The Latest Gifted Draft Rule Update
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce held their second public meeting yesterday. The agenda and a copy of slides can be found here: https://education.ohio.gov/About/DEW-Public-Meetings
You can also rewatch the meeting on the Ohio Channel at this link: https://ohiochannel.org/collections/ohio-department-of-education-and-workforce
Director Steve Dackin opened the meeting by outlining three priorities:
1. Literacy – This isn’t a huge surprise. Governor Dewine’s investments in the science of reading and continued progress with that program will be a huge priority at the department.
2. Workforce – Dackin stated how happy he was that the department is now called the Department of Education and Workforce and outlined that we need to prepare Ohio students for jobs. We need and educated and productive workforce. As an aside in this conversation, Dackin also mentioned the importance of accelerated learning stating that we need to get kids “caught up fast.”
3. Student well-being – Are students coming to school prepared to learn and with the necessary supports? Dackin also wants to address challenges students are facing around mental or physical wellness.
After Director Dackin’s opening remarks, there was a brief update from both the budget team at ODEW. Dr. Melissa Weber-Mayrer also spoke more about the roll-out of the science of reading and additional literacy updates. Dr. Weber-Mayrer discussed updates with HQIM, professional development, and literacy coaches. (Also important to note that the ODEW website has updated their FAQ about the science of reading to include information about the science of reading and gifted learners: https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Learning-in-Ohio/Literacy/The-Science-of-Reading/Science-of-Reading-FAQ#FAQ5035)
Next, the legal team at ODEW discussed the Administrative Rules process. As we are currently experiencing with the gifted rule, the new process begins with stakeholder engagement on the rule currently in effect. Draft rules will be released after feedback is received and there will be another public commenting period (this is where we are today). ODEW staff underlined how important stakeholder feedback is during this process. After this feedback period, the department may make further changes to the rule and will give the rule to the director of ODEW for final approval. The rule will then be filed with JCARR with one final public hearing.
During this meeting, OAGC gave public comment on the Gifted Rule OAC 3301-51-15. You can read our public comment here: https://oagc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/1.18.24-Public-Comment-1.pdf
There was no question and answer session after OAGC’s public comment, but ODEW staff mentioned the desire to meet with OAGC to discuss our concerns in more detail.
Hannah News also included quotes from OAGC’s public comment in their article here: https://www.hannah.com/DesktopDefaultPublic.aspx?type=hns&id=f1Bv4oRKUtc%3d&u=gwrsIPuMxYY%3d
As a reminder, public comment period on the Gifted Rule ends on February 11th. For more information on gifted rule meetings or conversations, contact your region rep or email OAGC at [email protected].