A Message from Dr. McCormick 9/22/17

 

Indiana Department of Education
Friday, September 22, 2017

 

Dear Educators:

Thank you for your hard work and continued dedication to serving the students and families in our 2,298 Indiana schools. Having connected with you and those in your communities at our Teacher/Community and Regional Meetings, your attendance, comments, and questions have proven your devotion to the profession and our students.

The Department of Education is committed to your success, and we are honored to be serving with all of you.

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

Dr. Jennifer McCormick

Accountability
As Indiana transitions to a new statewide assessment and new accountability system over the next year, it will continue to utilize the current statewide A-F accountability system as outlined in state board rule 511 IAC 6.2-10, through the 2017-18 school year.

Schools will receive an A-F letter grade in the fall of 2018 based on the metrics outlined here. This A-F letter grade will be utilized for all official state purposes, including choice scholarship eligibility and identification for state board intervention.

Additionally, to ensure compliance with new federal requirements, Indiana will report the information required within the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for the 2017-18 school year. These federal metrics will be used to identify schools for federal comprehensive and targeted supports and improvements. Further information on these proposed metrics may be found here.

This transitional year (2017-18) provides fairness and allows schools time to adjust to new accountability metrics that have yet to be finalized under the state board rule-making process. Furthermore, it ensures the State takes the time necessary to craft the best possible accountability model with input from all key stakeholders.

Based on our current information, beginning in the 2018-19 school year, Indiana will return to a single accountability model that exclusively uses the finalized metrics that align with the requirements of ESSA.

The Department will provide further guidance for schools on this matter and will notify the field when this information is available.

Timeline Summary:

  • 2016-17: State A-F grade based on current standards
  • 2017-18: State A-F grade based on current standards and federal calculation based on ESSA standards
  • 2018-19: State A-F grade based on ESSA standards

Assessment
WE NEED YOU! ILEARN Development Committees: To participate in the ILEARN test development process, please complete this survey. The survey closes on September 29. Once surveys have received administrator approval, educators become eligible to participate in assessment committees. Please review this memo for more information about assessment committee work. The duration of most committees is 1-2 days in length, and the committees will meet later this fall.

NAEP: Time Spent at Home Discussing School Studies: This week, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) provided Indiana student data that compares student group scores based on the amount of time they spend discussing their school studies at home. All data collected from NAEP is compiled and reported at the state level. ‘Time Spent at Home Discussing School Study’ outcomes 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. For more information, please contact Mark O’Malley.

ISTEP+ Winter Retest DOE-TL Guidance: The DOE-TL collection window for the ISTEP+ Grade 10 Winter Retest is open from September 18-29. The 2018 DOE-TL layout is available for download in the IDOE Data Collection community in Learning Connection. Please carefully read this memo.

Office of Title Grants and Support
The 2016-17 Title I Staffing Report, which utilizes your DOE Online Credentials, is now open. It will close on October 27. Each LEA who receives Title I, Part A funding in 2016-17 must submit the report regarding Title I Funded Staff. For questions, please contact Dwayne Marshall
.

UPDATE - Regional and Teacher/Community Meeting
A combined Regional and Teacher/Community Meeting has been added in Southern Indiana. The meeting will be held on Thursday, October 5 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. ET. Attendees for this meeting include administrators, teachers, school board members, school business officials, parents, community stakeholders, and other school personnel. The meeting will be held at the Gibson Southern High School Auditorium in Fort Branch, Indiana. Please visit this page to register for the event.

Office of Special Education
The Office of Special Education publishes a biweekly newsletter filled with updates and information about special education. Click here for the latest news.


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