[00:00:03]
          >> HELLO, EVERYONE. WELCOME TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING OF NOVEMBER 6, 2024. 
          [2. Public Session - 7:30 p.m.]
PLEASE RISE FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. 
          >> OF ALLEGIANCE] 
          >> NATALIE, WOULD YOU REITERATE THE EXECUTIVE SESSION MOTIONS, PLEASE? 
          >> YES. WE MET IN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS THE PARTICULAR EMPLOYMENT HISTORY OF A PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL. 
          >> THANK YOU. LET'S KICK OFF THIS EVENING'S MEETING. 
          I KNOW WE'RE ALL PROCESSING THE RESULTS OF THE ELECTION, SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE SOME OF MY PERSPECTIVE ON SERVING ON THE PELHAM BOARD OF EDUCATION. 
          I BELIEVE WE ARE FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO SERVE ON OUR LOCAL BOARD OF EDUCATION. 
          WHILE IT'S NOT EASY, IT'S DEFINITELY REWARDING. 
          FOR ME, FOCUSING ON THE EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN AND REPRESENTING THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY IN THIS EFFORT IS A GIFT. 
          I APPRECIATE HOW THIS BOARD UNDERSTANDS THE INFLUENCE OF POLITICS, YET HAS BEEN ABLE TO KEEP THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS AND STAFF AT THE CENTER OF THEIR BOARD WORK. 
          THANK YOU. MOVING ONWARD, I WANT TO RECOGNIZE OUR DISTRICT PSYCHOLOGIST AS IT IS NATIONAL SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY WEEK. 
          A HUGE THANKS FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR ALL THAT YOU DO TO SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS WELL BEING. 
          WITH RESPECT TO FACILITIES UPDATES, THE BOARD NOW UNDERSTANDS THE NEEDS OF THE DISTRICT'S FACILITIES BASED ON THE BUILDINGS AND CONDITIONS SURVEY. 
          LAST MEETING, WE HEARD FROM CAPITAL MARKETS ADVISORS TO LEARN ABOUT THE DISTRICT'S CURRENT DEBT SERVICE OBLIGATIONS FOR RECENT CAPITAL PROJECTS. 
          AND TO UNDERSTAND WHEN DEBT GETS PAID OFF SO THAT WE CAN CONSIDER COINCIDING THE FINANCING FOR NEW NEW PROJECTS DURING THESE DROP OFFS. 
          THIS IS BEST PRACTICE, ALLOWING IMPORTANT FACILITIES PROJECTS TO OCCUR WHILE MINIMIZING THE IMPACT OF NEW BORROWING ON THE TAX LEVY. 
          NEXT WEEK, WE WILL HAVE A JOINT MEETING OF OUR FACILITIES, I THINK IT'S NEXT WEEK, FACILITIES AND FINANCE COMMITTEES, TO FURTHER REFINE OUR FACILITIES PRIORITIES AND COST ASSUMPTIONS. 
          JUST A REMINDER THAT WE WILL PRIORITIZE PROJECTS THROUGH A TRANSPARENT PROCESS AND SEEK COMMUNITY INPUT ON THE PRIORITIZATION. 
          THEN WITH RESPECT TO BUDGET PLANNING, WE KICKED OFF BUDGET SEASON AT OUR LAST MEETING, AND THE BOARD SET SOME GUARD RAILS AROUND AREAS OF FOCUS, AND THEY ARE TO MAINTAIN OUR DISTRICT'S ROBUST ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING, TO ADVANCE THE GOALS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN, TO SUPPORT SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS, TO BE ESPECIALLY MINDFUL OF PROPOSED INCREASES IN STAFFING, TO EXPLORE THE COSTS OF ACCELERATING THE CONVERSION TO FULLY ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION, AND TO DO ALL THIS, WHILE KEEPING THE BUDGET HEADWINDS AND BUDGET LONG GAME IN MIND, CONSIDERING THINGS LIKE INCREASING EXPENSES OR DECLINING OR FLATTENING REVENUE SOURCES. 
          WE ALSO HAD OUR FIRST POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING LAST WEEK, AND I LEARNED WE HAVE THE AMBITIOUS GOAL OF PRIORITIZING AND POTENTIALLY UPDATING MORE THAN 29 POLICIES THIS YEAR. 
          [LAUGHTER] MOST OF THEM ARE TO MEET THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF OUR MOST RECENT POLICY AUDITS, PLUS A REVIEW OF THE DISTRICT'S ELECTION POLICIES, AND REVISITING THE DIGITAL DEVICE POLICY LATER ON IN THE SPRING. 
          THAT BRINGS US TONIGHT WHERE WE HAVE CLAIRE COMEFORD, PRESENTING ON STUDENT OUTCOMES. 
          EACH YEAR, WE LOOK AT TEST SCORES, REGION SCORES, AND STATE ASSESSMENT SCORES TO GET A PULSE ON HOW OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING COMPARED TO THE NATION. 
          NOT SURPRISING, WE CONTINUE TO BE A VERY HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOL DISTRICT. 
          MORE IMPORTANTLY THAN THE BOARD REVIEWING THIS, THE DISTRICT LOOKS AT THESE TEST SCORES IN DETAIL AND COMBINES THAT WITH OTHER DATA, AND THEY USE IT TO GUIDE TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE COMING YEAR, OR THIS YEAR BECAUSE YOU'VE HAD THE DATA SINCE AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER. 
          WHILE TEST SCORES ARE NOT THE END-ALL, BE-ALL, STUDENT OUTCOMES ARE, WE CAN CONSIDER THIS PRESENTATION AN IMPORTANT HIGH-LEVEL BAROMETER OF HOW WELL STUDENTS ARE FARING, POST PANDEMIC OR POST CHANGES LIKE TO 
          [00:05:03]
ELECTRONIC TESTING OR ANY CHANGES IN STANDARDS OR CURRICULUM. 
          I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT DISCUSSION. 
          WE CAN TAKE 3.1 AND 3.2 AS A CONSENT AGENDA. 
          [3. Approval of Minutes]
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF OCTOBER 9TH AND OCTOBER 23RD, 2024 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS? 
          >> SO MOVED. 
          >> SECOND. 
          >> ALL IN FAVOR. 
          >> AYE. 
          >> ANY OPPOSED, ANY ABSTENTION? NO. WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'LL HAND IT. 
          [4.1 Presentation on Student Outcomes]
          >> YES. MS. COMEFORD TRANSITIONS OVER THE PODIUM, I JUST WANT TO THANK HER AND THE ENTIRE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM WHO HAS A HAND, OF COURSE, IN STUDENT OUTCOMES ACROSS THE BOARD DAY IN AND DAY OUT. 
          MANY OF THEM ARE HERE WITH US TONIGHT, SO I THANK THEM FOR THEIR TIME AND THEIR ATTENTION, THEIR DEDICATION TO THIS. 
          I KNOW MANY OF THEM HAVE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH MS. COMEFORD, AS SHE'S PREPARED THE PRESENTATION. 
          MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY'VE BEEN DOING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK SINCE ALL OF THIS DATA CAME IN TO REALLY SCRUTINIZE IT, EVALUATE IT, ANALYZE IT, PUT IT IN ITS PROPER CONTEXT, AND THEN FIGURE OUT WHAT ARE WE LEARNING FROM IT, WHERE ARE THE BEST PRACTICES THAT CAN BE SHARED, AND WHERE ARE THE AREAS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH, AND THAT'S WHERE THEY DO INCREDIBLE WORK DAY IN AND DAY OUT COLLABORATIVELY, THE DIRECTOR LEVEL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS TO SEE WHERE THE NEEDS ARE AND THEN TO TARGET PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, TARGET SUPPORT TO TEACHERS AND TO STUDENTS AS NEEDED TO CONTINUE TO HELP ALL STUDENTS ACHIEVE THAT STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE THAT WE WANT FOR EACH ONE OF THEM. 
          THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK THAT YOU WILL NEVER SEE THAT THIS GROUP OF TALENTED PEOPLE HERE DO ON A DAILY BASIS. THANKS TO THEM. 
          I KNOW CLAIRE HAS THE INENVIABLE POSITION OF EXPLAINING A YEAR'S WORTH OF WORK THAT SHE WAS NOT HERE FOR. 
          [LAUGHTER] BUT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED. 
          THIS IS WHERE I KNOW, AGAIN, THAT SHE'S REALLY LEARNED A LOT FROM THE AND DONE THE DEEP DIVE TO BE ABLE TO SHARE TONIGHT. 
          I WILL SAY TOO, I KNOW THAT WE'VE TALKED WITH THE BOARD ALREADY AND OUR DIRECTORS ARE AWARE OF IT THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO TURN OUR SECOND DECEMBER MEETING INSTEAD OF A BOARD MEETING INTO A BOARD RETREAT, THE SAME WAY THAT WE DID LAST YEAR, WHICH GIVES THE BOARD THEN ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH THE CURRICULUM LEADERS AND TO TAKE A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE DATA, SO YOU REALLY HAVE THAT CONFIDENCE AS A GOVERNANCE TEAM IN THE STUDENT OUTCOMES AS THEY'RE COMING. 
          IT DEEPENS YOUR KNOWLEDGE TOO AND UNDERSTANDING, AS WAS ALREADY SAID FROM, JACKIE, AND I'M SURE CLAIRE IS GOING TO REITERATE IT, A LOT OF THESE ARE ONE POINT IN TIME, THEY TELL US SOMETHING, BUT TRIANGULATING DATA AND LOOKING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE REALLY IS WHAT STARTS TO GIVE YOU THE FULL PICTURE WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF ANY GIVEN YEAR, DAY, CLASSROOM, ETC. 
          A LOT AROUND THAT, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT DECEMBER MEETING TOGETHER, BUT I'M GOING TO TURN IT TO CLAIRE AT THIS POINT. 
          >> FIRST, I WANT TO EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR THIS TIME TO SHARE SOME OF THE DATA THAT REPRESENTS STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN PELHAM THIS EVENING. 
          I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE AMAZING WORK OF THE FACULTY, STAFF, AND ADMINISTRATORS OF PELHAM. 
          THIS DATA REPORT IS A TESTAMENT TO THE THOUGHTFUL AND INTENTIONAL INSTRUCTION AND SUPPORT THAT EACH OF OUR STUDENTS RECEIVES ON A DAILY BASIS. 
          THANK YOU TO ALL THE FACULTY AND STAFF FOR CONTINUING TO CREATE ENGAGING, RIGOROUS, MEANINGFUL, AND RESPONSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. 
          AS WE LOOK AT STUDENT PERFORMANCE DATA AND STUDENT LEARNING DATA AND ALL OF OUR SYSTEMS AND STRUCTURES HERE IN PELHAM, JUST AS WE VALUE THE STRENGTHS AND GROWTH-BASED APPROACH IN OUR WORK WITH STUDENTS. 
          WE ALSO REVIEW OUR DATA IN THIS WAY. 
          WE'RE ALWAYS ASKING THESE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS AS WE DIVE DEEPER INTO INDIVIDUAL BUILDING, TEACHER, AND STUDENT NEEDS. 
          WE LOOK AT THIS FROM APPRECIATIVE LENS. 
          WE LOOK AT FIRST, WHAT ARE OUR STRENGTHS, WHAT CAN WE CELEBRATE, AND I HOPE TONIGHT YOU'LL AGREE WITH ME, THERE'S A LOT TO CELEBRATE, WHAT ARE WE DOING WELL? NEXT IS WHAT ARE OUR OPPORTUNITIES? WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO TO IMPROVE, TO INNOVATE, AND WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO TO UPLIFT OUR STUDENTS? THEN WHAT ARE OUR ASPIRATIONS? WHAT ARE OUR LONG-TERM HIGHEST HOPES FOR OUR STUDENTS IN PELHAM AS WE'RE A GROWTH ORGANIZATION, A LEARNING ORGANIZATION, WE CONTINUE TO STRIVE FOR THE NEXT BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR STUDENTS? THEN FINALLY, WE'RE ALWAYS ASKING, WHAT RESULTS ARE WE SEEING, HOW DO WE KNOW IF WE'RE SUCCESSFUL, HOW WILL WE MEASURE OUR SUCCESS, AND WHAT WILL WE DO WHEN WE EXAMINE THOSE RESULTS? AS WE ALL KNOW, WE'RE EMBARKING ON THE FIRST YEAR OF OUR NEW STRATEGIC PLAN HERE IN PELHAM. 
          THREE MAJOR TENETS TO OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE FIRST BEING PERSONAL GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENT. 
          OUR NEW STRATEGIC PLAN REFLECTS THE VALUES OF 
          [00:10:01]
OUR COMMUNITY AND AFFIRMS OUR GOAL TO FOSTER HIGH EXPECTATIONS AND PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF SO THAT THEY REACH THEIR POTENTIAL. 
          MUCH OF TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION, YOU COULD PUT UNDER THE BUCKET OF PERSONAL GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENT, BUT AS WE REVIEW THIS DATA AND AS WE EXAMINE HOW STUDENTS DID AND PERFORMED LAST YEAR, WE SHOULD ALSO KEEP IN MIND THE OTHER TENETS OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          THE NEXT BEING PERSONAL GROWTH AND BELONGING IN WELLNESS. 
          [LAUGHTER] THE NEXT BEING BELONGING IN WELLNESS. 
          WHILE THE DATA IN TONIGHT'S REPORT REFLECTS THE PERSONAL GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENT, WE ALSO WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE PROMOTING A CULTURE THAT BALANCES PERSONAL GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENT AND WELL BEING FOR OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF MEMBERS. 
          THEN FINALLY, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT OUR LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS AND FACILITIES SUFFICIENTLY SUPPORT THE RIGOROUS LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT OUR FACULTY AND STAFF AND ADMINISTRATION DESIGN FOR OUR STUDENTS. 
          ALL OF THE WORK IS REFLECTED IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION, WE THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE PURPOSES FOR OUR ASSESSMENT, AND THEN WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE DATA THAT WE CALL FROM THE ANALYSIS, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE USE THE DATA TO INFORM OUR INSTRUCTION. 
          TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION IS A BROAD OVERVIEW OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN PELHAM IN GENERAL. 
          THE GOAL IS TO PROVIDE THE BOARD OF EDUCATION WITH A HOLISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF HOW STUDENTS ARE DOING PELHAM COMPARED TO OTHER DISTRICTS IN OUR REGION. 
          THE DATA WE'RE PRESENTING TONIGHT IS ONE POINT OF MANY THAT WE USE TO INTERNALLY DIVE INTO STUDENT LEARNING AND UNDERSTAND WHAT EACH BUILDING, TEACHER, AND STUDENT NEEDS TO LEARN AND GROW. 
          DATA IS IMPORTANT, BUT IT'S NOT DESTINY. 
          THE IDEA OF ASSESSMENT AS SITTING BESIDE, AS WE KNOW THE LATIN ROOT FOR ASSESSMENT IS A ASSIDERE, MEANS TO SIT BESIDE. 
          THIS SUGGESTS AN ONGOING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHER AND STUDENT, RATHER THAN AN IMPERSONAL JUDGMENT, IT SUGGESTS MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK RATHER THAN ABSOLUTE JUDGMENT. 
          THE DATA TELLS ONE STORY OF STUDENT LEARNING AND GROWTH, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT INFORMS OUR DECISION-MAKING TO SUPPORT CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND GROWTH THROUGHOUT A STUDENT'S 12 YEAR CONTINUUM IN OUR ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEM. 
          WE USE DATA TO SUPPORT OUR REFLECTIVE PRACTICE FOR GROWTH, TO DETERMINE STUDENT NEEDS FOR SUPPORT, OR ENRICHMENT, TO INFORM THE MONITORING OF PROGRAMS, SYSTEMS, AND STRUCTURES FOR EFFECTIVENESS. 
          THERE ARE COUNTLESS VARIABLES THAT IMPACT THE DATA YOU'LL SEE TONIGHT. 
          STUDENTS COME TO OUR SCHOOLS WITH VARYING DEGREES, PRIOR KNOWLEDGE, RESOURCES, READINESS LEVELS, AND NEEDS FOR SUPPORT. 
          OUR COHORTS ARE VERY SMALL AND EVEN A COUPLE OF STUDENTS CAN IMPACT A GRADE LEVEL STUDENT PROFICIENCY RATING. 
          THE DATA TONIGHT IS A TESTAMENT TO THE HARD WORK THAT OUR TEACHERS HAVE BEEN EMBARKING IN AND ENGAGING IN FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. 
          NEW YORK STATE HAS BEEN REVAMPING THEIR STANDARDS FOR MANY YEARS, AND THE TEACHERS HAVE BEEN FLEXIBLE, THOUGHTFUL, AND CAREFUL ABOUT THEIR IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW STANDARDS, AND THE DATA TONIGHT WILL EVIDENCE THAT. 
          IN ADDITION TO THE NEW STANDARDS, WE'VE ALSO BEEN EMBARKING ON COMPUTER-BASED TESTING FOR OUR STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-8, WHICH IS A DIFFERENT WAY TO TEST FROM PAPER. 
          OUR STUDENTS TAKING THE ELA EXAM IN GRADES 5-8 TOOK THE TESTS ON THE COMPUTER LAST YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND IN MATH AND GRADES 3-8, THE FIRST ADMINISTRATION FOR COMPUTER-BASED TESTING. 
          WITH ALL THE CHANGES TO CURRICULUM, TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE EXAM, PELHAM STUDENTS AND TEACHERS HAVE REMAINED SUCCESSFUL IN EVIDENCING STUDENT LEARNING IN THE DISTRICT. 
          THEN WE'LL START WITH OUR GRADE 3-8 ELA DATA. 
          LAST YEAR, DR. THOMPSON AND THIS YEAR, MS. SHORT, AND ADMINISTRATORS AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPERS ARE CONTINUING TO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO OUR TEACHERS TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS CONTINUE TO LEARN AND GROW IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS. 
          AS WE SEE HERE ON GRADES 3 AND 4, FOR THE NEW YORK STATE ADMINISTRATION LAST YEAR, PROFICIENCY RATES, HOLD ON. 
          I DON'T HAVE A THING, WE CAN SEE PROFICIENCY RATES FOR THIRD GRADER IS 75.13% AND FOR FOURTH GRADE 80.10%. 
          AS WE CONTINUE THAT WE DID ANTICIPATE, AS I THINK WAS DISCUSSED LAST YEAR THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME IMPACT TO COMPUTER-BASED TESTING, 
          [00:15:03]
BUT AGAIN, EACH COHORT HAS ITS OWN VARIABLES THAT IMPACT THE PROFICIENCY RATES. 
          THIS IS JUST ONE SNAPSHOT THAT INFORMS OUR TEAMS AND OUR PROFESSIONALS TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. 
          WHEN WE SEE ANYTHING THAT IS INTERESTING OR MIGHT CAUSE US TO QUESTION, WE BRING THAT TO THE TABLE AND WE DIVE DEEPER INTO OUR CONTINUAL ASSESSMENTS THAT WE OFFER THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, CLASSROOM TEACHERS, ASSESSMENTS OF STUDENTS, AND THEN ALL OF THAT INFORMS, LIKE WE SAID, THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND STUDENT SUPPORTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE. 
          BUT ALL IN ALL, SOLID PERFORMANCE IN GRADES 3 AND 8. 
          GRADES 5 AND 6, LIKE WE SAID, I REMIND YOU LAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST COMPUTER-BASED TESTING ADMINISTRATION FOR FIVE AND SIX. 
          ANTICIPATED THIS COULD IMPACT PROFICIENCY RATES, AND IT'S DIFFICULT TO COMPARE TO THE REGION WITH THIS BECAUSE REGIONAL ROLLOUT OF COMPUTER-BASED TESTING VARIED. 
          EVERY DISTRICT IN NEW YORK STATE WAS GIVEN THE SAME DEADLINE AS TO WHEN THEY HAD TO GO ALL COMPUTER-BASED TESTING, BUT EACH DISTRICT CHOSE THE RATE AT WHICH THEY IMPLEMENTED THIS TRANSITION. 
          NEXT YEAR AND THE YEARS FOLLOWING, WHEN EVERY DISTRICT IN NEW YORK STATE IS NOW COMPUTER-BASED TESTING AND HAS BEEN FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'LL START TO SEE A BETTER IDEA OF REGIONAL COMPARISONS. 
          AGAIN, WE HAVE PROFICIENCY RATES IN GRADE 5, 80.37%, AND 73.63%, SIXTH GRADE ELA, NO MATTER WHAT DISTRICT YOU'RE IN, THERE ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE BIT OF A DIP. 
          IT'S THE FIRST YEAR FOR STUDENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND EVENTUALLY, THEY CATCH UP WHERE WE WANT THEM TO BE. 
          THEN WE MOVE ON TO GRADE 7. 
          FOR GRADE 7, WE SEE GROWTH IN THE COHORT FROM THE YEAR BEFORE. 
          WE ALSO CONTINUE TO ASSESS AND PROVIDE SUPPORT SO THAT MORE STUDENTS REACH PROFICIENCY. 
          TREMENDOUS GROWTH FOR EIGHTH GRADE COHORT FROM 74.5% IN THE '22 '23 SCHOOL YEAR TO 88.13% IN THE LAST SCHOOL YEAR. 
          THEN WE MOVE ON TO MATH. 
          DR. CALLAHAN, OUR PRINCIPALS, OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPERS HAVE PROVIDED TARGETED SUPPORT TO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS AND OUR MATH PERFORMANCE REFLECTS THIS. 
          THIS IS THE FIRST ADMINISTRATION FOR CBT IN GRADE 3 MATH. 
          PELHAM STUDENTS PERFORMED 25% ABOVE THE REGION, AND OUR GRADE 3 ASSESSMENTS AND GRADE 4 OUTCOME SHOW CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE. 
          >> FOR MATH FOR GRADES 6 AND 7, SIMILAR REPORT FOR GRADES 5, 6, AND THE NEXT SLIDE 7, CONSISTENT OR IMPROVED PERFORMANCE FOR ALL STUDENTS IN MATH FROM COHORT TO COHORT. 
          SAME FOR GRADE 7. 
          THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS TAKING ACCELERATED ALGEBRA IN EIGHTH GRADE CONTINUES TO INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR WITH MORE STUDENTS OPTING TO ACCELERATE IN EIGHTH GRADE, AND OUR PERFORMANCE REMAINS CONSISTENT, WHICH IS A MASSIVE TESTAMENT TO THE WORK OF THE TEAM AND TO THE STUDENTS AS WELL. 
          THAT BRINGS US TO EIGHTH GRADE MATH. 
          PERFORMANCE IN EIGHTH GRADE MATH IS EXCELLENT. 
          THE MAJORITY OF OUR STUDENTS OPT FOR ACCELERATED ALGEBRA IN EIGHTH GRADE FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, 100% OF EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS SITTING FOR THE ALGEBRA ONE REGIONS EXAMINATION PASS THE ALGEBRA ONE REGIONS EXAMINATION. 
          WHILE WE'D ALWAYS LIKE TO SEE STRONG PROFICIENCY LEVELS IN THE NEW YORK STATE EIGHTH GRADE ASSESSMENT, WE HAVE TO ALSO EXAMINE THIS DATA WITH A CRITICAL EYE AND RECOGNIZE THE FOLLOWING VARIABLES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN REVIEWING MATH 8 DATA. 
          STUDENTS WHO DON'T ACCELERATE IN MATH 8 HAVE VARYING READINESS LEVELS AND NEEDS FOR SUPPORT. 
          OF THE 75 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN MATH 8 LAST YEAR, ONLY 46 STUDENTS SAT FOR THE EXAM. 
          THIS REPRESENTS A 39% TEST REFUSAL RATE, WHICH IS EXTREME FOR PAM AND OTHER DISTRICTS AS WELL. 
          GENERALLY SPEAKING, TEST REFUSAL RATES RANGE 6-10% THROUGHOUT. 
          SO 39% IS SIGNIFICANT. 
          CLAIRE, CAN I JUST ADD A LITTLE BIT THERE TOO. 
          JUST FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T MAYBE KNOW THE HISTORICAL SUM. 
          YOU MAY REMEMBER THE OPT OUT PERIOD BACK A FEW YEARS AGO AND A LOT OF 
          [00:20:01]
SCHOOLS SAW OPT OUT RATES WELL OVER 5-10, 15, SOME EVEN AS HIGH AS 25, 50%. 
          WE GENERALLY DIDN'T GET THAT HIGH, AND AFTER THE PANDEMIC, WE REALLY RESET BACK TO MOST STUDENTS AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, IN PARTICULAR TAKING THE EXAM. 
          BUT WE'RE STILL EXPERIENCING MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL OPT OUT. 
          I THINK THOSE WERE STUDENTS WHO WERE OLDER ANYWAYS AND KNEW THAT OPTING OUT WAS AN OPTION. 
          ONE THING THAT IS IMPORTANT IS THE REGIONS EXAMS ARE NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE OPTED OUT OF. 
          WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE MATH RESULTS HERE, EVERY STUDENT WHO TAKES ALGEBRA IS TAKING THE REGIONS EXAM, BUT OF THE MATH 8 STUDENTS, WHICH IS ALREADY A SMALLER COHORT, ALMOST HALF OF THOSE STUDENTS ADDITIONALLY OPTED OUT. 
          39%. RELIABILITY OF THAT DATA IS REALLY SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED. 
          >> CAN I ASK A QUESTION? DO WE SEE THE SAME OPT OUT RATE FOR LA AT THAT. AT THE 7TH. 
          >> NO. 
          >> I'M SORRY, MATH IS USUALLY THE SECOND OF THE TWO EXAMS. STUDENTS TAKE THE ELA FIRST, TRADITIONALLY, CALENDAR ACCORDING TO THE CALENDAR, AND THEN BY THE TIME THEY GET TO MATH, SOMETIMES. 
          THAT'S WHY WE'VE ALWAYS SEEN BIGGER DROPOUT RATES WITH THE EVEN LIKE SECOND AND THIRD DAYS OF SOME OF THE EXAMS, YOU SEE SOME STUDENTS WHO MAY HAVE STARTED WHO REFUSED TO FINISH. 
          AGAIN, NOT AT THE SCALE THAT WE DID YEARS AGO, BUT IT'S STILL THERE SOMEWHAT. 
          >> IF I CAN PLAY BACK WHAT I THINK I'M HEARING, THE PROFICIENCY RATE IN MATH GRADE 8 WAS 63.42, AND THEN IT DROPPED TO 47.8. 
          ARE YOU SAYING THAT THE VOLATILITY THERE COULD BE FROM THE OPT OUT RATE OR IS THERE SOME OTHER FACTOR? IS THAT A NUMBER THAT WE SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT? 
          >> IT'S VERY COMPARING THE YEAR OVER YEAR DATA, THESE ARE TWO SEPARATE COHORTS. 
          THAT'S NUMBER 1, WE CAN'T REALLY RELY ON THAT DATA. 
          WE TALKED ABOUT, WE PROVIDE THE SIDE BY SIDE, YEAR OVER YEAR DATA TO PROVIDE THE BOARD AND THE COMMUNITY A HOLISTIC OVERVIEW OF HOW STUDENTS ARE PERFORMING. 
          BUT WITH ALL THE VARIABLES THAT WE ADDRESSED, INCLUDING THE NUMBER OF CLASSIFIED STUDENTS, ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS OF STUDENTS AND A COHORT, THESE VARIABLES, EVEN IF THERE ARE JUST A FEW STUDENTS CAN GREATLY IMPACT A GRADE LEVELS, PROFICIENCY LEVEL. 
          AS A RESULT OF THAT, THERE'S NO CONFIDENCE INTERVALS OR LEVEL OF STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE TO DETERMINE THE LEVEL OF FLUCTUATION FROM YEAR TO YEAR. 
          IF WE COMPARE THESE TWO, IT'S NOT STATISTICALLY SOUND, THE POINTER DOESN'T WORK ON THERE. 
          I'M NOT GOING TO KEEP TRYING ANYMORE. 
          BUT IT'S NOT STATISTICALLY SOUND TO COMPARE THE 63 TO THE 47. 
          >> BECAUSE THERE ARE ONLY 46 KIDS IN THE IN THE GROUP. 
          >> THERE ARE ONLY 46 KIDS IN THE GROUP, AND WE CAN'T COMPARE THEM TO LAST YEAR BECAUSE THEIR COHORT WOULD BE 286, THE ENTIRE COHORT WHO TOOK THE GRADE 7 EXAM LAST YEAR. 
          WE PRESENT THIS DATA, BUT IT REALLY DOESN'T GIVE US MUCH INFORMATION, AND THE 39% TEST REFUSAL RATE ONLY DECREASES THE RELIABILITY OF THE DATA. 
          WHAT IT SAYS IS, 46 STUDENTS SET FOR THIS EXAM OF THE 46 ALMOST HALF REACHED PROFICIENCY. 
          LET'S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT EACH ONE OF THOSE STUDENTS AND SEE WHAT THEY NEED. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> THEN THAT BRINGS US TO SCIENCE. 
          ALONG WITH ALL THE CURRICULUM AND STANDARDS CHANGING THAT HAS HAPPENED OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS AND MANY OF THE DISCIPLINE SCIENCE IS PART OF THAT ALSO. 
          I THINK WE ALL KNOW THAT LAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST ADMINISTRATION OF THE NEW FIFTH GRADE SCIENCE ASSESSMENT THAT'S BASED ON THE NEW YORK STATE SCIENCE LEARNING STANDARDS. 
          WHILE INITIALLY, AT FIRST GLANCE, OUR PROFICIENCY RATES ON THIS EXAM MAY DRAW ATTENTION BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT THE RATES WE'RE USED TO SEEING IN PELHAM. 
          HOWEVER, THE FACT THAT OUR TEACHERS SUCCESSFULLY PIVOTED TO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ASSESSMENT, AND WE'RE SUCCESSFUL IN HELPING 67.43% OF FIFTH GRADERS REACH PROFICIENCY SHOULD BE CELEBRATED. 
          THIS SPEAKS TO THE WORK OF THE TEAM AND THE TEACHERS FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH FIFTH GRADE. 
          THIS IS A SPIRAL CURRICULUM THAT BUILDS ON ITSELF YEAR AFTER YEAR. 
          STUDENTS ARE TESTED ON SKILLS, CONCEPTS, AND CONTENT. 
          ALL THEIR YEARS OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, NOT JUST FIFTH GRADE. 
          IT'S A GREAT SUCCESS. 
          THE REGIONAL DATA FOR THE FIFTH GRADE SCIENCE EXAM IS NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. 
          WHEN IT IS, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE PUBLISH THAT, 
          [00:25:03]
BUT NEW YORK STATE DATA IS AVAILABLE. 
          FIFTH GRADERS WHO TOOK THE SCIENCE ASSESSMENT LAST YEAR, 35% OF FIFTH GRADERS IN NEW YORK STATE REACHED PROFICIENCY. 
          PELHAM ALMOST DOUBLED THE PROFICIENCY RATES OF THE STATE. 
          GREAT, AND ALSO A TESTAMENT TO THE WORK OF THE TEACHERS, BUT ALSO RECOGNIZING THAT THERE'S WORK TO BE DONE AND WE'LL CONTINUE AS WE GET USED TO THE EXAM, AND AS STUDENTS, ENGAGE IN THE NEW CURRICULUM. 
          WE ANTICIPATE WE'RE VERY HOPEFUL WE'RE ALWAYS HOPEFUL ABOUT SCIENCE AND PELHAM. 
          >> JUST TO CLEAR, I WANT TO JUST POINT OUT ON THAT. 
          THE BARS ARE ACTUALLY IN REVERSE ORDER FROM THE PRIOR GRADES. 
          >>THANK YOU. 
          >> THEY ARE LABELS ON THE BOTTOM ARE ACTUALLY. 
          >> SORRY. 
          >> THE LEVEL ONES ARE THE BLUE COLUMN. 
          LEVEL TWOS ARE THE GREEN, LEVEL 3 IS THE YELLOW. 
          THE ORDER IS JUST REVERSE FROM THE PRIOR SCREENS. 
          I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT THAT OUT BECAUSE IF YOU'RE USED TO GOING LEFT TO RIGHT, YOU MAY COME AWAY WITH A MISUNDERSTANDING. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> HOW WELL OUR STUDENTS REALLY DID? A REALLY STRONG TURNOUT, AS YOU SAID, FOR THAT FIRST EXAM IN SCIENCE, THE PROFICIENCIES, AND ALSO COMPARED TO CLAIRE, WHAT WAS THE STATE PERCENTAGE THERE? 
          >> THIRTY FIVE PERCENT. 
          >> THIRTY FIVE PERCENT PROFICIENT IN OUR DISTRICT COMPARED TO THAT WAS 67. 
          >> 67.53. 
          >> YES. 
          >> THIS WAS THE FIRST YEAR OF A NEW EXAM? 
          >> YES. BASED ON NEW CURRICULUM AND STANDARDS? 
          >> YES. 
          >> AND PEDAGOGICAL INSTRUCTION. 
          >> AND CLARIFY. I REMEMBER CORRECT. THIS WAS AN ADAPTIVE EXAM AS WELL. 
          >> THAT'S RIGHT. 
          >> THAT PRESENTED, THERE'S A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM THE FIELD ABOUT THE CONSTRUCT OF THE EXAM. 
          DOES THAT MEAN ADAPTIVE EXAM? WHERE THE EXAM WOULD GIVE STUDENTS QUESTIONS IN DIFFERENT ORDERS. 
          I WOULD ADJUST TO THEIR THE LEVEL ACCURACY ON THEIR ANSWERS. 
          IT'S A NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR STATE ASSESSMENTS. 
          >> OVERALL, NEW YORK STATE ELA AND MATH ASSESSMENTS IN PELHAM FOR GRADES 3-8, CONSISTENTLY ABOVE THE REGION. 
          THE REGION IS MADE UP OF LOWER WESTCHESTER DISTRICTS, ROCKLAND DISTRICTS. 
          BUT IT'S A GOOD SENSE OF HOW WE'RE DOING COMPARED TO OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS. 
          THEN ALSO OUR PERCENTAGE OF LEVEL 4 IS CONSISTENTLY ABOVE THE REGION. 
          THE SAME GOES FOR MATH, AND THEN WE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE ONE CASE IS EIGHTH GRADE EIGHT MATH, BUT WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT HOW THAT'S 46 STUDENTS AND THE VARIABLES THAT GO INTO THE PROFICIENCY RATE THERE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW. 
          BUT ALSO, IT'S JUST A SIGNAL FOR US TO DIG DEEPER AND TO LOOK INTO EACH INDIVIDUAL STUDENT AND TEACHER. 
          >> I ASK THIS EVERY YEAR, BUT CAN YOU JUST REMIND ME WHAT THE REGION MEANS, LIKE WHAT IS OUR COMPARATIVE SCHOOL SET? 
          >> SCHOOLS? 
          >> YEAH. 
          >> SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER, BOSS, ROCKLAND, AND I HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU, BUT IT'S RIGHT IN HERE. 
          >> YOU COULD GET BACK TO THEM WITH THE ACTUAL DISTRICT BREAKDOWN. 
          >> SURE. 
          >> I THINK THAT'LL BE USEFUL. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT DATA TO THE REGIONAL, AND I THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE NAMES, I THINK PROBABLY IT'S MAYBE WILL'S POINT. 
          SOME SCHOOLS THAT WE WOULD SEE IN THERE WE WOULD CONSIDER AS PER SCHOOLS AND SOME WE WOULDN'T. THAT'S REALISTIC. 
          I THINK WHAT IT DOES TELL US IS IF YOU SEE CERTAIN PATTERNS OF FLUCTUATION IN THE REGION AND YOU SAY SIMILAR PATTERNS AND FLUCTUATION FOR US, THAT GIVES YOU GOOD CONTEXT TO SAY, THIS IS MAYBE A SYSTEM REASON REASON FOR THE FLUCTUATION VERSUS IF WE'RE SEEING A PATTERN, AND IT'S DIFFERENT THAN THE REGION THAT'S WHERE. 
          THAT'S A QUESTION TO DIG DEEPER INTO. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT TOO, AND MAYBE WHEN WE GET TO OUR RETREAT, WE CAN TALK ABOUT, I THINK EVEN AND YOU SAID EARLIER, DATA IS NOT DESTINY. 
          I WOULD SAY DEMOGRAPHICS ARE ALSO NOT DESTINY. 
          BUT I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT WHICH SCHOOLS, WHO ARE PEER SCHOOLS, WHO ARE REACH SCHOOL, SCHOOLS THAT WE WANT TO ASPIRE TO SIMILAR WITH STUDENT OUTCOMES. 
          BUT ALSO, WHO ARE THOSE SCHOOLS THAT MAY BE DEMOGRAPHICALLY ARE SIMILAR TO US? I THINK THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO REALLY SEE HOW MUCH WE REALLY DO EXCEL. 
          I THINK THOSE ARE ALL GREAT QUESTIONS AND GREAT THINGS TO BE LOOKING AT. 
          >> IT'S A GREAT POINT THAT WE IMPEL COMPARE OURSELVES TO OTHER DISTRICTS, BUT WE ARE ALSO TITLE 1. 
          WE HAVE A TITLE 1 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. 
          THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL ARE TITLE 1 DISTRICTS. 
          WHILE IT'S IMPORTANT TO COMPARE OURSELVES, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND, AS DOCTOR CHAMP SAID, THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE STUDENTS THAT MAKE UP PELHAM AND THE SUCCESSES THAT THEY ACHIEVE. 
          AS WE MOVE INTO HIGH SCHOOL DATA, WE'LL SEE EVIDENCED IN 
          [00:30:02]
THE 12 YEAR CONTINUUM THAT WE HAVE STUDENTS OR LESS FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS. 
          WE SEE THAT THE NEW YORK STATE DATA CAN SHOW SNAPSHOTS OF WHERE STUDENTS MIGHT NEED SUPPORT AND WHERE THEY MIGHT NEED ATTENTION. 
          BUT THE HIGH SCHOOL OUTCOMES, EVENTUALLY WE GET TO THE FINISH LINE AND STUDENTS ARE SUCCESSFUL. 
          IT MAY TAKE ONE STUDENT LONGER THAN IT TAKES ANOTHER STUDENT TO REACH GRADE LEVEL TO REACH PROFICIENCY. 
          BUT OUR HIGH SCHOOL OUTCOME DATA SHOWS THAT WE ARE VERY SUCCESSFUL IN HELPING ALL STUDENTS GET TO THE PLACE WHERE WE WANT THEM TO BE AT THE END OF OUR 12 YEAR OR LONGER CONTINUUM. 
          THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO ADDRESS THAT. 
          GRADUATION RATES ARE TO BE CELEBRATED. 
          MANY OF OUR STUDENTS ARE ENROLLED IN THAT 12 YEAR CONTINUUM AND I TALKED ABOUT. 
          THEN IMPORTANT TO NOTICE FOR THE ASTERISK YEARS, 2020-2024, NEW YORK STATE ALLOWED FOR SOME POST PANDEMIC EXEMPTIONS, AND SO THAT INCREASED GRADUATION RATES FOR US AND FOR OTHER DISTRICTS, THOSE WILL NO LONGER BE ALLOWED GOING FORWARD. 
          WE'LL PROBABLY SEE OUR GRADUATION RATES RETURNED TO PRE PANDEMIC RATES MOVING FORWARD. 
          WHICH ARE STILL VERY IMPRESSIVE. 
          AS I BEGIN TO PRESENT REGIONS DATA, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THE FOLLOWING THAT REGIONS EXAMINATIONS REALLY FALL INTO TWO DIFFERENT CATEGORIES. 
          WE HAVE OUR COMMENCEMENT LEVEL. 
          REGIONS EXAMINATIONS. 
          ALL STUDENTS IN NEW YORK STATE TYPICALLY DEPEND ON THESE EXAMS TO MEET THEIR GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS, AND THEREFORE, THE SCALED SCORING OF THESE EXAMS IS SOMEWHAT FORGIVING. 
          REGIONS OF DISTINCTION, THESE EXAMS ARE NOT REQUIRED, BUT STUDENTS OPT TO TAKE THESE ASSESSMENTS TO CHALLENGE THEMSELVES. 
          THE SCORED SCALING ON THESE ASSESSMENTS ARE LESS FORGIVING THAN THE COMMENCEMENT LEVEL. 
          AS WE GO THROUGH, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT. 
          MANY DISTRICTS MOVE AWAY FROM OFFERING SO MANY REGIONS OF DISTINCTION, BUT WE HAVE VERY HIGH PARTICIPATION AND PROFICIENCY RATES FOR THESE EXAMS HERE IN PELHAM, AND WE CONTINUE TO OFFER THEM. 
          THE BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION IS COMING TOGETHER WITH GUIDANCE AND GUIDELINES ABOUT WHAT EXPECTATIONS FOR STUDENTS TO GRADUATE IN NEW YORK STATE WILL LOOK LIKE. 
          RIGHT NOW, THE THOUGHT IS THAT REGIONS EXAMINATIONS WILL BECOME OPTIONAL, SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK THAT THROUGH AS WE GET MORE GUIDANCE FROM THE STATE AND START MAKING LOCAL DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT A GRADUATE LOOKS LIKE IN PELHAM. 
          FOR OUR ENGLISH, WE CONSISTENTLY HAVE STRONG PERFORMANCE ON OUR ENGLISH REGIONS EXAMINATION. 
          THEN THE SMALL PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS WHO DON'T PASS THE REGIONS THEY COME IN THE SUMMER FOR TARGETED SUPPORT, AND THEN HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RETAKE THE EXAMINATION IN AUGUST, THIS PAST SUMMER, FIVE OF THE SIX STUDENTS WHO RETOOK THE EXAM PASSED. 
          THEN THERE'S ANOTHER ADMINISTRATION IN JANUARY IF STUDENTS NEED THE EXAM TO GRADUATE. 
          ALGEBRA, THE STATA REFLECTS ALL STUDENTS WHO SAT FOR THE READINGS EXAMINATION IN JUNE OF 2023, EIGHTH GRADERS AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. 
          ANY STUDENTS WHO DID NOT PASS THIS IN JUNE AGAIN COMES TO SUMMER STARTS OVER THE SUMMER, RECEIVE TARGETED SUPPORT AND THEN SIT AND RETAKE THE EXAMINATION AGAIN IN AUGUST, FOUR OF THE SIX STUDENTS WHO DID THAT THIS PAST SUMMER PASSED THE ALGEBRA READINGS IN AUGUST. 
          OUR PERFORMANCE ON THE GLOBAL HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY REGION SPEAKS TO THE THOUGHTFUL PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW YORK STATE SOCIAL STUDIES FRAMEWORK AND SUCCESSFUL PREPARATION OF STUDENTS TO TAKE THE GLOBAL HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY REGIONS EXAMINATION. 
          THE FIRST ADMINISTRATION OF THIS NEW REGIONS EXAMINATION BASED ON THE NEW SOCIAL STUDIES FRAMEWORK IN NEW YORK STATE WAS FIRST ADMINISTERED IN JUNE OF 2022, AND THAT OUR PASS RATE IS SO HIGH AS A TESTAMENT TO THE HARD WORK AND PLANNING OF THE TEAM. 
          THE SAME GOES FOR THE UNITED STATE GOVERNMENT REGIONS. 
          THE TEACHERS HAVE BEEN BUSY ADJUSTING CURRICULUM TO THE NEW YORK STATE FRAMEWORK FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. 
          WITH THAT COMES PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE ENTIRELY NEW ASSESSMENT. 
          THE PERFORMANCE OF PELHAM STUDENTS ON THIS REGIONS EXAM SHOULD BE CELEBRATED. 
          THE FIRST ADMINISTRATION OF THIS NEW EXAM WAS IN JUNE OF 2023, SO STILL VERY, NEW. 
          VERY HIGH PASS RATES. 
          THAT BRINGS US TO EARTH SCIENCE. 
          THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST REGIONS OF DISTINCTION THAT WE'LL REPORT ON TONIGHT. 
          ALL EIGHTH GRADERS IN THE 2023/2024 SCHOOL YEAR FOR THIS EXAM, EVEN WITH THE LESS FORGIVING SCALE SCORE, PELHAM STUDENTS PERFORM VERY WELL ON THIS REGIONS EXAM ALSO AND HAVE 
          [00:35:02]
THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES TO RETAKE THE EXAMINATION WITH SUPPORT GOING FORWARD. 
          THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT REGIONS IS ANOTHER REGIONS OF DISTINCTION. 
          EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE ON THIS EXAM. 
          STUDENTS WHO DON'T PASS ALSO RECEIVE THE SUPPORT AND CAN RETAKE THE EXAM IN AUGUST. 
          >> IN CHEMISTRY, OUR STUDENTS PERFORM VERY WELL, AND AS I SAID BEFORE, MOST DISTRICTS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM OFFERING SO MANY REGIONS EXAMINATIONS. 
          BUT HERE IN PELHAM, STUDENTS WANT TO TAKE THE EXAM, WE HAVE HIGH PARTICIPATION RATES AND WE HAVE HIGH SUCCESS RATES, AND SO WE CONTINUE TO OFFER IT TO STUDENTS. 
          WE JUST ALWAYS HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WHEN WE DO REGIONAL COMPARISONS AND DISTRICT-TO-DISTRICT COMPARISONS BECAUSE WE HAVE VERY HIGH, THIS IS GEOMETRY AS I SAY IN CHEMISTRY. 
          SIMILAR SPEECH FOR GEOMETRY. 
          AGAIN, GEOMETRY IS NOT ONE THAT EVERY DISTRICT OFFERS, OUR STUDENTS TAKE IT AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RETAKE IT, AND THE SAME FOR CHEMISTRY. 
          WE NOTE THAT WE HAVE VERY HIGH PARTICIPATION RATES IN CHEMISTRY,189 STUDENTS TOOK THE CHEMISTRY EXAM LAST YEAR, AND YOU CAN COMPARE THAT TO OTHER DISTRICTS WHERE THEY MIGHT OFFER IT TO ONE OR TWO STUDENTS. 
          YOU MIGHT SEE REALLY HIGH PASS RATES FOR A SCHOOL, BUT THEY REALLY ONLY HAVE TWO STUDENTS TAKING IT. 
          THE FACT THAT WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS TAKING THE EXAM AND HAVE THE HIGH PASS RATES IS REALLY A TESTAMENT TO THE TEAM. 
          >> JUST CLEAR 1.2. 
          SOME OF THE EXAMS, IF YOU GO BACK ONE, SOME OF THEM BREAK IT INTO FIVE SCORING BANDS, SOME ONLY INTO FOUR SCORING BANDS. 
          I THINK IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THAT RELATES TO FEDERAL ACCOUNTABILITY REQUIREMENTS WHEN THE COMMON CORE STANDARDS CAME INTO PLACE. 
          I ONLY POINT THAT OUT BECAUSE IN THIS CASE WITH FOUR BARS, YOU'VE GOT A CERTAIN PATTERN, THEN WHEN YOU GO TO FIVE, THE PATTERN IS DIFFERENT. 
          >> THAT'S RIGHT. 
          >> BUT IF IT WERE TO BE BROKEN INTO THAT SAME TYPICAL FOUR BANDS, IT WOULD LOOK VERY DIFFERENT. 
          IT WOULD LOOK A LOT MORE SIMILAR THAN THE FIVE-BAND BREAKOUT. 
          >> YES. 
          >> I JUST WANT TO GIVE CREDIT. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> CREDITS DUE BECAUSE AGAIN, A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF GREAT WORK HAPPENING. 
          I THINK YOUR POINT OF THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE TAKING THOSE COURSES COMPARED TO OTHER DISTRICTS. 
          I THINK WE'RE SECOND TO NONE. 
          I CAN'T PROVE THAT, BUT I THINK WE'RE PRETTY DARN CLOSE. 
          I THINK DOCTOR CALLAHAN PROBABLY DOES HAVE THE DATA TO PROVE THAT. 
          I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE VERY PROUD OF. 
          >> IN ADDITION TO READINESS EXAMINATION, WE HAVE A VERY ROBUST COURSE OFFERING AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL WITH ADVANCED PLACEMENT AND DUAL ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE LOOKING TO ACCELERATE AND ENGAGE IN COLLEGE-LEVEL EXPERIENCES HERE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. 
          STUDENTS THROUGH THIS COURSE WORK CAN EARN COLLEGE CREDIT DETERMINED BY DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS AND WHAT THEY WILL ACCEPT. 
          IF WE LOOK AT OUR AP SCORES OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS, ONE THING THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THAT FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, PELHAM HAS ENGAGED IN MOVING TO OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR STUDENTS, STUDENTS WHO FEEL THEY'RE AT THE READINESS LEVEL TO ENGAGE IN MORE RIGOROUS COURSE. 
          THERE ARE NO BARRIERS TO STUDENTS ENGAGING IN ENROLLING IN THOSE COURSES. 
          WHILE PARTICIPATION IN ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS. 
          OUR PERFORMANCE HAS MAINTAINED, AND THAT IS SOMETHING TO BE VERY PROUD OF. 
          83% OF STUDENTS SITTING FOR AP EXAM SCORED A THREE OR ABOVE LAST YEAR. 
          THEN RESEARCH SHOWS THAT ENGAGING IN RIGOROUS COURSES AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, WHETHER OR NOT A STUDENT RECEIVES CREDIT OR EVEN A PASSING SCORE ON THE EXAM HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THEIR FUTURE PERFORMANCE IN COLLEGE. 
          THE AVERAGE SCORE FOR ALL PELHAM STUDENTS ON AP EXAMS WAS 3.5 ON A FIVE-POINT SCALE. 
          WE ALSO HAVE A HIGH NUMBER OF AP SCHOLARS OF DISTINCTION. 
          NUMBER OF AP SCHOLARS INCREASED BY 33 STUDENTS IN THE 2024 SCHOOL YEAR. 
          IN ADDITION TO AP, WE OFFER 13 DUAL ENROLLMENT COURSES AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. 
          THREE NEW ONES WERE ADDED LAST YEAR, 443 STUDENTS ENROLL IN THESE COURSES, AND WE ADDED THE THREE NEW COURSES. 
          THE STUDENTS CAN ENGAGE IN THESE COURSES AND THEN 
          [00:40:02]
RECEIVE CREDIT FROM INSTITUTIONS SUCH SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, IONA COLLEGE, WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS. 
          WE ALSO HAVE A ROBUST AND RIGOROUS SCIENCE AND SUCCESSFUL SCIENCE RESEARCH PROGRAM. 
          LAST YEAR, FIVE REGENERON WINNERS IN SEVEN YEARS, INCLUDING THREE YEARS IN A ROW. 
          PELHAM HAD THREE REGIONAL WEST FINALISTS TRAVELED TO ISEF LAST YEAR. 
          IN RECENT YEARS, PELHAM STUDENTS HAVE PUBLISHED IN MAJOR TRADE JOURNALS HIGHLIGHTING POST-DOCTORAL LEVEL RESEARCH, SCIENCE RESEARCH ENTRIES INTO WESTCHESTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR. 
          PELHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM HAS ALSO WON AWARDS IN THE REGENERON EQUIVALENT COMPETITION FOR THAT LEVEL BROADCOM. 
          OUR ENTIRE SCIENCE K-12 SPIRAL HAS INTEGRATED THE SCIENTIFIC PRACTICES, SCIENCE 21 AND OPENSCIED. 
          ADDITIONALLY, AS WE THINK ABOUT THE WELL-BEING AND BALANCE OF WHAT WE WANT OUR PELHAM STUDENTS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE HAVE A WELL-ROUNDED CURRICULUM AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS HERE IN PELHAM. 
          BETWEEN OUR ACADEMIC PROGRAM AND OUR EXTRACURRICULAR OFFERINGS, EVERY PELHAM STUDENT HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE THEIR INTERESTS, FIND THEIR PASSIONS, AND FIND SUCCESS. 
          WE HAVE SEVERAL CLUB OFFERINGS AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, NEWSPAPER, SPELLING BEE, MAKERSPACE, 24 CLUB, PERENNIAL MATH, STUDENT GOVERNMENT, AND CODING, 22 CLUBS OFFERED AND WELL ATTENDED AT PELHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND 48 CLUBS OFFERED AND WELL ATTENDED AT PELHAM HIGH SCHOOL. 
          OF COURSE, WE HAVE A RIGOROUS ATHLETIC PROGRAM WITH 76 INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS OFFERED AND 359 STUDENTS IN SEVENTH EIGHTH GRADE PARTICIPATING IN 552 GRADES 9-12, AND OVER 50% OF EACH OF THOSE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN MORE THAN ONE SPORT. 
          OF COURSE, WE HAVE A STRONG AND IMPRESSIVE PERFORMING AND FINE ARTS PROGRAM AS WELL. 
          SOME DATA TO HIGHLIGHT, 77% OF STUDENTS IN GRADES 10-12 TOOK AT LEAST ONE AP EXAM. 
          STUDENTS ARE AVAILING THEMSELVES OF THE RIGOROUS OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE'RE OFFERING IN PELHAM. 
          THE TOTAL AP ENROLLMENT INCREASED TO 492 STUDENTS LAST YEAR, 83% EARNED A THREE OR HIGHER ON THEIR AP EXAM. 
          OF COURSE, WE MENTIONED THE 223 AP SCHOLARS. 
          THE MEAN SCORES FOR PELHAM STUDENTS EXCEED NEW YORK AND GLOBAL AVERAGES FOR ALL 19 AP EXAM, AND THE AVERAGE SCORE IS A 3.5 FOR ALL STUDENTS. 
          67% OF STUDENTS IN THE CLASS OF 2024 RECEIVED AT LEAST ONE SCORE A FOUR OR HIGHER ON AT LEAST ONE AP EXAM AT SOME POINT DURING THEIR HIGH SCHOOL CAREER. 
          72% OF THE CLASS OF 2024 TOOK AT LEAST ONE AP IN THEIR SENIOR YEAR. 
          STUDENTS ARE CONTINUING TO CHALLENGE AND ENGAGE IN RIGOROUS COURSES EVEN THROUGH THEIR SENIOR YEAR. 
          AS WE STARTED THIS CONVERSATION, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT THIS DATA IS IMPORTANT. 
          IT GIVES US A SNAPSHOT OF HOW STUDENTS PERFORMED IN ONE MOMENT ON ONE DAY, AND WE TALKED ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS, BUT IT'S NOT THE END AND IT'S CERTAINLY NOT THE ONLY DATA THAT WE COLLECT AS A SYSTEM. 
          THIS AND MANY MORE DATA IN FORM OUR MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORTS FOR STUDENTS. 
          IN EDUCATION, WE RECOGNIZE THE DIVERSITY OF THE STUDENTS IN FRONT OF US, AND THAT REQUIRES US TO BE RESPONSIVE TO EACH INDIVIDUAL STUDENT'S NEEDS IN ORDER TO HELP THEM GROW TO THE NEXT LEVEL. 
          WE HAVE DISTRICT, MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORT COMMITTEE. 
          EACH BUILDING HAS A BUILDING-LEVEL MTSS COMMITTEE THAT FOLLOWS THE MTSS FRAMEWORK AND UTILIZES BRANCHING MINDS TO INFORM THE WORK AND CALL THE DATA. 
          WE USE THE DATA TO INFORM OUR INSTRUCTION, OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, THE ANALYSIS OF CURRICULUM AND PROGRAMS, STUDENTS' NEEDS FOR SUPPORT, AND STUDENTS' NEEDS FOR ENRICHMENT. 
          OTHER MECHANISMS OF DATA COLLECTION THAT COMBINES WITH THIS DATA THAT WE PRESENTED TONIGHT AND THAT WE USE INTERNALLY TO EXAMINE STUDENT PERFORMANCE, OUR LEARNING LOCKS THROUGHOUT OUR BUILDINGS, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES, GROUPS OF TEACHERS, AND SAME SUBJECT, OR A GRADE LEVEL, ENGAGING IN IMPORTANT WORK, REVIEWING INSTRUCTION, AND OUTCOMES AND MAKING DATA INFORM DECISIONS. 
          WE HAVE DATA TEAMS AT EVERY BUILDING, GRADE LEVEL MEETINGS, PROGRESS MONITORING, AND BENCHMARKING. 
          THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE CONTINUOUSLY PROGRESS, MONITOR, AND BENCHMARK OUR STUDENTS USING AIMSWEB, DREAMBOX, FOREFRONT, AND RUNNING RECORDS. 
          IN SUMMARY STATE ASSESSMENT DATA PROVIDES 
          [00:45:03]
A SNAPSHOT OF HOW STUDENTS PERFORMED A SPECIFIC ASSESSMENT, ON A SPECIFIC DAY. 
          THE INFORMATION IS USEFUL, YET CAN BE LIMITED. 
          THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE CONTINUOUSLY ASSESS FOR STUDENT GROWTH AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS ACCORDINGLY. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION. 
          ABOVE ALL, WE WANT TO CELEBRATE THE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF, AND WE'RE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING THE ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SUPPORT THAT FOSTERS GROWTH AND LEARNING IN A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT. THANK YOU. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          >> OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD. 
          >> I'M NOT SURE IF YOU SHOWED THIS OR NOT, SO SORRY IF YOU DID AND I MISSED IT. 
          DID WE HAVE THE NUMBER. THANK YOU. 
          I KNOW THAT AN INDICATOR OF OUTCOMES, OR SUCCESS IN COLLEGE IS IF YOU TAKE AN AP OR A COLLEGE-LEVEL COURSE WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL. 
          ANOTHER MEASURE IS I BELIEVE I THINK IT MIGHT BE A MEASURE OF BELONGING IS IF A STUDENT IS ENGAGED IN AT LEAST AT LEAST ONE CLUB OR, EXTRACURRICULAR. 
          DO WE HAVE THOSE NUMBERS? OF, LIKE, WHAT PERCENT OF THE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE. 
          >> THAT WE DO. 
          I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE AN UP-TO-DATE PARTICIPATION. 
          >> I DID PRESENT ON THE SPORTS FOR THE OVERALL PARTICIPATION RATE IN ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL CLUBS. 
          I DON'T HAVE THAT DATA AVAILABLE, BUT I CAN GET IT. 
          ALSO, WE'RE WORKING TO CREATE A SYSTEM AND STRUCTURE THAT EASILY CAPTURES THAT DATA, SO IT WILL BE READILY AVAILABLE TO US TO ENSURE YOUR EXACT POINT THAT ALL STUDENTS ARE ENGAGED AT SOME LEVEL IN EXTRACURRICULAR. 
          >> NOW IT'S MANUAL? 
          >> YEAH. 
          >> THE TRACKING OF IT. 
          >> WE HAVE SOME DATA AND THEN WE'RE LOOKING TO IMPROVE THE SYSTEM TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE IT READILY AVAILABLE AND CAN EASILY REPORT ON IT GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU. 
          >> I KNOW LAST YEAR, SOME OF OUR STUDENT OR MOST OF OUR STUDENTS TOOK THE TEST, MOST OF THE TESTS VIA A DEVICE, A TECH, COMPUTER-BASED TESTING. 
          >> YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          >> ARE ALL OF OUR STUDENTS NOW TAKING IT? ARE WE FULLY COMPUTER-BASED? BUT NOT ALL THE REGIONS ARE. 
          >> WE'RE NOT FULLY COMPUTER-BASED. 
          THIS YEAR, GRADES 3 AND 4 WILL TAKE THEIR ELA EXAMINATIONS VIA COMPUTER-BASED TESTING, AND THAT WILL MAKE ALL OF OUR STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-8 FULLY COMPUTER-BASED. 
          THE LAST TWO COHORTS ARE GRADES 3 AND 4 ELA. 
          MATH WENT FULL COMPUTER-BASED TESTING LAST YEAR, ELA ROLLED IT IN SLOWLY OR A LITTLE SLOWER. 
          THEN THE SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION AFTER THIS YEAR THEN ALL NEW YORK STATE DISTRICTS WILL BE FULLY COMPUTER-BASED. 
          >> THIS WOULD BE LAST YEAR. 
          >> THAT WILL BE AT THE THREE THROUGH EIGHT LEVEL. 
          THE REGIONS EXAMS. [INAUDIBLE] STILL PAPER-BASED. 
          I THINK THERE'S INTENTION TO GO COMPUTER-BASED, BUT YES THE FUTURE OF THE REGIONS ARE IN FLUX. 
          >> CLAIRE, YOU MENTIONED THIS? 
          >> YES. YOU MENTIONED I THINK VERY BRIEFLY, THE REGIONS BEING OPTIONAL AT SOME POINT, IS THERE A TIMELINE THAT IS BEING FLOATED OUT THERE AROUND THAT? 
          >> LAST I HEARD, WE'RE LOOKING AT A SIX-YEAR ROLLOUT, SOMETHING'S THERE'S PLENTY OF TIME TO THINK ABOUT THIS DEEPLY, WHICH IS IN MY OPINION, SOMETHING WE WANT TO DO TO ENSURE THAT WE DO IT WELL. 
          WE HAVE TIME AND ALSO CERTAINLY WANT TO START THINKING ABOUT IT NOW. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> GIVEN THE DATA, LIKE THE NUMBER OF GROUPS OR THE COMPUTER BASE, WAS THERE ANY KEY THINGS THAT CAME UP THAT YOU'RE SPECIFICALLY FOCUSING ON, WHETHER IT IS THE MATH, WAS CLEAR AROUND IT. 
          IT WAS ABOUT A SMALLER COHORT THAT REALLY, THE NUMBERS. 
          BUT IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU LOOKED AT FROM THE DATA WHEN YOU GOT IT IN AUGUST THAT SAID, WE'RE REALLY GOING TO LEAN INTO A COUPLE OF THESE THINGS THAT WE HAVE SHIFTED THROUGH THE YEAR? 
          >> CERTAINLY, WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS OVERALL DATA, THEN LIKE I SAID, WE FIRST LOOK AT THE YEAR COMPARISON, WHICH IS STATISTICALLY IRRELEVANT, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW. 
          THEN WE LOOK AT THE COHORT YEAR OVER YEAR, HOW DID THE FOURTH GRADERS PERFORM LAST YEAR AND THIRD GRADE. 
          IF WE NOTICE SOME DIPS OR SOME CONCERNS, 
          [00:50:04]
THEN THAT JUST PROMPTS US. 
          ALL OF IT IS WE TAKE A DEEPER LOOK. 
          BUT THOSE TYPES OF DATA POINTS PROMPT US TO LOOK DEEPER AND THEN WE CAN GO INTO SPECIFIC SKILLS. 
          WE CAN GO INTO OUR, LET'S SAY, IT WAS FIFTH GRADE ELA, WE CAN THEN GO INTO OUR AIMSWEB RESULTS. 
          IN AMS, WE CAN DIVE DEEPER INTO SPECIFIC SKILLS AND EVEN ON THE STATE ASSESSMENTS, WE CAN LOOK AT WHAT SPECIFIC SKILLS ARE TRENDING AS NEEDING MORE ATTENTION. 
          THEN WE CAN PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO TEACH INTO HOW TO HELP STUDENTS ATTAIN THOSE SKILLS AND MASTER THOSE SKILLS AND HOPING TO SEE THAT WILL BE ADDRESSED AT THAT MICRO LEVEL OF THE SKILL LEVEL. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> I THINK THAT WAS SUFFICIENT WAIT TIME [LAUGHTER] THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. 
          I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR QUESTIONS. 
          CERTAINLY, KNOW THEY REFLECT THE QUESTIONS THAT THE PUBLIC WOULD HAVE. 
          AND IF ANYONE HAS FURTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO ME. 
          >> GREAT. 
          >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> THANK YOU FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM. 
          I KNOW YOU ALL HAD A HAND IN SHAPING AND PROVIDING FEEDBACK ON THIS AND CERTAINLY AND DOING THE WORK ON THE FRONT END. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          THANK YOU PRESENCE TONIGHT. 
          WE'LL LET YOU GUYS GO AND ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR EVENING AND SEE YOU BRIGHT AND EARLY TOMORROW. 
          THANK YOU, THANKS FOR BEING HERE. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> AND ONE OF OUR ADMINISTRATORS WAS KIND ENOUGH WHILE WE'RE SITTING HERE, DR. CALLAHAN SHARED THE LIST OF THE DISTRICTS WITHIN THE REGIONS. 
          SO WE CAN SHARE THAT AROUND WITH YOU. 
          AND, AS WE SAID, THE THREE DIFFERENT BOSSES ALSO INCLUDES SOME NON PUBLIC AND ARCHDIOCESE SCHOOLS. 
          SO WE'LL SHARE THAT OUT AS A POINT OF INFORMATION. 
          AND REALLY THANK YOU FOR THAT. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS I WILL SAY I KNOW THE FOLKS ARE LEAVING ANYWAY, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT A LOT. 
          AND I THINK YOU SAW THE STRAND AS CLAIRE PRESENTED. 
          I USE IT BECAUSE IT'S FRESH IN MY MIND THE NEW YORK CITY MARATHON WAS LAST WEEKEND AND MANY OF US WERE THERE TO WATCH OUR VERY OWN JOHN SABALOS, TACKLE THAT CHALLENGE, WHICH WAS A LOT OF FUN. 
          BUT IT REMINDS US THIS IS REALLY A MARATHON. 
          THIS IS NOT A SPRINT. EACH YEAR IN A CHILD'S LIFE IS JUST THAT. 
          IT'S A MEASURE OF WHERE THEY ARE, BUT THEY'RE NOT GOING AT THE SAME RATE IN THE SAME PACE, BUT YOU SEE BY THE END, WE GET THEM THERE. 
          SO I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S KIND OF THE BALANCE FOR US, TOO, AS WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT DATE OF THE THIRD GRADE, THE FOURTH GRADE, THE FIFTH GRADE. 
          ONE OF MY PROFESSORS REMINDED ME, IT'S NOT WHERE YOU ARE AT EACH MILESTONE ON THE RACE. 
          IT'S WHERE YOU FINISH. SO THAT'S I THINK AN IMPORTANT ADVICE TO KEEP IN MIND AS WE THINK FROM THE BIG PICTURE. 
          SO ANY LAST QUESTION? I WOULD SAY IF YOU DO HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR CLAIRE, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT AND COMMUNICATE THOSE. 
          AND AGAIN, AS WE START TO DESIGN A BOARD RETREAT IN DECEMBER, WE WANT TO BE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE. 
          >> IT'S NOT REALLY A QUESTION, BUT JUST A THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE WE WERE LOOKING AT THE REGION, SO JUST SOMETHING FOR FUTURE THINKING AROUND LOOKING AT THAT BASELINE, THE REGIONAL, AND THEN THE ASPIRATIONAL AND THEN THE FELLOW LIKE THAT. 
          I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTING IF WE'RE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT WITH THAT TYPE OF BREAKOUT. 
          THAT WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, JUST A THOUGHT. 
          >> ONE THOUGHT THAT I HAD THAT PICKS UP ON WHAT DR. 
          CHAMP WAS TALKING ABOUT ABOUT THE LONGITUDINAL VIEW. 
          I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR ME LOOKING AT PARTICULARLY PROBABLY THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BECAUSE WE HAVE MORE CONSISTENT DATA THERE. 
          BUT IF WE COULD SEE A LINE CHART OF PERFORMANCE FOR A COHORT OVER YEARS, YOU'D REALLY BE ABLE TO SEE BETTER HOW ONE GROUP OF STUDENTS IS IMPROVING OR NOT. 
          >> GREAT. THAT'S REALLY HELPFUL FEEDBACK. 
          >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          >> THANK YOU. WE CAN MOVE TO 4.2, THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT. 
          [4.2 Superintendent's Report]
          >> I WILL MAKE IT BRIEF. THANK YOU AGAIN, CLAIRE FOR THAT. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> I KNOW A LOT OF WORK GOES INTO THAT AS WELL. 
          SO I APPRECIATE ALL THE EFFORTS THERE. 
          I DO WANT TO START BY ECHOING JACKIE SENTIMENTS. 
          JUST REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF OUR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS AND WANT TO HONOR AND RECOGNIZE THEIR INCREDIBLE WORK. 
          THEY ARE THE BACKBONE TO WHAT WE DO. 
          THEY REALLY JUMP RIGHT IN THERE ANYTIME THAT THERE IS A CHILD IN NEED. 
          THEY DO PROACTIVE WORK, REACTIVE, RESPONSIVE WORK, 
          [00:55:02]
AND EVEN AS I KNOW TRACY SHARED, I THINK AT OUR LAST MEETING, THEY'VE EVEN GONE TO OTHER DISTRICTS TO HELP SUPPORT THEM AND THEIR STUDENTS. 
          THEY'RE THERE ARE GO TO PEOPLE IN TIMES OF CRISIS AND NEEDS. 
          SO THANKS TO THEM AND ALL THE WORK THAT THEY DO. 
          I WANTED TO ADD ONE ADDITIONAL PIECE. 
          I KNOW JACKIE MENTIONED THE UPCOMING FACILITIES OF FINANCE MEETING. 
          MY PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER IS ALWAYS GOOD AT REMINDING ME TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS ARE AWARE OF ALL THE EFFORTS THAT WE TAKE TO ADHERE TO OPEN MEETINGS LAW. 
          SO I WILL JUST ADD THAT AS A COMBINED MEETING OF OUR FACILITIES AND FINANCE COMMITTEES, BOTH OF WHICH HAVE THREE BOARD MEMBERS, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT MEANS [OVERLAPPING] WITH A LITTLE BIT OF OVERLAP. 
          BUT NOT ENOUGH OVERLAP. 
          >> ONE OF US CAN'T GO. 
          >> RIGHT. [LAUGHTER] THERE'S [INAUDIBLE] PEOPLE ACROSS THE TWO COMMITTEES SO THEY'RE DRAWING STRAWS AND ONE OF THEM WILL SIT IT OUT SO THAT WE DON'T VIOLATE OPEN MEETINGS LAW. 
          [LAUGHTER] THERE YOU GO, DESIGNATED SURVIVOR. I LIKE THAT. 
          YES. BUT REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT MEETING BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE'LL START TO BRING THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE TOGETHER TOWARDS THE DECISION MAKING POINT. 
          [NOISE] I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT AS WELL, WE ARE ALREADY IN THE THROES OF PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE SEASON. 
          AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, ALL THOSE EMAILS SHOULD HAVE GONE OUT BY THIS POINT IN TIME. 
          WE'RE USING PARENT SQUARE FOR SCHEDULING THIS YEAR, WHICH IS NEW. 
          WE'VE HEARD IT'S VERY SIMPLE. 
          OTHER DISTRICTS HAVE USED IT VERY SUCCESSFULLY. 
          AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL, BE SURE IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN THAT EMAIL, PLEASE REACH OUT TO YOUR TEACHER. 
          [NOISE] ANOTHER THING WE'RE DOING THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AND I TOLD THE ELEMENTARY PRINCIPALS, I'D BE SURE TO STRESS TOO, REALLY FOR THE SAKE OF THE PUBLIC. 
          THIS YEAR, WE'VE MOVED ELEMENTARY PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES EARLIER IN THE YEAR, AND THAT WAS AN INTENTIONAL MOVE SO THAT TEACHERS [NOISE] AND PARENTS COULD HAVE A CHANCE TO MEET SOONER IN THE YEAR TO REALLY HAVE IN DEPTH CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THEIR CHILD AND THEIR STRENGTHS. 
          BY MOVING IT EARLIER, WE ACTUALLY SEPARATING IT FROM THE REPORT CARD BECAUSE WE DIDN'T WANT THE FOCUS TO BE THE REPORT CARD. 
          WE WANTED THE FOCUS TO BE THE CHILD AND THEIR STRENGTHS AND THEIR AREAS OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT. 
          WITH THAT, WE ALSO MADE A VERY INTENTIONAL DECISION TO GO BACK TO FULLY IN PERSON CONFERENCES AT THE ELEMENTARY, AND THAT'S THE PIECE I WANTED TO REITERATE FOR THE BOARD AND FOR THE COMMUNITY. 
          THAT'S A VERY INTENTIONAL DECISION SO THAT TEACHERS CAN SIT SIDE BY SIDE WITH THEIR CHILDREN AND LOOK AT THE WORK, LOOK AT THE WRITING, LOOK AT THE ASSESSMENTS, AND REALLY GET A MUCH CLOSER LOOK AT THAT REALLY IMPORTANT DATA, AND THAT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO DO THROUGH A CAMERA. 
          SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO THAT AND CERTAINLY WANT TO BE FLEXIBLE. 
          IF THERE ARE SOME ONE OFF SITUATIONS THAT NEED TO BE ACCOMMODATED, WE WILL DO THAT. 
          BUT OUR GOAL IS REALLY TO WORK TO GET OUR PARENTS TO COME IN AND TO MEET WITH THE TEACHERS. 
          [NOISE] THOSE ARE HAPPENING COMING UP VERY SOON, THE 14TH AND 15TH OF NOVEMBER. 
          WE SEPARATED THEM FROM SECONDARY. 
          THE SECONDARY PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES WILL BE IN DECEMBER, THAT WILL BE THE 12TH AND 13TH. 
          MORE INFORMATION WILL BE COMING OUT ABOUT THAT. 
          WE ARE FINALIZING DETAILS AROUND THAT, SO I DON'T WANT TO GET AHEAD OF THE PRINCIPALS, BUT THAT WILL BE HANDLED THROUGH A DIFFERENT SYSTEM. 
          AND JUST SOME DIFFERENT FRAMING OF THE TIME AND SLOTS BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE THE MOST. 
          WE HAVE A MUCH LARGER NUMBER OF STUDENTS AND PARENTS TO ACCOMMODATE. 
          SO WE'VE GOT TO APPROACH THAT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. 
          BUT INFORMATION ON THAT WILL BE FORTHCOMING. 
          JUST MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE 12TH AND 13TH, IF YOU'RE SECONDARY PARENT. 
          ONE THING I WILL NOTE, WE DID DROP SOMEHOW SOME OF THE LANGUAGE OFF THE CALENDAR INADVERTENTLY. 
          THE 12TH, IT'S A NOON DISMISSAL FOR STUDENTS, AND THEN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL BE SESSIONS FOR PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES AS WELL AS ALL DAY ON THE 13TH OF DECEMBER. 
          SO TO PUT THAT OUT THERE AND WE'LL BE SURE THAT'S BEEN CORRECTED ON THE WEBSITE ALREADY. 
          SOMEBODY EARLIER, CLAIRE MENTIONED IN HER PRESENTATION, OUR FINE ARTS PROGRAM. 
          JUST WANTED TO PUT ON EVERYONE'S RADAR. 
          IF YOU WANTED LOVELY DATE NIGHT, PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR. 
          AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, THE PRODUCTION FROM OUR SOCK AND BUSKIN CREW. 
          TROOP, THEY WILL BE PERFORMING THE WEEKEND. 
          IT'LL BE NOVEMBER 22ND, 23RD, AND 24TH. 
          IT IS A GREAT DATE NIGHT EVENT. 
          IF YOU WANT TICKETS, LET US KNOW, WE CAN HOOK YOU UP BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, PLEASE COME BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION. 
          A COUPLE OF MORE THINGS. 
          I JUST WANT TO SHARE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CLAIRE AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THIS PAST WEEK, AND I THINK ALL OF OUR ADMINISTRATORS HAVE GROUPS THAT THEY CAN PARTICIPATE WITH. 
          WE'RE AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE TRI STATE CONSORTIUM, WHICH IS HIGH PERFORMING SCHOOLS FROM THE TRI STATE AREA THAT PARTNER TOGETHER AS LEARNING COMMUNITIES. 
          WE MET THIS YEAR WAS A LEADERSHIP MEETING WITH SUPERINTENDENTS AND ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING CURRICULUM. 
          TO TALK ABOUT THE YEAR TO TALK ABOUT THE VISION AND THE VALUES OF THE TRI STATES ORGANIZATION AND OUR COMMITMENT TO THAT GROUP. 
          SO EACH OF US, EACH GROUP HAS A MONTHLY STUDY GROUP 
          [01:00:03]
THAT THEY CAN JOIN AND PARTICIPATE AND CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OUR OWN LEARNING AS LEADERS. 
          THEN THERE'S ALSO THE TRI STATE ASSESSMENT PROCESS THAT DISTRICTS ENGAGE IN ON A PERIODIC BASIS. 
          SO OUR LAST FULL VISIT WAS RIGHT BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. 
          DR. CALLAHAN LED THAT MEMORABLE [LAUGHTER] OUTSTANDING EVENT JUST WHEN WE WERE ON THE VERGE OF GETTING OUR REPORT BACK AND FINALIZING THE PROCESSES WHEN WE SHUT SCHOOLS DOWN. 
          SO IT WAS. 
          BUT STILL AN INCREDIBLY VALUABLE PROCESS. 
          WE WERE ABLE TO COME BACK TO THAT AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THAT HAVE BEEN BEING IMPLEMENTED DESPITE THE DISRUPTION OF THE PANDEMIC AND THAT'S LED TO SO MUCH OF WHAT YOU'VE SEEN HERE AND WILL LEAD TO EVEN SOME OF THE UPCOMING CHANGES THAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT LATER WITHIN SCIENCE PROGRAM. 
          A LOT OF THOUGHTFUL WORK OVER MANY YEARS IN CONSULTING WITH PEERS AND OTHER HIGH PERFORMING DISTRICTS. 
          I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THE BOARD AWARE OF THAT BECAUSE IT'S A REALLY POWERFUL GROUP THAT WE'VE BEEN A KEY PART OF FOR MANY YEARS AND KNOW THAT WE'RE INVESTING OUR TIME IN THAT. 
          AND WE HOPE IN THE COMING YEAR TO HAVE SOME LEVEL OF SCHOOL VISIT AS WELL. 
          IT'S A NICE CRITICAL FRIENDS GROUP THAT COMES IN IN A VERY PRO GROWTH MINDSET TO COME IN AS PEERS AND GIVE US GREAT FEEDBACK TO HELP US IMPROVE OUR PRACTICE. 
          ADDITIONALLY, ONE OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE CABINET ON MONDAY HAD A COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHOP. 
          WE INVITED PROFESSIONALS FROM CAPITAL REGION BOSSES TO COME AND TRAIN THE FULL ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM ON SOME HIGH LEVEL BASICS OF DISTRICT WIDE COMMUNICATIONS. 
          THAT WAS ONE OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT WAS AN OUTGROWTH OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS AUDIT AND THE STRATEGIC PLAN THAT CAME FROM THAT. 
          SO WE WERE REALLY HAPPY TO HAVE THEM COME DOWN AND SPEND A COUPLE HOURS WITH US. 
          ADDITIONALLY, WE'RE FINALLY PUTTING FINAL TOUCHES ON OUR STRATEGIC PLAN FOCUS MAILING. 
          IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, THAT SHOULD BE COMING OUT TO MAILBOXES, JUST A SHORT FOUR PAGER TO GIVE THE COMMUNITY AND THAT GOES TO EVERY HOME IN THE COMMUNITY, HARD MAILED DOCUMENTS SO THAT EVERY FAMILY IN THE COMMUNITY, EVERY HOUSEHOLD WILL GET THAT SO THEY CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR NEW STRATEGIC PLAN IS ALL ABOUT. 
          THE KEY PIECES OF IT, OUR VALUES VISION, AND MISSION. 
          >> WHEN DOES THAT GO OUT? 
          >> WE DON'T HAVE THE EXACT DATE YET. 
          WE'RE FINALIZING THE PROOF AND THEN WE'VE GOT TO GO THROUGH THE PURCHASING PROCEDURES TO GET THE PROPER VENDOR FOR PRINTING AND MAILING. 
          BUT WITH THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, WE ANTICIPATE THAT. 
          SO PROBABLY AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING, I'LL BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU THE SPECIFIC DATE. 
          THEN FINALLY, TO WRAP UP WITH SOME STUDENT THINGS, WINTER SPORTS ARE BEGINNING. 
          VARSITY AND JV LEVEL ARE BEGINNING NOVEMBER 18TH, AND THAT'S BASICALLY HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. 
          THEN THE MODIFIED SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE IS BEGINNING ON NOVEMBER 25TH. 
          SO EXCITING TIMES THERE. 
          FINALLY, OUR FORENSIC SPEECH TEAM HAS ALREADY BEEN DOING THEIR THING AND DOING GREAT JOB SO FAR. 
          SO JUST A COUPLE OF SHOUT OUTS, AND I THINK THESE WERE GOING ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS WELL [NOISE] ON OCTOBER 26TH, THE TEAM COMPETED AT SISTER RAYMOND MEMORIAL INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT HELD AT BRONX HIGH SCHOOL OF SCIENCE. 
          AND CONGRATULATIONS WERE OFFERED TO JUNIOR NOAH SHABANSKI, AS FINALIST IN CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE, SENIOR CHRISTOPHER OMERA, FIRST PLACE AND CHAMPION OF CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE. 
          THE TEAM ITSELF WAS RECOGNIZED AS 10TH PLACE OVERALL IN THE SWEEP STATES. 
          THEN THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND, NOVEMBER 2ND, THE FORENSIC SPEECH TEAM COMPETED AT A TOURNAMENT AT BYRON HILLS AND CONGRATULATIONS TO SOPHOMORE, THOMAS SPETAPHORA FOR WINNING SIXTH PLACE IN CONGRESSIONAL DEBATE. 
          SO OFF TO A GREAT START AND LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUED SUCCESS FROM ALL OF THOSE TEAMS IN STUDENT ACTIVITIES. THANK YOU. 
          >> THANK YOU. NEXT IS 4.3 BOARD OF EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORTS. 
          [4.3 Board of Education Committee Reports]
          >> SO YOU MENTIONED THE POLICY COMMITTEE. 
          WE HAD OUR FIRST MEETING. 
          AS YOU SAID, WE'RE LOOKING AT, I THINK WE HAVE ABOUT 30 POLICIES THAT WE'RE GOING TO REVIEW OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR. 
          THAT'S THE PLAN, AT LEAST. 
          [LAUGHTER] I DON'T EXPECT THAT WE'LL HAVE 30 POLICIES THAT COME TO THE BOARD. 
          WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME OF THEM THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT AND DECIDE THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO A FULL REVIEW ON THIS YEAR. 
          BUT THEN THERE'LL BE A SUBSET OF THEM THAT WE WILL DO THAT. 
          SO WE KNOW THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SOME UPDATES BASED ON CHANGES IN LAW AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          WE'RE GOING TO CATEGORIZE THEM AND WORK THROUGH IT OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR. 
          >> [OVERLAPPING] WHY SO MANY? 
          >> JUST GO AHEAD AND AUDIT IS COMING TO THAT. 
          >> I CAN SPEAK TO THAT. 
          >> YEAH, IF YOU WANT. 
          >> SURE. SO WE'RE PART OF A POLICY SERVICE. 
          MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE YOU CONTRACT WITH A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT SCHOOL EDUCATION POLICY SERVICES. 
          AND WHAT THEY DO IS THEY GENERALLY THEY CAN PROVIDE MONTHLY UPDATES OF THINGS TO THINK ABOUT THE SERVICE ALSO PROVIDES AN AUDIT. 
          [01:05:01]
SO WHEN THEY GIVE YOU AN AUDIT, THEY'LL GO THROUGH BASICALLY KIND OF A YEAR'S WORTH OF THEIR UPDATES, THEY'LL GO THROUGH YOUR POLICY MANUAL AND IDENTIFY A BATCH OF POLICIES THAT NEED UPDATING. 
          SO THAT BATCH, THIS TIME, HAD 29 POLICIES THAT THEY WERE RECOMMENDING WE EITHER UPDATE. 
          CONSIDER OR IN SOME CASES, THEY RECOMMENDED SOME NEW POLICIES. 
          WITHIN THAT, WE ALSO LOOK AT WHAT'S REQUIRED VERSUS WHAT'S MAYBE OPTIONAL, WHAT DO WE FEEL IS NEEDED VERSUS NOT. 
          SO THEY SAID IF WE WANT TO STAY ON THE AUDIT PLAN WHERE THEY DO THAT FOR US ON A PERIODIC OR ANNUAL BASIS, THEN WE NEED TO COMPLETE THE AUDIT WITHIN THIS YEAR, AND THEN THEY CAN DO THE NEXT ROUND OF AUDIT. 
          SO IT'S A WAY OF KEEPING US UP TO DATE. 
          >> GOT YOU. 
          >> I SEE. 
          >> AND THERE ARE ALSO SOME LIKE THERE'S ONE THAT'S ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT THAT'S REQUIRED TO BE REVIEWED EVERY YEAR. 
          >> YEAH. 
          >> YEAH, AND YOU'LL SEE SOME DIFFERENT LANGUAGE ON TONIGHT BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WORKED WITH THE ATTORNEYS ON. 
          THE BUSINESS POLICIES THAT ARE ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT, THERE IS A STATE REQUIREMENT THAT THEY ARE REVIEWED ANNUALLY, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY HAVE TO BE REVISED ANNUALLY OR READOPTED. 
          THEY JUST NEED TO BE REVIEWED. 
          AND I'M JUMPING THE GUN ON THIS, BUT IT WILL SAVE US TIME LATER. 
          JIM SHARES THESE POLICIES WITH THE FINANCE COMMITTEE OR THE AUDIT COMMITTEE THE APPROPRIATE COMMITTEE FOR REVISION THERE, THEN RECOMMENDS THEM TO THE POLICY COMMITTEE WHO REVIEWS THEM AND THEN RECOMMENDS TO THE BOARD AND IN THIS CASE, THERE WERE NO EDITS TO ANY OF THOSE POLICIES. 
          THEREFORE, WE'RE RECOMMENDING THEM FOR REVIEW ONLY, NOT REVISION. 
          >> SO THERE WON'T BE THREE READINGS? 
          >> CORRECT. 
          >> IT'S JUST AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT THEY'RE GOING TO REVIEW. 
          >> A PUBLIC HEARING OR ANYTHING. 
          >> CORRECT. 
          >> YES. 
          >> GIVEN THE RATE OF CHANGE WITH TECHNOLOGY, WHERE A LOT OF THESE POLICIES RELATED TO AI OR THINGS OF THAT NATURE. 
          >> WE ACTUALLY DID TALK ABOUT AN AI POLICY AT THE POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING, AND I THINK THE THINKING AT THE MOMENT IS THAT IT IS EVOLVING AND THE SCHOOL BOARD APPROACHES TO IT ACROSS THE REGION AND NATIONALLY ARE ALSO EVOLVING. 
          FOR NOW, WE'RE TAKING A WAIT-AND-SEE APPROACH AND RELYING ON THE EXISTING POLICIES THAT WE HAVE, LIKE THE STUDENT HANDBOOK AND CODE OF CONDUCT AS THE BASIS FOR NOW. 
          >> THINGS LIKE ACADEMIC INTEGRITY, THAT'S ONE AREA THAT'S BEING LOOKED AT AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, THAT'S EMBEDDED WITHIN EXISTING POLICY AND PRACTICES. 
          THAT'S WHAT THE BEST PRACTICE AT THE MOMENT IS, IS REALLY FOCUS ON HONING THOSE BECAUSE THE PRINCIPLE STILL APPLY, WHETHER IT'S AI OR GOOD OLD-FASHIONED CHEATING. 
          THAT'S THE APPROACH FOR NOW. YOU ARE RIGHT, AS THAT EVOLVES, THEN I THINK [OVERLAPPING]. 
          >> CLAIRE CAN PROBABLY SPEAK BETTER TO HOW AI IS BEING THOUGHT ABOUT IN TERMS OF CURRICULUM AND INTEGRATING IT. 
          >> YES. THANK YOU. 
          I WANTED TO ADD JUST TO THAT CONVERSATION. 
          ALSO, IN ADDITION TO THE CODE OF CONDUCT, THE STUDENT HANDBOOK, AND THE ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY, WE ALSO HAVE ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY FOR TECHNOLOGY. 
          THE CURRENT THINKING AMONG MANY DISTRICTS AND DISTRICT LEADERS IS THAT THE MECHANISMS WE HAVE IN PLACE CAN COVER WHAT WE NEED FOR AI NOW, AND THEN AS WE CONTINUE TO EVOLVE, WE CAN ADJUST AND THINK DEEPLY ABOUT WHAT OUR POLICY WILL LOOK LIKE GOING FORWARD. 
          WE DON'T WANT TO IMPLEMENT A POLICY THAT WILL BE OBSOLETE IN A YEAR, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT MATCHES THE PRACTICE. 
          JOHN [INAUDIBLE] OUR TECHNOLOGY, ALICIA DELMASTRO FORMED A COMMITTEE OVER THE SUMMER WHERE TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS CAME TOGETHER TO LEARN ABOUT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS IMPACT ON EDUCATION, AND WE'RE PILOTING A COUPLE OF AI TOOLS THAT ARE LAW 2D COMPLIANT AND DETERMINING TO WHAT EXTENT WE WANT TO ENGAGE MORE WITH THOSE TOOLS DISTRICT-WIDE. 
          IN ADDITION TO THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IN THAT COMMITTEE, WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE LOOKING AT SAMPLE POLICIES AND COMPARING SO THAT WE HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT OTHER DISTRICTS HAVE DONE. 
          RIGHT NOW, NYSPA DOES HAVE A POLICY OUT THERE, BUT IT IS NOT REQUIRED AT THIS TIME, AND BASED ON EVERYTHING WE'VE SAID SO FAR, WE'RE HOLDING ON WRITING OUR POLICY, BUT PLAN THAT IN THE COMING YEARS. 
          YES, AND THE IMPACT ON INSTRUCTION AND EDUCATION IS BOUNDLESS. 
          [LAUGHTER] 
          >> SOMETHING THAT'S UNDER ACTIVE STUDY BY YOU, AS I UNDERSTAND. 
          >> THAT'S RIGHT. THIS IS ALLUDING TO THE FACT THAT MY DOCTORAL RESEARCH DISSERTATION IS ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. 
          I HOPE TO GRADUATE IN MAY, AND I CAN DO A PUBLIC READING OF MY DISSERTATION. 
          [LAUGHTER] IT'LL BE SHORTER THAN TONIGHT'S PRESENTATION. 
          >> THAT'S FUNNY. 
          [01:10:02]
          >> DR. [INAUDIBLE], YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING THIS COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO POLICY IN YOUR UPDATE ABOUT WINTER ATHLETICS ABOUT TO KICK OFF, AND IT JUST REMINDED ME THAT ABOUT A YEAR AGO, REMEMBER WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE CROSSING AT GLOVER THAT IS A SOURCE OF SOME ANXIETY FOR VARIOUS FOLKS, MYSELF INCLUDED, ACTUALLY. 
          I THINK A YEAR AGO, WE'D MANAGED TO CATCH THE ATTENTION OF LOCAL COUNTY, POSSIBLY STATE GOVERNMENT. 
          MAYBE THAT HAS FALLEN INTO THE BUREAUCRATIC ABYSS AND NOTHING WILL EVER HAPPEN, OR MAYBE WE COULD GIVE THEM A KNOWLEDGE AND SEE IF THERE'S ANY ACTIONS. 
          >> SO FUNNY YOU SHOULD ASK. 
          IT HAS NOT FALLEN INTO THE ABYSS. 
          >> IT HAS NOT. 
          >> IT'S AMAZING. I THINK THE OUTREACH AT THAT TIME TO GEORGE LATIMER, I THINK WAS THE THING THAT REALLY HELPED TO MOVE THE NEEDLE, AND THAT WAS COMBINED EFFORTS FROM THE FOLKS IN THE TOWN, AS WELL AS THE DISTRICT. 
          WE HAVE BEEN MEETING ON A REGULAR BASIS ABOUT EVERY WEEK OR TWO WITH AN ORGANIZATION. 
          I KNOW THE ACRONYM. 
          I'M GOING TO GET WHAT IT STANDS FOR WRONG, SO JIM MIGHT HELP ME. 
          BECAUSE EITHER JIM OR I OR JOHN CONDON, ONE OF US WAS ALMOST ALWAYS ABLE TO ATTEND THOSE MEETINGS. 
          NEW YORK MTC, NYMTC. 
          [LAUGHTER] IT REALLY STARTED US ON A PATH. 
          I'M WORKING WITH A GROUP THAT I THINK IS OUT OF RUTGERS. 
          IT'S A STUDY GROUP OUT OF RUTGERS THAT THEY'VE COME AND DONE ACTUALLY A GREAT ANALYSIS OF THE WHOLE CORRIDOR. 
          THE GLOVER ENTRANCE ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH THE LIBRARY, THEY LOOKED AT COLONIAL, THEY LOOKED AT THE TRAFFIC FLOW ALL UP IN THIS AREA, AND THEY'RE DRAFTING, IT'S NOT QUITE READY FOR LIFETIME, BUT VERY SOON, I THINK IT WILL BE. 
          THEY'VE DRAFTED SOME POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS. 
          SHORT-TERM, MID-TERM, LONG-TERM, REALLY ANCHORED AROUND CHANGING TRAFFIC PATTERNS OF PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC. 
          THINGS LIKE RESTRIPING, PUTTING SOME NEW MEDIANS IN, CHANGING TURNS, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT WILL HAVE STUDENTS CROSSING AT SAFER LOCATIONS. 
          I THINK THAT'S REALLY THE MAIN PLACE. 
          RIGHT NOW, WE'RE SCHEDULED FOR A MEETING TOMORROW. 
          >> OH, GREAT. BY THE WAY, I HAD NO IDEA. 
          >> THAT WAS A GREAT SOFTBALL QUESTION. 
          >> I HAD NO IDEA. 
          >> YES. NO, IT'S GREAT. 
          >> I THINK THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS THE ONE THAT WE ALL KNEW FROM THE GET-GO, IS THIS IS A MULTI, WHAT DO THEY CALL IT? MUNICIPAL STEW. 
          SEVEN DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES BETWEEN THE VILLAGE, THE MANOR, MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK STATE, THE TOWN, WESTCHESTER COUNTY ALL CONVERGE ON THAT INTERSECTION. 
          SO TO SOLVE IT, YOU NEED BUY IN FROM ALL SEVEN ENTITIES. 
          TOMORROW IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE DAY THAT ALL SEVEN ARE ON THE CALL. 
          THIS IS WHERE HAVING THE COUNTY PARTNERS HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL BECAUSE THEY HAVE RELATIONSHIPS AND THE ABILITY TO LEVERAGE IN WAYS THAT WE MAY NOT. 
          WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT SOMETHING WILL COME OUT OF THAT. 
          I BELIEVE THEIR PROCESS FROM THIS POINT OUT THEN WILL BE A PUBLIC INFORMATION CAMPAIGN, SHARING SOME OF THIS. 
          THEY BASICALLY HAVE DONE THE STUDY, THEY'RE GOING TO DO SOME PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT TO EDUCATE FOLKS, AND THAT SHOULD POSITION US THEN TO HAVE A VIABLE PLAN THAT WOULD BE SUPPORTED BY THE COMMUNITIES, PLURAL, BUT THAT ALSO WOULD POSITION US WITH ALL THE INFORMATION WE NEED TO APPLY FOR GRANTS TO HELP WITH FUNDING TO ACTUALLY DELIVER ON SOLUTIONS. 
          DOES THAT CAPTURE EVERYTHING, [INAUDIBLE]? 
          >> YES. [INAUDIBLE]. 
          >> THANK YOU. DIFFERENT LEVELS OF INTERVENTION THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED. 
          THE TOWN HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE PARTNER IN KEEPING THIS AT THE FOREFRONT. 
          THANKS TO KRISTEN AND TO DAN FOR THAT. 
          CERTAINLY, LIKE I SAID, BETWEEN JIM, JOHN, AND I, WE'VE TRIED TO BE AT, I THINK WE'VE MADE ALMOST EVERY MEETING. 
          THE FOLKS THAT ARE RUNNING THIS ARE REALLY QUITE KNOWLEDGEABLE, AND THEY'VE BEEN REALLY GREAT PARTNERS. 
          >> INTERESTING. THANKS. 
          >>YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          >> DO WE HAVE ANY MORE COMMITTEE REPORTS? 
          >> WE DO. 
          >> [LAUGHTER] OH, GO AHEAD. 
          >> WE HAD A WELLNESS COMMITTEE MEETING LAST WEEK AND IT WAS A KICKOFF MEETING REALLY TO DISCUSS WHAT THE FOCUS SHOULD BE FOR AS FAR AS GOALS FOR THE COMING YEAR AND SPECIFICALLY TYING INTO THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE OBJECTIVE OF BELONGING IN WELLNESS. 
          WE TALKED ABOUT THE FACT THAT WELLNESS DOES INCLUDE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. 
          IT'S A MATTER OF REALLY, AND PLEASE CHIME IN, A MATTER OF HONING DOWN AND REALLY IDENTIFYING WHAT ARE THE GOALS FOR THIS COMING YEAR. 
          WE REVIEWED LAST YEAR'S ACHIEVEMENTS AND WE'LL LIKELY BREAK DOWN, RIGHT TRACY, INTO GROUPS TO IDENTIFY WHAT ARE THE TOP THINGS THAT WE WANT TO FOCUS ON BECAUSE WELLNESS INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM SEL, NUTRITION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. 
          THERE'S A LOT THERE. WE WANT TO IDENTIFY WHAT WOULD BE MOST IMPACTFUL AND OBVIOUSLY RELATED TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          [01:15:05]
DID I MISS ANYTHING? THAT'S GOOD? THANK YOU. [LAUGHTER] 
          >> EXCELLENT. IS THAT THE LAST ONE? NEXT IS ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT'S UPDATE ON PERSONAL GROWTH AND ACHIEVEMENT. 
          [4.4 Assistant Superintendent's Update on Personal Growth and Achievement]
          >> THANK YOU, AGAIN, FOR THE TIME TONIGHT. 
          TONIGHT, I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT CHANGES TO MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE OFFERINGS. 
          IN ORDER TO BRING US TO THAT POINT, I WANT TO PROVIDE SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION. 
          AS WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE STUDENT PERFORMANCE REPORT, JUST NOW, NEW YORK CITY HAS BEEN UNDERGOING A TRANSFORMATION IN STANDARDS AND CURRICULUM FOR THE PAST MANY YEARS. 
          IN DECEMBER OF 2016, THE BOARD OF REGIONS ADOPTED THE NEW YORK STATE SCIENCE LEARNING STANDARDS FOR PRE-K THROUGH GRADE 12. 
          THESE ARE BASED ON THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS, AND WERE DEVELOPED BY A CONSORTIUM THAT INCLUDED NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL, NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHER ASSOCIATION MEMBERS, REPRESENTATIVES FROM VARIOUS STATES, AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, MEMBERS FROM THAT GROUP ALSO. 
          THEN ONCE THIS WERE ADOPTED FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS, DR. CALLAHAN AND HIS TEAM HAVE BEEN PLANNING FOR IMPLEMENTING THIS COMPREHENSIVE SHIFT IN K-12 SCIENCE INSTRUCTION. 
          SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STANDARDS IN THE OVERVIEW, THAT THERE'S A THREE-DIMENSIONAL APPROACH TO THE NEW SCIENCE STANDARDS. 
          THEY INTEGRATE THE DISCIPLINARY CORE IDEAS OR THE CONTENT, SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PRACTICES, AND THEN CROSS-CUTTING CONCEPTS. 
          THESE ARE THEMES THAT APPLY TO ALL DOMAINS OF SCIENCE AND ARE ESSENTIAL FOR UNDERSTANDING SCIENTIFIC PROCESSES AND BUILDING CONTENT KNOWLEDGE. 
          THE STANDARDS ARE ALSO STUDENT-CENTERED, FOCUSES ON STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND ACTIVE LEARNING. 
          THEY'RE INQUIRY-DRIVEN, ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO ASK QUESTIONS AND EXPLORE SCIENTIFIC PHENOMENON, AND THEY'RE PHENOMENON-BASED, THEY'RE USING REAL-WORLD PHENOMENA TO DRIVE LEARNING AND CONNECT TO THE CONTENT. 
          THEY'RE ALSO A K-8 SPIRAL, MEANING THE CURRICULUM IS DESIGNED TO REVISIT THESE CONCEPTS YEAR AFTER YEAR WITH INCREASING LEVELS OF COMPLEXITY. 
          THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PELHAM OF THE ADOPTION OF THESE NEW NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS WERE PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. 
          IT'S A MAJOR OVERHAUL OF K-12 SCIENCE INSTRUCTION, THE FIRST MASSIVE CHANGE IN 30 YEARS, SO A BIG CHANGE. 
          IT ALSO MEANT THAT 13 GRADES HAD TO BE REVISED OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS. 
          IT ALSO REPRESENTS A PEDAGOGICAL SHIFT, TRANSITIONING TO A MORE INQUIRY-BASED AND STUDENT-CENTERED APPROACH, WHICH IS MATCHING ALL BEST RESEARCH ON BEST PRACTICES AND STUDENT LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT. 
          THERE ARE NEW LAB REQUIREMENTS FOR K-8, AND ATTRIBUTING TO THE TEAM'S WORK, THE K-5 ADOPTION WAS COMPLETED LAST YEAR DURING THE 2022 SCHOOL YEAR. 
          THE SECONDARY PROGRAM BEGAN SHIFTING TWO YEARS AGO, AND THAT IS ONGOING. 
          THE NEW STANDARDS ARE RIGOROUS. 
          AS WE SAW, THE FIFTH GRADE NEW YORK STATE SCIENCE ASSESSMENT HAD A AVERAGE PROFICIENCY RATE OF 35% THROUGHOUT NEW YORK STATE. 
          PELHAM DID GREAT WAS 67%. 
          THESE STANDARDS ARE MORE RIGOROUS IN PROVIDING MORE OF A SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR OUR STUDENTS. 
          FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOL SPECIFICALLY, THERE'S A THREE-YEAR SPIRAL THAT WAS DESIGNED BY THE SCIENTISTS AND EDUCATORS WHO CREATED THE STANDARDS, AND THEY INTEGRATE LIFE SCIENCE, PHYSICAL SCIENCE, EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE, AND ENGINEERING OVER A K-8 CONTINUUM. 
          THIS ALLOWS FOR A STRONG FOUNDATION IN SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND CONTENT MASTERY BEFORE SPECIALIZATION IN THE UPPER GRADES. 
          THE MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM WAS DESIGNED AND WRITTEN TO BE A THREE-YEAR VERTICALLY ALIGNED AND SPIRAL CURRICULUM THAT ENGAGES STUDENTS IN LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT STRENGTHEN THEIR SKILLS AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND PROVIDE A FOUNDATION THAT PREPARES STUDENTS FOR UPPER-LEVEL COURSES AND SCIENCE OFFERINGS IN HIGH SCHOOL, IN COLLEGE, AND IN LIFE. 
          THE IDEA IS TO ENGAGE STUDENTS IN REAL-LIFE SCIENCE INQUIRY SO THAT THEY BECOME PASSIONATE ABOUT SCIENCE AND UNDERSTAND HOW THE WORLD WORKS FOR YES, COURSES, BUT ALSO FOR REAL LIFE. 
          THE MIDDLE SCHOOL IS ALSO AN MYP SCHOOL. 
          THE NEW YORK STATE SCIENCE LEARNING STANDARDS AND THE IB MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAM ALIGN IN MANY KEY AREAS. 
          [01:20:02]
MIDDLE YEARS AND THE NISL STANDARDS ARE INQUIRY-BASED, THEY FOCUS ON CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING, SKILL DEVELOPMENT, GLOBAL AWARENESS, AND AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT. 
          IMPLEMENTING BOTH NISL AND MYP APPROACHES TOGETHER, SUPPORTS STUDENTS IN DEVELOPING STRONG FOUNDATIONAL SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE WHILE ENHANCING THEIR ABILITY TO APPLY IT ACROSS ALL DISCIPLINES AND IN REAL-WORLD CONTEXTS. 
          THIS ALIGNMENT HELPS CULTIVATE SCIENTIFIC LITERACY AND PREPARES STUDENTS TO TACKLE COMPLEX ISSUES WITH A CRITICAL AND INFORMED PERSPECTIVE. 
          CURRENTLY, ALL EIGHTH-GRADE STUDENTS IN PELHAM TAKE THE NEW YORK STATE REGENTS EARTH SCIENCE EXAMINATION IN EIGHTH GRADE. 
          THIS APPROACH HAS WORKED WITH THE PREVIOUS STANDARDS AND CURRICULUM. 
          THE EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE STANDARDS AND THE REGENTS EXAMINATION ARE CHANGING. 
          THIS YEAR IS THE LAST ADMINISTRATION OF THE OLD EARTH SCIENCE REGENTS EXAMINATION IN NEW YORK STATE. 
          SINCE THESE NEW STANDARDS HAVE BEEN ADOPTED, AND SCHOOLS BEGAN IMPLEMENTING THEM, ALL OF US, SCIENCE TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, CURRICULUM LEADERS HAVE BEEN ENGAGING IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, COLLABORATION WITH OTHER DISTRICTS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NYSED OUR REGIONAL BOCES, AND OTHER DISTRICTS. 
          ALL OF THE TRAINING AND RECOMMENDATIONS WE'VE HEARD FROM NYSED AND FROM OUR REGIONAL BOCES, AND FROM OUR SCIENCE PROFESSIONALS AT THE BOCES, RECOMMEND THAT SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOLLOW THE NEW STANDARDS WITH FIDELITY IN GRADES K-8. 
          THEY ARE INTENDED TO BE A COMPREHENSIVE SPIRAL. 
          THEY DISCOURAGE SPECIALIZATION UNTIL NINTH GRADE AND TO ENSURE STUDENTS HAVE THE FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN GRADES 9-12 AND BEYOND. 
          KNOWING THESE CHANGES ARE COMING, ALWAYS PROACTIVE, THE TEAM AND DR. CALLAHAN CONVENED THE SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE LAST YEAR TO EXAMINE THE NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL STANDARDS AND DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH OUR CURRENT PROGRAMMING AND RESOURCES SUPPORT THE NEW STANDARDS. 
          THIS COMMITTEE WAS COMPRISED OF PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS, EARTH SCIENCE TEACHERS, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS, OTHER SCIENCE TEACHERS, SOME OF WHO SERVED ON THE COMMITTEE WHO WROTE THE STANDARDS, STATE REPRESENTATIVE FOR STEM, AND THEN CURRICULUM SPECIALISTS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND HIGHER EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS. 
          THE COMMITTEE WAS CHARGED WITH MAKING A RECOMMENDATION FOR EIGHTH-GRADE OFFERINGS IN LIGHT OF THE NEW STANDARDS. 
          THE COMMITTEE DOVE INTO THE NEW STANDARDS, THE UPCOMING CHANGES TO THE EARTH AND SPACE REGENTS EXAMINATION, AND ENGAGED IN LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT MIRRORED WHAT STUDENTS WOULD BE DOING IN THE CLASSROOM. 
          >> THE COMMITTEE FOUND THAT THE NYSSLS STANDARDS ARE BASED ON RESEARCH AND BEST PRACTICES IN SCIENCE EDUCATION. 
          THEY RECOMMENDED THAT THE SIXTH THROUGH EIGHTH SPIRAL SHOULD NOT BE BROKEN SO THAT OUR STUDENTS CAN DEVELOP THE STRONG FOUNDATION IN SCIENCE, CONTENT CONCEPTS, AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT, AND AS THE CURRICULUM WAS WRITTEN. 
          THEY ALSO BELIEVE THAT PELHAM SHOULD CONTINUE TO LEAD IN SCIENCE AND INNOVATION IN THE REGION, AS WE'VE DONE. 
          SO AFTER A THOROUGH ANALYSIS, THE COMMITTEE WAS UNANIMOUS IN RECOMMENDING THAT PELHAM TRANSITION TO SCIENCE 8 FOR ALL INSTEAD OF EARTH SCIENCE IN THE EIGHTH GRADE TO BE CONSISTENT WITH THE RESEARCH-BASED PRACTICES IN SCIENCE EDUCATION K-8. 
          THE COMMITTEE BELIEVES THAT THESE CHANGES POSITION PELHAM TO FURTHER ADVANCE OUR STUDENTS' SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS, ENSURING THEY'RE WELL-PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE ACADEMIC AND REAL-WORLD CHALLENGES. 
          THE DISTRICT WILL FOLLOW THE COMMITTEE AND STATE'S RECOMMENDATION AND FOLLOW THE NEW STANDARDS IN THE K-8 CONTINUUM WITH FIDELITY AND SWITCH TO SCIENCE 8 FOR ALL STARTING IN THE 2025, 2026 SCHOOL YEAR. 
          SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR PELHAM? IT MEANS ALL STUDENTS WILL TAKE SCIENCE 8 IN EIGHTH GRADE. 
          THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY FOR SCIENCE ACCELERATION WILL BE IN NINTH GRADE. 
          THE NEW CURRICULUM IS EXTREMELY RIGOROUS WITH OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENRICHMENT AND SUPPORT BUILT INTO IT. 
          STUDENTS WON'T MISS ANY FOUNDATIONAL CONTENT BY SKIPPING THE THIRD YEAR OF THE SPIRAL. 
          THEY'LL STRENGTHEN THEIR SCIENCE READINESS FOR ALL STUDENTS. 
          STUDENTS WILL BE BETTER PREPARED FOR UPPER-LEVEL SCIENCE OFFERINGS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND IN COLLEGE. 
          STUDENTS WILL HAVE A SOLID FOUNDATION OF SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS, CONTENT, AND SKILLS THAT WILL BENEFIT THEM IN THE REAL WORLD. 
          THE APPROACH TAKES THE BEST PRACTICES THAT WE'VE LEARNED IN OUR SUCCESSFUL SCIENCE RESEARCH PROGRAM AND BRINGS IT DOWN TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND APPLIES IT FOR ALL STUDENTS TO HAVE A STRONGER SKILL BASE, 
          [01:25:02]
AND THE IMPLEMENTATION CAN ONLY SUPPORT THE SCIENCE SKILLS STUDENTS WOULD NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE SCIENCE RESEARCH PROGRAM. 
          EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE WILL TRANSITION FROM A ONE-YEAR OPPORTUNITY AT THE EIGHTH-GRADE LEVEL TO A EMBEDDED K-8 CONTENT OVER THE CONTINUUM. 
          SO STUDENTS WILL HAVE A STRONG BASE IN THAT. 
          AND THE SCIENCE SEQUENCE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED, AND ALL STUDENTS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THE UPPER-LEVEL SCIENCE OFFERING STILL AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS. 
          AND FINALLY, THERE WILL BE NO NEGATIVE IMPACT IF WE'RE THINKING ABOUT COLLEGE FOR STUDENTS AS SCHOOLS AND ADMISSIONS OFFICES REVIEW TRANSCRIPTS BASED ON WHAT'S OFFERED, NOT WHAT'S TAKEN. 
          SO IF THERE'S NO ACCELERATION OFFERED AT THE EIGHTH-GRADE LEVEL, THERE WILL BE NO NEGATIVE IMPACT TO ANY COLLEGE ADMISSION PROCESS OF STUDENTS NOT IN ACCELERATION AT THE SCIENCE AT THE EIGHTH-GRADE LEVEL. 
          EARLY ACCELERATION AND SKIPPING OF CONTENT, RESEARCH SHOWS THAT STUDENTS EVENTUALLY LOSE CONFIDENCE WHEN THEY'RE CHALLENGED AT THE HIGHER LEVEL. 
          SO CREATING THAT FOUNDATIONAL BASIS FOR STUDENTS AT THE YOUNGER YEARS, BASED ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF SCIENTISTS AND EDUCATORS IS A SOLID PRACTICE TO FOLLOW. QUESTIONS. 
          >> QUESTION. SO MAYBE I'M JUST CONFUSED. 
          SO WOULD EARTH SCIENCE THAT'S TAKEN IN EIGHTH GRADE THEN BE TAKEN IN NINTH GRADE OR WOULD THAT JUST GO AWAY? 
          >> WELL, IT DOESN'T GO AWAY, IT IS BUILT INTO THAT K-8 CONTINUUM. 
          SO EVERY YEAR STUDENTS ENGAGE IN EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE LEARNING THAT'S BUILT INTO THE K-8 CURRICULUM. 
          >> SO IT'S BROKEN DOWN THROUGHOUT? 
          >> THAT'S RIGHT. 
          >> AND THEN THEY'LL STILL COME IN INTO NINTH GRADE, THEN SPECIALIZATION WILL START AND THEN THEY'LL DO THE BIOLOGY THE WAY THEY'VE DONE TODAY? 
          >> THAT'S RIGHT. 
          >> AND HOW DO YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT TRANSITIONING? SO IF YOU HAVE A KID IN SIXTH GRADE WHO THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE SIXTH AND SEVENTH GRADE FOR EARTH SCIENCE TYPE STUDIES, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S NOT REALLY PROBABLY A WAY TO CATCH UP ON THAT AND ALSO MORE GENERALLY, HOW DO YOU THINK ABOUT STUDENTS WHO ARE GOING TO BE IN DIFFERENT STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS BUT NOT GET THE FULL CONTINUUM BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT IN K GOING THROUGH IT FULLY TRANSITIONED? 
          >> SO FOR THE NEXT DEPENDING X AMOUNT OF YEARS, THERE'S GOING TO BE THIS TRANSITION PERIOD WHERE STUDENTS DON'T GET THE FULL K-8 EXPERIENCE. 
          AND TEACHERS, AS THEY ALWAYS DO, WILL ASSESS THE STUDENTS THAT ARE COMING INTO THEIR CLASSES AND COLLABORATE WITH TEACHERS IN THE PREVIOUS YEARS AND DETERMINE WHAT ARE THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL ON THOSE EXAMS, BUT ALSO TO BUILD THEIR FOUNDATIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS. 
          AND I JUST WANT TO THANK DR. CALLAHAN FOR STAYING THIS EVENING. 
          SO HE'S HERE TO TAKE SOME QUESTIONS TOO. 
          >> THAT IS A FANTASTIC QUESTION BECAUSE PART OF DOING SCIENCE 8, IF YOU OFFER AN ACCELERATED COURSE IN EIGHTH GRADE, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO OFFER THE STATE-MANDATED SCIENCE 8 EXAM. 
          THE PROFICIENCY FOR THE STATE ON THE SCIENCE 8 EXAM THAT WAS ALSO BRAND NEW LAST YEAR IS 35% ON THAT SCIENCE 8 EXAM. 
          AND IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT WE MADE THIS TRANSITION, BUT AS CLAIRE MENTIONED, WE DO ALL THE TOPIC AREAS AND QUARTERS, FROM KINDERGARTEN TO EIGHTH GRADE. 
          ONE OF THOSE QUARTERS IS EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE. 
          AND CLAIRE WASN'T HERE FOR THIS, SO WHAT WE DID IS WE ACTUALLY TOOK THE EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE PIECES OF THE SPIRAL IN SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH GRADE, WE MOVED THEM TO EIGHTH GRADE SO THAT THE SIXTH AND SEVENTH WOULD BE ABLE TO EASILY TRANSITION TO SCIENCE IN EIGHTH GRADE. 
          SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE TRAINED ALL THE TEACHERS IN THE STATE-MANDATED LABS FOR SCIENCE 8 IN SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH GRADE. 
          SO THE STUDENTS, WE HAVEN'T REALLY SET UP SO THEY WON'T SKIP A BEAT IN THE SPIRAL, BECAUSE WHAT WE'LL DO IS FOR THAT ONE TRANSITION YEAR IS WE'LL HIT THE EARTH SCIENCE STANDARDS THAT WERE EMBEDDED IN SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH IN EIGHTH GRADE, AND THEN IT'LL ALL RESET, SO THE SPIRAL WILL BE DONE WITH FIDELITY AFTER THAT. 
          BUT THE SPIRAL WILL STILL EXIST. 
          WE'LL HAVE TO PUSH SOME OF THOSE EARTH SCIENCE THINGS INTO EIGHTH GRADE TO GET SIXTH AND SEVENTH PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY THAT THEY MIGHT STILL TAKE EARTH SCIENCE. 
          SO WE DID ALL THAT WORK. 
          SO THERE'LL BE A TRANSITION YEAR, BUT IT'S STILL COMPLETING THE SPIRAL IN JUST A WAY THAT WE WERE VERY PROACTIVE ABOUT THAT. 
          WE WERE READY TO TAKE THAT PATH IF WE NEEDED TO. 
          AND THAT'S ALSO WHY WE HAD ALL THE TEACHERS TRAINED TO DO THE LABS THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR SCIENCE 8. 
          SO IT'LL BE A FAIRLY, I DON'T LIKE TO SAY ANY TRANSITION'S SEAMLESS, 
          [01:30:03]
WE'RE VERY WELL PREPARED AND PLANNED FOR THAT. 
          >> GOT IT. THANK YOU. 
          >> YOU GOT IT. 
          >> YOU WANT TO GO FIRST? 
          >> SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT IS GOING TO BE ON EIGHTH GRADERS. 
          IF I'M AN EIGHTH GRADER, WITH ALL THAT SAID, AND I WALK INTO MY SCIENCE CLASS, WHAT WILL THE MAJOR CHANGES BE IN REAL TERMS? CAN YOU GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE OF HOW IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT? WHAT WILL LIFE LOOK LIKE? BECAUSE IT SOUNDS VERY ELABORATE BUT I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE PUNCH LINE IS FOR THE STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM. 
          >> SO I THINK THAT'S ALSO A GREAT QUESTION AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO UNPACK BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. 
          BECAUSE TRADITIONALLY, WE BELIEVE THAT ACCELERATION IN THE UNITED STATES REALLY IS A PATHWAY TO A MORE RIGOROUS COURSE OF STUDY IN SCIENCE. 
          AND ACTUALLY, THE BRAIN RESEARCH IS SHOWING WE CAN PACK OUR KIDS' BRAINS WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF CONTENT LIKE WE DID, BUT IF THEY CAN'T ACCESS IT AND USE IT, IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. 
          SO WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS WE'RE GOING TO ANCHOR ALL OF OUR UNITS IN NATURAL PHENOMENA. 
          SO HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THEIR TIRE INDICATOR LIGHT GO ON FOR TIRE PRESSURE? [LAUGHTER] NOW, PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THAT HAPPENS AT THE SAME TIME EVERY YEAR. 
          WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE IS THERE'S A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AIR PRESSURE AND GASES AND THE TEMPERATURE. 
          WE'LL TEACH KIDS BOYLE'S LAW AND CHARLES' LAW. 
          IT TELLS US HOW ALL THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WORK MATHEMATICALLY BUT IF YOU ASK A KID WHY THEIR TIRE INDICATOR LIGHT'S GOING ON IN THE CAR, THEY'LL HAVE NO IDEA WHY. 
          AND ALL THE RESEARCH SAYS, SURE YOU CAN CRAM THEIR HEADS FULL OF INFORMATION, BUT DO YOU GUYS REMEMBER ANYTHING YOU MEMORIZED SIX WEEKS AFTER YOU DID IT OR DO YOU JUST PASS THE TEST AND MOVE ON? WHAT THIS IS SAYING IS YOU'RE ACTUALLY LEARNING THE SCIENCE. 
          SO WHAT WE DO IS WE ROUTE THE LESSON IN SOMETHING KIDS CAN RELATE TO AND BECAUSE OF ALL THE QUESTIONS THEY HAVE ABOUT THEIR REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCES, WE ALMOST TEACH THEM THROUGH THEIR CURIOSITY. 
          THAT WAS PART OF WHAT WE DID DURING OUR WORK SESSION LAST YEAR. 
          THERE'S THIS MISCONCEPTION THAT MEANS LESS RIGOROUS INSTRUCTION. 
          ACTUALLY, ALL THE BRAIN RESEARCH IS SAYING, YOU CAN ACTUALLY CHALLENGE KIDS MORE. 
          AND WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS YOU'RE TAKING THAT SCIENCE RESEARCH MODEL AND YOU'RE BRINGING IT BACK FURTHER DOWN. 
          SO YOU'RE TEACHING KIDS NOT ONLY WHAT THE SCIENCE IS, BUT HOW TO BE A SCIENTIST. 
          SO IT'S A TREMENDOUS LIFT, IT'S A LOT OF WORK, BUT THE IDEA IS THAT YOU'RE TEACHING THEM THE PRACTICES OF A SCIENTIST AND THE CORE IDEAS AND CONTENT. 
          THERE'S ALSO THE MISCONCEPTION THAT THE CONTENT'S GONE BECAUSE WE'RE NOT MAKING KIDS MEMORIZE IT. 
          NO, THEY'RE ACCESSING THE IDEA OF HOW GASES BEHAVE BASED ON WHAT HAPPENS TO THEIR TIRE IN A CAR. 
          AND THAT'S REALLY IT IN A NUTSHELL. 
          AND YOU DON'T WANT TO GIVE ME THE MIC TOO LONG BECAUSE I CAN GO. 
          [LAUGHTER] CHERYL SOMETIMES WILL DO THIS. 
          >> DR. CALLAHAN, THE QUESTION IS, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? IF I'M A STUDENT WALKING INTO SCIENCE 8 NEXT YEAR, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE I'LL FEEL? AND SO WOULD YOU SAY THAT IT WOULD BE FAIR TO SAY THAT AFTER ENGAGING IN SCIENCE 6 AND SCIENCE 7, WALKING INTO A SCIENCE 8 CLASSROOM IS GOING TO FEEL MUCH MORE NATURAL THAN IT WOULD BE FOR AN EIGHTH-GRADER WALKING INTO AN EARTH SCIENCE REGENTS CLASSROOM, ESPECIALLY IN THE CURRENT MODEL OF SCIENCE REGIONS. 
          SO THEY WILL BE BUILDING UPON THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS AND CONTENT THAT THEY HAVE LEARNED IN SIXTH AND SEVENTH GRADE AND IT WILL BE A CONTINUATION OF THAT WITH BROADER COMPLEXITY, BUT ALSO THE SAME PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE AND INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES THAT DR. CALLAHAN JUST HIGHLIGHTED FOR US. 
          >> WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS REALLY BEEF UP THE SKILLS THAT HAVE MADE OUR KIDS EXCEL IN THE RESEARCH PROGRAM WHERE THEY ACTUALLY GO INTO LABS AND DO THINGS. 
          THEY'RE NOT MEMORIZING THINGS TO WIN THOSE COMPETITIONS, AND WE DON'T FOCUS ON THAT, BUT IT'S DOING REAL SCIENCE. 
          DR. CHAMP, AND THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THIS EARLIER BECAUSE IT WAS A REALLY GREAT THING TO INTEGRATE INTO CONVERSATION, WHICH I HADN'T THOUGHT OF, BUT THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE TRI-STATE CONSORTIUM, WHICH INCLUDES REALLY HIGH-POWERED SCHOOLS THAT WE WANT TO COMPARE OURSELVES TO. 
          SO SOMETIMES WE COMPARE OURSELVES TO THE REGION FOR QUANTITATIVE PURPOSES WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE SCORES BUT WE ACTUALLY ARE PART OF A LOT OF GROUPS WHERE WE CHALLENGE OURSELVES TO BE WAY BETTER THAN THE REGION, NO OFFENSE TO THE REGION. 
          BUT WE COMPARE OURSELVES AGAINST OTHER SCHOOLS AS A PART OF THAT CRITICAL FRIENDS PROCESS THAT INCLUDE STAPLES HIGH SCHOOL IN CONNECTICUT OR PRINCETON HIGH SCHOOL IN NEW JERSEY. 
          I'VE BEEN ON THOSE VISITS AND WHAT THE REPORT SAYS IS YOUR KIDS ARE DOING A LOT OF SCIENCE MEMORIZATION BUT WHAT AUTHENTIC PROJECT-BASED TASKS ARE THEY 
          [01:35:04]
DOING AND HOW ARE YOU EVALUATING THEIR GROWTH IN A MORE AUTHENTIC WAY? AND THAT'S WHAT THE REPORT SAID. 
          SO IT WOULD BE DISINGENUOUS TO TRY TO GET ALL OF OUR KIDS TO ACCELERATE AS FAST AS THEY CAN. 
          LISTEN, THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT THAT WILL BE THEIR SOLUTION TO THIS AND TO THE CHANGES IN THE STANDARDS, OUR SOLUTION IS WE'RE DOING A REALLY GREAT JOB CREATING PROBLEM SOLVERS AND CRITICAL THINKERS AND NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT IT. 
          SO WE WANT TO ENRICH THAT EXPERIENCE, AND WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE AWAY FROM IT. 
          SO THAT'S REALLY OUR FOCUS. 
          AND WE VERY RARELY HAVE A COMMITTEE WITH A UNANIMOUS DECISION, BUT WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE SCIENCE COMMITTEE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, AND IT DIDN'T MATTER WHERE PEOPLE WERE ON ANY PART OF THAT SPECTRUM, EVERYBODY AGREED AFTER THEY UNPACKED ALL OF THIS, THAT WE SHOULD LEAD AND NOT FOLLOW. 
          AND LEADING MEANS MORE AUTHENTIC TASKS, MORE CRITICAL THINKING, MORE PROBLEM SOLVING, LESS STUDY GUIDES THAT LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THE TEST YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE NEXT DAY BECAUSE YOU MEMORIZED THE ANSWERS A DAY BEFORE. 
          AND THAT'S GOING TO BE HARD FOR KIDS WHO ARE REALLY GOOD AT THAT. I WAS ONE OF THOSE KIDS. 
          SO I COULD MEMORIZE AND GET THE A. 
          SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT AWAY, I'M GOING TO STRUGGLE IF YOU ASK ME TO REALLY THINK. 
          SO THAT'S GOING TO BE THE HEAVY LIFT, IS THOSE STUDY GUIDES ARE GONE AND YOU HAVE TO REALLY CRITICALLY THINK. 
          THAT'S GOING TO BE A HEAVY LIFT FOR OUR KIDS AND FOR OUR PARENTS WHO ARE USED TO BEING COMMENDED FOR THAT MEMORIZATION. 
          SO THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE. 
          >> AND I THINK THAT HIGHLIGHTS A SUPER TECHNICAL ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION TOO. 
          SO THERE WON'T BE A REGIONS EXAM AND THERE WON'T BE HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT BUT THE THINKING AND THE SKILLS AND THE PREPARATION THAT'S GOING TO COME FROM THIS IS GOING TO PREPARE OUR STUDENTS EVEN BETTER FOR WHAT WE'RE ASKING THEM TO DO AS THEY MOVE ON. 
          >> I THINK BEING A SCIENCE-FORWARD COMMUNITY, I THINK THERE ARE TWO TAKEAWAYS HERE, AND YOU TELL ME IF I'M ON TRACK. 
          WHILE WE'RE LOSING, I'M USING THE WORD LOSING, THE EIGHTH-GRADE CLASS OF EARTH SCIENCE, BUT ALL OF THAT ALL OF THAT LEARNING IS EMBEDDED IN THE K-8 CURRICULUM. 
          AND THE STUDENTS WILL HAVE A MUCH STRONGER SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION FOR GOING INTO HIGH SCHOOL WITH THESE UPDATED STANDARDS? 
          >> YES? 
          >> YES. 
          >> AND THEN THIS DOES NOT NEGATIVELY IMPACT, IT ACTUALLY ENHANCES THE SCIENCE-FOCUSED STUDENT'S EXPERIENCE IN HIGH SCHOOL? 
          >> YEAH. THE QUESTION I MOST COMMONLY GET IS HOW CAN WE SPREAD THAT SCIENCE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE WHERE OUR KIDS ARE REALLY EXCELLING TWO OTHER AREAS. THAT'S WHAT THIS IS. 
          IT'S REALLY FOCUSING ON THOSE PROCESSES AND PRACTICES. 
          IF WE DIDN'T DO THIS, AND I'M GOING TO TELL YOU MY OPINION AND I THINK WE'RE LEADING ON THIS, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. 
          IT'S BAD PRACTICE TO BREAK THAT SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH-GRADE SPIRAL BECAUSE IF WE WANTED TO CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE IN EIGHTH GRADE, WE'D HAVE TO TAKE THAT ENTIRE YEAR OF EIGHTH GRADE THAT'S PART OF THAT SPIRAL, THAT FINAL YEAR, THAT EIGHTH-GRADE YEAR AND PACK IT INTO SIXTH AND SEVENTH GRADE AND BE LIKE, DO THE SPIRAL IN SIXTH AND SEVENTH GRADE AND WE'LL ACCELERATE IN EIGHTH GRADE. 
          AND IT'S NOT WHAT THAT SPIRAL IS DESIGNED TO DO. 
          SO WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS ON HOW DO WE GET OUR KIDS TO BE CRITICAL THINKERS IN AUTHENTIC SITUATIONS. 
          AND THE IB PIECE TO THIS, AND WHAT TRI STATES TOLD US TO DO IS WE HAVE TO GET THEM TO THINK MORE CRITICALLY ABOUT PROBLEMS THAT THEY IDENTIFY AND DESIGN SOLUTIONS TO, AND NOT ONES THAT WE'VE PREPACKAGED FOR THEM. 
          >> SO JUST CONFIRMING, IT'S JUST ONE LEVEL, NO HONORS LEVEL, NO ACCELERATION. 
          AND THIS IS BEYOND SCIENCE, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACCELERATION IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, TAKING ALGEBRA? 
          >> YEAH. 
          >> STUDIO ART AND WORLD LANGUAGE. 
          >> EXACTLY. 
          >> STUDENTS CAN EARN HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT IN ALL THREE OF THOSE COURSES. 
          >> ARE THERE OTHER CURRICULUM CHANGES COMING TO THOSE AREAS THAT ARE SIMILAR TO THIS? 
          >> NO, THIS IS IT FOR NOW. 
          >> THIS IS IT? 
          >> YEAH. 
          >> I THINK THE OTHER PIECE TO THIS THAT WE SHOULD PROBABLY MENTION BECAUSE I THINK YOU'LL GET THIS QUESTION AND I THINK THE PUBLIC SHOULD PROBABLY KNOW ABOUT IT, IS THIS IS PART OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT'S BEEN K-12, THAT'S REALLY 10 YEARS IN THE WORKS. 
          >> IT'S BEEN GOING ON. 
          >> AND SO AS WE'RE LOOKING TO SUNSET SOME OF THESE PRACTICES THAT REALLY HAVE BEEN A TRADITION IN PELHAM, LIKE EARTH SCIENCE FOR ALL, WE'VE ADDED THINGS THAT I THINK WILL BE MAKING US WAY MORE IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHERE WE WANT OUR KIDS TO BE AS THEY PREPARE TO GO TO COLLEGE OR EVEN AS THEY PURSUE CAREERS IN MATH, SCIENCE OR TECHNOLOGY. 
          [01:40:01]
SO WE'VE ADDED DATA SCIENCE WITH A LINK TO IONA UNIVERSITY FOR COLLEGE CREDIT VERY DELIBERATELY. 
          WE'VE ADDED TWO APS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE; PRINCIPLES AND AP COMPUTER SCIENCE A. 
          AND WE'VE ALSO ADDED COLLEGE-LEVEL ASTRONOMY, WHICH PICKS UP SOME OF THE EARTH SCIENCE THAT WOULD BE STUDIED AS PART OF AN EARTH SCIENCE ACCELERATION NOW. 
          SO THIS IS PART OF A VERY ROBUST PLAN TO ENHANCE OUR PROGRAM AND NOT TAKE AWAY FROM IT. 
          >> AND DOCTOR, I'M GLAD YOU HIGHLIGHTED THOSE COURSES BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO ASK WHAT ABOUT THE STUDENT WHO DOES WANT TO SPECIALIZE IN EARTH SCIENCE ONCE THEY GET INTO HIGH SCHOOL? 
          >> AND I WANT TO THANK TRACY FOR PREPARING ME FOR A QUESTION LIKE THAT BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO BE A METEOROLOGIST. [LAUGHTER] 
          >> SHE LITERALLY ASKED ME THAT QUESTION. 
          BECAUSE EARTH SCIENCE IS EMBEDDED, LIKE A QUARTER OF THE YEAR FOR NINE YEARS, IT WAS NOT IN THE ELEMENTARY CURRICULUM TRADITIONALLY. 
          NOW IT'S SPIRALED FOR NINE YEARS. 
          YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A ROBUST EXPERIENCE, NOT ONLY EARTH SCIENCE AND SPACE SCIENCE, EITHER CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS IS A LOT BETTER. 
          THEN ONE OF THE OTHER QUARTERS IS ENGINEERING, WHICH HAS BEEN ADDED. 
          IT WAS NEVER IN THE NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS. 
          YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A REALLY GOOD EXPERIENCE IN THOSE QUARTER PIECES FOR THOSE NINE YEARS. 
          THEY'RE GOING TO PREPARE YOU FOR ADVANCED STUDY IN HIGH SCHOOL, REGARDLESS OF WHICH OF THOSE AREAS YOU GO INTO, WHETHER IT'S AN EARTH SCIENCE OR PHYSICAL SCIENCE, LIFE SCIENCE OR COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          TO BE HONEST, WITH THE AI CONVERSATIONS, WE'RE HAVING A PART OF THAT TOO, BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT YOUR KIDS TO BE ONLY CAPABLE OF INFORMATION RETRIEVAL WHEN AI CAN RETRIEVE INFORMATION WAY FASTER THAN THEY CAN. 
          WE HAVE TO GET THEM TO BE ABLE TO USE INFORMATION, NOT JUST RECALL IT. 
          THAT BY THE WAY, DOESN'T MEAN WE ELIMINATE THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT AND CORE IDEAS. 
          IT'S A WHOLE THREE DIMENSIONAL APPROACH. 
          >> I WOULD JUST ADD TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT THE DIFFERENT LEVELS. 
          I THINK, A LOT OF MY CAREER HAS ACTUALLY BEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND THE RESEARCH IN MIDDLE SCHOOL WHOLE PHILOSOPHY AROUND MIDDLE SCHOOL EDUCATION IS THAT, DEVELOPMENTALLY, HETEROGENEOUS GROUPING IS ACTUALLY BETTER. 
          THIS DOES MOVE US IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, THAT MOVES US IN THAT DIRECTION ONE STEP MORE, AND PROVIDES ALL OF OUR STUDENTS THAT SAME RIGOROUS LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION. 
          I THINK IT'S A GOOD MOVE, PHILOSOPHICALLY, CERTAINLY FROM AN EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVE. 
          I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE BETTER FOR ALL OF OUR KIDS STRUCTURALLY, BUT THEN ADDITIONALLY TO TAKE EVERYTHING THAT DR. 
          CALLAHAN HAS SAID ABOUT WHAT IT'S GOING TO ALSO DO TO SUPPLEMENT OUR SCIENCE PROGRAM. 
          >> BUT TO TRY AND CONDENSE A LOT OF WHAT I'VE HEARD, SO I'M THINKING ABOUT IT, TO THE EXTENT THERE'S RESISTANCE FROM SOME PARENTS, THAT'S LIKELY GOING TO BE AROUND RESISTANCE FROM PARENTS WHO, ONE, BELIEVE MORE IN FACT-BASED LEARNING. 
          TWO, PARENTS WHO DON'T WANT TO LOSE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THEIR KIDS TO BE ON AN ACCELERATED PROGRAM. 
          ARE THOSE THE TWO POTENTIAL, MOST LIKELY, REASONS FOR THE RESISTANCE THAT WE'LL HEAR ON THIS? 
          >> DEFINITELY, WE'RE GOING TO GET RESISTANCE, BUT IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE AS YOU, AND IF WE HAD A LOT OF TEACHERS ON THE COMMITTEE TOO, WHEN YOU ASK KIDS TO THINK CRITICALLY AND AUTHENTICALLY, OUR HONORS KIDS ACTUALLY STRUGGLE WITH THAT. 
          ACCELERATION AND PEOPLE LOOK AT IT AS A VEHICLE TO A BETTER TRANSCRIPT FOR COMPETITIVE COLLEGE APPLICATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AND SO YOU DEFINITELY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN WHY WE'RE DOING THIS, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, PEOPLE WILL SEE IT AND SOME PEOPLE WON'T. 
          BUT THE RESEARCH IS BEHIND THE FACT THAT LAYING A CORE, LIKE LAYING A FOUNDATION WILL LEAD TO FUTURE SUCCESS. 
          WE HAVE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE SHOWN US THAT THAT'S WHERE OUR STUDENTS REALLY EXCEL IN SCIENCE. 
          I THINK YOU'RE YOU'RE GOING TO GET PARENTS WHO WOULD LIKE A MORE TRADITIONAL APPROACH. 
          THAT WOULD WANT AN HONORS PATHWAY IN EIGHTH GRADE, THAT WOULD WANT AN ACCELERATED PATHWAY IN EIGHTH GRADE. 
          WE THINK THIS IS WHAT'S BEST FOR ALL KIDS, AND CERTAINLY, CAN UNDERSTAND THAT THERE MIGHT BE A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION. 
          BUT THIS IS WHERE THE RESEARCH IS TELLING US WE NEED TO GO. 
          THIS IS WHERE VERY COMPETITIVE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT WE GET FEEDBACK FROM TELL US WE NEED TO DO MORE OF THIS IN THE 21ST CENTURY AND HOLDING ON TO SOME OF THOSE OLDER PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES AND THOSE BELIEF SYSTEMS THAT ACCELERATION IS THE PATH TO YOUR BEST COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT OR EVEN A GOOD SCIENCE EDUCATION MIGHT NOT BE NECESSARILY TRUE. 
          >> I THINK THE POINT THAT DR. CALLAHAN MADE EARLIER, 
          [01:45:01]
IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE TAKING AWAY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ACCELERATION, BUT IN FACT, WE'RE ADDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACCELERATION AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, AND THEN CREATING A MORE ROBUST FOUNDATIONAL SCIENCE SKILLS CONTEXT, LEARNING EXPERIENCE SO THAT STUDENTS CAN BE MORE SUCCESSFUL IN THOSE ACCELERATED OPTIONS AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL WHERE THEY BEGIN TO SPECIALIZE. 
          THAT'S PART OF IT. THEN I THINK SOMETHING ELSE TO BE STRESSED IS THAT, THIS IS NOT TAKING AWAY THAT FACTS BASED. 
          THE STUDENTS LEARN THE CONTENT. 
          THEY JUST LEARN IT DIFFERENTLY. 
          IT'S BASED ON THOSE BEST PRACTICES THAT AP EXAM, THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM, NOW NEW YORK STATE, IS REFLECTING THE RESEARCH IN LEARNING THAT EVIDENCES THAT STUDENTS LEARN BEST WHEN THEY CAN APPLY THEIR LEARNING TO REAL LIFE AND AUTHENTIC LEARNING EXPERIENCES, AND THEY CAN ALSO RECOGNIZE THE INTERDISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS. 
          WE WERE ALL USED TO PROBABLY LEARNING IN SILOS. 
          I GO TO MATH, I LEARN ABOUT MATH. 
          I GO TO SCIENCE, I LEARN ABOUT SCIENCE, AND SO ON. 
          THIS APPROACH, THE MIP APPROACH, THE APPROACH OF THE NISSL STANDARDS IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL OF THAT APPROACH MATCHES THE RESEARCH AND BEST PRACTICES FOR LEARNING AND LEARNING BEYOND THE TEST DAY, LEARNING FOR LIFE, AND BUILDING THAT CONFIDENCE BASED ON SUCCESS AND ENGAGEMENT THAT STUDENTS NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL LATER ON. 
          >> I'VE ACTUALLY READ A LOT OF THE RESEARCH THAT TALKS ABOUT THIS, AND THIS IS EXCITING FOR OUR DISTRICT TO ME, THIS MAKES A LOT OF SENSE FOR OUR KIDS HERE. 
          THE RESEARCH SHOWS THAT REAL LIFE APPLICATION, THIS AUTHENTIC LEARNING EXPERIENCE IS WHAT THEY CAN RELATE TO IT, THEY UNDERSTAND IT. 
          THEY CAN TAKE IT, INTERNALIZE IT, BUILD ON IT. 
          THEN THOSE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS, THEY'RE ABLE TO DRAW THAT OUT. 
          WE'VE ALL SEEN KIDS THAT YOU ASK THEM A QUESTION, AND THEY GO, WELL, CAN YOU JUST TELL ME THE ANSWER? BECAUSE THEY CAN'T GET THE INFORMATION OUT OF THEIR BRAIN, BECAUSE THEY'VE MAYBE MEMORIZED IT. 
          I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS AROUND JUST THAT. 
          HOW ARE WE THINKING ABOUT THEN? BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, WE WILL HAVE A FEW KIDS WHO HAVE NEVER STRUGGLED BEFORE, BECAUSE THEY'RE GREAT AT MEMORIZATION. 
          THEN WE MIGHT HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF KIDS WHO'VE BEEN STRUGGLING TO REMEMBER INFORMATION, WHO MIGHT BE FINDING THEMSELVES TO BE VERY SUCCESSFUL IN THIS NEW LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR THEM. 
          HOW ARE WE PREPARING TO, MAYBE, HELP THOSE KIDS WHO'VE NEVER STRUGGLED BEFORE, UNDERSTAND THIS DIFFERENT TYPE OF LEARNING. 
          >> IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE GROWING PAINS THAT ARE PART OF THAT TRANSITION. 
          BUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IS, BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN A 10-YEAR PLAN, WE'VE STARTED DOING THIS IN KINDERGARTEN AS PART OF OUR SCIENCE 21 PROGRAM. 
          THE KIDS THAT ARE COMING UP TO THE HIGH SCHOOL EXPECT TO LEARN THIS WAY NOW. 
          WE STILL HAVE SOME AREAS WHERE, AND BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC AND COMPLETING THE SPIRAL, IT'S TOUGH TO DO HANDS-ON LEARNING. 
          YOU HAD TO BREAK THE SPIRAL WHEN YOU'RE ON A COMPUTER. 
          WE HAD TO READJUST AFTER THAT. 
          SOME OF OUR KIDS THAT ARE COMING UP TO THE HIGH SCHOOL DIDN'T HAVE THAT FULL EXPERIENCE. 
          BUT RIGHT NOW, OUR LIFE SCIENCE CLASSES, AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT OUR REGIONS ARE ALL CHANGING TO THIS. 
          YOU'LL PROBABLY HEAR FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE LIKE, WHY AREN'T WE TEACHING LIVING ENVIRONMENT, BIOLOGY THE WAY WE USED TO. 
          THE STATE IS REQUIRING THIS CHANGE IN THE REGIONS AREAS. 
          BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, WE'VE PREPARED FOR IT STARTING IN KINDERGARTEN, AND WORKING OUR WAY UP AS PART OF THAT 13-YEAR PLAN THAT LITERALLY STARTED 10 YEARS AGO. 
          BUT THE OTHER THING IS, OUR TEACHERS ARE LEARNING HOW TO DO THIS, AND THEY'RE LEARNING HOW TO DISCUSS PRODUCTIVE STRUGGLE WITH OUR KIDS. 
          THAT IDEA BEHIND PRODUCTIVE STRUGGLE AS A MORE AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE, IS PART OF THE CONVERSATION. 
          BECAUSE AGAIN, WHEN WE WERE LEARNING AND I WAS LEARNING IN THE 1980S, I COULD NOT RETRIEVE INFORMATION FROM A COMPUTER. 
          I HAD TO GO TO OUR CATALOG AT A LIBRARY. 
          OUR KIDS CAN RETRIEVE INFORMATION ON THEIR PHONE, AND WITH AI, THEY CAN DO IT VERY EFFICIENTLY AND ANSWER ALMOST ANY INFORMATION-BASED QUESTION THEY CAN ASK. 
          BUT WHAT YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO DO IS ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS THEY GOT INFORMATION YOU NEED, AND THEN KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT. 
          THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GOING. 
          IF WE STAY WHERE WE WERE, WE'LL BE PREPARING OUR KIDS FOR A WORLD THAT DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE. 
          THAT'S REALLY WHY WE WANT TO BE ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF THIS STUFF. 
          WE'VE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE ON WHERE WE WANTED TO BE, 
          [01:50:01]
BECAUSE WE KNOW THESE STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR A LONG TIME AND IF WE'RE GOING TO CHANGE IT, WE NEED TO BE VERY THOUGHTFUL ABOUT IT. 
          WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK TO MAKE SURE WE'RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. 
          >> MY SECOND QUESTION OR THOUGHT HAS TO DO WITH THIS CONCEPT AROUND LIKE ACCELERATION, AND THE COMMUNITY OR THE PROS AND CONS, MAYBE, THAT PEOPLE WILL SEE WITH LIKE EITHER, I GUESS, THEY'LL SEE IT AS MAYBE LIKE, REMOVING THAT ACCELERATION OPTION, AND TO BE ABLE FOR THE BOARD OR FOR US TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WHY THAT ISN'T REALLY A REMOVAL OR A NEGATIVE, THE BENEFITS AROUND IT. 
          WHEN YOU WERE TALKING, THE WAY I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT, WHAT IT REMINDED ME OF WAS, THE CONTROVERSY AROUND THE GRADE SKIPPING, AND HOW THAT USED TO BE A PRACTICE THAT PEOPLE WOULD DO ALL THE TIME, LIKE, KIDS WOULD SKIP GRADES, AND THEN RESEARCH OVER TIME SHOWED THAT THOSE CHILDREN THAT WERE ACCELERATED IN GRADE SKIPPED SUFFERED SOCIALLY, EMOTIONALLY, AND DIDN'T BUILD THOSE FOUNDATIONAL SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SKILLS THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE SUCCESSFUL WHEN THEY GOT TO THE MORE INTENSE HIGHER EXPECTATION LEVELS OF THEIR EDUCATION. 
          WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS, THAT IS WHAT CAME TO MY MIND ABOUT THOSE FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT ACCELERATING THROUGH THAT, BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE LEARNING IN AN AUTHENTIC WAY, YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR TIME TO BE ABLE TO BUILD ALL OF THOSE SKILLS SO THAT THEY'RE FULLY FORMED SO THAT WHEN YOU GET TO THOSE HIGHER LEVEL GRADES OR HIGHER LEVEL EXPECTATION PLACES THAT YOU CAN HAVE SOMETHING TO LEAN ON, AND PULL FROM TO GET YOU THROUGH AND PERSEVERE THROUGH THOSE TIMES. 
          IS THAT MY THINKING ABOUT THAT? 
          >> THAT'S PERFECT. WHAT WE'RE DOING IS THE ACCELERATION OF OPTIONS ACTUALLY HAVE EXPANDED. 
          TAKING EARTH SCIENCE AWAY, WE'VE JUST PUT THEM IN A DIFFERENT PLACE. 
          THERE ARE MORE OPPORTUNITIES NOW THAN EVER BEFORE TO GET ADVANCED STANDING CREDIT IN COLLEGE IN MATH AND SCIENCE. 
          WHEN I GOT HERE, THERE ARE NO AP COMPUTER SCIENCE CLASSES. 
          NOW WE HAVE REALLY THREE CLASSES THAT CAN BE USED FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE CREDIT. 
          DATA SCIENCE CAN COUNT AS COMPUTER SCIENCE CREDIT, ALONG WITH BOTH AP CLASSES. 
          THE ASTRONOMY CLASS IS AN ADDITIONAL SCIENCE CLASS. 
          WE HAVE FOUR YEARS OF SCIENCE RESEARCH. 
          YOU CAN GET COLLEGE CREDIT FOR SCIENCE RESEARCH, THEN WE HAVE A LOT OF APS. 
          THE ACCELERATION, I THINK, IS A MORE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PLACE SO THAT WE'VE REALLY LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR REALLY GOOD SCIENTIFIC PURSUITS LATER ON. 
          BECAUSE THE THING THAT SOMETIMES WE TALK ABOUT THE KIDS THAT REQUIRE ACCELERATION, BUT DON'T FORGET, WE HAVE KIDS THAT TRANSFER INTO OUR DISTRICT THAT DIDN'T HAVE EARTH SCIENCE WHERE THEY CAME FROM. 
          NOW WE HAVE TO PUT THEM IN AN EARTH SCIENCE CLASS BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY THING WE HAVE. 
          THOSE KIDS STRUGGLE OR YOU HAVE A ENL STUDENT THAT HAS TO GO IN AN ACCELERATED CLASS BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY THING WE HAVE, AND THEY'RE STILL LEARNING ENGLISH. 
          WE'RE LIKE, YOU GOT TO PASS THIS REGIONS. 
          WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR LEARNERS IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN A VERY BIG PART OF THIS WHOLE PROCESS. 
          TO YOUR POINT, THE SOCIALIZATION PROCESS, CAN A KID WORK IN A TEAM TO SOLVE A PROBLEM OR CAN THEY ONLY WORK IN ISOLATION IS A HUGE PART OF THAT SKILL SET. 
          SUZANNE AND I HAVE ALREADY STARTED TALKING, SHE'S A GREAT PARTNER AND SHE LOVES THE IDEA OF CROSS GRAD, I'M SORRY TO PUT HER ON THE SPOT HERE, BUT WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT WAYS WE CAN DO MORE CROSS CURRICULAR LEARNING IF EVERY KID IS TAKING SCIENCE AID, AND WE CAN CROSS POLLINATE IN ELA, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND ALSO IN MATH. 
          WE'RE ALREADY LOOKING FOR WAYS WE PAVE THE PATH. 
          WE BELIEVE THAT WE WANT OUR KIDS TO HAVE THE BEST SCIENCE EDUCATION AT ANY SCHOOL IN THE AREA, AND HOPEFULLY, IN THE COUNTRY, AND WE BELIEVE THIS IS A WAY TO DO IT, AND THAT'S WHERE WE ALWAYS SET OUR SITES. 
          WHEN WE LOOK AT THOSE 35 PERCENTILE IN THE STATE, I SAY, I DON'T WANT OUR KIDS TO BE ANYWHERE NEAR THAT. 
          IF YOU LOOK AT WHERE WE STRUGGLED AND WHY WE'RE AT 67%, IT'S BECAUSE OUR KIDS NEED TO LEARN HOW TO ASK BETTER QUESTIONS, DESIGN BETTER MODELS, DESIGN BETTER PROCEDURES FOR EXPERIMENTATION, AND DRAW BETTER CONCLUSIONS. 
          THAT'S WHAT OUR FIFTH GRADE DATA SAYS. 
          THAT'S WHERE WE STRUGGLED IS ASKING QUESTIONS, MAKING MODELS, AND DESIGNING SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS. THAT'S WHERE WE WANT TO GO. 
          >> I'M GOING TO MAYBE ASK YOU TO DO SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE CHALLENGING, BUT IN THREE SENTENCES. 
          >> OH, GOD. 
          >> I KNOW. 
          >> IT SHOWS LIKE, COME ON. 
          >> LET'S SEE IF YOU COULD DO THIS GUYS. 
          >> HE CAN DO IT. IF ANYONE CAN DO IT, HE CAN DO IT. 
          >> IN THREE SENTENCES, COULD YOU SUMMARIZE OR WHY THIS ISN'T REDUCING ACADEMIC RIGOR, WHY THIS IS HELPING OR INCREASING? 
          [01:55:03]
          >> YES. BECAUSE CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING ISN'T ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU CAN MEMORIZE AND REGURGITATE. 
          IT'S ABOUT BEING FACED WITH AN AUTHENTIC SITUATION AND TRANSFERRING YOUR KNOWLEDGE FROM ONE CONTEXT TO ANOTHER TO BETTER SOLVE PROBLEMS. 
          >> THAT'S ONE SENTENCE. 
          >> SINCE HE DIDN'T USE ALL HIS [OVERLAPPING]. 
          >> I THINK THERE WAS A COMMA. 
          >> THERE WAS A COMMA FROM THAT POINT, WELL DONE. 
          >> I'LL REFER TO MY COLLEAGUE THERE FOR THE ENGLISH PIECE TO THAT. 
          >> THEN SINCE DR. CALLAHAN DIDN'T USE ALL HIS SENTENCES, I'LL JUST ADD TO THAT, IT'LL BE MORE THAN THREE, BUT WHAT WE IN EDUCATION HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR OVER 30 YEARS IS PREPARING STUDENTS WITH 21ST CENTURY KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS. 
          IT'S BEEN A CONSTANT REFRAIN IN EDUCATION FOR OVER 30 YEARS. 
          HERE WE ARE 24 YEARS INTO THE 21ST CENTURY, AND WE'RE STILL TALKING ABOUT IT. 
          THIS TRANSITION REPRESENTS THE TRANSITION TO PREPARING STUDENTS TO SUCCEED IN A FUTURE THAT TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING SO RAPIDLY THAT WE CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE IT. 
          WHEN THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE THAT, AND THE MARKETPLACE IS CHANGING SO DRASTICALLY, WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE SKILLS THAT STUDENTS WILL NEED IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN A WORLD THAT WE CAN'T PREDICT. 
          THOSE SKILLS ARE COLLABORATION, CRITICAL THINKING, INQUIRY, AND ALL OF THE SKILLS THAT MAKE US HUMAN. 
          THEN OF COURSE, AS DR. CALLAHAN DID DRAW TO THE CONNECTION TO AI ALSO, WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THE HUMAN SKILLS THAT CAN TRANSLATE INTO MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES AND MULTIPLE EXPERIENCES, BECAUSE THE WORLD THAT OUR KINDERGARTNERS, THE MARKETPLACE THEY'RE GOING TO BE ENTERING, WE CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. 
          WE NEED TO REALLY GET BEYOND THIS INFORMATION RETENTION THAT CAN BE REPLACED BY MACHINES, AND FOCUS ON THE HUMAN SKILLS THAT THEY BRING TO THE TABLE TO MAKE THEM SUCCESSFUL IN THAT UNPREDICTABLE MARKETPLACE. 
          >> THAT WAS A IMPORTANT THING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT DURING THE STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          >> DR. HAN, YEAH. 
          >> YOU MENTIONED BIOLOGY, I'M NOT GOING TO PUT A SENTENCE LIMIT ON IT. 
          I'VE SEEN SOME DISCUSSION AMONG PARENTS ABOUT A DISORIENTING EXPERIENCE WITH BIOLOGY THIS YEAR. 
          I DON'T HAVE FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE, BUT I WAS HOPING MAYBE YOU COULD TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT WHAT THE CHANGES HAVE BEEN AND WHAT'S DRIVING IT. 
          >> ABSOLUTELY. THERE'S SOME MISINFORMATION OUT THERE BECAUSE I'M AWARE OF IT. 
          IT'S COME MY WAY AND SOME PARENTS HAVE REACHED OUT DIRECTLY. 
          THE STATE HAS REQUIRED US TO CHANGE LIVING ENVIRONMENT TO LIFE SCIENCE. 
          THE NEW LIFE SCIENCE CALLED LIFE SCIENCE BIOLOGY USED TO BE LIVING ENVIRONMENT. 
          THE FOCUS REALLY IS ON THOSE STANDARDS THAT I JUST MENTIONED, SOME OF THOSE PROCESS BASED STANDARDS. 
          IT HAS MOVED AWAY FROM A LOT OF THE MEMORIZATION THAT USED TO BE IN THE OLD STANDARDS. 
          AS CLAIRE MENTIONED, THOSE STANDARDS WERE 30-YEARS-OLD, AND UNLIKE MATH, WHICH HAS CHANGED MANY, MANY TIMES OVER 30 YEARS, SCIENCE HAS NEVER CHANGED IN 30 YEARS. 
          WHAT THEY HAVE DONE AND IT'S BASED ON ALL THIS RESEARCH IS THEY'RE SAYING LESS MEMORIZATION, MORE HANDS ON LEARNING. 
          THAT TRANSITION FOR OUR KIDS, ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT ARE HIGH FLYERS, HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT ONE. 
          WE'VE ALL BEEN TRAINED THIS WAY BECAUSE WE GREW UP THIS WAY, STUDY GUIDE BEFORE A BIG TEST. 
          THERE IT IS, HOW WELL DID YOU REMEMBER WHAT'S ON THE STUDY GUIDE? NOW WE'RE ASKING KIDS TO, YOU NEED TO DESIGN AN EXPERIMENT THAT PROVES TO ME THAT GASES EXPAND WHEN THE TEMPERATURE GOES UP. 
          WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? WELL, THEN THE FIRST THING THEY WANT IS FOR THE TEACHER TO TELL THEM WHAT THE TEACHER EXPECTS THEM TO DO. 
          THE TEACHER CAN DO THAT. 
          THE SHIFT IS FROM TEACHER CENTERED KNOWLEDGE PONTIFICATING TO STUDENT CENTERED EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING WHERE THEY HAVE TO ENGAGE WITH THE CONCEPTS THEY'RE TRYING TO LEARN SO THAT THOSE CONCEPTS BECOME INTERNALIZED AND NOT FORGOTTEN RIGHT AFTER THE TEST. 
          THAT IS A HUGE SHIFT BECAUSE NONE OF US LEARNED THIS WAY. 
          OUR PARENTS HAVEN'T LEARNED THIS WAY, IT MAKES US ALL VERY UNCOMFORTABLE, AND IT MAKES KIDS WHO ARE USED TO DOING THAT VERY, VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. 
          YOU'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO SEE THAT. 
          JUST SO YOU KNOW, TOO, IT'S NOT AN OPTIONAL SHIFT. 
          WE HAD TO CHANGE LIFE SCIENCE, AND TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, IT'S A GOOD SHIFT. 
          BUT IT'S GOING TO DISORIENT US FOR A WHILE BECAUSE OUR KIDS ARE NOT USED TO THAT. 
          AS WE GOT THE QUESTION EARLIER, I THINK AS OUR KIDS GET MORE AND MORE USED TO THE FACT THAT THEY 
          [02:00:02]
HAVE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS WITHOUT US GIVING THEM ALL THE INFORMATION, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY WILL LEARN TO GET BETTER AT. 
          BUT WHILE WE'RE SHIFTING TO THIS, AND IT'S NOT JUST US. 
          IT'S NOT JUST OUR PARENTS, IT'S EVERYWHERE IN THE STATE THAT THINKS WE SHOULD REALLY GO TO THAT, THEY THINK THEY EQUATE HOW MUCH INFORMATION YOU CAN STUFF INTO A UNIT WITH HOW WELL A STUDENT IS DOING OR HOW THEY'RE LEARNING. 
          WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT EVERYWHERE. IT'S NOT JUST US. 
          CHERYL KNOWS THIS, I THINK OUR BIG THING IS TEACHING PEOPLE WHY THIS IS HAPPENING, AND WE'RE GOING TO GET RESISTANCE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T LEARN THIS WAY. 
          BUT LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THAT IT'S ROOTED IN VERY, VERY GOOD RESEARCH. 
          HOW MANY OF YOU CAN DO AN ENGLISH TO METRIC SYSTEM OR METRIC SYSTEM TO ENGLISH CONVERSION RIGHT NOW? WELL, YOU PROBABLY ALL MEMORIZED IT. 
          DO YOU EVER USE IT? WHERE TO GO? IT'S GONE. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO GET KIDS TO USE THE INFORMATION SO THEY RETAIN IT. 
          WE MIGHT HAVE MEMORIZED A LOT, BUT MOST OF US DON'T REMEMBER ANY OF THE STUFF WE MEMORIZED. 
          >> I WONDER IF IT WOULD BE HELPFUL BECAUSE I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF PARENTS WHO WANT TO BE HELPFUL WITH THEIR KIDS IN PREPARING FOR TESTS AND STUFF, EVEN IF IT'S NOT EVERY TEST, BUT SOMETIMES. 
          IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT PROCESS TO STUDY FOR THESE TESTS, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT COMMUNICATION THERE'S BEEN BOTH TO STUDENTS AND TO PARENTS ABOUT HOW TO THINK ABOUT THAT AND AND WHAT THOSE ADJUSTMENTS MIGHT LOOK LIKE. 
          >> WE WERE THINKING AHEAD TO THAT VERY QUESTION. 
          WE'VE PLANNED A MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM NIGHT FOR NOVEMBER 19, SEE HOW I GOT THAT PLUG IN THERE BECAUSE WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT WITH OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL. 
          >> THAT SOFTBALL. 
          >> THERE YOU GO. I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          SO THAT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENTS CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND WHY WE HOPE TO MAKE THIS TRANSITION, WHY WE THINK IT MAKES SENSE. 
          WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT IN THE CONTEXT OF ALL THE OTHER DISCIPLINES AND THE IB WITH MS. SABA, DR. THOMPSON, AND ALSO WITH MS. SHORT. 
          WE'RE GOING TO PUT TOGETHER A PROGRAM FOR THE 19TH ALEX IS ACTUALLY GETTING READY TO SEND OUT COMMUNICATIONS REGARDING THAT. 
          WE'RE GOING TO COVER THAT BECAUSE WE DO WANT TO HAVE INFORMATION SESSION. 
          CHERYL HAS ALSO CREATED DR. CALLAHAN SCIENCE TOUR. 
          I'LL BE ALONG WITH CLAIRE. 
          I'LL BE VISITING SOME PTAC MEETINGS, SITE BASED MEETINGS. 
          I THINK A BOARD COFFEE. 
          [OVERLAPPING] I MIGHT HAVE JUST VOLUNTEERED MYSELF FOR AN ADDITIONAL. 
          I THOUGHT I WAS DOING A [OVERLAPPING] 
          >> I'LL BUY THE COFFEE. 
          >> BUT PART OF THIS IS REALLY I WANT PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO ASK ME QUESTIONS. 
          WE'RE GOING TO GET PUSHED BACK FOR SURE, BUT THIS IS ALL ROOTED IN VERY, VERY GOOD RESEARCH. 
          IF ANYBODY KNOWS ME, WE WERE JUST IN WITH THE STS KIDS. 
          OUR DEADLINE FOR REGENERON IS TOMORROW. 
          THE KIDS ARE ACTUALLY PROBABLY STILL HERE, DON'T GO MAD ABOUT THAT, BUT WE HAVE A DEADLINE FOR THAT TOMORROW, AND THE IDEA HERE IS, WE BELIEVE IN RIGOR, AND WE BELIEVE IN A HIGH QUALITY. 
          THIS IS NOT LESSENING THAT. 
          WE WANT TO BEEF THAT UP TO BE HONEST WITH YOU AND PRINCIPAL SABA AND HER MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE. 
          KIDS ARE UNDER MS. BUCKLEY, AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE A TRANSITION PLAN FOR HOW THAT CAN GROW TO MORE KIDS IN SIXTH, SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADE AS WE MOVE OFF OF AN ACCELERATED. 
          WE HOPE OUR KIDS WILL ENGAGE IN MORE RESEARCH AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL BECAUSE OUR KIDS HAVE ACTUALLY WON NATIONAL COMPETITIONS OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL FOR DOING THIS. 
          THE IDEA IS TO BE VERY, VERY PROGRESSIVE BOARD THINKING AND TO CHALLENGE OUR KIDS IN THOSE AUTHENTIC CONTEXTS AS OPPOSED TO THOSE TRADITIONAL CONTEXTS. 
          >> I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION ABOUT I THINK CLAIRE, WHAT YOU SAID WAS I THINK, REALLY CRITICAL AROUND THOSE SKILLS, THE COLLABORATION, THOSE ARE LIKE A LIFELONG, THINGS THAT THEY'LL LEARN ASIDE FROM WHY MY TIRE GOES OFF, BUT THOSE ARE LIKE THE UNDERLYING. 
          EMBEDDED WITH THE STATE TESTS OR HOW WE LOOK AT THE RESULTS OF THIS, ARE THOSE EMBEDDED IN IT OR THEY ASSUME BECAUSE THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL AT THE PROFICIENT OF THE REGIONAL AND AGAINST IT? HOW ARE WE MEASURING THOSE SKILLS THAT ARE BEING BUILT WITHIN THE CURRICULUM? 
          >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THE STATE STANDARDS HAVE EMBEDDED SOME OF THOSE THINGS IN THEIR ASSESSMENT PRACTICES. 
          THAT INCLUDES, FOR EXAMPLE, THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS NEVER HAD TO DO LABS AS PART OF STATE REQUIREMENTS, THEY NOW HAVE TO COMPLETE FOUR LAB EXPERIENCES TO SIT FOR THE SCIENCE FIVE TEST, ONE IN THIRD GRADE, ONE AND FOURTH GRADE, AND TWO IN FIFTH GRADE. 
          THERE ARE RUBRICS WHERE WE ASSESS GROWTH THERE. 
          BUT ALSO IN THE ACTUAL NEW COMPUTER BASED SCIENCE FIVE TEST ITSELF, 
          [02:05:05]
IF YOU LOOK AT ALL THE STRANDS THAT ARE LISTED, THE STRANDS ARE BOTH AROUND CORE IDEAS. 
          FOR EXAMPLE, A K CONCEPT THAT GOES ALL THE WAY UP. 
          IT'S ACTUALLY AN EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE CONCEPT IS A SUN HEATS THE EARTH. 
          WE TEST THAT CORE IDEA AND THE REPERCUSSIONS OF THE SUN HEATING THE EARTH. 
          BUT WE ALSO ASSESS HOW STUDENTS ASK QUESTIONS, AND MAKE CHARTS. 
          THE OTHER THING IS, DO YOU WANT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL KID BEING GIVEN A DATA TABLE AND THEY FILL IN THE DATA TABLE AND THEY'RE ABOUT TO GO TO COLLEGE OR DO YOU WANT YOUR HIGH SCHOOL KID LOOKING AT THE DATA AND DECIDING WHAT THEIR DATA TABLE LOOKS LIKE FOR THEM SO THEY CAN PRESENT IT? BECAUSE NOT TOO LONG AGO, WHEN I WAS IN SCHOOL AND EVEN AS WE WERE STARTING TO DO AP WAS MAKING THE TRANSITION, WE WERE FILLING IN DATA TABLES AS IF A KID NEEDED THE TEMPLATE AND THEY'RE ABOUT READY TO GO TO COLLEGE. 
          HOW CRAZY IS THAT THAT YOU WOULD GIVE SOMEONE A TABLE WHEN THEY'RE ABOUT READY TO GO TO COLLEGE? WHY AREN'T THEY PUTTING THE DATA IN THEIR OWN TABLE? SOME OF THOSE PRACTICES, ALTHOUGH WE LIKE THEM, BECAUSE THEY'RE COMFORTABLE ARE NOT GOOD PRACTICES, AND THEY DO NOT REFLECT CRITICAL THINKING AT ALL. THAT'S WHERE WE'RE MOVING. 
          >> I THINK IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE SKILLS ARE EMBEDDED IN THE NISL STANDARDS, BUT THE BEAUTY OF PELHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL IS THAT WE ALSO HAVE THE MIP FRAMEWORK WHERE THE APPROACHES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING AND THE ATL SKILLS ARE EXPLICITLY AND INTENTIONALLY EMBEDDED INTO EACH UNIT AND CONTINUOUSLY EXPLICITLY TAUGHT INTO SO THAT STUDENTS ARE GUARANTEED AN EXPERIENCE IN WHICH THEY'RE DEVELOPING THOSE SKILLS THAT WE HIGHLIGHTED AND MORE. 
          >> THERE'S JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS I WANT YOU TO SAY BECAUSE LIKE CONNECTING A BUNCH OF THINGS IN MY MIND AS I'M LISTENING. 
          IF I THINK BACK TO TWO YEARS AGO, WHEN WE WERE SITTING IN THE HIGH SCHOOL CAFETERIA AS THE COFFEE GROUP AND WE WERE TRYING TO DEFINE WHAT EXCELLENCE MEANS IN PELHAM. 
          KNOWING WHAT WE KNOW NOW, WHAT ARE WE SAYING ABOUT OUR DEFINITION OF EXCELLENCE? DOES EXCELLENCE MEAN THAT WE WANT OUR KIDS TO BE ABLE TO MEMORIZE FACTS AND SPEW THEM OUT, ARE WE SAYING, WE WANT TO SEND OUR KIDS INTO A WORLD WHERE WE KNOW THEY CAN THINK, WE KNOW THEY CAN COLLABORATE, WE KNOW THEY CAN PROBLEM SOLVE? THERE'S TONS OF RESEARCH IN THE HR WORLD THAT ALSO SHOWS, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S GENE, WHICH HAVE GONE INTO THE WORKFORCE AND THEY ARE NOT CRITICAL THINKERS. 
          THEY WAIT FOR THEIR EMPLOYERS TO TELL THEM WHAT TO DO ON AN ASSIGNMENT, THEY WAIT TO BE DIRECTED, THEY'RE NOT FORWARD THINKING. 
          I THINK WHEN I THINK ABOUT HOW WE WANT TO DEFINE EXCELLENCE IN PELHAM. 
          ETHICALLY, WHAT WE NOW KNOW, WHAT RESEARCH IS TELLING US, I THINK WE'RE ACTUALLY ON THE CUSP OF SUCH AN EXCITING TIME AS EDUCATORS AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO TEACH OUR KIDS TO THINK ABOUT THINKING. 
          IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT SCIENCE. 
          THIS IS GOING TO CROSS OVER TO SOCIAL EMOTIONAL, OTHER SUBJECT AREAS BECAUSE IF I KNOW HOW I'M GOING TO LEARN TO THINK ABOUT PROBLEM SOLVING, I CAN APPLY THAT IN MY MIND TO A CONFLICT WITH MY FRIEND OR HOW I WANT TO APPROACH MY ESSAY IN US HISTORY. 
          I THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE WE SAYING MEANS? I KNOW THAT'S HARD. 
          I WAS BROUGHT UP THAT WAY TOO. 
          WE'RE ALL CONDITIONED TO THINK FASTER IS BETTER. 
          THE HIGHER SCORE IS BETTER AND THE PRODUCTIVE STRUGGLE AS PARENTS, WE ALL GO BACK FROM THAT BECAUSE WE JUST WANT TO MAKE IT BETTER FOR OUR KIDS, AND WE WANT THEM TO BE HERE. 
          BUT AGAIN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF WE THINK ABOUT WHAT IS OUR JOB AS THE ADULTS, DEALING WITH THESE INDIVIDUALS THAT WE'RE SENDING OUT INTO AN EVER CHANGING WORLD THAT IS RAPIDLY DEVELOPING. 
          HOW DO WE WANT TO DO THAT? I FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE AS A PERSON, AS AN EDUCATOR KNOWING THAT WE'RE TEACHING OUR KIDS HOW TO THINK AND PROBLEM SOLVE THAN JUST MEMORIZE FACTS. 
          WE KNOW THAT THE RESEARCH TELLS US THIS WAY OF DOING THINGS. 
          THE NEURAL PATHWAYS THAT YOU EMBED IN YOUR BRAIN WHEN YOU APPLY WHAT YOU KNOW ARE SO MUCH BETTER AND DEEPER AND LONGER STANDING THAN WHEN YOU MEMORIZE SOMETHING AND THEN YOU PUT IT ON A SHELF. 
          IT'S ACTUALLY THINK QUITE EXCITING. 
          I COMMEND DR. CALLAHAN BECAUSE HE'S BEEN ON THIS JOURNEY FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS KNOWING THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. 
          BUT I THINK WE HAVE SUCH AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY NOW, AS WE THINK ABOUT EDUCATING OUR KIDS WHAT THIS IS GOING TO MEAN, AND HOW WE WANT TO DEFINE EXCELLENCE HERE. 
          I ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THAT WEIGHT SO HEAVILY. 
          I FEEL SUCH RESPONSIBILITY TO THE TYPE OF INDIVIDUALS THAT WALK ACROSS THAT STAGE IN 12TH GRADE AND WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO BE LIKE IN THE REAL WORLD. 
          >> WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> WE'RE AT A VERY TRANSITIONAL POINT IN EDUCATION, AND IT'S GREAT TO KNOW THAT WE'VE GOTTEN HERE WITH 
          [02:10:03]
A LOT OF FORWARD THINKING AND PLANNING AND INTENTIONALITY. 
          REALLY, THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          THANKS TO THE COMMITTEE, TOO, PLEASE SEND THANKS TO THEM. 
          VERY GOOD. I THINK THAT ENDS MS. COMEFORD REPORT [LAUGHTER] FOR ADMINISTRATORS. 
          PLEASE HELP ME THANK YOU FOR PERSEVERING. 
          >> THANK YOU. 
          >> REALLY APPRECIATE IT. 
          >> NEXT, WE HAVE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT'S UPDATE ON BELONGING AND WELLNESS. 
          [4.5 Assistant Superintendent's Update on Belonging and Wellness]
          >> MAY. 
          >> YES. 
          >> A COUPLE OF THINGS TO SHARE. 
          SPEAKING OF TRI STATES ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, I ATTENDED THE SPECIAL EDUCATION OR PPS VERSION OF THE TRI STATES GROUP. 
          AGAIN, AS CHERYL MENTIONED, THAT IS SCHOOLS FROM WESTCHESTER, CONNECTICUT, NEW JERSEY. 
          WE ALL GET TOGETHER. 
          WE TALK ABOUT THE TRENDS THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING IN OUR AREAS, A COUPLE OF COMMON THEMES AND WHAT A LOT OF DISTRICTS ARE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR TO WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING HERE, INCREASED NUMBERS OF STUDENTS ENTERING CPSC, THE STARK RISE IN STUDENTS WITH 504 ACCOMMODATION PLANS, SCHOOL AVOIDANCE IS A TREND THAT WE'RE SEEING, INCREASED REQUESTS BY PARENTS FOR INDEPENDENT EDUCATIONAL EVALUATIONS, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ICT PROGRAMS. ANOTHER THING THAT CAME UP, WHAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING WAS THIS SURGEON GENERAL'S REPORT. 
          PARENTS UNDER PRESSURE, IF YOU HAVEN'T READ IT, IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING READ. 
          IT'S I THINK SOMETHING WE TALK A LOT ABOUT, STUDENT AND STAFF SOCIAL EMOTIONAL WELLNESS, WHAT'S NOT EFFECT. 
          LET'S NOT FORGET OUR PARENTS AND THE PRESSURES THAT THEY'RE EXPERIENCING ALSO IN EVER CHANGING WORLD. 
          IF YOU GET TO READ IT, IT'S REALLY AN INTERESTING READ. 
          ON WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 30, I ALSO ATTENDED OUR SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER BOSE SPECIAL ED DIRECTORS MEETING. 
          DR. COLES, WHO'S THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER BOSE'S TALKED AGAIN ABOUT THE BLUE RIBBON PANEL. 
          AGAIN, THAT'S ANOTHER CONNECTION ABOUT THIS WHOLE TOPIC BECAUSE THE STATE IS ALSO THINKING ABOUT WHERE DO REGENTS AND TEST SCORES FIT IN ALL OF THIS AND TALKING A LOT ABOUT WHAT IS A PORTRAIT OF A LEARNER LOOK LIKE IN NEW YORK STATE? WHAT ARE THE CRITICAL SKILLS THAT WE WANT GRADUATES TO HAVE IN LINE WITH THIS DISCUSSION TONIGHT. 
          I THINK THIS MONTH, CHERYL, IT WAS WHEN THE BOARD OF REGION OR THE BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION PRESENTED TO THE BOARD OF REGIONS ON THIS AND THEN THERE'S A PERIOD OF TIME FOR QUESTION AND ANSWER, PUBLIC COMMENT. 
          JUST ALSO TO MENTION THAT TOMORROW IS SEPTA MEETING. 
          THIS IS THE MEETING WHEN SEPTA CO-PRESIDENTS INVITE MYSELF, DR. BIRO, MR. LAU, TO PRESENT ON SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN THE DISTRICT. 
          WE GET TO TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU SUSPECT YOUR CHILD HAS A DISABILITY, THE IMPORTANCE OF MTSS IN THAT PROCESS. 
          OUR BUILDING SEPTA LIAISONS WILL BE THERE, SO IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PARENTS TO MEET SEPTA LIAISONS. 
          THAT'S TOMORROW. 
          JUST ALSO AS A REMINDER, WE DO HAVE ON NOVEMBER 12, OUR JOINT SPECIAL EDUCATION FAIR THAT MR. LAU WORKED IN COLLABORATION WITH HIS COUNTERPART IN SCARSDALE, AND THIS WILL BE A RECREATION FAIR. 
          THAT IS GOING TO BE HOSTED AT SCARSDALE IN CONNECTION WITH AGENCIES THAT SERVICE STUDENTS WHO ARE CONNECTED TO OPDD. 
          I WANT TO THANK GREG AGAIN FOR DOING THAT WORK. 
          AS MS. GARCIA MENTIONED, WE DID HAVE OUR FIRST WELLNESS COMMITTEE MEETING LAST WEEK. 
          SOME OF THE THINGS THAT AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WORK THAT WE DO ON THE WELLNESS COMMITTEE CONNECTS TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE ACTION STEPS IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT AS A COMMITTEE THIS YEAR, MAY BE SEL SCREENERS. 
          WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT MTSS AND TIERS OF SEL SUPPORT, AND ALSO A TOPIC THAT CAME UP WAS INCREASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES, ESPECIALLY AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL. 
          >> ALSO ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29TH, I DID ATTEND A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP WITH DR. ANTHONY POLIFICO. 
          HE RUNS THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR ANXIETY RELATED DISORDERS. 
          WE WERE TALKING AGAIN ABOUT THE TREND OF ANXIETY AND SCHOOL AVOIDANCE AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO COMBAT THAT AND HOW WE CAN FURTHER SUPPORT STUDENTS. 
          ALSO, I WANTED TO MENTION TOO LAST MONDAY, OCTOBER 28TH, PELHAM TOGETHER HAD THEIR LAST VIRTUAL PRESENTATION IN THEIR SERIES ON DIGITAL AWARENESS. 
          SARAH TROMBLEY, WHO'S THE LOCAL EXPERT ON THIS, PRESENTED ON FRIENDSHIP AND TEXTING AND IF YOU DO GO TO PELHAM TOGETHER'S WEBSITE, 
          [02:15:04]
THEY HAVE ALL OF THE RECORDINGS MISS TROMBLEY DID IN THE SERIES. 
          AGAIN, SUPER INTERESTING, AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. 
          SHE GAVE A LOT OF VERY PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARENTS, HOW TO HANDLE THIS, HOW TO BE INVOLVED, WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE DIGITAL PLATFORMS THAT ARE EVER-CHANGING SO IT WAS A GREAT PRESENTATION. 
          I JUST ALSO WANTED TO MENTION IN TERMS OF OUR SCHOOL COUNSELING DEPARTMENT THE COLLEGE BOARD JUST ANNOUNCED THAT OUR PSCT SCORES ARE GOING TO BE RELEASED TO STUDENTS WITHIN THE COMING DAYS SO ONCE THE SCORES ARE AVAILABLE, THE STUDENTS ARE GOING TO GET AN EMAIL FROM COLLEGE BOARD WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DO THAT AND HOW TO ACCESS THE SCORES. 
          THE SCORES AGAIN, PROVIDE VALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO STUDENT PERFORMANCE. 
          IT PREDICTS WHAT YOUR SAT SCORE MIGHT BE AND YOUR PROGRESS TOWARDS COLLEGE BENCHMARKS AND IT'S A GOOD TOOL IN YOUR COLLEGE PLANNING PROCESS. 
          ALSO, MR. FARRELL HAS BEEN WORKING WITH CIVICS AND THEIR COLLABORATION CONTINUES. 
          THEY'RE FINALIZING THE PLANNING PROCESS OF THEIR CAREER PANELS, BUT THE TOPICS ON DECEMBER 6 COMING UP WILL BE DIGITAL CONTENT AND MARKETING SO THERE WILL BE LOTS OF CAREERS, I'M SURE THAT CONTINUE IN THAT WORLD. 
          JANUARY, THERE'S GOING TO BE A SERIES ON LAW, FEBRUARY WILL BE CAREERS AND EDUCATION, MARCH HEALTH, MAY WILL BE FOREIGN SERVICE AND NATIONAL SECURITY SO THEY'VE GOT A LOT OF REALLY GREAT FAIRS COMING UP THAT OUR KIDS CAN BE INVOLVED IN. 
          I WANT TO THANK MR. FARRELL AND CIVICS FOR PROVIDING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR KIDS TO LEARN MORE. 
          THEN JUST LASTLY, IN TERMS OF NURSING, OUR NURSES ARE WORKING VERY HARD. 
          DECEMBER 15TH, WE HAVE A DEADLINE TO REPORT TO THE STATE ON OUR SCHOOL IMMUNIZATION SURVEY. 
          WE HAVE TO DO THAT EVERY YEAR. 
          WE HAVE TO COMPLY WITH PUBLIC HEALTH LAW, WHICH TALKS ABOUT IMMUNIZATION COVERAGE AND OUR REPORTING REQUIREMENTS TO THE STATE. 
          THE SURVEY LOOKS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THIS YEAR. 
          MS JAMIE, WHO IS OUR NURSE COORDINATOR IS WORKING WITH OUR NURSES, JUST TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE UP TO SPEED ON THE NEW WAY THAT WE REPORT AND THAT WE REMAIN IN COMPLIANCE SO THAT WE GET ALL THE INFORMATION TO THE STATE BY OUR DEADLINES. 
          THAT'S IT FOR ME. THANK YOU. 
          >> THANK YOU. NEXT, 
          [4.6 Executive Director's Update on Human Resources and Leadership]
WE HAVE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S DATE ON HUMAN RESOURCES AND LEADERSHIP. 
          >> EVERYONE. THANK YOU. 
          YOU'LL SEE COMING UP LATER IN THE BOARD AGENDA, A FEW RESIGNATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS, SO WE'RE STILL VERY BUSY IN THE HR OFFICE ONBOARDING FOLKS INTO PELHAM. 
          BUT ONE THING I DO WANT TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO AS WE'RE COMING INTO DECEMBER, THERE IS A CLAUSE PROVISION IN THE TEACHER'S CONTRACT RELATIVE TO RETIREMENT. 
          STAFF WHO ARE OF RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY WHO SEND IN A LETTER OF IRREVOCABLE INTENT TO RETIRE THIS YEAR, DO HAVE A MONETARY INCENTIVE. 
          THAT WILL HELP US A LITTLE BIT WITH THE BUDGETING PROCESS. 
          HOWEVER, IT IS BITTERSWEET BECAUSE THESE ARE OUR STAFF MEMBERS WHO HAVE PROVIDED INCREDIBLE INSTRUCTION, WHO HAVE HELPED MENTOR OUR NEW STAFF, WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH CURRICULUM, WRITING, AND DEVELOPMENT FOR YEARS, AND SO WHILE IT'S AN EXCITING MOMENT FOR THEM TO RETIRE, THERE WILL BE A VOID LEFT WHEN THEY LEAVE. 
          WE'RE GEARING UP FOR STAFF TO LET US KNOW BY DECEMBER 2ND IF THAT IS SOMETHING THEY DO WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. 
          AGAIN, IT'LL HELP WITH THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT, BUT I DO THINK IT'S ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS WHERE IT'S CELEBRATORY, BUT I'M ALSO VERY BITTERSWEET ABOUT THEIR DEPARTURE. 
          I THINK THAT'S IT FOR MY BOARD REPORT, BUT I DID WANT TO BRING THAT TO YOUR ATTENTION BECAUSE WE ARE GEARING UP FOR BUDGET SEASON. 
          >> THANK YOU. NEXT, WE 
          [4.7 Assistant Superintendent's Update on Facilities and Sustainable Learning Environments]
HAVE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT'S UPDATE ON FACILITIES AND SUSTAINABLE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS. 
          [02:20:42]
          >> [INAUDIBLE] OTHER THAN THAT, WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON, I SHARED WITH THE BOARD RECENTLY. 
          WE'RE NOT A BUSING DISTRICT, BUT WE HAVE BUSES IN THE DISTRICT, AND WE DO HAVE STUDENTS THAT TRAVEL ON OUR YELLOW BUSES AND IF YOU WATCHED IN THE LOCAL NEWS RECENTLY, YOU'VE SEEN THE COUNTY PARTNERED WITH THE VENDOR AS PART OF INSTALLING CAMERAS ON SCHOOL BUS ARMS AS A MEANS OF ENFORCING GOOD TRAFFIC BEHAVIOR AND MAKING SURE PEOPLE DON'T PASS SCHOOL BUSES WHEN THOSE TRAFFIC ARMS AND LIGHTS ARE EXTENDED. 
          WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR DISTRICTS BECAUSE WE PARTNER WITH ROCKVILLE AND EASTCHESTER, PELHAM TAKAHO. 
          WE ALL WORK TOGETHER IN OUR CONSORTIUM, AND WE'VE ALL MET WITH THIS VENDOR TOGETHER AS A GROUP. 
          THEY'VE APPROACHED US OBVIOUSLY, BUT WE ALL MET TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO HAVE THESE ARMS AND THESE CONTRAPTIONS INSTALLED ON THE BUSES THAT TRANSPORT OUR STUDENTS. 
          IT'S A NO-COST PROGRAM TO THE DISTRICT, IT'S A NO-COST PROGRAM TO OUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES SO IT'S NOT LIKE THEY TAKE THE PICTURES AND THEN THE PICTURES GET SENT TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THEN THEY'VE GOT TO DO ALL THE WORK. 
          THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENS HERE. 
          BUT REALLY, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE PROGRAMS WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE AND A LOT OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF, IT LOOKS LIKE A PROGRAM WHERE WE COULD REALLY PUT SOME ATTENTION TOWARDS PEOPLE MAKING SURE THEY FOLLOW THE RIGHT TRAFFIC PATTERNS AND THEY REALLY PAY ATTENTION TO STUDENT SAFETY AROUND SCHOOL BUSES. 
          THAT'S SOMETHING WE'RE ALSO GOING TO TALK ABOUT AT THE SAFETY COMMITTEE, BASED ON THEIR RECOMMENDATION, I WOULD SAY THAT WOULD HAVE TO COME BEFORE THE SCHOOL BOARD FOR AN EVENTUAL PASSAGE, AND THE INSTALLATION OF SHOULD IT HAPPEN, WOULD PROBABLY HAPPEN IN THE SPRING TIME FRAME. 
          MANY OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE COUNTY HAVE ALSO TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THIS AND THERE'S A BIT OF A BACKLOG ON THAT. 
          THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE WE'RE WORKING ON TOWARDS SAFETY, AND I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING. 
          AGAIN, IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER, WE DO HAVE PELHAM STUDENTS ON YELLOW BUSES, NOT JUST THOSE WHO ARE ON THE IN-DISTRICT BUS, BUT THOSE 22 BUSES THAT TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT EVERY DAY, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY TRAVEL SAFELY AS WELL THERE. 
          THAT'S IMPORTANT TO US AS WELL. 
          OTHER THAN THAT, AGAIN, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF POLICY UPDATES. NO CHANGES. 
          THANK YOU TO THE FINANCE AUDIT COMMITTEES AND THE POLICY COMMITTEES FOR OUR TIME WORKING WITH THAT. 
          I'M GOING TO STOP TALKING. I THINK WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF GREAT INFORMATION TONIGHT, SO THANK YOU. 
          >> THANK YOU. NEXT IS 5.1 COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC, WHICH I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY. 
          >> SIGN UP LIST. 
          >> WHAT? 
          >> WE'LL CHECK THE LIST. 
          >> OKAY. I'LL MOVE TO 6.1. 
          [6.1 Motion to Accept a Donation]
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT A DONATION? 
          >> SO MOVED. 
          >> SECOND. 
          >> SECOND. 
          >> IT'S ACTUALLY FOUR DONATIONS. 
          I'LL JUST READ THEM. 
          RESOLVED THAT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE PELHAM UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT DOES HEREBY ACCEPT A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,000 TO SUPPORT THE PMHS MUSICIANS WHO ARE ATTENDING TRAVEL STUDY TRIP TO NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE IN MARCH 13TH-16TH, EXCITING TRIP, AND THAT GRATITUDE BE BESTOWED UPON ITS DONOR, THE NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST. 
          THE NEXT ONE IS, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT UPON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE PELHAM UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT DOES HEREBY ACCEPT A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $500 TO BE USED FOR GRIEF COUNSELING, TRAINING AT THE PELHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND THAT GRATITUDE BE BESTOWED UPON ITS DONOR NEW YORK LIFE FOUNDATION AND THEN THE THIRD IS I WON'T READ THE BEGINNING AGAIN, BUT WE WILL HEREBY ACCEPT A GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $500 TO BE USED FOR SO THAT IT'S ACTUALLY A REPEAT. 
          >> NO. IT'S FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL. 
          >> IT'S FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL, THANK YOU. GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $500 TO BE USED FOR GRIEF COUNSELING TRAINING AT PELHAM MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL. 
          [02:25:01]
THANK YOU AND THAT GRATITUDE BE BESTOWED UPON ITS DONOR, THE NEW YORK LIFE FOUNDATION AND THEN FINALLY, WE'RE ACCEPTING THE MONETARY DONATION OF $16,200 FOR THE HUTCHINSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AFTERSCHOOL MATH PROGRAM AND THAT GRATITUDE BE BESTOWED UPON ITS DONOR, THE PELHAM CIVIC ASSOCIATION. 
          THANK YOU TO THE NATIONAL PHILANTHROPIC TRUST, THE NEW YORK LIFE FOUNDATION, AND THE PELHAM CIVIC ASSOCIATION FOR THEIR DONATIONS. ALL IN FAVOR? 
          >> AYE. 
          >> AYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY OBJECTIONS? THE MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU. 
          I WILL TAKE 6.2 AND 6.3 AS A CONSENT AGENDA. 
          [6.2 Motion to Approve 2024-2025 Budget Transfers]
          [6.3 Motion to enter into an agreement with ELE Consulting International, LLC]
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE 6.2 TO 6.3? 
          >> SO MOVED. 
          >> SECOND. 
          >> ANY QUESTIONS ON THESE ITEMS? THE BUDGET TRANSFERS, AND A CONSULTING AGREEMENT RELATED TO MANDARIN? 
          >> YES. 
          >> SORRY, REAL QUICK. 
          >> YEAH, IF YOU WOULD. 
          >> THIS WAS FOR MANDARIN HERE. 
          SIX THROUGH 12, THERE'S ONE TEACHER FOR MANDARIN, RELATIVELY NEW TO THE PROFESSION TEACHER AND SO RECOGNIZING THAT, IN A SOLO LANGUAGE WITHOUT TRUE COLLABORATION, WE WANTED TO PROVIDE THE SUPPORTS NECESSARY FOR THE TEACHER TO GROW AND EXPAND THE PROGRAM TO CONTINUE TO IMPROVE PRACTICE AND SO WE REACHED OUT TO THREE DIFFERENT INSTITUTIONS WHO PROVIDE TEACHER SUPPORT FOR MANDARIN WITHIN THE TRI-STATE AREA. 
          ONE OF THEM HAS A CONNECTION TO THE PELHAM COMMUNITY AND STARTED TALKING TO MY PREDECESSOR BEFORE I GOT HERE AND PROPOSED A PLAN FOR COLLABORATION AND SUPPORT FOR OUR TEACHER LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR, WE REVISITED THAT PROPOSAL, SCALED IT DOWN 50%, AND AGREED UPON A SCALED-DOWN MODEL, AND THIS PROPOSAL CAME IN AS THROUGH THE ANALYSIS OF THE THREE RFPS IS WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE MOST BENEFICIAL, COST-EFFECTIVE, AND MOST SUPPORT FOR OUR TEACHER. 
          STARTING NEXT WEEK, THE CONSULTANT IS GOING TO COME. 
          SHE'S A PROFESSOR OF MANDARIN AND ALSO AN EDUCATION SPECIALIST. 
          SHE'LL COME IN AND SPEND TWO DAYS WITH OUR MANDARIN TEACHER IN THE BUILDING, OBSERVING AND THEN PLANNING, AND THEN THERE WILL BE 30 HOURS OF VIRTUAL SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND MEETINGS WITH ADMINISTRATION AS WELL. 
          IT'S A ONE-YEAR CONTRACT TO PROVIDE THAT SUPPORT AND THROUGH THAT WORK, THEY'LL BE LOOKING AT UNITS OF STUDY AND ALSO INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES TO ENHANCE AND ENRICH OUR MANDARIN PROGRAM IN PELHAM. 
          >> THANK YOU. ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? NO. ALL IN FAVOR? 
          >> AYE. 
          >> AYE. 
          >> ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? 
          >> NO. 
          >> WE CAN MOVE TO 7.1. THIS IS A MOTION TO 
          [7.1 Motion to adopt the resolution for Policy 5220 - District Investments, Policy 5410 - Purchasing and Policy 5411 - Contracting for Professional Services to remain as last adopted and/or revised.]
ADOPT THE RESOLUTION FOR POLICY 5220 DISTRICT INVESTMENTS, POLICY 5410 PURCHASING AND POLICY AND 5411. I'M SORRY. 
          >> AI. 
          >> I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS SIRI, SORRY. 
          5411 CONTRACTING FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO REMAIN AS LAST ADOPTED OR REVISED. 
          THIS IS A MOTION TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE POLICY COMMITTEE REVIEWED THEM AND THE FINANCE COMMITTEE REVIEWED THEM AND THAT THEY'RE STAYING AS IS. DO I HAVE A MOTION? 
          >> SO MOVED. 
          >> SECOND. 
          >> ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THESE? NO. ALL IN FAVOR? 
          >> AYE. 
          >> AYE. 
          >> ANY OPPOSE? ANY ABSTENTIONS? NO. LET'S TAKE 8.1-8.4 SUPERINTENDENT'S PERSONNEL RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          [8. Superintendent's Personnel Recommendations]
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE? 
          >> SO MOVED. 
          >> SECOND. 
          >> ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? 
          >> NO, JUST SOME TYPICAL ACTIONS HERE, FMLA, LEAVE OF ABSENCE APPROVALS, ADDITIONAL OVERAGE COVERAGES, EXTRA DUTY ASSIGNMENTS, THINGS THAT ARE STIPENDED, CLUB ADVISORS, ATHLETICS, ETC, STUDENT TEACHERS, SUBSTITUTE TEACHER, 
          [02:30:03]
AND COLLEGE UNIVERSITY OBSERVERS, SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO HAVE AND SUPPORT FUTURE EDUCATORS, AND THEN A SERIES OF RESIGNATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS OF NON-CERTIFIED STAFF. 
          >> THANK YOU. ALL IN FAVOR? 
          >> AYE. 
          >> AYE. ANY OPPOSED ANY ABSTENTIONS? NO. LET'S TAKE 9.1. 
          [9.1 Motion to Approve Schedule D - Committee on Special Education (Confidential)]
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE A SCHEDULE D? 
          >> SO MOVED? 
          >> SECOND. 
          >> ALL IN FAVOR. 
          >> AYE. DO WE HAVE ANY NEW BUSINESS? NO? 
          >> NO. 
          >> I DON'T SEE COMMUNICATIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC. 
          ANYONE HERE FOR THAT? I'LL TAKE A MOTION TO ADJOURN 12.1. 
          >> SO MOVED. 
          >> SECOND. 
          >> ALL IN FAVOR. 
          >> AYE. 
          >> THANK YOU, EVERYONE.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.