IV.B. – Idaho Department of Education – 06-2023
IV.B. – Idaho Department of Education
1. Purpose
The State Department of Education is established by Section 33-125, Idaho Code, as an executive agency of the State Board of Education for elementary and secondary school matters.
2. State Superintendent of Public Instruction
The State Superintendent of Public Instruction is an elected public official, serves as the executive secretary of the Board, and is the executive officer of the State Department of Education. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction (hereinafter known as the "superintendent") is responsible for carrying out the policies, procedures, and duties authorized by applicable state and federal statutes and the policies and procedures of the Board for the elementary and secondary schools in Idaho.
3. Department Organization
The State Department of Education (hereinafter known as the "department") is organized in a manner as determined by the Board acting on recommendations by the superintendent.
4. General Scope of Department Responsibilities
The department is responsible for public elementary and secondary school matters as provided by Title 33, Idaho Code, or as determined by the State Board of Education.
5. Consultant and Advisory Services
The Board allows payments to be made to staff members of the department for consultative services to agencies or organizations other than the public elementary and secondary schools. Such payments may be in addition to the certified salary of the employee and be made during the periods for which any regular salary is paid, as determined by the superintendent. Consultative services must not interfere with the time or duties of the staff member for the department. Requests to undertake consultative services must be submitted to the superintendent or his or her designee and to the Board for prior approval.
6. Policy Manual for Idaho Public Schools
The superintendent or his or her designee is responsible for the development, establishment, maintenance, and dissemination of the State Board of Education Rules and Regulations for Public Schools K-12 as approved by the Board. The procedures used to establish, amend, or otherwise modify the Policy Manual will be in accordance with Board policy and applicable state laws.
7. Internal Policies and Procedures
The superintendent, as the chief executive officer, may establish such additional policies and procedures for the internal management of the department as are necessary and in alignment with the Board policies, Administrative Code, and Idaho Statute.
8. Basic Educational Technology Standards for Continuing Educators
The proliferation of technology in our daily lives makes it essential that all students are provided an opportunity to become technologically literate. The State Board of Education has established a statewide goal that teachers and administrators be trained in the use of technology for education. This policy was created as a plan of action which provides recognition, encouragement and documentation of demonstrated competencies for educators and school districts by certificates of achievement and by school accreditation.
- Accountability and Recognition
All state approved teacher education institutions or their trained designees (i.e., state department employees, district employees or community college faculty) will issue a State Certificate of Educational Technology Competency to those certificated personnel who have documented mastery of the required basic technology standards.
The State Department of Education will issue annually a State Certificate of a Technology School of Excellence to those schools documenting that at least 90% of the certificated staff have earned the State Certificate of Educational Technology Competency.
The State Department of Education will provide the State Board of Education an annual report on certificated personnel demonstrating mastery of the required basic technology standards by state, by district, and by school beginning with a baseline skill inventory that identifies the number of certificated personnel who have already demonstrated competency by the approved assessments. The results of this baseline will be available for Board review at the September 1998 Board meeting. Reports will continue annually on September 1999 through September of 2001 providing current data from the 1998-1999 school year and continuing through the 2000-2001 school year. The baseline and each annual report will include the following information by state, by district, and by school:- Total certificated personnel
- Total certificated personnel demonstrating technology competency
- Total certificated administrative personnel
- Total certificated administrative personnel demonstrating technology competency
- Total certificated instructional personnel
- Total certificated instructional personnel demonstrating technology competency.
Information from the annual reports may be used to inform the citizens of Idaho of the relative standing of each school and each school district. The information will also be used to give proper recognition to schools making excellent progress towards or achieving the Board’s goal. The Board staff will evaluate the policy annually.