October 2013 State Board Report

Once again, the progress on the search for a new Commissioner of Education took top billing at the State Board of Education meeting. Board Vice President Mark Quandahl provided the following timeline for the search:

Application Deadline: October 15
Search Committee meets with Proact to select semifinalists: November 6
Search Committee interviews semi-finalists: November 25-26
Board interviews finalists along with policy partners, education committee: December 11-12-13

The December interview days will be full-day affairs at the Holiday Inn in downtown Lincoln, and because of the full board participation, these will be open meetings. Board members were asked to submit any specific questions for interviewees to either President Patricia Timm or NDE Human Resources Director Joel Scherling by October 9th.

NDE staff also presented the Board with further information on the State of the Schools Report, which was released at the end of September. Dean Folkers, of the Data, Research, and Evaluation team at NDE, updated the Board on changes in the way data is displayed. He highlighted both state and federal accountability sections of the report, as well as the other areas of the data, reminding Board members that public release of data used to be in November, and this year, they were able to release data over a month earlier. Diane Stuehmer informed the Board of schools falling under the classification of Needs Improvement for both Title I and non-Title I schools, stating that while the state does have schools not making AYP, it is not a percentage to be concerned about. Board member Molly O'Holleran added that the public should look at the trend data, which indicates that schools are improving overall -- and to remember that 2014 is the year in which all schools are to be at 100% proficiency as per federal requirements. To clarify the differences between state and federal accountability, Stuehmer reminded the Board that "while NePAS [the state accountability model] looks at growth, AYP has a bar that keeps on raising."

Other updates and presentations to the Board included information and updates to Nebraska's career and technical education and upcoming vacancies on the State Accreditation Committee. 

To view the meeting in its entirety, visit http://www.education.ne.gov/StateBoard/Video_Archives.html