The State Board of Education fired out a statement late Wednesday afternoon on the controversial tiered licensure proposal.

The takeaways:

• State Board members will review comments on the rule, and meet in November.
• The board says many of the comments in hand “do not accurately reflect the actual provisions of the tiered certification and career ladder proposals.”

The State Board held three public hearings on the tiered licensure plan earlier this month. Public testimony was overwhelmingly opposed to the plan, but after a lengthy hearing in Meridian last week, State Board member Rod Lewis said he still hopes the board will take a plan to the 2015 Legislature.

That was one of the criticisms from the Meridian hearing. Speakers, including Idaho Education Association President Penni Cyr, blasted the process and said the State Board seemed to have its mind already made up. I’m not sure this statement will allay those concerns.

For a recap, here are links to our coverage from the Pocatello and Meridian hearings.

And here is the State Board statement, from chairwoman Emma Atchley:

“The intent of the Task Force for Improving Education and of the State Board of Education has always been to take forward the strongest possible proposals and plans to make meaningful improvements in Idaho’s education system. The suggestions and feedback from the public comment period on the proposed administrative rule regarding teacher certification will be studied as the board decides next steps. As with any administrative rule, the board considers what modifications and accommodations should be made to address concerns and improve the final product. The board will meet in November to discuss changes to the rule after members have had the opportunity to review the public comment. That meeting will be open to the public, as all board meetings are, and we will communicate the date and time as soon as possible. We continue to see reports and comments that do not accurately reflect the actual provisions of the tiered certification and career ladder proposals. Information on the recommendations along with minutes of the many committee meetings and meeting materials are all available on the State Board of Education website.”