Mark Eisenman

The Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Plan outlines a statewide K-12 roadmap to ensure all students achieve literacy success by becoming proficient readers and writers. It is structured around four essential elements: Collaborative Leadership, Developing Professional Educators, Assessment and Data, and Effective Instruction and Interventions. The plan emphasizes fostering expanded foundational reading skills in early grades and advanced literacy across all grades, aiming to achieve reading proficiency by the end of third grade and improve overall literacy outcomes for all students.

The meeting includes an executive session for presidential and executive director evaluations, as well as personnel matters. Key agenda items involve the review of employment agreements for athletics staff, approval of infrastructure and license agreements, and administrative actions regarding professional standards, assessment committee appointments, and tuition waivers. The Board will receive annual reports from Boise State University and the College of Western Idaho, address higher education policies including retirement plans, grants, scholarships, and operating budgets, and review legislative ideas. Additionally, the agenda covers the Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Plan, career-technical education reports and assessments, and various policy revisions related to student admissions, articulation, and instructional materials.

The two-day meeting agenda covered several areas including Boardwork items such as agenda review, minutes approval, and rolling calendar review. The Consent agenda included numerous items across various categories (BAHR, IDE, IRSA, PPGA), focusing on FY 2026 Appropriations, scholarship costs, retirement plan restatement, various lease agreements and amendments for Boise State University, contract approvals for Idaho State University's Head Football Coach and policy approvals, software licenses for the University of Idaho, and emergency certificate recommendations. Other key discussion points included presentations from University of Idaho students and employees, annual reports from institutions, updates from the Idaho Department of Education on Civics Assessment, and extensive action items in Business Affairs and Human Resources regarding board policy readings (Retirement Plan Committee, Grants and Contracts), campus master plans, operating agreements, and facility improvement project authorizations for several universities. The second day focused heavily on Planning, Policy, and Governmental Affairs (legislative updates, presidential search, policy readings), and Instruction, Research and Student Affairs (policy readings and numerous proposed new program fees or changes for Boise State University, Lewis-Clark State College, and the University of Idaho). Informational items included Athletics revenue/compensation reports and annual reports from EPSCoR and HERC.

This document provides guidance for the implementation of Idaho's Future Readiness Project, a new graduation requirement replacing the traditional Senior Project for the Class of 2028. It outlines the project's core purpose, which includes demonstrating college and career competencies, supporting post-high school pathway exploration, and serving as a culminating capstone experience. The guidance details a required experiential component, offers flexibility for Local Education Agencies in design and implementation, and emphasizes competency-based education to prepare students for success beyond high school.

The work session focuses on postsecondary civics education, emphasizing the importance of graduates engaging productively in civic life. The discussion covers current institutional initiatives on civic knowledge, civil discourse, and civic or community engagement. The session aims to provide context for the America's Next 250: Enhancing Postsecondary Civic Knowledge and Engagement in Idaho plan, a Board initiative to promote civic education across all postsecondary institutions. The Board's leadership is key in establishing guidance for institutions to develop institution-wide approaches so that students gain civic knowledge and experience civil dialogue.