The Board
of Regents met on April 23-24 and May 21-22, 2007. Major actions
and discussions by the Board relating to elementary, middle, secondary
and continuing education are noted below. Summaries of the Board
of Regents meetings and written material on agenda topics can be accessed
through the Board of Regents web site at http://www.regents.nysed.gov . The
next meeting is scheduled for June 25-26, 2007.
April Action
- Approval of the
revision to the initial charter of the Harlem Children’s Zone
Promise Academy I Charter School.
- Approval of
the third renewal charter for the Harriet Tubman Charter School, and
extension of the provisional charter for two years, ending June 30,
2009.
- Emergency adoption
of proposed amendments to Sections 100.13 and 170.12 of the Commissioner’s
Regulations to establish: (1) requirements for the preparation
and submission of the contracts for excellence, including a requirement
that the New York City School District include a plan to reduce average
pre-kindergarten through grade 12 class sizes within five years; (2)
the allowable programs and activities under the contracts, which are
limited to: (i) class size reduction, (ii) student time on task , (iii)
teacher and principal quality initiatives, (iv) middle school and high
school restructuring, and (v) full-day kindergarten or pre-kindergarten
programs; (3) criteria for experimental programs, not included in the
allowable programs and activities, that are designed to demonstrate
the efficacy of other strategies to improve student achievement, and
for which the Commissioner may authorize a district to spend up to
15 percent of the contract amount; (4) requirements for school districts
to develop their contracts for excellence through a public process,
commencing with the 2008-09 school year, which shall include at least
one public hearing and be made in consultation with parents or persons
in parental relation, teachers, administrators, and distinguished educators
appointed pursuant to Education Law section 211-c; (5) requirements
for procedures by which parents may bring complaints concerning implementation
of contracts for excellence; and (6) requirements for school districts
to publicly report their expenditure of total Foundation Aid.
May Discussion
- Summary results
for the 2007 English Language Arts assessments in grades 3-8.
- Update on implementing
contracts for excellence.
- Proposed amendment
to Section 175.5 of the Commissioner’s Regulations to extend for
two years the provision that permits a school district to use up to two
of the allowed four superintendents’ conference days for teacher
training and rating of State assessments, including grades 3-8 assessments
required under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
- Status report
on the Roosevelt Union Free School District.
May Approval
- Approval of the
proposed amendment to Section 175.43 of the Commissioner’s Regulations
to eliminate an obsolete reporting requirement associated with Operating
Standards Aid and to include the content of the Operating Standards Aid
Plan, specifically associated with Operating Standards Aid, as part of
school districts’ comprehensive improvement planning.
- Emergency adoption
of the proposed amendment to Subpart 151-1 of the Commissioner’s
Regulations to establish: (1) uniform quality standards for all
pre-kindergarten classrooms (district-based and agency-based) including
criteria for curricula, staffing and staff qualifications, assessment
requirements, maximum class size, supervision and professional development
requirements, and standards related to parent engagement and the provision
of support services; (2) criteria related to program design; (3) requirements
and procedures by which districts apply for universal pre-kindergarten
grants; (4) requirements and procedures by which districts select eligible
agency collaborators through a competitive process; and (5) facility
requirements.
- Emergency adoption
of the proposed amendment to Section 21.3 of the Rules of the Board
of Regents and Section 100.12 of the Commissioner’s Regulations
to establish loan procedures and technology plan requirements for instructional
computer hardware to an individual or a group of individuals legally
attending nonpublic schools located in a school district.
- Approval to
return the proposed second renewal charter of the International Charter
School of Schenectady to the Trustees of the State University of New
York for reconsideration.
- Approval of
the revisions to the initial charters of the Urban Choice Charter School,
Rochester, and the Grand Concourse Academy Charter School, New York
City.
- Approval of
the renewal charters for the COMMUNITY Charter School, Buffalo; Southside
Academy Charter School, Syracuse; Buffalo United Charter School, Buffalo;
Harlem Village Academy Charter School, New York City; King Center Charter
School, Buffalo; Leadership Village Academy Charter School, New York
City; and Our World Neighborhood Charter School, New York City.
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