State Board Of Education Approves Policies, Grants For 2003–2004

By Larissa Lytwyn

HARTFORD — During the May 7 and June 4 state Board of Education meetings, various policies relating to the nationally mandated No Child Left Behind Act, including a revised accountability system, were adopted and several grants were approved.

The board adopted the K-12 Statewide Accountability System in fulfillment of the No Child Left Behind Act requirement that each state convert or integrate its accountability system to reflect the requirements of the federal legislation. All public schools will be accountable for the performance of their students and student subgroups, including major racial/ethnic groups, students with disabilities, limited English-proficient students, and economically disadvantaged students. Adequate yearly progress (AYP), measured in such undertaking as the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT), will be determined for all students and each subgroup, provided that it meets the minimum size requirement.

Also established were five statutory goals for the state Board of Education. The board aims to achieve resource equity and equality of opportunity and increase student achievement, though protocol described in the No Child Left Behind Act. Other goals include reducing racial, ethnic, and economic isolation; improvement of effective instruction; and encouragement of parental and community involvement in public schools statewide.

The board also received a report describing bilingual education programs for 2001–2002. The report recommends, in part, the implementation of bilingual education academies to upgrade teachers’ skills and require that the state Department of Education continue to monitor staffing and programs for English language learners to ensure that districts provide assistance to all bilingual teachers and paraprofessionals to meet the requirements of “highly qualified staff” as defined in the No Child Left Behind Act.

The board, allowing training and technical assistance for child nutrition food service professionals and nutrition education for children, approved the 2003 Team Nutrition Training Grant in the amount of $200,000. Funds would also support efforts to involve school and child care administrators and other school and community partners in initiatives designed to promote healthy eating and physical activity.

Also approved, in the amount of $215,584, was the state’s Challenge for Community Service Learning grant for 2003–2006. Funds will support the state’s continued participation in the federal Learn and Serve America K-12 school-based program. Subgrants to local partnerships between school districts and community agencies will support programs that allow young people to volunteer their service to their communities, thereby developing good citizens and positive changes to the school and community.

A $2 million Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Grant was also approved, with funds promoting high-quality professional development programs to improve the knowledge and skills of early child educators who work in urban or rural high-poverty communities. The program focuses on early childhood pedagogy and the enhancement of children’s language and literacy skills to better prepare students for reading instructions once they enter school.

The board report is published monthly and posted on the Department’s site, www.state.ct.us/sde. For more information, contact 860-713-7002.