Almost Live-Blogging the State Board of Education Meeting, Part II

It's Day 2 of the State Board of Education Meeting in Vancouver, WA. Since I left off yesterday, there has been more rigorous discussion about the content of the new third year of high school math, CORE 24 and funding proposals for the Basic Education Funding Task Force. Stay tuned throughout the day for updates, non sequiturs and potentially juicy tidbits.

9:37 a.m. For you newshounds out there, CORE 24 has received not a shabby amount of news coverage today. Check out the coverage of the State Board's decision in the Columbian, Yakima Herald Republic and Tacoma News Tribune.

11:01 a.m. Mass Insight just finished their presentation on the "turnaround" (read: intervention) of chronically underperforming schools. Their suggestions are complex, but very interesting. Elements up for discussion: Voluntary vs. mandatory participation for struggling schools, what to do if students continue to fail and the assignment of roles for the State Board of OSPI.

What I find intriguing are their specific suggestions for school reform including more time in the school day (at least 90 min) and year (10 more days), an increase in funding by $250,000 to $1 million, more operations flexibility and sufficient leadership and authority. Unfortunately, the process may take up to three years.

My verdict: Not fully baked, but getting there.

1:26 p.m. It's decision time! The Board is currently working to approve a NUMBER of items, including CORE 24.

1:30 p.m. There is some concern by multiple members that students will fill their requirements with "softer courses." The answer is clearly the implementation of a "high school and beyond plan."

1:36 p.m. Steve dal Porto wants to make it is explicit that this is not an unfunded mandate and is asking to ammend the implementation of CORE 24, until there is sufficient funding. The bottomline is that CORE 24 requires the funding of a six-period day.

1:40 p.m. That amendment was made.

1:45 p.m. Moving for approval of Core 24.

1:46 p.m. AND passed! A bit anticlimactic, but yay!

1:49 p.m. Moving on to the third year of math credit--set at Algebra II, that is. Steve Floyd says, "This would give every student a chance to take college-level math and be prepared for work training."

1:52 p.m. Linda Lamb thinks that we should allow students to graduate who do not master Algebra II, but take four years to master Algebra I and Geometry. Really? This is pretty standard math.

1:55 p.m. Jeff Vincent says no. Lays smackdown. So does Terry Bergeson.

2:07 p.m. Lamb's ammendment failed.

2:09 p.m. Third year of math set to Algebra II passes! Yay!

And that's about it, folks!