Wall among proposed committee members

The Louisiana Department of Education has announced 101 proposed members of four committees of educators and other experts who will review and develop learning expectations for Louisiana students in English and mathematics.
Among those nominees is Lee Ann Wall, principal at Iota Middle School, proposed as a member of the English Language Arts Content Committee.
“It was kind of a shock,” said Wall on being named. “It would be a privilege to help analyze these standards, be a part of collective body.
“I look forward to being a part of the group, pending BESE approval of course.”
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education committed to the review process at its March and April meetings. Two weeks ago, legislative leaders announced an agreement that would codify the process in law, requiring it start July 2015 and be concluded by March 2016, at which time BESE will adopt the reviewed and developed standards.
“We’re excited to have someone on there and to have input,” said Acadia Parish Superintendent John Bourque. “(Wall) was part of the first group (to review Common Core), so she’s very aware of the process.”
The review process includes establishing four committees: one Standards Committee that will serve as a steering committee and oversee the work of the three content subcommittees (K-2, 3-12 English Language Arts, and 3-12 math) all composed of a majority of current Louisiana educators.
Each content subcommittee will be charged with reviewing the current Louisiana Student Standards for math and English in depth and proposing potential revisions to BESE in order to ensure they represent the knowledge and skills Louisiana students need to succeed in college and the workplace.
“Hopefully, we can give some work and some thought into the implementation of the standards, see the positive and the not-so-positive,” said Wall.
“It’s a big task, but we have a great group of people from across the state. These committees can talk about things.”
“We can hopefully get some clarity,” said Bourque. “There were a lot of good things (in Common Core), but the implementation was somewhat rushed. Hopefully they can find something palpable for everyone.”
BESE asked school districts and education organizations to nominate qualified candidates for committee membership. The Department selected 92 proposed candidates from this list of nominees based on academic, geographic, and demographic diversity.
The nominees for each committee represent a cross-section of the state, with 43 of 70 school districts represented. The Department further proposed that BESE include nine additional members – one for each Congressional district and three at-large – to ensure further balance in the perspectives of members.
BESE will vote on all 101 proposed members at its June meeting.
“The 101 proposed members reflect two values at the heart of this process,” said state Superintendent John White. “First, they are professionals with first-rate records of serving Louisiana students. Second, they represent the broad diversity of region, background, and perspective necessary for an open and thorough process.”
The proposed members include
• 58 school-based educators
• 24 district leaders
• 5 representatives from institutions of higher learning
• 15 education and parental advocates
Once approved by BESE, the committees will meet publicly in the fall and will continue to meet in to 2016 to review public comments, student assessment results, and the standards themselves.
The process will launch with an online comment period during summer 2015, and all meetings of the review committees will be open to the public.
“I think it’s the best solution, really, instead of throwing everything out, we can fix it, amend it, and make it ours, if needed,” said Wall.