2023 FACSSO Outcomes

On Wednesday, March 1st 2023, the FSM Association of Chief State School Officers (FACSSO) gathered in Pohnpei to discuss upcoming plans and policies for education nationwide.

The convening included representation from the State and National Department of Educations as well as COM-FSM, including the presence of the National Secretary and Assistant Secretaries of Education, the Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap State Directors of Education, and the President of COM-FSM.

The three-day meeting resulted in a variety of outcomes, including the announcement of official dates for the next MTEC conference. MTEC 2023 will be hosted from July 3-7 2023 in Kosrae by the Kosrae Department of Education. Other top takeaways from the FACSSO convening are summarized below:

The FACSSO convening ended with a generous donation of new books developed through a Congress-funded Micronesian Productions project.
Photo credit: Micronesian Productions

Professional Development Framework for All Teachers Endorsed +FACSSO endorsed a national framework offering guidance and structure for teacher professional development across the FSM. Known as the National Professional Learning and Development Framework, this policy will ensure that teachers receive a minimum standard of opportunities to learn and improve their practice each year. The new framework is the outcome of collaboration from the IQBE National Working Group for Teacher Development.
Salary Increase for FSM Teachers +FACSSO proposed a resolution in support of salary increases for FSM teachers nationwide. While the application of this resolution will be tailored to each state’s context, the soon to be endorsed resolution will declare that National and State governments of the FSM are responsible for ensuring that teacher salaries are increased.
Teacher Certification Policy Changes + A FACSSO resolution was passed to amend the nation’s Teachers Certification Policy. This amendment, presented by COM-FSM, will permit teachers to receive credit for national certification exams (NSTTs) by completing a series of courses at the College of Micronesia-FSM. This resolution represents an advancement in support to teacher certification, and was inspired by discussions within the IQBE National Working Group.

– A FACSSO motion was made to launch a committee exploring the Teachers Certification Policy and its impacts on teachers. A resolution was proposed to solidify the formation of this committee, which will explore challenges vocational teachers may face in becoming certified under the existing policy.
Healthy Schools Resolution +Working together with the World Health Organization, FACSSO agreed to draft a resolution in support of the formation of a new group that will bring attention to the health of students in schools and explore updates to healthy school policies.