Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Commissioner's Newsletter

October 18, 2002

Dear School Administrator:

Enclosed is a copy of Tom Davis’s letter summarizing the September meeting of the State Board of Education.  His letter covers several timely issues, and I encourage you to review it carefully. 

MILITARY RECRUITERS’ ACCESS TO SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS

One of the lesser-known provisions of No Child Left Behind requires high schools to provide "directory information" about students to military recruiters and to grant recruiters the same level of access to schools that they give to postsecondary institutions and prospective employers. Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), you are required to notify parents about the privacy of educational records and the uses of students’ directory information (name, address and phone number). Under the new law, such information must be made available to recruiters unless parents specifically "opt out" and refuse to allow the release of such information.

I do not expect this will be an issue for most schools because the education community has worked at developing a positive relationship between educators and the different military recruiting commands. Nevertheless, it may be advisable for you to review your practices and make sure everyone understands how students’ directory information may or may not be used.

Detailed information about this issue, including "Questions and Answers" and helpful guidance on providing notice to parents can be found on the U.S. Department of Education's Web site.

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORTS & UPDATES

All districts have received their preliminary Annual Performance Reports (APRs), both district- and building-level. Our staff worked very hard to make these documents available to you by October 1, and many school administrators have told me they appreciated getting the reports in the "secure" electronic form by that date.

For several reasons, your APRs are more important than ever this year. You must review your district’s data carefully and submit necessary corrections no later than November 8. This is a firm deadline. Using the final APR data, we intend to make final decisions about Distinction in Performance recognition, MSIP waivers, and the designation of "priority schools" by December 1.

If you have any questions or concerns about the content of your APRs, it is essential that you resolve those questions quickly. If you have questions, concerns or problems with your APRs, contact Becky Kemna (573-751-8201) – and please do not wait until the last minute to try to resolve your concerns.

THE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

As part of Missouri’s continuing effort to identify best practices and honor excellence, we encourage school districts to apply for The Commissioner’s Award of Excellence for Professional Development. The Missouri Staff Development Council’s goal is to identify and honor a wide variety of high-quality programs that may serve as models for other districts. The award will highlight best practices in staff development and provide opportunities for teachers and administrators to learn from each other.

Districts are eligible to apply for this award during the year immediately following their third-cycle MSIP review. Up to six districts, in various size categories, will be selected and honored this year. The winners will be announced and formally recognized at the Show-Me Professional Development Conference next March.

For more information about this award and the application procedures, contact Doug Miller in the Department’s Leadership Academy (573-751-3963) or Marcia Haskin, a member of the Missouri Staff Development Council (816-795-9709).

ACADEMY FOR NEW SUPERINTENDENTS

The Department of Educational Leadership at Saint Louis University, the Missouri Association of School Administrators (MASA) and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education have recently joined forces to create the Missouri Academy for New Superintendents.

Thirty superintendents will be selected to take part in this one-year professional development experience, specifically designed to assist school district executives during their initial challenging years on the job. To be eligible, participants must have at least one year but no more than four years of experience as a superintendent.

A few openings remain. For more information, please contact Dr. Gary Wright at Saint Louis University at 314-977-4067 or wrightgk@slu.edu.

REMINDER: RECEPTION FOR FRESHMAN LEGISLATORS

On Monday evening, December 2, the Department and the Missouri School Boards Association will host a dinner and orientation for newly elected members of the General Assembly. We will invite the "home town" superintendent and school board president of each freshman legislator to attend this event. This is an important opportunity for us to get acquainted with new lawmakers. Please hold this date on your calendar if you expect to have a new representative or senator after November 5.

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Early in September, I had the opportunity to meet with U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige in Washington, D.C. I was among a group of about 15 chief state school officers who met privately with Secretary Paige and then with several of his key staff members. It was a helpful conversation, and I am pleased that Secretary Paige and others are at least making an effort to hear the states’ varying perspectives. Missouri is not the only state that faces the prospect of having to make major adjustments to its testing and accountability policies in order to comply with No Child Left Behind.

Secretary Paige and others have made it very clear that they are determined to implement the annual testing requirement and other key provisions of the new law. However, several states are well down the road with the implementation of their own standards and state-developed assessments, so I remain hopeful that federal officials will find ways to accommodate states that have effective accountability systems.

The State Board of Education and I do not intend to make any hurried decisions about revamping Missouri’s practices. We understand that you and your colleagues really want to know the new targets for "proficiency" and "adequate yearly progress." You have demonstrated that, when you know the goal, you will work hard to achieve it. So, we want to share the new goals with you as soon as we can. At the same time, we do not want to overreact to the mandates of No Child Left Behind and make decisions that might adversely affect the students, teachers and schools of this state.

Sincerely,

D. Kent King