001All right, we ready? We look ready. Okay. Good evening and thank you for joining us all for the June 16th board of education meeting. If you could all join me for a pledge to the flag. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right. And we will begin this evening with some special acknowledgements to our PTO PO presidents. Mrs. Bole, got to get glasses this year. Um, we are deeply grateful for the parent organizations that support our RISE schools and for the dedicated individuals who step forward to lead them. Tonight, we are proud to recognize and thank the PTO and PO presidents who are concluding their terms after giving so
002generously of their time, energy, and talents and service to our school community. These volunteers lead the parent organizations, excuse me, across the Rise City School District, working closely with the superintendent, school principles, and fellow parents to enrich and strengthen the educational experience of every student. Through their leadership, the parent organizations ra raise raise raise funds and provide extraordinary support to our schools in countless ways. Their contributions enhance cultural enrichment opportunities, expand curriculum through experiences such as field trips and author visits, provide meaningful appreciation for faculty and staff throughout the year, and support technology, classroom resources, playgrounds, athletics, scholarships, awards, and much more. They also play a vital role in building strong school communities by keeping families informed, organizing events that foster connection and school spirit and collaborating with administrators, faculty, staff, and the board of
003education. Their partnership and commitment help make a bri community that truly values education and wholeheartedly supports its schools and students. On behalf of the board of education and the entire district, I extend our sincere thanks to the following individuals. Please come forward as I call your name. Gina Shoemaker, Ry High School, not here. Uh Sarah Lynch, Milton School, thank you so much. Yeah. Oh, we'll do a picture. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Uh Jen Kaine, Osborne School, thank you. Um and Leah Rapapor, who I know is not here, but I wanted to announce her for Ry Middle School. So, thank you all for how much you do for our school community. And I think we'll get a picture with this with the seal at Yeah. Okay. You're important. It's got to And see our PTO presidents, if
004you're lucky, one day you could be here. >> Yes. >> Right. Right. now. No, Sean. No. Okay. All right. I'm just saying it's not the end. It's just the beginning. >> That's right. Stay open. Stay open. You never know. All right. Uh, now we'll go to the report of the superintendent, Dr. Murray. >> Okay. Thank you. Good evening. Before I begin, I would like to add my sincere thanks to the PO and PTO leaders we recognize this evening. On behalf of the district, thank you for your years of dedication, partnership, and support for our students, staff, and schools. The strength of our school community is built on relationships and we are deeply grateful for the countless hours, energy, and care you've invested in Rise children and families. I'd also like to congratulate our Ry High
005School boys varsity lacrosse team on capturing the New York State Championship this past Sunday with an impressive 15-9 victory over Jamesville Dit. This remarkable accomplishment reflects not only tremendous athletic talent, but also the commitment, perseverance, and teamwork that have defined this group throughout the season. We are incredibly proud of our student athletes, coaches, and families, and we look forward to honoring them at our board of education meeting in September. At the same time, we congratulate our girls varsity lacrosse team on an outstanding season and impressive run to the state semi-finals. While their season ended with an 11-7 loss to Seville, their accomplishments this year and the way they represent their right high school throughout the postseason deserve recognition and celebration. As we look ahead to Thursday evening, we are excited to celebrate one of the
006most important milestones of the year, the 95th graduation ceremony of Ry High School. We are closely monitoring the weather and remain hopeful that we'll be able to gather outdoors at New Stadium to celebrate the class of 2026 and all that they have achieved. >> I was watching before I came. >> I know. It's looking good. It's looking good. >> Next week, we will Next week will also be filled with other important celebrations across the district. Ry Middle School will hold its moving up ceremony on Tuesday morning at 9:30. Milton School's fifth grade moving up ceremony will take place Tuesday afternoon. Osborne School will celebrate its students on Wednesday afternoon and Midland School will hold its moving up ceremony on Thursday afternoon. As this is our final board of education meeting of the school year, I
007would like to thank our students, staff, families, board members, and community members for another successful year. I wish everyone a safe, restful, and enjoyable summer, and I look forward to welcoming everyone back in the fall. Thank you. All right. Thank you, Dr. Murray. It's amazing to think that we've already gotten here, right? It's been a great year. But the work is not done. So, with that, we will now start with our presentation and discussion on instructional technology. Great. Thank you. Um, so tonight we're going to be giving you an instructional technology update. I'm joined by Caitlyn Sason, our director of technology, and Lauren Santa Barbara, our assistant superintendent for curriculum instruction, and assessment. Um over the past month and a half, the district has received a lot of feedback from the community on the use
008of technology in our classrooms and we hosted three different parent sessions to give community members the opportunity to share their thoughts with us and those conversations left us with additional questions. So, we wanted to gather some data and tonight we'll be presenting data from our internet uh usage audit uh talking about what we learned from it and then um discussing our our process for ensuring their instruction is in line with our teaching philosophy for technology. Um the ride commitment highlights several skills that we work to foster within students um like critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creative problem solving. And as you will hear tonight, our our philosophy on instructional technology is really around the role that technology plays in fostering those skills and helping us achieve the goals of the ride commitment. And it really
009is the ways in which we build on foundational skills to help deepen learning and elevate it. Um and it's also our responsibility as we say in the RI commitment to um provide professional learning for faculty that is relevant and high quality. And this is a topic also that we work uh we have high goals for in this area. Really making sure that our teachers um have a have a good understanding of the best practices around instructional technology and look at ways that um they bring those to our classrooms every day. And so we do take our role very seriously in providing our professional learning. Um so we've been doing a lot of thinking about the learning that we have been doing with teachers and how we continue that going forward. Um, so as I said,
010we've been getting a lot of feedback from the community. Um, and not just in those three sessions, but also just from various one-on-one conversations, um, emails, and so just thinking about what is the overall uh, message that we're receiving. And it's really is about a concern um that there is or could be an overuse of technology in our classrooms that may result in um an increase in screen time for students um access to restricted platforms and a decline in academic achievement. So those really kind of were the main concerns that we heard. Um so we wanted to address those tonight. So, I'm going to hand things over to Caitlyn who's going to talk about our um usage um audit and how it can help us answer some of those questions. Great. Thank you everyone for
011having us. Um so, as Dr. Murray said, this was a really good time for us to do a deep dive into um the applications and systems that we were using. So, in a district, we are required to have a content filter. And so within that content filter, there is a new application that we've acquired to help us look at the data a little bit more closely to see um what the numbers look like across our platforms from K12. So there's going to be some reports that you're going to see tonight in different fashions. Um as we said, this is new for all of us and certain things right now in this system are new. So certain reports can only be delivered in certain fashions, right? And so I'm going to highlight those tonight. Um but
012breaking down them in certain capacities just isn't available just yet. So the first one we're going to talk about is the internet usage across the district. This was a report that we ran for 20 applications across 30 days. Um and what we saw from this is um some really good insights that we were able to see that students are utilizing um the applications that most of the applications I should say that are approved across the district. So that includes like our Google suite. We are a Google workspace for education district and so we are seeing utilization in those Google platforms that are available to us. Um these are vetted applications um that we see like in addition to Google forms or class link or mode or we video or edite these are all the applications
013that we've vetted that have passed our adlaw 2D um framework that needs to get approved every year and we are seeing usage across the systems however this report will also show some uh tools that we have not approved and that was some good insight and learning for us and we'll talk a little bit about that on the next slide. So on this report, this was really helpful for us as a district to really see and mark within our system the approved sites that we allow students um to utilize and then things that have come up as not approved. And so the one thing I want to highlight is that with the insight platform that we are using while some applications like a social media platform um may come up on this chart that you can
014see it. I'll give the example of Snapchat that is on here that is showing in this report because it is an instance where a child tried to click on the application but even though that click was successful when they landed on the site it was blocked by our content filter. So this is just showing that there was an instance or an engagement as Lightseed calls it that someone tried to access it. So I just want to make sure that's really clear because it will measure clicks across different platforms that does not mean they were successful in accessing that. um and we hold data security and privacy um really close to us in the district. So I just want to make sure that that is understood that an instance of a click doesn't mean then they
015were able to search or go deeper into that system. It would have come up as blocked. Um but this is a really great um report for us to really look at the applications that are approved that we're utilizing and then ones that are not. Also, I will highlight on here there are applications likel for example, math is an approved application that we're using um for mathematics in the elementary school. ELL learning is not one of them. Um but sometimes the language on the chart can just be a little bit small or you can't actually see the full name of it. Um so it's really helpful for us to just make sure that we're conveying what uh district applications are approved and what are not. Hey Caitlyn, just a quick question. So when looking at the
016the numbers here, >> that is representative of what? >> So that's an engagement. So that is the amount of times a click was made to access that application. >> So it could be the same student. It could be many students. It's just the number of times. >> Yep. And you're going to see >> It was tried to be accessed. Yep. Exactly. And just within that snapshot of the time that we picked. >> Absolutely. >> Maybe just one more clarification there. Sure. Um obviously everything that you're capturing in this data is um in school. Nothing that is obviously potentially happening. >> You are going to see at home. Yes, we are capturing at home data and I'll explain how that works. Absolutely. >> Okay. And I guess also just just so that we understand the scales
017cuz I did look it's kind of hard to see but Google Classroom is accessed 70,000 times and Snapchat is accessed 600. So a 100fold increase between the two. Okay. >> And again, I would say that that they're not getting access to Snapchat. >> They're clicking to it. >> They're persistently trying. Um when a child >> keep working, right? Shut the system down. >> When a child is blocked from something in our district, they do get a friendly um banner that says Ry City School District prohibits you from accessing this website. So, it's very clear that it's being blocked on there, but it's just the instance of the click is what this system will measure that someone tried to access it. Um, and so that at first when we were learning about the reports and really
018delving into it, um, that was helpful for us to learn just to make sure we're understanding the difference that it's still following all of our content rules of when something is blocked and not accessible, they're not getting past that. Um, so on this data chart, we're looking this this is >> excuse me, as a as a point of order. So what will happen is we'll have the presentation and then after the presentation there'll be an opportunity for public comment and so that'll happen after the presentation and discussion. >> Okay. >> Correct. Yes. >> Um so on this internet usage audit report we're looking at grade level allocations for a single day snapshot. So this was for May 19th. Um and you'll see on the side the different grade levels. um they are out of order
019because it's going based on usage and you're going to see two bars on our bar scale. The orange one shows the out of school usage in orange and then in blue is the inschool usage. Um so it does vary everywhere from kindergarten being 7 minutes to 7th grade being an hour and 55 minutes. Those are different ranges for all the schools um in and out of school time. Anytime a child is on in district, they're always going through our content filter. and then out of school. As long as a child is signed into their Google account into the browser that has the relay extension, they are being tracked and monitored of what's happening. Um, and that can be whether a student is on our network or not on our network. As long as they're signed
020into Chrome, they will have that ability to be monitored. Um, high school data looks slightly different um because if students are not signed into that browser on their school account, then we are not capturing all of that information. Um, and that's that's just something to put out there. um that you won't see as visible in this chart. >> So, Kayen, just to um clarify, so for grades seven and eight, where it says 1.55, that's number of hours. So, is that that's an hour and a half? >> Yep. >> That's not an hour and 55 minutes. It's an hour and a half. >> Yep. >> There is a line on here just to point out for anyone that needs clarification where there is no number associated with it, no grade level associated with it. Um, and
021those are from testing accounts that we do use in the district that aren't particularly assigned to one grade level. Um, so that could be for us when we're testing student sites or things like that. So it's for an engineer and so that data is also captured on here, but that's why there is no grade level associated to that. So I just want to make that um clear on there. So, uh, average daily student screen time there's a similar I'm assuming this means similar organizational average. >> Yes. So, >> could you explain that chart a little? >> Absolutely. So, what that means is it also will measure other schools, other organizations that are using this system to capture internet logs. So, we are very similar to other districts that are using Lightseed Insight um and what
022their allocations are for tech use and hours. >> I was less. We're not the same. >> We're less on this particular day in other area. Yes. In other days, so our time span for May 18th to May 22nd again is showing something similar um in terms of the usage that is in and out of school which will vary by grade level. Um you will also see the bands of the testing account that is on here as well and our certain averages. Um I want to point out too that this is a snapshot in time of when we're using this. So based on units of study that are happening for students, authentic projects that may be happening. You may see usage that's a little bit higher or a little bit lower depending on what is actually
023happening in the classroom. So again, we just point out these snapshots of time periods that we picked during the audit because we ran it towards the end of the year. Um, but that does not mean that this is a consistent measure that's happening every single day with these allocations. They do vary based on what's happening in the classroom and by grade level and even by school. So overall um this was really helpful in terms of us to really understand h how much technology time is being utilized in the classroom. Um we were able to depict that students screen time at the elementarymentaries is ranging from about 10 to 45 minutes per day and at the secondary year we're seeing about an hour to an hour and a half per day based on the audit and
024the data that we're able to capture between May and June. um we are able to make the conclusion that most of the tools that we're utilizing are having to deal with the Google suite and are approved, but there are some that we are delving into as a district to really determine next year. Um how are we going to handle some of these sites? Will they be blocked? Will they be turned off? What will that look like? And we're having informed conversations across the board with everyone to really look at that and our commitment to constantly evaluating um what we're utilizing in the classroom. Hi everyone. Um, so one of the concerns that Dr. Murray mentioned at the beginning of the presentation was that when we spoke with our parents and communities at the PTO meetings
025and other conversations that we've had, there was a shared concern um from our community that, you know, if there is a use of technology, does that mean our test scores are decreasing? So we looked at our data and we gave a 10-year overall snapshot. So on the on the chart there is a black bar which is represents the year of 2015 and this is for our 3 through8 New York state assessment data. So this is a 61% in both areas for ELA and math which means that 61% of our students in 2015 were succeeding at a three or a four. Right? That is our passing rate for the ELA and math. In 2025, which is represented by the red bar, we have 85.7% of our students earning a three or a four in ELA and
02686.4% of our students earning a three or four in math. So, this is a pretty significant increase over a 10-year period. Um, so, you know, technology is, as we've been sharing, is an extremely thoughtful um design in our instruction. And because we are thoughtful, right, our our state scores are increasing or they're staying at that rate. And so with all of these conversations, um you know, with our teachers, with our coordinators, um building and district administration, our parents, um we decided really that we want to capture who we are as a as a district instructionally. And so we are looking at a document to really capture our practices with instructional technology and also our instructional design. And so we're working on that document um as we speak. And this is something that we'd like to
027share with um our staff at the end of June. And this is really just two pieces of the document that we really feel are essential to the work that we're currently doing and hearing our um all of the concerns that have been shared with us. Um, so I can read like certain pieces just, you know, I know not everyone can see this in the back, but looking at our reading and writing, mathematical reasoning and critical thinking are most effectively developed through direct engagement with content, ideas, and one another. As a result, pencil and paper learning remains the primary instructional foundation across our schools. Students regularly engage in handwriting, note-taking, problem solving, drafting, annotating texts, and other traditional learning practices that promote focus retention, organization, and deep cognitive processing. So, we're really placing our philosophy in
028this document, and it is capturing what we are currently doing in our schools. And so when we look at the integration of instructional technology, we do recognize that it is an important tool in today's world and that it does play a role in enhancing learning with purposeful use and enhancing learning not to replace high-quality instruction or meaningful discussion or hands-on experiences. Is it a digital tool utilized strategically to support creativity, collaboration, research, communication, and innovation? um while students are also making really thoughtful relationships and connections with their peers and our staff. Um so this is just a piece of that document as we are still working on it but this is really where we stand with our instructional philosophy for Ry and then as I share we're developing that document that really clarifies back best
029practices for our instruction um K through 12 and we're making currently we're talking to um our buildings and our uh coordinators district level leaders and building leaders to talk about our Chromebook use in grades K through 8. And so there's constant conversations about the amount of time that our students are on our devices. Um whether we're going to have uh continued carts in the classrooms for sixth grade. What does it look like when they're taking the devices home and homework use? We're talking about instructional design. So what students are really doing in the classroom for their 43minut period in middle school and their 55minut period in the high school and what this really looks like for them and being thoughtful about when we integrate technology to enhance our learning. um and when we're really going
030back to the foundational basics um to teach skills and so that they're ready for that college readiness as they graduate and we're making decisions um you know with Dr. system's help making decisions about current applications and district approved applications with grade levels. Um, and really if we're talking about when do we block something, when is something useful and having those thoughtful conversations with our teachers because we also want to make sure that they have resources at their fingertips to support our students. And then we will be sharing all of these shifts with our families and our teachers by the end of June. Well, any other questions? take any questions. >> So, I'll just start at the end with a question. So, um how do we how does the administration envision sharing um it says, you
031know, we're going to share it with teachers and what's that going to look like? So, we're going to share out the document with the faculty. We've been we've been um you know, in in communication with them about this process, uh so they know that the document is coming. Um that will really help guide our work going forward. Um and in addition, we'll also be communicating with families as well on what those decisions are. >> Emails, newsletters, emails, >> email, >> technology, >> short answer. >> Yes. >> Um Dr. Murray, h >> has there been any discussion and this is probably something you guys are getting to so um just thinking about the data collected and that it it was a a small snapshot of one time during the year. Is has there been discussion about
032continuing those? >> Absolutely. >> Um and and like what kind of um >> it it was a very sorry >> I was just going to say what kind of time periods like quarterly like like I don't know where maybe the discussion has gone. So I was just curious. >> Yeah, I think I I would say probably three to four times a year. I think this was a really helpful process for us to see um what actually is happening in our classrooms. Um, as Caitlyn said, we're less confident about that high school data just because we know our high schoolers with our BYOD program, they're not logged into our Google browser, so that's harder to track. But, but in terms of K to8, we're very confident in that data. Um, you know, and we're we're I
033think in it's matching what what we thought, right? And and so it was just sort of confirming and so now we know what we need to do going forward. And so, but it's really important to keep collecting that data to see how we're shifting and moving the needle. >> Great. >> Yeah. >> Questions, comments, reflections from the rest of the board. Guess just one further clarification about that um idea of capturing when they're logged in. Um, are you able to capture just general usage data um when they're not logged in? >> No, >> you can't. >> So, you have to be a part of in your Ry School account with that extension running in the background to act to actually catch it. Absolutely. >> Yeah. >> Um, maybe just a a question for Dr. Murray.
034I I I heard you say that, you know, most of what you captured was confirming, but I guess what is there anything that struck out to you as surprising or anything you wouldn't have expected? >> Um, no. I think that um you know, we what we had what we had said and what we know is happening in the classroom is it's like you've got some in it's going up by grade level typically. Um so we were expecting that. We have a very short period of time that they're on it in the lower grades in elementary. Um, so it was good to see those numbers. Um, and in terms of surprising, you know, we we looked at, you know, all of the the apps or the tools that they're accessing. Um, and and the the content
035is appropriate. Um, so our filter because our filters wouldn't let anything that's not appropriate, but I think that there are things that students are trying to access that could be distracting their learning. And that's was something we have to um be on top of, right? Would a um possible example of that be ESPN? >> Yes. >> And I say that as an ESPN fan, huge March Madness person got me in trouble a lot. It's um that that's one of those things. >> Okay. >> And if I I may add, you know, looking at the single day snapshot, if we look at let's say 9th grade and it's a six course day, right? So if students are logging on for 10 minutes in a period, that is going to equate to 1 hour, which is what
036they're looking like they're doing, right? So if like each teacher says go on for 10 minutes, do this task, do this activity, that is right there going to be 1 hour. And that's exactly accurate of what our our recommendations are. >> Yeah, I guess thank thank you for providing that context. I was doing the math probably incorrectly, but I sort of think of school day six 6 hours and there's lunch and there's recess and there's 4 and 1/2 hours of construction and if they're on their you know if they're on for an hour or an hour and a half then that becomes a pretty large portion >> right when it's culminated together. Absolutely. I understand that. >> And then middle school is even more periods, right? So they have to factor that in. Other questions
037or comments from the board at this time? due to the new um regulations that we have on cell phones, you know, being required to be placed in your locker from bell to bell. Um have you seen less students trying to um like access through their phones the internet and go around the school websites? Because if they're doing that right, it wouldn't show up in this data. >> Correct. It would not be visible. We've worked really hard this year to really minimize the amount of access that is available um through a VPN or a hotspot. Um VPN is more we're able to control it. It's just those are sites that are prevalent and change constantly. And so just working with other vendors to make sure like our lists are up to date and they can't access
038it. It's been a lot of work that we've been really putting into the filter to make sure that those are blocked and not available. um sometimes they actually will appear as a normal website that's not a VPN and so there's some workarounds that are there. It's not a perfect system, but I would say we've definitely seen a significant decrease um in sharing that information with Dr. Murray throughout the year of what we've been able to control. So yes, we've seen a decrease in that. Um however, the hotspot is sometimes a little bit more challenging if it's close in proximity of range to that device, >> right? And I just think that's important to note that right if you're finding your child on a certain website if there's a possibility that they're not on the school
039website. >> Correct. >> Um and if they're not on the school website it can't be monitored. >> Right. >> And it's something like cuz it's not a perfect science. So educating our students, our faculty, having conversations of when you're in our building and the importance of being on our network um you know reviewing our acceptable use policy and going through that. It's also a learning piece and it's something that we really talk about a lot to make sure that that's understood. >> Great. Thank you. I um I do really appreciate the uh reflection and the data and the information because I think uh there's so many times when and and this is not an inst but there have been so many instances previously where the conversation is everything is happening and all of these things
040are happening. We've had that in in curriculum conversations before where it's well this is happening and this is happening and then when we look at our own and we say actually it's it's not happening and it's not that it's not happening we are our students are using the technology and what I really appreciate is that as low as it is >> the administration stance is not well that's good enough >> right >> and I think that's really important in that we have data We have information. So now what do we do with it? How do we dive deeper into it? How do we shore things up with our VPNs, with our hotspots, but also how do we ensure and reassure our teachers, our our parents, our students that the type of education they are expected
041to get is going to be the type of education in fact that they're going to get here? And that's a community conversation. That's a community um uh commitment that we the board have made that the administration has made. And so I really do appreciate that this was not a presentation to say and now we're finished. >> It is we've only just begun. And so let's see what comes in June at the it's already June. So let's see what comes in the next week in the next week or two weeks. And then let's see what September looks like. and then let's have more data check-ins, more points of conversation and communication so that the conversation continues to move forward. And I think um that's really the most important thing we can do in education. And certainly
042when you look at our achievement data um and seeing the jumps of 20% in 10 years speaks to a district that is committed to continuous improvement and that we are not good enough. Um and so I do thank you for that. Um and so with that I will um open the uh statement for the public. We welcome and encourage our community members to address the board at this time related to the presentation before you. If you want to speak about other non-aggenda items, there will be an opportunity for non-aggenda items as well. Please come Oh, thank you. Please come to the podium, state your name, address, and if you are representing an organization. To ensure everyone has the opportunity to speak, please limit your remarks to 3 minutes. I will ask our district clerk to
043set a timer. So, if you hear the timer, please wrap it up. The board is here to listen. This is a public comment period that is not designed for discussion. So, please understand that we may not publicly respond to your comments or questions at this time. We take all your comments seriously and will need more time to process and research continued issues. So, at this time, if there are members from the community who would like to speak, please come forward. >> Hi, my name is Chris Jones. I'm on Tupac Avenue. I have a rising middle schooler. Um, I have two clarification. Well, I have a couple of clarifications, but I'll stick it to two. Um, one would be uh it would be helpful if you can explain the methodology for developing these data points. Um,
044the first question that comes to mind is what is the denominator? So, I know during this period of time, fifth grade, for example, had a trip to the zoo and had beach day. So, how does that impact these data points? um is it an average of the collective whole or is it taking into account how many students are present in the day? Um and the second question I have it is on the secondary click. So if I click on Google slides and then I click into YouTube and then it goes into the YouTube cycle of you know next video, next video, next video. How does that get captured in this data? Thanks. >> Thank you very much. Would you like to answer if if you if you if you have the information? Certainly. But >>
045Sure. >> Um so we had just picked um the date and time of when the audit had start um and we were um open up by the time we got the system set up. We learned about it. We really like set up all of our systems, our students in there. Um we were just trying to look at um the calendar to pick days of what students were working on. Um so thank you for mentioning they were on a field trip. um it wasn't to show less data or more data. We're just trying to pick a snapshot in time in regards to the engagement component. So, anytime you click on a site, that's considered an active engagement. If you do then click just to YouTube and it's still running, that's another click to another engagement. Um
046I do want to clarify YouTube is not available for our students or accessible. It is blocked within the district. The only time a child will have access to watching a short clip or film is if the teacher provides the embed link for them. Um, so there's an instructional component to it, but if they just go to YouTube.com, the instance may appear in a chart as a clickable engagement, but it would still be blocked by the district. So that would not come up um for them to have access to it. Um, but our goal with all this next year, as we said, is to continue to do um checkpoints throughout the year to really see how the data and usage is going um based on certain points in in the year because we're going to see
047fluctuations based on certain units of study and we're going to see times that it's down. You're going to see during state testing if it's online it's going to be up a little bit. We we just finished NWA or in the process of finishing NWA which is a computer-based assessment for our students. So grade levels that may look normally less time on the computer this week would look more because of that test that's happening. So it really does fluctuate based on what they're accessing. >> So what's the denominator? Like is it the total number of students divided by number of hours or is it the number of students like that impacts? >> It's the students that are that are online at that moment when it's tracking it for the day. >> Yep. >> Any other people
048who wish to come forward to make a comment at this time? Sorry, you turned the mic on. >> Sorry, you just need to turn the mic on. >> That's okay. >> Thank you. >> Hi. Um Jill McVicker 24 Hillrest Lane. Um I noticed that Magic School wasn't listed on the Is that an app or is that a separate sort of embedded function? >> Yep. So that was an application. Um and what the first few data charts just shows was the top 20 applications that were used. Um so when we do look at the overall there's you know there could be 600 apps that are engaged with um but their percentage of time on those days was much less um and that is something that we do expect for like a magic school because it should
049only be utilized during certain engagements for certain topics or units that are happening. It's not something that kids are on constantly. Um, so those that data point for us is actually where we want to be. And so that is is good in what we're saying. Hi Britney Mantel, 309 Grace Church. I'm the Midland co-president. And so speaking on behalf of Sub Midland um, uh, parents, thank you for conducting the audit so quickly. I know Dr. Murray came in only a couple weeks ago and said she was going to do the audit. So, we appreciate how quickly um the audit has come. I think the the main data points I would like to see would to see this audit data going back more. So, uh I'd love to see it for January, for February, see it
050for winter months when we know the kids are more inside versus outside. I'd love to see it split by elementary school and down to the teacher level. I'm sure uh middle school parents would like to see it by subject matter because I think we lose a lot of the nuances by just looking at averages by grade and across the school. So that would be kind of my first comment. So I should I pause and no continue. My second comment is it's awesome to see the apps that people are on, but I think what's more important is to know what they're doing on those apps. And so they're on Google search, but should a third grader, I'll give an example, be learning about Kenya on a doing Google searches is so it's getting to like how
051they're using the apps that I feel we're not going to capture. in a in a internet usage audit that has to be captured somewhere else for us to make policies and decisions. So I'm wondering what is the path forward on diving into how they're using this? Like Google Classroom, we know for example that they access this and then they're chatting on Google Docs in class. So it's great to see like Google Doc but then they're chatting with each other on the Google Doc. So that was my second comment. Can I can I if you have >> um so yeah I think the second point you're making all falls o on oversight right and and it's oversight of the classrooms and and that's our job as administrators to be able to do that and look at
052how these things are being used and that is absolutely at the forefront of our minds as we move forward in this and can you see how they're how it's being used with your tool like on or you're relying on the teacher to like How would you know how Google Docs are being is there? Yeah. >> So that's not something within this report and just to go back to your first piece. So we ran the audit towards the springtime in May and June just cuz that's when we had the system set up. So this year us having the ability and we wish you could to go back to like the winter months isn't an option at this time because it's when you actually started it based on when it was built. >> We we didn't have
053the time. Correct. Um but so now that we do have it and talking about looking at the data next year we'll able to have a full year to figure out what those benchmarks are and to really analyze what that looks like as you're saying. So that's definitely something we're talking about is when is that's going to take place and and on that point hear you. You can't go back further. Could you split the May and June data by elementary school and by teacher to see if there's outliers? >> We have the ability to do it elementary to secondary um not by individual teacher. >> And you won't be able to do that. that's a a limitation of the tool >> right now. It's not a feature in the tool. Um there's been suggestions to the
054vendor to see if that is possible, but it's not something that they've released yet. >> And sorry, the second point you were saying you you were you went back to the first point, but the second point on how >> about the applications. Yes. So this um particular tool is just based on instances and clicks of what students have access to, but it won't actually dive into a Google doc from a child. So like what were you working on? And as Dr. Dr. Murray said that's just oversight and conversations with our teachers, our grade level leaders to say how are you using the tool and what's the best practice for it and something we're constantly having engagements with. Other comments or question other comments I should say at this time. >> Hi, I'm Liza Forbes. I
055live at 22 Bird Street in Ry. I have two kids at Milton Elementary School. Um, I echo Britney in saying thank you for putting this together so quickly, so urgently in the last month after the recent PTO meetings and lots of conversations. It's obviously vitally important to have the data to understand what we're all talking about. Um, and I think we all agree that RI is a high achieving district and I'm proud to be raising my kids here. I think there are two critical areas that parents still have questions about and perhaps if we can't respond today, if you can include this in the June update that's coming soon. Number one, what criteria will the district use to decide when technology is instructurally necessary and actually will enhance learning versus when is it optional and
056when is it inappropriate? >> Um, do you have a philosophy on what kinds of tasks should remain screen-f free versus when we can use technology to enhance learning? One example that comes to mind in my family was my fourth grader recently learned about the Revolutionary War and her project was to create a Google video. I'm not sure if this enhanced or hurt her learning about the Revolutionary War character. I personally think that learning to write an outline and maybe a short essay um based on all the research and the data about handwriting and putting together sentences as opposed to video may have been more beneficial to her learning. Um, so I'm curious to know what the criteria are when we're deciding which assignments are using tech versus not. Number two, similar to what the prior
057speaker said, how does the audit capture what the students are doing on the approved apps? Obviously, many parents are concerned about games in addition to chatting on docs and other activities. Um, on there are many alluring games that are not just math problems that kids can do to practice math. And so how can we understand even within the approved apps what are the activities that the kids are doing? Kids are exhausted from the gamification of apps and resisting the constant distractions and notifications. And so in addition to learning academics in school, we're helping our kids build cognitive foundations for the rest of their lives. And um it's also hard to get kids to focus after those 10-minute chunks on computers sometimes. And so we can't delay in caring for the kids of Ry and wait
058for the data to be perfect until we move forward and make change and progress on what we do know um so far. Thank you. >> Thank you. And I feel confident in saying uh in two weeks we will probably have lots of answers to the questions that you post. Other comments and questions or comments, sorry. Hi there. My name is Tiffany Vissy. I live at 11 Overhill Avenue. I have three kids. I have one soon to be third grader and I have another child going into sixth grade and another child going into seventh grade. And I echo all the thoughts. I'm so grateful and thankful that everybody has been receptive to hearing from the parent communities and you probably changed a lot of things on your calendars to come to all those PTO meetings. So,
059thank you for that. Um, a couple of questions and some of them Liza covered a little bit. Uh, and this might be me not understanding to the the point of some of this. It says instructional uh technology and also it's a lot of internet and internet usage too. Some of my questions are actually not related more so to internet but how technology is really used in the classroom. Um, and it sounds like part of the next steps. I think one of the things I think that's missing for me is what are the next steps? you know, this is one, but then what are the next steps? Is it going to be the grade by grade? Like my second grader was asked to do Google Slides for a project to my fifth grader was asked to
060there's been no writing handwriting at all this year and I've asked for hand handwritten essay examples. Everything is on Google Classroom. However, there is no typing program in the Ry City School District. So, how are we expecting kids to take the leap from handwriting to typing everything? they're going to become just doing this in their lives. So that's not really related to the internet. It's really how are we doing instructional work in technology in the classroom to be beneficial. Uh and then also you know another example too is how are we using technology in the classroom that's not kids on it but it's actually how we are instructing them. You know for example my sixth grader is learning science but there is no textbook. he gets, you know, ad hoc worksheets and and Google Slides
061that he has to kind of piece together to learn how to study. And I and I I have to be honest, it's been hard for me to kind of interpret that and help him learn how to study when there is no instructional textbook that he can look back to and see how concepts link together over a chapter. He has to kind of pull all this stuff together and on a Google slide. So, I was just wondering if part of this is going to be um we delivered a lot during co via technology. are we going to be starting to think instructionally about textbooks? Um so that is on that piece. So in the guidelines by grade when technology is appropriate or not appropriate and I'd also learned and I just wanted to see uh what
062if this is in fact the case in 2015. I know there that was the comparison set and you know a lot of my questions too aren't going to come out on a state exam, right? They're going to come out in life skills are preparing our kids to go out into the future that will not be tested on a state exam. Uh but the 2015 number um I had heard that that was a very tumultuous year and that was a common core and kind of changing that. So is that I wanted I wanted to go to the sources and see if this is true or not and if that is a good year of comparison uh versus the other years around that for example is that an outlier year 2015 or or is it steadily increased
063over time to see the trend >> steadily increasing? Yes. >> Okay. >> That was not an outlier year. The the common core came in 2012. Okay, great. Thank you. And that's why I wanted to come to the source and I was do you have any comments on the things that you would be willing to discuss or share with us now based on uh the questions I just asked. So I so thank you for your questions around you know what what is instruction going to look like really is what your your your question is. Um, and some of those things, as I said, we're still in our conversations with our teachers and so we we are still making decisions and so I don't have any exact answers for you right now, but we will be notifying
064the community soon. >> Okay. And that that goes back to I think what Liza was saying too. Is this something that you will gradually roll out things or how this how's that communicating? Is there a point I had spoken with one of the principles and there was something that there was going to be some kind of communication during the summertime about things that will be implemented for the fall. Is that something that is on the slate to happen? >> So they'll be they'll be implemented in September. We're communicating the end of this month implemented in September. >> Okay, great. And then the next steps question, what are the next steps? Is it communicating the document, this document or other documents? I it just wasn't clear. It was unclear to me what the next steps are
065in the process. It's communicating a document to families and teachers that says what we're what we were going to be doing going forward in terms of instructional technology and what our decisions are. Thank you. >> And Dr. Murray, I believe there is going to be another community conversation. >> Yes. Yes. September 27th, I believe. >> Yes. >> 24th. September 24th. September 24th, there's already scheduled a community conversation related to instructional technology. So, the information will come out uh the document that Dr. Murray talked about in the presentation will come out at the end of this month and then in se on September 21st 24th >> 24th 24th there will be a large community conversation. So, we'll have an opportunity at that point. You'll have 3 weeksish to be able to reflect on how are things
066going, how are things looking, let's have another conversation. This is um not a onestop opportunity, right? We you hear from people, you make changes, you have effective conversations and communications. we're going to have an opportunity to look at lots of uh again more data points, right, to help inform and drive the conversation because it's very clear when you look at the district philosophy statement. This is not something that anybody is seeing as one and done quick and let's just sweep this under the rug and and keep moving. There is intentional um desire on the part of our administration, on the part of our teachers, certainly on the part of our families, on the part of the board to make sure that we are consistently moving our instruction both tech with technology and without technology forward
067to constantly support and help increase our students achievement levels. Any other comments at this time? Yes. I just have one clarification, Caitlyn. Um, in regards to comparing, um, teacher classrooms, you know, data versus, you know, across third grade teachers um, and what, um, internet, you know, their internet usage they're seeing. Do the teachers have the capability of getting into a student's computer to see exactly what they're clicking on? So, through this report, through insight, it's not something that's available by teacher. On the teacher end though in the classroom we do utilize a tool called light speeded classroom and so that is a monitoring tool that all of our teachers have access to K12 and they're able to see all the device screens that are in the room at their time and they can do a
068quick highlights report and say like what is Caitlyn on what is she doing? Um and through that system as well there's a lot of rules and parameters that can be set up. So an example of that would say I'm a math teacher and I teach math and during my 43minute block, let's say I'm a middle school teacher, I only want to allow X, Y, and Z site to be accessible. So those URLs can be put in the system and then nothing else would be allowed for that child to access during that environment. So there's a lot of training that has happened around relay um and a lot of continuation of just learning and movement and making sure that we can actually support and guide our students when they're on there. So if there is um
069a parent who you know is questioning you know whether their child is on the internet you know all throughout class is a request to see you know they're listed like what did they what were they on all day is that >> they can always talk to their classroom teacher absolutely >> great it's helpful >> sure please my name is William Bench I live 60 North Street in Ry. Um I have a fourth grader and a sixth grader. Thanks for the opportunity to contribute. So I have a few comments to make. Um so we heard like uh that um when the student is clicking on something for like a few minutes in a class, it will count for the full full hour. I think it is extremely unlikely because the report is showing on average 1
070hour per day for kids. So it would mean that they opening the computer just for one period the entire day which is completely false because I see that my son is having the computer for like at least four of the periods during the day. So that would show for our birthday. So that seems extremely inaccurate. Um another comment um it is very important to know I'm wondering if you have this information if this is capturing active usage or open device time because some of the app are just counting like when the student is clicking for like a few second after but then not noticing when the students keep looking at the screen. So then that could be drastically underestimating the time that the student are spending because again from our anecdotal experience it seemed that
071our children are spending like a long time on the app. So it would be very important to capture that. Um another point on the assessments uh that were shown um the parents had expressed a lot of concern um about the impact of technology on the achievement of the children there have been like countless studies on that. So as we mentioned during another community event um so it was understandable that during COVID we adopted technology that was helpful but now the data has come out and now people know how detrimental and terrible it is for the children. So I am a little worried about us feeling a little bit gaslit by those measures. So uh I still want to congratulate the district for increasing the achievement but the this is not the right point of comparison
072because as the chart shows you know the technology usage in this district is similar to the other district. So that is not just a right problem that is a problem all over the United States. So if everyone is using technology and then all of the students are kind of failing together, we could say, "Oh, look, maybe our test store are okay or they have increased over the last 10 years, but even if they kind of stayed the same compared to the other district, that wouldn't be good enough because all of the students are getting worse because of technology." So that's something to take into account. Um I think another important thing also would be kind of on the uh the reporting. So as was kind of mentioned would be kind of helpful uh to have
073like the reporting per classroom and for the parents to have the ability to see what's going on with their um own child's usage. Um and then finally I think um what would be very important for us is um to come out of all this with a very clear um actionable items and guidelines you know so I really hope that the report that Dr. Murray and everyone is preparing uh we'll have yeah very clear recommendation what we are very very worried about is uh going through kind of a consultation phase having some kind of like consultant speak saying oh we we've been like communicating with the teacher we emphasize the importance of like uh offline learning etc with no uh actual consequences because it is one thing to have this recommendation but then if there's not
074like clear rules you know it is very likely that maybe it will be business as usual. So anyway just to wrap up so my hope is like because we know how terrible it is for the children my hope is that we will have like very clear guidelines for the teacher in term of the usage and not just software did the recommendation. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Any other community members? I was a teacher so I'm really good at wait time. Just want to make sure. Okay, seeing none, we will then move forward to now the hearing of the public on non-aggenda items. So, we welcome and encourage our community members to address the board at this time. Please come to the podium, state your name, address, and if you are representing an organization.
075To ensure everyone has the opportunity to speak, please limit your remarks to 3 minutes. I will ask our district clerk to set a timer. The board is here to listen. The public comment period is not designed to be a discussion. So, please understand that we may not respond publicly to your comments or questions at this time. We take your comments seriously and may need more time to process and research an issue. We will ensure questions will be addressed by the appropriate staff member or possibly answered at a future board meeting. We will not entertain comments regarding individual students or district personnel as these are protected under state and federal privacy laws. Please know we take personnel concerns very seriously on these matters. We would ask you to follow the appropriate administrative channels. As a reminder,
076the community may submit written comments at any time to the board by sending those to rcsd board at ryeschools.org. Anyone looking to speak on non-aggenda items? Seeing none, we will now move forward to information and discussion. Mrs. Bole, thank you. So, um, we we're going a little out of order than what we normally do, but um, I'm bringing forward a policy that we reviewed at our last meeting. It's, uh, policy number 2210, which is our annual reorganization meeting policy. Um the reason we're bringing this forward tonight and having it placed in the agenda where it is is because we are hoping we can discuss and agree on the changes and then adopt this evening. Um which is a bit of a fasttracked option that we have. Um mainly because there is a significant date change
077to when the um reorganization meeting needs to be held. um and it is on or before the Monday a after July 20th. And since we won't be meeting officially um enough times in order to approve this before then I was hoping we could do that this evening. So that's the most significant change. We also added in some um more detail around who we appoint, who gets sworn in. We we it was a very thin list in the policy before, so we put in more of that to um reflect exactly what happens at the reorganization meeting. So, you'll see the changes here. Um the strikes are are mostly related to the date. We moved some of the other second paragraph um language further up into the or further down into the um policy. So I guess
078I would ask if anyone has any has any questions or clarifications. >> Nope. >> No. Okay. So then I would like to um ask or I suppose move. >> Yeah. >> To to um have this policy then added in to our general consent agenda as item 8.05 05 um so that we can adopt it when we go through the consent agenda. Okay. Uh is there a second ton? All those in favor? That would be seven to nothing. So we will be moving this into our consent agenda. And look at that. Now we're ready for our consent agenda. So can I have a motion, please, to review this evening's consent agenda. Matt Shibonov, seconded by Tom Stein. Let's take a look at tonight's consent agenda. Consent agenda general plus one. Consent agenda fiscal. Consent agenda professional
079appointments. Consent agenda. Classified appointments. Consent agenda. Pupil personnel services and special education. and consent agenda curriculum instruction and assessment. All right. And seeing no questions, uh, all those in favor of approving this evening's consent agenda, that would be seven to nothing. So on this evening's consent agenda, we are very excited to approve our to they're hiding behind the podium, but we are officially approving the appointment of our exeicio student board members for the 2627 year. We are thrilled to have Mr. Daniel Morris joining us again next year. Daniel, thanks for coming back and it'll be great to have some continuity of experience that you'll be able to help Miss Marino, Miss Fiona, I know I called putting them all together. Fiona, Fiona Marino and Laya Hers. We are very excited and we welcome you all
080and we can't wait to work with you in the fall. Thank you all very much. We also have approval of our facilities contracts, which is showing our continued commitment by the board and the administration to maintain these great facilities that have uh gotten a lot of TLC over the last few years. We also are approving a gift in the amount of $41,329.54 from the Milton PTO to support the purchase of flexible classroom furniture. There are numerous HR and special education functions on tonight's agenda. All in preparation for the 2627 school year. Can't even get out of this one before we're already planning for the next. So efficient you all are. Uh we have an agreement with the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility and they will provide keynote and workshop workshop facilitation for our summer
081learning institute which will be focused on social emotional learning connections and cultur the cultivating a culture of belonging. So we look forward to seeing that and seeing and uh getting to hear all about that great work next fall. We also are accepting the retirement of Mr. Robert Capola. Mr. Robert Capola will be retiring after 30 years in the Ry City School District. In 1996, Mr. Cop Mr. Capola joined the Ry City School District as a science teacher at Ry High. He taught both physics and chemistry during his time. He was also an adviser to the outdoor club for a number of years. Mr. Hara, the high school principal, had this to say about Mr. Capola. Mr. Mr. Capola has been a longtime member of the Ry High School science department and has spent three decades
082helping students develop their understanding of science. Having seen him teach both physics and honors physics during my time as principal, it's clear upon entering his classroom that he equips students with knowledge and skills to succeed in their academic pursuits. We appreciate his many years of service to our students and our school community and we wish him all the best in his retirement. And Mr. Capola, we wish you all the best in your retirement. And with that, we now move on, sorry, to communications to and from the board. So, let's start. Board members will state their intentions regarding board officer positions. Anyone? Mr. Mr. Shibinov, did you have something you wanted to share? >> Are we able to make nominations? >> We We are at this time, Mr. Shibnov. Yes. >> Well, I would be the
083first to nominate Jane Anderson for president and Jen Bole for vice president should they choose choose to have any interest. >> Thank you, Mr. Chevroof. That's very kind of you. Uh, anybody else? Anybody? Seeing none. Okay. So with that uh we will have our reorganization meeting in July and at that time uh board members will have an opportunity to vote for uh their elected or pre preferred candidates for the positions that everybody is fighting over for president and vice president. >> I I guess we should we should say whether we accept the nomination. >> I mean it doesn't seem like we got a choice. I I very humbled and grateful for the nomination and I would certainly be more than happy to continue in my capacity as long as you're willing to have me and
084my nonsense. So, and I and I would say the same. Um it's it's it's been a a definite honor to do this work and I'm grateful to do it with all of you. Um and I appreciate your confidence in the nomination and we'll see where the votes shake out. It's going to be a nailbiter. Everybody buckle up. Pack a sandwich. >> I mean, are new members allowed to run because you do have one who isn't present. I mean, could be a surge as they come. >> There could be. We'll have to we'll we'll have to talk to Emily about that. I don't know. It may be. Are you going to try to put something in the works? Um, okay. Uh, board and district committee updates policy committee. >> We met Um, as you can see
085from our earlier conversation, we also um had a few other updates um from uh NISBA, our New York State School Boards Association, which we reviewed, and none of them are timesensitive, nor are they um things that that uh you know, we would need to make sure are on the books prior to September. So, we will pick those up as we start in September. And we were also able to finish reviewing all of our policies through 2019. >> 2019. >> Yes. >> Holy moly, you really turned those out. Well done. >> In the fall. >> I mean, if that isn't going to be a reason for board members to fight to be on the policy committee, I don't know what is. I don't know either. >> I don't know what is. It's going to be amazing.
086>> So, there you have it. >> Yes. Well, hardest working sure to send me a special invite when you hit 12. >> Oh, don't you worry. I know how much you love policy committee. And just as luck would have it, as Mr. Stein is sharing his interest in continuing the work of the board, I would be remiss if I did not take a moment right now to speak about Mr. Tom Stein and his service on the Rise City School District Board of Education, as this evening is Mr. Stein's final meeting with us. And knowing that Tom is not a fan of long- winded commentary, I do promise to keep this brief. Tonight, Tom retires after six years of board service. I and many others in the community came to know Tom during the bond vote
087in 2019. During that time, Tom came to speak to the board to learn about the projects and its impacts on the community. Tom took what he learned and shared his thoughts with the larger community, working to ensure that everyone understood the importance of the work. What Tom may not have known at that time was how his interest in supporting the schools and the students in that work would end up being such a large part of his work for the next six years. During the COVID pandemic, in the midst of chaos in so many areas of our lives, Tom volunteered to run for the board of education. And this says all you really need to know about Tom. Tom cares deeply about our schools and our students. Over the last six years, Tom has continued to
088do this to do the same work he started doing around the bond. Tom has taken what he has learned as a board member and worked to inform the community around all the aspects of the district's great work. Tom has helped the district focus on working towards the almost completion of the bond. the successful passage of an override, an ever deepening appreciation around the work of the ride commitment in the classrooms, and the hiring of a new superintendent, even putting aside his own biases for Michigan for the greater good of the district. >> No comment. Tom has served on many committees of the board, maybe not all and maybe not policy and but he has also become our resident resident expert on all things Ry Little League baseball and Ry girls softball. Tom's impact on our
089community extends beyond our schools and is evident many nights in the fall, spring, and summer on the baseball diamonds and softball fields with our younger students. Tom, thank you for raising your hand with questions all those years ago. Thank you for joining this work when the world was turned upside down. And thank you for helping to steady the ships as we all got back to normal. Your years on the board have always reflected your commitment to our community, our schools, and our students, and we are forever grateful for that. We will miss you, but we know at least once a year we will see you again at the Ryan Little League parade. Thank you so much. >> For at least one more year, though, I guess with softball, it'll probably continue for a long time.
090Um, yeah, look, I'm definitely going to have to uh invite Jane to introduce me to anything that I'm ever getting uh introduced at again in the future. But um look, I think many of you know this this story, but as Jane alluded to it, I mean, we moved to Rye in the summer of 2018. And you know, part of the certain reason of moving to Rye was for the excellent schools. And you know, we were maybe a little surprised when uh the bond initially came up and was like, "Oh." I was like, "Wow, that's a lot of money, but okay, seems like it would probably be needed." And then we're very surprised when it went down the first time. Um, and I remember Heather and I were coming back late on the train from some
091sort of event in the city back when we still were young enough to do events in the city. And uh, we got the news and I don't know why we had Eric's email or text or something, but we did and just reached right out to him and was like, "What's going on and how can we help?" And uh, and yeah, that that uh that that step led to where we are now. Um, and uh, it's been a a wild ride, but while I am stepping away from this seat and never quite turned the corner, um, I am certainly not stepping away from the community and, you know, we'll uh, we'll keep an eye on all of you. Um, but, uh, whenever you need, uh, help with anything, you know, feel free to reach out. You
092will always have a supportive voice. Thank you. And before you leave us, we do have something we hope that you'll use and remember us every time you do. And it really is kind of fitting. >> Kind of reflective. And the district has a little something. >> Wow. >> But one thing I can guarantee is that this is going to be stolen by my children. >> Occasionally I might get to use it. >> Well, we hope so. We hope so. All right. Uh, so that is it. >> Yeah. All right. So, >> no. Oh. Oh, Sean. >> Oh. Oh, gosh. Okay. >> If you're interested. >> Yeah, >> I was. We had a really, really, really good curriculum council meeting on June 3rd. Um the first presentation was given by Alli Fersick, um 8th grade middle
093school social studies teacher, and she was presenting a new eighth grade elective that will be available to uh incoming eighth graders starting in the fall. Um the district or the school has already done um a little checking with the incoming eighth graders to see if anyone would be interested and they're anticipating that they will run a fall section with about 15 to 18 students and maybe 18 to 20 in the spring. Um Ally presented the curriculum is basically an opportunity for the eighth graders to mirror with their eighth grade social studies curriculum but have the opportunity to dive deeper with special products and opportunities to investigate areas of the curriculum further that they can't go into as deeply given the um timeline that they have to stay on for their school. So, the curriculum will
094be slightly different between the spring and the fall semesters depending on where the students are in their actual eighth grade social study classes. And again, they'll have those opportunities to dig deeper into certain aspects of that um curriculum for the semester. Um it also um it's basically an extension um not only but part of it is an extension of a current club that the eighth grade social studies department is running. They're running a book club. Um, so they already have a slew of books to choose from to enhance the learning in this area along with other documents and documentary films and other things that they already have up and ready to go um for the fall. And it also will provide an opportunity to integrate Rise local history and connect national events to history taking
095place in the Ry community. Um, let's see. I think that is everything. Um, but Ally Fick did such an amazing job presenting this curriculum that literally more than half of the people at the curriculum council want to take the class and I was one of those people that would actually like to take the class. Um, sounds fantastic. Um the second presentation was given by Caitlyn um Sasson on behalf of Franchesca Miller and she discussed the library crosswalk that is being um prepared for the seventh and eighth grade crosswalk lessons aligned again to social studies curriculum and the library work for those seventh and eighth grade social studies classes. In total, there will be six AI lit literacy and media lessons focused on students learning responsible use, learning to recognize deep fakes, hallucinations, and bias um
096in when they're exposed to these areas on the internet. Uh again, not necessarily using AI, but rather lessons on appropriate use um and using critical evaluation and additional reading to strengthen their analysis and verify the data that they are finding when they do research online. Um they are learning how to use AI to support their study habits, their note-taking and research practices. And they can use um in these classes they'll learn how to use magic school for keyword searches, article retrieval, and guided research in a safe protective lens where the students learn and grow with a tool that is not open-ended. Um which again Caitlyn spoke a lot about earlier today. So just following through on those thoughts. Um and the third presentation was given by Lauren Santa Barbara on New York State's portrait of
097a graduate. and we had the opportunity to learn that while New York State is still pending a lot of guidance and information uh to the districts in the state, um we still need to adopt some of these aspects as early as this fall. Um but that shouldn't be too much of a problem because our district is already working with teachers to let them know what's coming down the pike on this. Um, and our students already embody the right commitment which was based on what was known of the portrait of graduate that was coming down the pike. So, we already are in pretty good shape. Uh, the thing we did learn that was new for me at least was that New York State will be moving to one diploma. Uh, we have a steering committee in
098place already that was put together this year to align the commitment attributes in coordination with state requirements. And again, we're waiting on New York State to provide the details of new credit requirements and other items for the new um diploma system. And a portion of this, as I mentioned, is supposed to go live in September. Um again, awaiting guidance from the state. And then it I think if I have this right, and correct me if I'm wrong, Lauren, but the class of um 2028, the current 10th graders will be the first group that will fall in line with this new diploma. And then there's a lot of work and um consideration being given to um testing and regents and how this will all impact future uh diploma issuance and testing in general. Did I miss
099anything? Because I know you had to go through that part really fast. No, that's good. All right. So, that was a very interesting curriculum committee and I think overall this year with curriculum council was fantastic. Lauren, you did a great job stepping into Rye being new here and just really leading this committee and getting us all this information. It's really been a fantastic experience having it with you. And that's all. >> Okay. All right. So, with that, >> oh, never mind. But wait, there's more. >> Just a quick one. Audit committee is coming up next Tuesday in preparation of the external audit. >> Okay, great. Okay. Now, >> done. All right. Does anybody want to make a motion to adjourn this evening's meeting? Tom Stein, you can't do the second otherwise with Sean. Clap for
100a second and all those in favor. Seven to nothing. Good night.