Oversight and regulation of our education system is a critical part of state government. The Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee has worked diligently during the interim to study ways to improve education in North Carolina and made several recommendations in a report to the legislature this week.
The following information outlines these findings and recommendations.
Thank you as always for your interest in state government. If you have any questions about this information or anything else that I can help with, please contact me. I am always glad to be of service.
School calendar
_Findings: The current school calendar law requires that school systems adopt a calendar that includes a plan for making up time missed when schools are closed due to inclement weather. The law also provides waivers for "good cause." The committee finds that for the 2009-2010 school year the calendar law did not provide the flexibility necessary for school systems to make up the unusually large number of days missed due to inclement weather.
_Recommendations: The committee recommends amending the existing calendar law to provide school systems the flexibility needed to make up the missed days. The amended law would apply only to the 2009-2010 school year.
School Transition
_Findings: The committee finds that the transition from middle school to high school is a significant event in children’s lives and requires support from teachers, parents, counselors, and school administrators. Students' experiences in ninth grade often determine their success throughout high school, but the ninth-grade year is often characterized by a decline in grades and attendance. Students who are promoted to 10th grade, but who are off track may have already missed the opportunity to get on a graduation track. Too often a poor start in high school leads a student to drop out. In North Carolina, students dropped out most frequently during ninth grade.
_Recommendations: The committee recommends that the State Board of Education consider these suggestions to better prepare students for the transition from middle school to high school:
· Develop and adopt a vision for the middle grades to prepare more students for challenging high school studies.
· Consider having a team of professionals within the Department of Public Instruction whose job is to bring focus to the middle grades.
· Make adolescent reading an immediate and sustained priority.
· Better prepare students for Algebra I by eighth or ninth grade.
· Support professional development of teachers and school principals.
· Build student aspirations for college, advanced training and careers by engaging them in exploration and planning for future career and educational opportunities.
College and Career-Ready Students
_Findings: The committee finds that one of the goals of high school reform is to ensure that all students graduate "college and career-ready." Being ready for college and career means that a high school graduate has the English and mathematics knowledge and skills necessary to be placed and succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing college courses or the job training and/or education necessary for a chosen career without the need for remedial coursework. Although North Carolina is making progress in preparing all students to be college and career-ready, the job is not yet done.
_Recommendations: The committee strongly supports the ongoing efforts of the University of North Carolina, the North Carolina Community College System, the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Department of Public Instruction to ensure that all students are college and career-ready without needing remediation and recommends that they continue their work in this area.
School Leadership
_Findings: Effective principals are critical to the success of students, teachers, and entire schools. However, research suggests that many current and potential principals lack the skills necessary to lead today's schools. The committee finds that comprehensive, quality professional development is necessary to improve their skills.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), the organization that sets and maintains the standards for teacher excellence, recently announced National Board Certification for Educational Leaders, which includes the development of National Board Certification for Principals. National Board Certification for Principals will be the first national certification program focused on principals and builds on the National Board's 20-year certification program for teachers and school counselors.
Recommendations: The committee strongly recommends that the state closely examine the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards program for principals and consider supporting, when funds become available, principals who are interested in participating in this program.
Positive Behavior Support Initiative
_Findings: The committee finds that the Positive Behavior Support Initiative is a comprehensive and systematic initiative that improves learning for all students by establishing and reinforcing clear behavioral expectations.
_Recommendations: The committee recommends that the General Assembly consider expanding the initiative statewide when funds are available.
Education Value-Added Assessment System
_Findings: The committee finds that the Education Value-Added Assessment System is effectively provides important diagnostic information to local school systems and school building staff in an efficient manner. The system provides reliable and precise information regarding student progress at the individual, subgroup and school levels. Such data improves student achievement because it allows quicker modifications to meet the needs of students.
_Recommendations: The committee strongly recommends that local school systems, schools, and teachers use this system to help raise student achievement.
Broadband Access
_Findings: The committee finds that ensuring broadband access in every school in North Carolina is an important part of the state's efforts to raise student achievement and prepare a globally competitive workforce. Broadband connectivity helps eliminate barriers to resources, services, and learning options, particularly for rural schools. Such access will help keep students engaged in school as well as provide teachers with opportunities for collaboration.
Recommendations: The committee strongly recommends that the General Assembly continues to improve broadband access for all public schools.
Students with Disabilities
_Banning Corporal Punishment for Students with Disabilities
_Findings: The committee finds that neither federal laws and regulations nor state laws prohibit administering corporal punishment to students with disabilities. As a leader in the education of students with disabilities, the committee believes that corporal punishment should be banned statewide for students with disabilities. Although local school systems have the option to enact such a ban, a uniform statewide ban would reinforce the state's commitment to students with disabilities.
_Recommendations: The committee recommends a statewide ban on corporal punishment for students with disabilities.
Notes
_MasterBrand Cabinets Inc., a national manufacturer of kitchen and bath cabinets for the remodeling and new construction markets, will expand in Lenoir County. The company plans to create 334 jobs and invest more than $3.75 million during the next three years in Kinston. The announcement was made possible in part by a $200,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
_Spectrum Mills LLC will locate in McDowell County. The company, which will manufacture specialty textured yarns, plans to create 49 jobs and invest $2.7 million during the next three years. The project was made possible in part by a $135,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
_ Each of the Department of Cultural Resources’ 37 sites will participate in the 2nd Saturdays program over the next three months, bringing together artists, history and authentic North Carolina culture. The sites include museums and state historic sites.
For more information, please visit: http://news.ncdcr.gov/2010/03/26/2nd-saturdays-faqs/.
Prepared with the assistance of the Speaker’s Office of Communications
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Regular Reports On What Is Happening In the NC General Assembly of Interest to citizens in District 51 by Representative Jimmy Love
