The State Board of Education (SBOE) further delayed initiation of a rule amendmentto align English Language Arts (ELA) and math end-of-course tests with recently adopted ELA and math standards due to concerns that the proposed amendment does not include all aspects of HB 538, the Georgia Early Literacy Act.
Dr. Eric Holland, superintendent of Rome City Schools, provided inspiration to open the meeting.
Cobb County School District (CCSD) Superintendent Chris Ragsdale and University of West Georgia (UWG) College of Education Dean Mike Dishman presented information on Georgia's BEST, a partnership between the two entities that enables educators in CCSD to apply to pursue advanced degrees at UWG at no cost. The program accepted 500 educators in its first year.
April Aldridge, deputy superintendent of teaching and learning at the Georgia Department of Education, reviewed the progress of ELA and math standards updates.
GaDOE Associate Superintendent of Whole Child Supports & Strategic Partnerships Justin Hill, provided an overview of the new Ready Georgia school recognition program recently launched by the department. Schools interested in obtaining this recognition can apply HERE.
CLICK HERE to view the agenda, which includes links to all items considered by the board.
The SBOE will meet at Brasstown Valley Resort Oct. 9 and 10 for its annual retreat.
Georgia Milestone, Dyslexia, and Universal Reading Screening Rule Update Delayed
In the Rules Committee meeting, SBOE member Helen Rice asked her colleagues if they had read HB 538, the Georgia Early Literacy Act, which passed during the 2023 legislative session. Rice expressed concern that the draft student assessment rule misses pieces of the literacy law, specifically lines 181-195 and lines 248-253 in the legislation regarding required reports of literacy assessment and screener results to parents and GaDOE.
Committee members discussed whether moving forward with rule initiation, which allows for public comment and revision of draft rules, was warranted. Stan DeJarnett, presiding over the in-person SBOE meeting as chair Jason Downey participated virtually, assured committee members that the group would discuss literacy in depth at the board’s upcoming October retreat. The amendment was pulled from consideration at the September meeting and will be revisited at a later meeting.
American Government/Civics Standards Update and New Courses
The board approved the posting of an update to Georgia's American Government/Civics standards for public comment. The standards can be reviewed HERE, and directions to submit public comment can be found HERE.
The board adopted the following new courses:
Mental Health Professional (requested by Gov. Brian Kemp's office)