[D. Decision on Harford County Public Schools Bus Contract Renewal, Mr. Cornell Brown, Assistant Superintendent for Operations and Ms. Cathy Bendis, Director of Transportation]

HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BUS CONTRACT RENEWAL. MR CORNELL BROWN AND MISS CATHY BENDIS, WOULD YOU PLEASE COME UP FOR DISCUSSION? AND I GET SOMEBODY ELSE. IN YOUR OWN WEBSITE, DANIELLE. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. PRESIDENT MUELLER, VICE PRESIDENT SEWELL, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD SUPERINTENDENT BOSTON. MY NAME IS CORNELL BROWN. I'M THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT FOR OPERATIONS WITH HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS JOINING US TONIGHT WE HAVE MISCAST KATHY BENDIS. HE'S OUR DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION AND MISS DANIEL BET CELL. SHE'S OUR SUPERVISOR, TRANSPORTATION. SO, KATHY, SHE'S GOING TO LEAD US THROUGH OUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT AND BEFORE YOU HAVE A RECOMMENDATION, UH FOR, UM, THE RENEWAL OF OUR BUS CONTRACTS THAT WE USE TO

[01:40:05]

TRANSPORT OUR OUR STUDENTS. UM BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN, I WOULD BE REMISS NOT TO ACKNOWLEDGE A FEW OF OUR BUS CONTRACTORS WE HAVE IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY. UM, OUR BUS CONTRACTORS ARE WONDERFUL PARTNERS WITH US. UM AND I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THEIR PERFORMANCE HERE, UM , ESPECIALLY DURING THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC. UM, THEY THEY'RE TREMENDOUS HELP. YOU KNOW, JUST ALL THE TIME. UM AND I THINK THE YOU'LL SEE ARE I'M SURE YOU HAVE OBSERVED UM, THE WONDERFUL SERVICE THAT THEY PROVIDED TO US DON'T A PANDEMIC AND REALLY HELPED US PROVIDE THE SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. SO IF I COULD, I'D LIKE THEM TO STAND. IF WE COULD JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THEM. AND YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN HERE NOW I'M GOING ON 15 YEARS AND, UM, I'VE WORKED IN SEVERAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE. AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE SERVICE THAT THEY PROVIDE AND SUPPORT THAT THEY OFFER TO MISS BENDIS AND HER STAFF TO MISS MISS PETZEL. UM I WOULD PUT THEM UP AGAINST ANY TRANSPORTATION OPERATION IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND, IF NOT THE NATION. UH SO I JUST WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, POINT THAT OUT, BECAUSE I'VE LEARNED A LOT FROM THEM SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE. UM AND OUR PROGRAM, I WOULD SAY IT'S TOP NOTCH. SO WITH THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO, UM, UM MISS BENDIS, AND SHE'S GOING TO WALK US THROUGH. THANK YOU, MR BROWN. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE THIS EVENING. WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH THE CONTRACT. BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, I JUST WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, AND OVERALL SUMMARY VIEW OF WHAT THE CONTRACTORS DO FOR US, SO WE DO CURRENTLY HAVE 29 BUS CONTRACTORS UNDER CONTRACT WITH HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AS YOU SAW SOME OF THEM ARE HERE WITH US THIS EVENING. WE HAVE EVERYTHING. FROM A LITTLE UNDER A YEAR OF EXPERIENCE ALL THE WAY UP TO 50 PLUS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE SERVICING HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, UM 29 CONTRACTORS UNDER ONE CONTRACT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY VOTING TO APPROVE THIS EVENING AND AGAIN, IT IS ONE CONTRACT THAT THEY ALL OPERATE UNDER. AND THE REASON WE HAVE 29 OF THEM IS YEARS AGO.

PROBABLY PREDATING ME, UM, EVEN IN BIRTH, PERHAPS, UM, THEY DECIDED THAT 10% OF THE FLEET OR LESS SHOULD BE OPERATED BY ONE CONTRACTOR. SO UM, AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK THEM FOR THEIR SERVICE TO US AND AGAIN. WE HAVE A REALLY GREAT WIDE RANGE EVERYTHING FROM ONE BUS TO 40 BUSSES. UM AND AGAIN, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS JUST GENERAL EDUCATION, TRANSPORTATION SPECIFIC. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE SPECIAL NEEDS BUSSES THAT ARE OWNED AND OPERATED BY HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SO JUST AN OVERALL SERVICE SUMMARY OF WHAT IS PROVIDED THE BUDGET PROJECTED FOR NEXT YEAR IS JUST UNDER $31 MILLION. AND THAT SERVICING 32,000 STUDENTS APPROXIMATELY EACH AND EVERY DAY WE HAVE CURRENTLY 405 BUSSES IN THE CONTRACTED FLEET, UM, PERFORMING OVER 1800 BUS RUNS A DAY SERVICING ALL 54 HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THEN ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS. I WANT TO TOUCH ON SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE IMPACTED BY THE CONTRACT THAT THEY FALL UNDER. SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT MCKINNEY VENTO TRANSPORTATION FOR OUR FOSTER CARE PLACEMENTS, UM SOME OF OUR SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS WHO DO NOT REQUIRE A SPECIAL NEEDS BUS ARE PROVIDED SERVICE BY THE CONTRACTORS, UM, FIELD TRIPS, PLANETARIUM AND ALL OF THOSE GREAT PROGRAMS THAT WE ARE RUNNING FOR OUR STUDENTS, WORK BASED TRIPS NORTH STAR, UM AND OTHERS THAT ALL FALLS UNDER WHAT THEY DO FOR US EACH AND EVERY DAY. AND WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HOW MANY MILES ARE THEY DRIVING EACH AND EVERY DAY, IT'S ACTUALLY BACK AND FORTH FROM MARYLAND TO CALIFORNIA FIVE TIMES, SO JUST A LITTLE OVER 29,000 MILES A DAY. UM IS THE SERVICE THAT WE'RE PROVIDING TO OUR COMMUNITY. UM WHAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING IS TWO COMPONENTS OF THE CONTRACT. UM YOU HAVE THE AGREEMENT FOR HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS THAT IS THE SERVICE AGREEMENT THAT THEY ARE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW , AND THEN ALSO THE TABLE OF RIGHTS AGREEMENT, WHICH WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DETAIL ABOUT HOW THE CONTRACTORS ARE ACTUALLY COMPENSATED FOR ALL THE SERVICE THAT THEY PROVIDE. SO AGAIN, THE PROJECTED BUDGET JUST UNDER $31 MILLION.39 PERCENT OF THAT IS SALARY SO YOU CAN SEE THAT'S NOT QUITE 12 MILLION. THEN WE HAVE THE PER VEHICLE ALLOTMENT, AND WE'LL GO INTO EACH OF THESE A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DETAIL. UM AS WE MOVE ALONG, 25% THAT'S ABOUT 7.6 MILLION AUXILIARY, WHICH IS ABOUT 1.5 MILLION. THE MAINTENANCE REIMBURSEMENT ABOUT 5.6 FUEL REIMBURSEMENT, AND THEN THE TAX REIMBURSEMENT MAKES UP AGAIN. OUR PROJECTIONS FOR THE BUDGET YEAR, UM, FORTHCOMING. SO

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THAT 39% IS SALARY REIMBURSEMENT . OUR CONTRACTORS ARE ACTUALLY TIED TO THE SCALE FOR HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, DRIVERS AND THIS ACTUALLY ENSURES THAT OUR DRIVERS ARE PAID A MINIMUM RATE THERE. CERTAINLY ABLE TO PAY MORE IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT. BUT THIS ENSURES US THAT, UM, WHAT WE ARE REIMBURSING FOR IS A MINIMUM THAT IS TIED TO WHAT OUR SALARY SCALE IS AT THE MARKET RATE. UM APPROXIMATELY A LITTLE OVER 2000 HOURS PER DAY FOR ALL OF OUR DRIVERS THAT ARE SERVICING THOSE BUS ROUTES. THERE'S 355 ROUTE DRIVERS AND 12 ACTIVITY DRIVERS SO ALL THOSE SPORTING EVENTS, EDUCATIONAL TRIPS. THAT'S WHAT SERVICE BY THESE ACTIVITY DRIVERS. THE PER VEHICLE ALLOTMENT IS THE AGREED UPON AMOUNT TO OPERATE THE BUS. UM AND YOU HAVE THAT INFORMATION IN YOUR PACKET BEFORE YOU YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE 355 ROUTE BUSSES AGAIN. 12 ACTIVITY BUSSES, AND THEN WE HAVE 38 SPARE VEHICLES. UM, ON AVERAGE RIGHT NOW WE'RE PAYING ABOUT $18,909 PER BUS FOR THAT PER VEHICLE ALLOTMENT AND AGAIN, THAT'S THE COST TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE. WE HAVE THE FUEL AND MAINTENANCE REIMBURSEMENT. SO AGAIN, WE'RE DRIVING ON THE 20 LITTLE OVER 29,000 MILES PER DAY ON THOSE GENERAL EDUCATION ROUTES AND THE FUELS ACTUALLY BE BEING REIMBURSED AT THE TRIPLE A RATE THAT WE PULL EVERY SINGLE WEEK AND THEN WE'RE DIVIDING. THAT BY 7.1 MPG, UM AND THEN, INCLUDING A REQUIRED DIESEL EXHAUST FLUID INTO THAT. AMOUNT THAT'S BEING PAID. AND THEN WE HAVEN'T AGREED UPON MAINTENANCE RATE, WHICH NEXT YEAR WE'RE PROJECTING WILL INCREASE UP TO A DOLLAR SEVEN PER MILE. IT'S CURRENTLY AT 98 CENTS PER MILE. THE CONTRACT DOES HAVE A BUILDING ESCALATOR BASED ON THE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MAINTENANCE RATE IS MEETING WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE MARKET.

LASTLY WE HAVE THE AUXILIARY COSTS, SO THESE ARE COSTS THAT ARE REIMBURSED FOR TRAINING. AS YOU CAN IMAGINE. THERE'S A LOT OF TRAINING THAT GOES INTO MAKING SURE OUR DRIVERS ARE CERTIFIED, UM, TO BE DRIVING OUR STUDENTS REIMBURSEMENT FOR NEW HIRES. SUBSTITUTE DRIVER COSTS, INSPECTION REPORTS, UM AND THEN THE COST OF OUR PHYSICALS AND DRUG TESTING PROGRAM IS ALL ENCOMPASSED IN THAT AUXILIARY THAT IS AT $1.5 MILLION AMOUNT THAT WE'RE PROJECTING FOR NEXT YEAR OR ABOUT $4000 PER BUS. UM AND THEN AGAIN, THE SALES TAX REIMBURSEMENT CONTRACTORS ARE SUBJECT TO SALES TAX BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT EXEMPT. LIKE A LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD IS, UM, SO WE HAVE AGREED THAT WE WOULD REIMBURSE THEM FOR THAT SALES TAX AMOUNT OR PROJECTING THE AVERAGE COST OF THE BUS IS GOING TO BE ABOUT $125,000, BASED ON HCPS BUS SPECS. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. SO BEFORE WE GO TO QUESTIONS, UM, THE RECOMMENDATION BEFORE YOU IS TO APPROVE. UM THE RENO OF THE CONTRACT AND THE TERM FOR THE CONTRACT WOULD BE FIVE YEARS. WE CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. MRS OVARIES. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? NO, I HAVE NO QUESTIONS. MRS BRUCE WHAT'S UP, JOHN? ARE WE PURCHASING ONE SPECIAL? UM. I GUESS I SPECIAL EDUCATION BUS. ARE WE PURCHASING ONE OR WE PURCHASING MULTIPLE. I'M JUST CURIOUS. THIS IS SEPARATE FROM THAT. SO THE SPECIAL ED BUSSES ARE ACTUALLY PURCHASED OUT OF THE CAPITAL, WHICH IS A SEPARATE REQUEST THAT WAS ALREADY APPROVED. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY PURCHASING IS THEIR BUS, UM, TO OUR SPECIFICATIONS FOR A 64 PASSENGER VEHICLE, SO IF THEY DECIDE THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO ADD ADDITIONAL OPTIONS ON THAT BUS, WE DO NOT ACTUALLY PAY FOR THAT. IT'S WHATEVER THE PRICE IS. FOR WHAT WE SPECIFY FOR THEM TO HAVE THAT, BUT NOT A SPECIAL NEEDS US NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, HAROLD. I DON'T THINK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION, UM OUT OF CURIOSITY. UM. WHAT WHAT WOULD IT COST FOR US TO PURCHASE ONE STANDARD? SCHOOL BUS. FOR US AS A SYSTEM THROUGH THE CAPITAL REQUEST TO PURCHASE ONE BUS. YES WELL RIGHT NOW, IF WE SPENT THEM OUT THERE ABOUT $125,000, SO, YES. SO JUST ONE WOULD BE AT LEAST THAT PRICE. UM THE PRICES ARE GOING UP AS I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL AWARE WITH INFLATION, BUT THAT'S ABOUT WHERE THEY STAND RIGHT NOW. OKAY? SO THAT 8 18 9. THAT IS THE ANNUAL COST HER PER BUS THAT WE PAY AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM RIGHT NOW. YEAH YES. SO THE VEHICLE ALLOTMENT ALLOWS US TO, UM UH, SECURE SERVICE IN THE BUS AND THEN SPREAD THE PAYMENTS OVER 12 YEARS, SO WE DO NOT HAVE TO BUY THE BUS OUT, RIGHT? SO

[01:50:02]

PER MARYLAND LAW, BUSSES CAN BE ON THE ROAD FOR 12 YEARS, AND WE KIND OF SPREAD THE PAYMENT TO THE BUS CONTRACTORS OVER THE LIFE OF THE BUS. SOUNDS SMART TO ME. THANK YOU. VERY DR PHILLIPS.

UM FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK ALL YOU GUYS AND LADIES, YOU DO A FABULOUS JOB REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU DO AND KEEPING THE STUDENTS SAFE, TOO. JUST ONE QUESTION ONE OF THE SPEAKERS EARLIER RAISED THE QUESTION ABOUT WHY DO WE HAVE SO MANY CONTRACTORS? AND SHOULD WE BE DOING IT IN HOUSE INSTEAD. CORRECTLY IF I'M WRONG, BUT IN BALTIMORE CITY ISN'T THAT KIND OF STANDARD IN THE INDUSTRY FARM IT OUT THERE LIKE PG COUNTY THEY OWN AND OPERATE ALL THEIR BUSSES , BUT MOST SCHOOL DISTRICTS DO CONTRACT OUT SERVICES AND THE ISSUE WITH US, UM KIND OF GOING BACK AND REVERSE, TOO. IN THE HOUSE FOR 405 BUSSES. OBVIOUSLY THE COST OF THE BUS $125,000 ANNUALLY. THE INFRASTRUCTURE PARKING LOTS, THE MAINTENANCE FACILITIES ON THE STAFFING THAT OUR BUS CONTRACTORS PROVIDE OF THE BENEFITS FOR THE BUS DRIVERS AND THE MAINTENANCE STAFF. YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE A COST THAT WE WILL HAVE TO ABSORB AND OUR OPERATING BUDGET AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT BLOWING UP FROM, UM YOU KNOW WHAT WE HAVE NOW WITH 225 IS DRIVES IN ATTENDANCE AND ABOUT 30 PEOPLE IN YOUR OFFICE, RIGHT? AND THEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ANOTHER 500 PLUS PEOPLE. THAT WE WILL HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR AS FAR AS HIRING AND THE BENEFITS AND JUST DOING THE MAINTENANCE AND HOUSE AND ALL THOSE THINGS, SO IT WILL BE A COSTLY ENDEAVOR. UM, TO BUILD THE FACILITIES TO MANAGE. YOU KNOW, 405, YOU KNOW BUSSES TO INCLUDE OUR SPARES. THE POINT I'M TRYING TO MAKE IS THIS IS THE MOST FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE WAY OF OPERATING A TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. CORRECT. BEFORE US AT THIS POINT, MOST DEFINITELY THANK YOU. MR CARTY AND JUST A CONTINUATION BECAUSE THAT WAS GOING TO BE MY QUESTION, JUST TO KIND OF GET IT REINFORCED FROM YOU ALL BUT 29 BUSSES BUS COMPANIES THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH GIVES US THE FLEXIBILITY THAT WE'RE NOT REALLY RELYING ON ONE PARTICULAR COMPANY. I SAID MISS BENDER, SHE SAID EARLIER THAT WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE ONE COMPANY HAVE MORE THAN 10% OF OUR FLEET. AND SELL IT. IT HELPS. IT HELPS US FROM DEFICIENCY STANDPOINT FROM A COST PERSPECTIVE AND NOT BEING RELIANT ON ONE PARTICULAR ENTITY . SO UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING ALSO. FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT THAT, UM WELL, I'LL LET YOU SPEAK TO THAT POINT ABOUT HOW OUR CONTRACTORS MANAGE. UM, WE REALLY DON'T HEAR MUCH. YEAH. WE HAVE A SAFE FLEET. WOULD YOU LIKE TO COMMENT ON THAT WE DO.

THEY DO AN EXCELLENT JOB FOR US, AND THEY'RE REALLY INCENTIVIZED TO PROVIDE. UM YOU KNOW, EXCELLENT BUSSES THAT ARE IN GREAT WORKING CONDITION BECAUSE OF HOW THEY'RE COMPENSATED FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND THEN WE HAVE SUCH A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM BECAUSE OF THAT LONG STANDING COMMITMENT TO SAFETY AND SERVICE ON THE PART OF BOTH THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND THE CONTRACTORS. THAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO COME IN AND PROVIDE SERVICE TO US, AND I JUST WANTED US TO SPEAK TO THANK THANK YOU ALL FOR HOW WELL YOU DO TAKE CARE OF OUR CHILDREN. WE GET THE SOS CALLS AND, UM THEY'RE INTERESTING. AND I'M GLAD YOU HAVE THE CAMERAS THAT YOU'RE WORKING. I GUESS SOME OF YOU ARE BUT LIKE 25% ON THE NEW CAMERAS FOR THE SO NO ONE PASSES THE BUSSES AND THE CAMERAS ON THE BUSSES. SO THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING CARE OF OUR STUDENTS. THANKS. MR SOLD. UH, NO, UH. I'M SORRY, SIGHT OUT OF MIND. THAT'S OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY COMMENTS. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE WAY THAT YOU GUYS HAVE IT LAID OUT. IT SEEMS LIKE THE BEST FINANCIAL, UH, WHY WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK YOU GUYS AND THE MAGNET STUDENT. I LIVE A 35 MINUTE DRIVE FROM THE SCHOOL THAT I ATTEND FROM NORTH HARFORD . UM I COULD NOT GET THEIR FRESHMAN SOPHOMORE YEAR WITHOUT THESE BUSSES. THAT AND THESE BUS DRIVERS THAT GOD KNOWS WHAT TIME THEY WOKE UP BECAUSE OUR BUS LEFT IN THE MORNING, SO THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU GUYS. YES SO , UH, ALL THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ALREADY SAID EVERYTHING I WANTED TO SAY, BUT I WOULDN'T WANT TO SAY IT AGAIN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR WHAT YOU DO EVERY DAY AND YOUR TEAM'S IT'S AMAZING. HOW SUCCESSFUL WE ARE WITH TRANSPORTING OUR STUDENTS, BUT WE HARDLY HEAR ANY HICCUP WHATSOEVER WITH WITH BUSSING THE KIDS TO SCHOOL AND OKAY? HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE ON THE BUSSES? HOW MANY MILES HOW MANY INDIVIDUAL BUS DRIVERS YOU'RE YOU'RE WORKING WITH, AND THE BUSSES AND THE POTENTIAL MECHANICAL FAILURES. IT'S JUST

[01:55:02]

IT'S REALLY AMAZING. IT GOES. IT GOES IT JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW HARD YOU GUYS WORK AND HOW DEDICATED YOU ARE TO HARVARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SO CAN'T CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH. THAT'S ALL I GOT TO SAY. PRETTY MUCH WHAT I HAVE TO SAY TO BECAUSE I REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOU ALL AND EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE I GO OUT WITH FRIENDS FOR BREAKFAST IN THE MORNING. I'LL FIND A TABLE FULL OF BUS DRIVERS AROUND AND I'LL ALWAYS STOP AND THANK THEM FOR WHAT THEY DO, BECAUSE IT'S AN AMAZING JOB. AND I KNOW THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT YOU BUILD WITH THESE STUDENTS AND HOW IMPORTANT YOU ARE IN THEIR LIVES . SOMETIMES YOU'RE THE FIRST FRIENDLY FACE THEY SEE IN THE MORNING AND THE LAST FRIENDLY FACES AT NIGHT. AND I WANT YOU TO REALIZE HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS IN THEIR LIVES. SO WE APPRECIATE YOU. WE REALLY DO. SO NOW ON THAT NOTE, I NEED TO, UM ASK FOR EMOTION IN THE SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONTRACT. WE KNOW I MOVED TO MOVE THE MOVE THE CONTRACT RENEWAL. AS PROPOSED IN THE AGENDA. I SECOND THE MOTION. UH MR ALI, DO YOU WANT TO DO A ROLL CALL VOTE, PLEASE? MISS ALVAREZ. YES. MISS BRUCE? YES. MISS HAN? YES, DOCTOR. HAROLD YES. PERRY YES, DR PHILLIPS? YES MISS RICCARDI, LINCOLN. YES. NICE PRESIDENT SEWELL. YES. PRESIDENT MUELLER. YES. THIS MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. NEXT WE HAVE ITEM E

[E. Presentation on Proposed Revisions to Board Policy 14-0007-000 Assault Leave, Kimberly H. Neal, Esq., General Counsel, Ms. Julie Uehlein, Supervisor of Risk Management, and Ms. Elizabeth Miller, Supervisor of Benefits]

PRESENTATION AND PROPOSED REVISIONS TO BOARD POLICY. 14-7 . ASSAULT LEAD AND I NEED TO ASK MISS KIMBERLY NEAL, MISS JULIA. DO I'M NOT GONNA SAY IT RIGHT? YOU LYING? YOU'RE LYING. I'M SORRY AND MISS LIZ MILLER FOR THEIR PRESENTATION. YEAH ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING. UM THE BOARD MEMBERS, SO THIS IS HOPEFULLY A FAIRLY QUICK PRESENTATION ON A MINOR CHANGE TO THE ASSAULT. LEAVE POLICY. UM WE THIS IS A POLICY THAT HAD NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2002. AND SO OUR POLICY REVIEW COMMITTEE FLAGGED IT AS SOMETHING THAT WE NEEDED TO ADDRESS WITH A MINOR CHANGE, WHICH IS HIGHLIGHTED WILL PRESENT THIS THIS EVENING. IT WILL GO OUT FOR 30 DAYS FOR PUBLIC COMMENT BEFORE THE ACTUAL VOTE IN A IN A FEW MONTHS, SO THAT PARTICULAR CHANGE, WHICH IS HIGHLIGHTED FOR YOU ALL AND WE'VE ALREADY PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED REALLY RELATES TO HOW YOU CAN REQUEST ASSAULT LEAVE, SO THERE ACTUALLY IS GOING TO BE WILL BE AN APPLICATION AND YOU GET THAT STAFF MEMBER WOULD GET THAT, UM THROUGH MISU LINES OFFICE, WHICH IS THE OFFICE OF RISK MANAGEMENT. AND THERE WOULD BE A PROCEDURE THEN FOR, UM, ALLOWING AN EMPLOYEE TO ACCESS THE ASSAULT LEAF. UM AND ASSAULT LEAVE DOES COME FROM A STATUTE THAT'S REQUIRED IN THE LAW. AND BASICALLY IT'S JUST A SITUATION WHERE IF THERE'S AN EMPLOYEE, UM , OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT HAS NEEDS TO BE ABSENT DUE TO A PHYSICAL DISABILITY THAT RESULTS FROM AN ASSAULT DURING THE COURSE OF THEIR EMPLOYMENT, AND THIS IS AN OPTION THAT THEY MAY BE ABLE TO QUALIFY FOR. UM SO THAT THEY ARE ON FULL PAGE STATUS DURING THAT TIME OF LEAVE. SO UM, I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, BUT AGAIN, WE DO HAVE ELIZABETH MILLER, WHO IS OUR SUPERVISOR OF BENEFITS.

AND MISS JULIE. YOU LINE HERE IS THE SUPERVISOR OF RISK MANAGEMENT TO ADDRESS THOSE.

DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS LIKE TO ASK? GO AHEAD, DR PHILLIPS. MAYBE YOU WOULD NOT QUITE EXACTLY PERTAINING TO THIS , BUT IN THE EVENT THAT A TEACHER OR STAFF MEMBER IS INVOLVED IN AN ASSAULT WHAT ARE THEY? ARE THEY PERMITTED TO DEFEND THEMSELVES IN TERMS OF TOUCHING THE STUDENT IN YOU KNOW, IN THEIR DEFENSE. WHAT IS THE ACTUAL WE HAVE 32ND ANSWER.

UM NOT REALLY. UM, THAT IS NOT THAT THAT'S NOT UNDER THIS, UH, PARTICULAR. POLICY. UM. SO THERE WOULD IT WOULD NEED TO BE AN UNPROVOKED. I WILL SAY THAT SO ONE OF THE CRITERIA FOR, UM, BEING ABLE TO RECEIVE ASSAULT LEAVE IS THAT THE TEACHER OBVIOUSLY WASN'T ACTING OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THEIR EMPLOYMENT, MEANING THAT THEY WERE DOING ANYTHING TO ANTAGONIZE THE CHILD OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT IN THE EVENT THAT A CHILD ATTACKS A TEACHER DOESN'T TEACHER HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES. SO THERE'S SOME WITHOUT SOME OF OUR SUBJECTED TO ASSAULT CHARGES ON THEIR ON THEIR BEHALF. SO THERE'S CERTAIN TRAINING THAT THAT MANY OF THE TEACHERS HAVE RECEIVED IN TERMS OF HOW TO MANAGE THOSE TYPES OF SITUATIONS . AND SO YOU WOULD DO YOUR BEST TO HAVE, UM YOU KNOW TO HAVE ONE OF THE TRAINED PROFESSIONALS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. I REALLY I

[02:00:07]

WANT TO STAY AWAY FROM GIVING TOO MUCH INFORMATION ON THIS BECAUSE IT'S KIND OF A CASE BY CASE SITUATION UNDER THE LAW AND THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRAINING AND THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SCENARIOS. YOU KNOW, THERE'S CERTAIN LAWS THAT RELATE TO RESTRAINT. THERE'S CERTAIN THOSE TYPES OF THINGS SO, UM OKAY? YEAH THANKS FOR THAT, DR PHILLIPS. GOTCHA. MR BIRDIE.

JUST WANTED CLARIFICATION. WHY BATTERY WAS REMOVED. I THINK WE TALKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE, BUT FOR THE PUBLIC OH, SURE. UNDER THE EDUCATION ARTICLE, IT'S SIMPLY IT'S STRAIGHTFORWARD ASSAULT, AND SO FOR SOME REASON, THE PRIOR POLICY ALSO INCLUDED AND BATTERY, SO WE JUST TOOK THAT OUT TO MIRROR. THE WHAT THE LAW SAYS. AND THE BASIC DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS POLICY AND THE WAY IT WAS WRITTEN BEFORE. IS THAT THE REASON THE ASSAULT LEAVE NEEDS TO BE REQUESTED? RATHER THAN ASSUMED? CORRECT THE PRIOR VERSION KIND OF LEFT IT A LITTLE OPEN ENDED AND THERE'S OTHER. THERE MAY BE OTHER TYPES OF LEAVE THAT THE PERSON UM WOULD QUALIFY FOR SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT AGAIN IT'S AVAILABLE UNDER THE LAW IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS, AND SO SOMEONE BELIEVES THAT THEY HAVE A QUALIFYING ASSAULT SITUATION. THEN THEY WOULD GO TO THE OPPOSITE FIRST MANAGEMENT. TO COMPLETE THAT APPLICATION, AND IT WOULD BE DETERMINED WHETHER THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL QUALIFY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS THIS TIME? THANK YOU. SO HOW OFTEN IS THIS? THIS OCCUR? IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS. WE'VE ONLY HAD ONE CASE.

UM USING ASSAULT LEAVE. SO NOW THE NEXT STEP IS THIS WILL BE POSTED AND WILL BE OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT FOR 30 DAYS AND THEN AT THE FOLLOWING BOARD MEETING AFTER THAT, WELL BOAT.

ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND COMING AND PRESENTING TONIGHT. NO, THANK YOU. YEAH YOU GOT YOU RECEIVED A SMATTERING. NEXT WE HAVE ITEM APPS SPECIAL EDUCATION CONTINUUM

[F. (Placeholder) Presentation on Special Education Services, Ms. Colleen Sasdelli, Director of Special Education]

PRESENTATION, MRS MS COLLEEN, ITALY. KELLY KELLY. I'M SORRY. I'VE GOT TO GET USED TO ALL THESE NAMES. I APOLOGIZE. FIRST NAME, SO. I KNOW. WELL. COLLEEN AND YOU'LL INTRODUCE YOUR TEAM.

I WILL, YES. SO THANK YOU, UM, BOARD MEMBERS. DR BOLSON. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO BE HERE THIS EVENING TO SHARE WITH YOU. AN OVERVIEW OF THE SPECIAL EDUCATION CONTINUUM. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO INTRODUCE MY TEAM MEMBERS AS WELL AS OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIAL ED LEADERSHIP TEAM WHO ARE NOT WITH US THIS EVENING, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN. I'M DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL EDUCATION. AND THEN I HAVE THE INCREDIBLE SUPPORT FROM NINE SPECIAL EDUCATION COORDINATORS, ALL WITH DIFFERENT ROLES TO SERVICE OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WITHIN THE SYSTEM WITH ME THIS EVENING IS KIM MANZO, AND SHE IS OUR COORDINATOR OF LOW INCIDENTS.

DISABILITIES SO KIM OVERSEAS ARE STRIVE PROGRAMS AS WELL AS HARD FOR THE ACADEMY AND THEN ALSO OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE IN THEIR LIFE SKILLS PROGRAMS IN OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS. RATHER THAN MYERS WITH ME THIS EVENING AS WELL AND RAVENOUS, OUR COORDINATOR OF INTER AGENCY SUPPORTS AND NONPUBLIC PLACEMENTS, AND WITH THAT ROBIN'S ROLE IS TO CHAIR ARE NOT OUR CENTRAL. I E P MEETINGS SHE ALSO COORDINATES ARE NONPUBLIC PLACEMENTS, AND SHE ALSO OVERSEES OUR CLASSROOM SUPPORT PROGRAM, WHICH IS ONE OF THE REGIONAL PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS THIS EVENING. AND THEN FINALLY MELISSA ROMANO OR MISSY S. WE CALL HER. MISSY IS OUR COORDINATOR OF BIRTH TO FIVE PROGRAMS. SO SHE OVERSEES OUR INFANTS AND TODDLERS PROGRAM AS WELL AS OUR PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION. AND WHAT WE INTEND TO DO THIS EVENING IS TO JUST GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF THE HCPS SPECIAL EDUCATION CONTINUUM WILL HIGHLIGHT SOME OF OUR REGIONAL PROGRAMS AND THE CONTINUUM OF PLACEMENT OPTIONS FROM LEAST RESTRICTIVE TO MOST RESTRICTIVE AS WE LOOK AT THAT CONTINUUM ACROSS THE SYSTEM. TO GET US STARTED. I JUST WANTED TO SHARE SOME DATA ABOUT OUR CURRENT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT WE SERVICE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION, AS YOU CAN SEE. THIS YEAR. OUR VERIFICATION IS DONE AS OF SEPTEMBER 30TH. SO THE

[02:05:02]

VERIFICATION YEAR OF 2022 INCLUDES THIS SCHOOL YEAR, SO WE'RE CURRENTLY SERVICING 5645 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WHO HAVE QUALIFIED FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES. UM THAT IS A RATHER SIGNIFICANT INCREASE FROM LAST YEAR WHEN WE WERE SERVICING 5257, AND EVEN FROM THE YEAR PRIOR, SO JUST FROM 2020, WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE OF CLOSE TO 800 . YOU KNOW, OVER 700 STUDENTS JUST IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, THE MAJORITY OF THAT INCREASE IS COMING FROM OUR EARLY INTERVENTION OUR CHILDREN COMING INTO PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION , IDENTIFIED WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO SEEN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IDENTIFIED WITH AUTISM WITHIN OUR SYSTEM. SO YOU KNOW THAT THAT STUDY INCREASE FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS REALLY EXEMPLIFIES. THEY THINK THE NEED FOR THE STAFFING REQUESTS THAT WE'VE MADE ACROSS THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS WITH BUDGET REQUESTS. WE'VE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS TO RECEIVE THE FUNDING TO INCREASE OUR SPECIALIST POSITIONS. WE KNOW THAT WE'VE MADE REQUESTS FOR THE COMING YEAR, AND WE REALLY WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU THIS EVENING.

SOME OF THOSE SERVICES AND THE SUPPORTS AND THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. THAT ARE REALLY DESIGNED TO MEET THE NEEDS THE INDIVIDUAL NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS LOOKING ON THE RIGHT HEART SIDE OF THE SCREEN. THERE YOU'LL SEE AN OVERVIEW OF OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEAM WE HAVE OVER CLOSE TO 1140 STAFF MEMBERS AND YOU'LL SEE THESE ARE JUST A SNAPSHOT OF SOME OF THE POSITIONS AND SOME OF THE STAFF THAT SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES EVERY DAY. SO LOOKING AT NOT ONLY SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, BUT WE ALSO HIGHER AND WE EMPLOY TEACHERS SPECIALISTS WHO ARE DESIGNED, UM YOU KNOW THEY ARE HIGHLY QUALIFIED FORMER SPECIAL EDUCATORS AND THEY WORK DIRECTLY WITH OUR NEW SPECIAL EDUCATORS ARE NON TENURED ARE CONDITIONAL TEAM MEMBERS AND THEY REALLY PROVIDE SUPPORT AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL AND SOME OF THOSE JOBS AND THAT IT SUPPORTS. AND YOU CAN SEE THERE. THERE'S A VARIETY OF OTHER POSITIONS FROM TRANSITION RESOURCE ITINERANTS RELATED SERVICE PROVIDERS, WHICH INCLUDES OUR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS, SPEECH THERAPISTS, PHYSICAL THERAPISTS, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL STAFF WITH SPECIALIZED CERTIFICATION AND JOB RESPONSIBILITIES. AND THAT INCLUDES OUR ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY TEAM. WE ALSO HAVE EDUCATIONALLY VALUE WAITERS WHO ASSIST OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS BY CONDUCTING ACHIEVEMENT TESTING FOR THE INITIAL AND RE EVALUATION PROCESS. WE HAVE TEACHERS OF THE HEARING IMPAIRED TEACHERS OF THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED AND A HOST OF OTHER SPECIALLY CERTIFIED TEACHERS THAT REALLY CONTRIBUTE TO ALL THE WORK THAT WE DO IN SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. SO MOVING FORWARD . I DID WANT TO JUST SHARE WITH YOU. THE LAWS THAT REALLY GOVERN WHAT WE DO. WE ARE OVERSEEN BY THE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES IN EDUCATION ACT AND ALSO BY COMB ARE SO, UM, I D E A AND COMB ARE REALLY PROVIDE THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR WHAT WE DO WITHIN THE FIELD OF SPECIAL EDUCATION. THERE ARE KEY PRINCIPLES OF IDEA THAT ARE ON THE SCREEN FOR YOU THIS EVENING , INCLUDING FREE, APPROPRIATE PUBLICATION, PUBLIC EDUCATION, FULL AND COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION, AND SO ON WHAT WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS ON WITHIN THIS PRESENTATION IS THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT. AND I D A DOES MANDATE THAT WE SERVICE OUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WITH DISABILITIES IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT PROVIDES ACCESS TO THE GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM AND WITH NON DISABLED PEERS TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE, SO IN TURN, AND IN DOING THAT WE LOOK AT A CONTINUUM OF PROGRAMMING. THAT ALLOWS FOR US TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS TO THE GREATEST EXTENT THAT WE'RE ABLE TO WITHIN THAT GENERAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT. SO LOOKING AT THE DATA ON THE SCREEN, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY SERVICING 84.4% OF OUR POPULATION OF STUDENTS WITH I APES. IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION SETTING IN A COAT HOT, UM, CLASSROOM MODEL, AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT, AS I GET A LITTLE FURTHER IN THE PRESENTATION, BUT WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THE INCLUSIVE WORK THAT WE DO. AND HARTFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND OF ALL THE WORK THAT WE DO TO SUPPORT STUDENTS, IN THAT LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT TO

[02:10:04]

THE GREATEST EXTENT THAT WE'RE ABLE TO. LOOKING ALONG THAT CONTINUUM AS WE GO FROM LEAST RESTRICTIVE TO MOST RESTRICTIVE . WE DO HAVE SOME STUDENTS THAT ARE SERVICED WITH A COMBINATION OF IN GENERAL EDUCATION AND OUT OF GENERAL EDUCATION SERVICE DELIVERY. THOSE WOULD BE OUR STUDENTS THAT FALL IN THAT SECOND CATEGORY WHERE THEY ARE IN GENERAL EDUCATION. 40 TO 79% OF THEIR DAY. AND THESE NUMBERS UM, THE 80% OF 40 TO 79. THESE ARE ALL OUTLINED WITHIN A STUDENTS. I E. AND THESE ARE DIFFERENT ALARIS THAT WE ARE HOLD ACCOUNTABLE TO FROM MSD, WHO IS THEN IN TURN ON MONITORED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. SO LOOKING AT AS WE GO THROUGH THE REST OF THAT CONTINUUM, YOU CAN SEE THE MOST RESTRICTIVE SIDE OF OUR CONTINUUM. OUR STUDENTS WERE PLACED IN EITHER PUBLIC OR PRIVATE. SEPARATE DAY SCHOOLS ARE PUBLIC SEPARATE DAY BEING HARTFORD ACADEMY PRIVATE SEPARATE DAYS BEING OUR NONPUBLIC PLACEMENTS SO YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS ON THE SCREEN THERE AND THE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS THAT WE SERVICE IN THOSE ENVIRONMENTS OR, UM, YOU KNOW, ALONG THAT CONTINUUM I DID WANT TO NOTE TO AND I PUT THIS ON THE SCREEN ARE PARENTALLY PRIVATELY PLACED STUDENTS. WE DO HAVE A MANDATE THROUGH I D A THAT WE OFFER SERVICE PLANS AND THAT WE PROVIDE A PROPORTIONATE SHARE OF SERVICES TO PRIVATELY PLACED STUDENTS ALIGNED WITH THE FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVED TO DO SO THROUGH OUR FEDERAL FUNDS.

CURRENTLY WE HAVE 98 STUDENTS WERE ATTENDING A PRIVATE SCHOOL IN HARTFORD COUNTY. THEY HAVE A SERVICE PLAN. UM AND WE DO PROVIDE SPEECH THERAPY TO THOSE STUDENTS THROUGH A SPEECH LANGUAGE PROVIDER WHO IS DEDICATED TO PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES TO THE STUDENTS WHO ARE IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS. AS FAR AS UM OTHER SERVICES THAT STUDENTS MAY REQUIRE. WE DO THAT ON A CONSULTATIVE BASIS, AND THAT IS MANAGED AT OUR SCHOOLS THROUGH I P MEETINGS THROUGH THE ANNUAL REVIEW PROCESS AND THEN ALSO THROUGH THE VALUE. RELATIONS WHEN THOSE STUDENTS COME UP. AND REQUIRE EITHER IN INITIALLY EVALUATION OR REEVALUATION. SO FROM THE CONTINUUM WANTED TO JUST START AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS ARE INFANTS AND TODDLERS. AND, UM, MISSY IS HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AT THE END IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, BUT WE WANTED TO JUST GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF THE SERVICES THAT ARE CHILDREN WHO ARE AGE BIRTH. THROUGH THREE AND SOMETIMES FOUR YEAR OLDS RECEIVED THROUGH HARFORD COUNTY, PUBLIC PUBLIC SCHOOLS, INFANTS AND TODDLERS PROGRAM. SO UM, ARE STUDENTS THERE SERVICED ON WHAT WE CALL AN INDIVIDUAL FAMILY SERVICE PLAN? SO THESE ARE PLANS THAT ARE DEVELOPED WITH OUR SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND THEY MAY BE SPECIAL EDUCATORS OR RELATED SERVICE PROVIDERS, SUCH AS SPEECH THERAPISTS. OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS ARE INFANTS AND TODDLERS. SERVICE PROVIDERS WORK DIRECTLY WITH FAMILIES TO ESTABLISH GOALS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO DEVELOPING AND GROWING THE SKILLS THAT THESE CHILDREN NEED. IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. SO ALL OF OUR SERVICES THROUGH INFANTS AND TODDLERS ARE PROVIDED IN THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, MOST OFTEN IN A CHILD'S HOME OR DAYCARE SETTING. AND UM, WE DO SOMETIMES THAT PARENT REQUEST MAY PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES AND OTHER AREAS SUCH AS A PARK. OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WHERE STUDENTS CAN ENGAGE WITH OTHER CHILDREN AND THE WHOLE GOAL OF THE INFANTS AND TODDLERS PROGRAM AND THE SPS OR THE INDIVIDUAL FAMILY SERVICE PLANS IS TO COACH AND DEVELOP THE SKILLS OF THE CAREGIVER OF THE CHILD SO THAT THEY CAN PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOSE ESSENTIAL SKILLS THROUGHOUT THE CHILD'S DAY. AND UM, WITHIN ALL THE ENVIRONMENTS THAT THE CHILD MAY COUNTER, SO OUR INFANTS AND TODDLERS IS SUPPORTED BY, UM, A HANDFUL OF STAFF. YOU CAN SEE THE DETAILS ON THE SCREEN THERE , AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID WANT TO KNOW AGAIN IS THE INCREASING TRENDS AND ENROLLMENT . WE'VE SEEN THE BIGGEST INCREASE FROM THAT 2020 21 SCHOOL YEAR. TO THE 21 22 SCHOOL YEAR AND OUR PROJECTIONS FOR THIS YEAR LOOK TO BE THAT WILL BE ON THOSE SAME TRENDS. AS OF FEBRUARY WE WERE SERVING 568 CHILDREN WITHIN OUR INFANTS AND TODDLERS PROGRAM, AND THAT TEAM

[02:15:05]

DOES RECEIVE APPROXIMATELY 20 TO 25 REFERRALS EACH WEEK. THAT UM , YOU KNOW THEY WILL MEET WITH THOSE CHILDREN. THEY DO ANY EVALUATION TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS THE PRESENCE OF A DELAY THAT WOULD WARRANT AND QUALIFY THAT CHILD FOR SERVICES AND THEN DEVELOP THOSE IF SPS OR INDIVIDUAL FAMILY SERVICE PLANS FOR CHILDREN WHO DO QUALIFY FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS SERVICES? AND I HAD MENTIONED BEFORE THAT THESE SERVICES ARE FOR CHILDREN FROM BIRTH THROUGH AGE THREE, AND THAT WE DO HAVE SOME FOUR YEAR OLDS RECEIVING SERVICES THROUGH INFANTS AND TODDLERS.

AND THAT'S BECAUSE MARYLAND LAW DOES ALLOW FOR AN EXTENDED IF SPEED OPTION SO WHEN A CHILD TURNS THREE OR PRIOR TO THE CHILD'S THIRD BIRTHDAY. WE ARE REQUIRED TO DETERMINE THEIR ELIGIBILITY FOR WHAT WE CALL PART B SERVICES, WHICH IS PART B OF I, D. A AND THOSE WOULD BE OUR PRESCHOOL, SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES. SO AT THAT TIME, THE FAMILY IS ABLE TO CHOOSE WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO MOVE TO I E P AND BEGIN THEIR PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES OR WHETHER THEY WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND THEIR IF SP. AND THROUGH THAT CHILD FOR FOURTH YEAR UNTIL THAT CHILD TURNS FOR THEY CAN CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THE SERVICES AS THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH THAT IF SP PARENT COACHING MODEL UM, SO I'LL EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT OUR PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION CONTINUUM NEXT, AND THEN THAT MIGHT HELP TO KIND OF MAKE THAT CONNECTION, BUT OUR STUDENTS WHO ENTER PRESCHOOL AND OUR PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS EITHER COME TO US THROUGH INFANTS AND TODDLERS, SO AS THEY TRANSITION TO THREE YEARS OLD, WE HOLD A MEETING. WE LOOK AT ASSESSMENT RESULTS AND WE CONDUCT ANY VALUATION. AND THEN WE DETERMINE IF THERE IS A PRESENCE OF AN EDUCATIONAL DISABILITY THAT WOULD WARRANT PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES THE OTHER WAY THAT STUDENTS ENTER OUR PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES IS THROUGH CHILD FIND REFERRALS, AND WE DO RECEIVE CHILD FIND REFERRALS. WE ON AVERAGE, WE GET ABOUT EIGHT REFERRALS A WEEK COMING INTO OUR CHILD FIND CENTERS. AND OUR CHILD FIND TEAM WORK TO CONDUCT EVALUATIONS AND THEN TO DETERMINE IF CHILDREN ARE ELIGIBLE BETWEEN THE AGES OF THREE AND 54 PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES. CONTINUUM IN PRESCHOOL IS VERY SIMILAR TO OUR CONTINUUM IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 12TH GRADE. WE START WITH PROGRAMS THAT ARE IN THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT. THE FIRST THEY'RE BEING COMMUNITY SUPPORT, SO WE DO HAVE A TEAM OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT SPECIALISTS WHO GO INTO PRESCHOOLS AND DAYCARES. AND THEY PROVIDE SERVICES TO STUDENTS WHO HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION . AND THAT IS THEIR LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT. WE ALSO HAVE OTHER PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE LEARNING TOGETHER PRESCHOOL PROGRAM WHERE THEY ARE CONDUCTED IN A HARTFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL PRESCHOOL CLASSROOM, AND THAT IS A PROGRAM THAT INCLUDES BOTH DISABLED AND NON DISABLED CHILDREN. AND IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO LEARN AND GROW AND PLAY TOGETHER.

BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT DEVELOPMENTALLY CHILDREN AT THIS AGE LEARN THROUGH PLAY, AND I'VE HEARD MISSY SAY THAT MANY, MANY TIMES. SO OUR PROGRAMS REALLY FOSTER THAT ENGAGEMENT WITH PEERS, UM AND LEARNING THROUGH PLAY AND THOSE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES. WE ALSO HAVE MORE RESTRICTIVE. PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS AND AN EXAMPLE THERE WOULD BE OUR EARLY LEARNERS, PRESCHOOL OR EARLY LEARNERS. PRESCHOOL IS MODELED AFTER STRIVE AND YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT THAT IN THE NEXT SLIDE OR TWO, BUT THOSE THAT IS A PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE SIGNIFICANT NEEDS WITH REGARDS TO FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION. MOST OFTEN STUDENTS WHO ARE ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM BUT NOT ALWAYS. UM AND THEY ARE SERVICED IN AN ENVIRONMENT WITH A VERY LOW, UM , STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIO, AND, UM, WITH MORE 1 TO 1 ADULT SUPPORT SO THAT WE CAN REALLY FACILITY THEY'RE LEARNING AND REALLY EMPLOY THE DIFFERENT PRACTICES EVIDENT AND EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES THAT SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT WITH FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION. AND THEN WE ALSO OFFER PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS AT HARTFORD ACADEMY FOR OUR STUDENTS WHO, UM, WHOSE NEEDS CANNOT BE MET WITHIN OUR REGULAR PRESCHOOL CONTINUUM. A SIMILARLY WE'RE SEEING A REAL EXPLOSION IN

[02:20:02]

THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE COMING THROUGH, UM BOTH INFANTS AND TODDLERS AND THEN ELIGIBLE FOR PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION . YOU CAN SEE THE GROWTH THERE ON THE SCREEN. AND AS MISSY NOTED, AS OF FEBRUARY OF 2023, WE ARE CURRENTLY SERVICING 525 STUDENTS IN OUR PRESCHOOL SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS, AND WE ENDED LAST YEAR. A ER WITH 376. SO I KNOW WE'VE TALKED SO MUCH ABOUT BLUEPRINT AND THE EXPANSION OF PREKINDERGARTEN. THIS IS REALLY A CRITICAL AREA FOR OUR DEPARTMENT AS FAR AS PLANNING AND STAFFING AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT AS OUR CHILDREN ARE ARE TRANSITIONING FROM INFANTS AND TODDLERS INTO PRESCHOOL, SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THEN INTO OUR KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS. THAT WE REALLY ARE OFFERING THAT BEST LEVEL OF SUPPORT THAT WE CAN AND ADEQUATE STAFFING TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE STUDENTS NEEDS CAN BE MET IN THAT LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT. I'M GOING TO BRIEFLY TOUCH ON, UM, JUMPING THAT CONTINUUM INTO KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 12, OUR STUDENTS AGED 6 TO 21 IN OUR ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY PROGRAMS. AS I HAD MENTIONED EARLIER, WE DO HAVE A STRONG COMMITMENT TO INCLUSIVE PRACTICES. THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS AT 84.4% ARE SERVICED IN THAT GENERAL EDUCATION SETTING USING THAT CO TEACHING MODEL AND WHAT WHO TEACHING ALLOWS US TO DO IS WE HAVE A SPECIAL EDUCATOR AS WELL AS A GENERAL EDUCATOR ASSIGNED TO EACH CLASSROOM THAT IS, QUOTE TALK CLASSROOM. WE ALSO SOMETIMES HAVE OTHER SUPPORT STAFF THAT WE'RE ABLE TO BRING INTO THOSE ENVIRONMENTS AND THAT ALLOWS THOSE TEACHERS TO REALLY COLLABORATE ON THE NEEDS OF ALL OF THE STUDENTS WITHIN THAT CLASS TO PLAN FOR FLEXIBLE SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION SO THAT THEY CAN REALLY TARGET THE NEEDS OF THOSE INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS WORK ON THOSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.

AND REALLY MAINTAIN THAT COMMITMENT TO THE GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM AND THAT INTERACTION AND ENGAGEMENT WITH NON DISABLED PEERS WHILE WE ARE TARGETING THE INDIVIDUALIZED NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES WITHIN THOSE CLASSROOMS. EACH OF OUR HCPS SECONDARY SCHOOLS, ALL OF OUR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS ALSO HAVE LIFE SKILLS, CLASSROOMS AND OUR LIFE SKILLS. CLASSROOMS ARE THERE IN EACH BUILDING TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENT TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS WHO REQUIRE THE MAJORITY OF THEIR SERVICES OUTSIDE OF GENERAL EDUCATION. AND THESE WOULD BE TO ASSIST STUDENTS WHO REALLY NEED THAT DIRECT SPECIALIZED INSTRUCTION TO ADDRESS THEIR FUNCTIONAL SKILLS , THEIR ADAPTIVE SKILLS AND A FOCUS ON DAILY LIVING SKILLS. SO WE DO SERVICE SEVERAL STUDENTS WITHIN OUR COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOLS WITHIN THOSE LIFE SKILLS CLASSROOMS. AND THEY ARE ALL SUPPORTED. EACH OF OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS ARE SUPPORTED BY TRANSITION RESOURCE ITINERANTS, AND THIS IS ESPECIALLY DESIGNED POSITION TO SUPPORT AP TEAMS, INCLUDING PARENTS AND STUDENTS WITH TRANSITION PLANNING. OUR TRANSITION RESOURCE ITINERANTS PROVIDE INFORMATION TO PARENTS ABOUT HOW TO CONNECT WITH OUTSIDE AGENCIES. THEY ALSO ARRANGED FOR DIFFERENT, UM COMMUNITY BASED EXPERIENCES AND INSTRUCTION FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE YOU KNOW WHO ARE RECEIVING THAT THROUGH THERE? I AP THE WORK WITH STUDENTS ON DIFFERENT JOB EMBEDDED SKILLS. THEY MAY EVEN ARRANGED FOR DIFFERENT WORK EXPERIENCES. DO JOB SHADOWING AND JOB COACHING, SO THAT AS WE ARE PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS, WE DO HAVE THAT ADDITIONAL RESOURCE SEARCH TRANSITION RESOURCE ITINERANTS WHO ARE REALLY SPECIALIZED IN THAT POSITION AND IN SUPPORTING ALL OF OUR STAKEHOLDERS, AND ALL OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS AND WHAT IS NEEDED TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS HAVE EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED AND PREPARE FOR THEIR LIFE OUTSIDE OF HCPS. AND THEIR POSTSECONDARY GOALS. COUPLE MORE TO DESCRIBE TO YOU HERE, UM, OUR CLASSROOM SUPPORT REGIONAL PROGRAM. WE DO HAVE OUR THIS REGIONAL PROGRAM LOCATED IN FIVE OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND THREE OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AND WE ARE PLANNING FOR EXPANSION TO A HIGH SCHOOL IN THE 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR. UM OUR CLASSROOM SUPPORT REGIONAL PROGRAM ARE REALLY DESIGNED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE STUDENTS WHO HAVE SIGNIFICANT NEEDS IN THE AREA OF

[02:25:05]

SELF REGULATION, SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL SKILLS AND BEHAVIORAL REGULATION, SO IT REALLY IS DESIGNED TO BE AN INTENSIVE PROGRAM TO PROVIDE THESE STUDENTS WITH SUPPORT. TO DEVELOP THOSE SKILLS THAT THEY NEED TO REINTEGRATE AND TO RETURN TO THOSE GENERAL EDUCATION SETTING AND THAT LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT. OUR TEAMS WITHIN THE CLASSROOM SUPPORT PROGRAM WORK THERE VERY HIGHLY TRAINED IN SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND PROVIDING EVIDENCE EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES TO ADDRESS THOSE NEEDS . THEY WORK WITH STUDENTS TO DEVELOP SELF ADVOCACY SKILLS, SELF REGULATION SKILLS AND DIFFERENT COPING SKILLS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR STUDENTS TO REALLY MONITOR THEIR BEHAVIOR AND TO REALLY DEMONSTRATE SUCCESS IN THE EDUCATE. CATION ALEVE IRON MINT. ALL STUDENTS IN THAT CSP PROGRAM OR ON A GRADUATED, UM, PLAN WHERE THEY THEY EARN CERTAIN LEVELS AND AS THEY DEMONSTRATE MORE SUCCESS WITH THE LEVEL OF SYSTEM, THEY ARE INTEGRATED WITH SUPPORT WITH THEIR DON DISABLED PEERS INTO CLASSROOMS AND THEN, AS THEY DEMONSTRATE INCREASED SUPPORT, WERE ABLE TO INCREASE THAT TIME . SO AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE SLIDE, WE HAVE ALREADY TRANSIT MISSIONS. FOUR OF THE EIGHTIES.

STUDENTS ARE WORKING ON THAT TRANSITION BACK INTO THAT LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT AND INTO THOSE GENERAL EDUCATION SETTINGS . AND, UM, HISTORICALLY, YOU KNOW, WE DO SHOW A GREAT DEAL OF SUCCESS WITH WORKING WITH THESE STUDENTS AND THEN HELPING THEM TO REINTEGRATE BACK WITH PEERS AND IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS LESS RESTRICTIVE. UM AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A SECOND REGIONAL PROGRAM IS STRIVE AND I DID MENTION EARLIER. THE EARLY LEARNERS PROGRAM THAT MIRRORS ARE STRIVE PROGRAM FOR OUR PRESCHOOL AGE STUDENTS, BUT STRIVE IS A PROGRAM. IT IS ONE OF OUR MORE RESTRICTIVE PLACEMENT OPTIONS. UM AND IT IS A PROGRAM THAT IS DESIGNED WITH HIGHLY TRAINED STAFF. WE USE THE APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS AND B F. SKINNER'S VERBAL BEHAVIOR METHODOLOGY. WE USE AN ASSESSMENT CALLED THE VD MAP, WHICH HELPS US TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION LEVELS AND OUR STUDENTS WHO DO WHO ARE SERVICED WITHIN THE STRIFE CLASSROOM USUALLY HAVE FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION THAT IS RATED R OR SCORING AT ABOUT BETWEEN ZERO AND ABOUT 48 MONTHS OF AGE. SO THAT FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION IS SO ESSENTIAL. TO A STUDENTS BEING ABLE TO ACCESS INSTRUCTION , AND THEY ALSO THAT VB MAP HELPS US TO IDENTIFY BARRIERS WHEN THEY HAVE BARRIERS TO ACCESSING THEIR INSTRUCTION AND OUR TEACHERS IN THE STRIVE PROGRAM USE VERY INTENSIVE. IT'S CALLED INTENSIVE, STRUCTURED TEACHING, AND THAT ALLOWS THEM TO FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS AS WELL AS THE REDUCTION OF THE BARRIERS TO ACCESSING INSTRUCTION AND THEN ALSO TO GENERALIZE THE SKILLS THAT STUDENTS ACQUIRE ACROSS DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN SETTINGS. SO OUR STRIVE PROGRAM WE HAVE A VERY LOW STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIO. UM AND WE DO HAVE STRIKE PROGRAMS ACROSS ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A STRIVE PROGRAM OR TWO CLASSROOMS. AT HARTFORD ACADEMY SO YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN AS WELL. OUR NUMBERS AND STRIVE ARE GROWING. UM AND WE ARE CONTINUING TO EXPAND. WE DO HAVE PLANS FOR EXPANSION OF THE STRIVE STRIVE CLASSROOMS INTO AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN THE COMING YEAR AND THEN WE ARE LOOKING AT EXPANSION INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL IN THE 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR. UM SO I'M THE FINAL STOP ON OUR CONTINUUM IS OUR MOST RESTRICTIVE AND LIKE I HAD SAID EARLIER. WE DO HAVE PUBLIC SEPARATE DAY AND PRIVATE SEPARATE DAY OPTIONS WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE MOST RESTRICTIVE AND THIS WOULD BE TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS WHOSE NEEDS CANNOT ADEQUATELY BE MET. WITHIN EITHER THEIR HOME SCHOOL OR WITHIN THAT CONTINUUM THAT I DESCRIBED WITH THE OTHER REGIONAL PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE WITHIN HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SO AT OUR PUBLIC SEPARATE DAY AT HARTFORD ACADEMY , WE SERVICE STUDENTS FROM AGE 3 TO 21. THESE ARE STUDENTS WHOSE EDUCATIONAL AND MEDICAL NEEDS ARE SIGNIFICANT AND REALLY REQUIRE THAT SPECIALIZED PLACEMENT IN THE PUBLIC SEPARATE DAY IN ORDER TO MEET THEIR NEEDS. WE CURRENTLY HAVE 100 AND

[02:30:06]

22 STUDENTS ENROLLED AT HARVARD ACADEMY. I KNOW THAT YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THAT. I JUST WANT TO SAY, UM, IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HARTFORD ACADEMY HAS BEEN DOING A FAN A FANTASTIC JOB THIS YEAR WITH POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA THERE. FACEBOOK PAGE HAS BEEN PHENOMENAL. UM, THEIR PACE COORDINATOR. HER IS A PARA EDUCATOR. AND SHE HAS BEEN, UM, REALLY UPLOADING CONTINUOUSLY DIFFERENT THINGS. JUST THIS WEEK. THERE WERE SOME PICTURES ON THERE FROM A PETS ON WHEELS VISIT AND ALSO FROM THEIR RECENT PRODUCTION OF ALADDIN. AND I WOULD SAY THAT YOU KNOW, AFTER A HARD DAY IF I JUMP ON FACEBOOK AND I SEE THAT HARTFORD ACADEMY FACEBOOK PAGE IT ALWAYS LIFTS MY SPIRITS, SO WE'RE DEFINITELY RECOMMEND IT FOR ANYBODY. UM YOU KNOW WHO'S INTERESTED? IT'S REALLY A MAGICAL PLACE, AND THEN JUST TO POINT OUT TO OUR PRIVATE SEPARATE DAY SCHOOLS. THEY'RE ALSO REFERRED TO AS OUR NON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. STUDENTS ARE PLACED THERE THROUGH THE CENTRAL EIGHT PROCESS AS THEY ARE FOR ANY OF OUR MORE RESTRICTIVE PLACEMENTS ON THE CONTINUUM. WE DO PLACE STUDENTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MSD WITH THAT STUDENTS, PARENT. UM AND WE DO CURRENTLY HAVE 207 STUDENTS WHO ARE BEING SERVED IN APPROXIMATELY 30 PRIVATE, SEPARATE DAY OR NON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THROUGHOUT MARYLAND, AND WE DO OCCASIONALLY NEED TO FIND PLACEMENTS IN NEIGHBORING STATES, BUT WE DO TAKE PLACEMENT IN THESE NON PUBLIC SCHOOLS. UM, VERY SERIOUSLY WHEN WE THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE GOVERNED BY AS FAR AS IDEA AS WELL AS OUR COMMITMENT TO INCLUSIVE EDUCATION. WE KNOW THAT ARE NON PUBLIC SCHOOLS DO NOT ALLOW STUDENTS ACCESS TO NON DISABLED PEERS. ALL CHILDREN WHO ATTEND THOSE NON PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE STUDENTS, STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. WE ALSO HAVE SIGNIFICANT UM THERE'S TRANSPORTATION OF THOSE STUDENTS . MOST OF OUR NON PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE IN OTHER COUNTIES AND LIKE I SAID NEIGHBORING STATES, SO THERE REALLY IS NO WAY TO AVOID THE LENGTHY BUS RIDES THAT SOME OF THOSE STUDENTS AND INCUR WHEN WE DO NEED TO FIND THOSE PLACEMENTS OUTSIDE OF HARTFORD COUNTY CONTINUUM, AND I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW, SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS. YOU YOU DO RECEIVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT WOULD BE HAPPY TO ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT NON PUBLIC BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT THAT IS ALWAYS THE VERY LAST STEP THE LAST OPTION BECAUSE OF ALL OF THOSE FACTORS AND ALL OF THE YOU KNOW THE IMPACT TO THOSE STUDENTS WITH NOT HAVING NON DISABLED PEERS ACCESS TO THAT GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM AND THEN ALSO TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE TRANSPORTATION FOR THOSE STUDENTS TO ACCESS THOSE SCHOOLS. SO I'M GOING TO WRAP THIS UP PRETTY QUICKLY. JUST WITH A BRIEF, UM, JUST LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE PROGRAMS THAT I JUST DISCUSSED ARE NOW OUTLINED WITHIN THE CONTINUUM SO YOU CAN SEE YOU KNOW, IN ALL OF OUR 55 HCPS SCHOOLS. WE DO HAVE THOSE PO TALK CLASSROOMS, INCLUDING SWAN CREEK. UM WE DO ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SERVICES BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE GENERAL ED CLASSROOM, SO THAT'S THAT MIDDLE CONTINUUM IN ALL OF OUR 55 HCPS SCHOOLS, AND THEN YOU CAN SEE ON ON THAT ON THAT MOST RESTRICTIVE SIDE OF THE CONTINUUM IS WHERE SOME OF THOSE PLACEMENT OPTIONS. THAT WE DESCRIBED THE STRIVE THE EARLY LEARNERS AND THEN OUR PUBLIC SEPARATE DAY AND OUR PRIVATE SEPARATE DAY ARE LIKE I SAID THAT MOST RESTRICTIVE ON THE CONTINUUM. AND THEN JUST FINALLY, OUR SPECIAL ED LEADERSHIP TEAM AND CONSULTATION WITH THE BLUEPRINT COMMITTEE FOR STUDENTS SERVICES IDENTIFIED SOME NEEDS FOR EXPANSION OF THE EXISTING HCPS CONTINUUM. WE ARE GOING TO WORK TOWARDS THESE GOALS IN THE NEXT COMING YEARS, BUT WHAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED AS PLACES THAT WE'D LIKE TO GROW AND PLAN TO GROW. OUR CONTINUUM IS LOOKING AT PROVIDING A DIFFERENT TYPES OF SERVICES OR A PLACE ON OUR CONTINUUM FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WHO REQUIRE THAT SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION OUTSIDE OF JANET TO DEVELOP THOSE FUNCTIONAL ADAPTIVE SKILLS. RIGHT NOW, OUR TEACHERS ARE DOING THAT OR SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS. ARE PLANNING FOR THOSE OUTSIDE OF GEN. ED SERVICES KIND OF THROUGH THEIR CASELOADS. WE'D LIKE TO DEVELOP A MORE REGIONAL APPROACH SO THAT WE CAN COMBINE SOME OF

[02:35:04]

THOSE RESOURCES AND MORE EFFECTIVELY. SERVICE UM YOU KNOW, STUDENTS WITHIN THAT THAT REQUIRE THAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT. WE ALSO ARE LOOKING FOR SOME OF OUR SECONDARY DIPLOMA POUNDS STUDENTS WHO MIGHT REQUIRE SPECIALLY DESIGNED INSTRUCTION TO ADDRESS THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUNCTIONAL ADAPTIVE SKILLS, SO THEY DO NOT QUITE HAVE THE SAME LEVEL OF NEED IS OUR STUDENTS AND LIFE SKILLS AND WE'RE FINDING THE NEED TO HAVE PROGRAMMING AND SPECIFIC THINGS IN PLACE SO THAT WE CAN MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS WHO ARE WORKING TOWARD GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS AND GRADE LEVEL STANDARDS. BUT ALSO NEED THAT INSTRUCTION IN THE FUNCTIONAL ADAPTIVE SKILLS. AND THEN FINALLY, THE SECONDARY DIPLOMA BOUND STUDENTS WHO WOULD REQUIRE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS. I HAD SAID WE ARE LOOKING TO EXPAND OUR CSP PROGRAM INTO HIGH SCHOOL AND THAT IS PLANNED FOR BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO DO SOME EXPANSION. FOR UM, KIND OF A STEP DOWN FROM CSP INTO OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND LOOKING AT SOME DIFFERENT TYPE OF PROGRAMMING WHERE WE CAN ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF SOME OF OUR STUDENTS WHO HAVE THESE SPECIFIC NEEDS. SO I AM GOING TO STOP TALKING. I HAVE MY TEAM AVAILABLE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, AND LIKE I SAID, WE'RE JUST THRILLED TO BE HERE TO SHARE ALL THE GOOD WORK THAT THAT'S DONE ACROSS THE COUNTY WITHIN THIS CONTINUUM. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. MRS ALVAREZ. DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO ASK? YEAH, I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION I'VE RECEIVED . I GUESS SOME SOME EMAILS FROM SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS ABOUT THE. RECORD KEEPING REQUIREMENTS IS AND THE ADDITIONAL BURDEN THAT THEY HAVE WITH THAT. CAN YOU SPEAK TO LIKE WHO LIKE IS IT ? SOME SCHOOLS? I GUESS HAVE A MODEL WHERE THEY HAVE SOMEBODY THAT HELPS THEM WITH THE ADDITIONAL PAPERWORK THAT'S REQUIRED FOR SPECIAL EDUCATORS. OKAY ARE YOU THINKING OTHER COUNTIES MIGHT HAVE DIFFERENT MODELS? OKAY. AND YES, AND I KNOW WE HAD KIND OF GIVEN YOU THAT SNAPSHOT OF WHAT THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES ARE. THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE WORK OF A SPECIAL EDUCATOR UM IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT. AND I THINK AS WE OUTLINED TODAY, OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS NOT ONLY HAVE THE INSTRUCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE ALL OF THE RESPONSIBILITIES THAT COME INTO PLAY WITH THAT SPECIAL EDUCATION PROCESS. SO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE I E. P S THE EVALUATION PROCESS MANAGING THE DIFFERENT NOTICES THAT NEED TO GO OUT TO FAMILIES AND THAT IS ALL YOU KNOW, MANDATED BETWEEN IDEA AND COMB ARE JUST AN EXAMPLE YOU KNOW, ACCORDING TO COMB ARE IN, UM IN MARYLAND. WE ARE REQUIRED TO SEND ALL DOCUMENTS TO FAMILIES FIVE DAYS AHEAD OF THE MEETING. SO OUR SPECIAL EDUCATORS MUST, YOU KNOW , GATHER THAT INFORMATION TO SEND THAT OUT AS FAR AS MODELS ACROSS OTHER COUNTIES. UM I DO YOU KNOW, THERE ARE OTHER COUNTIES THAT THAT STRUCTURE THEIR SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY WITH DIFFERENT POSITIONS SUCH AS I EMPTY CHAIR POSITIONS. WHICH ARE, YOU KNOW DESIGNATED IN A BUILDING. I AM NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHAT THE JOB RESPONSIBILITIES OF THAT POSITION WOULD BE. I DO KNOW. IN HARTFORD COUNTY. WE DO HAVE POSITIONS THAT ARE NOT IN IN OTHER COUNTIES WITHIN THE STATE, AND THAT WOULD BE SPECIFICALLY THE EDDIE EVALUATOR OR THE SPECIAL EDUCATION EVALUATOR. HARFORD COUNTY IS THE ONLY COUNTY IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND THAT HAS THAT DESIGNATED POSITION AND THAT WAS PUT IN PLACE BY 20 OR 30 YEARS AGO. YOU GUYS, UM PROBABLY FOR ABOUT THAT SPECIFICALLY TO TAKE THAT COMPONENT OFF THE PLATE OF SPECIAL EDUCATORS BECAUSE ACROSS THE STATE TO MY IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT SPECIAL EDUCATORS ALSO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR TESTING AND WRITING REPORTS FOR THE INITIAL EVALUATION PROCESS. AND YOU KNOW, IN HARTFORD COUNTY. WE HAVE SPECIAL EDUCATION EVALUATORS. THERE'S 16 OF THEM THAT ARE SCIENTIST SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT, UM THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. UM YOU KNOW, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ADDRESSED YOUR QUESTION OR NOT, BUT I JUST DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER WHY WE CHOSE THIS OF THE MODEL THAT WE HAVE, AS OPPOSED TO, LIKE OTHER MODELS. UM, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE SOME OF THE TEACHERS HAVE EXPRESSED A CONCERN OF HAVING THAT ADDITIONAL BURDEN. SO IT'S KIND OF A STATEMENT AND JUST YOU KNOW, JUST SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW. THAT MIGHT BE A CONCERN AMONG THE TEACHER

[02:40:03]

POPULATION AND WE ARE ALWAYS STRIVING TO PUT AS MUCH AS WE CAN IN PLACE TO SUPPORT OUR SPECIAL EDUCATION. OTHERS WE KNOW THEY ARE. THEY ARE WORKING HARD EVERY DAY AND I MUST SAY THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT COMMENT. MRS BURGESS. MR SAN NO, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. DR HAROLD THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION. I JUST WANTED TO ASK A COUPLE QUESTIONS. UM SOME OF OUR ALL THE PROGRAMS. HOW DO HOW PARENTS, UM I THINK MY QUESTION IS, IS THE QUALIFICATION, PARTLY INCOME BASED OR IS ANYBODY QUALIFIED TO, UM. TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION . THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR ASKING THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING. ANSWER IT PROPERLY. SO UM IT IN DIFFERENT DIFFERENT ASPECTS, SO THINKING IN TERMS OF INFANTS AND TODDLERS AND CHILD FINE, WE GET REFERRALS THAT KIND OF INITIATES THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROVIDERS. FROM HEALTH PROVIDERS OR FROM WHERE? YEAH I MISSED YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH PREDOMINANTLY, WE GET REFERRALS FROM PARENTS, BUT WE ALSO GET THEM FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, HOSPITALS, PEDIATRICIANS AND LOCAL DAYCARES VINCENT TODDLERS , AND THAT'S THE SAME FOR CHILD . FIND THAT THE CHILD FIND AGAIN THIS PREDOMINANTLY REFERRALS FROM PARENTS. THANK YOU ONCE A STUDENT IS ELIGIBLE, AND I E P OR I FSP IS DEVELOPED. UM THE PROGRAMS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT. THERE ARE SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS THAT REQUIRE PLACEMENT THROUGH A CENTRAL I AP TEAM, SO THERE'S NOT NECESSARILY AND I'M NOT SURE IF THAT WAS WHERE YOUR QUESTION WAS, BUT THERE'S NOT NECESSARILY AN APPLICATION OR APPARENT. YOU KNOW IF A PARENT REQUESTS YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR YOU KNOW MY CHILD TO GO TO HARTFORD ACADEMY. THE I P TEAM WOULD MEET THEY WOULD CONSIDER THAT REQUEST THEY WOULD REVIEW THE SUPPORTS IN THAT I AP BUT WE REALLY, UM WE'RE LOOKING TO REALLY DO AS EXPAND ALL OF OUR RESOURCES WITHIN THAT LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT WITHIN THAT STUDENTS COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL BEFORE WE CAN MOVE TO UNWORRIED, RESTRICTIVE PLACEMENT , AND ROBIN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANTED TO ADD ANYTHING TO THAT, UM RELATED TO THAT CENTRAL PROCESS. I DIDN'T KNOW THE QUESTION ABOUT THE CENTRAL PROCESS OR BECAUSE THE INCOME BASED ON OH, AT EACH LEVEL, HOW STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO ACCESS THE PROGRAMS, UM I KNOW THAT I PRE PRE K INCOME BASED IT IS FOR GENERAL GENERAL PRE K. BUT FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION, IT IS NOT SO ONE. ONCE A ONCE A CHILD IS IDENTIFIED WITH A DISABILITY AND HAS AN I E P THEN, UM, THAT I E P TEAM WOULD DETERMINE PLACEMENT ALONG THAT CONTINUUM AND THAT PLACEMENT MAYBE IN ONE OF OUR GENERAL ED PRE CASE OR IT MAY BE IN ONE OF THOSE THOSE PROGRAMS JUST DEPENDING ON THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS. THAT'S REALLY GREAT TO KNOW. BECAUSE, UM THAT'S BEEN A MISCONCEPTION THAT I'VE HEARD. AMONG PARENTS, SO THAT'S GREAT TO KNOW. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. VERY. FOR THE PROGRAM. IT'S CHILL FOR KIDS. DO THEY GO ALL WAY UP LIKE I GUESS NOT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. IS THERE ANY TYPE OF, UM HELP THEY RECEIVE LIKE ONCE THEY'VE COMPLETED THEIR THEIR EDUCATION HERE IN HARTFORD COUNTY SCHOOL. WITH ADULT AGENCIES IF YOU'RE REFERRING TO STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES TRANSITION RESOURCES TO HELP THE PARENTS AND THE STUDENTS LINK UP WITH THOSE ADULT AGENCIES FOR SUPPORT. SO THEY MIGHT POSSIBLY , I GUESS THE PENDING ON THE SEVERITY OF THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO WORK SOMEWHERE.

ABSOLUTELY I HAVEN'T MIND ONE OF MY NEPHEWS. HE WENT THROUGH SPECIALLY IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. BUT NOW HE WORKS WITH. I THINK IT'S CHIMES. SO WE HELPED HILDEGARD STUDENTS UP WITH WORK EXPERIENCE WHILE THEY'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL. AND WE DO STUDENTS STAY WITH US OR THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO STAY WITH US . UM THROUGH THERE THE YEAR THAT THEY TURNED 21, SO, UM, AND THOSE WOULD BE IF THEY YOU KNOW, THEY MEET CRITERIA FOR A DIPLOMA AND THEY GRADUATE, YOU KNOW, THEN THEY LEAVE PRIOR TO THAT. BUT OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE WORKING TOWARDS CERTIFICATE A PROGRAM COMPLETION. THEY'RE ABLE TO STAY WITH US AND CONTINUE TO RESEARCH RECEIVE SERVICES THROUGH THEIR 21ST THE YEAR THAT THEY TURNED 21 THE END OF THAT SCHOOL YEAR. DR PHILLIPS. UM. TWO BOARD

[02:45:02]

CERTIFIED BEHAVIOR. ANALYSTS ASSUME WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST AND THAT THAT TYPE OF INDIVIDUALS. YES WE HAVE. WE HAVE ONE WHO SUPPORTS ON OUR STRIDE PROGRAM AND ANOTHER WHO SUPPORTS WITH OUR OUR CSP. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THIS SAY WHAT'S LOOK AT 2022 OF THE 56 45 STUDENTS REQUIRE THAT TYPE OF SERVICE AND TO ENOUGH AT THIS POINT, WE WOULD ALWAYS BRING ON MORE AND WE DO HAVE A REQUEST FOR B. C B. A IN OUR IN OUR BUDGET REQUEST FOR NEXT YEAR, JUST LOOKING AT THE EXPANSION OF STRIVE AND WHERE WE'RE HEADED. WE KNOW THAT YOU KNOW OUR OUR SUPPORT RESOURCES ARE AT A MAX, AND WE DEFINITELY NEED TO INCREASE. YOU KNOW THAT THAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT AND THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE HIGHLY SKILLED TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT SUPPORT . SO WHAT PERCENTAGE ARE REQUIRING THE SERVICE? THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION. UM IT WOULD BE LOOKING AT THE LOW INCIDENTS PERCENTAGE. IT WOULD BE BASED ON THE PRESENTATION THAT WE HAD APPROXIMATELY 4. FOR THE LOW INCIDENTS SIDE. STUDENTS YEAH. SO HOW MANY ADDITIONAL ANALYSTS AT THAT LEVEL, DO YOU? FEELING HAVE YOU PUT IN FOR JUST PUT IT LIKE THAT. WE HAVE ONE. WE HAVE ONE FOR NEXT YEAR, UM TO FURTHER SUPPORT THE STRIVE. I WILL TELL YOU THAT THAT BCB A WE DO HAVE SOME CONTRACT, NBC, CBS THAT WE BRING IN WHEN THEY WE HAVE, UM JUST INDIVIDUAL NEEDS AND THE WHOLE IDEA IS OUR B. CIBA'S WILL COME IN. THEY'LL DO SOME COACHING. THEY MAY SUPPORT WITH AN R B T, BUT THEN THEY'RE ABLE TO KIND OF STEP OUT AND DO THAT . AND MISSY I KNOW THAT YOU USE THROUGH GRANT FUNDS CONTRACTED A B C B A WITH YOUR EARLY PROGRAMS , AND WE HAVE ADVOCATED FOR POSITION FOR THE C B A FOR EARLY INTERVENTION AS WELL. WE ALSO WORK WITH OUR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS. SO WE ARE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS ALSO SUPPORT US. IN ADDITION TO THE BCBS FOR SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND, UM DEVELOPMENT OF OUR CHILDREN, SO IT'S NOT JUST THE BCBS. WE ALSO WORK WITH OUR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY. THANK YOU. IT'S REGARDED THANK YOU. UM THANK YOU FOR REALLY THOROUGH PRESENTATION . THAT WAS EXCELLENT. APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH. UM I NOTICED WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SLIDE FOR THREE THROUGH FIVE. THERE'S ABOUT 100 AND 50 MORE STUDENTS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED THAN WERE AT THE START OF 2021 22. I NOTICED THE . STUDENTS AND ASSIST UM THREE LUKE 21 WITH AN I E. P S ON THE RISE COMPARED TO 2021. I THINK I KNOW THE ANSWER. I'M ASSUMING IT'S BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO IDENTIFY AS MANY, UM, AS WE ARE NOW, OUR PARENTS COMING TO YOU. FOR HELP. IS THAT WHY THE 150 EXTRA. THAT ARE IDENTIFIED IN THE PRESCHOOL THREE THROUGH FIVE. SO THEY'RE COMING FOR ASSISTANCE. NOW REFERRALS HAVE INCREASED AND OUR FAMILIES HAVE SHARED THAT THE PANDEMIC DID IMPACT THEM. SOCIALLY EMOTIONALLY. OUR LITTLE ONES DIDN'T HAVE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE WITH OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE, THEIR PEERS AND BIRTHDAY 5 90% OF YOUR BRAIN DEVELOPS DURING THAT POINT, AND YOU NEED THOSE THOSE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT JUST GOING AND WAITING IN THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE, LEARNING THAT SKILL THEY DIDN'T GET TO DO THOSE THINGS. THEY DIDN'T GET TO GO TO THE LIBRARY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO FEELINGS HAVE REACHED OUT AND SO ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE REFERRALS WERE FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL SKILLS. UM, SO WE ARE REALLY WORKING ON THAT, BECAUSE EARLY INTERVENTION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS. AND I KNOW JUST TALKING TO THE TEACHERS AND SEEING WHAT HAPPENED WHEN WE CAME BACK TO SCHOOL. THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT IN LINE. THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO TAKE RETURN. THEY IT WAS A STRUGGLE ACROSS THE SPECTRUM. I THINK SO. THANK YOU. I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THAT. AND THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT PRESENTATION. THIS BLANKET. I HAVE NO QUESTIONS. JUST THANK YOU EVERY TIME I DID HAVE A QUESTION IN THE NEXT 30 SECONDS, Y'ALL ANSWERED IT. UM YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THIS IS AGAIN. THIS IS WHERE THE FUNDS WERE. HALF ITALIAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE GOING, UM PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY'RE GOING ELSEWHERE. BUT WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT DESPERATELY NEED THIS. AND EVERY STUDENT EVERY STUDENT DESPERATELY NEEDS TO BE IN SCHOOL AND THANK YOU. YOURSELF SO I JUST WANTED TO START OFF BY THANKING YOU AND YOUR TEAM. UM IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU'RE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH. UH, WITH THE RESOURCES YOU HAVE.

THANK YOU FOR WORKING SO HARD TO TAKE CARE OF THE STUDENTS OF HARPER COUNTY. UM I DID A QUICK CALCULATION. UH YOU KNOW YOU'RE SERVING 5600 AND 45 STUDENTS. AS OF LAST YEAR, UM AND THAT IS

[02:50:04]

ROUGHLY ONE IN EIGHT. THAT'S AMAZING. YOU KNOW? SO I WANTED TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE STUDENTS THAT WE PLACE. UM THIS IS 207 STUDENTS, ROUGHLY THAT WE PLACE AND YOU KNOW OTHER SCHOOLS? IN OUR PRIVATE SEPARATE DAYS. YES. AH! AND YOU SAID, SOME OF THEM ARE OUT OF STATE.

SO DO THEY LIVE OUT OF STATE THEN OR HOW DOES THAT WORK OR THEY CLOSE ENOUGH FOR THEIR BUS THERE EVERY DAY, AND WE HAVE HAD THAT BEFORE. WE'VE HAD STUDENTS IN THE PAST THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN DELAWARE, WHERE MAYBE ANOTHER AGENCY PLACED THEM RESIDENTIAL E, BUT WE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EDUCATIONAL AT THIS TIME, WE ONLY HAVE ONE STUDENT RECEIVING EDUCATIONAL SERVICES OUT OF STATE. BUT IT'S VIRTUALLY SO IT'S KIND OF A UNIQUE SITUATION . THAT'S WHAT WE DO AND SPECIAL EDUCATION. THAT'S GREAT. SO THAT'S THAT'S INTERESTING. SO YOU BRING UP AN INTERESTING POINT. HOW IS VIRTUAL IS THAT GROWING LIKE AS A AS A POSSIBLE SOURCE SOLUTION FOR SOME WE ALWAYS WANT TO BE CREATIVE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS. BUT YOU KNOW, IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE COMPLEXITY OF THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS. BECAUSE FOR SOME STUDENTS, YOU JUST CAN'T HAVE THAT ENGAGEMENT IN THE CONNECTION THROUGH THE VIRTUAL NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU.

SO I JUST WANT TO SAY I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT SEVERAL OF YOUR STRIVE CLASSROOMS. UM AND I REALLY ADMIRE THE PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THERE IN THE WORK THAT THEY DO, BUT I HAVE NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO HARTFORD ACADEMY, AND I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF WE COULD ARRANGE THAT SOMETIME SOON. OKAY APPRECIATE THAT. AND THEN DR BOLSON I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS. UM NO ONE WANTED TO PROVIDE SORT OF A BIG PICTURE. PERSPECTIVE. SO YOU MEAN? I THINK YOU GUYS RAN THROUGH SOME OF THE ACRONYMS. INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT IS THE LAW THAT REALLY DRIVES. MOST OF WHAT WE DEAL WITH. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS THE COMMITMENT UNDER THAT. AND BEEN A LOT OF THE MONEY RECEIVED FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION COMES FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT ALSO BRINGS A LOT OF BUREAUCRACY WITH IT, AND OVERSIGHT AND BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT UNFORTUNATELY HASN'T GOTTEN THE PRESS IT DESERVES IS THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S ONLY EVER FUNDED ABOUT 40% OF ITS COMMITMENT. AND OUR TWO U. S. SENATORS FROM MARYLAND. SENATOR CARDIN AND SENATOR VAN HOLLAND HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN TWO OF THE PEOPLE REALLY? TRYING TO ADVANCE THIS ISSUE AS SOMETHING THAT KIND OF DRIVE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS. SO WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS THE STATE DOES PICK UP SOME PORTION OF THE COST OF SPECIAL EDUCATION? AND, OF COURSE, THE LOCAL BUDGET PICKS UP QUITE A LOT OF THE COST OF SPECIAL EDUCATION. UM SO I JUST WANTED TO PUT THAT OUT THERE BECAUSE IT'S JUST ONE OF THE BIG PICTURE THINGS YOU'VE HEARD. YOU KNOW, OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS BEEN A LOT ABOUT SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS AND YOU KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SENATORS BEING HOLIDAY CARD AND WE'RE PUSHING WAS TO HAVE THIS INCLUDED IN ONE OF THE ONE OF THE ADJUSTMENTS TO HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS PUBLIC EDUCATION. BUT AGAIN, THIS ISN'T KIND OF AN UNMET NEED. THAT BEING SAID YOU GUYS PICK UP THE SLACK, AND YOU'VE BEEN MEETING THE NEED BUT ALSO TO MISS ALVAREZ'S POINT. UM OUR TEACHERS DO NEED MORE SUPPORT. THERE'S NO QUESTION WHATSOEVER. AND WE NEED MORE.

AND I THINK A LOT ABOUT OUR CLASSROOM SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS. UM, WHO HAVE. JUST SUCH A WEALTH OF BURDENS ON THEM FROM THE ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE TEACHING SIDE, AND I THINK UH UM , ANYTHING WE DO TO CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY RESOURCES TO GO TOWARDS THIS, UM BECAUSE WE SPREAD THINGS AROUND AND ARE THE VARIOUS SCHOOL SYSTEMS HAVE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO IT, AND I THINK YOU'LL FIND ADDITIONAL THINGS HERE AND SOME THINGS WE DO LIKE THAT AT EVALUATORS, UM BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S A CHALLENGING TASK. BUT I THINK ROBIN HAD THE QUOTE OF THE EVENING. I THINK IT ACTUALLY GONNA TURN INTO A T SHIRT. WHICH IS THIS A UNIQUE SITUATION. I CAN SEE OUR T SHIRT WITHOUT BECAUSE THE ONE THING YOU LEARN WHEN YOU FIRST START THINKING ABOUT SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS IS THE WHOLE POINT. IS EVERY ONE OF THEM IS SO UNIQUE. I MEAN, THAT'S TRUE FOR EVERY STUDENT, BUT THE SERVICES THAT THEY DESERVED BY LAW. HAVE TO BE UNIQUE. AND SO IT'S EVEN WHERE WE TRY TO SUMMARIZE AND DESCRIBE A LITTLE OF WHAT WE DO HERE AND THERE. UM WITHIN THAT IS THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUAL VERY INDIVIDUALIZED PLANS. SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU GUYS DO. IT'S REALLY AMAZING WORK. THIS TEAM IS AS UM THE BEST I'VE EVER

[02:55:03]

WORKED WITH. AND YOU KNOW, I JUST APPRECIATE WHAT YOU GUYS DO. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. YEAH, LET'S GO. I SAW PEOPLE TRYING TO PLOT JUST DO IT, OKAY? AH NEXT. WE HAVE

[G. (Placeholder) Presentation on Proficiency, Ms. Heather Kutcher, Executive Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Mr. Andrew Renzulli, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Ms. Kristine Scarry, Supervisor of English/Language Arts, Mr. Gideon Twigg, Curriculum Specialist, and Mr. Phil Snyder, Supervisor of Accountability]

AMG PRESENTATION ON COMPREHENSIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, MS HEATHER KUSHNER. THAT'S TRUE. I KNOW WHO SHE IS. I'M JUST GOING TO GO TAKE SOME CLASSES, WHETHER IT'S GOOD, RIGHT. WE KNOW EACH OTHER. GOOD EVENING, PRESIDENT BOARD PRESIDENT MUELLER, VICE PRESIDENT, SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT BOSTON AND BOARD MEMBERS. WE APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT TO YOU THIS EVENING. THIS SPECIFIC PRESENTATION OF REALLY STEMS FROM DISCUSSION ON TWO OF THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS INCLUDED IN THE FEBRUARY 13TH BOARD MEETING AS WELL AS TONIGHT . SPECIFICALLY TONIGHT, NUMBER TWO AND THREE, UM, COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS AND CLASSROOM LIBRARIES. SO WITH ME TO PRESENT THIS EVENING, WE HAVE MR ANDY RENZULLI, WHO'S OUR DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT. MISS CHRISTINE, SCARY SUPERVISOR OF READING ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE ARTS. AND WE HAVE MR GIDEON TWIG. CURRICULUM SPECIALIST IN THE OFFICE OF CURRICULUM INSTRUCTION . I'M SORRY IN THE OFFICE OF READING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, LOTS OF TITLES, NOT AT THE TABLE THAT INTEGRAL TO THIS PRESENTATION, AS WELL AS THE WORK THAT IT ENCOMPASSES, WOULD BE OUR SUPERVISOR OF ACCOUNTABILITY, MR. BILL SNYDER AND OUR ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR OF ACCOUNTABILITY, MR ANDY WACHTER, AS WELL. UM SO TONIGHT WITH YOU , WE WILL SHARE HOW THE PURCHASES INCLUDED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA ARE SITUATED WITHIN THE LARGER CONTEXT OF OUR COMPREHENSIVE READING ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE ARTS PROGRAM. WE'LL SHARE SOME OF THE DATA THAT SUPPORTS THE USE OF DAKOTA, BOLS AND CLASSROOM LIBRARIES AND WILL SHARE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE PURCHASES THAT WE HAVE REQUESTED. SO TO START A SOF WILL GO TO CHRIS CAREY, WHO WILL START WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE READING ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROGRAM. SORRY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE THIS EVENING TO TALK ABOUT OUR READING PROGRAM.

I DO WELCOME AND ENCOURAGE YOU. I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT TONIGHT, BUT COME INTO OUR CLASSROOMS. CR DEDICATED, HARDWORKING. UM KNOWLEDGEABLE TEACHERS, CR LITERACY, RICH ENVIRONMENTS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, SEE OUR STUDENTS AS READERS AND WRITERS. UM WE BELIEVE, REGARDLESS OF THE PROGRAM. THAT THESE. RESEARCH GROUNDED STATEMENTS THAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN. GUIDE THE PRINCIPLES OF WHAT WE WANT FOR OUR STUDENTS EVERY DAY IN READING AND WRITING INSTRUCTION. AND THAT'S THAT WE WANT TO PROGRAM THAT'S BUILT ON THE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS THAT ARE SO IMPORTANT AWARENESS AND PHONOLOGICAL. SKILLS PHONICS.

THAT'S THE FOUNDATION. BUT WE ALSO NEED A PROGRAM AND INSTRUCTION THAT FOCUSES ON ALL THE STRANDS OF SKILLED READING. THAT PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS. AND FOR ME, THAT MEANS WE AREN'T A ONE SIZE FITS ALL. THERE ISN'T ONE PERFECT PROGRAM . IT'S MORE ABOUT CREATING TEACHERS WHO ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE READING NEEDS STRENGTHS OF THEIR STUDENTS AND THEN DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION AS WELL AS OUR PROGRAM, SO WE DO HAVE A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS TO MEET STUDENTS NEEDS. AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE THINK ABOUT HOW DO WE MOTIVATE OUR STUDENTS ? HOW DO WE LET THEM SEE WHAT READING CAN BRING INTO THEIR LIVES? AND THAT BUILDING STAMINA VOLUME. MOTIVATION FOR READING MEANS KIDS WILL WANT TO READ MORE. AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST PARTS OF RESEARCH IS THE MORE YOU DO SOMETHING THE BETTER YOU BECOME. AND SO HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR RICH READING EXPERIENCES INSIDE THE CLASSROOM , BUT OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM AT HOME AS WELL? I MENTIONED SKILLED READING. THIS GRAPHIC SCARBOROUGH IS READING WROTE. UM THE SCIENCE OF READING RESEARCH HAS REALLY BROUGHT THIS TO LIGHT. AND HAS EMPHASIZED THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SKILLED READERS THAT WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO ALL OF THESE STRANDS. THERE'S AREAS OF COMPREHENSION THAT NEED TO BE DEVELOPED, SUCH AS BACKGROUND, KNOWLEDGE AND VOCABULARY. AND THEN THERE ARE ALSO WORD RECOGNITION SKILLS, DECODING SITE RECOGNITION AND PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS. AND WHEN OUR INSTRUCTION BRINGS ALL OF THESE PIECES TOGETHER. THE RESULT IS SKILLED READING FOR

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OUR STUDENTS, AND SO WE NEED TO HAVE DAILY INSTRUCTION. AND TIME FOR OUR TEACHERS TO PROVIDE ALL OF THIS, UM REALLY IMPORTANT READING INSTRUCTION DAILY. AND SO THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF OUR FIRST GRADE. TIME IF YOU COME INTO OUR SCHOOLS, YOU MIGHT SEE HAGERTY HAPPENING DURING OUR PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS PROGRAM. AND WE ALSO HAVE TIME FOR PHONICS. RICH READ ALOUD SO THAT TEACHERS CAN BRING BOOKS TO LIFE FOR STUDENTS SHARED READING WHERE TEACHERS READ WITH STUDENTS. BUT BESIDES THE INSTRUCTION, YOU GET BETTER BY DOING AND SO GIVING STUDENTS OPPORTUNITY IN CLASS TO READ INDEPENDENTLY TO ACTUALLY PRACTICE THOSE SKILLS THAT THEY'RE LEARNING THROUGH DIRECT INSTRUCTION IN OUR CLASSROOMS. THIS SHOWS THE ROLLOUT OF THE UNITS OF STUDY ADOPTION THAT HAPPENED IN OUR DISTRICT. YOU'LL SEE. IT WAS FIRST IMPLEMENTED IN EIGHT SCHOOLS DURING THE 2019 2020 SCHOOL YEAR. UNFORTUNATELY THAT FIRST YEAR WE DID CLOSE DOWN IN MARCH, SO OUR TEACHERS DIDN'T GET A FULL YEAR IN FRONT OF THE STUDENTS TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM. IN THE 2020 21 SCHOOL YEAR, WE CONTINUED. WE ADDED MORE SCHOOLS, EVEN THOUGH WE WERE, UM VIRTUAL ALMOST THE ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR. AND NOW IN OUR 22 23 SCHOOL YEAR. IT WAS IMPORTANT TO US BECAUSE OF THE SCIENCE OF READING THAT WE PURCHASE AND GIVE OUR TEACHERS THE MOST UP TO DATE EDITION OF THE UNITS OF STUDY AND READING AND SO ARCATA TO PROGRAM OUR TEACHERS ARE WORKING THIS YEAR WITH THE NEW EDITION AS WELL AS UM ACROSS OUR DAY HAVING THE HAGERTY FUNNY MICK AWARENESS PROGRAM. COMPREHENSIVE IS IMPORTANT. WE HAVE A SENATE BILL EARLY READING SCREENER THAT EXPECTS ALL OF THE DISTRICTS TO SCREEN STUDENTS SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THEIR NEEDS AS READERS. AND SO ONCE. THAT SCREENER IS COMPLETED ALONG WITH WHAT THE TEACHERS ARE SEEING IN THE CLASSROOM WERE ABLE TO MATCH STUDENTS TO PROGRAMS THAT WILL BEST MEET THEIR NEEDS. AND SO FOUNDATIONS FOR WILLINGHAM, PLUS SIPS ARE ADDITIONAL. UM PHONICS PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFER IN OUR SCHOOLS. THINKING ABOUT STUDENTS WHO DO HAVE DYSLEXIA. WE KNOW THAT A DIFFERENT PROGRAM. A DIFFERENT APPROACH IS WHAT'S NEEDED. WE ALSO KNOW THAT FOR OUR KIDS DAILY SYSTEMATIC PHONICS INSTRUCTION IS ESSENTIAL. AND WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE PROGRAMS LOOKING AT THE DATA IN ORDER TO SEE ARE WE MAKING SURE ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE SUCCESSFUL, AND MR RENZULLI IS GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE VARIOUS ASSESSMENT PIECES THAT WE HAVE. GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY. I'M GOING TO SHARE THREE SOURCES OF DATA TO INFORM THE DECISIONS THAT THE READING LANGUAGE OFFICE IN THE CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT OFFICE AT LARGE USE IN ORDER TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS. THE FIRST TWO THAT I'LL SPEAK TO IS THE DEVIL'S EARLY CHILDHOOD READING ASSESSMENT. WHICH IS A UNIVERSAL SCREENER THAT'S GIVEN TO STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN, ALL STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN AND SELECT STUDENTS IN GRADES 123. THEN FOLLOW UP WITH A BRIEF DISCUSSION OF READING INVENTORY DATA, WHICH REPRESENTS A COMPREHENSIVE READING COMPREHENSION ASSESSMENT THAT IS GIVEN IN STUDENT TO STUDENTS IN GRADES 2 TO 8, AND THEN I'LL TRANSITION TO THE STATE LEVEL BY PROVIDING A BRIEF REVIEW OF STATE LEVEL AND CAP DATA IN READING AND LANGUAGE ARTISTS. THE FIRST BEGAN, I'LL SPEAK TO DEVILS, WHICH AGAIN IS OUR MEASURE OF BASIC EARLY LITERACY SKILLS WILL SEE IN THE DATA TABLES PRESENTED HERE. THERE ARE TWO YEARS TO ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEARS IN TERMS OF DATA AND TO GIVE YOU A SENSE OF HOW THIS DATA IS LAID OUT, YOU'LL SEE THAT WE HAVE THREE ADMINISTRATIONS OF THIS PARTICULAR ASSESSMENT. THE DEVIL'S ASSESSMENT. THIS ASSESSMENT IS GIVEN IN THE FALL THE WINTER IN THE SPRING, WHICH PROVIDES FANTASTIC TOUCH POINTS FOR US AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM AND FOR INDIVIDUAL CLASSROOM TEACHERS TO SEE HOW STUDENTS ARE RESPONDING TO INSTRUCTION ON A DAILY LEVEL. IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT YOU'LL SEE FROM 21 TO 22 FROM FALL THROUGH SPRING, THE PERCENTAGE OF AT RISK STUDENTS SIGNIFICANTLY DECLINES FROM ONE POINT IN THE YEAR TO THE NEXT, SO ASK THE PERCENTAGE OF AT RISK STUDENTS DECREASES. THAT DATA REFLECTS AN INCREASE IN OVERALL READING PROFICIENCY. 22 23 SCHOOL YEAR, YOU'LL SEE TWO SEMESTERS IF YOU WILL OF DATA PRESENTED FALL AND WINTER AND WILL SOON HAVE A SPRING ADMINISTRATION OF THE DEVIL'S ASSESSMENT BUT AGAIN FOR 22 23 SCHOOL YEAR YOU WILL ALSO NOTICE THE DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF AT RISK STUDENTS AGAIN CORRELATED TO AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE PROFICIENT IN EARLY LITERACY SKILLS. ON THIS SLIDE HERE, YOU'LL SEE SIMILAR DATA THAT IS PRESENTED FOR GRADE TWO IN GRADE 342 SUCCESSIVE SCHOOL YEARS AGAIN AS I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY THE

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PERCENTAGE OF THAT RISK STUDENTS AS THAT NUMBER DROPS OVERALL WE HAVE RESULTING IN INCREASES IN OVERALL PROFICIENCY FOR OUR STUDENTS. SO WHILE WE'RE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE FINAL POINT AT WHICH WHERE THESE NUMBERS ARE CURRENTLY RESIDE, WE'RE VERY EXCITED, AND WE'RE PROUD OF THE WORK THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE DOING WITH OUR STUDENTS ON A DAILY BASIS, WHICH ARE GETTING US TO THIS POINT OF SUCCESS. TAKING THE DOUBLES DATA AND DESEGREGATING THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE A GENERAL BREAKDOWN OF ALL OF OUR MAJOR SUBGROUPS AND DEMOGRAPHIC AREAS, WHICH ALSO INFORMS CURRICULUM DECISIONS, AS WELL AS CLASSROOM BASED INSTRUCTIONAL DECISIONS. I WON'T READ ALL OF THE DATA TO YOU, BUT I WOULD POINT OUT THAT FALL 21 22 STRAIGHT THROUGH SPRING 21 22. YOU'LL NOTICE THE SECOND COLUMN MODERN EACH UNDERNEATH EACH HEADING, WHICH REFLECTS THE PERCENT PROFICIENT AND ADVANCED STUDENTS, AND IT'S WORTH POINTING OUT HERE THAT FOR ALL OF OUR SUBGROUPS WERE SHRINKING THE GAP WHERE DECREASING THE POINT AT WHICH STUDENTS ARE AT RISK, YOU'LL SEE USING ALL STUDENTS ROW AS THE EXAMPLE. AND 21 22 FALL 41.8% OF OUR STUDENTS WERE PROFICIENT. IN WINTER, THAT NUMBER INCREASED TO 52.7 AND THEN IN THE SPRING 66.5% AND AGAIN THAT REFLECTS THE PERCENT PROFICIENT IN ADVANCE. AND AS I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY AND OVERALL DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO PRESENT AT RISK BEHAVIORS FOR READING PROFICIENCY THIS STATED HERE IS LAID OUT IN A VERY SIMILAR MANNER. GABLES DATA IN THIS CASE FOR GRADE ONE. AND AGAIN. ALL THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA IS BROKEN DOWN BY MAJOR SUBGROUP. AND AGAIN WE'RE NOT SATISFIED WHERE OUR NUMBERS ARE AT THE END. BUT WE'RE VERY HAPPY WITH THE PROGRESS THAT WE ARE MAKING IN TERMS OF WORKING TO CLOSE THE GAPS THAT HAVE HISTORICALLY PLAYED NOT JUST HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BUT SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT MARYLAND AND SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTRY. SO THE LAST PIECE OF DATA THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU REGARDING THE DEVIL'S DATA REPRESENTS A SNAPSHOT OF PERFORMANCE ACROSS SEVEN L E A S AND I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THIS IS DATED THAT MSD HAS MADEO US VIA. THEY'RE READY TO READ ACT AND WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO CALL OUT IS THAT FOR KINDERGARTEN 2ND AND 3RD GRADE, YOU'LL NOTICE THE TITLES THAT THE DATA IS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED, WHEREAS FOR GRADE ONE THAT DATA IS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS SCREENED. THAT IS NOT A HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS DISCREPANCY THAT AS A DATA REPORTING POINT FROM MSD AND I WOULD LIKE TO JUST POINT THAT OUT FOR FULL TRANSPARENCY. BUT NONETHELESS WHAT THIS DATA SHOWS US HERE IS HOW HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ESSENCE STACKS UPS WITH ITS NEIGHBORING JURISDICTIONS FOR BASED ON THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN KINDERGARTEN IN THE FIRST DATA TABLE THAT YOU SEE PRESENTED HARFORD COUNTY CAME IN FOURTH PAGE FOURTH PLACE AT 19.3% AGREED. TO SECOND PLACE IS 17.6 3RD GRADE. 11.9% COMING IN AT NUMBER TWO FOR HARFORD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. TRANSITIONING NOW OVER TO OUR SECOND FORM OF DATA THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH THE READING INVENTORY, WHICH IS A MEASUREMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE READING SKILLS, YOU'LL NOTICE THE DATA IS SIMILARLY LAID OUT BASED ON THE LEVEL OF DESEGREGATION FOR ALL OF OUR METER SUBGROUPS, VERY SIMILARLY LAID OUT IN TERMS OF DIBBLE STATED COMPARED TO READING INVENTORY DATA. THIS DATA HERE REPRESENTS OUR STUDENTS ACROSS THE BOARD IN GRADES 3 TO 5.

AGAIN. WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO SEE THE LEVEL OF PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE BETWEEN FALL 21 22 IN SPRING 21 22 IN TERMS OF DECREASING THE GAPS THAT EXIST BETWEEN AGAIN THESE MAJOR SUBGROUPS. WE ALSO HAVE DATA THAT REFLECTS THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR WILL HAVE SPRING DATA AND THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE AND WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DATA TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. SHOULD IT BE INTERESTED. BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT FROM AN INITIAL REVIEW OF THAT DATA, WE ARE SEEING SIMILAR TRENDS AND DECREASING THE GAP IN STUDENT PERFORMANCE WITHIN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS. MOVING ON NOW TO M CAP DATA, WHICH IS OUR STATE LEVEL DATA. THIS IS ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS FOR GRADE 34. SPRING OF 2022. I WOULD POINT OUT THE RED BAR 45.8% WHICH WEAPON WHICH REPRESENTS ON THE STATE OF MARYLAND'S PERFORMANCE ACROSS THE BOARD. YOU'LL SEE US IN GREEN PERFORMING AT 54% AND THE OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT ARE ON THIS PARTICULAR GRAPH. HIGHLIGHT AGAIN. OUR SISTER JURISDICTIONS IF YOU WILL WORKING TO HELP COMPARE WHERE WE STAND AS ACCOUNTING TO SIMILAR, UM SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE. THIS

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PARTICULAR LINE GRAPH NEEDS A LITTLE BIT OF EXPLANATION. THERE'S A LOT TO OBSERVE, AND A LOT TO NOTE HERE. THIS PARTICULAR LINE GRAPH SHOWS THAT COMPARISON OF GRADE THREE PERFORMANCE. FROM 2017 THROUGH 2022. THE FIRST THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT IS BETWEEN 2017 AND 2018. YOU SEE A RATHER SUBSTANTIAL DROP IN STUDENT PERFORMANCE. WE BELIEVE THAT THIS STUDENT DROP AND PERFORMANCE IS A REFLECTION OF THE FACT THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT OUR STUDENTS ACROSS THE BOARD TOOK THE M CAP IN A COMPUTER BASED MATTER, SO MOVING FROM PAPER PENCIL TO A COMPUTER ADMINISTRATED ASSESSMENT IS BASICALLY AGAIN GAME CHANGER IN TERMS OF HOW A STUDENT INTERACTS WITH ITEMS. FROM THAT POINT FORWARD, YOU CAN SEE THE PROGRESSIVE INCREASE AS STUDENTS AND ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS SPEAKING MORE ACCUSTOMED TO THE NATURE BY WHICH THIS ASSESSMENT IS GIVEN. IN THE SHADED GREAT BOX ALONG ABOVE THE HCPS HCPS RANKING. YOU'LL NOTICE 5 11 88. THAT REPRESENTS WHERE HARFORD COUNTY STACKS UP AMONG ALL ALI A'S THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF MARYLAND. WE HAVE CHOSEN TO FOCUS ON THIS DATA HERE AND NOT DATA PRIOR TO 2017 FOR A VERY IMPORTANT REASON. PRIOR TO 2017 . WE HAD A TOTALLY DIFFERENT CURRICULUM BASED ON A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SET OF STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM THAT WAS BASED ON THOSE STANDARDS. TODAY'S ASSESSMENT. TODAY'S STANDARDS ARE VERY MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE STANDARDS AND THE PROGRAM THAT WAS IN PLACE PRIOR TO 2017. SO IF WE INCLUDED THAT DATA HERE, WE WOULD BE DISINGENUOUS BECAUSE WE WOULD BE IN EFFECT COMPARING APPLES TO ORANGES IN 2019. I DO THINK IT IS WORTH POINTING OUT. THAT WE HAD A SHIFT FROM PARK TO M CAP IN 2019. AND WHILE THOSE ARE DIFFERENT ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS, THE STANDARDS FOR THE PROGRAM FOR OUR CURRICULUM REMAINS THE SAME, SO VERY SIMILAR LEVEL OF RIGOR BETWEEN PARK AND AMP. CAP IS REPRESENTED IN OUR 2019 22 DATA. MOVING ON TO GRADE FOUR SIMILAR BREAKDOWN FOR YOUR PERUSAL HERE WITH 46.3% OF STUDENTS AT GRADE FOUR ACROSS THE STATE MEANING PROFICIENCY COMPARED TO 55.3% FOR HARFORD COUNTY. A SIMILAR PRESENTATION OF DATA. THIS LINE GRAPH HERE FOR GREAT FOR COMPARISON. YOU'LL SEE THE TREND LINES INCREASINGLY MOVING UPWARD IN 2022. FIGURED WORK IS WORTH MENTIONING 2017. WE WERE IN EIGHTH PLACE 2018 10TH PLACE 2019 12TH PLACE IN 2022 6 PLACE. AND WHILE I'M CERTAINLY NOT INTENDING TO MAKE THIS SOUND LIKE A COMPETITION, WE ARE NOT HAPPY WITH SIXTH PLACE. WE ARE NEVER SATISFIED. WE ARE CONSTANTLY STRIVING TO BE NUMBER ONE. THIS GRAPH HERE AGAINST SIMILAR IN TERMS OF OUR DATA FOR M CAP. THIS IS GREAT FIVE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS DATA FOR SPRING 22. YOU'LL SEE HARFORD COUNTY COMING IN AT 46% MARYLAND, COMING IN AT 41.1. I DO THINK THAT IT IS WORTH NOTING HERE THAT IN THIS PARTICULAR GRADE LEVEL FOR THIS PARTICULAR YEAR, THE SPREAD AMONG ALI A'S THROUGHOUT THE STATE IS A BIT TIGHTER IN COMPARISON TO THE PREVIOUS DATA THAT WAS SHARED WITH YOU AND I WILL CALL OUT.

FOR EXAMPLE, FREDERICK COUNTY, WHICH WAS AT 52.1% HOWARD COUNTY AT 52.4, SO THE DIFFERENCE OF A 0.3% IF YOU WERE INTERESTED IN AGAIN, RANKING OUT WHERE HARFORD COUNTY FALLS IN THIS PARTICULAR SPREAD LAST BUT NOT LEAST HERE. HERE IS A COMPARISON OF UPGRADE . FIVE YOU'LL SEE A SIMILAR TRAJECTORY IN COMPARISON TO THE OTHER TWO GRADE LEVELS THAT I PREVIOUSLY SHARED 9TH 12. 12TH AND 2019 AND THEN 11TH PLACE IN 2022. DATA IS OBVIOUSLY VERY IMPORTANT TO US. THIS DATA THAT IS SYSTEMIC IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE FUNCTIONING AND DECISION MAKING THAT IS TAKING PLACE IN THE READING LANGUAGE ARTS OFFICE , AND IT ALSO IS PIVOTAL TO THE DAY TO DAY DECISIONS THAT CLASSROOM TEACHERS MAKE EVERY SINGLE DAY WITH REGARD TO OUR STUDENTS, ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF DATA THAT ARE USED OUR RECOMMENDATIONS AND FINDINGS THAT CAME FROM AN OUTSIDE EVALUATOR THAT EVALUATED THE UNITS OF STUDY IMPLEMENTATION LAST YEAR, MRS SCARY AND HER TEAM REGULARLY ENGAGED IN CLASSROOM WALK THROUGHS OBSERVING CLASSROOM IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CURRICULUM AT EVERY SINGLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM. MRS SCARY WILL SPEAK TO IN A MOMENT FEEDBACK THAT SHE HAS RECEIVED REGARDING THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERVICES THAT IS PROVIDED TO TEACHERS THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM.

IN ADDITION TO STAFF SURVEYS THAT AGAIN INFORMED DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE IN THE DEPARTMENT.

THIS IS ONE EXAMPLE. TO ME. IT'S SO IMPORTANT. THAT WE DON'T JUST HAND THE CURRICULUM TO OUR

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TEACHERS. BUT WE THINK ABOUT HOW ARE WE SUPPORTING THEIR INSTRUCTION ON A REGULAR BASIS? WE ARE GIVEN COUNTYWIDE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS, BUT I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT I HAVE A DYNAMIC EXPERT TEAM IN IN THE LITERACY SPECIALISTS THAT WORK FOR THE REAL OFFICE THAT SPEND EVERY DAY OUT IN OUR BUILDINGS AND OUR TEACHERS, CLASSROOMS PLANNING MODELING COACHING. UM BUT ON OUR COUNTYWIDE DAYS WE COME TOGETHER AS A TEAM AND I CAN SHARE ANY OF THE SURVEY RESULTS FROM OUR DAYS . BUT THIS IS AN EXAMPLE FROM OUR AUGUST WHEN TEACHERS FIRST CAME BACK. UM WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ALIGNED TO THE CURRENT READING RESEARCH AS WELL AS THAT OUR TEACHERS WOULD LEAVE FEELING SUPPORTED AS THEY BEGAN THE SCHOOL YEAR AND SO YOU CAN SEE FROM THE BLUE AND ORANGE, UM TEACHERS AND CATER TO WHO STRONGLY AGREE AND AGREED WITH THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THEY RECEIVED. THEY FELT BETTER PREPARED TO TEACH THE READING UNITS. AND A SIMILAR RESULT FOR OUR 3RD AND 4TH GRADE TEACHERS WITH THE BLUE AND ORANGE STRONGLY AGREE. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS ESSENTIAL TO US. WE TALKED TO OUR TEACHERS , WE FIND OUT WHAT IS IT THEY WOULD LIKE FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THEIR PRACTICE FORWARD. WE MENTIONED THE SCIENCE OF READING AND GIDEON IS GOING TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT SOME OF THE SHIFTS BETWEEN OUR PROGRAM AND THE SCIENCE OF READING CONCEPTS. ABSOLUTELY SO , UM, AND IT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF EXCITING BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF THE PUBLIC COMMENTS TONIGHT HINTED AT SOME OF THESE THINGS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. AND I FEEL LIKE SOME OF THE TEACHERS WHO COMMENTED AS WELL, UM, KIND OF STOLE MY THUNDER A LITTLE BIT, UM, AND MENTIONED A LOT OF THESE SHIFTS THAT THEY'RE SEEING IN THEIR CLASSROOM WHICH ALSO HELPS ME KNOW THAT THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT WE'RE DOING AT SCHOOLS IS STARTING TO SHIFT THAT CLASSROOM PRACTICE. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S BEEN VERY CLEAR IN THE SCIENCE OF READING RESEARCH IS THAT WE CAN'T JUST KIND OF PRESENT PHONICS RANDOMLY BASED ON WHAT A TEACHER FEELS LIKE AT EACH GRADE THAT WE NEED A SYSTEMATIC, EXPLICIT SEQUENCE OF INSTRUCTION, AND THAT'S WHAT OUR HCPS PROGRAM PROVIDES. IT STARTS IN KINDERGARTEN WITH LETTER NAME SOUNDS MATCHING IT MOVES INTO CVC WORDS BLENDS AND DIA GRAPHS, CVC E AND ALL THE WAY UP TO MULTISYLLABIC WORDS AT THE END OF SECOND GRADE, RIGHT? AND SO THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU CAN SEE THE DECODING, BUILD SYSTEMATICALLY AND SEQUENTIALLY ACROSS KINDERGARTEN. SO IN UNITS ONE AND TWO STUDENTS ARE EXCLUSIVELY WORKING ON LETTER NAME AND LETTER SOUNDS AND BEING EXPLICITLY TAUGHT ALL 26 LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET ALONG WITH LETTER FORMATION BECAUSE RESEARCH ALSO SHOWS THAT KNOWING HOW TO FORM THE LETTER ALSO HELPS LOCK IN THE LETTER NAME AND THE LETTER SOUND AS WELL. AND SO THAT IS PART OF THE INSTRUCTION ALONG WITH ANEMIC AWARENESS, WHICH YOU HEARD ABOUT TONIGHT. FROM SOME PUBLIC COMMENTS AND HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS AN INSTRUCTION. YOU CAN SEE THAT IN UNIT THREE. THEN ONE STUDENTS HAVE MASTERED LETTERS AND SOUNDS, THEN THEY'RE READY TO TAKE ON THOSE CVC WORDS SO WORDS THAT START AND END IN THE CONTINENT AND HAVE A BOWEL IN THE MIDDLE. THAT VOWEL ALMOST ALWAYS IS GOING TO HAVE A SHORT SOUND. SO IT'S THIS PLACE WHERE ANY RESEARCH IS GOING TO SAY THAT'S WHERE KIDS START DECODING WORDS. UM AND SO WE START TO TEACH THEM TO BLEND. YOU'LL SEE THE SECOND BULLET SAYS ADDITIVE BLENDING, SO WE'RE NOT TEACHING THEM TO LOOK AT THE FIRST LETTER AND MAKE A GUESS WE'RE TEACHING THEM TO BLEND ACROSS THE WHOLE WORD. AND THEN YOU CAN SEE IN UNIT FOUR. WE START BLENDING IN BLENDS AND DIE. A GRAPH SO THAT MIGHT BE A BLEND WOULD BE WHERE TWO LETTERS KIND OF OUR STICK TOGETHER LIKE S T. WHEREAS THE DIAGRAM FOR TWO LETTERS THAT MAKE AN INDEPENDENT SOUND LIKE CH MAKES AND STUDENTS BEGIN TO LEARN THOSE ALONG WITH DOUBLET SO THAT THEY CAN UNLOCK MORE AND MORE WORDS IN THEIR DECODING. UM AND SO YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THAT'S EXACTLY HOW IT LOOKS IN FIRST GRADE AND SECOND GRADE, EACH UNIT INTRODUCES A PHONICS SKILL AND THEN KIDS GRADUALLY MOVE ON TO MORE COMPLEX PHONICS SKILLS ACROSS THE YEAR. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE QUEUING SYSTEM THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH SAID ABOUT THAT SO MUCH IN YOUR EMAILS. UM AND AS SOMEBODY WHO WORKS WITH THE CURRICULUM EVERY SINGLE DAY WHO HAS READ EVERY WORD OF OUR CURRICULUM CATER TO I CAN TELL YOU. THE QUEUING SYSTEM DOES NOT EXIST IN THE REVISED 2022 EDITION. IF WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE 2018 EDITION, I COULD NOT TELL YOU THE SAME THING. BUT IN THE 2022 EDITION STUDENTS ARE INTRODUCED AS EARLY AS KINDERGARTEN. AFTER THEY LEARNED LETTER NAMES AND SOUNDS. THEY LEARN SLIDER POWER, WHICH IS AS A TEACHER REFERENCE, LIKE SLIDING FROM THE BEGINNING OF A WORD ALL THE WAY ACROSS TO THE END AND USING YOUR SOUND POWER TO USE YOUR SOUNDS TO DECODE THE WORD, NOT THE PICTURE, AND SO I JUST THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. IN FIRST GRADE. THEY HAVE A CHART THAT THEY'RE TAUGHT, WHICH IS HOW TO DECODE A WORD AND THE STRATEGIES THAT ARE ON THAT ARE SLIDE THROUGH THE SOUNDS. AND AS YOU'RE SLIDING THROUGH THE SOUNDS, YOU'RE

[03:20:02]

PAYING ATTENTION IN THE CHART SAYS NOTICE. DIA GRAPHS. WATCH OUT FOR VOWS. LOOK OUT FOR ENDINGS. SO THESE ARE ALL PHONICS, SKILL BASED STRATEGIES THAT KIDS ARE GOING TO USE TO DECODE THE WORDS. IN NONE OF THE CHARTS AND THE REVISED UNIT. DOES IT SAY, LOOK AT THE PICTURE. TRY TO USE THE PICTURE TO MAKE A GUESS. AND I JUST THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO CLARIFY IS THAT MIGHT BE A MISCONCEPTION FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING AT THE PREVIOUS PROGRAM.

THE NEXT THING TO THINK ABOUT AND AGAIN I THINK OUR TEACHERS THAT SPOKE TODAY TO SUCH A BEAUTIFUL JOB TALKING ABOUT THIS IS THE REVISIONS THAT WE'VE MADE TO HOW WE TEACH SIGHT WORDS WHERE WE USED TO KIND OF THINK SITE WOULD JUST HAVE TO BE MEMORIZED. THERE'S NO RHYME OR REASON TO THEM. WHEN HONESTLY, A LOT OF HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS ARE ACTUALLY DECODE HERBAL. SO THE WORD WENT AND THAT'S ACTUALLY TOTALLY DECODE HERBAL. IT'S A HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS, BUT A CHILD COULD DECODE IT, WHEREAS A WORD LIKE ARE THE KIDS ARE GONNA SEE. IT'S VERY TRICKY FOR A KINDERGARTNER. THEY HAVEN'T LEARNED R CONTROLLED VOWELS YET , SO WE MIGHT TEACH THEM THAT WORD, BUT WE MIGHT TEACH THEM. LET'S HEAR THE SOUNDS ARE THE R IS A ARE LIKE WE'RE TEACHING THEM THE TRICKY PARTS OF THE WORD. AND MATCHING THAT SO ONE THING THAT I'M ONE OF THE TEACHERS MENTIONED WAS THE PROCESS OF ORTHO GRAPHIC MAPPING, WHICH IS THE IDEA THAT TO LOCK A WORD INTO OUR MEMORY. THAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE TO HEAR THE SOUNDS IN THE WORD FIRST. SO THAT'S WHERE OUR HAGERTY IF ANEMIC AWARENESS PROGRAM IS SO IMPORTANT, BECAUSE THAT REALLY TEACHES KIDS TO HEAR THE INDIVIDUAL SOUNDS AND WORDS AND THEN WE MATCH THOSE SOUNDS TO THE LETTERS THAT REPRESENT THOSE SOUNDS IN THAT WORK. AND THAT'S WHAT WE REALLY DO. AND THAT'S ONE REASON THAT THE DAKOTA BILL BOOKS ARE SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY OFTEN RELY ON THE HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS THAT STUDENTS HAVE BEEN TAUGHT SO KIDS GET MORE PRACTICING AND PRACTICING THOSE WORDS BUT ALSO THE DECODER HERBAL BOOKS THAT WERE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEM ITEM TO TONIGHT. THOSE BOOKS HELP STUDENTS PRACTICE THE PHONICS SKILLS. THEY'VE BEEN TAUGHT BECAUSE THOSE BOOKS UM ARE CONTROLLED, MEANING THAT IF I'VE TAUGHT SILENT E OR WHAT WE WOULD CALL CVC AND I GAVE THE KID A FUNNY JOKE. ODUBEL TEXT MOST OF THE WORDS IN THAT BOOK ARE GOING TO RELY ON THAT PHONICS AND THE SIGHT WORDS THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE EFFECT GRADE LEVEL.

SO IT'S A STUDENT. I'M FORCED TO PRACTICE THAT PHONICS SKILLS OVER AND OVER AGAIN TO MAKE IT AUTOMATIC AND MAKE MY READING SMOOTHER AND SMOOTHER. AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT PRIOR TO TONIGHT, HCP S HAS ALREADY PURCHASED NEARLY HALF A MILLION DOLLARS OF DAKOTA BALS.

FOUR CLASSROOMS BECAUSE WE KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS. WE ARE WATCHING THE RESEARCH AND WE'RE SHIFTING OUR PRACTICES TO MATCH THE RESEARCH. AND SO IN THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE WE'RE NOT RELYING ON JUST ONE PUBLISHER FOR THOSE DAKOTA TAX, SO WE HAVE ALSO PURCHASED ODUBEL TEXT FROM CHERRY BLOSSOM PRESS FLYLEAF PUBLISHING HAGERTY, UM, WHICH IS OUR ANEMIC AWARENESS PROGRAM ALSO HAS TWO QUOTABLE TEXT THAT THEY PRODUCED. WE HAVE HALF POINT READERS AND HIGH NOON READERS BECAUSE WE WANT KIDS TO HAVE A VARIETY. SO, FOR INSTANCE, UM CHERRY BLOSSOM PRESS. DECODE HERBAL BOOK IS EIGHT PAGES. WHEREAS A HIGH HEINEMANN DAKOTA BLE IS AROUND LIKE 25 PAGES, SO IT MEETS THE BEARING NEEDS TO BE HONEST. THE HYNEMAN, DAKOTA BALS ARE ALSO BEING USED EVEN IN OUR INTERMEDIATE GRADES FOR STUDENTS WHO STILL HAVE PHONICS NEEDS BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL HIGH INTEREST. WHEREAS IF I PRESENT YOU CAN SEE LIKE IF I WERE TO PUT PAGAN MEG IN FRONT OF A THIRD GRADER THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE MOTIVATING TO THEM TO PRACTICE THEIR SKILL. BUT IF I PUT ONE OF OUR MORE LIKE OUR HIGH NOON OR HEINEMAN'S THOSE LOOK MUCH MORE LIKE THE OTHER TEXT KIDS ARE READING AND SO KIDS ARE WILLING TO BUY IN AND PRACTICE THEIR PHONICS SKILLS. SO LIKE MYSTERIOUS, SAID, WE ARE NOT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL DISTRICT. IF THERE ARE GOOD RESOURCES OUT THERE WE ARE LOOKING FOR THEM FOR OUR STUDENTS. UM AND THE FINAL SIDES JUST KIND OF SHOW YOU WHAT IT HOW PHONICS INSTRUCTION HAPPENS IN A CLASSROOM. PHONICS INSTRUCTION HAPPENS FIRST FROM THE TEACHER. IT'S EXPLICIT PHONICS INSTRUCTION WHERE THEY TEACH. THIS IS THE PHONICS PRINCIPLE. THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. THIS IS HOW IT GOES. AND THEN STUDENTS HAVE A CHANCE TO PRACTICE THAT WITH PARTNERS, RIGHT? WE'RE USING A GRADUAL RELEASE MODEL, WHICH IS AN ESTABLISHED FOR 50 YEARS OR MORE , UM, KIND OF FRAMEWORK FOR EDUCATION. IT'S THE I DO WE DO NOW YOU DO IT ON YOUR OWN. AND THEN THE FINAL SLIDE, KIDS HAVE A CHANCE TO PRACTICE THOSE PHONICS SKILLS ON THEIR OWN. SO THAT WOULD HAPPEN INSIDE OF THAT PHONICS TIME THAT MISS GARY SHOWED, BUT THEN WHAT HAPPENS IS DURING THEIR READING WORKSHOP TIME. THAT'S WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO GET A DAKOTA BLE BOOK TO PRACTICE THAT PHONICS SKILL. SO NOW THAT I'VE LEARNED IT IN PHONICS, I'M GOING TO PRACTICE IT IN MY READING. AND WHEN I GO TO WRITERS WORKSHOP AND I'M WRITING, I'M GOING TO BE PRACTICING THAT PHONICS SKILL IN WRITING AS WELL. SO IT'S THAT PHONICS INSTRUCTION LIVES THROUGHOUT THE DAY, NOT JUST IN THAT PHONICS BLACK AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT THING TO UNDERSTAND AS WELL FOR STUDENTS, AND SO I KNOW MISCARRY IS GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE

[03:25:02]

CLASSROOM LIBRARIES. AND I DO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE DAKOTA BLE PURCHASE FOR OUR KIDS AS MR TWIG DESCRIBED JUST LOOKING. THIS IS, UM HALF PINT. OUR KIDS ARE DEVOURING THESE BOOKS.

THEY'RE SHORT BOOKS BECAUSE OF THE CONTROLLED TEXT IN THE CROP CONTROLLED PATTERN, AND THAT'S WHY OUR TEACHERS NEED SO MANY OF THEM. THAT'S A GOOD REASON TO NEED BOOKS THAT KIDS ARE JUST FILLING BOOKBAGS 10 12 BOOKS AT A TIME AND SO THE TEACHERS NEED MANY OF THEM TO FILL THOSE BAGS . BUT IF WE ONLY BOUGHT FROM ONE PUBLISHER, YOU CAN SEE THEY START TO KIND OF LOOK EXACTLY ALIKE FROM ONE PUBLISHER. AND SO OUR KIDS GET THIS NICE VARIETY THAN A BOOKS. THESE ARE THE DECODER BOLS FOR THOSE 2ND AND 3RD GRADERS THAT ARE STILL NEEDING THE SKILLS. AND YET THIS BOOK GETS TO LOOK A LITTLE BIT OLDER DAKOTA BLE SO WE'VE BEEN PURCHASING. THESE ARE THE HEINEMANN ONES THAT YOU YOU APPROVED TONIGHT? AND WHAT THE STUDENTS LIKE IS THAT THEY GET TO FEEL A LITTLE BIT OLDER BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE A CHAPTER BOOK. AND THEY GET TO MEET A CHARACTER ANNA AND THEN MEET HER AGAIN. AND SO SERIOUS BOOKS. THERE'S RESEARCH AROUND HOW KIDS LIKE TO READ BOOKS IN A SERIES BECAUSE THEY GET TO KNOW THE CHARACTERS. AND SO THIS VARIETY I KNOW, UM, ARE TEACHERS HAVING THESE BOOKS IN THEIR CLASSROOMS , BUT KIDS HAVING THEM IN THEIR HANDS, UM, WILL REALLY SUPPORT THEM AS THEY'RE READING CLASSROOM LIBRARIES. THESE PICTURES TAKE YOU INTO SOME OF OUR CLASSROOMS. THIS IS MAGNOLIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHEN TEACHERS HAVE LITERACY RICH ENVIRONMENTS WHEN STUDENTS COME IN AND SEE THIS SHOWS THESE ARE WILLIAM PACA AND GO BACK. THAT WAS WILLIAM S. JAMES ELEMENTARY, JUST PICTURES OF CLASSROOM LIBRARIES. IT SENDS A MESSAGE TO KIDS THAT READING IS IMPORTANT THAT THEIR TEACHER FEELS PASSIONATE ABOUT READING THAT THE TEACHER WANTS TO BE ABLE TO GO OVER. PICK OUT A BOOK OUT OF A BASKET AND SAY, I THINK YOU'D WANT TO READ THIS BOOK I FOUND A NEW BOOK FOR YOU TO READ TODAY THAT YOU SAID YOU LOVED DINOSAURS. AND LOOK AT THIS BOOK THAT I FOUND FOR YOU FROM OUR LIBRARY AND SO THE OTHER CONSENT ITEM TONIGHT WAS TO HELP SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS. SOMETIMES OUR FIRST YEAR. TEACHERS DON'T HAVE AS MANY BOOKS AS A TEACHER WHO'S BEEN TEACHING MANY YEARS AND KIND OF COLLECTING BOOKS ON THEIR OWN. AND SO THIS HELPS TO EQUAL AND, UM MAKE IT MORE EQUITABLE FOR OUR TEACHERS IF WE SUPPORT THEM IN CLASSROOM LIBRARY PURCHASES, AS WELL AS THE BEST THING FOR US IS IF A STUDENT TAKES UP A HOME AND THEN IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE MANY BOOKS IN THEIR IN THEIR OWN HOME, THEY CAN TAKE THEM HOME FROM THEIR CLASSROOM LIBRARY AND HAVE THEM TO READ AT HOME AND INCREASE THOSE NUMBER OF MINUTES. YOU CAN SEE THIS IS, UM ARE PHONICS PROGRAM CALLED PARTNER READING, SO KIDS GET START BY READING INDEPENDENTLY BACK TO BACK WITH THEIR PARTNERS, AND THEY GET EXCITED WHEN THEY GET TO TURN AROUND AND THEN SHARE THEIR BOOK WITH WITH EACH OTHER. AND SO GIVING OUR STUDENTS AND OUR TEACHERS THE INSTRUCTION OF MATERIALS TO HELP SUPPORT UM, THESE ARE STUDENTS FROM ONE OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT I WANTED TO SAY, WHAT'S THEIR READING? PROMISE AND I FEEL TONIGHT ONE OF OUR PROMISES WAS TO TRY AND GET BOOKS INTO THEIR HANDS AND THAT LOOK AT WHAT THEY SAY. BOOKS ROCK, UM ON THEIR MESSAGE, AND SO AGAIN. THANK YOU FOR LETTING US COME TONIGHT, BUT I WELCOME YOU TO INTO OUR CLASSROOMS TO SEE OUR PROGRAM. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STUDENTS IN ACTION. WERE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? DO YOU WANT ME TO GO AROUND MS ALVAREZ? THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THE INVITATION TO COME INTO THE CLASS. I APPRECIATE THAT. BRUCE? YES. YES, I'VE. TALK TO YOU ALL SAYING YOU'VE BEEN THERE AND SUGGESTED THAT YOU BRING THE BOOKS AND I HOPE THAT ANY PARENTS THAT ARE LEFT GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE BOOKS BECAUSE THIS IS A VITAL PART OF WHAT I SAW TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SHE'S GONE. UM SO I HAVE A QUESTION THE STATISTICS EXCUSE ME. SORRY THE STATISTICS THAT YOU PROVIDED DO SHOW A LOT OF IMPROVEMENT, BUT WE ARE STILL FEELING A LOT OF CHILDREN. UM WHAT ARE WE DOING TO BRIDGE THIS GAP? UM TO MAKE UP FOR THE LEARNING LOSS THAT WE HAD DURING COVID. AND WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAKE? I'M SURE THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING THESE STUDENTS TO ENCOURAGE THEM AND TO HELP THEM GET CAUGHT UP FROM WHERE THEY ARE NOW BECAUSE I MEAN THERE'S A LOT THAT ARE FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS BASED ON THE STATISTICS. I THINK ONE THING I CAN CERTAINLY SPEAK TO IS LIKE OUR CURRENT THIRD GRADERS. UM THEY WENT HOME AT THE END OF KINDERGARTEN. THEY DID FIRST GRADE VIRTUALLY WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS NOT THE IDEAL WAY TO LEARN OF BULK OF YOUR PHONICS INSTRUCTION . AND SO THEY ARE A GROUP THAT ACROSS THE COUNTY WE KNOW WE ARE TRYING TO CATCH UP, SO I KNOW I CAN SPEAK TO A LOT OF MY PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THAT I'VE BEEN DOING WITH THIRD GRADE

[03:30:03]

TEACHERS IS A LOT OF INTERMEDIATE TEACHERS MAY NOT UNDERSTAND PHONICS INSTRUCTION BECAUSE, LIKE YOU SAID, TRADITIONALLY, I HAVEN'T NEEDED TO KNOW AS MUCH OF IT BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE KIDS COMING IN WITH THESE LARGE GAPS. AND SO WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF LEARNING ABOUT PHONICS INSTRUCTION. WHAT IS THE SEQUENCE? HOW DO I DIAGNOSE THE PHONICS SKILL THAT A KID NEEDS AND START THERE? AND HOW DO I WORK UP THAT VERY INTENTIONAL SEQUENCE OF KIDS? HOW DO I USE DECODE HERBAL TEXT IN INSTRUCTION SO THAT I CAN START TO MEET THOSE NEEDS BUT IN A WAY THAT IS ALSO MOTIVATING FOR THE STUDENT THAT I'M NOT LIKE MISCARRY SAID, GIVING HIM PEG AND MEG. UM TO PRACTICE WITH AND SO I THINK FOR OUR SPECIAL INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS WHO GOT CAUGHT IN COVID AND LOST SOME REALLY IMPORTANT PHONICS INSTRUCTION DURING THAT TIME WE RECOGNIZE THAT AS A NEED, AND WE'RE VERY CONCERNED IN ADDRESSING THAT. I THINK WHAT MR KERRY SPOKE TO AS FAR AS THE DIBBLE SCREENER JUST BEGAN LAST YEAR PER THE STATE BILL. I THINK ONE THING THAT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THE STATE BILL. ACTUALLY THE STATE BILL REQUIRES US TO TEST ANYBODY WHO TURNS UP AT RISK FOR READING TO TRACK THEM ACROSS THE YEAR. AS A COUNTY WE HAVE DECIDED TO TRACK ALL THE STUDENTS THAT ARE AT RISK OR NEARING AT RISK ACROSS THE YEAR BECAUSE, LIKE YOU SAID, WE DON'T WANT KIDS TO FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS THAT MAY BE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, WHERE TWO POINTS ABOVE BUT THEN AT MID YEAR UP, WE DIDN'T SCREEN THEM SO WE DON'T KNOW THAT THEY'RE NOW HAVING ISSUES AND SO WE'RE KIND OF GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND THE STATE LAW TO MAKE SURE THAT WE AREN'T MISSING STUDENTS ALONG THE WAY. WE ALSO ASK THAT EVERY SCHOOL THAT WE PROGRESS MONITOR EVERY 30 DAYS SO THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MATCH STUDENTS TO PROGRAMS. AND IF A STUDENT IS GETTING EXTRA SUPPORT IN A READING PROGRAM AND THE 30 DAY PROGRESS MONITORING COMES AND WE'RE NOT SEEING GAINS. THAT'S WHEN THE TEAM GETS TOGETHER. WE HAVE SCHOOL BASED ELEMENTARY READING SPECIALISTS THAT WE MEET WITH ON A REGULAR BASIS TO CONTINUE TO BUILD CAPACITY FOR WHAT SUPPORT THEY'RE PROVIDING IN THE BUILDING. BUT THE. THE READING THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT? I THINK IF WE LOOK, I GO TO STATE MEETINGS AND THIS IS A TREND ACROSS THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW. HOW ARE WE GOING TO MOVE READING BACK? UM POST COVID SO THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS ARE SUCCEEDING. AND UNTIL THAT HAPPENS, WE'RE NOT RESTING. WE ARE WORKING IN OUR BUILDINGS EVERY DAY WITH OUR TEACHERS. UM TO PROVIDE WHAT IS BEST FOR OUR STUDENTS. OKAY. THANK YOU. DR HAROLD. I KNOW IT'S LATE. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION. IT TAUGHT ME SOME THINGS AS WELL. UM I KNOW THAT YOU'RE WORKING HARD AND I KNOW I'VE TALKED TO MY KIDS, TEACHERS ALL THE TIME AND I ASKED HIM. HEY, WHEN CAN I COME AND VOLUNTEERS AND WE'RE TRYING TO. I'M TRYING TO ASK THEM LIKE TO HELP ME YOU KNOW, TO PLAN OUT WHEN I CAN COMMENT AND LIKE WALK. MR HAD JUST HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO CATCH UP. I'M TRYING TO GET WITH YOU. SO THEY'RE LIKE TRYING TO GET AHEAD AND THEY ARE DIGGING INTO MAKING SURE OUR KIDS HAVE THE VERY BEST EDUCATION POSSIBLE. UM ONE THING AND THIS IS HARD FOR ME TO SAY, BECAUSE I'M A WORKING MOM RIGHT AT BOTH OF MY HUSBAND AND I BOTH WORKED AROUND THE CLOCK AND I'VE GOT TWO KIDS IN THE SCHOOL THAT NEED A LOT OF HELP, RIGHT? BUT AS A WORKING PARENT, I'M JUST GOING TO KIND OF PUT IT OUT THERE THAT YOU'VE GOT TO READ TO OUR KIDS AT HOME.

YOU KNOW, WE IT'S HARD LIKE I WORK ALL DAY, AND THEN I'VE GOT TO READ WITH MY KIDS AND, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT TEXTS AND DO HOMEWORK. AND IT'S NOT EASY. BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT TO BE SAID ABOUT YOU KNOW, PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. AND BEING IN THE HOME BEING THAT THAT FIRST UM YOU KNOW, PLACE OF LEARNING. UM AND SO EVEN THOUGH THAT'S HARD FOR ME TO SAY, I DON'T ALWAYS GET IT RIGHT. I JUST GOT TO PUT IT OUT THERE BECAUSE WE REALLY HAVE TO BE PARTNERS WITH OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITIES AND OUR KIDS. TEACHERS, UM AND THEY CAN TELL THE KIDS THAT ARE READING AT HOME AND THE ONES THAT AREN'T UM AND IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE. UM, SO JUST THAT'S ALL I'M GONNA SAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. PERRY. UM THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I LOOK, I HAVE LEARNED A LOT. SO I THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND, UM TO SEE THAT WE HAVE MADE PROGRESS AND I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO BUILD ON THAT PROGRESS. AND SO I THANK YOU AGAIN. PHILLIPS. I WAS ENTHRALLED BY THE PRESENTATION. I LOVED IT. UM FEW QUESTIONS. IN 30, SECONDS OR LESS. CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE DUYVIL SCREEN? OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S A LITTLE TOO DOUBLE? LITTLE THAT'LL HOLD TOO COMPLEX FOR THIS TIME FOR THIS TIME OF NIGHT ? IT'S A ANEMIC AWARENESS ASSESSMENT. AND SO OUR STUDENTS HAVE DIFFERENT SUB TESTS. AND IT'S A ONE MINUTE TIMED. SO I

[03:35:06]

WILL SAY THAT BECAUSE, UM SOMETIMES PARENTS MIGHT EVEN SAY THERE'S ONE SUB TEST IS LETTER NAMING FLUENCY. HOW FAST CAN IT CAN THE CHILD NAMED LETTERS? MM THEIR SCORE MIGHT COME IN. THE PARENT MIGHT SAY, MY CHILD KNOWS ALL THEIR LETTERS. BUT IT IS A TIME. UM PART OF, UM THE TEST IS ABOUT RAPID AUTO NAMING, WHICH IS KIND OF ASSOCIATED BECAUSE IT'S MEANT TO BE A EARLY SCREEN OR MAYBE FOR DYSLEXIA. SO THE TIMING OF IT, UM, IS IMPORTANT. IT HAS, UM PHONEME SEGMENTATION SO THAT THE STUDENTS HAVE TO BLEND WORDS TOGETHER. UM AND THE TEACHERS ADMINISTER IT. THE, UM THREE TIMES A YEAR FOR THOSE STUDENTS, AND THEN THAT PROGRESS MONITORING IS GOING BACK TO THE SUB TEST THAT THE STUDENTS STRUGGLED WITH TO SEE IF INSTRUCTION HAS HAD A HAD AN IMPACT. THE STATE ASKED, UM ALL DISTRICTS TO CHOOSE AN EARLY SCREENER. THEY HAD GIVEN A LIST OF POTENTIAL ONES THAT COULD BE CHOSEN. AND THE MAJORITY OF DISTRICTS IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND SHOES, DOUBLES SEDITION AS THE EARLY SCREENER. UM. WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS FOR PROFICIENT, ADVANCED, UM OBVIOUSLY HEART. GOAL FOR EVERYBODY IS 100% BUT THAT'S UNREALISTIC. WHAT IS CONSIDERED A REALISTIC GOAL THAT YOU ALL HAVE FOR STUDENTS ACHIEVING THAT LEVEL. I'D LIKE TO MOVE TOWARDS 100. THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE. 100. BUT 90% 80% THEY HAVE. I MEAN, THAT IS A VERY DIFFICULT QUESTION. IT IS. YOU HEAR THIS TEAM'S PASSION ANY BEHIND RIGHT, BUT THEIR LIFE'S WORK IS TO GET 200% AS AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE. I WOULD SAY ANOTHER GOAL TO IS TOO CLOSE, LIKE MR READ, SIMPLY SAID TO CLOSE SOME OF THOSE GAPS THAT HAVE TRADITIONALLY EXISTED, WHICH IS WHY WE ARE EXCITED ON SOME OF THE DATA LIKE YOU CAN SEE IN SOME, LIKE OUR STUDENTS ARE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS MORE THAN DOUBLED FROM LIKE 17% TO 35% OR STUDENTS THAT DO RECEIVE FREE REDUCED MEALS MADE MORE GAINS THAN WHAT WAS THE AVERAGE GAINS AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY EXCITING TO US AS WELL. UM BECAUSE WE DON'T. WE DON'T WANT TO JUST LOOK AT THE WHOLE NUMBERS. WE WANT TO LOOK AT THOSE INDIVIDUAL GROUPS AS WELL AND MAKE SURE WE'RE SERVING ALL THE KIDS IN HARTFORD COUNTY, NOT JUST SOME OF THE KIDS IN HARTFORD COUNTY. ACTUALLY HAD A LITTLE BIT TOO, MR. DR PHILLIPS QUESTION THAT. WHEN YOU LOOK ACROSS DECADES WHEN WE LOOK BACK TO PROFICIENCY FROM YEARS AGO, YOU HEARD, MR RENZULLI SAY. THE STANDARDS HAVE CHANGED. ONE OF THE MOVEMENTS IN. ASSESSMENT ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN OVER TIME TO INCREASE THE RIGOR OF THE ASSESSMENTS. BECAUSE WE KNOW WE'VE GOT SO THIS GOES WAY BACK TO YOU KNOW A NATION AT RISK FROM THE EAST. THE BIG REPORT THAT STARTED THIS WHOLE REFORM MOVEMENT. AND SO MARYLAND CHOSE THE PARK ASSESSMENT. OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY CHOSE SMARTER BALANCE. WE'RE ALWAYS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THESE TESTS, AND THAT WAS AN EFFORT. TO INCREASE THE RIGOR OF THE TEST.

SO WE WERE SETTING HIGH STANDARDS. BUT WHAT HAPPENED WHEN YOU INCREASE THE RIGOR OF THE TEST AS A PERCENTAGE OF KIDS PASSING? THOSE TESTS DROPPED DRAMATICALLY. UM, SO THE ASSESSMENTS WE'RE LOOKING AT FROM 10 YEARS AGO, 15 YEARS AGO WERE FAR LESS RIGOROUS ASSESSMENT. UM AND SO IT'S LIKE SO WE'RE GETTING THESE HIGH PERCENTAGES FOR AWHILE ON A LOW BAR. AND THE DECISION IN MARYLAND MADE THE DECISION TO MAKE ITS TEST SPORT RIGOROUS.

MASSACHUSETTS ONE OF THE STATES HAS BEEN CALLED OUT FOR MANY YEARS AS HAVING ACTUALLY LEAD THE COUNTRY. IN THIS THEY HAD SOME OF THE MOST RIGOROUS ASSESSMENTS IN THE COUNTRY. AND THEN SLOWLY OVER TIME DISTRICT STARTED MOVING UP TO MEET THOSE STANDARDS, YOU KNOW, SO THEY SET A HIGHER BAR, AND THEN IT'S TAKEN A LONG TIME TO GET THEM OVER IT. NOW. IN MARYLAND. THE PARK ASSESSMENT. WAS HERE FOR A FEW YEARS, AND THOSE TESTS WERE GETTING A LOT OF PUSHBACK NATIONWIDE. AND SO IN FACT, MARYLAND PASSED A LAW THAT WE HAD TO DROP THE PARK ASSESSMENT.

AND THAT HAPPENED. THE LAST YEAR WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GIVE THE PARK ASSESSMENT WAS THE SPRING OF 2020. AND WE ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THAT YEAR. THEN WE WERE SUPPOSED TO TRANSITION TO A NEW TEST. AND SPRING. IT 2021, WHICH . THAT TEST DIDN'T HAVE TIME. WE COULDN'T TEST IT BECAUSE OF COVID. SO ANYWAY, THE TESTS HAVE BEEN KIND OF A MESS. YOU KNOW, THE IDEA HERE HAS BEEN TO MAKE THE TESTS MORE RIGOROUS AND KIND OF PUSH. THE EXPECTATIONS FOR OUR KIDS, AND SO WE SAW PERCENTAGES DROP UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I MEAN, BUT THIS DOESN'T IGNORE THE FACT THAT THE INTERNATIONAL SCORES WERE STILL STRUGGLING. AND YOU KNOW SOME OF THE DATA THAT'S BEEN OUT TO SHOW

[03:40:04]

THAT SOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL SCORES OF KIND OF FLATLINED AND REALLY HAVEN'T BUDGED MUCH IN A VERY LONG TIME. AND SO THE EFFORTS TO INCREASE TESTS LOCALLY IS ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE TO TRY TO ADDRESS THE INTERNATIONAL SCORES. UM AND SO . KIND OF OUR DATA TRENDS ARE PRETTY NORMAL AND YOU SEE WHERE WE ARE IN THE STATE OF MARYLAND AGAIN ONE OF THE STATES WITH THE HIGHEST LITERACY RATES. YOU KNOW, BUT THE STATE AVERAGE IS AROUND 50% I MEAN, THAT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE RIGOR OF THE ASSESSMENT. BUT THAT SETS A HIGH BAR FOR US TO CONTINUE TO KEEP PUSHING STUDENTS OVER AND YOU KNOW, I ONE OF THE PARTS I REALLY PUSHED FOR IN HIS PRESENTATION WAS IF SOMEONE WOULD GO BACK TO SLIDE. 15. YOU KNOW THESE? THESE SLIDES WHERE WE WERE LOOKING AT THE COMPARISON ACROSS DISTRICTS BECAUSE 15 IS THE GRADE THREE.

UM SO. LOOKING AT. HOW WE'RE RAKING AGAINST THE MARYLAND DISTRICTS IS REALLY THE ONLY COMPARISON WE HAVE RIGHT NOW. WE CAN'T COMPARE. TEST SCORES BECAUSE THE TEST KEEP CHANGING, SO WE DON'T KNOW IF THE RAW NUMBER TELLS US ANYTHING. BECAUSE WHEN THE TEST CHANGE DON'T HAVE MUCH TO COMPARE IT TO UM DEALS DOESN'T MEASURE EVERYTHING. READING OF THE WORD INVENTORY DOESN'T MEASURE EVERYTHING. WE ACTUALLY ARE ENGAGING IN A STUDY RIGHT NOW TO IDENTIFY OTHER WAYS TO TEST READING SO THAT WE CAN GET A BETTER PICTURE OF WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE FOR A STUDENT AND I'M TALKING ABOUT TEST LOCALLY. IN ONE OF THE QUESTIONS IS OUR GOAL TO PERFORM WELL IN M CAPTIVE TO PERFORM WELL IN THE STATE TESTS OR AS OUR GOAL TO MEASURE SOMETHING ELSE IS LOVE OF READING SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO MEASURE IS YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW WHAT ARE THE KEY ELEMENTS WITHIN READING, SO WE'RE GOING TO SORT OF STUDY THAT AGAIN SO THAT WE CAN HOLD OURSELVES TO ONGOING ACCOUNTABILITY AROUND WHERE STUDENTS ARE PERFORMING. UM BUT I ALSO SUSPECT LIKE WITH ANY CURRICULUM, YOU BUILD MOMENTUM. YOU SEE A DIP IF YOU CHANGE AND THEN YOU HAVE TO KIND OF TRAIN PEOPLE AND YOU START MOVING UP. YOU KNOW, WE CHANGED AND THEN A PANDEMIC HIT. SO WE DIDN'T JUST GET A DIP FROM A NEW CURRICULUM. WE GOTTA DIP FROM ALL THE INTERRUPTIONS KIDS HAD AND SO THE FACT THAT IF THIS CURRICULUM WE'RE FAILING WE WOULDN'T BE MOVING AGAINST MOVING UP AGAINST ANY DISTRICTS IN THE STATE, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW THEY'RE ALL FOCUSING ON, YOU KNOW SIGNS OF READING AS WE'VE STATED THAT WE'RE DOING AS WELL. WE WOULD BE DROPPING AGAINST THE DISTRICTS, WHICH IS WHY THE RANK BECAUSE THEY'VE ALL HAD THE SAME TESTS WE'VE HAD. THEY'VE HAD THE SAME CHALLENGES. WE'VE HAD. THE ONLY REAL COMPARISON WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS 2 23 OTHER DISTRICTS IN THE STATE WHO, UM HAVE FACED THE SAME CHALLENGES AND ARE TAKING THE SAME TESTS. AND SO YOU KNOW, EIGHT AND THIRD GRADE ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH. SIX MAKES ME FEEL A LITTLE BETTER BECAUSE THERE'S SOME PRETTY GOOD COMPETITION OUT THERE BUT AGAIN YOU KNOW, AND THEN 11TH OVER HERE IN FIFTH GRADE. NOT GOOD. WE WENT DOWN TO STATE WHERE EVERYONE WENT DOWN.

I THINK FIFTH GRADE IS A UNIQUE CHALLENGE FOR US RIGHT NOW BECAUSE ONE OF OUR ISSUES WITH FIFTH GRADERS ARE FIFTH GRADERS DIDN'T HAVE OUR PHONICS CURRICULUM. WE DON'T NORMALLY DO PHONICS IN FIFTH GRADE, AND SO NOW WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET PHONICS TO THOSE STUDENTS WHO MISSED THAT NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, BUT BECAUSE IT WASN'T CENTRAL IN OUR CURRICULUM. UM, FOUR YEARS AGO WHEN THEY WERE IN THE PRIMARY GRADES, SO THERE ARE A LOT OF VARIABLES AT PLAY HERE, UM AND THERE ARE SOME OTHER THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT, AND THERE MAY STILL BE ADJUSTMENTS GOING FORWARD WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING. UM, BUT I FULLY EXPECT WITH THIS SPRING'S ADMINISTRATION. AGAIN BASED ON WHAT I SEE IN THE IN THE SCHOOLS. UM I FULLY EXPECT OUR RANK AGAINST OUR NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS TO CONTINUE GOING UP.

AND THAT FOR ME HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MEASURES BECAUSE AGAIN THE RAW SCORES AREN'T HELPFUL. SO WITH THAT SAID, UM, THERE MAY I DIDN'T WANT TO CUT OFF THE QUESTIONS, BUT I DID WANT TO KIND OF JUMP INTO THIS AND UM, AND WHILE I'M TALKING SO I DON'T HAVE TO CLOSE OUT WITH THIS. YOU'VE MET MOST OF THIS TEAM BEFORE. OBVIOUSLY YOU KNOW, HEATHER, AND HE'S BEEN HERE IN A VARIETY OF BECAUSE HE JUST CHANGED ROLES, AND HE'S BEEN HERE FOR HIS WORK WITH SCIENCE AND SOME OF THE SUMMER SCHOOL WORK. AND CHRIS, OF COURSE, HAS BEEN OUR CHAMPION FOR LANGUAGE ARTS IN THE SPOKESPERSON. YOU HAVEN'T MET THE LEGENDARY GIDEON TWEET BEFORE TONIGHT. AND IN FACT, I'VE ONLY MET HIM ONCE OR TWICE BECAUSE HE LIVES IN OUR SCHOOLS AND I GO TO A SCHOOL VISIT. AND I ASKED THE SCHOOLS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH LANGUAGE ARTS, AND THEY START GUSHING ABOUT THE WORK THAT GETTING IN DOES TO HELP THEM. I SEE SOME TEACHERS SMILING IN THE BACK. THEY'VE EXPERIENCED THIS, UM HELP THEM UNRAVELED THIS REALLY, REALLY CHALLENGING SCIENCE. AND SO, GIDEON, IF I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO PUBLICLY YOUR WORK IS

[03:45:02]

FANTASTIC. AND THANK YOU AND NICE TO FIND A GOOD CHANCE TO SEE IN PUBLIC TOO. BECAUSE AGAIN, WE DON'T LET THEM OUT OF THE SCHOOLS. I'LL BE AT ONE TOMORROW AT 8 $30. OKAY AWESOME.

SO THAT'S IT. I WILL STOP, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO PUT SOME OF THESE THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE. YOU STILL HAVE PASSION WAS PALPABLE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM SO CRAZY FROM WRONG. THE OLD THE OLD LUCY CAULKINS CURRICULUM WAS A LITTLE WEAK AND PRODUCTS. AND THAT SUPPOSEDLY HAS IMPROVED THAT CORRECT. YES AND NO IN THEIR 2018 BREEDING PROGRAM. THEY DIDN'T HAVE A PHONICS PROGRAM.

THEY ALWAYS SUGGESTED TO DISTRICTS THAT THEY SHOULD PURCHASE A SUPPLEMENTAL PHONICS PROGRAM BECAUSE THE ORGANIZATION DID BELIEVE THAT PHONICS INSTRUCTION IS VERY IMPORTANT.

SO THEY ALWAYS SUGGESTED THAT THE DISTRICT IF YOU'RE USING OUR READING AND OR WRITING YOU NEED TO PURCHASE AN ADDITIONAL PHONICS PROGRAM TO MEET THAT NEED. THEY HAVE SINCE CREATED ONE THAT ALIGNS WITH THE SCIENCE AND THAT'S WHAT WE CHOSE TO USE OVER OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WERE CONSIDERED, UM SO IN THAT SENSE WHEN PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT LIKE THE ED REPORTS FROM 2018 THAT DID NOT RANK THE CURRICULUM . WELL THAT WAS THE 2018 CURRICULUM, NOT THE 2022 CURRICULUM, WHICH I THINK IS A REALLY IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW. AND WHEN THE PROGRAM WAS, UM, SELECTED, I WILL SAY, UM WE PUT TOGETHER A 52. MEMBER TEAM WITH REPRESENTATION FROM EVERY SCHOOL. UM DIFFERENT POSITIONS SO ADMINISTRATORS AS WELL AS CLASSROOM TEACHERS, SPECIAL EDUCATORS, UM. E L TEACHERS READING SPECIALIST WE HAD COMMUNITY. REPRESENTATION AND WE HAD CENTRAL OFFICE SO THAT YOU KNOW OUR SPECIAL ED OFFICE AS WELL AS OUR ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE. ALL 52 CAME TOGETHER, REVIEWED FIVE MAJOR PUBLISHERS OF PROGRAMS AND AT THE CONCLUSION VOTED ALMOST UNANIMOUSLY FOR US TO ADOPT THAT THE UNITS OF STUDY AS OUR PROGRAM. AS A READING RESEARCH. IT KIND OF HAS A PENDULUM SOMETIMES. SO NOW THE SCIENCE OF READING, UM, 10 YEARS AGO, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE HEARD THAT TERM, SO IT'S KIND OF, UM WHAT HAS COME OUT OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND MANY OF THE MAJOR PUBLISHERS ALWAYS HAVE TO GO BACK THEN, WHEN READING RESEARCH UPDATES, AND THEY HAVE TO LOOK AT THEIR PROGRAMS AND UPDATE THEIR ADDITIONS, AND THAT'S WHY UM, EVEN BEFORE WE HAD STARTED IN 2000 WITH AN ADDITION OF HARD COURT AND BY 2006 HARD COURT HAD A NEW ADDITION. WE HAD STORY TOWN. AS THE NEW PROGRAM TO REPLACE THE COLLECTIONS, AND SO IT ISN'T UNUSUAL. FOR, UM FOR UPDATES TO BE MADE IN ORDER TO ALIGN WITH WHATEVER THE CURRENT READING RESEARCHES THAT'S BEING I'M SHARED. JUST ONE MORE POINT . I JUST WANT TO ECHO WITH JOYCE SAID ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF READING AT HOME. THERE WAS A MEETING WE HAD LAST SPRING. I BELIEVE WHERE MR HENNIGAN CITED THE STATISTIC. THAT I THINK TOOK ALL OF US BY SURPRISE THAT THERE WERE BASICALLY, STUDENTS SPENT ABOUT 13% OF THEIR TIME. WHOOPS.

STUDENTS SPEND ABOUT 13% OF THEIR TIME DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR IN SCHOOL. UM YEAH, I THINK EVERYBODY KIND OF GUESSED 25 30 40% SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND WHEN, WHEN YOU REALLY THINK ABOUT IT, 13% THAT 87% OF THE TIME THEY'RE NOT IN SCHOOL, AND IF THEY'RE NOT GETTING READING EXPERIENCE AT HOME, OR WHEREVER ELSE THEY MIGHT BE. IT'S GONNA BE TOUGH, SO I REALLY JUST WANT TO ECHO THAT POINT THAT SHE MADE THAT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT PARENTS REALIZE THAT THEY NEED TO SPEND TIME READING WITH THEIR KIDS. THANK YOU. MR PURDY. THANK YOU. THAT WAS REALLY GREAT PRESENTATION. YOUR ENTHUSIASM. APPRECIATE IT SO VERY MUCH. NO THAT'S REALLY DIFFICULT, AND I APPLAUD THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ABLE TO HANG IN THERE WITH US THIS LATE, UM, TO HEAR IT IN THE PEOPLE THAT DID HAVE TO LEAVE, OBVIOUSLY, WITH FAMILIES WILL HOPEFULLY TUNE IN AND HEAR THAT ENTHUSIASM. UH, IT'S NICE TO SEE THE SCORES THAT WE ARE CAPTURING THAT THEY ARE INCREASING AND I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK TO TRY TO KEEP MAKING THEM BETTER. THANK YOU. BLANKING. YEAH, JUST LIKE TO ECHO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE ON THE BOARD HAS SAID I WAS CAPTIVATED OVER COMPUTER SCREEN , WHICH WE ALL HAD YEARS OF VIRTUAL LEARNING. UM OR, YOU KNOW, VIRTUAL LIFE. SO WE ALL KNOW HOW HARD THAT IS. BUT YOU GUYS ARE FANTASTIC. UM I LOVE IT. THE PICTURES OF THE LITTLE KIDS SO HAPPY TO READ IS VERY NICE AT 10 30 AT NIGHT. THANK YOU. SO, YES. SO, UM. LET'S UNDERSTAND. WE STARTED IMPLEMENTING THIS CURRICULUM. UM YOU KNOW, RIGHT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, BASICALLY AND, UM SO YOU KNOW, BARRING THE PANDEMIC, YOU KNOW HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE

[03:50:05]

TO SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENT OUR CURRICULUM TO THE POINT WHERE YOU YOU KNOW, BUT THAT YOU'RE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS. I WOULD BALLPARK A MINIMUM OF FIVE YEARS AND THAT'S JUST FROM MY PRIOR EXPERIENCE AS A SUPERVISOR OF SCIENCE. IMPLEMENTING MAJOR CHANGES IN OUR PROGRAM DIDN'T CHANGING NATIONAL STANDARDS THAT IN ORDER TO DEVELOP THE CURRICULUM IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT IT IN ORDER TO PROVIDE PROPER AND CONSTANT TRAINING AND RETRAINING OF TEACHERS. THE CHANGE PROCESS UNTO ITSELF IS AS YOU KNOW, VERY, VERY COMPLICATED AND COMPLEX. SO THROUGH MY EXPERIENCE A MINIMUM OF FIVE YEARS TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE TRUE IMPACT THAT OUR PROGRAM HAS ON ACHIEVEMENT. OKAY SO WE STARTED BASICALLY IN 2019, RIGHT ? BUT THEN WE GOT SET BACK BY THE PANDEMIC. SO HOW MUCH? HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK WE LOST EPIDEMIC? PANDEMIC. LIKE A YEAR OR TWO YEARS LIKE I THINK. INSTRUCTIONAL IT WAS SIGNIFICANT, UM. WE ALLOW. WE SHOULD THE ONE SLIDE THAT SHOWED THE NUMBER OF MINUTES DAILY THAT STUDENTS WHEN WE'RE THERE IN OUR BUILDINGS RECEIVE OF LANGUAGE ARTS INSTRUCTION. IT WAS MINUTES HAD TO BE ALTERED. WHEN STUDENTS WERE AT HOME. YOU COULDN'T HAVE THEM, UM, HAVE THAT MANY MINUTES IN JUST READING WHEN THEY HAD OTHER SUBJECTS TO ALSO LEARN, AND FRIDAY WAS A BIT OF AN ASYNCHRONOUS TYPE LEARNING DAY AND SO UM SOMETIMES TEACHERS WERE ONLY TEACHING WRITING TWO DAYS A WEEK INSTEAD OF IF THEY'RE IN OUR BUILDING THEIR TEACHING AT FIVE DAYS A WEEK. SAME, UM TYPE OF CONCEPT, AND SO I THINK THAT HAD A LARGE IMPACT . GIDEON ALREADY MENTIONED LEARNING PHONICS OVER A SCREEN BECAUSE SEEING MOUTH FORMATION CLEARLY IS AND HEARING IT. AND WE KNOW SOME OF OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE AT HOME TRYING TO LISTEN TO THEIR TEACHER OVER THE COMPUTER COULDN'T HEAR THINGS SOMETIMES AS WELL, DEPENDING ON IF THERE WAS BACKGROUND. NOISE IN THEIR HOME. AND SO, UM, I DO THINK IT HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. WE COULDN'T WAIT TO GET OUR STUDENTS BACK IN OUR CLASSROOMS . AND THEN EVEN THE FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING PHONICS WITH THE MASKS WITH A LITTLE BIT CHALLENGING FOR KIDS TO HEAR, AS WELL AS FOR TEACHERS TO HEAR THE KIDS. UM, MAKE THE SOUNDS AND SO I FEEL LIKE WE'RE HITTING OUR STRIDE A BIT. OUR TEACHERS ARE, UM THEY'LL MAKE THE PROGRAM ANY PROGRAM MORE OF THEIR OWN AS THEY BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH IT, AND, UM, BECAUSE THEY'RE DEDICATED, TRYING TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW, BUT THEN, AS THEY LEARN IT, THEY CAN FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE, AND WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT ALREADY IN OUR CLASSROOMS. AND, UM, MY TEAM. MY OTHER TWO TEAM MEMBERS WANT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO KRISTEN AND VICKY. THEY ARE IN SCHOOLS EVERY DAY AS WELL, UH, SUPPORTING TEACHERS, AND SO WE ARE STARTING TO SEE TEACHERS FEEL UM MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE. WITH THE PROGRAM AND, UM EVEN HEARING OUR STUDENTS NOT GONNA LIE TO YOU, UM BEFORE COVID. I NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN IN A CLASSROOM AND HEARD A STUDENT. I WAS IN A SCHOOL TODAY. AND I WAS WALKING AROUND LISTENING TO THE FIRST GRADERS, AND THE LITTLE BOY LEANED OVER. AND HE WAS TRYING TO DO A WORD IN THE LITTLE GIRL SAID. DON'T FORGET THAT'S AN ARE CONTROLLED VALVE. YOU KNOW WHAT SOUNDS LIKE I WOULD NEVER HEARD THAT BEFORE. UM AND SO JUST. YOU KNOW, HEARING OUR STUDENTS, UM WITH OUR TEACHERS. IT'S ALMOST LIKE THEY'RE LESSONS ARE THE STUDENTS ARE BECOMING THE LITTLE TEACHERS. WE ARE SEEING THE PHONICS KNOWLEDGE TRICKLE UP.

I'VE DR HAROLD I AM ONE OF THE TWO WORKING HOUSEHOLD AND YOU WOULD THINK EVERY NIGHT I READ, BUT NOT SO MUCH THAT WHEN MY DAUGHTER WAS LIKE, THAT'S A DIAGRAM. I WAS LIKE, I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE CREDIT FOR THAT. BUT I DIDN'T TEACH YOU THAT YOUR TEACHER DID. SO I THINK WE HAVE AMAZED WHEN I GO IN CLASSROOMS. I HEAR KIDS BE LIKE THAT'S A DIAGRAM. THAT'S A CVC WORDS LIKE OKAY, Y'ALL, Y'ALL KNOW YOUR THINGS. AND SO IT'S SUPER EXCITING TO SEE THE HARD WORK THAT TEACHERS ARE PUTTING IN REALLY STARTING TO BUILD FROM GRADE TO GRADE. AND LIKE YOU SAID, I THINK TEACHERS ARE NOW FEELING COMFORTABLE SHARING RESOURCES AS WELL. SO IF I'M A SECOND GRADE TEACHER, AND I HAVE A STUDENT WHO MAYBE NEEDS SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPORT, THEN I'M GOING TO A FIRST GRADE TEACHER AND BEING LIKE, CAN I BORROW THOSE CHARTS FROM LAST YEAR? BECAUSE I WANT TO USE THEM TO HELP ACCELERATE KIDS, AND SO WE'RE REALLY RCT TEACHERS REALLY STARTING TO MAKE THE CURRICULUM COME ALIVE NOW THAT THEY ARE MORE FAMILIAR WITH IT AND AREN'T YOU KNOW, CONFINED WITH MASKS AND PART OF THE CURRICULUM. A BIG PART IS LIKE KIDS TALKING WITH EACH OTHER. AND AT THE START OF LAST SCHOOL YEAR, KIDS HAD TO BE SIX FT APART SO KIDS COULDN'T BE IN GROUPS. KIDS COULDN'T TURN AND TALK. IT'S JUST LIKE STAY AT THEIR DESK IN A VERY LIKE 19 FIFTIES ROW, WHICH ISN'T THE WAY THAT KIDS TODAY LEARN. YEAH. SO, UM IF IT WAS THE BEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES WE CAN EXPECT, LIKE, MAYBE 2024. AH TO REALLY SEE THIS PROGRAM HIT ITS STRIDE BUT BEING SET BACK PROBABLY LEAST A SOLID YEAR. WE'RE LOOKING AT 2025. YOU KNOW?

[03:55:05]

FOR IT TO REALLY HIT HIS STRIDE. BUT IT'S AMAZING THAT YOU'RE ALREADY SEEING THAT BECAUSE CLEARLY, YOU KNOW, TEACHERS, EVERY TEACHER IS GONNA HAVE TO HAVE THEIR OWN LIKE KIND OF TEACHING STYLE, AND THEY'RE GONNA UH, THEY ARE GOING TO KNOW WHAT WORKS BEST WITH THEM AND THEIR THEIR CLASSIC FOR THEM IN THEIR CLASSROOM, SO THAT'S GREAT THAT YOU'RE SEEING THAT, UM SO AH, DO YOU YOU KNOW, THE IPADS. RIGHT IPADS AT HOME. AH YOU KNOW, WHILE YEAH, IT'S AMAZING TO THINK THE IPAD HAS BEEN AROUND FOR WHAT MORE THAN A DECADE NOW, RIGHT? BUT THERE IS SO MUCH SCREEN TIME AND OF COURSE THAT WAS REINFORCED STORING. PANDEMIC. WHICH MAY BE GOOD OR BAD, RIGHT? IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU'RE USING THE IPAD FOR DO YOU FEEL LIKE SCREEN TIME AT HOME? GOING TO ROY'S POINT THAT WE ONLY HAVE THE KIDS FOR 13% OF THEIR THEIR LIVES, AND THE REST IS AT HOME. YOU KNOW, WE CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH READING IN SCHOOL. AH DO YOU FEEL LIKE SCREEN TIME IS IMPACTING STUDENT SUCCESS. IN A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE WAY. DO YOU EVER FEEL FOR THAT? I WOULD SAY IT'S AND THEN NEGATIVE WAY. I THINK I'M ONE OF THE PUBLIC COMMENTS. THE FORMER READING SPECIALISTS MENTIONED THE IMPORTANCE OF LIKE ORAL LANGUAGE. THAT'S HOW KIDS REALLY DEVELOPED LANGUAGE AT THE BEGINNING IS THROUGH CONVERSATIONS WITH EACH OTHER AND CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PEOPLE IN THERE HOME AND SO THE LESS TIME I'M FACE TO FACE INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE, THE LESS ORAL LANGUAGE I'M GETTING, UM THEY'RE LIKE RESEARCH STUDIES THAT SHOW LIKE WATCHING AND HEARING LANGUAGE FROM A COMPUTER . YOUR BRAIN DOES NOT PROCESS IT THE SAME WAY AS HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU. AND SO I DO THINK THAT IS CERTAINLY IS PART OF THE IMPACT RIGHT? BUT THERE'S SO MUCH AND I THINK DURING COVID. I THINK WE HAVE TO THINK TOO LIKE THERE WERE A LOT OF FAMILIES THAT WE'RE JUST TRYING TO MAKE IT WORK LIKE I'M ON A CALL. MY HUSBAND'S ON A CALL. I'VE GOT A SIX YEAR OLD. I'M LIKE TRYING TO DO SCHOOL TRYING NOT TO LOSE MY JOB SO I CAN PAY FOR THE HOUSE. AND SO I THINK FAMILIES WERE DOING THE BEST THEY COULD IN THAT TIME PERIOD TO GET BY. BUT YES, I DO. THINK LIKE CONTINUED USE OF SCREEN ISN'T HELPING US. AND I DO WANT TO KIND OF POINT OUT THAT, UM, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT OUR OUR STATE ASSESSMENT, M CAP THAT, UM GETTING BOOKS AND KIDS HANDS. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT. AND IT IS A BIT DIFFERENT TO READ A BOOK THAT'S IN YOUR HAND. THAT YOU CAN WRITE ON IT OR HIGHLIGHT IN IT AND HAVE IT THERE. UM AND SO. WE HAVE TO KIND OF THINK ABOUT THAT. THE TYPE OF READING THE KIDS DO FOR OUR STATE TEST IS READING PASSAGES ON A SCREEN. IT'S NOT PAPER PENCIL ANYMORE, RIGHT? AND UM, WHEN OUR STUDENTS ARE WRITING RICH SUMMARIES ON PAPER , IT HAS TO TRANSLATE TO NOW I HAVE TO TYPE IT ON A COMPUTER. AND SO, UM, I THINK THE FACT THAT WE NOW GOT DEVICES FOR KIDS AND OUR CLASSROOMS OUR TEACHERS ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW? HOW MANY OPPORTUNITIES DO THEY NEED TO GIVE KIDS TO PRACTICE READING TEXT ON SCREEN AS WELL AS PUTTING A GOOD BOOK IN THEIR HANDS? ADD TO THAT SO YOU IF YOU RECALL FROM THE SLIDES AND HEATHER, YOU DON'T HAVE TO CLICK ALL THE WAY BACK TO US. BUT YOU'RE CROSSING THE SLIDES IN 2017 BETWEEN 17 AND 18. WE HAD THAT BIG DEPTH. IN 2017. WE WERE THE ONLY DISTRICT IN THE STATE.

PAPER AND PENCIL. THE OTHER 23 DISTRICTS WERE USING COMPUTERS AND WE WERE GETTING GREAT PRESSURE FROM THAT STATE SUPER CANDIDATE THE TIME TO MOVE US TO THE COMPUTERS. I WOULD ARGUE. WE HAD QUITE AN ADVANTAGE IN 2017, WHICH IS WHY OUR SCORES LOOK MUCH HIGHER AT EACH GRADE LEVEL IN 2017, AND THEN WE STARTED TO TAKE A DIP. WHEN BUT AND PART OF THAT WAS IN THOSE DAYS. UM, WE'VE HAD THIS 1 TO 1 PLAN. BUT WE ONLY HAD 1 TO 1 DEVICES AND TWO OF OUR GRADE LEVELS. AND SO OUR STUDENTS JUST WEREN'T GETTING EXPERIENCE ON COMPUTERS. NOW THEY HAVE IT. BUT THIS IS THE TRADE OFF. BECAUSE WE WANT THEM. BOOKS AND HANDS. WE WANT THEM INTERACTING. WE WANT THEM NOT ON DEVICES AS MUCH AS WE CAN DURING THE DAY, BUT THEIR WORLD WHEN THEY LEAVE SCHOOL. UM OR EVEN WHEN THEY'RE TESTED. IS ON A DEVICE SO AT THE SAME TIME, WE'D LIKE THEM TO BE MUCH MORE ANALOG. WE KNOW THAT THE WORLD WE'RE PREPARING THEM FOR IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT ALSO, SO THIS IS A CONSTANT TRADE OFF WHERE TO FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE. BECAUSE I MEAN WHAT YOU HEARD HERE. I THINK THAT KIND OF ANALOG INTERACTION. THE IDEA OF LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW. THREE SCHOOL AGE KIDS FOR SCHOOL AGE KIDS SITTING AT A TABLE IN A RESTAURANT ALL ON DEVICES, YOU KNOW? THAT'S PART OF THE INTERACTION THAT THAT'S BEEN LOST, BUT. IT'S ALWAYS A LOT TO BALANCE QUESTION. WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GET 100? WHAT'S YOUR WHAT'S YOUR WISH LIST? WELL I KNOW MORE READING SPECIALISTS IN THE BUILDING. UM, BECAUSE. THAT'S WHAT THEY GET THEIR

[04:00:08]

MASTER'S IN. THEY BECOME, UM EXPERTS IN IN READING, AND SO THE MORE THAT YOU HAVE IN A BUILDING RIGHT NOW THEY'RE OFTEN, UM TORN IN THEIR POSITIONS BETWEEN UM LEADING INTERVENTION GROUPS OF STUDENTS WHO DO NEED SOME EXTRA SUPPORT TO IF THEY'RE LEADING ALL INTERVENTION GROUPS. DO THEY HAVE TIME TO GO IN AND SUPPORT A FIRST YEAR TEACHER WHO COULD REALLY BENEFIT FROM HAVING A READING SPECIALISTS COME IN AND MODEL AND COACH AND SO SOME OF OUR BUILDINGS WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE SPAN ACROSS K TO FIVE, UM AND HOW MANY STUDENTS AND TEACHERS UM READING SPECIALISTS MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. INTERVENTIONIST. UM MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. WE TRAIN OUR OUR TEACHERS. UM. AS WELL AS WE CAN, BUT ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. UM MAKES A BIG BIG DIFFERENCE. AND RIGHT NOW THERE'S ACTUALLY AN ARTICLE THAT CAME OUT RECENTLY THAT SAID THAT COACHING MODEL IS THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO MOVE. TEACHER. UM CAPACITY FORWARD, AND SO THAT'S WHAT MY TEAM IS TRYING TO DO, GO IN AND DO COACHING, BUT THERE'S THREE OF THEM ACROSS ALL OF THE SCHOOLS AND YOU KNOW, I KNOW OF OTHER DISTRICTS THAT HAVE 29 GIDEON'S TO GO OUT INTO THEIR BUILDINGS. 34 COACHES MHM FROM OUR STAFF COACHES TO BALANCE THE BUDGET. MHM WE'VE SLOWLY ADDED SOME BACK, BUT WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN BACK THAT CAPACITY. THAT'S THE NEXT ONE POINT. YEAH AND THE OTHER HALF OF THE ANSWER. YOU ACQUIRE ANOTHER PART OF THE ANSWER TO QUESTION MR SEWELL IS THE PRESENTATION HEARD EARLY. COLLEEN STILL SITTING BACK THERE. UM ESPECIAL EDUCATION IS OFTEN THE PLACE. WHERE WOULD WE NEED TO FOCUS EVEN GREATER RESOURCES TO HELP US HIT THAT 100% BECAUSE THAT'S A HUGE THAT'S A GROUP THAT IS VERY RESOURCE NECESSARY. UM TO HELP THOSE STUDENTS GET WHERE THEY NEED TO GO. SO I DON'T WANNA TAKE UP MUCH MORE TIME BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO FALL ASLEEP FOR HER PRESENTATION. AH ABSOLUTELY NOT REALLY QUICKLY, OKAY, BUT I JUST WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION ABOUT YOU HAD ALL THESE OTHER PROGRAMS IF YOU JUST GO AHEAD TO SLIDES, UM TO YOUR OTHER PROGRAMS THAT YOU USE I KNOW YOU SAID YOU TEST AND USE THESE FOR CERTAIN SITUATIONS. HOW FREQUENTLY ARE THEY USED? HOW UM, HOW BIG OF A COMPONENT ARE THEY OF OUR READING PROGRAM? IT DEFINITELY DEPENDS AGAIN. IT'S DRIVEN BY THE STUDENTS RIGHT NOW. I WOULD SAY EVERY ONE OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IS USING FOUNDATIONS FOR CERTAIN STUDENTS WHO ARE IDENTIFIED FOR FOUNDATIONS. WE ALSO HAVE SIPS ACROSS ALMOST EVERY ONE OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. FOUNDATIONS CAN BE DELIVERED AS A PHONICS PROGRAM.

WAS CONSIDERED WHOLE CLASS. UM, SIPS IS OFTEN TAKING SMALLER GROUPS FOR, UM PHONICS INSTRUCTION AND ORTON GILLINGHAM PLUS IS OUT OF OUR SPECIAL AT OFFICE. COLLEEN MIGHT KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER OF SCHOOLS. IT'S BEEN ALL OF OUR.

AND THE HAGERTY PROGRAM IS IN EVERY ELEMENTARY AS WELL IN EVERY SINGLE K ONE M PRE K.

CLASSROOM NOW TO TRY AND AGAIN GET THE SKILLS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. I GUESS MY POINT IS, WE'RE NOT JUST FOCUSED ON ONE SIZE FITS ALL WE'RE OFFERING A BIG VARIETY. I MEAN, THAT'S FIVE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, SO YOU'RE GETTING QUITE A VARIETY OF INSTRUCTION. YOU'RE NOT SAYING EVERYBODY IS LEARNING EVERYTHING FROM UNITS OF STUDY. YES AND I THINK ANOTHER POINT TO THAT THEY WOULD JUST ADD TO THAT IDEA THAT WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT THE INDIVIDUAL KIDS, EVEN INSIDE OF LIKE READING AND WRITING. TEACHERS ARE MEETING WITH SMALL GROUPS OF KIDS AND THOSE SMALL GROUPS ARE TAILORED BY STUDENT NEED, SO I MIGHT HAVE A STUDENT WHO IS WORKING ABOVE GRADE LEVEL AND I MIGHT THOSE STUDENTS TOGETHER TO GIVE THEM INSTRUCTION THAT PUSHES THEM BEYOND GRADE LEVEL. AND THEN I MIGHT PULL ANOTHER SMALL GROUP OF STUDENTS WHO ARE MAYBE WORKING BELOW GRADE LEVEL AND I'M GOING TO GIVE THEM THE INSTRUCTION THAT THEY NEED TO MOVE THEM FORWARD IN THE NEXT STEP, AND SO THERE ARE SEVERAL TOOLS IN THE READING PROGRAM TO HELP TEACHERS KNOW THAT, UM HOW TO MAKE THAT DECISION. SO ONE IS LIKE OUR READING PROGRESSIONS.

AND SO FOR EACH OF THE KEY READING SKILLS THAT SHOWS YOU LIKE, WHAT IS THIS LOOK LIKE AT LEVEL TWO. LEVEL THREE. LEVEL FOUR, LEVEL FIVE AND LEVEL SIX. AND YOU CAN PLACE KIDS ALONG

[04:05:01]

THAT CONTINUUM. AND THEN MOVE YOUR USE YOUR INSTRUCTION TO MOVE THEM FORWARD. SO EVEN INSIDE OF READING AND WORKSHOP, READING AND WRITING WORKSHOP, WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT KIDS AS INDIVIDUALS AND WHAT INSTRUCTION DO THEY NEED TO MOVE THEMSELVES FORWARD? THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE I APPRECIATE ALL THE HARD WORK YOU'RE DOING BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE NOT BEEN USING FOR YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, LAST BUT NOT

[H. Presentation on Quarterly Financail Report for the Period Ending December 31, 2022, Ms. Deborah Judd, Assistant Superintendednt of Business Services]

LEAST. WE HAVE. WE'RE NOT QUITE LAST WEEK WE SAVE YOU. PRESENTATION ON QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING DECEMBER 31ST. DEBORAH JUDD NEVER SAID YOU MISSED THAT ONE. YOU'RE ALWAYS EXCITING. DON'T HAVE PICTURES OF STUDENTS, THOUGH, SO WE'RE WITH ME. OKAY SO FOR THIS EVENING, WE HAVE THE QUARTERLY FINANCIALS FOR DECEMBER. 31ST 2022. THIS IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES. UM IN THE AGENDA IS THE FULL PACKAGE OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND THEN I WILL REVIEW SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS THIS EVENING QUICKLY. TOTAL REVENUES ARE ABOUT 50% OF OUR BUDGET, WHICH IS WHERE WE WOULD EXPECT THAT TO BE BASED ON OUR PAYMENT SCHEDULES FROM OUR LOCAL AND STATE FUNDING SOURCES. INTEREST OBVIOUSLY IS MUCH HIGHER THAN BUDGET THIS YEAR.

WHEN WE PREPARED THE BUDGET RATES WERE STILL VERY LOW. THEY'VE INCREASED. SO WE ARE EXPECTING, UM A FORECAST OF HIGHER INTEREST, AND THEN WE HAVE A SHORTFALL PROJECTED IN OUR OTHER REVENUE. THE DETAILS OF OUR OTHER REVENUE ARE HERE. MOST OF THAT IS IN OUR TOTAL TUITION AND FEES SECTION OF $1.3 MILLION. THE TUITION AREAS IN THE TRANSPORTATION FEES ARE REALLY JUST A MATTER OF, UM VOLUME AND TIMING. THIS YEAR, WE'LL SEE HOW THAT WORKS FOR TRANSPORTATION FEES. MOST OF THOSE TRIPS ARE IN THE SPRINGTIME, SO WE'LL SEE THOSE NUMBERS COME IN OUR STUDENT PAYMENT FEES OR THE FEES THAT WE WAIVED FOR THIS YEAR FOR STUDENT ATHLETIC FEES, SO THAT WILL BE ZERO FOR THE YEAR. AND THEN OUR RENTAL FACILITIES. WE HAVE WAIVED SOME OF THOSE FEES THIS YEAR FOR OUR DAYCARE PROVIDERS AS THEY TRY TO RECOVER FROM THE PANDEMIC STILL, SO WE DO HAVE A SHORTFALL ANTICIPATED THERE. THE OTHER LINE ITEMS BELOW, UM, TWO OF THE LARGEST ONES THAT ARE REALLY OFFSETTING THE MAJORITY OF THAT PROJECTED DEFICIT. OUR SETTLEMENTS FOR HEALTH AND DENTAL, THE 567,000 THAT WE'VE RECEIVED SO FAR AS OUR DENTAL SETTLEMENT. WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE HEALTHCARE SETTLEMENT YET, UM, THAT WILL BE FORTHCOMING.

AND THEN OUR MEDICARE PART D SUBSIDY WAS HIGHER THAN BUDGETS , SO THAT THE TOTAL OF THAT COLUMN WITH OUR DEFICITS AND SURPLUS TOTAL STRANGER IN $18,000. EXPENDITURES ARE ABOUT 45% OF OUR BUDGET TO DATE. THAT IS REALLY WHERE WE WOULD EXPECT. SOME THINGS ARE BELOW 50% SOME THINGS ARE ABOVE IF YOU LOOK AT INSTRUCTIONAL SALARIES, THAT'S 40% WHICH IS REASONABLE CONSIDERING OUR 10 MONTH. UM, STAFF DON'T BEGIN TO RECEIVE PAYCHECKS UNTIL SEPTEMBER. SO, UM, AT THE END OF DECEMBER. WE WOULDN'T HAVE YOU KNOW A HALF A YEAR YET WE ARE PROJECTING A DEFICIT IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL SALARIES LINE. THE BULK OF THAT IS RELATED TO A LARGER THAN NORMAL AMOUNT OF OUR STAFF ACTUALLY ATTAINED THEIR M 30 AND M 60 CREDENTIALS THIS YEAR, SO THE, UM ADDITIONAL SALARY THAT THEY'RE ENTITLED TO BEGINS RIGHT AWAY ONCE THEY DO THAT, AND THAT WAS EARLY IN THE FALL. SO FOR THE FY 24 BUDGET, WE DO HAVE A PLACEHOLDER IN THERE TO INCREASE . UM THE SALARY LINE FOR THOSE SALARIES. HOWEVER, THIS YEAR WE HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM. WE ALSO HAVE OUR, UM FIXED CHARGES SHOWING A LARGE SURPLUS OF ALMOST $12 MILLION. THE BULK OF THAT IS OUR HEALTH INSURANCE LINE. UM I BELIEVE IT WAS JANUARY OF 2021. WE SWITCHED TO THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN FOR OUR RETIREES FOR HEALTHCARE, AND IT DID RESULT IN A SAVINGS. WE HAVE NOT REMOVED THAT SAVINGS FROM THE BUDGET BECAUSE WE KNEW AFTER THE PANDEMIC AFTER WE WERE COVERED FROM THE PANDEMIC, AND PEOPLE BEGAN TO RETURN TO HEALTHCARE, HEALTHCARE USAGE WOULD INCREASE AND AT SOME POINT WE WILL HAVE A RATE INCREASE. WE USUALLY RECEIVE THOSE IN THE SPRING, SO WE BELIEVE WE WILL HAVE THE CAPACITY THERE TO INCREASE THE BUDGET AS WE NEED TO, IF NECESSARY FOR WON'T HAVE TO INCREASE THE BUDGET. THE FUNDS ARE THERE. TO ABSORB ANY