January 2, 2008
At its final meeting of the year, the D.C. State Board of Education approved new early learning standards for infants, toddlers and prekindergartners, truancy regulations for D.C. public school students, teacher preparation program standards, and an overarching statement of principles called a vision for education in the 21st century.
Members said the new standards and regulations marked the culmination of their work in the year and a half since the mayor took over control of the school system’s operations and the school board was reconstituted as a policy-oriented panel. The new rules and guidelines will pave the way for next year’s state board, which will be composed of many of the same members but, for the first time, all elected.
The new early learning standards set forth general expectations for children between the ages of 0 and 4. The state superintendent’s office says the guidelines are to be used as a resource for children in community-based early childcare programs, family childcare, Early Head Start, Head Start and pre-kindergarten programs.
“These standards, I think, are incredibly robust, and I wholeheartedly support them,” said Mary Lord, who represents wards 1 and 2 on the board. The board passed the standards unanimously.
At its Dec. 17 meeting, the board also approved general requirements for teacher-training institutions with post-baccalaureate and non-degree educator programs that prepare candidates for positions of leadership. Only member William Lockridge, who represents wards 7 and 8, opposed the new requirements. He said he felt the board was rushed into approving them. In addition, the board set forth new policies for dealing with truancy.
Under the regulations, D.C. schools will be required to contact a student’s parent or guardian after one day of an unexcused absence. If a student accumulates five or more unexcused absences in one marking period, he or she will be referred to a school-based support team. After 10 or more unexcused absences, the school administrator will be notified and the school will be required to develop an intervention plan. A student between the ages of 5 and 13 with 10 consecutive unexcused absences, or 20 unexcused absences total, will be referred to the Child and Family Services Agency. A student over the age of 13 with 25 or more unexcused absences will be referred to the Office of the Attorney General and D.C. Superior Court’s social services division.
State superintendent Deborah Gist said her office is confident that the rules will apply to both D.C. Public Schools and charter schools, but Robert Cane, executive director of Friends of Choice in Urban Schools, disagrees. He said the autonomy granted charter schools in the 2007 school reform act exempts charters from such regulations.
“Everyone in public education in the District is concerned about truancy,” he said, but he noted that the D.C. Charter School Board is already attacking the problem with gusto. He said charters should be able to design their own policies, tailored to their specific student bodies.”One size fits all is a very bad idea in education,” he said.
The board also unanimously passed a sweeping statement of principles outlining targets for student engagement and achievement.
Published on: January 5, 2009