Pennsylvania Department of Education

The meeting included a report from the Special and Gifted Education Committee, which reviewed Chapter 16 regulations. The committee received input from a school psychologists advisory committee that recommended improving consistency in implementing gifted identification criteria through a resource guide and an annotated Gifted Written Report, rather than amending current regulations which allow identification based on an IQ score of 130 or multiple criteria. Leadership from the Department of Education provided several updates: the 2025-2026 state budget was signed into law, including funding increases for libraries, basic education, and special education. Key provisions in a new School Code bill were highlighted, such as requiring a curriculum grounded in the Science of Reading and permanently removing the basic skills assessment for teacher certification. The establishment of the new Pennsylvania Blue Ribbon Schools Program was announced. Updates on postsecondary education included workforce Pell implementation, rebranding of PA MASLOW to PA EmpowerU, and redesign of the PA College Transfer website. State assessment data for PSSA and Keystone Exams for 2024-2025, and the annual report on educator certifications were also presented.

The Career and Technical Education Committee received a briefing on updated career clusters, which reframes the existing 16 clusters into 14 industry-driven clusters, incorporating three cross-cutting clusters (Digital Technology, Marketing & Sales, and Management & Entrepreneurship). The Director of the Bureau of Career and Technical Education reported on recent state budget and School Code bill changes affecting CTE equipment grants, educator certification requirements (including extending the Intern program length), and allowing superintendents to serve as CTE Center directors. The Director also discussed the updated Career Clusters timeline, aiming for full implementation by the 2026-27 school year, and provided updates on K-12 Guidance Plans submissions, PA Career Zone resources, compliance reviews for nurse aide training programs, and 2026 state conference schedules for CTSOs.

The meeting of the State Board of Career and Technical Education included a report from the Director of the Bureau of Career and Technical Education. The report covered the role of Career and Technical Student Organizations, Pennsylvania's participation in the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program, partnerships with educational organizations to strengthen educators' skills, and updates on technical assistance site visits, Nurse Aid Training program reviews, and efforts to streamline the program approval process.

The meeting included a report from the Director of the Bureau of Career and Technical Education (BCTE) on activity within the bureau. Updates were provided on work being jointly conducted between BCTE and a center at Penn State University on NOCTI alignment for certain CTE programs, continued supports being provided to schools through the Technical Assistance Program, and compliance reviews for Nurse Aide training programs.

The meeting included a report from the Special Committee on Private School Accreditation, which recommended renewing the recognition of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS) as approved private academic school accrediting organizations. The Teacher and School Leader Effectiveness Committee discussed the review of testing requirements for educator certification. The Acting Secretary of Education announced the appointment of a new Chief Talent Officer and provided updates on the state budget and the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results. The Board also discussed a language access toolkit proposal and research-based instruction in math. Additionally, the Board approved the applications of PAIS and MSA-CESS to continue operating as approved private academic school accrediting organizations.