A Message from Dr. McCormick 2/10/17

Indiana Department of Education
Friday, February 10, 2017

 

Dear Indiana Educator,

Despite the current federal pause on ESSA plan development, Indiana is moving forward with developing our plan. Please click here to read a summary I wrote for the Indiana Association of School Principals about the current status of our ESSA process. Our team will be traveling the state to gather the input from our many stakeholders associated with the plan. We will share those dates with you as soon as they are finalized.

Please share this link with your teachers. Encourage them to sign up for regular communication from me and our office. Thank you for your partnership as we work together for student success.

Sincerely,
Dr. Jennifer McCormick
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Indiana Department of Education

Dr. Jennifer McCormick

Information Technology 

The IDOE contract with myON allowed schools to evaluate the product risk free. That access has now expired. MyON offers school and district licenses if you would like to pursue that opportunity. Some options for free access to online books and texts can be found here

 

In the News this Week

We have recently become aware of an issue the Indiana Treasurer of State is working on that directly impacts the bond intercept program that is designed to guarantee the payments to a bond holder for a school that may be facing financial problems. In light of this information, S&P has placed this program on a credit watch. If challenges are not addressed, it could affect the long term bond rating. However, in working with the Treasurer and the Governor's office, we are confident that the issues brought forth by S&P will be addressed and the watch will be lifted well within the time frame allotted. We bring this to your attention to make you aware of it and to reduce any concern for your district. There is no need for you to take any action at this time. 

The following statement from Micah Vincent, Director, Office of Management and Budget, was shared with the media covering this story. "We are looking at possible solutions to address S&P's newfound concerns. It is our goal to ensure that S&P removes the Indiana State Aid Intercept rating from CreditWatch and affirms the intercept program's excellent credit rating, which supports Indiana's schools and taxpayers." If you have a specific question, please contact Justin McAdam, jmcadam@gov.in.gov.

Earlier this week, Dr. McCormick released a statement regarding the confirmation appointment of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

 

Assessment

WIDA ACCESS for ELLs 2.0, which is Indiana's annual English proficiency assessment for English learners, underwent the process of standard setting. As a result, the students who participate in the 2016-2017 administration of ACCESS will need to demonstrate a higher level of language skills and more students will likely be in need of continued services. Please see the memo for further information. 

 

Digital Learning

The 2017 Spring HSDL Conference, the main event for Hoosier Student Digital Leader program advisors and students, will take place Saturday, March 4, 2017 at Greenfield Central Junior High School. This free event is from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. EST. The conference is for established grades 5-12 groups as well as those groups planning to form a school tech team, club or class. Event details and registration can be found here

 

Grant

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and the Center on Education and Lifelong Learning (CELL) at Indiana University are partnering to apply for the U.S. Department of Education Teachers and School Leader Incentive Program (TSL). The TSL supports efforts to develop and implement effective systems for supporting teachers and leaders to address educational needs of at-risk students. Today at 10am we will host an informational webinar for superintendents of interested LEAs that meet the following eligibility criteria: a majority of schools within the LEA are considered "high-need" based on a federal poverty level of 50% or higher and all stakeholders are committed to modifying existing practices and systems. The webinar is available here and the grant announcement is available here.

Grant funding is available for eligible secondary Area CTE Districts with more than half of their member school corporations with a high percentage of CTE enrollments. Click here to see if your district qualifies. Deadline is February 27, 2017.  

Final allocation amounts for 2016-2017 Indiana Literacy Early Intervention Grant can be found here. The completed grant application is due Wednesday, March 1, 2017. Please submit the grant application to ileig@doe.in.gov

 

Finance/Human Resources  

The IRS is seeing higher than normal school districts being targeted and has reached out to USED/OIG investigators for assistance in getting out the word. The goal is to prevent and detect this serious fraud and help folks avoid becoming victims of this threat. Click here to read the IRS advisory notice. 

Information for the 2017 Summer School Program is now available. Click here for details regarding eligible reimbursable programs, required reporting, financial provisions, and other helpful guidance for school corporations. 

Important Reminder: Membership Count Date is now underway. Click here for additional information. 


Additional Opportunities

The Indiana State Department of Health offers speakers and/or information on the topic of infant mortality to the state's health and health science teachers. Infant mortality is one of the state's top health priorities. With a rate of 7.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, our state is suffering the loss of far too many babies. We'd like a chance to put the information before students so they can understand the problem, the causes and the reasons all citizens should care for a baby. To find out more, contact Linda Heacox at lheacox@isdh.in.gov or call 317-233-1269. 

AP Summer Institute at the Indiana Academy - The Indiana Academy will be hosting an AP Summer Institute on the campus of Ball State University July 10-13 and July 17-20. The workshops are subject-specific and provide teachers with support and training needed to teach AP courses. For more information visit: www.bsu.edu/academy/summer.


Weekly Updates

Miss an update? View previous weekly updates here.

 
 

A message from Dr. McCormick will be sent every Friday.