The Idaho State Board of Education will hold a virtual regular Board meeting on Thursday, December 17, 2020 starting at 9 a.m. (MST).

The meeting will be carried via livestream on the State Board’s YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7j4VGGyNzPa6g6a-zVTHnA

The public can also listen to the meeting by calling (877) 820-7831; Passcode: 7483005.

The agenda and meeting materials are posted on the State Board of Education website:
https://boardofed.idaho.gov/event/board-meeting-boise-4/

Agenda items include:

• Consider waiving the Board rule requiring students take a college entrance exam in order to graduate from high school.  The waiver would apply to students graduating at the end of the 2020-21 school year, including the 2021 summer term.  Students normally take the exam during their junior year but it was cancelled last spring due to the pandemic meaning those students who are now seniors, had to wait until this fall to take the exam.  About 80 percent of high school seniors have taken the exam, and there are additional opportunities for seniors to take it during the national testing dates between now and the end of the spring term.

• The Board will also hear an update on the Strong Families, Strong Students program that awards grants to families to help meet their students’ educational needs during the pandemic.  Last week, families in Wave One began receiving e-mail notifications about the status of their applications and have started to access their virtual wallets through ClassWallet®.