Live from the April Board of Ed

 vote to solicit public comment on proposed amendments to educator licensure regulations

Rouhanifard: discussion across the country on teacher shortages, only had real data more recently from a few states; do we have any data on actual shortages?
Riley: special ed, ESL, not just education: nursing
"Be a little more flexible than we have been in the past, with the understanding that at some point we'll probably tighten back up"
Moriarty: 150 hour internship? model?

• initial or professional license holder can obtain a provisional license in special ed or ESL
• create a new preK-2 license for moderate and severe disabilities
• permit "demonstrate of knowledge" as a way to prepare and maintain students with disabilities for general classrooms
  
• create a new professional license for school nurse

Hills: always leave this conversations asking what's the trade off here?
any reason you want to state, things we want to be concerned about
"don't consider these life-altering massive changes to our education system...what am I missing?"
A: that's why we have this public comment

Canavan: question about the labor shortage
wonder about nurses having to pass the communications MTEL
Seems an unnecessary barrier, given what is happening in the nursing field
"not within regulation" but is written into the law

Moriarty: I advocate for every adult in the building having strength in communication and literacy
adults should regard it as a "development milestone" of third grade reading
(there is literally not basis in psychological development to support this)
does MTEL evaluate that "that's a stretch"
we talk about trauma: what about trauma of not being able to perform at grade level
(what the heck?)

Lombos: not necessarily a labor shortage, but workers not being paid what they are worth, when they are using their feet to leave their professions (to a smattering of applause, which is not a thing that happens often)

New ESL classes

If you're wondering where those new ESL classes are, here's the complete list:

• Burncoat Middle School, Monday and Wednesday, 5:30-7:30 PM
• Canterbury Magnet, Tuesday and Thursday, 3:00-5:00 PM
• Chandler Elementary Community, Tuesday and Thursday, 5:30-7:30 PM
• Elm Park Community School, Tuesday and Thursday, 5:30-7:30 PM
• Goddard School of Science & Technology, Tuesday and Thursday, 3:00-5:00 PM
• Greendale Head Start, Monday and Wednesday, 9:00-11:00 AM
• Quinsigamond School, Tuesday and Thursday, 5:30-7:30 PM
• St. Agnes Guild, Tuesday and Thursday, 5:30-7:30 PM
• Union Hill School, Tuesday and Thursday, 5:30-7:30 PM
• Woodland Academy, Tuesday and Thursday, 3:00-5:00 PM

Sign up through the Adult Learning Center at 508-799-3171

Worcester School Committee meeting Thursday

The Worcester School Committee meets Thursday at 7 pm at Worcester Technical High School. You can find the agenda here.

The report of the superintendent this week is on the curriculum review process. The idea here is that each subject will periodically have a curriculum review; we'll be starting with math. We are in very early days, as yet on this (they're looking at data right now in math), so much more to come. This is partly pushed by Massachusetts moving to the Common Core, but it is also is a chance to look at what we're teaching, why, and how that's going. If you have any interest in curriculum and how it's working, Thursday's report is a place to start.
There's a series of requests for information and reports that are going to administration and various subcommittees, including a request on working windows, third grade reading, information on school profiles, the ever-popular Read Across America day, and secondary report card comments.Also, guidance counselor course load, ninth grade course selections, and career and technical education month.
We're also being asked to accept a grant from the Greater Worcester Community Foundation for ESL classes around the city (particularly for parents); the plan is for ten more classes. Also, a grant from Target for pre-schoolers and kindergarteners from Canterbury Street to go to Heifer Project at Overlook Farm for a field trip (how cool is that?).

I know there was great angst about the meeting not being broadcast live last time (no, I am not kidding). I know that they've been working on it.