownwas in a positionthat she couldmake that transi-tion.
Today, JanetRobinson wantspeople to knowthat our schools
are still one of the safest places for ourchildren. She also feels that as a schoolcommunity everyone needs to work moreclosely not only to identify mental healthissues, but also to ensure more access tomental health services, which she sees asan existing problem. Janet Robinson has
been in public education for a long timeand her hope is that we don’t lose trustin our schools.
No one in any school community,large or small, could have been pre-pared for what happened in Newtown,from the overload of the communica-tions infrastructure to the onslaught oflocal, national and international mediathat invaded the town and made theirway into the lives of those impacted bythis tragedy.
The hope is that the 16-memberSandy Hook Commission, appointed byGovernor Malloy, who has beenstudying this issue for the past twoyears, will be providing their findingsthat will close loopholes in order tobuild safer schools and communitiesmoving forward.
On a final note, I want to thank JanetRobinson for allowing me to share herstory. I have the utmost respect forJanet as an educator and as a personwho experienced the unimaginable anddemonstrated compassion and leader-ship.
The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015 11
CABE: working for YOUIndividualized Workshops • Professional Development Opportunities
Legal Services • Policy Services • Representing You Statewide and Nationally
Below are the highlights of activities thatthe CABE staff has undertaken on yourbehalf over the last month. We did this:
➤ By representing Connecti-cut school boards on thestate or national level:
• Attended a meeting of the CAPSSTechnology Subcommittee.
• Attended a meeting of the Connecti-cut Commission for EducationalTechnology.
• Participated in a retreat to planstrategy for the Connecticut Societyof Association Executives.
• Attended national Achieve meeting.• Participated in a meeting of the
Connecticut Coalition for PublicEducation. Heard from the new Deanof Education at Southern ConnecticutState University.
• Hosted two Big 6 (CABE, CAPSS,CAS, CBIA, CCER, ConnCAN)meetings to discuss issues of concern.
• Attended Teacher of the Year cer-emony.
• Took part in NSBA Board of Direc-tors’ Ad Hoc Committee on the Futureof Boards of Education.
• Participated in meeting of theEducator Preparation AdvisoryCouncil (EPAC)
• Hosted a meeting of theWhatWillOurChildrenLose Coalition(CABE, CAPSS, CASBO and CAS).
• Participated in a two-day ConnecticutAcademy for Professional Learningmeeting.
• Participated in CABE-CAPSSGovernance Committee meeting.
• Attended State Board of Educationmeeting.
• Attended MORE Special EducationCommittee meeting.
• Attended Connecticut Coalition forJustice in Education Funding annualmeeting.
• Attended New England Association ofSchools and Colleges Annual Confer-ence.
• Attended Connecticut Bar AssociationLabor and Employment Law Confer-ence.
➤ By providing opportunitiesfor members to learn howto better govern theirdistricts:
• Facilitated a retreat for the Thomas-ton Board of Education.
• Provided roles and responsibilitiesworkshop for the Oxford Board ofEducation.
• Participated in a teleconference withJoseph Cirasuolo, ExecutiveDirector of CAPSS, to debrief on the2014 CABE/CAPSS Convention.
• Provided policy information to 20districts, one out-of-state schoolboards’ association through 30answered requests for information orsample policies, on 28 topics.Further, districts continue to accessCABE’s online Core Policy Refer-ence Manual and/or online manualsposted by CABE for policy samples.The topics of greatest interest pertainto a variety of student issues
• Facilitated a meeting of the NorthStonington Board of Education.
• Planned School Governance Counciltraining for Pearson School inWinchester.
• Attended meeting of LEAD Connecti-cut, focused on developing effectiveprincipals and superintendents.
• In the process of auditing theHamden and Portland PolicyManuals.
➤ By ensuring membersreceive the most up-to-date communications:
• As part of the development of newpolicy manuals utilizing the CustomPolicy Service, materials wereprepared for Ansonia, Columbia,East Hampton, East Windsor,Franklin, Gilbert School,Marlborough, New Fairfield, NewHartford, Newington, NorthStonington, Putnam, Region 6,Sterling, West Haven, Westbrook,and Windham.
➤ By helping school boardsto increase studentachievement
• Provided two Lighthouse trainingsessions for the Vernon Board ofEducation and made a Lighthousepresentation to the WinchesterBoard of Education.
• Sent out two issues of Policy High-lights via email listserv coveringtopics that affect student achieve-ment. This included childhood healthconcerns, after school programs,smoking and tobacco use by teens,school lunch programs, and kinder-garten programs.
➤ By promotingpublic education:
• Answered questions about the currentlegal issues facing boards of educa-tion. “HOT” topics this month were:Executive session privilege, specific-ity of the agenda, role of the boardchair, attendance at committeemeetings, and use of school facilities.
Social Studies(continued from page 1)preparing the next generation for theirplace in the world and particularly ourparticipatory democracy - has languished. I am not alone in sounding the alarm onthis issue – it is a national discussion.
In our recently concluded election, Itermed as a comparatively ‘respectable’voter turnout when just over half of theregistered voters in our state showed up tocast ballots on Election Day. When theentire population of eligible voters isestimated, that percentage dips to belowthe 40 percentile range. That means mostConnecticut citizens who have theopportunity to select their government areactually choosing not to vote. Nationally,2014 was the lowest turnout election inmore than 30 years.
I believe these statistics have a directcorrelation to the foundational questionsof who we are as a state, country, and asociety. The Social Studies are where weask those questions.
For too long, the Social Studies havebeen neglected in our state, especially atthe elementary school level. Theseframeworks will help correct that. I amparticularly gratified to see that civics hasbeen incorporated into teaching at everygrade level.
As all educators know, inquiry guidesthe suggestions of how to approach SocialStudies. Not many students, or manyadults, want to simply learn and memorizethe numbers of legislators or the rules thattown commissions are bound to follow,for example.
What we care about as citizens are thebig questions: How can we make ourdemocracy work? How can we turn ourcivic ideals into our reality? Indeed, thetrue nature of citizenship is askingquestions about how things are, andlearning how to make our voices heard.
This process of questioning is whatguides the new Social Studies frame-
interests; explain the factors that influencevoter participation, and explore a varietyof ways to take part in civic life.
These are all strategies that will allowstudents to experience and practice whatit means to be a citizen.
Let me also be clear about what thenew Social Studies frameworks are NOT. They are NOT a state mandate, they aremerely guidance for districts to use or notuse, according to their preferences.
The frameworks are NOT part of anational effort to take over education,they are the work of hundreds of dedi-cated Connecticut teachers who havewritten and reviewed them based on theirextensive knowledge of what motivatesstudents.
The frameworks do NOT create a newtesting process - though, quite frankly, Ihave come to the point where I think if asubject isn’t tested it is not likely to betaught.
While I am one of the people who hasbeen alarmed over the years at thedomination of standardized testingthroughout the field of education, it maybe time for all of us as educators toseriously consider whether all our citizensshould be tested on the basics of govern-ment. But let’s be clear: these frame-works do NOT set up such a test.
Most importantly, the frameworks doNOT sacrifice content for inquiry. Infact, students will learn and retain moreinformation when they are taught in a waythat engages them.
That is what civic education is allabout – giving students experiences thatwill actually engage them in their commu-nity. The goal of the social studiesframeworks is to create experientiallearning opportunities that can help thesestudents understand how laws work, howour communities work, and what theirrole in our communities is and will be.
If we can accomplish this, then we willgo a long way to re-engaging the nextgeneration of Connecticut’s citizenleaders.
“The goal of theSocial Studies
frameworks is tocreate experiential
learning opportunitiesthat can help these
students understandhow laws works, how
our communitieswork, and what their
role in ourcommunities isand will be.”
works. Students learn more and caremore when we spark their curiosity,wonder and potential. That is what willmake them active and involved citizens ofour society for the rest of their lives.
For example, according to these newframeworks, students will be exploring
questions like: What does it mean to be acitizen? How can we make a differenceaffecting the creation of laws governingour society? Why did the people ofConnecticut create the FundamentalOrders of Connecticut? And, comparedto nations with a free press, how is themedia used differently in countries suchas China?
Instead of memorizing a set of factsthey might soon forget, an activity thatwill turn them off from being activecitizens later, teachers will encouragestudents, for instance, to: describe howthe media and public interest groups bothshape and reflect political and social
12 The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015
School Governance CouncilsKelly MoyherSenior Staff Attorney, CABE
Recently, I have had the privilege ofworking with several School GovernanceCouncils throughout the state. I’ve beenfortunate to share this work with BobKing, a former Stamford Board of Educa-tion member and a current CABE consult-ant. Bob and I have traveled to manydifferent towns and cities over the pastyear and a half with the goal of trainingSchool Governance Council (SGC)members to carry out the charges of thelegislation, adopted late in 2010, andadhere to Council requirements.
State StatuteAccording to the legislation (Public Act
10-111), the purpose of an SGC is toprovide an unprecedented opportunity forstakeholders in Connecticut schools tocraft a productive collaboration to supportstudent success. The intent of the councilsis to enable parents, school staff, students(at the high school level) and communityleaders to work together to improvestudent achievement in the state’s lowestperforming schools.
The statute required the followingschools to establish School GovernanceCouncils within the following timelines:
• Schools that were among the lowestfive percent of the state’s schoolsbased on student achievement andfailing to make adequate yearlyprogress in mathematics and readingat the whole school level prior toJuly 1, 2010, were required toestablish councils no later thanJanuary 15, 2011. Fourteen schoolslocated in Bridgeport, Hartford, NewBritain, New Haven, Windham, andStamford Academy were impactedby this timeline.
• Schools that had been identified asnot making adequate yearly progressin mathematics and reading at thewhole school level and were notamong the lowest five percent ofschools prior to July 1, 2010, wererequired to establish councils byNovember 1, 2011. This impacted atotal of 184 schools in districtsthroughout Connecticut.
Amendments to the School GovernanceCouncil legislation (Public Act 12-116,Section 23) directed the Connecticut StateDepartment of Education (CSDE) toamend the list of schools required toimplement councils. The new list includesthose schools that failed to make adequateyearly progress in mathematics and readingat the whole school level prior to July 1,2012.
All Level 4 and 5 schools are alsorequired to have councils. Any board ofeducation can voluntarily establish acouncil for any school and use the modeldescribed in the statute or an alternatemodel. The law states a council is consid-ered a component of parental involvementfor purposes of federal law under NCLB.
Dos and Don’tsAdvisory Capacity
School Governance Councils serve inan advisory capacity and assist the schooladministration in the areas listed below:
- analyze school achievement dataand school needs as they relate tothe school’s improvement plan;
- review the fiscal objectives of theschool’s draft budget and advise theprincipal before the budget issubmitted to the superintendent;
- participate in the hiring process ofthe school principal or otheradministrators of the school byconducting interviews of candidatesand reporting on such interviews tothe superintendent of schools for theschool district and the local andregional board ofeducation;
- assist the princi-pal in makingprogrammatic andoperationalchanges toimprove theschool’s achieve-ment;
- develop andapprove a writtenschool parentinvolvementpolicy thatoutlines the roleof parents andguardians; and
- work with schooladministrators indeveloping andapproving aschool compactfor parents, legalguardians, andstudents thatoutlines theschool’s goals andacademic focusidentifying waysthat parents andschool personnelcan build a partnership to improvestudent learning.
Additional ResponsibilitiesIn addition to its required responsibili-
ties, a council may:- assist in developing and reviewing
the school improvement plan andadvise the principal before thereport is submitted to the superin-tendent of schools;
- work with the principal to develop,conduct, and report the results of anannual survey of parents, guardians,and teachers on issues related to theschool climate and conditions; and
- provide advice to the principal onany other major policy mattersaffecting the school, except onmatters relating to collectivebargaining agreements between theteachers and the board of education.
Recognize LimitationsIt is also important to recognize the limitsof a School Governance Council’s
advisory function. The duties of SchoolGovernance Councils do not entailactivities including, but not limited to:- managing the school;- supervising staff;- entering into contracts or purchase
agreements;- discussing individual issues between
teachers and students and/orparents;
- determining student eligibility forschool admission; or
- determining class allocations orstudent assignments.
After being in place for three years, acouncil may vote to recommend that aschool be reconstituted using one of thefollowing models for reconstitution: (1)
turnaround; (2) restart;(3) transformation; (4)CommPact school; (5)innovation school; and(6) any other modeldeveloped underfederal law.
However, acouncil cannot vote toreconstitute a school ifit was already reconsti-tuted for anotherpurpose. The statuteprovides a processwhereby the council’srecommendation forreconstitution must beheard by the localboard of educationwhich must accept,modify or reject theproposal. In a casewhere the council andthe local board ofeducation cannot agreeon reconstitution, theCommissioner ofEducation must decide.The State Board ofEducation cannot allowmore than 25 schoolsper year to be reconsti-
tuted under this law.
Council Make-upA council is to be made up of seven
parents or guardians of students at theschool, two community leaders within theschool district, five teachers of the school,a non-voting school principal or designee,and two non-voting student members forhigh school councils.
One challenge many councils havereported experiencing is a difficulty inrecruiting members. More often than not,there are vacant seats on a Council whenBob and I visit. It’s a challenge of time,balancing life and family commitmentsthat seems forever elusive these days.
But this is an area where Bob and Ireinforce the importance of recruitment,as well as making sure the entire commu-nity is aware of the SGC and its work.Often, in the case of a middle or highschool SGC, this requires communicationand education at the elementary schoollevel so members such as parents are well
aware of the Council’s work and ready forrecruitment from the time their childrenenter the middle or high school.
Utilizing the town or city’s parent-teacher group and the district or school’swebsite are also excellent means throughwhich the SGC can communicate about itswork and recruit members.
A point we try to drive home whenvisiting with SGCs is the importance ofmaking sure a community is aware of theserious work these councils are chargedwith. These councils are an amazingopportunity for communication amongfolks who may not always be exchangingideas and opinions.
Teachers may talk with other schoolpersonnel, parents will talk to parents,kids and folks in the community may hearfrom both. But rarely do these parties sittogether to communicate and educateeach other for the benefit of studentachievement.
We cannot stress the word ‘opportu-nity’ enough to the SGCs we talk to.Models such as those put forth by thelegislation in Connecticut are usedthroughout the country and it is importantto note this legislation expressly providesthat any school district may implement anSGC - the ‘opportunity’ for assisting inthe achievement of Connecticut’s studentsis that vital.
Key FactorAnother key factor we often discuss
with a SGC is the role the school princi-pal plays in the success of a council.
Thus far we have been pleased to seeprincipals in attendance at all of ourtraining sessions. Nevertheless, wealways make sure to discuss the criticalrole in communication and education theprincipal plays within a council. As partof the district administration, schoolprincipals play a key role in communicat-ing issues and ideas a council has with thesuperintendent, teachers and administra-tors within the school, and parents.
The school principal can act as anambassador on behalf of the council andhas great communication opportunitieswith many people in the district and in thecommunity. The principal can also act asa resource for the group, helping thegroup to understand education curriculumand processes, such as the school budget,and can encourage the group to bring in aspeaker on certain issues about which thegroup would like or need to learn more.
TrainingSchool Governance Council training
can be tailored to a school’s specificneeds and Bob and I have worked withseveral Councils more than once. We arehere to help a Council get up and runningand are always available for follow-upmeetings.
I think I can speak for Bob as wellwhen I say I have very much enjoyedmeeting SGC members throughout thestate, listening and learning about eachcommunity and school, and helping eachCouncil to carry out the critical role it willplay in raising student achievement.
“A point we try todrive home whenvisiting with SGCs isthe importance ofmaking sure a com-munity is aware ofthe serious workthese councils arecharged with. Thesecouncils are anamazing opportu-nity for communica-tion among folkswho may not al-ways be exchang-ing ideas and opin-ions.”
The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015 13
.
The public comment period of theDecember State Board of Educationmeeting was dominated by those support-ing the new Social Studies framework.The Board voted to preliminarily approvethe work.
Dr. Stephen Armstrong, a State De-partment of Education (SDE) Consultant,lead the presentation to the board. Hemade a point of saying that this work hasrenewed their relationship with localmuseums, historical societies and Secre-tary of State Denise Merrill spoke inpublic comment about the need to reachout to civic groups.
Armstrong also led a webinar CABEheld on the topic. See our website to viewthe archived event. http://www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=354.
The board discussed and voted onorganizing the search committee for aninterim Commissioner. CommissionerStefan Pryor received thanks for hischange agent skills during public com-ment and at the meeting.
As action items, the board voted on thetechnical high school trade reauthoriza-tion for the manufacturing and transporta-tion clusters for the next five years and setgoals.
The legislative changes adopted by theboard include:
• changes to the Strategic SchoolProfiles to reflect current data;
• extend the term from two to fouryears for those on the ConnecticutAdvisory Council for SchoolAdministrator;
• incorporating Smarter Balance andother alternative assessments intodistrict/school accountabilitycalculations;
• making permanent the ParentUniversity program and removingthe restriction to fund only two ineducation reform districts;
• broadening options for preparationand certification and increase theeducators seeking bilingual endorse-ments; and
• extending the time to select schoolsto participate in the CommissionersNetwork and raise the cap on totalNetwork schools in a single districtform four to six.
The board is just beginning discussionson computer science and coding standardsprograming and its position in courseworkand credit. Jennifer Michilak, SDEConsultant, remarked that 25 states allowcomputer science to satisfy core gradua-tion requirements, but she truly empha-sized the career need by stating the
unfulfilled jobs in computer programingat one million by 2020.
SDE’s initial work looked at Code.org.It is expanding participation in computerscience by making it more available inschools, and increasing participation bywomen and underrepresented students ofcolor.
At the legislative subcommitteemeeting, members discussed the various
Decisions made at the State Board of Education meetingSheila McKaySenior Staff Associatefor Government Relations, CABE
efforts to reduce the chronic absence rate.New data suggests some districts aremaking real progress. Members intend tovote on changes to bring to the legislatureat their next meeting.
The State Board of Education Decem-ber 3, 2014, meeting was taped by CTNetwork and may be watched on demandat http://www.ctn.state.ct.us/ondemand.asp.
CABE State Relations Committee meeting
CABE State Relations Com-mittee hard at work settingthe Legislative Priorities forthe 2015 Legislative Ses-sion.
14 The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015
SMARTER(continued from page 1)given “in about 20 of our districts lastyear,” said Roberge-Wentzell. “Anddistricts actually could do it a number ofways: they could stay with the CMT ingrades 3-8 or move early to SmarterBalanced; at the high school, they couldmake the same choice – stay with CAPTor move early to the Smarter Balanced –so a district didn’t have to make the samechoice for 3-8 that they made for the highschool.
So we did have some districts thatmade different choices for high schoolthan the younger grades.”
All in all, Roberge-Wentzell said shewas “really pleased” with the administra-tion of the Smarter Balanced tests aroundthe state last school year.
“We were really pleased last year; firstof all, we were really pleased that thefederal government granted us permissionto offer our districts the choice of whetheror not they wanted to stay one more yearwith the legacy assessments or move earlyto the Common Core aligned assess-ments,” said Roberge-Wentzell. “And 90percent of our districts chose to go withSmarter Balanced and that was a lot morethan we had predicted, so we were reallypleased that the field test went verysmoothly because I was a little nervous—because really this was like going a yearearly to full implementation of thecomputer-delivered tests.”
Things also went well from a technical
standpoint, according to the state’s chiefacademic officer. “We were really pleasedthat from a technical standpoint it was anextremely smooth implementation,” shenoted.
Surveys conducted of teachers,administrators and students after the testsindicated that the online testing was apositive experience. “Students in particu-lar reported positive experiences withtaking their tests on the computer; theyoungest students in particular were themost positive,” said Roberge-Wentzell.The 2015 Smarter Balanced assessment will also be “our first year with student dataso this will be our baseline year,” saidRoberge-Wentzell.
“So the baseline we get from thisspring’s administration will help us planfor what our kids need to be successful,”she added. “Really, this year peopleshould view this as a very low stakes year;there is nothing that hangs on it. It isreally to see where we are – wherecommunities are, where kids are.”
CABESearchServices
For an update or more informationon vacancies go to our website:
www.cabe.org
Call CABEfor your recruiting needs
For more information contact,CABE Search Services, 860-539-7594
The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015 15
In mid-December, Achieve, “anindependent, nonpartisan, nonprofiteducation reform organization dedicatedto working with states to raise academicstandards and graduation requirements,improve assessments, and strengthenaccountability” released Rising to theChallenge: Are High School GraduatesPrepared for College and Work?
The survey results describe the beliefsof recently graduated students about howwell their schools prepared them forcollege and work.
While the pollsters asked 1,347 recentpublic high school graduates in two- orfour-year colleges, as well as those notenrolled in college (including those whoquit before finishing), it was not disaggre-gated by states. The results, however, areworth considering for Connecticut Boardmembers and Superintendents:
National Survey indicates that recent High School Gradsbelieve they have gaps in their Preparedness for the Future
• About half of the graduates reportedgaps in their preparation for lifeafter high school. Among collegestudents, 49% felt they had largegaps in one or more subject areas.Over 80% of college students andnonstudents felt they had at leastsome gaps in or more area.
• Interestingly, 50% of collegestudents had gaps in work and instudy habits. 22% felt they had largegaps.
• For college students, oral communi-cations and public speaking closelyfollowed as an area with at leastsome gaps.
• The largest percentage of non-students (49%) felt they had at leastsome gap in science. They alsoreported at least some gaps inapplying what they had learned.
• Only about a quarter of 2014graduates felt that their high schoolset high academic expectations.
• If they could do high school over,about 60% of all those surveyedsaid they would have worked harderin high school on their coursework,even if it meant less time for other
activities.• Most said they would have taken
higher-level or more challengingcourses if they could.
• 87% of all graduates said theywould have probably worked harderif they were to do it again. Amongwhites, 42% felt they were “CER-TAIN” they would have workedharder, while 53% of AfricanAmericans and 50% of Hispanicssaid that they would have.
• Those who experienced highexpectations, both college studentsand non-students, felt betterprepared for the college/workingworld
• Graduates of schools that “excel” atencouraging students to take themost advanced courses felt betterprepared. The “biggest gaps incommunicating/encouraging areconnecting high school to futuresuccess.”
• College students who have lowermath attainment take remedialcourses at much higher rates – 83%of those who took less than AlgebraII.
Once again, this report is not specificin where the students reside or went toschool, however, it is probably not toomuch of a stretch to say that manyConnecticut high school graduates wouldfeel much the same way as these students.
Although secondary school reform hasbeen delayed (it now begins with the 2016freshman high school class), schoolboards, superintendents and principalscan take action now on some of theproposals that the majority of high schoolgraduates who were surveyed recom-mended:
• There should be more opportunitiesfor real-world learning;
• Communication should begin earlyin high school about courses neededfor college and careers.
• Schools should provide opportuni-ties to take challenging courses.
• Schools should provide more helpfor students who need extratutoring.
The report can be found on theAchieve website, http://www.achieve.org/.
Robert RaderExecutive Director, CABE
SolutionsHere are some of the Report’s “So-
lutions” to these issues:• Provide real academic challenges
for high school students and com-municate with them about what isneeded for future success.
• Provide consistent and regular sig-nals to ALL high school studentsabout what academics are neededto be ready for college and careersis key.
• Set rigorous expectations, stu-dents will rise to the challenge.
• Have graduation requirements thatensure academic preparation forall.
• Encourage all students to take themost advanced classes.
• Ensure the rigor of classes of-fered; reliance on course titles canlead to watered down courses.
• Communicate with students earlyin high school (if not before) aboutthe expectations and skills (includ-ing courses) needed for future suc-cess – including college admis-sions and career interests.
• Regularly tell students whetherthey are “on track”.
• Tie learning in high school to lifeoutside the classroom by provid-ing real-world learning opportuni-ties.
• Provide support/help for studentswho need it (e.g., tutoring).
• All means ALL. Be sure all stu-dents understand and know thebenefit of academic preparationfor college and careers; everyoneneeds to be prepared for their nextsteps.
Source:Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Grads Prepared for CollegeWork? - November 2014 - Hart Research/POS
16 The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/January 2015
