From the Desk of…
Diana Bourisaw, Superintendent
State Board of Education Hearing – Tuesday,
Jan. 30
The State Board of Education will hold a public meeting on
Tuesday, Jan. 30, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Harris-Stowe State
University auditorium (inside the Givens Administration Building,
3026 Laclede Ave.).
This is the opportunity for students, parents, teachers, and
community members, to express their opinions regarding the
proposed intervention. As you know, the State Board will
soon be considering the proposal of its Special Advisory Committee
on St. Louis Public Schools to establish a three-member oversight
panel
Remarks will be limited to three minutes per presenter. The
State Board will also accept written comments.
Regardless of your position on the proposed intervention,
I ask you to spread the word about this public hearing. In
visiting schools and attending public events, I’ve met
so many community members who want their voice heard. This
may be their only opportunity express their opinion to the
State Board before a decision is made.
Our Goal -- Full Accreditation by 2010
My goal is to return the St. Louis Public Schools to full
accreditation by 2010. As I mentioned in last weeks message,
I have presented an updated Comprehensive School Improvement
Plan (CSIP) to the Board of Education. Beyond the CSIP,
we also have individual school improvement plans that our principals
and teachers have been working on since the start of school.
To become fully accredited, SLPS must meet a minimum of nine
of the 14 accreditation standards. Districts must meet
six standards in order to be provisionally accredited. As
of today, we have met the following five standards and have
submitted data to the Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education which, if accepted, would suggest we would be provisionally
accredited for meeting the below standards:
- MAP test results in Grades 3 through 5 in Mathematics
- MAP test results in Grades 3 through 5 in Communication
Arts
- Advanced courses
- Career education courses
- Career education placement
- College placement
To reach full accreditation by 2010, we will need to continue
to meet these standards while working diligently towards the
remaining standards, including:
- MAP test results in grades 6 through 8 in Mathematics
- MAP test results in grades 6 through 8 in Communication
Arts
- MAP test results in grades 9 through 11 in Mathematics
- MAP test results in grades 9 through 11 in Communication
Arts
- The percent of graduates scoring at or above the national
average on the ACT
- Graduation Rate
- Attendance Rate
- Subgroup achievement
I know we can do this. I see the dedication in the
eyes of teachers who I meet. I know the leadership ability
of our principals. I know the number of hours our social
workers, counselors, security staff, and transportation workers,
put in each week to ensure our kids are safely in school.
“The greatest pleasure in life is
doing what people say you cannot do.” – Walter
Bagehot
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