Board of Education Meeting Minutes

November 15, 2005

BOARD OF EDUCATION

NOVEMBER 15, 2005

ATTENDANCE: Rosa Murray, Chairman; Rob Polley; Bruce Kimmel; Maria Rivera; Thomas Vetter; Jody Bishop-Pullan; Richard Fuller; Susan Hamilton; Mayor Alex Knopp.

STAFF: Dr. Salvatore Corda, Superintendent of Schools.

OTHERS: Dr. Lang; John Keogh;

I. CALL TO ORDER

Ms. Murray called the meeting to order at 7:48 p.m.

II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

Ms. Murray led the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance.

III. SPOTLIGHT

Mr. Vetter reported that Brien McMahon High School senior Kristina (Kiki) Koroshetz has been selected as the best female scholar-athlete-citizen in the state and named a Connecticut State Finalist in the 2005 Wendy’s High School Heisman Program. Ms. Koroshetz has also been named the Female State Winner for Connecticut. She will be honored at the Heisman Northeast Region Awards Dinner on Thursday, November 17, which will be held at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., the home of the New England Patriots.

Mr. Vetter also reported that the Norwalk High School Marching Band has won the New York State Field Band Conference championships, the first out-of-state band to do so since the championship began in 1972. The NHS band competed against seven other bands in the elite National Division and won first place for the first time with a score of 96.65 out of 100. And the Brien McMahon Marching Senators won 2nd Place at the 23rd Annual Cavalcade of Bands competition held at Bridgeport Central High School on November 5th.

On Friday, November 18th, students from Fox Run Elementary School, in partnership with Doubletree Hotel, will present the Red Cross with a check for $9,218 to help support Hurricane Katrina victims. The students raised a total of $5,218 in a cookie sale, with fifth grader Zach Bayles the top seller, having sold a total of $480 worth of cookies. Doubletree Hotel not only provided the cookies to be sold and sales incentives, they also agreed to match the students’ sales efforts, dollar for dollar, up to $4,000.

V. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Dr. Corda said that, before he begins, he wanted to publicly thank Mayor Knopp for his commitment and dedication to education in the time that he has served and that the Board very much appreciates the support he has provided. He said that it seems very clear that, for Mayor Knopp, education has been a significant focus, and they were very much appreciative of that.

Dr. Corda introduced Dr. Lang and said she would be setting the stage for the reports that would be provided to the Board this evening. She introduced Mr. John Keogh, who would also be presenting a report to the Board.

The reports covered several topics, including initial observations about the mathematics program, the new CMT and curriculum framework, what a good elementary mathematics program looks like, what has been done since September 2004, and considers the next steps. Observations concluded that math achievement by students at the elementary level, as measured by the CT Mastery Tests, is below what it should be. The gap exists in spite of the fact that the elementary schools are properly focused on teaching and learning and are staffed by hardworking teachers who care deeply about the students. Significant improvement in math achievement requires addressing needs in three major areas of curriculum, assessment and instruction.

The curriculum documents produced in 2002 spell out a program that would provide students with a rich math experience. These programs are hard to implement because they are unwieldy and can lack focus. Teachers need to know the objectives all students need to master, apart from concepts and skills that students ought to be exposed to. Elementary level math remains too focused on computational skills, while the Connecticut curriculum framework focuses on conceptual learning over computation. This is partly due to an over-reliance on the Harcourt textbook, which is not well aligned with the local or state curriculum, and while administrators understand that the textbook is not the curriculum, some teachers remain too dependent on this inadequate textbook as the primary teaching source.

After the district adopted the Harcourt books, a mapping of the textbook to the curriculum should have taken place but it did not, although some attempts have been made. Mapping is a difficult procedure because of the lack of alignment of textbook to curriculum. The use of the Harcourt assessments as the main means by which teachers assess student learning is not suitable, because of this lack of alignment to the curriculum that should be taught. District-wide assessments are necessary and teacher development is strongly recommended to assist them in creating their own assessments.

Dr. Lang stated that most teachers understand the link between assessment and instruction; however, many teachers don’t understand that it’s unrealistic to expect mastery of everything they teach. The underlying philosophy of a good math curriculum is that when a new concept is introduced, in year one the concept is explored, and in year two it is mastered. This means that teachers end up re-teaching everything they cover that the students fail to master, and creates a situation where chunks of the curriculum are not covered during the year, frustrating both students and teachers. This indicates that students at a certain grade level don’t have the background to master concepts they should have already been introduced to, and the problem increases each year.

Dr. Lang reported that the new Connecticut Curriculum Framework has been designed to support the development of math literacy in all students, foster the systematic use of technological tools to enhance access to math concepts, encourage an active student involvement with math, and integrate content standards of algebraic reasoning, numerical and proportional reasoning, geometry and measurement, and working with data throughout all grade levels.

The Generation 4 Mathematics Portion of the CMT has been designed to include testing at all grade levels, with spring rather than fall testing, and higher NCLB targets. Additionally, if the traditional view is held that the primary purpose of elementary school math is to teach students how to compute, we will fail for preparing them for the CMT. Dr. Lang gave an example of a fourth grade test in which only 16 out of 116 points, less than 15% of the test, is devoted to basic facts and computation. Dr. Lang stated that the CMT also tests number sense, estimation, geometry and measurement, data and graphs, probability, algebraic reasoning and problem solving. She produced several graphs, which illustrated the type of questions seen on the CMT tests.

Dr. Lang continued with a Mathematics Program of Excellence: A Vision, which states that the textbook is not the curriculum, merely one resource employed to assist in teaching; that all students are capable of learning math beyond traditional arithmetic; that all classes from elementary school on up should involve students in algebraic and geometric thinking as well as working with data. Additionally, it was stated that no activity is more beneficial in a math classroom than writing. Through writing, students begin to clarify the thinking of ideas and processes, and when teachers review this, they can pinpoint difficulties and misconceptions along the way. Dr. Lang felt that by integrating mathematics and writing it addresses the claim that there isn’t enough time in the school day to address curriculum objectives in all subjects.

Dr. Lang stated that because technology has revolutionized the way math should be taught, as well as what is included and emphasized in the curriculum, it is necessary to examine and assess data to inform instruction and evaluate the curriculum. Also, the amount of student-to-student interaction in the classroom should be increased. It is necessary for students to connect new learning to prior learning and to relate math concepts and skills to everyday life in order to retain information. And by allowing students to investigate new mathematical ideas best enables the students to arrive at an understanding and make the necessary connections.

In closing, Dr. Lang noted that, since September 2004, the administration has extensively analyzed the current elementary math program and CMT data; communicated their vision for elementary mathematics; aligned the progress report to the CMT; produced a condensed and focused curriculum and textbook mapping for grades 3-5; provided professional development targeted at the elementary level; added a math component to summer school; and began a K-2 pilot program of standards-based math at four elementary schools. The next steps should be the development of pacing guidelines for grades 3-5 and a condensed curriculum for grade 2; the finding of more resources to support the elementary math program; the development of common grade level assessments; continued professional development for elementary math teachers; and the addressing of gifted students’ needs.

Dr. Corda asked Mr. Keogh to explain the pacing guidelines. Mr. Fuller stated that math presents the most frustration for parents who are assisting their children with homework. Mr. Kimmel stated that, in New York State, there are special textbooks provided for parents, with a goal of getting parents and children to solve problems together and that it is very much appreciated by the parents. He suggested Norwalk look into creating something similar.

Dr. Corda reported that the Board has been given new High School course descriptions and rationale for each course. He stated there will be a brief overview later with a chance for the Board to ask questions. He stated the 2004-05 Strategic School Reports have been mailed to all Board members, and suggested if they have any comments or questions on the content, to give his office a call.

Dr. Corda mentioned the NCLB lawsuit and gave the Board a list of 96 schools in Connecticut who have adopted resolutions supporting the Attorney General’s suit against the federal government. He also spoke briefly about the retirement of Mr. Frank Harris as Food Service Director for the Norwalk Public Schools, and indicated that a sample of the awards Mr. Harris has received is attached to the Board members’ copies of his report.

V. PUBLIC COMMENTS

Mr. Frank Nash of Norwalk addressed the Board. He stated that he had two daughters who attended Rowayton Elementary School. His reason for speaking this evening was to discuss the problem of seat restraints for children on field trips. He stated that because of the new regulations regarding seat restraints, Rowayton Elementary School, as well as other Norwalk schools, has cancelled field trips because of possible liability to parents or teachers who provide transportation for field trips in their personal vehicles. Mr. Nash asked the Board to clarify or determine the liability for this. He also asked if the school district could either provide funds to obtain seat restraints or provide liability clarification.

Mr. Nash also invited the Board to attend a Reader and Writer Workshop to be held at Rowayton Elementary School on Thursday, November 17 at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Nash concluded his remarks by thanking Mayor Knopp for all that he has done to improve the educational opportunities for Norwalk’s children and for improving the maintenance of school buildings throughout the City.

VII. ACTIONS

A. Consent

1. Approval of personnel actions 2. Approval of budget transfers

** MS. BISHOP-PULLAN MOVED TO APPROVE THE CONSENT ACTIONS. ** MR. VETTER SECONDED. ** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

B. Approval of Contracts 7/1/05-6/30/08

1. Superintendent 2. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum 3. Chief Operating Officer

** MR. FULLER MOVED TO APPROVE THE CONTRACTS. ** MS. RIVERA SECONDED.

Ms. Murray called for discussion on the item. Mr. Kimmel stated he wanted to complement the Board on the way the contract negotiations were held and said they had done an excellent job. Mr. Vetter stated that he agreed with Mr. Kimmel’s comments and wanted to state that the Board had been remiss this year in allowing the contracts to slide, and pointed out that any decisions the Board made on the contracts are retroactive to July 2005.

** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

VIL. INFORMATION & REPORTS

A. New High School Courses

Dr. Lang distributed a short summary of the courses to the Board and briefly discussed the course selections and how the choice of the courses was arrived at. She stated that new math courses were an Introduction to Programming with computer applications and an advanced placement Computer Science (JAVA) course. In Business Ed, new courses are Personal Word Processing and Computer Literacy, Intro to the Internet, Web Page Design, Computer Applications for Business 1 & 2, Computer Construction/Repair, CISCO Networking 1 & 2 and Computerized Accounting. Technology Education courses are Architectural Design, Architectural and Engineering Design, Digital Electronics, Intro to Graphic Communications, and Graphic Communications 1 & 2.

Proposals for additional courses were presented to the Board by the Department chairs and Instructional Specialists from the Norwalk School System, including Ms. Yvette McKee, Ms. Elaine Lane, principal of Briggs High School, and Ms. Joan Glass, BMHS Center for Global Studies. The Board heard proposals for the following courses: In science, Biotechnology; Science & Technology; and a change in Physical Science which would require the fulfillment of a graduation requirement. In Family & Consumer Science, a new Culinary Arts program was proposed; in Social Studies, AP Economics; in World Languages, AP Spanish Literature; in ESOL/Bilingual, Academic Enhancement (English), and at Briggs High School, the Briggs-Norwalk Community College Academy. At the Center for Global Studies, AP Chinese, AP Japanese, Arabic I, Intro to Asian Art History, Chinese IV, Literature of China, History of the Middle East: From Ancient Civilization to Modern Times, International Human Rights, and Literature of Japan were all proposed as new courses.

Mr. Polley asked if Norwalk does promotional activities to any colleges. Mr. Fuller stated that Middle Eastern Studies is a hot topic at the moment. Ms. Bishop-Pullan agreed and said it was a great chance for Norwalk to be offering the courses. Mr. Fuller questioned Ms. Glass as to the ethnic breakdown of the Center for Global Studies. Ms. Glass stated that enrollment was approximately 25 percent minority and mentioned that she would like to see more minority students in the classes.

Dr. Corda stated that these course proposals will come to the Board in the form of a resolution in September. He said the plan is to make what they’ve heard tonight happen, Dr. Corda said that if the Board looks at the courses proposed and the number of AP courses proposed, it is a testament to the efforts they are making to try to continually offer a rigorous curriculum for their students that compels them to excel. He stated they are absolutely committed to addressing issues related to the achievement gap, but they also have a responsibility to students who are high achievers to make sure they are challenged, and the kind of offerings that are being described tonight are a testimony to that.

Dr. Corda said that in a few weeks, as the calendar is being reformulated now because of the recent approval of the voters to change the budget calendar, he will be coming to the Board with a proposed budget, and he wanted to reinforce as he tries to do annually, that the budget is not a thing, it is the plan to make what you have heard tonight happen and that this is the manifestation of an instructional plan brought before the Board several weeks ago. Dr. Corda commended Dr. Lang for her efforts in terms of creating a rationale and the sense of purposefulness in the kinds of courses that have been offered, and what the Board has heard from the department chairs, instructional specialists, etc. also illustrates why instructional specialists are essential parts of the Norwalk schools. He also commended Ms. Glass on her work in putting together the course offerings for the Center for Global Studies and stated that she is directly responsible for the success of the Center.

B. 2004-2005 Strategic School Profiles

Dr. Corda stated that this was placed on the agenda because the Board members have received their copies, and any questions they may have or any additional information they might need, please let his office know and they will be happy to get it to them.

C. Board Members Announcements

Mr. Polley thanked Mayor Knopp for his accomplishments benefiting the school district during his tenure as mayor.

Mayor Knopp asked Ms. Murray for permission to address the Board. He stated that as this was his last meeting with the current Board, he had two requests to make of them. The first request was to ask that Norwalk adopt as a Sister City Long Beach, Mississippi, one of the Gulf Coast towns decimated by Hurricane Katrina, for humanitarian and relief work, school-to-school and Board-to-Board relationships. Mayor Knopp’s second request was to state that he hopes the Board will take up the Connecticut Coalition for funding.

Mayor Knopp pointed out that, during his time on the Board over the past four years, he had never had the opportunity to use his vote to break a tie. He asked that the Board, when moving to adjourn the evening’s meeting, please vote four members for and four members against, so he could use his vote this one time. Mayor Knopp then said he would distribute a gold Seal of the City of Norwalk pin to each member of the Board in appreciation for their efforts under his administration. He thanked Ms. Rivera, who was leaving the Board, for her work, and welcomed Mr. Greg Burnette as a new Board member.

Ms. Murray stated that she had enjoyed her term as Board Chairman very much and was proud of their many accomplishments. Ms. Rivera remarked that she had also enjoyed her time as a Board member and felt the Board has made real progress in the City. She stated that she was also very proud of the work they had done, and that she was sorry to be leaving.

IX. ADJOURNMENT

** MR. VETTER MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING. ** MR. FULLER SECONDED. ** MOTION PASSED WITH FOUR MEMBERS SAYING AYE; FOUR MEMBERS OPPOSED; AND MAYOR KNOPP VOTING TO ADJOURN IN ORDER TO BREAK THE TIE.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:58 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Linda J. Hayes Telesco Secretarial Services

Category: Minutes