An Update From the Indiana Department of Education for August 16, 2019

indiana department of education - doctor jennifer mccormick - superintendent of public instruction
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Important Notification for Educators (Please Share)

Dr. Mac

Governor Holcomb’s Next Level Teacher Compensation Commission will be holding public input sessions, and educator voice is critical. Dates, times, and locations are listed below. Additionally, there is an opportunity for public comments to be made online

 

Monday, August 19, 7:00 p.m. ET

Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center, Second Floor Ballroom

2820 N. Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN 46208  

 

Saturday, August 24, 10:00 a.m. CT

Central High School Auditorium

5400 First Avenue, Evansville, IN 47710  

 

Tuesday, August 27 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Concord Jr. High Cafeteria

59397 County Road 11, Elkhart, IN 46517

 

Graduation Pathways Updates and Guidance

Graduation Pathways Reporting for Industry Certifications and CTE Concentrators

Please see this memo for important information regarding graduation records and postsecondary competency reporting for graduation pathways.

ASVAB Career Exploration Program Event

The ASVAB Career Exploration Program (CEP) is a Graduation Pathway option in Indiana. The ASVAB CEP helps students (sophomore and above) identify potentially satisfying career fields and all options to career field entry, and gives them the tools to make actionable, informed post-secondary plans.

On September 12, from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. EST in the Ben Davis High School Auditorium, Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) will host an ASVAB Career Exploration Program orientation event. This presentation will be the first in a series hosted by IDOE to help interested parties use all available ASVAB CEP tools.

IDOE encourages each high school in Indiana to send their ASVAB point of contact. Please register here.

 

Information from the Governor's Workforce Cabinet

Recent CTE Course Amendments Approved

The Indiana State Board of Education approved the Office of Career and Technical Education (CTE) recommendations for course amendments for the 2019-2020 Course Titles and Descriptions on August 7. Details regarding these courses can be found in this memo.

HEA 1002- Joint Program of Career and Technical Education Guidance

The Office of CTE has released guidance for schools who will offer a joint program of CTE. Under HEA 1002: Section 27, a school may enter into an agreement for a joint program of career and technical education in partnership with an employer and either a postsecondary educational institution or a third party trainer that is on the Department of Workforce Development’s Eligible Training Providers list without being approved under subsection (b)(1) or (b)(2). 

 

Income Eligibility Guidelines for Free and Reduced Meals Released

Guidelines Effective Through June 30, 2020

IDOE has released the annual Income Eligibility Guidelines for Free and Reduced-Price school meals and milk programs. Learn more here.

Office of Assessment

ILEARN and I AM Results and Reports Now Available in ORS

Schools gained access to ILEARN and I AM results and reports in the Online Reporting System (ORS) yesterday, Thursday, August 15. Schools are responsible for sharing student results with parents in a timely fashion. Schools can access an interpretive guide from ORS to accompany each Individual Student Report (ISR) as they communicate student results to parents. As a reminder, ISRs for I AM will not be mailed to corporations. Printed ILEARN ISRs will be shipped to corporations in mid-September, but schools should not wait until then to communicate results to parents. These reports will need to be downloaded and printed locally in order to share with parents. Information about Lexile and Quantile indicators (appearing on ILEARN ISRs for Mathematics and ELA) is discussed in more detail on the Office of Student Assessment website to provide context for schools and families. Please refer to the ORS User Guide or contact the AIR Help Desk for assistance navigating ORS. Aggregated results are embargoed until September 4.

ILEARN Item Suppressions

The Office of Student Assessment (OSA) continually analyzes item data to ensure that each test form represents an appropriate assessment experience. IDOE and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) content and technical teams identified items during our quality review process throughout the Spring 2019 ILEARN test administration to be suppressed for specific populations to maintain test fairness. Review this memo for more details. Contact OSA with questions.

ISTEP+ English/Language Arts (ELA) Released Items from 2019 Now Available

ISTEP+ ELA released items from 2018-2019 administrations are now available on the ISTEP+ website. Mathematics released items from 2018-2019 will be available following the Winter 2019 retest.

Test Security and Integrity Training

Corporation Test Coordinators (CTCs) and/or School Test Coordinators are required to provide test security training to all school staff and ensure all school staff sign the 2019-2020 Indiana Testing Security and Integrity Agreement by September 30.

CTCs received several training resources to assist with conducting this required training on August 12 via the Assessment listserv message. Superintendents should confirm their CTCs do the following by September 30:

  • Complete the CTC Test Security and Integrity Training; and

  • Ensure staff complete an All Staff Test Security and Integrity Training.

Winter 2019 IDOE Pretest Worskhops – Registration Now Open for CTCs

Registration is open for the Winter 2019 IDOE Pretest Workshop. This online training is required for CTCs and Non-Public School Test Coordinators (NPSTCs) to prepare for successful test administration this winter. All CTCs and NPSTCs are required to attend an online session if their corporation or school serves students participating in winter assessment windows. Attendance will be documented, so please register using your school email address and sign up for only one session.

Nominations for the College Entrance Exam Request for Proposal (RFP) Review Committee

OSA requests nominations for the RFP Review Committee convening in December through January 2020 via online and in-person meetings for the College Entrance Exam. The primary goal of the RFP Review Committee is to review proposals from testing vendors in order to select a qualified vendor that will implement the College Entrance Exam, beginning with the 2023 cohort.

You are invited to nominate classroom educators, building-level administrators, technology directors, CTCs, and superintendents to serve as participants on this RFP Review Committee. Please submit this survey no later than Friday, September 6.

 

Office of School Finance

Summer School

The window for public and charter schools to submit the Final Instructional Costs Report for Summer School 2019 opened 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 by clicking on this link. If you have additional questions about the Final Instructional Costs Report for Summer School 2019, please contact Kathryn Roth or Melissa Ambre.

Annual Financial Report

Each public school corporation, excluding charter schools, must submit a copy of the Annual Financial Report to IDOE. The report can be found in the Moodle Public Finance Community. The Annual Financial Report and proof of publication should be provided as a scanned document in a single PDF file sent here on or before August 31. If you have questions regarding the report, please email Skii Ficklin.  

 

Office of School Building Physical Security and Safety

Required Drill and Other Safety Deadlines Coming

As a new school year begins, the Office of School Building Physical Security and Safety is sharing reminders on important deadlines, fire and active shooter drills, and resources. All the information can be found here.

Stop the Bleed Questionnaire

IDOE is working with stakeholders to develop guidance materials regarding the implementation of House Enrolled Act 1063 (School Safety Equipment). In order to develop a process that will direct school corporations and charter schools to resources for obtaining bleeding control kits and/or staff training, IDOE and its community partners are asking schools to provide data regarding the current status of these items in their schools via a short questionnaire. Please see the attached memo for more information.

 

Office of School Improvement

Indiana Literacy Early Intervention Grant (EIG)

The 2019-2020 Indiana Literacy Early Intervention Grant (EIG) is focused on improving early literacy. This grant is open to all accredited public, charter, and non-public schools that include kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students. Grant funds are to be used to better equip teachers to meet the needs of students, to enhance student engagement, and to increase student literacy achievement. Please visit the EIG webpage for more information. All schools must complete the Request to Participate by August 30 in order to be eligible for funding.

Social Studies Guidance

IDOE is pleased to release the Early Learning Guidance documents for the Social Studies Foundations. The document can be found on the Early Learning website.

Early Learning Newsletter

#INspirEDearly, IDOE’s Early Learning Newsletter, has released its August edition. Read all the latest information here.

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 for directions on how to set up and log into IDOE’s Moodle website.

Dyslexia Resource Guide Available

IDOE has released the dyslexia resource guide for IC 20-35.5, et seq., as created by SEA 217 (2018). This resource guide is a compendium of all reference materials, forms, and guidance documents needed for the successful implementation of IC 20-35.5, et seq. The dyslexia resource guide may be downloaded from IDOE’s dyslexia website.

 

Office of Special Education

Updated Resources Available for Accommodations

Indiana IEP, the web-based individualized education program (IEP) system, recently released a major update to the State Assessment and Other Participations page. This section has been renamed Accommodations and first asks users for daily accommodations to be entered into the student’s IEP based on his or her individualized needs. From there, the user will be asked a series of questions prior to reviewing assessment accommodations. For a short video summarizing the recent update, click here. For a more detailed walkthrough of the accommodations page, click here.

Please see the Accommodations Page Helpful Tips document, as well as the Accommodations Crosswalk for additional information related to the accommodations page update in Indiana IEP.

 

Office of Title Grants and Support

Updated Supplement Not Supplant Methodology Requirements

Due to recently released final non-regulatory guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, additional LEAs are now exempt from the Title I supplement not supplant methodology requirements due to certain grade spans having all or no Title I schools. Please see the updated guidance for further information for the specific exemptions. LEAs who are now exempt will not be required to demonstrate compliance of previously drafted methodologies. All resources are located here. Questions may be sent to Nathan Williamson.

Non-English Speaking Program Application Release

The 2019-2020 Non-English Speaking Program (NESP) grant application is now available in the IDOE IntelliGrants system and is due August 30 at 4 p.m. EDT. The NESP application is the first to be piloted in the new streamlined grants management system. IDOE has provided a memo and video walkthrough with additional information and support for access and use of the system.

 

Office of Innovation

Educators Rising

How do you cultivate student interest in the teaching profession? Consider integrating Educators Rising into your current Career and Technical Education course offerings or starting an Educators Rising club. IDOE, in partnership with the Indiana State Teachers Association, is hosting an informational webinar about Educators Rising on August 21, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST. Registration for the webinar can be found here.

Computer Science Honor Society

Interested in encouraging secondary students’ enthusiasm for computer science, honoring academic excellence, and promoting service? Consider starting a Computer Science Honor Society at your school. Visit the Computer Science Teachers Association website for more information.

Registration is Open for Indiana’s Third Annual K-12 Computer Science Education Conference

Indiana’s Third Annual Flipping the Switch conference will take place on September 16-17. Register for the event here. Direct questions to Michele Roberts, Director of Computing Outreach for IU School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering.

Girls Who Code

The beginning of a new school year is upon us, and that means it’s time to start thinking about renewing your school’s existing club, or consider starting a new one. Click here for more information, and contact Jake Koressel with any questions.

Computer Science Implementation Toolkit

Is your district at the beginning of its computer science journey? Do you need assistance in developing your strategy? Check out this newly developed Computer Science Implementation Toolkit for some help! Contact Jake Koressel, Computer Science Specialist, with questions or for additional assistance.

Sports and STEM Fest

The Indianapolis Colts are hosting the inaugural Sports and STEM Fest on October 12 at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center! This event will have hands-on, STEM-related activities for students K-12 and their families to enjoy. Registration also includes a ticket to the Colts vs Titans game on December 1. This link can be followed to sign up as a participant or a vendor.

 

Celebrate Constitution Day with a Judge

The Indiana Supreme Court’s Community Relations Committee encourages educators to invite a judge to visit schools and classrooms in recognition of Constitution Day (September 17). Details on the program can be found here. A list of judges interested in talking with school groups is available here.

 

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