EDUCATOR STANDARDS BOARD MONTHLY ONLINE UPDATE
Nov. 1, 2005
Overview
Today’s monthly online newsletter includes updates on the
following topics:
• State Board Adoption of the New Teacher, Principal and
Professional Development Standards;
• Educator Standards Board Adopts Revised Definition of
“Cultural Competency”
• Ohio Association of School Nurses Presents Concern to
Higher Education Committee;
• Educator Standards Board Sets Date for 2006 Annual Retreat
State Board of Education Adopts New Teacher, Principal
and Professional Development Standards
Next Steps to Include Implementation, Building Awareness
One year after the Educator Standards Board’s (ESB) first
official business meeting, the State Board of Education
voted unanimously Tuesday, Oct. 11, to adopt by resolution
the standards and elements for the Ohio Standards for the
Teaching Profession, the Ohio Standards for Principals and
the Ohio Standards for Professional Development.
To assure that the standards being developed reflect the
perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders, the Educator
Standards Board solicited feedback from various audiences
throughout the development process. Most recently, prior to
the unanimous adoption of the standards, the ESB held a
stakeholder feedback meeting on Aug. 11, where organizations
had the opportunity provide recommendations.
The groups represented at this meeting included the Ohio
PTA; Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators;
Ohio Federation of Teachers; Ohio School Boards Association;
Buckeye Association of School Administrators; Ohio Middle
School Association; Ohio Education Association; Ohio
Association for Private Colleges of Teacher Education; State
University Education Deans; Catholic Conference of Ohio;
Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators; and
the Ohio Association of Community Colleges.
Implementation, Building Awareness
To ensure that Ohio educators understand how these new
standards will impact their work, over the next several
months, the Educator Standards Board will continue to build
awareness around and educate teachers, principals and
education associations about the new standards and what they
mean for them.
One of the first components of this implementation plan will
include the development of an Educator Standards Toolkit
that will include useful information about the standards
through such tools as power point presentations; copies of
the standards; suggested activities to better understand the
standards; frequently asked questions; and fact sheets.
Additionally, the ESB will provide virtual meeting
opportunities for districts, education organizations and
other entities interested in learning more about the
standards.
Educator Standards Board Adopts Revised Definition of
“Cultural Competency”
As required by Senate Bill 2, the Educator Standards Board
must develop a definition of cultural competency based on
content and experiences that allow educators to know,
understand and appreciate the students, families and
communities that they serve and have the skills for
addressing cultural diversity in ways that respond to the
cultural needs of students.
Last month, the Educator Standards Board moved to have the
current “cultural competency” definition edited by a
technical writer and reconsidered in October. This month, a
new definition was distributed and adopted by the Board, and
will be reflected accordingly in the glossary.
Ohio Association of School Nurses Presents Concern to
Higher Education Committee
The Ohio Association of School Nurses (OASN) presented a
concern to the Higher Education Committee at its October
meeting regarding the incorrect use of the title “school
nurse” within school buildings. The OASN stated that there
is a discrepancy between what schools call their school
nurses and “health professionals,” and asked that the Ohio
Department of Education (ODE) remind superintendents that
“school nurse” be reserved only for school nurses with the
correct licensure from the Ohio Department of Education.
In response, ODE included a notification in Dr. Zelman’s
weekly e-mail to all Ohio superintendents reminding them
that, according to the Ohio Administrative Code, school
nurse licensure includes the following: 1) a baccalaureate
degree; 2) successful completion of an approved school nurse
preparation program; and 3) a current license to practice as
a registered nurse (RN) issued by the Ohio Board of Nursing.
While the district may employ "health service providers"
such as RNs or LPNs to serve student health needs, these
individuals should not use the title school nurse since this
is a specific licensure area.
Educator Standards Board Sets Date for Next Annual
Retreat
The Educator Standards Board annual retreat will take place
in Columbus June 26-27, 2006, starting the morning of the
26th, and ending with the business meeting June 27. The ESB
hopes to have the new Board members who are to appointed by
the State Board of Education in July 2006, available during
the June 2006 retreat.
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