Illinois State Board of Education Met Sept. 20
December 1, 2023
Original coverage by Kristine Gonzales-Abella for Prairie State Wire.
*Mentions of Birth to Five Illinois are highlighted in blue below.
Illinois State Board of Education met Sept. 20.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
ROLL CALL
Chair of the Board Steven Isoye called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m.
Chair Isoye announced that the Board meeting was being audio-cast live over the internet and video recorded.
Chair Isoye asked the clerk to call the roll. A quorum was present with seven members physically attending. Dr. James Anderson and Dr. Anna Grassellino were absent. State Superintendent Dr. Tony Sanders was also in attendance.
Members Present:
Dr. Steven Isoye, Chair of the Board
Dr. Donna Leak, Vice Chair
Dr. Christine Benson, Secretary
Dr. Sherly Chavarria
Roger Eddy
Laura Gonzalez
Dr. Patricia Nugent
Members Absent:
Dr. James Anderson
Dr. Anna Grassellino
PRESENTATIONS | STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL INTRODUCTIONS
Chair Isoye welcomed the members of the Student Advisory Council for school year 2023-24.
Director of Student Care Dr. Brian L. Metcalf discussed the work ethic, creativity, and leadership skills of the Student Advisory Council members. He explained that the council will engage in academic research, leadership development, and team-building activities, culminating in final policy recommendations to the Board.
Each member of the 2023-24 Student Advisory Council introduced themselves and described the reasons why they wished to take part. Many members of the council named educational equity as their top priority, and several mentioned technology, career and technical education, or special education as areas of particular interest. Several students also noted their excitement to learn about and participate in the policymaking process, as well as to represent their peers and effect change in their schools and communities.
Dr. Sanders welcomed the new members of the Student Advisory Council and noted his excitement to work with them and listen to their input. Chair Isoye said he looked forward to hearing their recommendations at the end of the year.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
Chair Isoye reminded those in attendance of the Public Participation Policy and the sign-up procedures for the meeting.
Tonya Frehner with Birth to Five Illinois spoke on regional community systems. She said that Birth to Five aims to provide regional infrastructure to promote equity, collaboration, and accountability, and to uplift the most vulnerable populations by giving families a voice and engaging many different sectors of the community. Ms. Frehner said that elevating community input is key to reflecting diversity instead of special interests and promoting community engagement and effective decision-making at the state level. She advocated for support for bottom-up systems change and prioritizing investment in the well-being of Illinois children and families.
Kendra Dixon with Westview Elementary in Canton spoke on the elementary education content test. She read aloud a letter written by her daughter, who was, at that moment, taking the content test. Her daughter had recently learned that she needed to pass the content test by mid-December in order to student teach in the spring and progress with her education and career. She shared some of the questions from the content test, saying that they conflict with the best practices she has been learning in school by measuring recall instead of the complex skillset required to be an effective teacher. She said that the reliance on traditional content tests could negatively impact the teacher pipeline and advocated for alternatives.
Jackie Demler, also with Westview Elementary, spoke on the elementary education content test. She said that she was a master’s degree candidate at Western Illinois University. She explained that content testing creates anxiety and stress, even for students excelling in their teaching programs, including herself. Ms. Demler noted that the time, cost, and lack of feedback after unsuccessful attempts are obstacles to licensure, and she said that the questions were sometimes unrelated to the skillset required to teach effectively. In addition, failing to pass means delaying the start of residency programs, further contributing to the educator shortage. She advocated for assisting future teachers who are close to passing the content tests and providing alternatives, especially in light of high failure rates.
Ashley Earles with Birth to Five Illinois spoke on Early Childhood Block Grant Regional Community Systems Development. She explained that Birth to Five Illinois works to bring stakeholders and communities together, collect qualitative data, share best practices for early childhood programming, and address community needs. She noted that many families in her region are not aware of available early childhood services and therefore cannot benefit from them, making Birth to Five’s role essential. The overarching goals of the organization are to strengthen community relationships and eliminate duplication and siloes in early childhood services.
Terry Stroh with Northern Kane County Regional Vocational System Education for Employment 110 spoke on Career and Technical Education (CTE) funding. He thanked the Board for its support of CTE and for providing additional funding this year. He said that CTE programs today are highly sophisticated, including computer numerical control machines (e.g., lathes and mill machines) and robotics, creating the next generation of highly skilled workers in Illinois. He advocated that the Board continue to improve CTE programming in Illinois.
Sylvia Rogel with The Center: Resources for Teaching and Learning spoke on the Computer Science Equity Grant. She discussed the need to provide equitable opportunities for English learners to develop broad literacy skills, which includes computer science. She noted that 13.7% of public school students in Illinois are English learners, underscoring the importance of offering computer science curriculum designed for English learner success. She advocated for changes to rules that currently make nonprofits like The Center ineligible for Computer Science Equity Grant funding for projects to make computer science programming equitable for English learners.
Amber Peters with Elgin Partnership for Early Learning spoke on early childhood Birth to Five Illinois funding. She shared that only 24% of children in her community come to school with the necessary readiness skills. This statistic is worrisome because the majority of brain development occurs very early on in life. She discussed the partnership with Birth to Five Illinois, which allowed her region to hire community members to provide crucial, localized support and host events to reach families, improving awareness and access. She advocated for investing early on through early childhood programs that will yield benefits throughout the future.
Brian Mentzer with Belleville Township High School spoke on CTE funding. He said that his district lacked the necessary resources to provide high-quality CTE programming in the early 2000s. Over the last decade, however, his community has reallocated local resources to equip a facility to provide trade-based educational offerings, leading to direct employment opportunities for hundreds of students each year. Noting that his region will spend an additional $3.5 million of local money to expand the CTE program, he advocated for increasing state funding by $10 million to support districts in providing essential CTE services.
Michael Karner with Lake County Regional Office of Education spoke on Birth to Five early childhood supports and funding. He said that Birth to Five Illinois has helped Lake County make enormous strides with regard to early childhood services, including conducting a regional needs assessment, engaging with the community, and developing an action plan that incorporated a great deal of feedback. He praised the organization’s collaborative efforts to lessen the “silo effect” and build trust between the community and early childhood partners. He noted that more districts in the region have applied to the Early Childhood Block Grant as a result of Birth to Five Involvement.
Jay Smith with St. George CCSD 258 spoke on Birth to Five supports and funding. He said that Birth to Five Illinois had been an essential partner in collaborating with the school administration and families, identifying Request for Proposals (RFP) and grant opportunities, and collecting crucial data that led to the district being awarded a Preschool for All Grant.
Kenneth Springer with the Knox County Area Partnership for Economic Development spoke on CTE funding. He said that CTE programs with state-of-the-art equipment are crucial for building regional economies and maintaining a strong supply of workers. He explained that the ongoing skilled worker shortages forces employers to turn down contracts, hurting local gross domestic product and tax revenue. Strong CTE programs are vital to attract and retain companies that provide welding, health science, food processing, and construction services. He noted that Galesburg has seen record CTE enrollment after investing in a new educational center, and he advocated for further state funding for CTE.
James Duggan with Bourbonnais Elementary District 53 spoke on Birth to Five supports and funding. He advocated for listening to the recommendations put forth by Birth to Five Illinois, explaining that the organization had been deeply involved in collaborating with his community to support families and child mental health. He also shared his experience with a special education teacher in his district who is a wonderful instructor but who has not yet been able to pass the content test. He advocated for alternative pathways to licensure for teachers.
McLain Schaefer with Mattoon CUSD 2 spoke on CTE funding. He advocated for an additional $10 million in funding for CTE, especially for small, rural schools that often consistently miss out on CTE opportunities. He highlighted the importance of dedicating state funding to rectify these issues of equity and access. He thanked Board members for their commitment to the students of Illinois and asked them to strengthen their support of CTE.
Michelle Trager, a parent, spoke on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Awareness Month. She told the Board that Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) are a leading cause of developmental delays in the United States, with one in 20 students affected – on average, one per classroom. She said that most of these students are undiagnosed and not given special education services as they often have strong verbal skills and IQ scores in the typical range. However, they are more likely to experience behavioral difficulties and deficits in memory and executive function, resulting in anger and acting out. She advocated for training for teachers and a neuro-behavioral approach to identifying students with FASD and designing accommodations…
See the full meeting minutes at: www.isbe.net/Documents_Board_Meetings/20230920-Minutes.pdf