A Message from Dr. McCormick 11/10/17

 

Indiana Department of Education
Friday, November 10, 2017

 

Dear Educators:

We were excited to celebrate another recognition ceremony at the Statehouse this week. One hundred and thirty schools were invited to be honored for providing successful dual credit opportunities for students. You can view photos from the event here.

Over the last several months, the Graduation Pathway Panel has been extremely busy. I appreciate all of the input and feedback that was provided. The State Board of Education will vote on the plan in the near future. Please watch my Weekly Update for further information.

I would like to thank the Hoosiers who have offered input into Indiana’s waiver request regarding the inclusion of all Indiana high school diplomas in graduation rate calculations. Visit this link for more information and to post your comment if you have not done so already.

Finally, I know tomorrow we will honor those who have served in the military. I personally want to say thank you to those of you, your staff, and your family members who served our country. We are grateful for your sacrifice and will never forget it!

Have a great weekend!

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

Dr. Jennifer McCormick

Accountability
The Office of School Accountability is conducting mandatory and voluntary graduation rate audits on the 2017 Cohort. Schools selected for the mandatory audit were notified by the Office of School Accountability on October 31 with instructions. All schools, regardless of participation in the mandatory audit, may request a voluntary graduation rate audit to address potential errors with the 2017 cohort. The window to submit mandatory and voluntary audits is November 1–26. Please see this document for instructions and requirements for audits.

Please note the voluntary graduation rate audit window is the FINAL opportunity to address any errors in the 2017 Cohort and the 2017 graduation rate before its publication by the statutory deadline of January 15, 2018 for inclusion in the 2018 A-F grades next summer/fall.

For questions, please email the Office of School Accountability.

Assessment
Indiana Department of Education Releases RFP for ISTAR/Alternate Assessment Replacement Test: IDOE released the request for proposal (RFP) for the ISTAR/Alternate Assessment replacement test. RFP submissions will be received through 3:00 P.M. (EST) on December 8.

The mission of this assessment RFP is to secure a qualified testing vendor to develop and administer Indiana’s alternate assessment. The selected testing vendor will also be responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of computer forms, including multiple-choice and technology-enhanced items. This ensures content connectors, test blueprints and items critical to assessment development are aligned to and derived from the Indiana Academic Standards. These initial steps will occur within the first few months of the alternate assessment contract, and educators will be recruited to ensure alignment of the assessment to priorities of daily instruction. Representatives from IDOE, the State Board of Education, and nominated school corporation participants will review and evaluate proposals in early winter. More information regarding the RFP submission can be found here.

ISTAR 2016-2017 Data: ISTAR 2016-2017 data is now posted to COMPASS.

Winter 2017 Onsite MonitoringThe Office of Student Assessment will be conducting unannounced onsite monitoring visits during the ISTEP+ Grade 10 Winter Retest and Winter ECA testing windows beginning the week of December 4. Please ensure school administrators and staff are aware that these onsite visits will be conducted. Please review this memo for more details. 

WIDA SurveyThe Department seeks confirmation of the cut-scores associated with the English Language Proficiency assessment, both in terms of values associated with the particular cuts and the provision of services to students. Please read this memo and complete the survey no later than November 30.

Career and Technical Education
High school students from all across the state are invited to continue the conversation about youth mental health and bullying by creating a piece of artwork that reflects the topic. Students have the chance to win a cash prize and have their artwork displayed at the Indiana Statehouse. Please click here for more information.

Educator Effectiveness
New Educator Recruitment Platform Now Available: To support districts and charter schools with  educator recruitment efforts, the Office of Educator Effectiveness is providing free access to Teachers-Teachers.com. This Indiana-focused platform enables districts and charter schools to proactively and strategically recruit and review candidates for open positions. Employers will be able to post open positions for teachers, administrators, and other school-related personnel. Job seekers will be able to quickly and easily apply with an established profile. More information can be found in this memo or by reviewing the FAQs here. Register your free account today!

School Finance
IDOE has finalized the computation for reimbursement of Summer School costs based on the 2017 Summer School Final Costs Reports that were submitted by eligible districts and charter schools. The total costs submitted on the Final Costs Reports for all eligible schools totaled more than $20.6 million. The appropriation was not sufficient to reimburse costs at 105 percent, therefore all submissions were reduced proportionately. The reimbursement rate for 2017 Summer School is approximately 88.95 percent. Please click here for the notice and list of reimbursement payments by district and charter school. The payment for 2017 Summer School programs will occur on Monday, November 13. If you have questions, please contact Kathryn Roth or Melissa Ambre.

Special Education
Newsletter: A newsletter filled with updates and information about special education is published biweekly. The October 27 issue can be found here.

Communication - Community of Practice: Anyone working in Indiana's public PK-12 schools is invited to join the Communication Community of Practice. Last year's guests included staff from the Office of Student Assessment, Office of Special Education, PASS Project, PATINS Project, and Project Success, as well as local teachers, therapists, assistants, and administrators with questions and ideas about how to best support, teach, and assess students with the most complex communication needs.

In April and May of 2016, the Office of Special Education - in collaboration with the Office of Student Assessment and the PATINS Project - hosted a series of regional Communication Community of Practice (CoP) meetings. The focus of these meetings was to support teachers and staff who educate students who have ‘no observable mode of communication.’ Since it is imperative to examine the types of support can be offered to schools and teachers, the Office of Special Education is offering virtual sessions for those who could not attend. Stay current with meeting dates & information and find the Regional CoP information for your area here.

Communication - Spread the Word: In collaboration with various Indiana Resource Centers (IRNs), we are excited to share a new Spread the Word document on communication. Some of the topics discussed include: No Mode of Communication as designated by ISTAR, Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), strategies for classrooms, Core Vocabulary, and Federal Guidance. To view the Spread the Word issue, please click here.

Short Share ESSA Reflections with Dr. Moore: A group of stakeholders worked with the Office of Special Education to develop a framework for improving outcomes for all students, including those with disabilities. One of our stakeholders, Martinsville Superintendent Dr. Michelle Moore, agreed to share her thoughts about raising expectations. Please click here to view the video.

Student Services
Please click here for the attendance policy for children of military-connected families.

SAVE THE DATE! An Important IDOE Roadshow: Assessment-Accountability-Statute Flexibility
If you are a superintendent, principal, district administrator, corporation test coordinator, and/or school counselor, you will not want to miss December’s roadshow presentation entitled “Assessment - Accountability - Statute Flexibility” presented by Dr. Jennifer McCormick, Dr. Charity Flores, and Maggie Paino. Please click here for the final 2017 dates and times.

Title Grants and Support
IDOE will offer in-person technical assistance for interested applicants to learn about Indiana’s Quality Counts Charter School Program grant on the following dates:

  • November 17 (Gary)
  • November 30 (Indianapolis)
  • December 4 (Trafalgar)
Two of the three sessions will be geared toward charter school developers, while the third session will focus on traditional public school corporations interested in learning more about the authorization or charter development process. See the Charter School Website for more details.

Stay Up-to-Date
Miss a message? View previous weekly emails here. Want daily updates? Be sure to follow the Department on
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A message from Dr. McCormick will be sent every Friday.