At 4 PM on Tuesday December 6, 2011 there was a meeting of the Newburgh School District Curriculum Committee. Board member McAfee chaired the meeting. Also present were Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Forgit, Executive Director Curriculum and Instruction Shanahan, Board members Levinstein, Lewis, and Woodhull, Board President Fucheck, Executive Director of Instructional Technology Jensen, and Administrative Intern Ramjug. Superintendent of Schools Pizzo was not present. There was an audience of three.

[Agenda Topic 1. Single Sex Classrooms]

McAfee invited Pam to the table for this topic.

McAfee: Pam, Prokosch, Lewis, and McAfee all attended the NABSE (National Alliance of Black School Educators) conference recently. "The overriding theme that comes out in that conference is a belief in single sex education, particularly for African American males..." McAfee has been to this conference three times; Lewis has been 18 times.

McAfee handed out a draft paper by Frances Spielhagen on the topic of Single-Sex Education. She also mentioned Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu, who led a seminar that McAfee, Lewis, and Prokosch attended. McAfee explained that besides separating teaching of boys and girls, Kunjufu believes even more that "there is a different way that you have to teach to the mind of the African American male."

McAfee said that it is time for us to get serious about trying this out. She suggested a pilot program in one of our schools with at least a boy class, a girl class, and a control. She was not sure what grade to start at, 4 or 5 is often mentioned.

Ellenville did a program which separated the kids only for core subjects. Spielhagen was involved with this program.

McAfee suggested that administrators could talk to parents of kids who were having difficulty in order to recruit participants.

Fucheck: It would have to be voluntary. Need to be careful of any perception of segregation. "Aren't we looking to differentiate instruction for all children?"

McAfee: Yes. Group that we seem to be particularly concerned about is the African American male. Would be relatively inexpensive. Would have to have interested teachers and administrator.

Fucheck: should we be looking [more broadly] to make teachers highly skilled in how to teach to this group?

McAfee: Think that's where the pilot would lead. To awareness of what works and doesn't. This is a form of differentiated instruction that particularly applies to the African American male. Don't think this would be expensive. It would involve a consultant.

Lewis: If look at alternative programs in the district, they've been 99% African American. Home teaching and suspended students fall behind and won't catch up. Lewis cited kids who can't sit still in class "the right side of the brain says they have to be active."

McAfee believes very much in hemisphericity and received training in Chicago and University of New Hampshire about this.

Pam: Research talks about how movement is necessary in the classroom. "For certain groups of students it's important for them to move around." Competition, academic games works not only for African American males, but Latinos too. Time for us to be experimenting. Late elementary, early middle school level. Culturally relevant curriculum is important too.

Woodhull: Very limited success with any of the alternative programs tried.

Fucheck asked Forgit if there were data from the January to June alternative program at West Street. Apparently it had separated students by sex.

Forgit suggested to be careful comparing. Discussion is around a pilot in a regular building as opposed to an alternative program

Fucheck: Should we be looking at single sex classrooms or a model targeting learning styles.

McAfee: I would be relatively happy to go in either direction. African American experts believe that you need both. Bernice McCarthy's research concludes that African American male is right brained. Typical classroom program and testing program are left brained.

Forgit: Was there any discussion of class size?

McAfee: "Yes, as a matter of fact he's very emphatic about it, and I just love him for it, because I totally agree with him. He thinks it should be 17 students or less."

Forgit: We have to do some research. Need to consider what happens if we do a fifth grade class, what would happen in subsequent years. Could come back to this topic in February.

McAfee suggests having a conversation with Fran. Forgit says he will also get in touch with someone from the Ellenville program.

Fucheck said that St. Christophers is opening at the Kaplan site in New Windsor on January 15. There have been discussions with administrators. There are likely to be students from NECSD who would benefit from the instruction there.

McAfee: the kind of pilot we're talking about would be something to try before the child got to St. Christophers.

Forgit pointed out that if this were to be an intervention, then it should be integrated into the RTI process.

Pam suggests looking at it, not as a way to address disciplinary problems, instead a way to focus on the one and two performers.

[Agenda Topic 2. Literacy Framework Update]

Forgit: Last year there was an assessment of literacy instruction in the district, grades K-6. It involved many class visits. As a result, put together a literacy team. Along with Dr. Shanahan and two from Ulster BOCES, they are working on a literacy framework. Goal is to put in place September 2012. Incorporating Common Core changes.

Shanahan: Large group of teachers met over the summer. The review found a lack of clarity in expectations for teaching and learning of literacy. Some teachers worked with totally fidelity to the reading series, others worked with greater flexibility. Clear up misconceptions, set direction for literacy teaching, include literacy across content areas. Produced ~50 page document organized by attributes of proficient literate student, research, instructional strategies, etc. Were also getting information about Race to the Top and Common Core. Realized needed something more instructionally based (as opposed to research based). Started to create a template of what the framework would look like.

Shanahan: framework would start with an overview... Goals and objectives and local context. Integrate Common Core modules locally developed and from NYSED. What is role of formative assessments. We're going to be recommending that the literacy block be 120 minutes instead of current 90. Informational text from the content areas should be a part of that. Writing should be a fundamental part of that. Integrating all of those into the block. Still under development. After that a section would spell out expectations by grade level, what the students will be doing, expectations of parents.

Forgit said that this could provide very valuable information, especially for new teachers. This would be the guide for PD for the district.

Woodhull: how do you keep a pre-k or 3rd grader engaged for 120 minutes?

Shanahan: final document will help. Centers can have a variety of activities.

McAfee: two things not mentioned, what are assessments and what are the materials.

Conversation digresses around there being different types of reading for different subject areas, genres, or for reading on computers.

Shanahan: don't want to start next year with Common Core Standards, new state assessments, new ELA curriculum, new math curriculum, all four of those are true, and a new literacy framework. For example, won't just mandate guided reading. Will develop cadre skilled in guided reading, work with coaches, over time will have educated all teachers in guided reading. Then will pull out what to do first...

Lewis: how to include the parents?

Shanahan: "We were thinking of it as what does the school have to consider that the parents' contribution could be. Not so much how do we educate the parent in how to do some of this."

McAfee: Parents are willing, need to know how. Pam Peterson is planning a parent workshop for the spring about how parents can read a story to a child.

Forgit: We also have Vera, who does the adult ed in the district.

Woodhull: there may be parents who don't speak English.

Fucheck: the Newburgh Armory Unity Center is beginning classes in February. They looked at surveys, one being the School is Cool survey--some parents are saying they can't help because they can't read themselves. The YMCA also has classes in ESL. YMCA classes will be in the day. Unity Center will have classes two evenings and Saturdays. Armory is offering child care. Letting the community know the resources that are out there will help.

Lewis: some of the parents that show up at the School is Cool event you will never see again. We have to reach out to them and get them involved.

McAfee: anxious to see further updates, esp assessments and materials. When can expect updates.

Shanahan: for something substantially at least two months.

They decided on March.

Meeting adjourned at around 5:15 PM.