In schools, self-esteem boosting is losing favor to rigor, finer-tuned praise

Michael Alison Chandler
The Washington Post
January 15, 2012

For decades, the prevailing wisdom in education was that high self-esteem would lead to high achievement. The theory led to an avalanche of daily affirmations, awards ceremonies and attendance certificates — but few, if any, academic gains.

Now, an increasing number of teachers are weaning themselves from what some call empty praise. Drawing on psychology and brain research, these educators aim to articulate a more precise, and scientific, vocabulary for praise that will push children to work through mistakes and take on more challenging assignments. Consider teacher Shar Hellie’s new approach in Montgomery County.

To get students through the shaky first steps of Spanish grammar, Hellie spent many years trying to boost their confidence. If someone couldn’t answer a question easily, she would coach him, whisper the first few words, then follow up with a booming “¡Muy bien!”

But on a January morning at Rocky Hill Middle School in Clarksburg, the smiling grandmother gave nothing away. One seventh-grade boy returned to the overhead projector three times to rewrite a sentence, hesitating each time, while his classmates squirmed in silence.

“You like that?” Hellie asked when he settled on an answer. He nodded. Finally, she beamed and praised the progress he was making — in his cerebral cortex.

“You have a whole different set of neurons popping up there!” she told him.

A growing body of research over three decades shows that easy, unearned praise does not help students but instead interferes with significant learning opportunities. As schools ratchet up academic standards for all students, new buzzwords are “persistence,” “risk-taking” and “resilience” — each implying more sweat and strain than fuzzy, warm feelings.

“We used to think we could hand children self-esteem on a platter,” Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck said. “That has backfired.”

Read more HERE.

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 1/10/12

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, January 10 will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, Verizon FIOS Channel 12 and is available via webstream at http://www.ccboe.com/ . To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.

The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent. Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes.

Executive session - 10 a.m.

Call to order - 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance, Henry E. Lackey High School JROTC

Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman

Motion to elect Wise as Chair by Cook; Second by Abell

Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Motion to elect Cook as Vice Chair by Lukas; Second by Wise

Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Motion to elect Lukas as Vice Chair by Bowie; Second by Pedersen

Lukas respectfully removed his nomination

Superintendent's update to the Board - Spoke of Cunningham's passing. Read report

Correspondence/Board member updates

• all took turns speaking of Mr. Cunningham
• Lukas - visit to schools, thank you
• Bowie - anti-bullying correspondence from parents; parents' rights; forum at Jaycees on 1/23
• Lukas - donation of tickets to the Nutcracker ballet in DC for under-privileged children...thank you
• Richmond - Ms. Dorsey and Mr. Cornette will be in charge of school operations

Education Association of Charles County update - read report

Student Board member update - see report

School administration - enrollment update

• 9/30 enrollment = 26,778
• 12/15 enrollment = 26,924
• greatest growth in African-American, Hispanic, and Multi-Racial ethnic groups
• greatest growth at Diggs, Davis, Neal, and North Point

CIP update - see report

ESOL program and Bunkyo trip - See Report

Policy #3430, Accounts: Opening and closing accounts - See Report

FY 2012 budget update - See report - breakfast

Legislative update

• no increase in state funding, but will remain steady; 7 counties in MD did NOT meet maintenance of effort
• teacher retirement may be put on counties

Unfinished business - none

New business

• Wade asked for our position on MLK Breakfast. Tickets are to be bought individually if we want to attend.

Future Agenda items - None

Recognition - 4:30 p.m.

• Students - Caleb Caine, fifth grade, Academic Achievement, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary; Jaylyn Pinchem, fifth grade, Personal Responsibility, Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary; Micaela Patin, fifth grade, Career Readiness, William B. Wade Elementary School; Paul Adams, II, eighth grade, Academic Achievement, Matthew Henson Middle School
• Staff - Lauren Washington, first grade teacher, Jenifer; Velta Williams, Secretary to the Principal, Mudd; Audre Codrington, school psychologist IA, Wade; Immaculada Dove, special education, IA, F.B. Gwynn Educational Center; Michael Forrest, science teacher, Henson
• Resolutions: African American History Month - Accepting: AVID advocates and students; Jada Proctor, 7th grade and Michelle James, school counselor, General Smallwood Middle School; Loren Ward, 9th grade and Laura Buzzell, math teacher, Henry E. Lackey High School; Dielle McMillan, 11th grade, Daquan Patterson, 11th grade, and Jacqueline Cheaves, school counselor, Westlake High School
  Career and Technical Education Week: Accepting: Chitra Sharma, Chairperson, Charles County Commission for Women
  National School Counseling Week: Accepting: Michelle James, school couselor, General Smallwood Middle School; Wanda Proctor, school counselor, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School
• La Plata High School Thespian Society
• Nathan Freeman, winner of the 2011 Student Space Flight Experiments Program (SSEP) Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-135 mission patch design contest

Public Forum - 6 p.m. - None

Action items

• Minutes
Motion to accept the Minutes by Cook; Second by Abell
Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise
• Personnel
Motion to accept Personnel by Pedersen; Second by Cook
Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Adjournment

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 1/10/12

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 10, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. and student and staff recognition starts at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS 12 and is rebroadcast throughout the week. All televised Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/. 
Executive session - 10 a.m.

Call to order - 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance, Henry E. Lackey High School JROTC

Election of Chairman and Vice Chairman
.
Superintendent's update to the Board

Reports of officers/board/committees

• Correspondence/Board member updates
• Education Association of Charles County update
• Student Board member update
• School administration - enrollment update
• CIP update
• ESOL program and Bunkyo trip
• Policy #3430, Accounts: Opening and closing accounts
• FY 2012 budget update
• Legislative update

Unfinished business

New business and future agenda items

• New business
• Future agenda items

Recognition - 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Staff

Resolutions: African-American History Month, Career and Technology Education Month and National School Counseling Week

• La Plata High School Thespian Society
• Nathan Freeman, winner of the 2011 Student Space Flight Experiments Program (SSEP) Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-135 mission patch design contest

Public Forum - 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel

Adjournment

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 12/13/11

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, December 13 will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, Verizon FIOS Channel 12 and is available via webstream at http://www.ccboe.com/ . To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.
The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent. Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes.

Executive session- 12 p.m.

Call to order- 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance

Superintendent's update to the Board - see report. Extra discussion on tele-presence

Correspondence/Board member updates

• Pedersen - dinner at Mt. Hope/ Nanjemoy was delicious.
• Pedersen - Career Day at Mattawoman was very successful
• Cook - All County Orchestra was fabulous
• Wade - Joint Military Ball was very colorful and was very valuable for our cadets
• Wise - Portfolio interviews; North Point...several are done on disc and include videos
• Bowie - Senior interviews; very impressed; MABE legislative seminar was very informative
• Wise - Wade was honored for the citizen of the year by Omega Si Phi

Education Association of Charles County update - See report

Student Board member update - See report

Deputy Superintendent update - Maryland State Golf Championship - McDonough High School

CIP update

• IAC appeal
• SMECO presentation of refund check - $145,708 for partnership on energy conservation (Demand Response Program)

F. B. Gwynn Center Renovations - see report (Power Point to be added to board docs post meeting)

Student Transfers

• Dr. Vaira - Principals' meeting changes requested...deadline from March to May. Concerns with item #5 and #6.
• Mr. Richmond - Recommends leaving the current policy & rules in place and let staff review them and come back to the board with recommendations.
• Abell - was going to recommend strike #5 & #6 from the committee's recommendation. Current enrollment numbers show 9 elementary schools, 4 middle schools and two high schools with openings due to being under state-rated capacity.
• Bowie - asked if possible to form committee to include teachers without children in the system.
• Lukas - concerned with wording on capacity limitations
• Lukas - questioned reasoning for changing the policy to begin with
• Abell - board wanted to take a look at the policy/rules based on a report given in August showing the number of out-of zone transfers. Consideration must be given to the legal appeals that come before the board involving out-of-zone transfer denials. The board is tasked with deciding whether or not the Superintendent's denial contains one or more of four elements: illegal, immoral, unreasonable, or arbitrary. The first three aren't an issue. It's the "arbitrary." The committee's recommendation was based on policies in place in other counties across Maryland to close any loopholes and remove the question as to whether or not a decision was arbitrary.

Motion to accept the Superintendent's recommendation by Cook; Second by Lukas

Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Legislative Update

• key issues are funding, teacher retention and maintenance of effort
• do NOT expect any additional funding over last year from the state
• possible shift of teacher retirement cost to local governments
• more information after the session begins

Unfinished business

• Hettel - Subsitutes: 360 had degrees of BA or BS and above. 350 are below. No count on AA degrees because we don't ask, but the question has been asked and they are collecting the data.

New business

• Lukas - North Point removal of "nest" time.
• Full discussion took place on the single lunch periods.
• Bowie - anti-bullying seminar

Future agenda items

• Pedersen - referenced an article on diversity

Recognition- 4:30 p.m.

• Students - Duane Kizer, fifth grade, Academic Achievement, C. Paul Barnhart; Arrin Sanders, fifth grade, Personal Responsibility, Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School; Elise Hopkins, eighth grade, Academic Achievement, John Hanson Middle School, Principal; Lashawn Queen, twelfth grade, Career Readiness, Henry E. Lackey High School
• Staff - Robynn Mudd, first grade teacher, Barnhart; Tina Thomas, secretary, Brown; Brenda Richards, gifted education teacher, Hanson; Laura Buzzell, mathematics teacher, Lackey
• War of 1812 DVD Project: La Plata High School seniors: Geoffrey Hammersley; Christopher Cheney; Jonathan Teeney; Matthew Bellerose; Casey Gaskins and Jennifer Munoz; and Michael Mazzeo, history teacher, La Plata

Public Forum- 6 p.m.

• Liz Brown - EACC - still has members that want to speak on how potential changes could affect their lives
• Mary Fenton - J C Parks Elementary - thank you for allowing her children to attend local schools. Please keep policy that allows this to continue
• Jennifer Turner - Piccowaxen - 2 children that had attended local school. School family. Supporting colleagues. Daughter got out of zone transfer to LaPlata. Can't believe it got this far.
• Debborah Hahn - Middleton - 29 years. Son graduated already but had an issue in elementary school and she was allowed to transfer her son. Son got chicken pox at school and was allowed to sit in the office while she completed her class.
• Cindy Hangartner - Wade - benefits received, enjoys perk. Saves on daycare and can be more involved with her own son's education who attends with her. Teachers will still give 100% but extra curricular activities will be affected. Several colleagues live outside of county and are weighing what their options are if they have to pay tuition.
• Christy Nelson - Piccowaxen - has a daughter that is nonverbal special needs child who attends out of zone. Very upsetting to think she may need to find another daycare and school for her daughter.
• Kelly Craft - Risk losing amazing teachers. Consider the life of a teacher: we knew what we were getting into when we became teachers, but bringing our children to school with us lessens the stress. Please reconsider.
• JoAnn Garner - T.C. Martin - 11 years - lives in St. Mary's county. Has a 4 and 7 year old. Son attends TC Martin. Consider all the contributions the teachers already make prior to imposing tuition. Works from 7 -6 every day and her son is with her. Please reconsider.
• Sean Starcher - LaPlata HS - son will be entering 6th grade next year. Wants son to attend Somers. 13 years ago, took a pay cut to come here. Will have to reconsider her employment if this policy passes.
• James Brietinger - moved to La Plata...both students attend LaPlata High School out of zone. Retired but wife is a teacher. Thinks policy change is disguised as overcrowding. Has not seen statistics on enrollment that justify overcrowding. Quoted Item #8 as the only difference he sees that tightened up loop holes.
• Rick Hood - Band teacher at Somers - daughter is a sophmore at La Plata HS. Lives in Hollywood. Stays after frequently and daughter stays with him. Has received an excellent education.
• Julianna Herscher - TC Martin - son is an 8th grader at Hanson out-of-zone. Did not feel comfortable with him walking to and from local school Stoddert. IRT so her work location could change from year to year. Children maintain highh academic standards and they are not discipline problems or have transportation issues.

Action items

• Minutes
Motion to accept by Abell; Second by Wade
Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise
• Personnel
Motion to accept by Wade; Second by Pedersen
Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Adjournment

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 12/13/11

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Dec. 13 at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. and student and staff recognition starts at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS 12 and is rebroadcast throughout the week. All televised Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/.


Executive session- 12 p.m.


Call to order- 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance


Superintendent's update to the Board

Correspondence/Board member updates

Education Association of Charles County update


Student Board member update

Deputy Superintendent update


CIP update


F. B. Gwynn Center Renovations

Student Transfers

Legislative Update

Unfinished business

New business

Future agenda items

Recognition- 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Staff

Public Forum- 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel

Adjournment

Green Ribbon award will recognize eco-friendly schools

Michael Alison Chandler
Maryland Schools Insider/The Washington Post
December 5, 2011

The federal government has long awarded schools with stellar academic achievement a Blue Ribbon. Now there is another way for schools to shine, with a Green Ribbon for environmental achievement.

The new award will go to schools with strong environmental curriculum and healthy and sustainable learning environments.

The Maryland Education Department is looking for the greenest schools to nominate for the first round of Green Ribbons.

Is your school outfitted with solar panels and surrounded by gardens that serve as outdoor classrooms? Are the students working on team projects to come up with new ways to limit greenhouse gases? It might be eligible.

“The greatest privilege we have in our short time on this planet is to make the world a better place for the next generation,” said Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D). “We are pleased that our schools will get an opportunity to be nationally recognized for their efforts to create a cleaner, greener and healthier planet.”

Last year, Maryland became the first state to make environmental literacy a graduation requirement. And the state already recognizes “green schools” and “green centers” that promote outdoor learning.

Schools both public and private can apply beginning in mid-December, and the state will select up to four to nominate. The Green Ribbons will be awarded in April.

When an adult took standardized tests forced on kids

Valerie Strauss
The Answer Sheet/The Washington Post
December 6, 2011

Original post:

This was written by Marion Brady, veteran teacher, administrator, curriculum designer and author.

A longtime friend on the school board of one of the largest school systems in America did something that few public servants are willing to do. He took versions of his state’s high-stakes standardized math and reading tests for 10th graders, and said he’d make his scores public.

By any reasonable measure, my friend is a success. His now-grown kids are well-educated. He has a big house in a good part of town. Paid-for condo in the Caribbean. Influential friends. Lots of frequent flyer miles. Enough time of his own to give serious attention to his school board responsibilities. The margins of his electoral wins and his good relationships with administrators and teachers testify to his openness to dialogue and willingness to listen.

He called me the morning he took the test to say he was sure he hadn’t done well, but had to wait for the results. A couple of days ago, realizing that local school board members don’t seem to be playing much of a role in the current “reform” brouhaha, I asked him what he now thought about the tests he’d taken.

“I won’t beat around the bush,” he wrote in an email. “The math section had 60 questions. I knew the answers to none of them, but managed to guess ten out of the 60 correctly. On the reading test, I got 62% . In our system, that’s a “D”, and would get me a mandatory assignment to a double block of reading instruction.

Read more HERE.

New Out-of-Zone Student Transfer Policy and Rules

Seeking input, comments, and feedback. 

The original policy can be found here and no changes are recommended.

The original Superintendent's Rules can be found here.

The sub-committee's proposed changes can be found here.  The only requested change/addition to the recommendation is a grandfather clause.

Let me know what you think.

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS ADDED BELOW

Out-of-Zone Transfer report from August Board meeting can be found here.

Current enrollment numbers by school can be found (link coming soon).  (note - due to a recent vote by the commissioners, we are suppose to be using "state rated capacity" not "core capacity)

Tuition for out-of-county students = $6,925
Tuition for out-of-state students = $11,125

Notes from Board of Education Work Session, 11/28/11

The Board of Education Work Session on Monday, November 28 will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, Verizon FIOS Channel 12 and is available via webstream at http://www.ccboe.com/ . To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.

The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent. Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes.

Call to order – 6 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance
Public Forum

• None

Work session discussions
Student transfers committee update

• Abell - review of new Superintendent's Rules #5126.
• Schwartz - reviewed in detail
• Various principals gave input
• (Sorry got involved in conversation and didn't record everything...nothing with major heartburn)
• Will return in December as a Report Item and in January as an Action Item

Goals

• Benchmark #1 - to be reworded
• Benchmark #2 - recommendation to come from staff
• Benchmark #3 - deleted
• Benchmark #4 - deleted
• Benchmark #5 - to be reworded
• Benchmark #6 - deleted
• Benchmark #7 - deleted
• Benchmark #8 - deleted
• Benchmark #9 - to be reworded
• Benchmark #10 - reworded to increase the # of courses offered w/distance learning
• Pedersen - Bullying issues; Abell recommended including it with Benchmark #5 above pertaining to Safe Schools
• Pedersen - local control; conferring with state and federal leaders - possible communication type goal
• Pedersen - academic rigor
• Pedersen - recruiting minority teachers - deleted
• Pedersen - wants goal to include ESOL curriculum - will be report item
• Wade - IB program - cost prohibitive -
• Wade - educational exchange program - possible communication type benchmark
• Wade - joint military ball - deleted as a benchmark; annual event
• Lukas - parent involvement, tutoring available at centralized locations; Abell pointed out tutoring is available at libraries; maybe under communication goal for publicizing
• Lukas - SAT issue already addressed in previous Benchmarks
• Lukas - involvement of local civic organizations - communications
• Bowie - internal board communication; retreats; possible Board administration
• Bowie - proactive in community involvement; possible board communication goal
• Abell - previous goals and benchmarks reviewed - done
• Abell - Board subcommittees - board administration goal
• Wise - Board subcommittee for Benchmarks and Goals; Lukas, Bowie, Abell. Recommendations due at the work session at the end of February

Wise advised that MABE's fee for the Superintendent Search is $24,000

Adjournment

REMINDER: Board of Education Work Session, 11/28/11

The Board of Education of Charles County is holding a work session at 6 p.m., Monday, Nov. 28, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata. The meeting will be aired live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and streamed live on the school system Web site at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/.

The agenda is as follows:

Call to order – 6 p.m.

•  Pledge of Allegiance

Public Forum

Work session discussions

• Student transfers committee update
• Goals

Adjournment

High school hazing worries educators

Michael Alison Chandler
The Washington Post
November 14, 2011

The principal of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School said she tried for years to rein in hazing during homecoming week. One day each fall, older students would shower ninth-graders with paint, pelt them with ketchup, yell “Go back to Westland!” — the local middle school — and occasionally rough them up.

Karen Lockard banned spray paint on campus. She brought in an anti-bullying expert for an assembly. She encouraged classroom discussions about values.

None of that stopped this year’s Color Day spirit event from becoming, once again, “freshman beat-down day.” One student went to a hospital after being assaulted, and many wound up plastered in paint. It got so out of hand that Lockard canceled next year’s Color Day. “It’s hard to change tradition,” she said.

The episode last month in Montgomery County underscored that hazing persists in Washington area high schools, despite efforts to stamp it out.

“Whether you call it hazing or rites of passage, I’ve seen unacceptable behavior in high schools,” said Montgomery Superintendent Joshua P. Starr. “Our older kids should be helping our younger students succeed in school, not making them feel afraid.”

Read more HERE.

On Maryland tobacco farms, turning a tradition into potential health benefits

Surprise! A positive article about tobacco!


[The 2011 Charles County Fair Queen -- Queen Nicotina LXXVI -- is Ms. Meaghan Pfeiffer, who was sponsored by La Plata HS SGA. Ms. Jacqueline James was first runner-up and Ms. Kourtney Wathen was second runner-up.]

Ann Gerhart
The Washington Post
November 14, 2011

Can tobacco, the weed with a killer reputation, be the next miracle drug?

Warning: The subject of this exploration will constrict your blood vessels, choke your windpipe and dispatch you to an early grave, 5 million of you a year. The most lucrative crop the Americas have ever seen, it kept the British at bay, kept the enslaved entrapped, kept Hollywood sexy. Until it didn’t anymore.

Stipulation: Deep bows to the great public health triumph of wrestling Big Tobacco to the mat and changing human behavior. Never before were millions persuaded to give up a highly pleasurable, relatively cheap habit because it was bad for them. And never since.

But: Tobacco itself refuses to die. It’s stubborn. It’s meant to grow here. The seeds are tiny as a flea and germinate like crazy. In less than a month, you can have a robust green crop that’s good for much more than smoking. You can grow vaccines in it. Extract protein from it. Make drugs from it.

Ten years after Maryland became the only state to use its tobacco settlement money to pay hundreds of farmers to quit growing the evil sot-weed, it’s turning out that tobacco has redemptive virtues. Nobody needed to bother exploiting them before; the stuff was so fabulously successful for 400 years as a vice. Even nicotine, the natural and highly addictive chemical in tobacco, has its benefits.

People smoked in part because a cigarette could calm you down and pep you up. Now research studies are exploring exactly how nicotine may safely halt cognitive decline and help those with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, depression, schizophrenia and attention problems. The pure nicotine in the smoking cessation patch used in these studies is extracted from an American product that American farmers know how to grow.

Read more HERE.

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 11/8/11

The Board of Education Meeting on Tuesday, November 8 will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, Verizon FIOS Channel 12 and is available via webstream at http://www.ccboe.com/ . To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.

The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent.   Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes.

Executive session- 10 a.m.
Call to order- 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance

Superintendent's update to the Board - Read Report

Correspondence/Board member updates

• Wade - attended MABE Directors Retreat at BWI last week.  Survey for State Superintendent; encourages raise in board member salary
• Pedersen - Plays  & choral performances in Charles County high schools; legislative committee updates via email
• Bowie - Library is having holiday giveaway of eReaders, Nook, or Kindle; Daughters of American Revolution, citizenship contest.
• Wise - Adult graduation ceremony

Student Board member update - Read Report

Deputy Superintendent update - Results of Tell Survey.  See Report

CIP update - See report.

• Neal, Davis, and Diggs need to be redistricted.  Committee is forming and will be complete by end of this school year.

CCPS Environmental Education - See report

Substitutes - See report

• Cook - Substitutes should have at least an Associates degree.
• Pedersen - would like a report via updates on what this would do to our numbers.
• Bowie - are recent high school graduates allowed to sub in high schools?   NO, must be 21
• Lukas - clarification on requested report

Testing results - See report

Unfinished business

• Pederesen - non-residents attending schools, update.
• Richmond - 39 students were removed last year and it was a lot of work.  Still following up students.  13 students has been removed from North Point this year.

New business - None

Future agenda items - None

Recognition- 4:30 p.m.

• Students - Sydney Marohn-Johnson, fifth grade, Career Readiness, Dr. James Craik Elementary School; Katherine (Katie) Czysz, fifth grade, Personal Responsibility, Dr. Thomas Higdon Elementary School; Cole Lucia, fifth grade, Academic Achievement, Malcolm Elementary School; Isabella Glaze, eighth grade, Academic Achievement, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School
• Staff - Jillian M. Durr, elementary teacher, Craik; Mary Kate Long, Reading Resource teacher, Higdon; Lori A. Gould, Pre-School/LEEP Assistant, Malcolm, Theresa (Wanda) Proctor, school counselor, Stoddert Maryland School Counseling Association's Advocate of the Year Award: Ronald G. Cunningham, Deputy Superintendent of Schools

Public Forum- 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
Motion to accept October 4th Minutes by Pedersen; Second by Bowie
Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wise;  Abstain = Wade
Motion to accept October 11th Minutes by Cook; Second by Pedersen
Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise
Motion to accept October 24th Minutes by Cook; Second by Pedersen
Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade; Abstain = Wise
• Personnel
Motion to accept by Abell; Second by Pedersen
Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise
• Legislative positions 2012
Motion to accept by Pedersen; Second by Bowie
Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise
• Ethics policy
Motion to accept by Lukas; Second by Pedersen
Yes = Abell, Bowie, Cook, Lukas, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Adjournment

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 11/8/11

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 8 at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. and student and staff recognition starts at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS 12 and is rebroadcast throughout the week. All televised Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/.

Executive session- 10 a.m.

Call to order- 1 p.m. - Pledge of Allegiance

Superintendent's update to the Board

Correspondence/Board member updates

Education Association of Charles County update

Student Board member update

Deputy Superintendent update

CIP update

CCPS Environmental Education

Substitutes

Testing results

Unfinished business

New business

Future agenda items

Recognition- 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Staff

Public Forum- 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel
• Legislative positions 2012
• Ethics policy

Adjournment