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Minutes of the Instructional Quality Commission

State of California
Edmund G. Brown Jr., Governor

Instructional Quality Commission
An advisory body to the California State Board of Education


FINAL MINUTES OF MEETING: December 10, 2012


(Approved on March 21, 2013)

Report of Actions
Monday, December 10, 2012

Instructional Quality Commissioners Present:

  • Louis “Bill” Honig, Chair
  • Michelle Herczog, Vice Chair
  • Angel Barrett
  • Kristyn Bennett
  • Edward D’Souza
  • Jose Dorado
  • Lori Freiermuth
  • Marlene Galvan
  • Carla Herrera
  • Jo Ann Isken
  • Nancy McTygue
  • Will Parish
  • Socorro Shiels
  • Julie Spykerman
  • Carlos Ulloa

Commissioners Absent:

  • Angiennette Estonina

Executive Director:

  • Thomas Adams

State Board of Education Liaisons:
Patricia Rucker

  1. Full Instructional Quality Commission (Commission or IQC)
    1. Meeting called to order at 12:00 p.m. by 2012 Commission Chair Honig

    2. Salute to the flag led by Commissioner Dorado

    3. Overview of the Agenda
      There were no changes to the agenda.

    4. Approval of Minutes for the September 24–25, 2012, Commission Meeting (Action)
      ACTION: Commissioner Herczog moved to approve the September 24–25, 2012, Commission meeting minutes. Commissioner Shiels seconded the motion. There was no discussion or public comment. The motion was approved by unanimous vote of the members present (15-0).

    5. Report of the Chair
      Commission Chair Honig reported on the following items:
      • November State Board of Education (SBE) meeting – The SBE approved the Commission’s recommendations for the English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Curriculum Framework and Evaluation Criteria Committee (CFCC) co-chairpersons and members, and the accompanying guidelines.
      • Presentations on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) – Chair Honig gave a presentation in Contra Costa on the mathematics and ELA/ELD guidelines. Chair Honig noted that there is a lot of confusion in the field regarding the CCSS. The Commission can help alleviate the confusion by going out into the field and explaining the work being done on the CCSS.
      • The Mathematics CFCC (MCFCC) Meetings – Chair Honig along with various other commissioners have attended the October, November, and December MCFCC meetings. The last MCFCC meeting is February 13–14, 2013. The MCFCC’s work will be forwarded to the Commission in March 2013.
      • Basal Alignment Project – For the March 2013 meeting, the Commission has invited David Liben to give a presentation on the Basal Alignment Project Common Core Standards.
      • Assessment and Accountability – At the request of Michael Kirst, SBE President, the Commission will review accountability and assessment. Chair Honig asked Commissioner Shiels to chair the Ad Hoc Committee on Assessment and Accountability. At the March Commission meeting, the Executive Committee will assign commissioners to this committee.

      Commission Vice Chair Herczog reported on The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Inquiry in Social Studies State Standards that is currently being developed through a state-led effort facilitated by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and supported by 15 professional organizations representing the 4 social studies content areas: civics, economics, geography, and history.

    6. Update on the California Department of Education
      Thomas Adams, Executive Director, Instructional Quality Commission, reported on the following:
      • Passage of Senate Bill 1200, the standards clean-up bill. For ELA, the bill allows for the formal adoption of the anchor standards and to make technical clean-up. For mathematics, the focus is on the California editions. The bill allows the Superintendent of Public Instruction, after consultation with a group of experts composed of at least half teachers, to recommend changes to the SBE. The Superintendent is using the MCFCC for this process.
      • National Efforts – Publishers criteria for the mathematics and English language arts as the basis for instructional materials. Dr. Adams attended a conference in Connecticut where David Liben presented on the Basal Alignment Project.
      • Assembly Bill 1246 – The mathematics adoption is moving forward and the California Department of Education (CDE) will be recruiting reviewers
      • Mathematics Supplemental Materials – The CDE is working on Phase 2 and is recruiting reviewers, working with the San Joaquin County Office of Education.
      • English Language Development (ELD) Standards – In the future, there will be a pre-meeting webinar available to CFCC members and Commissioners. Karen Cadiero-Kaplan, Director of the English Learner Support Division, and Robert Linquanti, WestEd, are working on the webinar.
      • English Language Development supplemental materials are coming soon – there will be ELD supplemental materials that will help bridge the gap and focus on some of the shifts in the new ELD standards.

    7. Update on the California Common Core State Standards
      Barbara Murchison, Consultant, Common Core Systems Implementation Office, CDE, gave an update on the CCSS. She navigated the commissioners through the Common Core Standards Web page Common Core State Standards.

    8. Report from the State Board of Education
      On behalf of the SBE, Patricia Rucker, Board liaison, reported that she is very proud and pleased with the work of the Commission. She is looking forward to hear today’s discussion and that she has attended all of the MCFCC meetings.

    9. Other Matters/Public Comment

  2. English Language Arts/English Language Development (ELA/ELD) Subject Matter Committee SMC Chair Isken called the English Language Arts/English Language Development SMC meeting to order.

    1. Report on the State Board of Education’s Actions on the Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) Recommendations on Guidelines for the English Language Arts/English Language Development Curriculum Framework
      and Evaluation Criteria Committee (ELA/ELD CFCC) and Appointments to the ELA/ELD CFCC (Information)
      Chair Isken noted that during their November meeting, the SBE confirmed the appointment of the 20 members recommended by the IQC to the ELA/ELD CFCC. The SBE appointed Becky Sullivan and Martha Hernandez as co-chairs. Becky Sullivan was able to attend the meeting and expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to participate in the development of the revised framework. The SBE also approved the guidelines for the ELA/ELD framework. The ELA/ELD CFCC will meet from February through July, 2013.

    2. Review Draft ELA/ELD CFCC Meeting Work Plan and Draft ELA/ELD Framework Outline (Information)
      Two draft documents prepared by the framework writers were attached to the agenda for information, the ELA/ELD CFCC Meeting Work Plan and the ELA/ELD Framework Outline. Chair Isken and CFIRD staff reviewed the draft plan, framework development process, and the primary responsibilities of the ELA/ELD CFCC members.

    3. Discuss Role of IQC and ELA/ELD Subject Matter Committee Members (Information)
      The role of the ELA/ELD SMC and IQC members was reviewed. Members were solicited for availability to attend ELA/ELD CFCC meetings, noting that funding was available for only two members per meeting and priority given to ELA/ELD SMC members. In addition, ELA/ELD SMC and IQC members signed up to receive e-mail and/or printed copies of draft framework chapters as they are forwarded to the ELA/ELD CFCC.

    4. Other Matters/Public Comment
      Steve Brackett, Voyager

  3. Mathematics Subject Matter Committee
    SMC Chair D’Souza called the Mathematics SMC meeting to order.

    1. Update on the Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (Mathematics Framework), 2013 Revision (Information)
      SMC Chair D’Souza, IQC Chair Honig, and Commissioners Spykerman, Isken, Dorado, and Freiermuth reported their observations of the MCFCC meetings they had attended. There was no action on this item.

    2. Senate Bill 1200 – Modifications to the California Additions to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and Model Courses in Higher Mathematics (Information/Action)
      Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division (CFIRD) staff provided a summary of the proposed modifications as recommended by the MCFCC. Members of the Mathematics SMC and other IQC members discussed the recommended modifications.

      ACTION
      Commissioner Shiels moved to recommend that the Instructional Quality Commission send a letter of support for the MCFCC’s recommendations to the SBE and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Torlakson. Commissioner Isken seconded the motion. Commissioner Dorado proposed a friendly amendment to the motion to recommend that the words “combinations of” be deleted from the second grade standard 2.MD.8. The amendment was seconded by Commissioner Shiels and accepted as a friendly amendment by both Commissioners Shiels and Isken. The amendment was approved by a unanimous vote of the members present (7–0). The main motion was approved by a unanimous vote of the members present (7–0).

    3. 2014 Primary Mathematics Instructional Materials Adoption
      CFIRD staff provided an overview of the adoption process and explained the many roles and responsibilities of IQC members in an adoption.

      1. Criteria for Evaluating Mathematics Instructional Materials for Kindergarten Through Grade Eight (Information/Action)

        CFIRD staff drew the Commissioners’ attention to Attachments 3, 4, and 5 and the letter dated December 7, 2012, from the MCFCC with suggested edits and additions to the criteria. Much of the Mathematics SMC discussion centered on the MCFCC’s suggestions, and the Mathematics SMC solicited comments from other IQC members throughout the discussion. Working from the draft evaluation criteria as presented in Attachment 5, the Mathematics SMC came to consensus regarding each of the MCFCC’s 21 suggestions. (The consensus decisions were as follows. Accept the edits recommended in 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, and 19. Modify the suggestions recommended in 8, 9, and 15. Do not accept the suggestions in 1, 4, or 10. Incorporate into the criteria, where appropriate, the indicators of quality in 20. For 21, use the traditional forms for standards alignment and meeting each criterion for the adoption review; provide evidence-based reports of findings that indicate where programs meet or do not meet the evaluation criteria.)

        The following individuals provided public comment:
        Brian Hoey, CPM

        Bob Lucas, Business for Science Math and Related Technologies Education (BSMARTE)
        Linda DuBois, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

        ACTION
        Commissioner Freiermuth moved to recommend to the IQC approval of the draft Criteria for Evaluating Mathematics Instructional Materials for Kindergarten through Grade Eight with the changes recommended by the Mathematics SMC and to forward the draft criteria to the SBE. Commissioner Isken seconded the motion. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote of the members present (6–0). Commissioner Freiermuth had to leave and was not present for the vote.

      2. Schedule of Significant Events (Information/Action)

      3. Application for Instructional Materials Reviewers and Content Review Experts (Information/Action)
        Commissioner Barrett moved to recommend to the IQC approval of Schedule of Significant Events for the 2014 Primary Mathematics Instructional Materials Adoption and the Application for Instructional Materials Reviewers and Content Review Experts and to forward them to the State Board of Education. Commissioner Dorado seconded the motion. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote of the members present (6–0). Commissioner Freiermuth had to leave and was not present for the vote.

    4. Other Matters/Public Comment: None

      1. Full Commission Reconvenes
        1. Reports/Action from Subcommittees:

          Mathematics Subject Matter Committee
          ACTION:
          Mathematics SMC Chair D’Souza moved to (1) send a letter of support for Modifications to the California Additions to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and Model Courses for Higher Mathematics, with the recommendation that the words “combinations of” be deleted from the second grade standard 2.MD.8., to the SBE and State Superintendent of Public Instruction and delegate IQC Chair Honig and Mathematics SMC Chair D’Souza to approve the letter to be written by staff; (2) approve and recommend to the SBE the Criteria for Evaluating Mathematics Instructional Materials for Kindergarten through Grade Eight with the changes recommended by the Mathematics SMC and to delegate to IQC Chair Honig and Mathematics SMC Chair D’Souza approval of the revised criteria; (3) approve and forward to the SBE the Schedule of Significant Events for the 2014 Primary Mathematics Instructional Materials Adoption and the Application for Instructional Materials Reviewers and Content Review Experts. Commissioner Barrett seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote of the members present (13–0). Commissioners Dorado and Freiermuth were not present for the vote.

        2. Individual Commissioner Reports:
          With Commissioner Parish’s term on the Commission ending December 31, 2012, this was his last meeting. Commissioner Parish was presented with a legislative resolution authored by Senator Pavley for his work on the Commission. In addition, on behalf of the Commission, Commissioner Spykerman presented Commissioner Parish with a card and well wishes.

        3. Liaison Reports: None

        4. Other Matters/Public Comment: None

          Commission Chair Honig adjourned the meeting at 5:18 p.m.
Last Reviewed: Wednesday, March 01, 2023
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