Minutes-03-09-2023-Joint Meeting with School Boards

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25 Rani Dasi said the goal is to better individualize instruction. She said they have instituted universal screeners and the audit will also help. She said that the number is actaully 22%. Dr. Rodney Trice said the data has fluctuated, but not drastically. He said they are excited about the opportunties for student progress monitoring. He said they are also excited to deliver instruction and materials to where the students need benefit. Chair Bedford asked if there is hope that the current deficent data could be tracked, or does that not exist yet. Dr. Rodney Trice said they still work with SAS. He said there is emerging technology looking at where students are in real time. He said that elementary schools typically do a pretty good job of that. He said he can't say they've had it as a district before. Vice-Chair McKee said that his concern is if the student in third grade is a grade behind, then the growth has to exceed over a year at a time. He said then that person is then disadvantaged for the rest of their lives. He asked about the number of tutors in the district. Rani Dasi said the earlier they can close gaps the better. Dr. Hamlett said at the elementary level there are intervention enrichment blocks happening during the day. She said that at the secondary level they also have brought in tutors. She said they are making sure they get an academic return on their investment as a new approach and to show where resources need to be allocated. Vice-Chair McKee said he is very supportive of the preschool. He asked how the students were picked. He said he would like to hear how it is working. Riza Jenkins said most of the slots are need-based/NC Pre-K funded. Vice-Chair McKee said it would be need-based. Riza Jenkins said yes and that information is given out at the health department and other various ways. Commissioner Fowler said a few years back there was a waitlist for the Pre-K program and asked if that's still true. Dr. Rodney Trice said for the tuition-paying students there is a waitlist. Commissioner Richards said it is her understanding there are openings in Chapel Hill and a waitlist in Northern Orange. Sarah Smylie said that's what they heard at the Family Success Alliance meeting. Commissioner Richards said it is a transportation issue as well. Rani Dasi said she is surprised there are vacancies and will look into it. Bonnie Hammersley said that in PreK there are 96 current vacancies. Chair Bedford said that is because that includes school and community based facilites for that total number. Commissioner Richards said that about 1/3 of students in CHCCS are considered gifited and asked what that means as far as academic support. Rani Dasi said they are above the cap for funding from the state so they do programming for students at each school.. Commissioner Richards asked if there is proportional funding for those students vs. those who are at 22% proficiency. Jillian LaSerna said they are monitoring all students to make sure they're growing as well. She said that techniques teachers are trained on should also be good for every student. She said there should be practices that are happening across the board. Commissioner Richards said she said she understands but how will they measure growth and how will it be visible to the community. Dr. Hamlett said rather than looking at gaps between groups, they are looking at a different type of gap. She said they are looking at the gap deficeincy in the group themselves from proficiency. Commissioner Portie-Ascott asked for racial diversity of gifted students.