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IN THIS EDITION |
GED Tests Free to Minnesotans for a Limited Time
Beginning February 8, and likely continuing through June 30, 2016, Minnesotans can take the GED for free. In order to have all fees waived, the test taker must enter promotion code MNGED80 and select “MN” in the jurisdiction field.
GED Ready Discount
The GED Ready is the official practice test for the GED and accurately predicts whether a test taker is likely to pass the GED. The cost for the GED Ready has been reduced from $6 to $3 and that price will be in place through March 31, 2016.
GED Passing Scores Modified Following Analysis
Over the past 18 months, GED Testing Service looked at GED program graduates and high school graduates to compare their college readiness and college-level skills. As a result, GED Testing Service made the following changes to the passing score, retroactive to January 1, 2014:
- The high school equivalency passing score has been reduced from 150 to 145.
- College Ready and College Ready + Credit cut scores have been added at 165 and 175 respectively.
This means students who took the GED after January 1, 2014, may now have a passing score.
Standard Adult Diploma
The 2014 Minnesota Legislature created a third option for adults needing a secondary credential: the state standard adult high school diploma, which is a competency-based diploma program delivered by Minnesota Adult Basic Education programs and awarded by MDE. Many school districts also recognize the work done by Standard Adult Diploma students by awarding a high school diploma.
Next Steps
The number of Minnesotans taking the GED has been at historically low levels since the inception of the new GED in 2014. The changes noted above provide a great opportunity to promote credentialing opportunities for folks in your community who do not have a secondary credential.
For more information, please contact your local Adult Basic Education Consortium (ABE Hotline: https://mnliteracy.org/hotline), adult secondary credential staff (brad.hasskamp@state.mn.us or todd.wagner@state.mn.us at MDE, or visit (http://mnabe.org/programs/adult-diploma) or https://ged.com/.
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ACTION ITEMS |
Superintendents and charter school directors are invited to participate in the monthly audio conference call hosted by Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. The next call is scheduled for Wednesday, February 17, 9:30-10:30 a.m. A notice providing dial-in instructions will be sent to you on Tuesday. Comments to offer and/or questions you would like to ask are encouraged.
Conference Call Schedule: March 16, April 20, May 18, June 15. All calls are from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
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The Optional Local Purpose Assessment (OLPA) will be offered again next school year. The OLPA will be available for Reading in grades 3-8 and 10 and will be available for Math in grades 3-8 and 11. The assessment is an optional exam that is aligned to the Minnesota Academic Standards and is administered in the same manner as the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments.
At this time, the OLPA is not part of the assessment budget beyond school year 2016-17.
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In an effort to identify and provide support to military-connected youth in each school, Minnesota Statutes, section 127A.852, was passed by the 2014 Legislature. The legislation requires each school district to include a box on the enrollment forms to allow students to self-identify as being a member of a military-connected family. This allows for each school district/school to provide military-specific support to those youth who need it.
The Minnesota National Guard Child, Youth and School Services coordinators have no-cost resources and can provide on-site support through the K-12 Military Kids Toolkit. This initiative works to support military-connected youth who have or are experiencing the deployment cycle. Access application to request more information about the K-12 Military Kids Toolkit.
If you have any questions, please contact Laura Groeneweg, Minnesota National Guard.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES |
MDE Data Analytics staff in collaboration with MARSS staff will
be hosting two webinars in March related to upcoming data releases. The first
webinar will focus on graduation data and will cover where to find the data on
the Data Center, how graduation rates are calculated, and related MARSS
reporting. The graduation data webinar will be Wednesday, March 2,
1-2 p.m. Register for the March 2 graduation data webinar. The second webinar
will focus on enrollment data available on the Data Center, specifically how to locate and
interpret it. The enrollment data
webinar will be Wednesday, March 16, 1-2 p.m. Register for the March 16 enrollment data webinar.
If you have any questions, contact Katherine Edwards.
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The department’s School Safety Technical Assistance Center is hosting a free, one-day training on Friday, March 11, for all educators who teach health and sexual health content. The training will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at TIES Training Center, 1667 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul. Register for the training.
The training is for elementary school, middle school and high school teachers who teach lessons in content areas including: health, anatomy, puberty, gender, healthy friendships, identity, healthy relationships, teen social media use, and sexual health. The training is also for GSA advisors. Advocates for Youth will be leading the training, which will be offered in three tracks by elementary, middle and high school levels.
The training is for seasoned and new teachers alike, building on key skills in addressing new content areas for sexual health. The Advocates for Youth newly-released, free online curriculum, “Rights, Respect, Responsibility: A K-12 Sexuality Education Curriculum,” will serve as a foundation for the training. The curriculum’s authors Nora Gelperin, M.Ed., Elizabeth Schroeder, Ed.D., M.S.W and Eva S. Goldfarb, Ph.D. will deliver the training.
The curriculum is evidence informed and will cover all 16 topics recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as essential components of sexual health education. Those attending the training will receive extensive teacher support materials including a 25-page Teacher’s Guide that is part of the “Rights, Respect, Responsibility: A K-12 Sexuality Education Curriculum.”
The Minnesota Department of Health is partnering with the School Safety Technical Assistance Center to host the training in response to Minnesota teachers who have asked for professional development training in the area of sexual health education. For more information about the training, contact Amy Marsicano at Amy.Marsicano@state.mn.us or at 651-582-8393.
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ITEMS OF INTEREST |
In 2014, dozens of school, public and academic librarians contributed valuable input through Explore eBooks MN, a collaborative project to explore ways libraries across all disciplines could unite to improve electronic book collections across the state. Taking to heart the primary interests identified by participants in the ebook summit, State Library Services and Minitex partnered to build a statewide ebook collection that features children’s and young adult titles from Minnesota’s independent publishers. While the site officially launches on February 29, we’ve already heard from appreciative school librarians and teachers who are integrating Ebooks Minnesota into their work with students.
With a focus on providing access to quality books from Minnesota’s many independent publishers, the opening day collection includes about 3,000 titles from publishers such as ABDO, Lerner Publishing Group, Cherry Lake Publishing, University of Minnesota Press, Milkweed Press, and Coffeehouse Press. There is no limit to the number of titles that can be checked out at any time and readers can keep titles as long as they wish. Readers can access the collection online or download an app via the App Store, Google Play, or Kindle Fire HD.
Ebooks Minnesota was made possible in part by funding from the Minnesota Department of Education through a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Jen Nelson (651-582-8791).
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We are thrilled to announce that 89 films were submitted by Minnesota students to this year’s 90-Second Newbery Film Festival, an annual video contest in which kid filmmakers make movies that creatively tell the entire stories of Newbery-winning books in ninety seconds or less. Making a film is a fun, creative and multi-faceted educational exercise that builds 21st century skills. Kids—with some help from an adult—cooperatively write, storyboard, produce, direct, costume, act, frame and edit their films.
90-Second Newbery founder and middle grade author James Kennedy has chosen his favorite entries from Minnesota, and is set to show them at the second annual Minnesota screening of the best local entries on Saturday, February 27, 2016, in Pohlad Hall, 3-4:30 p.m., at Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central. Co-hosts of the event will be James Kennedy and Kelly Barnhill (Minneapolis author of The Witch’s Boy). On-site book sales will be provided by Addendum Books. To attend the screening, make your free reservation today. You can also help us promote the event by downloading and printing the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival poster. For more details about the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival, please contact Jen Verbrugge (651-582-8356).
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