Join Fellow LaTEACH Members!

Put on your Purple

BESE needs to hear your voice!

June 9, 2014

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) meets next week. Of particular interest to LaTEACH members, BESE will consider:

Performance Reports for Alternative Schools and Alternative Programs
Pupil Progression Policies and Procedures

If these issues are important to you, contact your BESE member and put on your purple shirt to join fellow LaTEACH members at BESE!

WHEN: June 17 & 18, 2014

WHERE: Claiborne Building

The Louisiana Purchase Room (1-100)

1201 N. Third Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70802

LaTEACH members are encouraged to attend BESE meetings to remind BESE members who we are and that decisions should be made that consider the best interest of ALL kids.

If you don't have a purple LaTEACH shirt, contact your LaTEACH Regional Leader or info@lateach.org and we will provide one for you at the BESE meeting.

BESE Agendas

Click here for the link to the agenda for each June 2014 BESE Committee and Board meeting.

Tuesday, June 17

9:00 a.m. Educator Effectiveness Committee

10:30 a.m. Academic Goals and Instructional Improvement Committee

1:00 p.m. School Innovation and Turnaround Committee

1:30 p.m. Administration and Finance Committee

Wednesday, June 18

9:00 a.m. Joint BESE/Board of Regents

11:00 a.m. BESE (Full Board)

BESE Members

Contact your BESE member to tell them how you feel about these issues.

Click HERE for the list of BESE Members by district or use the list below.

Mr. Chas Roemer President	Chas.Roemer@la.gov	225.342.5840
Dr. Lottie Beebe	Lottie.Beebe@la.gov	337.412.2564
Ms. Holly Boffy Secretary-Treasurer	Holly.Boffy@la.gov	337.354.5572
Ms. Connie E. Bradford	Connie.Bradford@la.gov	225.342.5840
Mr. James D. Garvey, Jr. Vice President	James.Garvey@la.gov	504.836.6500
Mr. Jay Guillot	Jay.Guillot@la.gov	318.255.6825
Ms. Carolyn Hill	Carolyn.Hill2@la.gov	225.342.5840
Ms. Kira Orange Jones	Kira.OrangeJones@la.gov	225.342.5840
Mr. Walter Lee	Walter.Lee@la.gov	318.510.1111
Dr. Judith Miranti	Judith.Miranti@la.gov	225.342.5840
Ms. Jane Smith	Jane.Smith.BESE@la.gov	225.362.3058

Not sure which BESE member represents you?

Use the Louisiana map with BESE Districts linked here to find out.

Additional Information

Additional information about the issues BESE will consider is contained below.

Performance Reports for Alternative Schools and Alternative Programs

School Performance Scores matter - but apparently not for Alternative Schools. Earlier this year BESE created a different way for measuring whether Alternative Schools are successful other than its school performance score (SPS). For most schools, the SPS determines whether the school is deemed failing, that is, if it receives a score low enough to be labeled as either "C," "D," or "F." The consequences for a school to receive a low SPS are VERY high stakes (i.e., state take over; students and funding directed to other schools; or, in the case of charter schools, losing the contract to continue operating).

SPS are flawed. The more students with disabilities and in poverty a school enrolls the lower that school's SPS tends to be (read Educational Accountability and Reforms: Impact of One-Size-Fits-All Outcomes on Students with Disabilities). However, using a different school accountability formula for alternative schools is not the answer. The main concern is a dual system creates incentives for all schools to not enroll students with disabilities. Consider that alternative schools are those that:

are established to meet the specific needs of students with special challenges that require educational environments that are alternatives to the regular classroom;
house one or more programs designed to address discipline, dropout prevention and recovery, credit recovery, etc., and
do not provide programs only for students who are academically advanced, gifted, talented, or pursuing specific areas of study (arts, engineering, medical, technical, etc.)

This dual accountability system for schools also seems to be inconsistent with federal requirements and laws.

On a positive note, Superintendent White has shared plans to change the current school accountability system and is seeking input from advocates on how to best include stakeholder input into this process. As we move forward in creating a system that measures how well schools teach every student, LaTEACH members have requested, and will continue to request, BESE and Superintendent White to abandon the dual system for measuring success of schools.

Let BESE know if you disagree with having a separate accountability system for alternative schools.

Pupil Progression Policies and Procedures

Due to passage of HB1015 that will create alternative pathways for certain students to be promoted and graduate, the Department of Education is recommending for BESE to not move forward with the previous proposed policy changes related to student promotion (i.e., pupil progression). LaTEACH members will receive updates on proposals to align the pupil progression plan with HB1015.

Did You Take Action?

Please let us know if you contacted your BESE Member or attended a BESE meeting by emailing us at info@lateach.org.

Any questions?

If there are any questions about the information in this alert, contact LaTEACH at:
contact pic

Email: info@lateach.org

Phone: 1-800-450-8108

Phone: 1-800-894-6558

Website: www.lateach.org

LaTEACH is an initiative of the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council.