Illinois State Board of Education Policy Planning Committee March 1.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
Meeting also held via webinar
I. Roll Call
Chairperson Susie Morrison brought the meeting to order at 12:36 p.m. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present with three members. She verified that each member could hear one another and follow the discussion, and that they were able to testify.
Committee Members Present
Chairperson Susie Morrison
Dr. Donna Leak (virtual)
Jaime Guzman (virtual)
Other Board Members Present
Darren Reisberg (virtual), arrived at 12:50 p.m.
Staff Present
Dr. Carmen I. Ayala, State Superintendent
Kirsten Parr, Board Services Coordinator
Kim Clarke, Executive Assistant to the State Superintendent
Dr. Brenda Dixon, Research and Evaluation Officer
Christine Paxson, Director of ESSA/IL-EMPOWER
Dr. Dana Kinley, Executive Director of Systems of Support
Dr. Ernesto Matias, Education Officer
Dr. Jason Helfer, Deputy Instructional Education Officer
Dr. Jennifer Kirmes, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning
Jennifer Saba, Executive Director of Regional Services
Krish Mohip, Deputy Operational Education Officer
Marci Johnson, Director of CTE and Innovation
Martin McGreal, Director of District/School Leadership
Oriana Wilson, Executive Director of Programs
Robert Wolfe, Financial Officer
Irma Snopek, Policy and Communications Officer
Jeremy Duffy, Legal Officer
Amanda Elliott, Executive Director of Legislative Affairs
Nehemiah Ankoor, Learning Renewal Lead
Derreck Langwith, Director of ROE/ISC
Maureen Font, Director of Data Strategies and Analytics
II. Public Participation
Bryan Stokes, chief of early childhood education at Chicago Public Schools, spoke about Part 30 rules for adoption. He believes that building immersive preschools is essential. He expressed his support of the rules overall, but he is concerned about the lack of explicit language regarding early childhood standards.
Jim O’Connor, project director at Advance Illinois, discussed Part 30 rules for adoption. He echoed Mr. Stokes’ comments about Part 30. He supports reviewing and refreshing policies. He has concerns about only supporting National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards since they do not offer much insight toward early childhood standards.
Vanessa Pena, an education policy analyst at the Latino Policy Forum, spoke about programming. She discussed her concerns about Part 30 rules for adoption and believes the NELP standards do not support English Learners and early childhood. She would like school personnel to collaborate with English Learners.
Melissa Maldonado, policy analyst at Start Early, discussed Part 30 rules for adoption. She noted it is critical that Illinois cares about early childhood standards. She believes that leaders need to be prepared to serve and lead children of all ages.
Steve Tozer from the University of Illinois Chicago spoke about Part 30 rules. He believes that improving school leadership is a cost-effective measure. He supports NELP standards as a guide, but thinks they are not sufficient as his other colleagues have noted. He believes that the team must go beyond these standards. He thinks that high levels of leadership and rigorous internships are needed and can be strengthened through policy.
Julissa Cruz, director of community-based advocacy at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning, spoke about Part 30 rules. She gave the committee context on the Carole Robertson Center for Learning. She would like the rules to support English Learners and early childhood learning.
III. Approval of the February 1, 2022, Meeting Minutes
Dr. Leak made the motion for the Education Policy Planning Committee to approve the February 1, 2022, meeting minutes. Mr. Guzman seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote.
IV. Discussion Items
A. Alternative Licensures and Pathways for Administration
Mr. McGreal; Dr. Jason Leahy, executive director of the Illinois Principals Association (IPA); and Dr. Susan Homes, deputy executive director for professional learning, presented on this item. They discussed the IPA’s innovative approach to addressing the principal pipeline problem in Illinois.
Mr. Guzman asked how ISBE can make sure to encourage placement support with districts in need. Dr. Leahy noted many states are working on this issue. He believes that a potential pilot program could be beneficial, and he also finds it necessary to collaborate with higher education organizations.
Dr. Leak appreciated the presentation and their assistance in solving this problem. She believes it is important to figure out ways to entice people to join the profession.
Chair Morrison appreciated the presentation and believes the initiative can make Illinois a leading state. She believes it is timely since flexibility is needed right now. She wondered why ISBE is not moving forward aggressively with this initiative. Dr. Leahy noted it can happen quickly since the microcredentials are developed and the team is going through the review process now.
Chair Morrison asked if a person started the program in September and was diligent, what would be a reasonable timeline for them to receive their principal’s endorsement. Dr. Leahy noted that IPA is working on making a final determination on microcredentials. He reminded the committee that the initiative is for people who already have their master’s degrees. Chair Morrison believes this is a missed opportunity if ISBE does not move forward soon.
Chair Reisberg asked why the team chose to follow the calendar year rather than the school year calendar. Dr. Leahy noted that there are 12-month internship experiences that are out of the school year, and the team is
trying to move toward what is already in existence. Dr. Homes added that the evaluator will hold an accountability measure.
Chair Reisberg asked what is necessary from ISBE’s end at this time, and what is the timeframe to start a potential pilot. Mr. McGreal noted the team is waiting for a proposal and then can start working on the pilot. Dr. Ayala noted that the initiative is moving quickly and believes it is an exciting opportunity.
B. IL-EMPOWER Presentation
Dr. Kinley and Ms. Paxson presented on this item. They discussed the timeline for incorporating missing student outcome performance data, addressing chronically underperforming schools, contemplating strong recommendations from the external evaluation report, evaluating program enhancements, and considering the accountability system for K-2 schools.
Chair Morrison asked if the visuals are based on 2018 data, and the answer was yes. Chair Morrison confirmed that the implementation starts the next year, and the answer was yes.
Chair Morrison noted that when looking at the data in the IL-EMPOWER timeline, she believes there is nothing statistically significant with that data. Dr. Kinley noted it was the last year of any designation and one semester of planning, but she is hopeful for the next data. Chair Morrison asked if the team has data based on last year’s assessment, and Dr. Matias confirmed team members will be receiving that data in late spring. Dr. Leak added
that the team will receive data but it might not be the best data since the spring and fall assessment did not look the same. She thinks there will not be any accurate data until spring 2022. Mr. Guzman asked if the data on the slide was pre-pandemic, and the answer was yes.
Chair Morrison asked if the committee has the results regarding the case studies. Dr. Kinley noted this was provided in a past Board Weekly Update and is on the IL-EMPOWER webpage. She can send this information again, if needed.
Chair Morrison asked what the total investment in comprehensive and targeted schools over the past four years is. Dr. Kinley did not have that number on the top of her head but can share it in a Board Weekly Update.
Chair Morrison asked how many school support coordinators the team has. The answer was five. Chair Morrison asked how many schools are comprehensive. Ms. Paxson noted there are 128 in the rest of state and 103 in Chicago Public Schools. She added there is a total of 684 targeted schools in the state.
Chair Morrison noted that she continues to look for evidence and for aggressive interventions and support. She noted her difficulty looking for the results.
Dr. Leak said that in terms of comprehensive schools, there are systemic issues that have not been addressed. She added that some of the staff have not been superintendents and have a different lens. She believes that the committee needs to have more conversations with IL-EMPOWER about systemic issues. Chair Morrison agreed and is worried about only having five coordinators.
Mr. Guzman noted it is important to look at the districts that have been able to move and if there are lessons the team can take from that.
Dr. Ayala noted that there will always be 5 percent of schools in comprehensive status. She added that the team needs to focus on assessing the characteristics of those persistently low-performing schools. She wondered if the agency needs to take a more active role with these schools.
C. Learning Renewal Update
Mr. Ankoor presented on this item. He shared the learning renewal portfolio and the ISBE learning renewal leads. He provided updates on high-impact tutoring, jump start K/K-1 grants, OneGoal postsecondary success, SEL Hubs, the community partnerships grant, learning renewal interim assessments, and future projects.
The committee would like Mr. Ankoor to come back to another committee meeting to discuss the findings in more detail. Dr. Leak was particularly interested in hearing more about high-impact tutoring.
D. Legislative Update
Ms. Elliott presented on this item. She noted that the House appropriation meeting was last week and there were questions about ISBE’s budget development process. She added that there is a hearing regarding federal funds on March 1.
She gave updates on some bills, including the SB 3900 (Right to Read Act), HB 5285/SB 3986 (Too Young to Test), HB 5060/SB 3983 (teacher tenure), HB 4365 (residential placement), and HB 5089 (North Chicago elected school board). Dr. Ayala added that the agency has had conversations and is looking at the data. ISBE is trying to determine what criteria would signal that North Chicago is ready to move in the direction of an elected school board.
Chair Morrison believes that ISBE has done nice work in North Chicago. She would like to make sure the team is engaging with leaders in that district and that there are metrics by which the team is judging that it is time to move to an elected school board. She would like this plan to be shared with Board members so they can look at and discuss it.
Mr. Reisberg echoed Chair Morrison’s comments about North Chicago. He would like to discuss agency thinking regarding North Chicago at the March Board meeting. He knows that there has been a lot of time and effort assisting North Chicago and things are in a better place financially and academically. He believes it would be a shame if the district launches an elected board prematurely. He would also love the Board and agency to have conversations with the public so that there is an informed community.
Mr. Guzman echoed Mr. Reisberg’s comments. He believes that establishing clear metrics is important, and he thanked the ISBE staff for working hard during this short legislative session.
Dr. Leak added that she does not want the students in North Chicago to turn over academically as well. She believes the Board must do what is best for the students in North Chicago.
Mr. Reisberg asked about the Right to Read Act and how the bill has evolved since the last Board meeting. Ms. Elliott noted there were not many significant changes to the bill itself, but there have been conversations. She noted that ISBE expresses its concerns regarding the curriculum recommendations and is worried about adding additional tests for education preparation programs.
V. Review of March Board Action Items
A. Rules for Adoption - Parts 23 (Standards for School Support Personnel Endorsements), 27 (Standards for Endorsements in Specific Teaching Fields), and 50 (Evaluation of Educator Licensed Employees under Articles 24A and 34 of the School Code)
There were no questions for this item.
B. Rules for Adoption - Parts 30 (Programs for the Preparation of Principals in Illinois) and 33 (Programs for the Preparation of Superintendents in Illinois)
Dr. Kirmes noted the comment analysis is available to committee members and ISBE has completed and reviewed public comment. The public comment includes statements regarding extensive preparation for principals pertaining to bilingual education and early childhood education. She proposes that the agency moves forward with the rulemaking and convene a stakeholder group to consider how the team wants to add an amendment with clearer language regarding early childhood education and bilingual education.
Chair Morrison confirmed that the team met with stakeholders earlier and asked if the early childhood community was not originally included. Dr. Kirmes noted she has to look back at past meetings and minutes.
Mr. Guzman asked what the potential timeline is to engage with stakeholders and repeat the rulemaking process. Dr. Kirmes noted that the rulemaking process takes at least six months.
Mr. Guzman asked if there is something in statute requiring ISBE to act on adopting the national standards now. Dr. Kirmes noted she will have to discuss with the Legislative Affairs team and will send the committee a response in writing.
Chair Morrison agreed with Mr. Guzman’s comments. She also wondered if the public participants are representative of the entire early childhood community. She hopes the team is thoughtful about their comments. Dr. Kirmes noted that the reason why she did not suggest and have them propose language to go into this rulemaking is because that language will not go out into public comment. She added that if ISBE wants to have a full and transparent process with any additional language, it would need to start the process again. Dr. Leak added if there is no statutory requirement that it has to be done immediately; the team should take public comment into consideration.
Mr. Guzman noted that removing some things in statute could deteriorate some of the standards they have for these populations, which worries him.
Mr. Reisberg agreed with the committee members and hopes that talking to Legislative Affairs will help the team make a decision.
C. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million -- Approval to enter Intergovernmental Agreement with Illinois Student Assistance Commission
There were no questions for this item.
D. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Truants’ Alternative and Optional Education Program Grant Notice of Funding Opportunities/Request for Proposals
There were no questions for this item.
E. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval to enter into a new five-year Intergovernmental Agreement with the University of Wisconsin-Madison for Educational Research (WCER) for WiDA Consortium for the administration of ACCESS and alternate ACCESS for English Learners
There were no questions for this item.
F. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval to enter into a new one-year Intergovernmental Agreement with the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University Carbondale for the administration of the Illinois Science Assessment
There were no questions for this item.
G. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Sole Source Grant to Illinois Principals Association to Continue the ED Leaders Network
There were no questions for this item.
H. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of Sold Source Grant to Illinois Association of School Administrators for New Superintendent Mentoring and Transformational Leadership Academy
There were no questions for this item.
I. Approval of State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board Appointment
There were no questions for this item.
VI. Review of April Board Action Items
A. Rules for Initial Review – Part 1 (Public Schools Evaluation, Recognition and Supervision) and Part 207 (Absenteeism and Truancy Policy)
Dr. Matias and Mr. Langwith provided information on this item.
Chair Morrison asked if everything is being submitted to ISBE, and that was confirmed as correct.
Mr. Reisberg noted that the bullying prevention rules required a Board signature or meeting minutes. He asked if there is a similar requirement for these rules. Mr. Langwith noted that minutes or a signature would be needed.
B. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million – Approval of IGA with West 40 Intermediate Service Center #2 for ARP EANS (EANS II) Vouchering and Services
Dr. Matias and Mr. Langwith provided information on this item.
Mr. Reisberg asked if the amount West 40 receives is constant regardless of the number of schools that are eligible. Mr. Langwith noted that it cannot go above the amount he provided. Mr. Reisberg asked what determines what West 40 receives. Mr. Langwith noted that it is ISBE’s decision under the IGA, and he can double-check to confirm.
Mr. Reisberg asked for an example of the types of services that a nonpublic school would be accessing. Mr. Langwith noted that there are two categories, which are the spread of COVID-19 and addressing the learning loss from COVID-19. He added the funding could cover personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies, hiring tutors, laptops, and connectivity, to name a few. Mr. Reisberg asked if submission is made for reimbursement. Mr. Langwith shared that the reimbursement process is removed from EANS II. Instead, he noted that the district gets the approved application from ISBE, gives it to West 40, and West 40 pays for it.
C. Contracts & Grants Over $1 Million - Approval of the One-Year Intergovernmental Agreement with Northern Illinois University for the Illinois Report Card, My Data Dashboard (formerly Ed360), and 21st Century Learning Center
Dr. Dixon and Ms. Font provided information on this item.
There were no questions for this item.
VII. New Business: Items for the Next Agenda
The committee decided to have a conversation regarding IL-EMPOWER in May, along with the strategic plan Dr. Kinley mentioned. Mr. Reisberg would like a longer conversation about Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) statewide initiatives at the next meeting. He also is interested in a data dashboard regarding how ESSER dollars are being spent across the state. Dr. Leak would like to know how ESSER dollars are being spent by learning partners as well. Chair Morrison noted that Dr. Leak’s point could be added to the external review.
VIII. Next Meeting: April 5, 2022
IX. Adjourn
Dr. Leak made a motion to adjourn. Chair Morrison seconded the motion, and it passed by a unanimous roll call vote. Chairperson Morrison adjourned the committee at 3:15 p.m.
https://www.isbe.net/Documents_Board_Meetings/20220301-EPP-Minutes.pdf
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