A Message from Dr. McCormick 1/19/2018

 

Indiana Department of Education
Friday, January 19, 2018

 

 

 

Dr. Jennifer McCormick

Dear Educators:

Mother Nature has already created many challenges for our school districts this year. Thank you to our bus drivers, monitors, maintenance crews, and all others who make certain our children are transported safely, especially in adverse weather. Those who clear parking lots, streets, sidewalks, and interior entryways are appreciated for all they do. Thank you to our administrators and their teams who are out early and making decisions on how to respond to the weather and road conditions. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer McCormick 

 

Category 2 E-Rate Funds Can Bring Wireless Internet Access to Classrooms 

Indiana schools have a combined $47,000,000 in unspent Category 2 funding through E-rate. Make sure your school has a plan for using these federal funds by the end of this pilot program. If you have questions about the allocation, please check with your school technology director. Additional information is available through webinars offered by the EducationSuperHighway.

Universal Service Administration Company has announced the E-rate Form 471 filing window will close on March 22. This is a great time to make sure your school district is prepared to make the most of the $150 per-student funds available for Category 2 upgrades. During the coming weeks, the non-profit EducationSuperHighway, as part of the Hoosier K-12 Connectivity Initiative, will be running an E-rate Category 2 three-part webinar series on planning and procurement for internal network upgrades. Join by registering below:

Webinar #1: 150 Reasons to Upgrade Your Internal Networks | WATCH RECORDING

Webinar #2: E-rate Category 2 Procurement Masterclass:
Wednesday, January 17  | 1 p.m. EST | REGISTER HERE

Webinar #3: Smart Guide to Category 2 Bid Evaluation:
Wednesday, January 24  | 1 p.m. EST | REGISTER HERE.   


Montessori Endorsement for Qualified Teachers

Beginning next week, licensed Indiana early childhood and elementary generalist teachers who have completed MACTE-accredited programs may apply to have a Montessori endorsement added to their teaching licenses. See this attached memo for more information

Assessment

ISTEP+ Updated Calculator Policy Available

Eighty-eight test invalidations resulted when general education students were provided handheld calculators during non-calculator test sessions of the recent Grade 10 Winter Retest. For this administration, all invalidations yielded undetermined results for these students’ graduation assessments. In an effort to help minimize test invalidations and undetermined results this spring, the IDOE updated the ISTEP+ Mathematics Calculator Policy for Grades 3-8 & 10. Please contact Mary Williams with any questions.

ISTAR Science Clarification

The Department convened a panel of educators in June 2017 to revise the ISTAR Science Blueprints to reflect the changes in standards relevant to the 2018-2019 academic year. The ISTAR Part 2 Assessment administered April 16-May 18 will include field test items written to 2016 Science standards in addition to the operational items based on the 2010 Science Standards. The blueprints for the 2018-2019 ISTAR Science Assessment are available under Blueprints. These blueprints include the content connectors that align to each standard, point values, and relative weight of each of the standards assessed. 


Statewide Conference for Federal Program Directors Coming in May

The Indiana Department of Education invites Local Education Agencies to save the dates of May 29-30 for the first Title Con. The two-day conference will feature keynote speakers, various breakout sessions, focus on programmatic and fiscal guidance to advance federal and state programs to the next level, and alignment with the conference theme of "Moving Beyond Compliance.” 


IMPORTANT! Sign Up Now for Roadshow Update: “Accountability, Assessment, and CTE”

There is still time to sign up for one of our Assessment, Accountability, and CTE Roadshow presentations. Please register to attend one of these opportunities. This information is timely as districts prepare for graduation pathway transitions.   


February ADM Count Information

This memorandum is a reminder that pursuant to I.C. 20-43-4, the second membership count date is February 1. Please be sure your building level personnel and technology area are aware of this count. Please note the February 1 membership count is for information only, and will not be used in the FY2018 State Tuition Support Formula. 


2018 Summer School Program

This document provides information for the 2018 Summer School Program, including important dates, reimbursable programs, financial provisions, and other helpful guidance for school corporations.


McKinney-Vento Training

IDOE encourages anyone interested in the education of homeless children attend  this upcoming conference. Please read this flyer for additional information. 


Weekly Updates

View previous weekly updates from Dr. McCormick here

Stay Up to Date

Did you miss a message? View previous weekly emails here. Want daily updates? Be sure to follow the Department on Twitter and Facebook.

 

 
 

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