Questar III Deputy Superintendent Gladys Cruz (top center) leads a meeting of the Race to the Top Steering Committee that includes retired superintendent Doug Hamlin, Greenville Superintendent Cheryl Dudley, Berlin Superintendent Stephen Young, Hoosick Falls Superintendent Ken Facin, retired superintendent David Sicko, New Lebanon Superintendent Karen McGraw, Questar III Attorney Susan DiDonato, Hoosic Valley Superintendent Doug Kelley and Questar III Attorney Kate Howard. Questar III Specialist Colleen Hall is not pictured.

Questar III Deputy Superintendent Gladys Cruz (top center) leads a meeting of the Race to the Top Steering Committee that includes retired superintendent Doug Hamlin, Greenville Superintendent Cheryl Dudley, Berlin Superintendent Stephen Young, Hoosick Falls Superintendent Ken Facin, retired superintendent David Sicko, New Lebanon Superintendent Karen McGraw, Questar III Attorney Susan DiDonato, Hoosic Valley Superintendent Doug Kelley and Questar III Attorney Kate Howard. Questar III Specialist Colleen Hall is not pictured.

This article appeared in the New York State School Boards Association On Board publication on January 28, 2013. Click here to view the article.

Implementing sweeping changes in state education policy in the face of fiscal uncertainty is stressful work for school boards and school staff. But in one section of upstate New York, the process has been made easier by the BOCES.

Through its School Improvement Office, Questar III BOCES developed a regional approach to implementing the Regents Reform Agenda several years ago, before many details became final on new teacher and principal evaluation systems and Common Core standards.

The BOCES urged districts in Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties not to wait until final regulations were issued before beginning the process of implementing reform. And it made sure that districts had access to a significant amount of guidance on what steps were needed.

Nineteen school districts from Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene counties pooled together $1.3 million in Race to the Top funding with Questar III to create a network of training staff for every level of the system – superintendents, principals and teachers. While the state required three embedded professional developers for every 25 schools, the BOCES went beyond that.

“If we did the minimum of what the state required, we’d only have nine developers,” said Questar III Deputy Superintendent Gladys Cruz. “We have more than 22 staff developers deployed in schools throughout the region!”

Even non-participating districts were able to attend regional workshops that focused on details of implementing the Regents Reform Agenda, ensuring alignment within the region. In total, nearly 7,500 local educators attended 315 different workshop sessions last year.

According to Chatham CSD Superintendent Cheryl Nuciforo, the early orientation to coming changes gave teachers a head start on implementation, including new teacher and principal evaluation requirements. And in her district, high school teachers are already implementing the Common Core, alleviating a scramble next year.

“The time factor for getting all of this done has been a source of anxiety for everyone,” said Sally Shields, superintendent, Rensselaer CSD. “But because Questar III was ahead of the curve and didn’t just sit back and wait for the changes to come down the pike, we had support already in place for staff development.”

BOCES staff developers found ways to move the process along even when question marks remained. For instance, before the state finalized the standards, they worked with educators to create curriculum maps that districts could customize locally.

One of the early steps in launching the regional approach was being sure that area school boards understood the importance, implications and scale of the coming changes.During the 2011-2012 school year District Superintendent James Baldwin and Cruz met with each of the component school boards to discuss the Regents Reform Agenda.

Baldwin also facilitated a meeting of superintendents with Commissioner John King and Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch in January 2012.

A Race to the Top Steering Committee – comprised of superintendents, principal coaches, and advisors – was created to provide leadership and guidance about how Questar III could best assist districts. Baldwin said commitment of committee members proved essential in development of a comprehensive, regional approach.

Communications was another area where the BOCES was able to assist. To help parents understand the changes, Questar III created a Common Core parent brochure in both English (http://goo.gl/FxJbv) and Spanish (http://goo.gl/xA5B9). It provides tips for families on helping children meet standards in English and math.

Districts have also asked Questar III to develop a parent brochure explaining changes in teacher and principal evaluations.

“It’s important that the public understand that teachers are being evaluated in part, on how students are advancing in their education,” said Cruz, the deputy superintendent.

Questar III also created a DVD training program to help its schools demystify and implement the Common Core. The math and ELA DVDs, which feature Questar III content experts, allowed districts to provide training to staff at their own pace and convenience, avoiding the cost of an onsite training.

In addition to regional communications efforts, Baldwin and Cruz have participated in various radio, print, and television interviews to inform audiences outside of the three counties of the important changes to public education.

While Questar III and its school districts have been working together for the past several years, Baldwin said that there is still much work to do to support students.

“Academic rigor alone will not prepare students to solve problems, make informed decisions, communicate and work effectively in teams. We must provide students with learning environments that elevate the importance of skills development, intellectual, social and emotional engagement and real world learning,” said Baldwin.

As school boards and school personnel continue to implement education reform, Baldwin said he’s focus on getting others to think beyond just complying, but to look at ways to leverage regional resources and enact meaningful change..In the end, implementing education reform by targeting each level of the system should serve to focus energy on public education’s ultimate mission – graduating students ready for citizenship, college and career.

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