An Update From the Indiana Department of Education for July 26, 2019

indiana department of education - doctor jennifer mccormick - superintendent of public instruction
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Important Information

Dr. Mac

 

Every year, a number of charter schools cease operations. As a result, school corporations may experience students seeking enrollment who are coming from closed charter schools. The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) seeks to provide guidance on the process of enrolling these students who are transferring from closed charter schools.

Distribution of Teacher Rights Information Coming

Pursuant to IC 4-6-2-1.5(c), the Indiana Attorney General is required to distribute an annual notification of teacher rights under state and federal law to all Indiana teachers. Teachers should anticipate seeing these notices in their mail shortly. In an effort to more widely circulate this notification, the letter has been included here. Please distribute to all teachers at your schools.

 

Office of Assessment

ILEARN Rescore Request Window Continues 

The ILEARN Rescore Request window continues through next Wednesday, July 31. Remember that once a rescore request is submitted, it cannot be reversed. There are no rescore reports available in TIDE for Year 1, but our office is working with AIR to explore rescore reporting options beginning with Year 2. Contact the Office of Student Assessment (OSA) with any policy-related questions. Contact the AIR Help Desk (866-298-4256) with questions about how to request a rescore in TIDE.

Updated Assessment Committee Participant Survey - Share with Educators

OSA invites all educators (e.g., teachers, instructional coaches, building administrators) interested in participating in future assessment committees to complete this new survey. Please complete this survey, even if you have already submitted a similar survey in the past. We are refreshing our database to reflect educators’ current roles, recent professional experiences, and updated contact information. Contact the Office of Student Assessment if you have any questions.

Designating Corporation Test Coordinator (CTC)

Each school year, superintendents and nonpublic/charter/choice school principals are asked to designate one person as the main point-of-contact to receive assessment-related information and updates. This staff member is known as the Corporation Test Coordinator (CTC). The CTC is the key to ensuring receipt of accurate, specific, and up-to-date details regarding Indiana assessment programs. CTC designations are due Friday, September 6. Click here for more information on how to complete this request.

Please note, even if there is no change in CTC information from the previous school year, the CTC, superintendent, or nonpublic/charter/choice school principal must:

  • Log in to DOE Online with the appropriate username/password.

  • Click on the Test Coordinator Contact tab.

  • Verify the CTC information in the CTC tab is correct.

  • Review the Assurance Section.

  • Click submit.

ISPROUT to Replace ISTAR-KR for OSEP Reporting

The Office of Student Assessment OSA has released the Indiana Student Performance Readiness and Observation of Understanding Tool (ISPROUT) to meet Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) reporting requirements for assessing children in preschool programs. IDOE recently procured of an assessment tool to ensure alignment to the Early Learning Foundations beginning in the 2019-2020 school year. This memo highlights key details associated with this transition in the coming weeks. Questions can be emailed to Early Childhood Assessment Specialist Felecia Jordan or by phone call at 317-232-9038.

 

Office of Accountability

Guidance on Instructional Day Waiver Policy

With the start of the 2019-2020 school year, the Office of Accountability and Accreditation wants to make schools aware of the Instructional Day Waiver Policy that will be in effect. Please see the attached memo.

 

Office of School Improvement

Chronic Absenteeism Toolkit

IDOE has released a new toolkit addressing chronic absenteeism. This toolkit contains resources using the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. Please visit the Chronic Absenteeism page to find this new resource. This memo to superintendents and principals provides clarity on Chronic Absenteeism. Please contact Lisa Truitt with questions and concerns.

Upcoming School Improvement Conference: ”Sailing Toward Proficiency”

The Inaugural School Improvement Conference, “Sailing Toward Proficiency," will be held on Thursday, September 5, at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Indianapolis. This conference will feature keynote speaker Gerry Brooks and numerous breakout sessions presented by the Office of School Improvement staff. Register here, as space is limited for this free event. There will be sessions on cultural competency, chronic absenteeism, dyslexia, literacy, math, alternative education, the Opportunity Myth, Root Cause Analysis, and much more. Contact Melissa Blossom with any questions.

Community of Practice Launched for Preschool Programming

IDOE is launching a Community of Practice (CoP) for Indiana administrators from public and private schools that have an existing preschool program or are looking to start one. A CoP is a group of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who wish to deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis (Wenger et alt., 2002). The first networking session will be September 5 at the Office of School Improvement Conference and will be followed up with virtual meetings and a discussion board based on interest. Haven't registered for the conference yet? You can do so here. If you're unable to attend, but are interested in participating, contact Pre-K Expansion Specialist, Sarah Parks-Reese.

MTTS Implementation Regional Trainings

Join IDOE for a day of training on how Multi-Tiered Systems of Support can be implemented in your school and/or district. Districts are encouraged to come in teams of two-to-four educators (administrators, general education teachers, student services, and/or special education teachers). Please register at this link for the date and location that works for your team. If you have any questions, please contact Christy Berger.

Educators Needed to Review Variety of Standards

IDOE reviews standards on a six-year cycle. The secondary English language arts, literacy, media, publications, journalism, math, and social studies standards are next to be reviewed. Educators in grades 9-12 and higher education interested in joining these work groups are encouraged to please fill out this form. Please contact Dr. Jennifer Jensen with any questions.

Dyslexia Professional Awareness

IC 20-35.5-6-2(B), as created by SEA 217 (2018), states IDOE will ensure all teachers working for school corporations and charter schools receive professional awareness on dyslexia. This professional awareness will include information on the characteristics of dyslexia, evidence-based interventions, and evidence-based accommodations for dyslexia. This information is offered through IDOE’s Moodle course website. Please visit IDOE’s dyslexia page under the “Dyslexia Professional Awareness” tab for a link to the professional awareness course, and directions on how to set up and log into IDOE’s Moodle website.

Additional Resources Available for the Arkansas Rapid Automized Name Screener

IDOE has released new documents and videos to enhance schools’ knowledge and usability of the Arkansas Rapid Automized Name Screener (AR-RAN). IDOE has released a revised version of the screener, a tutorial video on how to give the AR-RAN, and a frequently asked question (FAQ) document for the screener. IDOE has also created a section in the FAQ document providing sample cut scores and explaining how to calculate cut scores for the AR-RAN. For additional clarity, IDOE has created a video showing how to calculate AR-RAN cut scores in Excel. Please visit IDOE’s dyslexia website to access all of these resources under the “Dyslexia Screeners” tab.

Transportation Plan Template Available for Foster Youth

The Indiana Department of Child Services has created a transportation plan template for local education agencies to use. Please find additional information here.

 

Office of Student Health Serivces

Resources for School Nurses

IDOE has several new resources available to assist experienced school nurses with professional development tools, or to orient new nurses to their role as a school nurse. Please see the attached memo regarding these resources. 

 

Office of Title Grants and Support

Webinar Outlines Funding Possibilities for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) Designated Schools

A School Improvement Grants (SIG) webinar was held on Friday, July 19. The webinar contains information for CSI designated schools for 2019-2020 funding possibilities. The webinar and presentation documents are now available for review on IDOE’s School Improvement grant website.

Resources for Children Who Are Homeless Available Through Webinar

LEAs interested in applying for additional funding supporting homeless children and youth may wish to review the webinar “McKinney-Vento: Homeless Youth Education Supplemental Support and Grant Process Review.” This presentation addresses updates to the 2019-2021 application process for McKinney-Vento funding due August 30. A summary of the grant requirements and a timeline for reviewing the grant and funding distribution are included. For additional information, please reach out to Gina Woodward.

 

Office of Innovation

Teacher Leader Boot Camp Applications Due August 16

IDOE's Office of Innovation and Office of School Improvement are committed to the recruitment, retention, and development of excellent educators across the state of Indiana. As such, we are pleased to announce  the 2019-2020 Teacher Leaders Bootcamp.

The 2019-2020 Teacher Leaders Bootcamp is an opportunity for Indiana teachers to engage in innovative and relevant professional development in order to grow as teacher leaders. This experience will allow participating teachers to support teacher leadership development and implementation in their schools and districts. The Bootcamp offers the opportunity to become engaged in a statewide network of teacher leaders to promote and strengthen teacher leadership in Indiana. For more information, click here.  

HEA 1008 Career Ladders Grant Application Webinar

Per House Enrollment Act (HEA) 1008 (2019), the Office of Leadership and Innovation has released the Career Ladders Grant Application (due August 23). The Career Ladders Grant focuses on supporting career pathways, which will offer high-performing teachers opportunities to advance. Public and charter schools are eligible to apply. A webinar will be hosted by Dr. Chris Kates on Tuesday, July 30, at 11:00 a.m. EST. If you are unable to join, the webinar will be recorded and posted here. To register, click here.

IDOE Superintendent Summit Resources Available Online

The Office of Innovation has curated all presentations and videos from the 2019 Superintendents Summit here.

Dual Credit Opportunity

IDOE continues its dual credit partnership with Indiana University, enabling an additional 125 teachers in mathematics, science, social studies, and English to receive the necessary credentials to meet the dual credit requirements of the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Please click here for additional course information or to request more information from Indiana University. 

Required Principal Survey Reminder

Under Indiana Code, principals in each school corporation, including charter and virtual schools, must complete an annual survey for any teacher employed in their building, initially licensed in Indiana, during the last two years. Additional information is available here.

NEW! Updated STEM School Certification Process and Evaluation Rubric

Members of the IDOE’s Department of Workforce and Innovation have been working with the State’s STEM Leadership Cadre to update the STEM School Certification process, including the STEM School Evaluation Rubric. This work has been undertaken in order to more closely align the STEM Certification process with the Indiana STEM Six-Year Strategic Plan and to make the process more rigorous and objective. Access the 2019-2020 STEM School Certification Guide here and the updated rubric available in Google SheetsExcel.

A webinar explaining the application process will be available soon and will be located on the IDOE’s STEM Education page.

Contact Dr. Christy Hilton, STEM Specialist, with questions.

Employability Skills Standards

According to I.C. 20-30-5-14, schools need to include employability skills into their curriculum. The State Board of Education recently approved K-12 employability skills standards. The IDOE has published the first of a series of resources related to employability skills standards; the employability skills continuum available in Google SheetsExcel. This document shows the vertical articulation between the indicators and also shows the alignment of the standards to Social Emotional Learning Competencies, the Governor’s Work Ethic Certificate, Preparing for College and Careers, Exploring College and Careers, ELA learning outcomes, Math process standards, Science and Engineering Process standards, and to the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success. Please email Ben Carter with questions.  

 

Industry Certifications

The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has updated the application to propose an industry certification for inclusion on Indiana’s Promoted List of Industry Certifications. This new application reflects the updated guidelines and criteria that will be utilized to consider each certification for inclusion on the list. DWD has also included a new Industry Certification Removal Request form. Schools, employers, and workforce boards can utilize this form to request the removal of a certification that might no longer be relevant or valued by industry. For more information, click here. Please email all questions here

Career Awareness and Career Development Requirement

By November 1, each school is required to complete the appropriate grade level form linked below. Additional information can be found in this memo.  

IN-MaC Micro-Grant Summit

The Indiana Manufacturing Competitiveness Center (IN-MaC) through Purdue University will be hosting the first 2019 IN-MaC Micro-Grant Impact Summit on August 21, at the Indiana Manufacturing Institute. The summit will bring educators (K-16), industry professionals, and STEM-focused organizations together to discuss, brainstorm, and share micro-grant best practices. The summit will also showcase micro-grant grantees, programs, and initiatives that were supported through the micro-grant funding. Participants will gain insights into STEM talent development at a regional, state, and local level. Register for this event here.

 

Office of School Building Physical Security and Safety

Secured School Safety Grant Period Now Open

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security has opened the application period for the Fiscal Year 2020 Secured School Safety Grant. The Notice of Funding Opportunity contains several updates and changes. The application period will close at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, August 2. More information can be found here.

 

Office of School Finance

Summer School

The window for public and charter schools to submit the Final Instructional Costs Report for Summer School 2019 will open on July 29. Eligible schools are posted in this memo. The link to access the report is posted on the Office of School Finance website, or it can be accessed directly by clicking on this link. If you have questions about the Final Instructional Costs Report for Summer School 2019, please contact Kathryn Roth or Melissa Ambre.

Form 9 Financial Data

Form 9 financial information is due for the period of January 1, 2019, through June 30, 2019. Click here for Form 9 guidance, which includes the updated Chart of Accounts. Any questions should be emailed to the Form 9 inbox.

 

Office of Technology

Update: Changes Ahead for Accessing All IDOE Systems

IDOE is prepared to begin the rollout of Unified Access. For the past few weeks, public school corporations have submitted registration information. Superintendents in these registered corporations should expect an email in the coming week with directions to log in and identify their Data Security Coordinator. IDOE has collected domain information from 364 of the public corps/charters, 293 for Google G-Suite, and 70 for Microsoft 365. IDOE will be configuring these domains next week.

School Districts Encouraged to Register Domain Information

If your public school corporation has not yet registered domain information, please complete the process as soon as possible. See the attached memo for additional details regarding this process. Please send all questions to this email.

 

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View previous weekly updates from Dr. McCormick here.  

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An Update from the Indiana Department of Education is created by the Office of Communications, and  is distributed every Friday.