National science test scores disappoint

By Nick Anderson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 25, 2011; 8:42 PM

About two-thirds of U.S. fourth-graders failed to show proficiency in science in 2009, the federal government reported Tuesday, meaning that the average student was likely to be stumped when asked to interpret a temperature graph or explain an example of heat transfer.

Seventy percent of eighth-graders and 79 percent of 12th-graders also fell short of science proficiency on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a key measure of performance in a subject that President Obama and business leaders call crucial for American competitiveness.

Read more HERE.

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 1/11/11

The Board Meeting on Tuesday, January 11th 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.

Recognition and Public Forum were removed from today's agenda due to inclement weather

Executive session 12 p.m.

Call to order 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance

Election of Chairman/Vice Chairman

Nominate Wise for Chair by Cook; Second by Abell

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

Nominate Cook for Vice-Chair by Abell; Second by Wise

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

Superintendent's update - Read Report; Update on inclement weather decisions

Correspondence/Board Member updates

• Cook - Residential Verification Committee with Del. Peter Murphy ready to begin work

Education Association of Charles County update - Read Report

Student Board Member update - Read Report

CIP update - Read Report

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives; Career Technology Education - See presentation
Legislative & Budget update - teacher retirement update...waiting on the governor's budget next week

Unfinished business -

• Wise - School visitation schedule for board members complete
• Wise - MABE Committee members - need volunteers
• Wise - NSBA Conference; board consensus is to try and send new board members

New business -

• Department of Education Resolution on Navy Housing -

Motion to accept by Abell; Second by Pedersen

Unanimous (Wade - not present)

Future agenda items -

Recognition 4:30 p.m. - canceled due to inclement weather

Public Forum 6 p.m. - canceled due to inclement weather

Action items

• Minutes

Motion to accept by Abell; Second by Pedersen

Yes = Abell, Cook, Pedersen, Wise; Abstain = Bowie, Lukas; Wade - not present

• Personnel

Motion to accept by Abell; Second by Pedersen

Unanimous (Wade - not present)

• Board policy 4610 amendment

Motion to accept by Abell; Second by Pedersen

Unanimous (Wade - not present)

Adjournment

New law labels interns 'highly qualified teachers'

By TERENCE CHEA
The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 4, 2011; 5:55 PM


SAN FRANCISCO -- Civil rights advocates are blasting new federal legislation that allows states to classify teaching interns as "highly qualified" teachers and regularly assign them to schools with mostly poor, minority students.

The measure, which remains in effect until the end of the 2012-13 school year, was signed Dec. 22 by President Barack Obama as part of an unrelated federal spending bill.

The legislation nullifies a Sept. 27 decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that California illegally classified thousands of teachers in training as "highly qualified" in violation of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Under that law, all students are supposed to be taught by "highly qualified" teachers who have earned state teaching credentials, but a 2004 Bush administration policy allowed states to give that status to interns working toward certification.

Read more HERE.

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 1/11/11

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 11, 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 Channel 12 and is rebroadcast throughout the week. The meeting is also streamed live on the Charles County Public Schools Web site.  Visit http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/ to watch the meeting.

 

Executive session 12 p.m.

 

Call to order 1 p.m.

 

Pledge of Allegiance, Thomas Stone High School's JROTC unit

 

Election of Chairman/Vice Chairman

 

Reports of officers/boards/committees

• Superintendent's update
• Correspondence/Board Member updates
• Education Association of Charles County update
• Student Board Member update
• CIP update
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives; Career Technology Education
• Budget update
• Legislative update

Unfinished business

New business and future agenda items

• New business
• Future agenda items

Recognition 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Employees
• Resolutions: African-American History Month; Career and Technical Education Month; and National School Counseling Week.

Public Forum 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel
• Board policy 4610 amendment

Adjournment