July 15, 2014 at 6:30 PM - Education Committee - Regular School Board Meeting

1. Informational Items 

1.A. Informational Presentations

1.A.1) School Improvement Efforts at MacArthur Elementary (Tabled)

Nathan Glockle, Principal at MacArthur Elementary, will present information on school improvement efforts and the progress being made at Laura MacArthur Elementary, which has just completed its second year as a Minnesota Department of Education Priority School.

1.A.2) Secondary Schools' Administrative Structure

Assistant Superintendent, Ed Crawford, shared information on the secondary schools' administrative structure for the 2014-15 school year.

1.A.3) 2013-14 Head Start Program Child Count (Tabled)

Pam Rees, Director of Head Start, will present a summary of the 2013-14 Duluth Public Schools Head Start Program Child Count.

2. Action Items

2.A. Presentation Items Requiring Approval

2.A.1) K-5 Social Studies Adoption

The K-5 Social Studies Committee has completed the  curriculum review process for Elementary Social Studies.  As a result of this extensive review process, which included curriculum writing, reviewing/aligning benchmarks, and evaluating materials from several vendors, it was determined that the components required for Social Studies delivery as well as content literacy needs will be best met with the purchase of the Pearson-Prentice Hall My World Social Studies Program. The components of this Program fit the need for social studies delivery as well as content literacy and allows for flexibility in terms of instructional texts and leveled readers to promote growth in reading among diverse learners. The total cost of the adoption is $238,381.92.  Susan Schmidt, Social Studies Curriculum Coach, was available to answer any questions regarding the proposed adoption.

2.A.2) Grades Seven and Eight Social Studies Adoption

The Middle School Social Studies Committee, including all middle school social studies teachers, has completed the curriculum review process for Middle School Social Studies. As a result of this extensive review process, which included curriculum writing, reviewing/aligning benchmarks, and evaluating materials from several vendors, it was determined that Pearson-Prentice Hall American History and My World Geography textbooks are the best fit with regards to the Social Studies benchmarks.  For example, the American History text fits the unique time period set out by the benchmarks as it is a custom Minnesota version and the overall layout of the text and individual pages is student-friendly and at an appropriate level.  Differentiated reading level materials are available and included.  Therefore, the Middle School Social Studies Committee is recommending the adoption of these textbooks.  The total cost of the adoption is $122,048.64.  Susan Schmidt, Social Studies Curriculum Specialist, was available to answer any questions regarding the recommended adoption.

2.B. Access to Internet Student Data - Non-District Employees

It is requested that the following organizations be granted access to the Student Information System to support District functions from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015:

Duluth Area Family YMCA
University of Minnesota, Duluth

2.C. Policy 5085 - Student Discipline Policy

Attached are revisions to Policy 5085 - Student Discipline Policy for the second reading.

2.D. New Policy 5084 - Bullying Prohibition Policy

Attached for School Board review and approval for the first reading is new Policy 5084 - Bullying Prohibition Policy. Ron Lake, Climate Coordinator, was available to answer any questions regarding the recommended new policy.

2.E. Diploma Requests

The following student has completed all high school graduation requirements and should be awarded a diploma:

Donald Allan Rankin - June 5, 2014

2.F. 2014 Graduates

It is recommended by administration that the official minutes include a certified list of June 2014 graduates as submitted by the respective high schools.