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SUPTS. MEMO. NO. 136
August 2, 1996 |
| TO: | Division Superintendents |
| FROM: | Richard T. La Pointe
Superintendent of Public Instruction |
| SUBJECT: | Superintendent's Advisory Council |
The Superintendent's Advisory Council meets regularly. It is composed of the chairmen of the eight regional study groups, plus the VASS officers and executive director, the superintendent of the Department of Correctional Education, the executive director of the VSBA, and a representative of the Virginia Council for Private Education. We will distribute the minutes of each meeting by means of a Superintendent's Memorandum. The minutes of the meeting of July 22, 1996, are attached. If you have questions regarding this information, please contact Ken Magill at (804) 225-2073. Thank you. RTL/jd Attachment: This memo and its attachment will be sent to the superintendent's office SUPERINTENDENT'S ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, July 22, 1996 Richmond, Virginia Present: Superintendent's Group - Oliver A. McBride, James G. Blevins, Jane Massey-Wilson, Deanna Gordon, S. Dawn Goldstine, Arthur W. Gosling, Alfred R. Butler, IV, executive director, VASS, Frank E. Barham, executive director, and David Blount, governmental relations officer, Virginia School Boards Association, James M. Anderson, Jr., George J. McVey, president, Virginia Council for Private Education, C. P. Penn, Dennis W. Kellison, and James L. Ruffa. Department of Education - Richard T. La Pointe, M. Kenneth Magill, Ida J. Hill, Jo Lynne DeMary, Thomas A. Elliott, Doris E. Redfield, and Harry L. Smith. Dr. La Pointe, who was appointed by Governor Allen to succeed Dr. William C. Bosher, Jr., effective July 1, welcomed members of the Advisory Council, and stated that he looked forward to working with them and receiving their guidance and counsel on issues involving public education. During his comments, the superintendent referred briefly to a report on the results of the Virginia State Assessment Program and Literacy Passport Program that will be presented to the Board of Education on July 25. Dr. La Pointe also gave a summary of his career in public education and other fields, and emphasized his commitment to improving academic standards and to assessment, accreditation, and teacher licensing programs. Dr. Butler brought greetings to Dr. La Pointe from the VASS. He noted the close working relationship that VASS has enjoyed with superintendents of public instruction, and invited Dr. La Pointe to attend meetings of the Regional Study Groups. Dr. Elliott presented a status report on a study being conducted by the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensing to reduce the number of teaching endorsements. He stated that the Advisory Board has proposed reducing endorsements form 104 to 47 and said further reductions may be possible. He asked the Council to share the draft of the ABTEL report with other superintendents for their suggestions and comments. Dr. Elliott asked for the comments by September 3 so they can be considered by the Advisory Board on September 16. He said the timetable for action on the proposals calls for Board of Education action in the fall of 1997, and said the suggested date for the changes to become effective would be July 1, 1998. He also said provisions will be made for modifications to address problem areas in school divisions. Dr. Redfield gave a brief report on results of the State Assessment Program and Literacy Passport Tests. She said the results of the assessment tests are "flat," but the LPT results show improvement over last year's report. She noted that the Department of Education has issued a Request for Proposals for the development of a new state assessment program. The results of both testing programs will be presented to the Board of Education on July 25. Following some discussion of the tests, the meeting was adjourned.