|
Accountability
Last week the Department shared information about future accountability considerations and timelines. Over the past week we’ve received some additional questions about calculating an ESSA score. Here are a few points of clarification:
- When school accountability grades come out in the fall of 2018 (using 2017-18 data), the grades will be calculated the same as they are being calculated this year unless state policy changes. Rule-making regarding state accountability grades is currently in progress. These grades are based on state laws and rules.
- During the fall of 2018 accountability season, a second calculation based on a federal formula will be shared with schools. This score will take into account federal requirements and will be dependent on the approval of Indiana’s ESSA plan which was submitted to the federal government earlier in September.
- The 2017-18 accountability scores are part of a transition year approach to accountability. With the anticipated changes around assessments, graduation pathways, and federal accountability, a transition year will give schools time to ramp up to the accountability model that should be in place for the 2018-19 school year (released in Fall 2019), when we anticipate the state and federal calculations will yield the same grade.
- The Department has not calculated the (ESSA) federal scores for the 2016-17 or 2017-18 school years. Schools interested in understanding what the federal score might look like for 2017-18 accountability could use their data from this year’s accountability calculations, adjust their graduation rate to factor out general diplomas, and estimate the points earned for attendance (K-8) and ELL performance based on local data. Again, we would stress the federal calculation will depend on the approval of Indiana’s ESSA plan, so any calculation of a federal accountability score for 2017-18 school year would be highly speculative.
Assessment
ISTEP+ 2017 Grade 10 Winter Retest & Winter ECAs IDOE Pretest Workshop Now Scheduled: The Office of Student Assessment scheduled the Winter 2017 IDOE Pretest Workshop in preparation for the upcoming ISTEP+ Grade 10 Winter Retest and Winter End-of-Course Assessments (ECAs). In-person and WebEx sessions will replace previously recorded versions. This training will present important information related to both assessments (e.g., program updates, scheduling guidance, test content), and is required for Corporation Test Coordinators.
Please review this memo for specific details and to access the registration link.
Office of Educator Licensing
Please see the following memo regarding the appropriate licenses needed to teach Algebra I.
Office of Title Grants and Support
The following FAQ provides necessary information for prospective Title IV applicants. For additional questions, please contact Cole Dietrich or Christy Berger.
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 School Finance
September 2017 Count: Please see the following memos regarding the September 2017 Adult Learner Fund Count Date and ADM Count Date.
Curricular Material Reimbursement: Please see the following memo and claim form regarding the 2017-18 Curricular Reimbursement.
Office of School Improvement
During the course of the 2017-18 school year, the Department will be piloting the core features of its school improvement model, such as a comprehensive needs assessment and school improvement planning process, in a diverse group of districts and schools across Indiana. As a result of these pilots, the Department will be able to provide district and school leaders with field-tested templates, exemplars and trainings for these core features, in service of supporting locally-driven school improvement efforts.
Office of Special Education
The Office of Special Education has been leading an effort to examine the Certificate of Completion. The Certificate is a document presented to students with an IEP that have been removed from a Diploma path. For the past two years, a group of stakeholders from schools, the Indiana Resource Network, Workforce Development, Vocational Rehabilitation, INSOURCE, ICASE and others have been meeting regularly to develop a course of study that outlines requirements for the Certificate of Completion that mirror a regular high school diploma. The revised Certificate of Completion requirements will meet new ESSA regulations for providing all students access to academic content standards and will become effective for the 2018-19 freshman class. Be on the lookout for more information and guidance around this change. For a more detailed explanation of the Certificate of Completion, please read the Director's Newsletter.
Stay Up-to-Date
Miss a message? View previous weekly emails here. Want daily updates? Be sure to follow the Department on Twitter and Facebook.
|
