May 1, 2013 at 7:00 PM - Regular BOE Meeting

Rationale:  Will Lewis - Principal at Edgewood and O'Connell from 7/6/65 to 6/30/90.

Rationale:  Student Music Performance - Northeast Middle School Clarinet Choir
Presentation of Music CAS Certificates to Students - Ken Bagley
Roberta Verbyla -Teacher -The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Recognition
Odyssey of the Mind - Bristol Central

Rationale: 

Each year the Board of Education selects staff members who go above and beyond the expectations of their job description to be honored with a Staff Award.

A dinner in their honor will be held on May 29, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. 

AWARD RECIPIENTS:

Special Board Recognition:
Dr. Susan Kalt Moreau, Deputy Superintendent of Schools 

1^st Time Awardees:
Mrs. Amy DiNoia, Grade 6 Social Studies Teacher, Chippens Hill Middle School
Mr. Jonathan Horan, Technology Education Teacher, Central High School
Mrs. Jennifer O’Donnell, Grade 2, Edgewood School
Mrs. Brenda O’Leary, Psychologist, Northeast Middle School
Ms. Jennifer Wollman, Technology Specialist, Bristol Board of Education 

Career Achievement Award:
Dr. David Bittel, Physics Teacher, Eastern High School

Rationale:  April 3, 2013 - Regular Meeting Minutes
April 18, 2013 - Special Meeting Minutes

Rationale:  Student Achievement
Personnel
Finance
Operations

Rationale:  Dr. Solek will update the Board on various District information and topics.

Topics:
Recognition of District Task Force Members
Presentation of District Task Force Report
Other Information

Rationale:  Cheryl Consonni - GH - Grade 5
Michelle Mensel – CHMS – Instructional Support, Language Arts

Rationale:  Lisa Santos - BCHS - Special Education

Rationale:  Stacy Lucid – GH – Grade 2 Teacher
Denise Zabawa - Music

Rationale: 

The major purpose in applying for the continuation of this RFP is to supplement the Adult Education services already provided by the Board of Education/CSDE.  This grant has allowed us to increase the number of clients served through the National External Diploma Program (from 15 to 35), help prepare students for college-level math and language arts and the transition to post-secondary education and training system (15 students participated in Tunxis courses taught at Bristol Adult Ed),  and improve English literacy skills and civics education for ESL adults (increase in numbers by 33% and expanded to another site for ESL classes).

It has also helped improve technology access with the purchase of a laptop cart & 30 chromebooks for use by our adult students.

Rationale:  Since the spring of 2006, Bristol students have enjoyed an active exchange with the linguistic high school G. Noldi in the city of Fano. In the 2013-2014 school year, we are expecting the arrival of another group of Italian students.  We request permission to travel to Italy from November 1 to 9, 2013. Students would leave from BCHS after school, with the time to be determined based on flight schedules, and would return on Monday, November 12. While here, the Italian students attend classes with our students and enjoy daytrips to local attractions.  Our trip would allow us to reciprocate this educational exchange.  While there, our students would attend classes with their Italian hosts and visit sites of historical and cultural importance. We cannot travel during February or April vacation because our exchange school is a sister school with a California school and they will be conducting their exchange during our break.

Rationale: 

Bristol offers a variety of Summer School programming for students in kindergarten through grade 12.

Elementary:

Enrichment: These courses provide enrichment activities for elementary students. This program will be held at Ivy Drive School.

Middle School:

District Program: This program offers the opportunity for students to make up courses for which they did not receive a passing grade.  Grade 6-7-8 students required to make-up courses attend on a non-tuition paying basis. This program will be held at Bristol Eastern High School. 

High School:

District Program: Courses offered in this program allow students to obtain credit for courses not successfully completed during the academic year. Grade 9 and 10 students required to make-up courses attend on a non-tuition paying basis. Students pay tuition for grade 11 and 12 classes. This program will be held at Bristol Eastern High School.

Costs:

The Board of Education policy on summer school states that Bristol students in grades 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, who are making up failed courses, will not be charged tuition. Bristol students making up failed courses from grades 11 and 12 and non-Bristol residents will be charged tuition. The BOE budget funds the teaching positions for make-up of failed courses in grades 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 as per the BOE policy.

Rationale:  Board of Education Members have asked to receive a quarterly review of enrollment figures.  These are the current enrollment figures for the third quarter.

Rationale:  See attached memo.

Rationale:  The Connecticut State Department of Education has required districts to revise their teacher and administrator evaluation plans to be in compliance with the federal waiver of No Child Left Behind. The model created by the Bristol team of administrators and teachers meets the core requirements established by the state legislature. Implementation costs are not yet fully known, but are estimated to exceed $35 per certified staff for an on-line management system and teacher and administrator professional learning.

Rationale: 

The High School Mathematics Curriculum for Grades 9-11 is being brought forward for Board approval as part of our plan to align Bristol’s curriculum with the Common Core State Standards. 

• Since 2010, the Connecticut State Department of Education has released new standards for mathematics, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Connecticut.  Assessments are being developed for the 2014-2015 school year.  The new curriculum is aligned with the Common Core State Standards.
• The curriculum was written to follow the format and guidelines recently set by Bristol for developing new curriculum to guide the teaching and learning process.

The document submitted here is based on work by the High School Curriculum Committees which included Lisa Bernabe, Kara Jones, Alicia Redline, Monica Frant, Cassie Becce, Tara Crouch, Sarah Maestre, Collin Brunetti, Barry Nolan, Michelle Burns and Marlene Lovanio

Costs include stipends for committee work ($1450) and additional instructional resources ($321,692) needed for the implementation of this curriculum.

Rationale:  It has been a practice of the Bristol Office of Teaching and Learning to maintain the rigor and relevance of  the district’s curriculum by revising it on a regular basis. Such was the case with the French 2 curriculum, last revised in the 2005-2006 school year.  This winter and spring, French teachers from both Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern worked collaboratively to review each unit of the curriculum, their objective to infuse the type of rigor that would address the district’s heightened expectations, a Tier I goal that all students be well prepared for college. As a result, students will learn more sophisticated grammar and will gain an updated perspective of French culture. This revision will also enhance the use of French instruction as a vehicle for interdisciplinary literacy instruction, especially in the areas of reading for information, writing, and editing -- skills not only tested on CAPT and on the SAT, and eventually on the Smarter Balanced assessment, but also linked to success in various academic areas.

Rationale: 

The French 2 curriculum was revised this spring as part of the district’s routine cycle of updating curriculum.  As a result of the process, a committee of French teachers from both high schools determined that a current and rigorous textbook was needed to help deliver the curriculum effectively. 

The committee recommends the approval the following textbook:

• D’accord Level 2 published by Vista Higher Learning 

Please read the attached documents for details about the selection process, including information regarding the alignment of the textbook with our curricula.

Rationale:  The revision is proposed to allow more flexibility in student eligibility for co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.  The proposed revision changes the requirements for High School Full Extra-Curricular eligibility  and High School Partial eligibility.  The changes to the Middle School eligibility portion of the policy are language changes necessitated by the revision to the middle school educational program.