December 3 – 5, 2024
The North Carolina State Board of Education met for its Bi-Annual Planning and Work Sessions on Tuesday, December 3rd, and Wednesday, December 4th. They then met for their Regular Meeting on Thursday, December 5th.
The Planning and Work Sessions were slightly different from normal planning meetings because the SBOE was planning for the upcoming biennium. During the Regular Meetings, action items/reports are voted on and receive final approval to be sent to the NCGA or adopted as policy for the SBOE.
12/3/2024 Bi-Annual Planning and Work Session Day 1
The two-day Bi-Annual Planning and Work Sessions began with the Strategic Planning Committee’s presentation on the Power of Collaborative and Strategic Partnerships, followed by a discussion of the expected results. The expectations for the work sessions are included here.
Following the aforementioned discussion, Senators Jim Burgin and Jay Chaudhuri shared their visions for legislation and opened a discussion about education policy. Topics included the NCGA's authorized study on school cell phone use and a Q&A with the Senators.
The afternoon session included presentations and discussions with various education stakeholders with session titles as follows:
The Role of Local Leadership: Conversation with District Leaders
The Role of School Leadership: The Principal Perspective
The Role of Community Partners: NCDHS
The meeting concluded with Facilitation Groups which considered potential legislation, policies, and data usage.
12/4/2024 Bi-Annual Planning and Work Session Day 2
The second day continued with the themes introduced on the first day of the Bi-Annual Planning and Work Sessions. After opening remarks, there were presentations and discussions on the following topics:
State Role in Federal Accountability
Principal Insights on School Improvement
Small Group Work Exploring the State’s Role in School Improvement
The afternoon session covered Test Development and Validity. A copy of the presentation can be found here.
The Facilitation Groups from the first day continued their Breakout Sessions focusing on Potential Legislation, Policies, and Date Usage.
The Bi-Annual Planning and Work Sessions concluded with reflections and closing remarks.
12/5/2024 Regular Meeting Report
The morning session of the Regular SBOE Meeting consisted of Special Recognitions of National Blue Ribbon Schools and the 2024-25 Science of Reading Awards. In addition, Local Board of Education advisor Dr. Michael Williams was recognized for his service. In his parting remarks, he spoke of the need for the NCGA to rethink the reporting requirements from districts to the SBOE and the need for trust between the General Assembly and education leaders in the state.
After the morning break, the meeting continued with a presentation from the Student Learning and Achievement Committee Meeting. The committee shared information regarding the New Business of Recovery Analysis on Public School Units, Students, and Families: 2023-24 Year-Over-Year Analysis. Overall, there were positive trends in the following areas:
EOG Reading 3, 5
EOG Math 3, 4, 5, 6
EOC English II
EOC Math I
However, there was evidence of negative trends in the following areas:
EOG Reading Grade 4, 7, 8
EOG Science Grade 8
A full analysis of the information shared can be found here.
Action on first reading including an amendment to the NC Graduation Requirements to allow for credit for those students working with a business on active recovery in the aftermath of Helene in western NC.
In the Report to the NCGA, Broaden Successful Participation in Advanced Courses, there was good news of positive trends with student scores and credits earned.
Since this was Superintendent Truitt’s last meeting, she praised the successes of the SLA Committee during her tenure. She was particularly proud of the progress made in curriculum, the science of reading, and the progress of non-English learners.
Other morning activities included the Education Innovation and Charter Schools Committee Meeting Report to the NCGA on the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS). The report can be found here.
The afternoon session included the Educator Standards and Practice Committee Meeting and its Report to the NCGA on the Advanced Teaching Roles Program for 2023-34. As we have followed in the last two years, several pilot programs have been launched throughout the state exploring pay supplements for teachers who take on additional leadership roles in a school. The full report of the program’s progress as it enters its third year can be found here. A summary of the report can be found here.
The Business Operations portion of the meeting included the approval of contracts over $500,000 (which was just one award provided to Crowdstrike), followed by a presentation on Digital Learning Grants Request for Proposals.
The meeting concluded with consent voting on a few non-controversial action items, including the minutes from the November 2024 Regular meeting. The minutes from the previous meeting can be found here.
The next State Board of Education meetings are scheduled for January 8th and 9th.
PENC Advocacy Team:
Tammy Beach
Bryan Holloway
Trevor Fulcher
Robert Mitchell
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