MINUTES OF THE

Note: A list of others present and a copy of materials distributed in the meeting are on file in the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel.

1. Call to Order - Chair Steele called the meeting to order at 2:20 p.m. The committee discussed the benefits of a joint meeting with the Board of Regents and State Board of Education.

MOTION: Rep. Keele Johnson moved to request Legislative Management authorize the Education Interim Committee to attend a joint meeting with the State Board of Regents and the State Office of Education in Cedar City on August 3-4, 2000. The motion passed unanimously, with Rep. Johnson absent for the vote.

MOTION: Rep. Hogue moved to approve the November 23, 1999 minutes. The motion passed unanimously.

2. Review of Education Legislation Enacted in the 2000 General Session - Mr. James Wilson, Associate General Counsel, reviewed reports required by law to be sent to the Education Interim Committee from agencies, committees, and task forces during the 2000 interim. He referred to bills included in the agenda packet creating the Applied Technology Education Task Force and the Funding of Public Education Task Force and continuing the Learning Standards and Accountability Task Force. He reviewed several of the 40 bills related to education that were enacted during the 2000 General Session and reported that two of those bills were vetoed by the governor.

Chair Steele explained a proposal to coordinate education-related committees to avoid duplication of topics. He encouraged the Education Interim Committee to know what is transpiring in each group and support or propose modification to their efforts. He said the minutes of task force meetings can be accessed on the Internet and encouraged committee members to be informed of task force discussions.

3. Sunset Dates for Educational Entities and Proposed Action - Mr. Wilson distributed copies of the Families, Agencies, and Communities Together for Children and Youth At Risk Act (FACT) and the State Textbook Commission statutes and told the committee that each entity will sunset June 30, 2001 unless reauthorized.

4. Best Practices in Public Education - Perspectives from the Education Community -

Richard West, Director of the Center for the School of the Future, assisted by Jerry Giordano, Dean of the College of Education at Utah State University (USU), described the Center for the School of the Future and explained its participation in 30 best-practice projects. The indicated how the partnerships with the State Board of Education and post-secondary institutions have maximized the Center's resources. Mr. West defined "best practice" as a program that has survived a vigorous scientific validation and achieved the purpose for which it was developed. He presented needs and recommendations for best practices in four areas.

The first recommendation was to have better data about approaches that work best. Mr. West said there are three levels of effective practices:

• Good Practices - Home grown ideas that show evidences of success;
• Better Practices - Formalized implementation of practices that can be moved from place to place; and
• Best Practices - Practices that have survived rigorous scientific validation.

Patty Willis, second-grade teacher from Richmond Elementary, Cache District, spoke to the committee from her school, via desk-top video conferencing. She described the benefits of a best- practice reading program, "Reading for all Learners." She discussed those skills acquired by two second-grade students who were present in her room to increase their reading proficiency and the school/parent partnership used in reinforcing and supporting those skills.

Mr. West referred to the Columbine High School disaster and described the "Prevention Plus Model," a best practice program for school violence. He said that through 20 years of research, those elements essential to managing school violence have been isolated and incorporated into this model.

Mr. West's second recommendation was to use tools to evaluate, rate, and measure best practices in public education. He said the school portfolio is a comprehensive tool used to analyze school improvement that typically integrates data on student achievement, quality planning, and professional development. He said "School I.Q." is a tool used to assess perceptions of parents, and faculty about the school. It is used to survey school climate, governance, and school improvement, as well as to evaluate other perception data.

Mark Daines, Principal of Richmond Elementary School, Cache District, reported, via teleconferencing, his use of the "School I.Q." tool to survey and evaluate perception data about school governance, climate, and improvement. He reviewed information gathered and evaluated from students, parents, and teachers and referred to other programs from the Center for the School of the Future.

Mr. West's third recommendation was to provide assistance in implementing best-practice programs. He explained that every child can learn skills needed for a successful life, but many best- practice programs are not properly implemented. He said many effective programs have not achieved widespread acceptance, because they are inconsistent with trends, the personnel involved lack sufficient training and support, and the programs conflict with local concerns.

Richard Young, Dean of the College of Education at BYU, via teleconferencing, noted that USU has maintained a 15-year partnership with BYU and the surrounding school districts. He attributed the survival of the partnership to the dedication of concerned administrators. He felt partnerships are the only way to move education toward reform.

Mr. Tim Smith, Director of Technology at the Center for the School of the Future, introduced the committee to technology tools used at the Center, including the Internet, desktop video conferencing, electronic document sharing and content streaming. He expressed his enthusiasm for the impact technology has had in education.

Mr. West briefly explained a fast-paced technology program under development between students in Guatemala and students in Utah. He encouraged committee members to access more information on the website of the Center for the School of the Future www.csf.usu.edu.

Mr. West made the following recommendations for use of best practices:

• •Crystalize the essential and common elements of success;
• Find out why certain practices are best practices and what essential elements of success they commonly share;
• Form meaningful partnerships;
• Provide accountability for educators and students; and
• Emphasize professional development to support implementation of the practice.

Mr. West's fourth and final recommendation was to create strategies that include strong university and school partnerships. He feels collaboration within the partnership will strengthen pre-service training.

A panel consisting of Mr. West; Kay Chatterton, UEA; Barry Newbold, Superintendent of Jordan School District; and Steve Laing, Superintendent of Public Instruction, presented perspectives of best practices in public education from the education community.

Mr. Laing supported the concept of best practices and said the state has a good basis for building a cadre of educational best practices, but improvement is needed. He commended the practice of using data, setting goals, and using evidence from research. He felt that a key component, after identifying a best practice, is staff training or professional development in best practices by those who will use it and pass it on to others.

Mr. Newbold distributed a summary page of his perception of best practices in education. He emphasized the need for well-trained, experienced teachers and the importance of good student-teacher relationships. His summary included characteristics from research that lead to higher gains in student achievement. He said educational and social programs require a constant updating of teacher skills.

Kay Chatterton, speaking for UEA President, Phyllis Sorenson, described a shift in the role of the teacher from an instructor to a facilitator of learning. She said all the needs of a child must be considered and emphasized that there are many ways to teach reading or math. She spoke about legislative intentions for education and said sometimes teachers feel defensive and criticized. She encouraged legislators to avoid enacting unfunded teacher mandates and to support professional training.

Mr. Laing said the State Office of Education is taking steps to support and promote best practices and raise the performance level within the Utah education system. The committee discussed the improvement and support of education. He cautioned that local conditions might determine that a good practice will not become a best practice everywhere; however, it should continue as a good practice and not be abandoned when it is working effectively.

Mr. Newbold said if teachers could share ideas and practices, there would be more of an exchange of best practices. He emphasized the need for a commitment to build those costs into the budget.

5. Proposals for Interim Study -

Due to the lack of time, this item was not discussed.

6. Other Business -

There was no other business discussed.

7. Adjourn -

MOTION: Rep. Hogue moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 4:40 p.m.