MINUTES OF THE

ENHANCEMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION TASK FORCE

Thursday, June 28, 2001 - 9:00 a.m. - Room 129 State Capitol

Note: A list of others present and a copy of materials distributed in the meeting are on file in the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.

1. Call to Order

Sen. Stephenson called the meeting to order at 9:05 a.m.

MOTION: Sen. Peterson moved to approve the minutes of May 3, 2001. The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Throckmorton absent for the vote.

• Committee Discussion of "Mandates on Public Schools Imposed by Utah Law and Rules of the State Board of Education"

Members of the committee identified the following mandates for further review:

1) fee waivers;

2) payments to nonresident district for school choice students;

3) reporting requirements;

4) driver's education;

5) local building officials; and

6) state approval of construction projects in excess of $100,000.

Sen. Stephenson asked that members submit suggestions for any additional mandates they would like to address in future meetings.

Mr. Steven Laing, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, stated that there are compelling reasons for each mandate individually, but collectively they become overwhelming to the districts and educators. He stated he would obtain input from the local school districts regarding which mandates they feel could be eliminated without negatively impacting the entire system.

Rep. Throckmorton assumed the chair.

• Update on Performance Audit of the Utah State Office of Education

Mr. Patrick Ogden, Utah State Office of Education, explained that the office solicited an independent study of its efficiency and effectiveness. He distributed and reviewed the RFP requirements. MGT of America, a national management research and consulting firm, won the bid. He said the performance audit is to be completed by the end of 2001, with a report being given to the State Board of Education on November 7, 2001. He explained that MGT will be available on July 18, 2001, in the Capitol rotunda to receive comments and suggestions regarding the effectiveness of the State Office of Education.

• Utah Core Curriculum

Ms. Bonnie Morgan, Ms. Mary Beth Clark, and Mr. Brett Moulding, Utah State Office of Education, distributed materials on and discussed the development and revision process of the core curriculum. Ms. Morgan reviewed some standards in the kindergarten and third-grade reading and math core curriculum. She also reviewed the roles and responsibilities of the State Board of Education, State Office of Education, and local school districts in establishing and executing the core curriculum. Mr. Moulding addressed the science core curriculum, its benchmarks, and intended learning outcomes. Ms. Clark reviewed the secondary arts core curriculum, indicating it covers all kinds of text.

• Accountability Systems

Dr. Gary Carlston, Utah State Office of Education, distributed and reviewed the components of the Utah Performance Assessment System for Students (U-PASS). He noted a direct-writing assessment has been added beginning with the graduating classes of 2002-2003. He also discussed the individual school performance report requirement and how the Internet is being used to distribute and record data. He said the State Board of Education is hopeful that Utah will be eligible for federal funds under President Bush's accountability plan.

Mr. Mike Nelson, Lightspan, Inc., introduced the on-line assessment product created by Lightspan, Inc.

Ms. Mary Grace Bowling, principal, Stansbury Elementary School, explained that she depends on accurate and timely data in her school so that she can help her teachers design instruction for students. She spoke in favor of the on-line assessment system and reviewed her experience with Lightspan, Inc. She stated that when students test on-line, they: 1) are focused; 2) have a high interest in doing their best; 3) are delighted with the immediate results; and 4) are motivated to push further.

Ms. Pat Burton, curriculum staff development specialist, Stansbury Elementary School, emphasized the need to have a timely, individualized picture of the learning needs of students. She reviewed score results from a classroom piloting the Lightspan on-line assessment system. She demonstrated how the teachers can utilize the immediate results from a class testing, including individual and collective results, to design their curriculum.

Mr. Clay Glad, network engineer, Granite School District, addressed the technological and security issues of the on-line assessment. In Granite District, there is a computer on every teacher's desk, and they are working to have computer labs in every school. The same security used for on-line banking and electronic commerce applies to the on-line assessments. The teacher schedules the test, but does not see the test until the students take it. The student has a defined window of time to see the test, but can store answers and continue testing later if interrupted. Backup systems store testing data at EduTest giving greater security and flexibility in the access and use of the test results.

Mr. Ted Stevens, Title I technology curriculum specialist, Granite School District, recommended working with Lightspan, Inc. to make test results available to parents over the Internet.

Ms. Sandra Fivecoat, Lightspan, Inc., explained that in addition to the pilot project being conducted in Granite School District, the company has projects in other states. She noted that applications of the program are customized for individual states. She stated that Lightspan

has estimated they can make their tool available to every child in Utah for about $4 million annually.

Mr. Mike Nelson reviewed Lightspan's recommendations to decentralize test administration and reallocate the state appropriation for test administration, which amounts to approximately $8 per year per student, to local school districts.

Rep. Throckmorton asked the State Office of Education to provide information to be presented at a future meeting on a process to decentralize test administration.

• Other Business

The chair announced that the next two meetings will be scheduled on July 26, 2001, at 1:00 p.m. and on August 23, 2001, at 9:00 a.m.

• Adjourn

MOTION: Sen. Peterson moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously with Rep. Johnson, Rep. Morgan, and Rep. Snow absent for the vote. The meeting was adjourned at 12:34 p.m.