Academics, Innovation, Evaluation, and Technology Committee - Regular Meeting

Good afternoon, and welcome to the Academics Innovation Evaluation and Technology meeting. If we can get started. All right, so welcome to the committee meeting for April 15th. I now call the Academics Innovation Evaluation Technology Committee meeting to order. The time is now 1-0-1. Before we get started, to state the committee membership, Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mendigal is our committee chair. She's not able to be here today, and so as committee vice chair, I will be conducting the meeting. Dr. Steve Gallen III, Mr. Robert Alonzo are both members, Mr. Daniel Espino, Ms. Lisa Santo, alternate

Thank you. All right, our next order of business would be to move the G items to the floor. May I have a motion? Move it. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Mr. Harvey, the floor is yours for G4.

Any board members have any questions? No. Okay, so next order of business would be to, I'm sorry, can I get a motion to move to the board meeting, the G items?

Move to approve. Second. All in favor? Aye.

Thank you. All right, so our next order of business, to move the H items to the floor, can I have a motion? All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Our H item, we have H6, Vice Chair Colucci.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and to my colleagues on the board. This is an item that I've been bringing forth since I've been on the board. I think it's imperative, especially in today's day and age where we have so many issues with mental health that as a district we monitor Of course, at all times, ensuring the privacy and confidentiality and the data of our students, where we are and the services that we're providing. So I won't read the whole item to you, but basically it's the same thing that I've been proffering year after year. It's just for us to keep track and to keep moving forward as a d

Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. Any questions or comments? Yes, thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Board Member Colucci, you have some comments? Thank you for your comments, Madam Chair. I couldn't concur with you more.

And I would just like to add, the first time you presented this, I thought it was a lot. I wasn't sure if our team could do it. They have been, and I think it's great data. And I just want to highlight some of the things you mentioned with alignment with all of the different providers and the outcomes of services provided and efficiencies. I recently had a phone conversation with Ms. Stewart and that was one of the things that she told me I know they're already looking at, at looking at ways of streamlining the process We want to make sure we have things in place. We don't want it to be so, yo

And if I may, Madam Chair, just that was another item that I had proffered previously about bringing together the stakeholders so that things weren't fragmented and disjointed. So yes, so thank you for bringing that forward.

All right, if I can get a motion for co-sponsorships. Can I get a second? All in favor? Aye. Thank you. Motion to move the item as amended to the board meeting. All in favor? Aye. Thank you. All right, next item on the agenda is new business from board members. Any board member have some new business they'd like to bring up?

I know, I'm recognizing you because I'm the chair of this committee.

Thank you. Thank you. And yes, and we know she's always on top of things and whenever she needs me to cover, she's always prepared and her team's always willing to help. So I have always appreciated that. I do just have one quick question for staff. When I first came on and proffered an item about the college boot camps, and just to get an update, is that something we're going to be able to offer again this year?

Okay, perfect. Thank you. And I assume everything's in motion as usual. Perfect. Thank you. All right. Staff follow-up. We have the H6 item, Accelerating Student Achievement Through Above-Grade-Level Learning Opportunities in Reading and Math. I believe the staff follow-up was presented. If you have some questions.

Yes, Madam Chair, I do. I have several questions and several concerns about this follow-up. First of all, I want to thank the team for this update and this review. But I went through this very, very carefully. follow-up because it's something so important as we move forward as a district I really really firmly believe that we have to continue elevating and raising the bar for our students so I went one by one through the recommends that were unanimously approved by this board and board direction. So I just want to give my feedback and get any input from my colleagues, but the first recommend w

Right, thank you, through the chair. I did see that, but what was asked was an analysis of the courses available that includes, for me, anywhere in that I did not see an analysis. An analysis means take data and applying it, and I don't see that anywhere. I mean, maybe it could be me, but I just don't see that. So I think that that's something that needs to go back and be looked at. um under the uh that portion um some schools enrollment in accelerated and advanced learning courses exceeds the numbers achieving levels four and five reflecting broader access to advanced coursework beyond those

Through the chair, I don't think I'm understanding. The board agreed on a district-wide plan. I don't see that. I don't see metrics, I don't see how we're gonna move. I want strategies and how we're gonna move. I see more of what is being done, a compilation of what is being done, but what are we gonna do to move the needle? That's what the item was intended for, it was very clear, develop a district-wide accelerated and advanced learning plan for reading and mathematics. I mean, maybe I'm missing something here, but I mean, that's, I think that, you know, These, none of those documents that y

That is correct, and that's what I understood when we, and I think the board agreed upon as a directive that that's what we wanted, a strategic plan for district-wide implementation. It said it very clearly. I'm gonna move on to number three because I know people are tired, and I don't wanna drag this out, but the third one was Implement district-wide multi-measure criteria for identifying and placing students into accelerated and advanced learning courses with intentional outreach to ensure access to all student groups. And I think that that's critical. To ensure intentional outreach. So what

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for those comments. And yes, I look forward to getting a revised version for me and obviously if my colleagues are on

Yeah, and I think I was just going to interject really quick. I know one of the things that I mentioned when you brought the item up is we have students in gifted and we have students that get assistance, but that middle group, that's identified those that we can move on, that even if they're not identified gifted but are really high, and I know sometimes we put high achievers with gifted, right, but How do we move that, like you said, move that needle to those students that have the potential to be high achieving with just a little bit of a greater push, like you said, putting that expectatio

Thank you, Dr. Gallin, and given that it was your item, I obviously wanted you to speak first, but as I looked through the staff follow-up, that was one of the things that I felt was missing, because I remember also interjecting when you brought forth the item, and it was like, how do we make this where it's a person, there's a person that's orienting them through it, not just, here's the website, go figure this out, right? I think that was the element that you were trying to bring through it, so. I look forward to hearing some of that. And I think that's ways to make it feel like a home exper

Thank you, Madam Chair. Dr. Gallin, you have some comments or questions?

All right, thank you. Any other comments, business? All right, seeing no other business before us, I say this meeting is adjourned.