School board sets its goals

The State Board of Education, during its two-day retreat at Raleigh's Sheraton Hotel, set out six goals for students and teachers.

The goals are written in ed-wonk language, but Dome has tried its best to write them in English, Lynn Bonner reports. Essentially, the board wants:

* Every student prepared for global competition.

* Student progress measured in a way that alerts teachers to problems so they can adjust the way they teach.

* Every "learning environment" (Dome thinks this means "schools" and classrooms") to be "inviting, respectful, supportive, inclusive and flexible."

* School leaders that create a culture that embraces change and continuous improvement.

* Financial planning and budgeting aligned with maximizing student achievement.

More after the jump.

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The board decided that it will look at several measurements to see whether or not the state is making progress toward its goals.

* The percentage of students passing Algebra II

* The graduation rate

* The percentage of students passing math and reading

* The percentage of students taking Advanced Placement courses and scoring at least 3 out of 5.

* The percentage of students completing graduation projects

* The percentage of students completing advanced courses in career technology, arts, or other fields of study.

Board members want a way to measure the number of good teachers in the state. To measure, they will monitor either reports that show the percentage of students who learn more than a year's worth of material in a school year or how teachers fair in a new evaluation system.

The board will also look at how many schools are "low performing."

One of Gov. Beverly Perdue's goals to have no school in the state labeled low performing, said board chairman Bill Harrison.

Donations from GlaxoSmithKline, Bank of America, and Wachovia paid for the retreat.