A Message from Dr. McCormick 8/11/17

 

Indiana Department of Education
Friday, August 11, 2017

 

Dear Educators:

Earlier this week, I sent a letter (both electronically and via postal mail) to the entire Indiana Congressional Delegation outlining concerns regarding recent federal budget proposals and the impact those cuts will have on our state's ability to educate our students. Please follow this link to view a copy of one of those letters.  

I look forward to the school year ahead and working together to make Indiana schools better. I ask you to consider forwarding this email to your teachers and encouraging them to sign up for my weekly message. To view older messages or sign up to be on the list, click here

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

Dr. Jennifer McCormick

In the News
New Career Exploration Pilot Program Launches in 16 Middle Schools

Indiana Career Explorer Pilot Program
Per the recently passed SEA 196, the Indiana Department of Education would like to congratulate the districts and schools that have been selected to participate in the 2017-2018 Indiana Career Explorer Pilot Program! To view the list of schools, please follow this link

Assessment
Another short video is available highlighting the development of test blueprints.

The Assessment website is updated with the 2017-2018 Program Manual. We revised the functionality to access documents essential for communication with educators and parents. Access our new page here.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) collects information from participating students and teachers through non-cognitive (contextual) questionnaires. The collected contextual data are related to student achievement. A report of teacher instructional time spent on grades 4 and 8 in mathematics and reading can be found in the NAEP Community in the Learning Connection under NAEP 2018>Contextual Data. If you are already a member, you can click here for the reports.

The ISTEP+ Winter, ISTEP+ Spring, and IREAD-3 Spring practice test windows for the 2017-2018 school year are now available. This memo also contains guidance for accessing practice tests and administering them to students.

General Diploma
We have provided a memo with information regarding the recent change in the general diploma. According to Indiana Law, schools are obligated to offer the General Diploma. It is the parent's decision as to which diploma the student will pursue.

2017 A-F Grades
A timeline for release of the 2017 A-F grades will be posted later this month.

Physical Education Academic Standards
The 2017 Physical Education Academic Standards are now available for public review until September 11, 2017. Through their leadership and expertise, a review committee consisting of educators and stakeholders revised the standards with the goals of clarifying the standards, updating the content, and aligning them with the current national standards. Your feedback will enable us to validate and refine the standards to better serve and prepare Indiana's students. Following further evaluation of information gathered, the standards will then be finalized and released. Additional proposed standards for Health and Wellness will be posted for public review in the upcoming weeks.

Digital Citizenship Week
By proclamation from the Governor, September 11-15 is Digital Citizenship Week in Indiana! Prepare to celebrate with us by exploring our toolkit of resources that includes everything you need to start your new school year with a focus on digital citizenship education. Visit our webpage to learn more. 

Solar Eclipse
Student Safety: On August 21, much of the U.S. will experience a rare solar eclipse. While this is a rare opportunity, it can be very dangerous to stare directly at the sun during an eclipse, possibly resulting in vision damage. The eclipse will take place in the early afternoon in Indiana, and in some cases during bus departure. It has been suggested by our partners at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that students be informed and well-supervised during this event. Please see the linked information from NASA for additional details.

If parents do not want to send their child to school because of safety concerns, it is a local decision to excuse or not excuse the absence. Guidance on Instructional Time, Calendar Requirements, and also the Departments' Corporation/School Waiver Day Policy memo can be found on the School Accountability webpage. The Department does not consider the solar eclipse to be an "extraordinary circumstance."

Additional resources for the solar eclipse can be found here

New and Significantly Expanded Charter Schools
The Every Student Succeeds Act requires the Department to provide initial allocations for Title I, II, III, and IDEA, Part B funds to newly opened charter schools and additional funds to significantly expanded charter schools. Please read this memo for the qualification criteria, process, and expected timeline for funding.
 Please reach out to Cole Dietrich with any questions or concerns via email or at 317-233-0786.

Closed Charter School Records
Recently enacted legislation requires the transition of charter school files, including student records, to be sent to the Department when a charter school closes. Please reference the following guidance for the transfer of digital records to IDOE.  Please contact Cole Dietrich 
or at 317-233-0786 with any questions or concerns.

Naloxone Update
Stocking naloxone in a school is a local decision. If a school decides to stock naloxone, the school must do one of the following:

  • Obtain a standing order from a health care provider and register as an entity with the Indiana State Department of Health; OR
  • Obtain the medication and training from a currently registered entity

To register as an entity or to find a registered entity in your area, please click here.

Social Media
Follow DOE and Dr. McCormick on social media: IDOE TwitterDr. McCormick TwitterFacebook, and Instagram


Weekly Updates
Miss an update? View previous weekly updates here.

 
 

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