CABE Journal - April 2015

Vol. 19, No. 4 APRIL 2015

w w w . c a b e . o r g

Connecticut Associationof Boards of Education Inc.81 Wolcott Hill RoadWethersfield, CT 06109-1242

PeriodicalPostage

PAIDHartford, CT

www.facebook.com/ConnecticutAssociationBoardsEducation

See YouIn Court

EngagingFamilies

ProjectBasedLearning

ProfessionalGovernanceBoard

Tedoneelected to

NSBA BoardRobert RaderExecutive Director, CABEPatrice A. McCarthyDeputy Director/General Counsel, CABE

Spotlightingbest practices

View fromthe Capitol

Patrice A. McCarthyDeputy Director/General Counsel, CABE

See CABE page 14

NEW ENGLAND FIRSTROBOTICS COMPETITION

Over the years, we have beenasked for “best practices” fromschool boards and superintendents.

Thanks to an idea from the NewJersey School Boards Association,we have a thoughtful and beneficialway to provide this information toour members.

We have divided possible areas inwhich boards would find bestpractices helpful. An email is beingsent to CABE member boardmembers and superintendents with alink to a short questionnaire that willenable you to provide us with infor-mation showcasing some of your bestpractices.

The best practices you share willbe posted on the “Spotlight onConnecticut Practices that Lead andInspire” section on our website. Thisonline resource will become morerobust as we receive your bestpractices.

Following a successful Dayon the Hill for board members,superintendents, students andother friends of publiceducation, the pace ofactivities at the legislaturecontinues to increase.

With just two monthsremaining in theLegislative Session,legislators are focused on adopting a 2year state budget that meets the needs ofthe state priorities – including publiceducation – while working within thefiscal constraints of the state’s revenues.

Ongoing communication from boardmembers and superintendents tolegislators continues to be a critical partof this process.

Let your voices be heard!Connecticut Assessment:Frequently Asked Questions

Editor’s Note: The Big 6 (CABE,CAPSS, ConnCAN, CCER, CAS andCBIA) compiled this information tocounter some of the misinformation thathas been building around standardizedtesting. We are all against “overtesting”but we need standardized testing to ensurewe identify students who are strugglingand be able to compare with other states,etc. This information has been sent to theLegislature and we hope it will be helpfulto you if members of your community askabout the subject.

What Kind of Tests Are InSchools, and Why?

The purpose of tests (also called

assessments) in the education system isto collect information that helps to trackand improve learning. Tests help usmonitor the development of our stu-dents’ skills and knowledge, find anygaps in in their learning, and addressthem.

Some tests are very formal and re-quire strict controls regarding timingand other testing conditions. For in-stance, Connecticut’s standardizedassessment is a formal test that is admin-istered annually to all public schoolstudents in grades 3-8, and once again inhigh school. In contrast, other kinds oftesting, such as spelling tests or quizzes,are administered at the school or districtlevel.

In addition, many schools regularlyuse informal testing to monitor studentlearning. These tests are administered insuch a manner that students may noteven recognize their skills and knowl-edge are being “tested.” For example,teachers may develop activities to see ifstudents have mastered a particular math

Lydia Tedone,CABE’s ImmediatePast President andchair of the SimsburyBoard of Education,has been elected tothe National SchoolBoards Association’sBoard of Directors.

See TEDONE page 8

PAGE 5 PAGE 6 PAGE 10PAGE 8

Lydia has servedas CABE First VicePresident, Vice President for GovernmentRelations, Federal Relations Chairmanand as a member of the ConventionCommittee. She has served as a memberof the Simsbury Board since 1997. Lydiahas been a member of the Capitol RegionEducation Council since 2000, andserved as chairman in 2007-08. She isalso a graduate of the CABE LeadershipInstitute.

Lydia is well-known to Board ofEducation members - she’s a frequentattendee at workshops and, of course, theCABE/CAPSS Convention. As a memberof the National School Boards Associa-tion, she hopes to “authentically andrigorously support local boards ofeducation in ways that significantlyimpact teaching and learning. As publiceducation experiences times of significantchange and scrutiny, there is no moreimportant time to advocate for those

Lydia Tedone

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEERichard Murray .................................................. President, KillinglyAnn Gruenberg ................................. First Vice President, HamptonRobert Mitchell ................ VP for Government Relations, MontvilleElaine Whitney ........... VP for Professional Development, WestportJohn Prins ......................................... Secretary/Treasurer, BranfordLydia Tedone ............................................ Immediate Past PresidentDonald Harris ........................................................ Member at Large

AREA DIRECTORSDaniel Gentile ......................................... Area 1 Director, PlymouthSusan Karp ................................... Area 2 Co-Director, GlastonburyDonald Harris ................................. Area 2 Co-Director, BloomfieldLaura Bush ................................................. Area 3 Director, VernonDouglas Smith ........................................ Area 4 Director, PlainfieldAndrea Veilleux ................................ Area 6 Co-Director, StratfordJennifer Dayton ............................. Area 6 Co-Director, GreenwichRoxane McKay ............................. Area 7 Co-Director, WallingfordJohn Prins ......................................... Area 7 Co-Director, BranfordLon Seidman .................................................Area 8 Director, EssexAndrea Ackerman ..................................... Area 9 Director, Groton

ASSOCIATESEileen Baker .............................................. Associate, Old SaybrookSharon Beloin-Saavedra .............................. Associate, New BritainGary Brochu .......................................................... Associate, BerlinRobert Guthrie .............................................. Associate, West HavenRobert Trefry ........... Associate, CT Technical High School System

COMMITTEE CHAIRSElizabeth Brown ......................... Chair, State Relations, WaterburyDonald Harris ......................... Chair, Federal Relations, BloomfieldBecky Tyrrell ...................................... Chair, Resolutions, Plainville

CITY REPRESENTATIVESJacqueline Kelleher ....................... City Representative, BridgeportMatthew Poland ................................ City Representative, HartfordCarlos Torre .................................. City Representative, New HavenPolly Rauh ........................................ City Representative, StamfordCharles Stango ............................... City Representative, Waterbury

STAFFRobert Rader ....................................................................... Executive DirectorPatrice McCarthy .................................. Deputy Director and General CounselBonnie Carney ............................................ Sr. Staff Associate for PublicationsNicholas Caruso ............................................ Sr. Staff Assoc. for Field Service and Coord. of TechnologySheila McKay ............................. Sr. Staff Associate for Government RelationsKelly Moyher ......................................................................... Sr. Staff AttorneyVincent Mustaro ..................................... Sr. Staff Associate for Policy ServiceLisa Steimer .............................. Sr. Staff Assoc. for Professional DevelopmentTeresa Costa .................................. Coordinator of Finance and AdministrationPamela Brooks ......................... Sr. Admin. Assoc. for Policy Ser. /Search Ser.Terry DeMars ............................................... Admin. Assoc. for Policy ServiceGail Heath ........................................ Admin. Assoc. for Government RelationsWilmarie Newton ........................................ Admin. Assoc. for Labor RelationsDenise Roberts .................................... Admin. Asst. for Membership ServicesCorliss Ucci .................................. Receptionist/Asst. to the Executive Director

The CABE Journal (ISSN 1092-1818) is published monthly except acombined issue for July/August as a member service of the Connecti-cut Association of Boards of Education, 81 Wolcott Hill Road,Wethersfield, CT 06109, (860) 571-7446. CABE membership duesinclude $30 per person for each individual who receives The CABEJournal. The subscription rate for nonmembers is $75. Associationmembership dues include a subscription for each board member,superintendent, assistant superintendent and business manager. Thecompanies and advertisements found in The CABE Journal are notnecessarily endorsed by CABE. “Periodicals Postage Paid at Hartford,CT.” POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The CABE Journal,CABE, 81 Wolcott Hill Road, Wethersfield, CT 06109-1242. Email:[email protected] can find the CABE Journal online at: www.cabe.org/userlogin.cfm?pp=84&userrequest=true&keyrequest=false&userpage=84

Richard Murray

2 The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/April 2015

PRESIDENT COMMENTARY

CABE Board of Directors

Professional Learning

Vision: CABE is passionate about strengtheningpublic education through high-performing,

transformative local school board/superintendentleadership teams that inspire success for each child.

Mission: To assist local and regional boards of educationin providing high quality education for all

Connecticut children through effective leadership.

In 2012, a major Connecticut educational reformstatute was passed that redefines professional learning asintensive and sustained continuous improvement foreducators that is aligned to standards, is conductedamong educators, occurs frequently, and includes arepository of best practices for teaching methodsdeveloped by educators.

The statute requires that professional learningprograms reflect a comprehensive approach to increasingteacher and administrator effectiveness, focused onimproving teaching methods and developing a sharedcollective responsibility for student growth (C.G.S. 10-148a).

The State Department of Education convened theConnecticut Academy for Professional Learning inSeptember of 2014. The Academy consisted of publiceducation stakeholders throughout the State includingbut not limited to Regional Education Service Centers(RESCs), Connecticut Association of Public SchoolSuperintendents (CAPSS), Connecticut EducationAssociation (CEA) and American Federation of Teachers(AFT) (teacher unions), early childhood education and,higher education professionals, several resident teacherand principals, as well as Teachers of the Year.

Several members of the State Department of Educa-tion were in attendance and last but not least, CABE wasrepresented by Patrice McCarthy and me. The Profes-sional Learning Academy was ably facilitated by JoellenKillion and Victoria Duff from “Learning Forward theProfessional Learning Association”.

Learning Forward is an amazing resource that I hopeanyone who reads this commentary will access. As theonly board member in attendance I was somewhatapprehensive as to my role within the Academy and whatI could contribute from a school board perspective.

The Academy for Professional Learning was com-prised of six all-day sessions, two in September, two inNovember, and concluding our work with two sessionsin March. Our ultimate goal was to present the finaldocuments to the Connecticut State Board of Education.We worked on a definition of professional learning andthen developing Connecticut’s standards for professionallearning.

The Connecticut definition says: “High qualityprofessional learning is a process that ensures all

educators haveequitableaccess,throughouttheir careercontinuum, torelevantindividual andcollaborativeopportunitiesto enhancetheir practiceso that allstudentsadvancetowardspositiveacademic and non-academic outcomes”.

The Lighthouse Project, you will remember, states thatno one has a greater effect on young children’s educationthen a highly effective teacher. The Academy believesthat an effective professional learning system “is funda-mental to both educator and student growth”. After all,isn’t that what we are all looking for in public education? To achieve results for educators and children, profes-sional learning must shift from hours spent in continuingeducation units (CEUs), to sustained, authentic, job-embedded learning measured by evidence of practice andstudent growth. The Academy believes there are threeelements to the Connecticut system:

1. The Connecticut Standards for ProfessionalLearning

2. A local Professional Development and EvaluationCommittee (PDEC)

3. A Comprehensive PlanStudent learning must be at the center of each interde-

pendent element. I could go on, but I think exploring TheLearning Forward website (http://learningforward.org)would be more worthwhile for those that want to digdeeper.

It was an honor to work with so many dedicatedprofessionals who truly care about public education inConnecticut, I felt like a sponge much of the time.

It was also an honor to represent school boardmembers from across our State.

Testifying before theAppropriations Committee

CABE President RichardMurray (Killingly) testi-fies before the Appro-priations Committee.

Robert Rader

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMENTARY

The Journal – Connecticut Association of Boards of Education/April 2015 3

Spotlight onCABE Communications

CABE AffiliateMembers

BUSINESS AFFILIATESDIAMOND MEMBER

Finalsite

GOLD MEMBERSAdvanced Corporate Networking

dba. Digital BackOfficeBerchem, Moses & Devlin

Centris GroupGuidance Counselorsfor Senior TeachersPullman & Comley

Shipman & Goodwin

SILVER MEMBERSAnthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Arthur J. Gallagher & CompanyCorporate Cost Control

Milliman, Inc.Milone & MacBroom, Inc.

Perkins & EastmanSiegel, O’Connor, O’Donnell & Beck

The Segal Company

BRONZE PLUS MEMBERSBL Companies

Friar AssociatesGoldstein & Peck, P.C.Milone & MacBroom

Morganti GroupO & G Industries

The S/L/A/M CollaborativeTrane

BRONZE MEMBERS

Brown & Brown InsuranceChinni & Meuser LLC

Dattco Inc.Fuller & D’Angelo

Architects and PlannersJCJ Architecture

Kainen, Escalera & McHale, P.C.The Lexington Group

Muschell & SimoncelliOvations Benefits Group

Suisman Shapiro Attorneys at Law

EDUCATIONALAFFILIATES

American School for the DeafArea Cooperative Educational Services

Capitol Region Education CouncilThe College Board

Connecticut Association of SchoolBusiness Officials

Connecticut Center for School ChangeConnecticut School Buildings

and Grounds AssociationCooperative Educational Services

EASTCONNEDUCATION CONNECTION

LEARNUnified School District #1

Successful boards of educationmaintain a culture of high expectations ofboard members, superintendents, staff andstudents. Continuous learning, whetherfrom attending workshops, an annualboard retreat or even the joint reading of abook, is an important aspect of thisculture.

Board members are very busy people.Often, they have fulltime jobs or otherresponsibilities and then they spentcountless hours at board and committeemeetings, to say nothing of the time andeffort they invest in supporting students,teachers and others in a variety ofactivities.

So, how can we expect board membersto put in even more time in professionaldevelopment? How can we make theprocess easier and less time consuming?

We have been examining this issue forquite some time. We are trying to accom-plish the provision of professional devel-opment, through a variety of means. Thisis even more important now, because ourDelegate Assembly, recognizing theimportance of professional developmentfor all board members, voted in favor ofmandatory school board member training.

Spotlight on Best PracticesOne of the ideas that we stole, err,

borrowed is from the New Jersey SchoolBoards Association. Yes, some goodthings do come from Jersey!

We call our new initiative, “Spotlighton Connecticut Practices that Lead andInspire”. The idea is to build a library ofbest practices that are easily accessible,concise and provide sufficient informa-tion, like contact information, that couldlead a board member to additionalresources.

To me, the most interesting part ofwhat we borrowed from New Jersey isthat it is mostly focused on best practicesfor school boards. There are manysources of data and best practices forteachers in particular, including lessonplans and other suggestions. However, abest practices library, on the CABEwebsite, will be the first one that I knowof in our State, focusing on the criticaland difficult work that you do.

There are 14 areas in which to catego-rize any best practices. The sidebarindicates the areas. We are most inter-ested in: advocacy, community engage-ment, student achievement, governance/board leadership/policy and professionaldevelopment. If you have developed somegreat ways of handling these issues,please tell us about them!

Providing ProfessionalDevelopment

So, to get back to our original ques-tions, we continue to look for ways thatCABE’s professional training can be

easier to access and be a more effectivesystem for you. We do not underestimatethe importance and value of face-to-facemeetings which we continue to provide.(Make sure you register for the upcomingdemographics workshop, the collectivebargaining workshop, the LegislativeWrapUp, the Summer LeadershipConference and, of course, the CABE/CAPSS Convention!). We know thatattendees find the discussion amongvarious board members and the time fornetworking extremely valuable.

But, we have expanded in terms ofhow we provide our offerings. Forexample, we have done many webinarsover the last few years. To see a listing ofall of them, go to: http://www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=887.

Just over two years ago, the CABEBoard of Directors accepted the recom-mendations of its CommunicationsCommittee on how we can best ensure ourmembers are well-informed on educationissues in the future. We had surveyed ourmembers and found that most respondingwanted more information on our website.We have done exactly that. We are notonly updating the home page, but, addingcontent. So, if you haven’t visitedwww.cabe.org yet, please do!

In addition, we now have a new centerfor our advocacy efforts. The site,Legislative Actions, can be reached athttp://www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=132. It

will make your lobbying efforts easier andlet you know exactly what is going onwith the various bills before the Legisla-ture or Governor. You’ll need your emailaddress and password (cabeaccess2015)to get into the Legislative Actionswebsite.

If you don’t know about the Light-house Project, you certainly should. Thiswork, which is part of a national study,helps boards better understand their rolein raising student achievement. Thanks toState Department of Education sponsor-ship, so far ten districts have participatedin Lighthouse training with more on theway. It is a rewarding one-year trainingprocess, where your board will betterunderstand how to understand the data itreceives, how to build relationships andsupport your superintendent in increasingstudent growth and how to enlist thecommunity in work in this area. Checkout Lighthouse at: www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=108.

In addition, besides the many emailsyou get (Advocacy Highlights, PolicyHighlights, the weekly What’s Going OnAt CABE) we now provide informationon FaceBook and Twitter. I know thatmany people do not use either of theseweb tools. But, our hope is that for thosewho do, they will be helpful.

And, of course, the CABE Journal isnow sent out in both a digital and paperformat. This digital format allows you toclick on the links above and immediatelygo to the sites.

With the strong support of our Boardof Directors, all of this good work isaccomplished by our internal staff. Theyare the ones who write the content andmake sure it goes out in a concise andthoughtful manner. Thanks to all of them!

Yes, of course, there are occasionalglitches, but we try to make the best ofthem. We’re always looking for extragood content. Please share your greatstories with us.

If you have thoughts on this subjectplease let me know. We are alwayslooking to become even more efficientand effective in serving you!

Editor’s Note: Our first Spotlight willbe published in the Journal in May.

Categories for theSpotlight on Connecticut

Practices that Leadand Inspire:

❑ Advocacy

❑ Community Engagement/Communication

❑ Curriculum/Student Achievement

❑ Facilities/Buildings and Grounds

❑ Finance

❑ Governance/Board Leadership/Policy

❑ Professional Development forBoard/Staff

❑ School Climate

❑ School Security

❑ Shared Services

❑ Special Education

❑ STEM Education

❑ Sustainability

❑ Technology


Cloud computing/student privacy issues –needed policy direction

Vincent A. Mustaro, Senior Staff Associate for Policy Service, CABE

The Policy Corner

Technology is used in innovativeways accessing the latest softwareapplications and using electronicpathways to store and process informa-tion. School districts house, process,and transmit educational and businessrecords increasingly online. The shiftto a new digital infrastructure has beenmade necessary by the ubiquity ofpersonal devices such as tablets andcell phones enabling us to access,transmit, and store vast amounts ofinformation instantly. This technologi-cal marvel that involves process,substance, hardware and software hascome to be known as “the Cloud.”

The Cloud’s presence has happenedso quickly and subtly that we barelyperceive its operation, although we feel

its impact. In fact, many of theeducational tools employed by teachersand district offices only operatethrough an Internet connection. Theadvantages of Cloud-based platformsand learning tools include ease,convenience, 24/7 accessibility, lessstaff time maintaining on-site servers,individualized learning, and compli-ance with testing requirements.

These benefits bring seriouschallenges, particularly the potentialfor loss of privacy that accompaniesthe transfer of personal studentinformation to the Cloud. Concernsabout data privacy must be addressedby public school districts. Cloudcomputing presents a great opportunityfor schools, but it creates data protec-tion and privacy issues by placing avery large amount of student, teacher,and institution data into the hands of athird-party provider.

Nationally, there is increasedconcern about protecting student dataprivacy. We are now more aware nowabout the kinds of personal informa-tion being exchanged through digital

devices. The news about governmentsurveillance programs, research reports,surveys, and official guidance from theU.S. Department of Education havefocused the national spotlight on dataprivacy, particularly privacy of studentdata. This increased public attention hasbrought a wave of proposed state andfederal legislation.

School leaders need to articulate thedistrict’s commitment to protect studentprivacy through its policies and practices.Steps must be taken to ensure that Cloudservices deployed throughout district’soffices and classrooms comply with allapplicable laws and district policies. Thecommunity, including parents should beconsulted and educated about thedistrict’s use of the Cloud. Community

feedback may significantly influence thedirection a school district goes withrestrictions placed on student data in theCloud.

Online or Cloud-basedTools and StudentData Privacy

Every device and application with aconnection to the Internet potentiallycollects student data. The most obviousexample of a Cloud-based application isInternet-accessed email which allowsusers to access and send emails anytimeand anywhere. The applications areinstalled, maintained, and upgradedremotely in the Cloud by a third-partyservice provider.

School districts can protect studentdata privacy more directly throughdistrict-wide systems such as email andrecords management, where the districthas some control over the terms of thecontract with the provider. Districts areworking to configure their data systems toallow for the greatest efficiency while

maintaining security for student andemployee privacy.

More difficult student data privacyissues arise with the universe of applica-tions available to individual staff andstudents through a simple Internetconnection. These applications createseparate “doors” to district data that itmay not be able to control in every case.District-wide data management systemsand the myriad tools available for specificpedagogical needs create opportunitiesfor release of student data.

Once school district information istransferred or stored in the Cloud, ratherthan on an on-site server, it is housed on asystem operated by others, usually onshared servers. The school district doesnot have physical control over the data,even if the contract states that the districtretains “control.” Potential issues such asdata breach, data loss, and collection andaggregation of personally identifiable dataand metadata for potential use in advertis-ing and sale to third parties may arise.

Data breaches have received muchpublic attention. The greatest concern isthe ability of service providers to collectand store “profiles” of students or theirfamilies on their use of an application.Such information could be used to targetadvertising to students or their families.

Laws to ProtectStudent Data Privacy

Some federal laws potentially governstudent data privacy. The most directlyapplicable to school districts and serviceproviders are the Family EducationalRights and Privacy Act (FERPA), theProtection of Pupil Rights Amendment(PPRA), and the Children’s OnlinePrivacy Protection Act (COPPA).

Today, student records are oftenmaintained electronically. School districtsare moving their work and the data theycollect and store to Cloud-based plat-forms to reduce the need for servers on-site and to allow anytime/anywhereaccess. Teachers and students are takingadvantage of Internet and Cloud-basedlearning tools separate from any “official”school district program. Vendors createapps that allow them to collaborate andcommunicate. The implementation of theCommon Core and the emphasis ontesting to assess and improve studentachievement and to individualize learninghas resulted in school districts collectingand using student data like never before.

FERPA prohibits school districts fromdisclosing, except in limited instances,personally identifiable information (PII)contained in students’ education records

without the consent of the parent oreligible student. Educational recordsmay include a range of written andelectronic files. Generally, anythingthat is considered PII in an educationrecord, including emails and othercommunications or documents createdby students, teachers, and administra-tors, is governed by FERPA.

Many new technologies are likely toresult in the storage or transmission ofinformation that also will be consid-ered an education record underFERPA, but a few may not. It isprudent for school district policy topresume that all data created bystudents, teachers, and staff related tostudents is an “education record,” andto retain control over it. This presump-tion will help the administration directthird-party technology providers as tohow they should handle the data, howthey can use it, and with whom theycan share it.

Storing student information in theCloud is permitted under FERPA. TheFERPA statute and regulations requireschools to manage education recordsand student PII securely. The U.S.Department of Education suggests thatschools and districts authorize its staffto use only those services in which theterms of service allow the school/district to retain enough control, andprovide sufficient parental notice, toinvoke the “school official” exceptionof FERPA.

When a school district employsonline educational services, it will doso under the “school official” excep-tion, which allows a district to discloseFERPA-protected records withoutparental consent to “a contractor,consultant, volunteer, or other party towhom an agency or institution hasoutsourced institutional services orfunctions.”

A district may use the so-called“school official” exception for disclo-sure of education records to onlineservice providers, but the specificrequirements of that exception must bemet. This includes that the designated“school official” must perform afunction that the school or districtwould otherwise have used its ownemployees to perform.

FERPA regulates educationalagencies or institutions, not Cloudservice providers. The school district isresponsible for privacy and security ofeducational data in the Cloud. Whenthe school official exception is in play,the provider may not use FERPA-

See CLOUD page 14

See You in Court – The Nutmeg Board of Education

The Nutmeg Board deals with an embarassing blog and due process rightsThomas B. Mooney, Esq.Shipman & Goodwin


The Nutmeg Board of Educationmakes many mistakes. The latest imbro-glio created by the board will be reportedhere each issue, followed by an explana-tion of what the board should have done.Though not intended as legal advice,these situations may help board membersavoid common problems.

The almost-interminable winter wasfinally over, and Peter Principal saw asignificant uptick in the number of sus-pensions for offenses ranging from horse-play to assault. To make things worse,many of the students had their lawyers onspeed dial, and suspension hearings areincreasingly becoming mini-trials. Butthe problems were not limited to thephysical interactions between and amongthe students.

The telephone rang in Mr. Principal’soffice. “Have you seen it?” asked BobBombast, veteran member of the NutmegBoard of Education. Mr. Principal had no

idea what Bob was talking about. Bobcontinued, “There is a new blog out, andeveryone is talking about it and postinglinks to it on their Facebook pages.”

When Mr. Principal asked Bob whatthat has to do with him, Bob sighed. “Ithas everything to do with you, Peter. It issupposed to be your blog. And it is notpretty. It looks like somebody copiedyour picture from the school website, andthey used it to create ‘Peter Principal’sPerch – a Commentary on Life and Timesat Nutmeg High School.’

The blog includes posts about teachersat your school, including pictures offemale teachers with ‘your’ vulgar com-ments on their appearance and more.While the blog purports to be created byyou, even I know that it is a hoax. I don’tknow who hates you enough to do this,but this blog is a colossal embarrassmentfor you and the entire school system. Ifsome student did this, he or she should beexpelled for sure.”

Mr. Principal thanked Bob for givinghim this bad news and for his support,and he finished the conversation with Bobby vowing to bring the miscreant whocreated this blog to justice. It didn’t takelong.

Mr. Principal has his sources, and soona student told him confidentially that JoeBlow, an honors student, created the blog.Apparently, Joe was so pleased with hishandiwork that he was overheard brag-ging to other students about the blog. Butto be safe, Mr. Principal asked some otherstudents, and two other students con-firmed that they too had heard that JoeBlow was the mastermind behind theblog.

The Eighth Edition is here!!

A Practical Guide toConnecticut School Law

by Thomas B. Mooney, Esq.Shipman & Goodwin

The Eighth Edition was substantially rewritten to reflect statutorychanges, significant case law developments in state and federalcourts. Some of the numerous legal developments and update are asfollows:

• School Safety and Security • Bullying Law • Teacher Evaluation and Support• Teacher Tenure Act • New Requirements for Professional Development• Budget Issues • Prohibitions on Electronic Notifications of Referenda

• Minimum Budget Requirements • FMLA for Paraprofessionals• Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Requirements

• Uniform Regional School Calendars • Excusal • Student Assessments• Pool Safety • Concussion Prevention and Education• Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention and Education

• Administration and Storage of Epinephrine • Excused Absences• Student Free Speech • Employee Free Speech

Order your copy TODAY by going to the CABE website:www.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=749

The Guide comes with a CD which provides hyperlinksto many cases and statutes and will permitord searches as a supplement to the Index.

Mr. Principal called Joe Blow down tothe office and accused him of creating theblog. However, Joe was a cool customer,and he stated that he would remain silenton “advice of counsel.” Mr. Principalsuspended Joe on the spot, and he warnedJoe that his silence about the blog wouldnot fly at an expulsion hearing.

The expulsion hearing was held lastevening. Mr. Principal presented theinformation set out above, and he urgedthe Board to expel Joe for at least onecalendar year.

However, Bill Alot, a local attorneyrepresenting Joe, was dismissive of Mr.Principal’s case. “The case against Joe isbupkis,” Bill intoned. “What do we have?Rumor? At worst, we may have Joe’smisguided attempt to boost his self-esteem by claiming responsibility forsomething he would never do. The Boardmust exonerate Joe now.”

Bob Bombast was visibly irritated byBill’s presentation, and at his first chance

he jumped in. “What Joe did was despic-able, and he must pay. The Board mem-bers have been talking about this embar-rassing blog since it appeared, and we arepleased to find the student responsibleand punish him for his actions.

Should Joe be expelled? Do you haveany concerns about Bob’s role here?

Bob’s actions and comments wereinappropriate. Board members serve inexpulsion hearings as judges, and animpartial decision-maker is a fundamentalelement of due process.

Accordingly, board members shouldnot be personally involved in suchmatters, and they should certainly notform and express an opinion about anexpulsion decision outside of the hearingitself. Bob’s comments to Mr. Principaland the discussion among Board membersabout this matter outside the hearing herecould well result in a finding that theBoard denied Joe due process.

This is not to say that board memberscannot participate in expulsion hearings ifthey have heard about a particularsituation (and it is hard to imagine theBoard members here not hearing aboutthis blog). Rather, board members mustset aside prior knowledge and determinewhether they can decide the case impar-tially based on the evidence presented. Ifso, they may participate, and if not, theyshould recuse themselves.

The hearing itself raised at least twoserious legal issues. First is the questionof proof. In an expulsion hearing, thesuperintendent has the burden of provingthat the student did in fact engage in theconduct alleged.

Here, Joe admitted nothing, and theevidence presented by the Superintendentwas simply that other students had heardJoe bragging. Such evidence is hearsay,because it is testimony on what someoneelse said that is presented for the truth ofwhat the speaker said.

If Mr. Superintendent had called theother students to testify, the Board couldhave considered their direct accounts andfound that the statements by Joe wereadmissions by him.

However, simply by reporting what theother students told him, Mr. Superinten-dent was asking the Board to rely onhearsay testimony.

In recent years, the courts have beenmore tolerant of hearsay testimony instudent expulsion hearings because of thethreat of violence against a student whotestifies. However, here, there was nosuch concern, and Mr. Superintendent’sreliance on hearsay testimony raisedsignificant due process issues.

Joe’s actions raise an issue of freespeech as well. The Internet has posedsignificant challenges for school officialswho must decide whether and when todiscipline students for their onlineactivities.

At present, the law is evolving,because online activity raises basicquestions about the jurisdiction of schoolofficials. At present, we may say thatschool officials have jurisdiction over

online activity when one can reasonablyforecast that the postings or other activitywill come into the school.

Jurisdiction however, is only thethreshold question. Online activity bystudents is “speech,” which as such isprotected by the First Amendment unlessschool officials can reasonably predictthat such speech will cause substantialdisruption or material interference withthe educational process or will invade therights of others.

Here, it is not clear that Joe’s blog,annoying as it was to Peter Principal andthe Board, was disruptive. Indeed, inmost cases challenging discipline foronline activity, the courts have found thatthe online speech was not disruptive andwas thus protected.

Finally, in passing we note thatstudents in Nutmeg facing suspensionhave been lawyering up. The UnitedStates Supreme Court first decided inGoss v. Lopez (1973) that students facingdiscipline are entitled to due process.

However, in the Goss case, the courtclearly stated that for suspensions of tendays or less, students are entitled only toan informal hearing to hear the chargesand to respond, i.e., no lawyers allowed.

Attorney Thomas B. Mooney is a part-ner in the Hartford law firm of Shipman &Goodwin who works frequently withboards of education. Mooney is a regularcontributor to the CABE Journal.

“. . . . board members must set aside priorknowledge and determine whether they

can decide the case impartially basedon the evidence presented.”


Engaging families and communitiesto improve student achievement

Andrew LachmanExecutive DirectorConnecticut Center for School Change

This year marks the fiftieth anniversaryof the passage of the Elementary andSecondary Education Act (ESEA). Familyengagement has long been enshrined inpolicy at the federal level through Title Iof ESEA, which requires that Title Ischools develop parental involvementpolicies and ‘school-family compacts’that outline how the two stakeholdergroups will work together to increasestudent achievement.

A year ago, the U.S. Department ofEducation, which administers ESEA,released the Dual Capacity-BuildingFramework forFamily SchoolPartnerships whichsuggests methodsfor school anddistrict staff toeffectively engageparents andmethods for parentsto work success-fully with schools.

The DualCapacity Frame-work builds upon asignificant body ofevidence thatfamily and commu-nity engagementplays an importantrole in studentachievement andschool perfor-mance. In the bookOrganizing Schoolsfor Improvement:Lessons fromChicago, Anthony S. Bryk, former headof the Chicago Consortium for SchoolResearch and now president of theCarnegie Foundation for the Advance-ment of Teaching, presents compellingevidence underscoring the importance offamily and community engagement.

In their longitudinal study of hundredsof Chicago elementary schools, Bryk andhis co-authors identified five essentialsupports for school improvement: acoherent instructional guidance system;professional capacity; strong parent-community-school ties; a student-centeredlearning climate; and leadership thatdrives change.

Bryk and his colleagues developedindicators for each of the five supportfactors and tracked both positive andnegative changes in student attendanceand gains in reading and mathematicsskills and knowledge. Among theirfindings:

• Schools with strong indicators onmost supports were 10 times more

likely to improve than schools withweak supports.

• Half of the schools strong on mostsupports improved substantially inreading.

• Not a single school weak on mostsupports improved in mathematics.

• A material weakness in any onesupport, sustained over severalyears, undermined other changeefforts, and improvements rarelyresulted.

Bryk views the five supports as anorganized system interacting with andmutually supporting and reinforcing oneanother. He likens the five essentials to acake recipe: absent any one ingredient

(flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder) itwon’t be a cake. While all five need to bepresent to ensure school success, the restof this article focuses on the one that isoften overlooked or given short shrift:family and community engagement.

In regards to family and communityengagement, Bryk writes, “The absence ofvital ties is a problem; their presence is amultifaceted resource for improvement.The quality of these ties links directly tostudents’ motivation and school participa-tion and can provide a critical resource forclassrooms.” Bryk cites three family andcommunity engagement pathways thatschools and districts can pursue thatpotentially have a direct impact onteaching and learning.

First are efforts to engage parents inthe processes of strengthening studentlearning. Examples of this approach areclassroom volunteering, curriculumnights, reading to children, and helpingparents establish routines that keep thefocus on student learning.

As Bryk notes, “the social ties betweenparents and school professionals repre-sent a significant resource for diverseschool improvement initiatives, fromenhancing safety in and around schools,to addressing problems of absenteeismand tardiness, to assuring more consistentand effective homework sessions.”

The second of Bryk’s pathways isenhancing teachers’ knowledge abouttheir students’ culture and community. Afundamental premise of good instructionis to build on the background knowledgeand experience of the learner.

Knowledge of students’ culture andcommunity is also central to developingrelationships and establishing the inter-

personal connec-tions essential fordeveloping aclassroom cultureand climateconducive tolearning.

Lastly, Bryknotes that byengaging commu-nity agencies andneighborhoodyouth groups aspartners, schoolscan broaden thearray of servicesavailable tochildren and theirfamilies. This is aroute to ensurethat students haveaccess to supple-mental servicessuch as eye-glasses, tutoring,dental and mental

health services that are beyond thecapacity of the school itself to provide.

At the Center for School Change,we’ve always known that stakeholderengagement is an important componentthat contributes to successful outcomesfor schools.

Until recently, however, we’veconcentrated more on aspects of the otherfour essentials – leadership, instructionalimprovement and staff capacity building– than family and community engage-ment. Bryk’s research has convinced usthat educators, support organizations, andboards need to give family and commu-nity engagement additional emphasis.

We’re identifying the most effectiveways to integrate family and communityengagement into school and districtefforts to improve teaching and learning.

One example of how this plays out inpractice is our experience with Manches-ter Public Schools. The school districtretained the Center to act as advisors andstrategic planners when it was developing

to order the FOIA bookgo to the

CABE Online Bookstore atwww.cabe.org/page.cfm?p=749

Available fromThe CABE Bookstore!

Understanding theConnecticutFreedom of

Information Actand

Access toPublic Meetings

and Records- Fourth Edition

Written by:Mark J. Sommaruga, Esq.Pullman & Comley, LLC

a proposal to the Hartford Foundation forPublic Giving for strengthening educa-tional outcomes through increased family,school and community collaboration.

Two of the Center’s Program Coordi-nators, Patrice Nelson and LauraBoutilier, helped the district articulate avision for strong, integrated school,family and community partnerships.

The Center provided resources onstakeholder engagement; coordinated aninventory of family and communityengagement programs and practices; andcollaborated with the planning coordina-tor and superintendent to design andfacilitate the process of drafting the finalplan. Manchester’s proposal was ap-proved late in 2014 and awarded$713,000 by the foundation.

We look forward to partnering withinterested school and district leaders andlocal school boards as they focus onfamily and community engagement.

The Center for School Change willcontinue to grow our understanding anddeepen our practice to support educatorsto successfully engage and collaboratewith families and community stakeholderson behalf of better outcomes for students.


CABE-MeetingCABE-Meeting is a user-friendly

online service offered by CABEspecifically for school boards. Userscan eliminate unnecessary paperwork,increase efficiency and reduce costswhile enabling board members to utilizethe latest in cutting edge technology.Using CABE-Meeting, the MeetingManager can create and electronicmeeting from developing the agenda tocreating the minutes and everything inbetween.

When the meeting is ready, theMeeting Manager emails your boardmembers and designated administratorsto let them know they can log in. Userscan login from the comfort of theirhomes or work place. With a mouseclick, agenda and related documents areopen and ready for viewing. Using thesearch features, administrators andboard members can easily locateinformation from previous boardmeetings. No more time consuming,tedious searches through mounds ofpaper!

What Else DoesCABE-Meeting Offer?• Secure login access for board and

district staff• Password protected access for

certain features and audiences• Access from any location with

Internet access• Search archived agenda and meeting

related items in a flash.• Ability to download and print

attachments• Option to provide a public link to

board meeting information• Calendar for tracking events of

district interest

Your CABE-MeetingSubscription Provides:• Access to CABE-Meeting• Initial and ongoing training• Support and maintenance

• Upgrades to the service

CABE MemberSubscription Information:Initial Subscription Fee – $3,000Annual Maintenance Fee –$1,500

If you have an interestin this service,

contact Lisa Steimerat 860-571-7446

or [email protected].

The Professional Governance BoardGary Brochu, Chair, Berlin Board of Education

A quick review of the mission state-ments and goals of boards of educationfinds frequent references to the impor-tance and primacy of student learning.This is not surprising, as the vast majorityof boards of education understand theirwork as supporting student learning. Acommitment to creating a learningenvironment for students is commendable.Unfortunately, few governance boardsturn this same focus on learning onthemselves.

Given the importance of an effectivegoverning board to a school districtparticularly in creating and reinforcing adistrict’s culture, a board’s commitmentto its own education and learning is anessential element of its ability to build anorganization characterized by student andstaff learning.

Simply put, an organization’s commit-ment and capacity for learning can be nogreater than that of its members; particu-larly those members who serve as themodels of the organization’s values - themembers of its governing board.

In recent decades considerableresearch and writing has taken placeconcerning the concept of a “learningorganization.” In a time of unprecedentedtechnological, structural and conceptual

Building a Learning Organization“Learning is not attained by chance.

It must be sought with ardor and attended to with diligence.” – Abigail Adams

change, the idea of a learning organiza-tion has been advanced as a way fororganizations to ensure that they can keeppace with, if not anticipate and influence,rapid changes in their environment.

One author on this topic, Mike Pedler,has written that “a learning organization isan organization that facilitates thelearning of all of its members andcontinually transforms itself.”

This description of a learning organi-zation seems remarkably well-suited todescribe an effective board of educationand school district - committed to staffand student learning, preparing them to beable to adapt to an ever-changing world.

For members of a governing board tobuild and lead a learning organization, asits leaders it must champion learningthroughout the district, fostering a cultureof continuous improvement. This meansthat the board of education must serve asa model of the district’s commitment tolearning.

Think of how much more powerful theboard’s message of professional develop-ment and learning is when the board itselfis invested in its own learning anddevelopment. To summarize Peter Senge,a leader in the field of learning organiza-tions, ‘if the board signals the importance

“. . . a learningorganization is anorganization that

facilitates the learningof all of its members

and continuallytransforms itself.”

(continued from page 1)involved in our educational systems eachand every day.”

President Richard Murray stated that“Lydia was able to win the positionthrough her tenacity, determination, andunparalleled passion. The CABE Boardof Directors is very proud of and in totalsupport of Ms. Tedone and believe thisnew platform will allow her to be anambassador for NSBA and to continue herenthusiastic advocacy on behalf of publicschools and the children they serve on aneven greater stage.”

Bob Rader stated that “Lydia is anexcellent board member, who buildsrelationships, which are key to the workof any successful board member. Shethinks strategically, cares deeply aboutchildren and will be an immeasurable helpas NSBA moves forward.”

In other CABE news at the NSBAConvention• Our delegates at the Delegate Assem-

bly were: President Murray, First VicePresident Ann Gruenberg and Area 2Director and Member at Large Donald

Harris. Elaine Whitney (Westport) andRobert Mitchell (Montville) were ouralternates. Robert also served on thecredentials Committee.

• Presenting workshops at the Conven-tion were Robert Rader (Ten Practicesto Avoid Liability and the Future ofBoards of Education), PatriceMcCarthy (Ten Practices to AvoidLiability) and Associate Director GaryBrochu (Berlin; Becoming A Profes-sional Governance Board: How toCreate and Use a Board MemberHandbook). Other Connecticut attend-ees also presented workshops.

• Patrice was also wished well as she leftthe Council of School Attorneys(COSA) Board of Directors. She servedas Chair and in other positions for over15 years. She stated, “It was truly anhonor to serve on the COSA Boardwith amazing colleagues from aroundthe country. COSA members demon-strate an unwavering commitment toproviding effective legal guidance toschool boards. I am grateful to theCABE Board and Staff for theirsupport of my involvement in COSA.”

of spending time on problemidentification and discussion,knowledge acquisition and transfer,and post-action reflection - theseactivities are likely to flourishthroughout the organization.’ In thesimplest of terms - how a govern-ing board conducts itself matters,and matters a lot.

How can a board build and leada learning organization? The best

way is to start with itself, taking steps toinstitutionalize board member learningand create a board culture committed tolearning.

Some possible actions are creating aboard committee focused on boarddevelopment and member learning;require individual member professionaldevelopment plans at the start of eachyear; create a board professional devel-opment library of key books, articles, andwebcasts; and create a professionaldevelopment calendar for board mem-bers.

These are just some suggestions ofsteps that boards can take to encourageboard member learning and development.The real challenge is create an environ-ment and culture that encourages, valuesand expects a commitment to boardmember learning.

Board meetings characterized byinformed discussions on complex issues;board member learning as part of theboard’s self-evaluation process; boardretreats that focus on board learning andreflection; and scheduled time for jointprofessional development opportunities.

A learning board can provide afoundation for the building of a schooldistrict committed to learning andcontinuous improvement.

A governing board with a commitmentto learning is a board that is continuallyexpanding its capacity to create thefuture; which is the job description of anygood school district. But to build alearning organization we start at the top;we start with the governing board; westart with ourselves.

Tedone elected to NSBA Board


In the tiny town of Hampton, Connecti-cut, nestled in the quiet Northeast cornerof the state, the Hampton Board ofEducation has shared its appreciation forthe life and service of Dr. CatherineWade, who passed away in September,2014, at the age of 88.

Dr. Wade served on the HamptonBoard of Education for over 20 years, aswell as being a strong advocate for publiceducation and a professional educator.She began her career as a music educatorworking in several one-room school-houses.

She continued her work, eventuallyteaching in the Windham School System,before retiring in 1992. Along the way,she earned a doctorate in music educationfrom the University of Connecticut. Shealso served on the EASTCONN Board ofDirectors.

Paula Colen, Executive Director ofEASTCONN, said “ She always putstudents first in any discussions weengaged in. She advocated for collabora-tion and cooperation among and betweendistricts whenever possible understandingthat combined efforts when feasiblewould allow scarce resources to be

maximized tothe benefit ofthe region’sstudents.”

Dr. Wadewas visionary.Though shehad limitedsight in herlater years, shehad a clearview of, andcommitment to, educational priorities forchildren. She loved teaching.

In her retirement she continued toteach students in her home, offering freelessons on occasion. In her long, full life,she shared her love of music with genera-tions of students. One of her manyinitiatives involved the coordination of amusical instrument lending library.

This increased accessibility for stu-dents who otherwise might not haveopportunities to play an instrument. Shestored over 100 instruments in her home,for use by students.

The Hampton Board of Educationappreciates CABE’s recognition of Dr.Catherine Wade’s leadership and advo-cacy. We are honored to continue herlegacy in spirit.

RememberingDr. Catherine Wade

Ann GruenbergFirst Vice President, CABE andBoard Member, Hampton

For an update or more information on vacanciesgo to our website: www.cabe.org

is recruiting forRegion 1 Public Schools

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Preston Public SchoolsDirector of Finance

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For more information contact, CABE Search Services,860-539-7594

Mary Broderick, Senior Search ConsultantPaul Gagliarducci, Associate Consultant

Jacqueline V. Jacoby, Senior Search ConsultantBob King, Associate Consultant

P.O. Box 290252, Wethersfield, CT 06129-0252www.cabe.org/support • Equal Opportunity Employers

CABESearch

Services


Joyce M. SingerConnecticut Association for the Gifted

Project-based learning lights up kids’ eyesand makes them want to come to school

In the most successful classrooms,learning adventures begin with teacherswho inspire burning questions begging foranswers. When students either can choosereal-world projects to accomplish withinthe school building, or can pursue self-selected interests that provide learningexperiences beyond the classroom, suchopportunities will keep them motivatedthrough days and weeks of challengingtasks.

Ideally, their teachers will provide theperfect combination of guidance andenthusiasm to convince students theirwork will matter, that it can contribute totheir school, or that it can benefit peopleand causes they had never before consid-ered.

Spurred by their immersion into com-plex problems that often generate morequestions and further engagement, tea-chers’ assignments will prompt nowintrinsically-motivated problem solvers toget to work. Teacher-led guided activitiesthat fire students’ fervor soon translateinto inquiry-based learning and possibleopportunities for interdisciplinary studiesacross the curriculum.

At Westside Middle School Academyin Danbury, Principal Frank LaBancastands out as an instructional leader com-mitted to inspiring and sustaining studentengagement not only in the engineeringcourse he teaches, but also because heensures subject-area teachers throughoutthe building provide students with real-world, project-based learning opportuni-ties.

In his course, work similar to the tasksprofessional engineers might encounterdrives student projects.

For example, when students studiedpackaging engineering, using structuredguided-inquiry, Dr. LaBanca facilitated

the task of building paper prototypes oftwo-dimensional structures – in this case,a square and a triangle. After theyinvestigated forces associated with three-dimensional structures, the next assign-ment required them to build a structurethat would support a water bottle.

Accomplishing their task involvedbudget analysis, calculating the cost oftheir materials, and assessment of theirefficiency for the amount of materialused. Real-world tasks resulted in

authentic pro-ducts. Students do not taketests or quizzes in this project-basedcourse; instead, assessment occurs whenthey create real structures and then writeabout how they accomplished the task.

Other authentic projects at Westside,involved the design and building of anextension for a table in the principal’soffice and a kiosk for the media center.The latter request necessitated interview-

ing the media specialist, or “customer,” toascertain his precise needs and wants;then submitting designs; gaining feed-back; making adjustments and, finally,physically building the structure.

This process – reminiscent of W.Edwards Deming’s Plan-Do-Check-ActCycle for problem analysis – required thedevelopment of a potential solution,gaining feedback to determine whetherthe design needed improvement, and thenimplementing the solution, yet another

real-world experience.In this school, sometimes, teachers

assign the problems; at other times, stu-dents develop their own. When teachersdo not provide structured, defined ways tosolve a problem, students invent theirsolutions and methodologies, which re-ults in student-controlled learning thatrequires higher-order thinking. If a tea-cher’s goal is to build a certain skill, pro-jects will be more guided. When the goalinvolves encouraging creativity, assign-ments are more open-ended.

Typical projects from start to comple-tion take four weeks, with up to twomonths allotted for science fairs or aninvention convention. To provide enoughtime for students to work on their pro-jects, the school utilizes four-by-fourninety-minute block scheduling, withadditional “project days,” so students canhave intensive two to three hours of pro-ject time.

Within the building’s STEM academy,authentic audiences composed of scien-tists and engineers evaluate student pro-jects. At the school’s science fair, stu-dents shared their work with actual pro-fessionals and experienced sophisticatedand new kinds of conversations.

In Westside’s global studies academy,students created peace posters for anational contest, and they also work withpublished authors, participate in mocktrials and model United Nations, andlearn how to conduct Socratic seminars.

In other academic settings, usually atthe high school level, depending upon the

scope of assigned projects, studentinvolvement beyond the campus has thepotential to make a significant differencein the real world.

Convincing them they can and shouldadd their voice to existing ideas and prac-tices often will produce surprising levelsof student passion to sustain their efforts.Their motivation continues, particularlywhen students’ tasks include searchingand researching, both textual and field-based, insistent probing, the hunt for mul-tiple perspectives, and the creation ofaction plans.

Hopefully, students’ labors will resultin discoveries that rouse and awakenindividuals who possess influence to turnideas into reality. If not, they still willhave experienced not only the challengesthat accompany hard work, but also thepower of small contributions that canmove an idea toward a goal.

If the fate of that idea leads to thegraveyard of all unrealized ideas, thequest will not lose one ounce of merit, forthe student will have gained yet anothergenuine experience: how to persevere ifand when they meet disappointment.

Student engagement in such Type IIIactivities, as categorized by Dr. JosephRenzulli, brings gifted pedagogy into allclassrooms and inspires students at alllearning levels.

Teachers introduce the “spark” thatfires students’ interests (Type I), teachprocess skills and methodologies studentscan then utilize or adapt for their specificneeds (Type II), and provide them withopportunities to conduct their own in-vestigations and to think like profession-als.

Culminating activities occur when stu-dents present their products and/or find-ings to real audiences.

The importance of access to technol-ogy to help students achieve their goalscannot be underestimated. Whether theyapply technology to conduct research;communicate; design; create, learn “howto” lessons, or to present their work, en-richment and talent development becomenatural byproducts of student engagementin inquiry-based projects.

The Connecticut Association for theGifted offers professional developmentthat pairs schools and districts with experteducators who can assist with the designand implementation of project-basedlearning activities within both regular andtalent development classrooms.

When gifted education strategies areshared with educators across all learninglevels, all students benefit. Visit CAG’swebsite www.ctgifted.org to learn aboutadditional professional developmentofferings that will educate teachers andultimately enrich classroom experiencesfor all learners.

For further information, and to bringprograms to your district, contact CAG’sCo-director of Professional DevelopmentJoyce Singer, at [email protected].

Subcommittee of the CABE/CAPSS Convention meets to review workshop proposals and makerecommendations to the CABE/CAPSS Convention Committee. The Convention will be held onNovember 20-21, 2015 at the Mystic Marriott Hotel in Groton. It’s not too early to mark thesedates on your calendar! Participating were: Elaine Whitney (Westport), Donna Leake (RetiredSuperintendent), Ann Gruenberg (Hampton), Doug Smith (Plainfield) and LIsa Steimer (CABE).

Convention planninghas begun!


CABE: working for YOUIndividualized Workshops • Professional Development Opportunities

Legal Services • Policy Services • Representing You Statewide and Nationally

Below are the highlights of activities thatthe CABE staff has undertaken on yourbehalf over the last month. We did this:

➤ By representing Connecti-cut school boards on thestate or national level:

• Attended a conference pertaining todiscrimination and discipline.

• Participated in Leadership GreaterHartford’s Lessons in Leadershipprogram.

• Participated in two planning confer-ence calls for the summer NationalSchool Boards Association (NSBA)Trainers Conference.

• Met with Kim Jennings, Springboard,about future opportunities.

• Participated in drafting an NSBAManagement Audit for the IdahoSchool Boards Association (ISBA)and presented it to the ISBA Board ofDirectors.

• Participated in Big 6 (CABE, CAPSS,CAS, CBIA, CCER and ConnCAN)teleconferences.

• Participated in meeting of theConnecticut Anti-Definition League(ADL) Board of Directors.

• Met with theWhatWillOurChildrenLose Coalition(CABE, CAPSS, CASBO and CAS).

• Participated in meeting of the LEADConnecticut Partners.

• Participated in teleconference of theNSBA Ad Hoc Task Force on theFuture of Boards of Education.

• Participated in teleconference of theEducator Preparation AdvisoryCouncil (EPAC).

• Attended meeting on the ConnecticutTeacher of the Year Council’s

“Empowered to Lead” Symposium.• Attended meeting of the Connecticut

Commission for Educational Technol-ogy.

• Participated in Senator ChrisMurphy’s meeting on reauthorizationof ESEA.

• Participated in Professional LearningAdvisory Committee meetings.

• Participated in interview with CT-Non the Governor’s budget.

• Presented in NSBA Council ofSchools Attorneys Board webinar.

• Attended State Board of Educationmeeting.

➤ By providing opportunitiesfor members to learn howto better govern theirdistricts:

• Meetings were held for informing thefollowing about CABE programs,services activities with the following:

– Chair Ronald Goldstein andSuperintendent Jeffry Mathieuof the Colchester Board ofEducation;

– Superintendent Brian Reas ofthe East Haddam Board ofEducation;

– Superintendent Tom Moore ofthe West Hartford Board ofEducation;

– Naugatuck SuperintendentSharon Locke and AssistantSuperintendent Chris Montini;

– Region 14 Chair George Bauerand Board Vice Chair MaryanneVan Aken, Board MemberPamela Zmek and Superinten-dent Anna Cutaia-Leonard;

– Region 16 SuperintendentMichael Yamin.

• Demonstrated CABE-Meeting forthe West Hartford Town Council.

• Met with Michael Howser, Con-necticut State Data Center Director,regarding future CABE workshop ondemographics and declining enroll-ment.

• Staffed meeting of the CABE/CAPSS Convention workshopproposal subcommittee meeting.

• Facilitated strategic planning sessionon Community Leadership with theColumbia Board of Education.

• Provided policy information to 33districts, one RESC, two newspa-pers, two out-of-state school boardsassociations, one law firm and theState Department of Educationthrough 51 answered requests forinformation or sample policies, on42 topics. Further, districts continueto access CABE’s online Core PolicyReference Manual and/or onlinemanuals posted by CABE for policysamples. The topics of greatestinterest included graduation require-ments, bullying and safe schoolclimate plans, social media, foodallergy management and administra-tion of medication.

➤ By ensuring membersreceive the most up-to-date communications:

• As part of the Custom UpdateService policy materials were sent toAvon, Bloomfield, Ellington,Griswold, Newtown, North Haven,and Thomaston.

➤ By providing servicesto meet members needs:

• Attended Area 4 Legislative Break-fast.

• Facilitated a tri-board meeting withthe North Stonington Board ofEducation.

• Facilitated a workshop on theSuperintendent Search Process for theMansfield Board of Education.

• Completed the audit of the policymanual for the Region 14 Board ofEducation.

• Entered into an agreement to do anaudit of the New London Policymanual.

• Developed new policies pertaining todiversity and equity and progressivediscipline.

• Entered into an agreement with theOxford Public Schools to host thedistrict’s policy manual onlineutilizing CABE’s Online PolicyService (C.O.P.S.).

• Met with the Superintendent of theNew Canaan Public Schools todiscuss policy issues and needs.

➤ By helping school boardsto increase studentachievement

• Provided Lighthouse training for theVernon and the Winchester Boardsof Education.

• Sent out three issues of PolicyHighlights via email listserv coveringtopics that affect student achieve-ment. This included administration ofepinephrine, vaccinations, recessprograms, protecting online studentdata, and school resource officers.

• Planned and implemented successfulHot Topic workshop - Discipline andDiscrimination: It’s a Fine Line.

➤ By promotingpublic education:

• Met with Norwich Bulletin editorialboard.

• Met with numerous legislativeleaders to discuss education issues.

Area 3 Legislative Breakfast

Participants attending the Area 3 LegislativeBreakfast held on January 14, 2015 atRockville High School in Vernon.

Enhancements made to C.O.P.S. Online program


CABE introduced the electronic service, ConnecticutOnline Policy Service (C.O.P.S.) eight years ago. TheConnecticut Online Policy Service puts a district’s policieson the Internet. A key advantage of this placement is thateach time any user checks the electronic version of thedistrict’s manual, they will access the most recent version.

Simply posting policies on the district’s website in staticform doesn’t satisfy the needs of most districts. The pdf andhtml formats are adequate for some items such as sportsschedules and cafeteria menus.

However, searching features and other research tools areneeded if board members, school administrators and thepublic are to find needed policy information quickly in auser-friendly format.

CABE’s Policy Service, through the Connecticut OnlinePolicy Service, has offered school districts an economicalway to make all district policies and administrativeregulations fingertip accessible on the Internet.

This service enables a school district to create aconvenient, “paperless” policy collection that’s accessibleto board members, administrators, teachers, parents andother community members anytime, all the time, on thedistrict’s website.

The Internet-based manual is user-friendly, easy tonavigate, searchable by word or phrase and easilyexpandable. Links are provided to all related policies and to

the Connecticut statutes. Board exhibits, charts, forms andtables are also available in their original format fordownloading.

The CABE Policy Service is now pleased to announcethat the program is being enhanced, at no additional cost tocurrent subscribers or to new subscribers. The newenhancements include the following:

1. An improved print featurea. Print one to several policies at a time, using the

check box functionality in the TOC (table ofcontents).

b. Print entire section(s) or the entire manual at onetime, again, using the check box functionality inthe TOC.

2. An improved Table of Contentsa. The TOC works on all four modern-day browsers

(Safari, Chrome, Fire Fox, IE).b. The TOC will expand just by clicking the section/

policy title (you don’t have to click a folder orarrow).

c. For individual district manuals, the TOC willautomatically expand the different sectionheadings upon loading the site (Section A,Section B, etc.).

3. Searches can be saved.

4. End-users can perform multiple searches withouthaving to close any existing search results.

Vincent A. Mustaro,Senior Staff Associatefor Policy Service, CABE

5. An iPad app that automatically loads when browsingto the policy site. No need to download the app.

6. The iPad app/mobile site also works with Androiddevices should a district decide they would like thatoption included on their policy site.

7. Improved and more user-friendly skins (templates).

8. Programming architecture that allows for futureupgrades and integrations.

9. The new search engine leverages cloud technology,allowing for better redundancy and better updatingprocesses.

10. Policies can now be copied from the online versioninto Word in order to make revisions. The old siteused tabled HTML whereas the new technologykeys off of a stylesheet (CSS).

The C.O.P.S. service includes the conversion of adistrict’s current policy manual to an online database;highlighted key word text search capabilities; links tolegal and cross references; unlimited update service/website revisions; and hosting of the policy database.

For more information contact the CABE PolicyService at (860) 571-7446; (800) 317-0033 or emailVincent Mustaro or Pam Brooks at [email protected] [email protected].

CORRECTION:

The article, “Policy Update: providing homebound instruction,” which appeared in the March 2015 issue of The Journal inadvertently did not include one of the sourcesused in its preparation, in addition to the State Department of Education regulations.

Valuable clarifying material was also used in the article which was included in a PowerPoint presentation posted on the State Education Resource Center (SERC),Middletown CT. The PowerPoint is titled, “State Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education, Legal Forum, Homebound Instruction and 504 Planning, March27, 2014.” The presentation was done by Attorney Michelle C. Laubin of Berchem, Moses, and Devlin, P.C.

Vincent A. Mustaro, CABE Senior Staff Associate for Policy Service

“Good management is

the art of making

problems so interesting

and their solutions

so constructive

that everyone wants

to get to work

and deal with them.”

– Paul Hawken


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The Media Messagefrom Ann Baldwin, Baldwin Media Marketing, LLC

Are your missing out on positive press?

CABE and Baldwin Media: Partners in Managing Communications

A new SmartAsset study has found the state in the country with the best schools (K-12) and Connecticut is in the number 1 spot!It’s not hard to see why. In the study, Connecticut had the 3rd highest college-enrollment rate of any state in the country, with 76%of high school graduates enrolling in college within 12 months of graduation, and the ninth lowest high school dropout rate!See the chart below that outlines the top 10 states with the best schools along with the stats that placed them there:

SAT ACT College Student-Testing Testing Attendance Dropout Funding Teacher

Rank State Percentage Percentage Rate Rate Student Ratio Grade

1 Connecticut 88% 29% 76% 2.1% $18,512 13.19 A

2 New Jersey 79% 25% 71% 1.4% $19,601 11.97 A

3 Massachusetts 84% 23% 74% 2.5% $16,775 13.94 A

4 New York 76% 27% 71% 3.8% $20,376 12.01 A-

5 Virginia 73% 28% 68% 1.9% $12,097 12.33 A-

6 Delaware 100% 18% 69% 3.5% $17,348 14.25 B+

7 New Hampshire 70% 20% 65% 1.3% $16,657 12.09 B+

8 Minnesota 6% 76% 71% 1.9% $13,085 15.95 B+

9 North Dakota 2% 100% 66% 3.0% $12,516 12.22 B

10 Nebraska 4% 86% 69% 2.2% $10,545 9.80 B

Source:SmartAsset:https://smartasset.com/student-loans/states-best-schools.SmartAsset’s mission: “We use our software and data to provide simple, easy to understand answers to complex financial questions.”

New study shows Connecticut hasthe best schools (K-12) in the U.S.

More and more school districtsunderstand the importance of positivepress and often feel a sense of frustra-tion when what they consider a “news-worthy” event happens at their schooland the media doesn’t cover it.

But, did you ever wonder why someschools have a great “buzz” aboutthem, but your school does not? Per-haps the reason, more often than not, isthat the schools with great local andregional media exposure have made acommitment to communication.

Communication needs to be part ofthe district culture. It is something thatshould be addressed during on-goingprofessional development with notonly your staff and parent leaders:everyone within your school commu-nity needs to understand that commu-nication is a priority in their school.

It really takes strong “internal”communication to make that happen.

For example, take a look around at all ofthe great things happening in your school.Now take another look. Are you missingdozens ofopportuni-ties to getgood presseach year?Try toidentify thetop eventshappeningwithin yourschooldistrict andcome upwith a

If not, they should be.• Do you have a local cable access

station in your community that youare notutilizing? Ifso, that is ahuge missedopportunity.Regardless ofwhat youmight think,people dowatch it!• Askingyour localpaper if youcan contrib-

quality content.• If you are concerned that writing

an article on a regular basis is toomuch work, then why not sharesome of the great photos that aretaken at these events with a briefcaption. After all, “A picture isworth a thousand words.”

The picture that I am using as anexample is of Congresswoman Eliza-beth Esty (D-5th), who recently spentsome time in the Makers Space class-room at Wamogo High School, to seehow students work in this innovativespace. It is as simple as that, and YES,this photo made the local newspapers.

So start building your PR momen-tum now, it’s never too late and onceyou do you will start noticing that youare creat-ing a “buzz” about yourschools and as a result, your entirecommunity will be more engaged as aresult.

tacticaleffort to getthe message out to your local community.

• If you have a school newspaper, ornewsletter, are your local mediaoutlets on the e-mail or mailing list?

ute an articleon what is

Congresswoman Esty with a Womogo student.

happening in your school community on aweekly or monthly basis. Many publica-tions are begging for good content andwould love to have your school contribute


Cloud computing(continued from page 4)protected information for any other pur-pose than that for which it was disclosed.It is the district’s responsibility to enforcethat requirement.

Rather than undertaking the practicallyimpossible task of identifying which bitsof school district student data are subjectto FERPA, it is prudent for school of-ficials to craft policy that presumes that alldata created by students, teachers andstaff related to students is afforded “edu-cation record” status for purposes ofdirecting third-party technology providerson how they should handle the data, howthey can use it, and with whom they canshare it.

Determining what portions of an edu-cation record should be considered PII isa challenging and context-specific inquirythat is the school district’s responsibilityby law. Therefore, school districts shouldpreclude third-party service providersfrom making determinations about whatelements of an education record are or arenot PII. The most conservative course totake is to consider all data protected byFERPA.

The Protection of Pupil Rights Amend-ment (PPRA) requires schools and con-tractors to make certain instructional ma-

ing or selling that information, thoughthere is an exception to this requirementfor “educational products or services,”including district testing.

School districts must give parents atleast annual notice of PPRA policies, anopportunity to opt out of instructionalactivities related to these subjects, andnotice of specific events surroundingthese subjects.

The Children’s Online PrivacyProtection Act (COPPA) imposes certainrequirements on website (and mobile app)operators “to place parents in control overwhat information is collected from theiryoung children online.” The FederalTrade Commission (FTC) has issued rulesand guidance that apply to operators thatcollect, use, or disclose personal informa-tion from children, and those with actualknowledge that they are collecting, using,or disclosing personal information fromchildren under the age of 13.

When a school contracts with a Cloudvendor to provide online services tostudents, it may provide consent underCOPPA on behalf of the parents undercertain circumstances, but school person-nel need to understand fully the purposefor which any personal information aboutstudents is collected and how it is used orshared by the operator.

An operator will need to obtain actualparental consent (not school district con-sent) when it “intends to use or disclosechildren’s personal information for itsown commercial purposes in addition tothe provision of services to the school.”

In short, these laws provide a basicframework, but not a complete regulatoryscheme for addressing student data pri-vacy issues. Some state legislatures haveimposed new data protection require-ments, and other states and Congress maydo soon.

With an incomplete and evolving legallandscape and public opinion leaning inthe direction of additional protections forstudent data, your school board shouldconsider going beyond the current legalrequirements and adopting a “comprehen-sive approach to protecting student pri-vacy.”

This article is based upon materialexcerpted from “Data in the Cloud,”April 2014 NSBA, and “Cloud Comput-ing and Student Privacy: A Guide forSchool Attorneys,” NSBA, May 30, 2014.

(continued from page 1)concept, or they may assess readingcomprehension through classroomdiscussions.

How Is ConnecticutDealing With Concerns AboutOver-Testing?

The state’s required standardized testis offered annually and actually takes upvery little of a student’s time. In fact, thelatest version of the state test, called theSmarter Balanced Assessment Con-sortium (SBAC) test, takes about thesame amount of time as did the Con-necticut Mastery Test (CMT) – which

states that have worked collaborativelyto develop a modern testing system thatcan accurately measure student learningaligned to the Common Core StateStandards. Connecticut educators wereinvolved in this effort.

Since Common Core sets higherexpectations for students – asking themto learn more than ever before--theSBAC is a more rigorous test than anypreviously used. Beyond measuring factmemorization, it examines howwell students are mastering the knowl-edge and skills that they will need inpreparation for the jobs of the future.These tests are taken on the computer,and they adjust the difficulty of ques-tions based upon a student’s answers toprevious questions. This allows us tomeasure a student’s knowledge andskills much more accurately; it allowsstudents to complete the tests in lesstime than in previous assessment sys-tems; and the results of these next gen-eration tests will be made availablemuch faster than the results from tradi-tional paper and pencil tests.

In addition, the SBAC test can elim-inate many local tests because it includesmaterials to help teachers ensure thatinstruction is aligned with the newstandards in English and Mathematics.

Why Can’t Teachers WriteTheir Own Assessments?

Individual teachers can and do writetests about their own lessons – to under-stand how well their students are pro-gressing. In fact, the Common Coregives teachers the flexibility to developtheir own curricular materials, includingtests.

However, teacher-written tests alonecannot determine how well our statepolicies and investments in educationare working. For accountability pur-poses, teacher-written tests must besupplemented by standardized tests thatare statistically valid and reliable.

Who Else Supports AnnualStatewide Testing?

Aside from our six organizations, anumber of American organizations sup-port fair, annual testing – including manycivil rights and business organizations,such as: American Association ofUniversity Women, Association ofUniversity Centers on Disabilities,Business Roundtable, Council of ParentAttorneys and Advocates, Children’sDefense Fund, Disability Rights Educa-tion and Defense Fund, The EducationTrust, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Gay,Lesbian & Straight Education Network,Institute for Educational Leadership,The Leadership Conference on Civil andHuman Rights, League of United LatinAmerican Citizens, Mexican AmericanLegal Defense and Educational Fund,NAACP, National Association ofCouncils on Developmental Disabilities,National Center for Learning Disabili-ties, National Congress of AmericanIndians, National Council of La Raza,National Disability Rights Network,National Indian Education Association,National Urban League, NationalWomen’s Law Center, Partners for Eachand Every Child, Teach Plus, and UnitedNegro College Fund.

has been the state test for over twodecades.

However, additional layers of testinghave been added over time to manydistricts’ assessment systems – some ofwhich may no longer be necessary. Re-cognizing this trend, the ConnecticutState Department of Education (CSDE)is working to help districts audit theirtesting systems to eliminate extra tests.

Recently, the CSDE announced a$450,000 program to provide districtswith the technical expertise to maximizeinstructional time and use tests wisely tosupport instruction.

Why Do WeNeed Standardized Tests?

Standardized tests are scientificallydeveloped tests that are statisticallyproven to measure: (a) the same resultson multiple occasions; and (b) theinformation that the test seeks tomeasure.

Standardized testing is a federalnecessity under the Elementary andSecondary Education Act (sometimesreferred to as “ESEA,” “No Child LeftBehind,” or “NCLB”). In 2001, ESEAwas updated to require that statesannually assess every child in grades 3-8and once in high school – in exchangefor federal education funding. For nearlya decade before that time, Connecticuthad been a leader among states – requir-ing testing in grades 3, 6, 8 and 10. Af-ter 2001, Connecticut was also requiredto add testing in grades 4, 5, and 7.

With this change, it became possible,for the first time, for schools, districts,and states to identify gaps in achieve-ment among various groups of children(e.g. Black, Hispanic, economicallydisadvantaged, and special education)throughout their education experience.This valuable information has increasedefforts to understand how we are meet-ing the needs of these traditionally un-derserved students and has resulted inimproved learning opportunities for allchildren. If we were to eliminate stand-ardized tests, we would be deprived of astatistically accurate measure that –along with other indicators of achieve-ment – can be used to reliably monitorhow all students are progressing. Everydistrict has some students who are notdoing as well as they should be; we needto be able to identify them and get themthe support they need to succeed. Stand-ardized testing helps us to hold schoolsaccountable for giving ALL students theeducation they deserve.

What Are Summative andFormative Assessments?

Summative tests measure studentlearning by comparing achievementagainst benchmarks at the end of aspecified period of time. Summativetests can be used for accountability pur-poses. In contrast, formative tests can beoffered more frequently during the spec-ified period of time to provide teacherswith feedback so they can modify in-struction and keep students on track. Abalanced system will use a reasonablecombination of both forms of testing.

What Are the Smarter Bal-anced Assessments?

The Smarter Balanced AssessmentConsortium (SBAC) is a group of 22

Policy ImplicationsPolicy, #3520.13, “Student Data

Protection and Privacy/Cloud-BasedServices,” has been developed relatedto this issue. This policy speaks to theissue of a board entering into a con-tract with a third party provider for ser-vices for digital storage, managementand record retrieval, utilizing Cloud-based services and the use of digitaleducational software to access, storeand use student records.

In addition, the policy prohibitsthird-party providers from targetingadvertising to students or their parents,using covered information to compileprofiles of K-12 students, selling astudent’s information, or disclosingcovered information.

In addition, other CABE policiesand materials relate to this topic andare available. These include #3520.1,“Information Security Breach and No-tification,” #3520.11, “Electronic In-formation Security,” #3520.12, “Data-Based Information Management Sys-tem Confidentiality” and Policy,”#5125, “Student Records,” which con-tains the appendix, “Guidance for Rea-sonable Methods and Written Agree-ments.”

terials available for inspection by parentsand to obtain written parental consentbefore requiring minor students to partici-pate in some surveys, analyses, or evalua-tions that reveal information concerningcertain subjects.

The law also requires school districtsto develop policies in consultation withparents on the collection, disclosure, oruse of personal information collectedfrom students for the purpose of market-

Connecticut Assessment:

CABE Journal - April 2015

Documents

Transcript of CABE Journal - April 2015