A Message from Dr. McCormick 03/23/2018

 

Indiana Department of Education
Friday, March 23, 2018

 

 

 

 

Dr. Jennifer McCormick

Dear Educators,

Having grown up on a farm, there is a special place in my heart for agriculture. This is Ag Week and I appreciate all the work going into our ag-related programs throughout the state. This is also spring break time. I encourage all of you, no matter how busy, to take time for yourself. It's important to rejuvenate and re-energize for the push to the completion of another successful school year. Thank you for all you do to keep our kids safe and secure while in our care. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Jennifer McCormick 

 

Office of Workforce and STEM Alliances

Today is the Last Day to Apply for STEM and CTE Grant Opportunities

Please read here for more information about the STEM Acceleration Grant opportunity for K-6 open through today, March 23.

Please see more information here concerning the CTE Summer Expansion Grant opportunity open through today, March 23. 


Office of Assessment

We Need You! ILEARN Development Committees

ILEARN development is continuing throughout this spring and summer. To participate in the ILEARN test development process, please complete this survey. Once surveys have received administrator approval, educators become eligible to participate in assessment committees. Please see our educator flyer for a brief description of upcoming assessment committees.

Spring IREAD-3 Results Available on April 9

OnDemand IREAD-3 results will be available in PearsonAccessnext on April 9. Schools and corporations should plan for how best to communicate results to parents and provide reading remediation to students who do not achieve a passing score on the assessment.

Summer DOE-TL (IREAD-3 Retest) Window Opening April 9

Schools should plan to report data for students participating in the IREAD-3 summer retest during the upcoming DOE-TL window (April 9 – 20). Pearson will use this data to generate test sessions for students.


Office of School Accountability 

Schools Have Chance to Correct Five-year Graduation Rates for 2016 Cohort

The Indiana Department of Education is providing the opportunity this year for schools to audit the five-year graduation rate of the 2016 cohort starting on April 2. This audit is purely voluntary and will work similarly to the audit process that has been in place for the voluntary four-year graduation rate the last three years. Please see the attached memo for more information. 


Office of School Technology

2018 Tech Plan Submission

Please read the following memo for information regarding the 2018 Tech Plan. The deadline for submission is March 31.

Sign Up for Indiana Course Access Program (iCAP)

As the pilot phase of iCAP moves forward with nearly 100 online courses offered by multiple providers, we want to ensure your school is poised to take advantage of this opportunity. Once each school identifies individuals to serve as points of contact for the program, training on how the program works will follow. Signing up is easy—just follow the appropriate link below.

We appreciate the initial response to the request for school corporations to identify their iCAP support team. You can now verify the school points of contact for your district using this search tool. If your school corporation is not on the list, please complete this form. Questions can be directed here.

Registration Now Open for Summer of eLearning Conferences

There will be 19 conferences held across the state throughout the summer. Learn more about the Summer of eLearning here.


Office of Student Services

Reporting Process for Districts Accepting Out-of-District Students

Please read the following memo regarding the reporting process for districts accepting out-of- district students. 


Office of School Finance

Indirect Costs

The Office of School Finance will accept FY 2019 Indirect Cost Rate applications through June 30. Please read the attached memo for details. If you have questions, please email Sarah Henry.

ESSA Form 9 Guidance

Please see the attached information regarding ESSA Form 9 guidance on the timing and process for coding Form 9 financial data beginning July 1. This resource provides Indiana local education agencies with an overview of state and federal reporting requirements for school building level data. If you have any questions, please email either Melissa Ambre, LaTrice Akers, or Amy Pattison.

Summer School

The submission deadline for the Summer School Estimated Instructional Costs Report and List of Courses is March 30. Please read this memo for details. If you have questions, please email Kathryn Roth 
 

Fall 2018 Membership Estimate

This month, the Office of School Finance will collect an estimate of the Fall 2018 membership count from each public school and charter school. Officials will submit the fall membership estimate through March 28 in the School Finance Application Center. Additional information is available here. Please email Melissa Ambre with any questions.   


Indiana State Board of Education Cancels Accountability Work Session

The Indiana State Board of Education has canceled the Accountability Work Session scheduled for Tuesday, April 3. 


Office of Special Education

Spread the Word-SHAPE Stories-Hamilton Southeastern

The School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation System (SHAPE System) offers a virtual work space for a school mental health team to document, track, and advance quality and sustainability improvement goals, as well as assess trauma responsiveness. Many districts nationally, and across Indiana, including Hamilton Southeastern, are using the SHAPE System, in varying degrees. Participants can obtain customized school and district- level progress reports and useful resources to improve system quality and sustainability. There is no limit to how many districts can participate in the SHAPE System. Districts can work in local teams to complete the assessments without assistance from the Indiana Department of Education. 


Offices of School Improvement and Title Grants and Support

The divisions of School Improvement and Title Grants and Support are pleased to offer a non-competitive grant opportunity to current Title I-served F-schools. This grant will support a systems-based approach to school improvement. Please see this memo and application for more information. An introductory webinar about this opportunity is available here.


Office of Title Grants and Support

Innovation Grants Available to Charter Schools

The Indiana Department of Education offers a competitive technical assistance grant opportunity for all Indiana charter schools through its Charter School Program Quality Counts Grant. The release of Innovation Grants to charter schools focuses on four priority areas. These areas include professional development; instructional supplies and technology; parent, family, and community outreach; and supporting all students. Please see the Charter School Program website for more information, including the application, rubric, and budget, which are due May 1. Please contact Cole Dietrich with any questions.

Title Con Set for May 29 through 30

The Indiana Department of Education invites local education agencies and organizations to register for the first Title Con being held May 29 through 30. The two-day conference features 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.” 


Office of School Improvement

On My Way Pre-K applications are now available for families in 20 pilot counties. Children who will be 4-years old, but not yet 5-years old on August 1, 2018, are eligible. Families are encouraged to apply early! Additional information is available here.  


Weekly Updates

View previous weekly updates from Dr. McCormick here

Stay Up to Date

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