Board of Education Approves Strategic Planning Framework; Sets Nonresident Tuition Fees; Approves Contracts for Baseline Concussion Testing

June 25, 2013

The Montgomery County Board of Education met on Monday, June 24, 2013, at the Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Among other items, the Board approved a new Strategic Planning Framework for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), set nonresident tuition rates for FY 2014, and approved contracts to establish a districtwide concussion testing program. The agenda for the meeting, with links to related materials, can be viewed on the Board of Education website. You can also watch video of the meeting by clicking here.

Strategic Planning Framework

The Board of Education approved a new Strategic Planning Framework that will guide the work of MCPS in the coming years. The Framework, Building Our Future Together: Students, Staff and Community, incorporates the three competencies that students need for success in the 21st century—academic excellence, creative problem solving, and social emotional learning—as well as a continued commitment to operational excellence.

The new Framework is the culmination of a year-long process that the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Schools and members of the MCPS community engaged in to revamp and build on the success of the district’s existing strategic plan—Our Call to Action: Pursuit of Excellence. The Framework includes Student Knowledge and Skills statements that describe what students should know and be able to do in the three competency areas. It also includes the expectation of specific actions that adults, including staff, parents, and community members, must take to support academic excellence, creative problem solving, and social emotional learning.

One of the ways that MCPS will measure its success as an organization and the success of its schools and offices is by monitoring data at five important milestones in a student’s education. The milestones incorporate much of the data that the district has monitored through the “7 Keys to College and Career Readiness.” A variety of data will be used as part of the five milestones, including reading and mathematics performance on state assessments; hope, engagement, and well-being survey data; eligibility for extracurricular activities; course completion; Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and SAT/ACT performance and graduation rate. More information on the Strategic Planning Framework will be rolled out during the summer and all MCPS parents and staff will receive information about the Framework during the 2013-2014 school year.

Read the Board Memo

Learn more about the Strategic Planning Framework

Baseline Concussion Testing

The Board approved four contracts to administer baseline testing to student athletes as part of an effort to improve awareness and treatment for concussions in MCPS. The baseline tests assist medical professionals in determining when a student athlete can return to play a sport following a concussion.

Baseline testing is an exam conducted during the preseason that assesses an athlete’s balance and brain function, including learning and memory skills, ability to pay attention or concentrate, and how quickly he or she thinks and solves problems. Results from baseline tests can be compared to tests administered to an athlete suspected to have experienced a concussion.

The total cost of the program will be $99,140, which includes $18,750 for the purchase of the computer software needed for implementation. The contracts were awarded to: ATI Physical Therapy, Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland, MedStar Sports Medicine and Metro Orthopedics & Sports Therapy. Three of the vendors will also provide some level of athletic trainer services to some high schools as part of the contracts.

Tuition for Nonresident Students

The Board approved tuition rates for nonresident students for FY 2014. Rate calculation is based on the approved operating budget, cost of debt service, and current revenue funding for the capital budget. The new rates for FY 2014 are as follows: $14,338 for elementary students (including kindergarten), an increase of $157; and $14,160 for secondary students, an increase of $355.

See the Board item

Administrative Appointments

The Board of Education approved the following administrative appointments:

Samantha B. Cohen, currently Harvard University doctoral resident, Montgomery County Public Schools as coordinator, Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Deputy Superintendent of Teaching, Learning, and Programs

Yong-Mi Kim, currently principal, Wayside Elementary School, as principal, Herbert Hoover Middle School

Emmanuel J. Jean-Philippe, currently assistant principal, Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School, as principal, Arcola Elementary School

Ocheze Joseph, currently principal intern, Rachel Carson Elementary School, as principal, Clopper Mill Elementary School

Resolution: The Board unanimously approved the following:

- A resolution recognizing the Vietnamese scholars honored by the Association of Vietnamese Americans

About the Board of Education

The Montgomery County Board of Education is the official educational policymaking body in the county. The Board is responsible for the direction and operation of the public school system. The Board consists of seven county residents elected by voters for a four-year term and a student elected by secondary school students for a one-year term. Board members are elected countywide but run at-large or from the Board district in which they reside.

Montgomery County Board of Education: Mr. Christopher Barclay, president; Mr. Philip Kauffman, vice president. Members: Ms. Shirley Brandman, Dr. Judy Docca, Mr. Michael Durso, Mrs. Patricia O’Neill, Mrs. Rebecca Smondrowski, and Mr. John Mannes, student member. Dr. Joshua P. Starr, superintendent and secretary-treasurer. Office of the Board: 301-279-3617.

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