SBOE votes on credit recovery regulations at public meeting

Panelists to discuss graduation task force recommendations

Washington, DC-  The DC State Board of Education (SBOE) will hold its monthly public meeting on Wednesday, July 18, at 5:30 p.m. in the Old Council Chambers at 441 Fourth St. NW. Members will vote to adopt emergency and proposed statewide credit recovery regulations and hear testimony from two panels related to the recommendations of its High School Graduation Requirements Task Force. All meeting documents can be accessed on our information-sharing site. The public meeting will air live on District Knowledge Network (DKN) and will be streamed live via Periscope for those community members who are unable to attend in person.

The draft regulations to credit recovery from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) include both emergency and proposed rule changes. If approved by the SBOE, the emergency measure would be in place for 120 days after publication in the DC Municipal Register. The proposed regulations would be published for public comment through the regular regulatory process.

The SBOE will also convene two panels related to the work of its High School Graduation Requirements Task Force, which made recommendations to modify the District’s requirementswhich were adopted by the SBOE in May 2018. The first panel will feature Dwan Jordon, Head of Schools, KIPP DC; Karla Reid-Witt, High School Parent, Banneker High School; Cara Fuller, Principal, Ballou Stay High School; and Cosby Hunt, Senior Officer of Teaching & Learning, Center for Inspired Teaching. These four task force members will testify on their participation and decision-making during the task force.

The second panel will testify on the potential impact of high school graduation policies in DC and nationally. Panelists featured include Sally Schwartz, Executive Director, Globalize DC; Jennifer Zinth, Director of High School and STEM, Education Commission of the States; and Dr. Linda Eno, Assistant Commissioner, Division of Teaching and Learning, New Jersey Department of Education.

The draft agenda of the meeting is below. Please note that the agenda may be altered, modified or updated without notice.

I.         Call to Order
II.        Announcement of a Quorum
III.       Approval of the Agenda
IV.       Approval of the Minutes
V.        Comments from the President of the DC State Board of Education
VI.       Comments from the State Superintendent of Education
VII.      Public Comment
VIII.     Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Proposal (VOTE)
IX.       Credit Recovery in District Schools (VOTE)
X.        High School Graduation Requirements Recommendations
XI.       Adjournment

All students, parents, and educators, and community members are invited to provide testimony at public meetings. Individuals and representatives of organizations who wish to comment at a public meeting are asked to notify Board staff in advance by phone at (202) 741-0888 or by email at sboe@dc.gov no later than 48 hours in advance of the meeting. An electronic copy of testimony must be received no later than 48 hours prior to the meeting. Individuals are asked to furnish their names, addresses, telephone numbers, and organizational affiliation, if any. Individuals must also bring at least fifteen (15) copies of their written statements with them to the meeting.

The DC State Board of Education is an independent agency within the executive branch of the Government of the District of Columbia that advises the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), which is the District’s state education agency. The Board is comprised of nine elected representatives, each representing their respective wards, with one member representing DC at large, in addition to two student representatives. The Board approves education policies, sets academic standards, and determines teacher qualifications, while OSSE oversees education within the District and manages federal education funding. More information about the SBOE can be found at sboe.dc.gov.