An Update From the Indiana Department of Education for October 25, 2019

indiana department of education - doctor jennifer mccormick - superintendent of public instruction
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Dr. Mac

 

Important Update on Teacher Appreciation Grants

 

Guidance on Teacher Appreciation Grants (TAG) is now available. Learn more here.


Update: Holiday Cards for Our Military Challenge Cards Must be Mailed by October 31

Hunter the Dog

More than 70 individual schools and districts, including students from Griffith Middle and High School, have joined IDOE in this initiative sending holiday greeting cards to military deployed around the world. The deadline to mail cards to the national collection point is October 31. Learn more about the Holiday Cards for Our Military Challenge here.

 


Office of Assessment

TIDE/IIEP Nightly Data Flow

For Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) finalized after August 10, IDOE and The Public Consulting Group (PCG) have identified an issue with the Indiana IEP (IIEP) and Test Information and Distribution Engine (TIDE) reports not populating correctly for accommodations. PCG identified the cause of the issue and is working towards resolution quickly. IDOE will provide regular updates regarding this situation via listserv, and any necessary steps to ensure all students taking upcoming assessments are provided appropriate accommodations. Please contact Riva Weiss with any questions.

Updated Accessibility and Accommodations Guidance

The 2019-2020 Accessibility and Accommodations Guidance was updated to reflect recent changes, which are outlined on pages 46 and 47. These updates are aligned with the changes in the IIEP system. Please review the updates to ensure your corporation is following the policies and practices accurately. The new guidance is available on IDOE’s website. Please contact Karen Davies with any questions.

Non-Standard Assessment Accommodation Requests Are Now Open

A Non-Standard Assessment Accommodation is an accommodation that is not listed in the 2019-2020 Accessibility and Accommodations Guidance. It can be requested for:

  • Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), Section 504 Plan, Individual Learning Plan (ILP), or Service Plan. The accommodation must be part of the student’s IEP, Section 504 Plan, ILP, or Service Plan.

  • Students without a formal plan including:

    • Religious reason

    • Students in a facility without access to computers

    • Students receiving homebound services

    • Students with an Emergency/Temporary Accommodation Plan

Requests for a non-standard assessment accommodation must be completed prior to testing using the following form. IDOE will respond once the request has been approved or denied. If paper assessments are being ordered, CTCs must ensure that the request is completed prior to the deadline. Please contact Karen Davies with any questions.

I AM Item Specifications Update

IDOE identified an issue where some of the zip files containing the updated  I AM Item Specifications had not been populating correctly on the website. This issue has been resolved. The grade levels and content areas affected include the following: Mathematics Grade 5, Mathematics Grade 7, Mathematics Grade 9, Mathematics Grade 10, and Social Studies Grade 5. Please review this memo from July, which outlines the updates for each file.

ILEARN Biology ECA Rescore Request Windows Scheduled for 2019-2020 School Year - Share with Building Administrators

Beginning this school year, the fall (December) and winter (February) ILEARN Biology ECA test windows will each be accompanied by a rescore request window. Each rescore request window will open 12 business days after the test window begins. The Fall 2019 ILEARN rescore request window (December 18, 2019 - January 17, 2020) has been extended to accommodate winter breaks. A single spring rescore request window will support ILEARN Biology and ILEARN Grades 3-8 assessments. The Office of Student Assessment will share more details about the 2019-2020 ILEARN Rescore Request Process in the coming weeks.

 

Office of School Accountability and Accreditation

Graduation Rate Audit Reporting Deadline is November 1

The 2019 Graduation Rate Audit, which is open until November 1, represents a high school's last chance to correct their 2019 graduation rate. Cohort reports are still available in the Learning Connection. If you have not run a 2019 cohort report, please do so quickly. See the guidance in the Graduation Rate section of our Moodle community for more information including instructions regarding how to submit a voluntary audit. Remember, if you have been selected for a mandatory graduation rate audit, the deadline is November 1. Please email all questions here.

 

Office of School Improvement

Indiana Educating the Whole Child Summit Registration Now Open

IDOE is pleased to announce that registration for the Second Annual Indiana’s Educating the Whole Child Summit can be found here. Each summit participant must register individually. 

Math Newsletter Available

The October #INspirEDmath newsletter is now available. During the next eight months, the focus will be on math process standards. Click here to begin with process standard number one: making sense of problems and persevering in solving them.

 

Office of School Finance

Curricular Material Reimbursement 2019 - 2020

Public school corporations and charter schools may apply for curricular material reimbursement for the 2019-2020 school year by submitting both student-level and claim data between October 1 and October 31. Prior to submitting data, officials should review the curricular material data layout (DOE-TB). Reimbursement Claim Form Instructions are located on Moodle in the Public School Finance Community. Please email questions regarding curricular material reimbursement here. The submission deadline is October 31.

Updates to Form 9 Financial Data Submission 

As part of the July to December 2019 Form 9 financial data submission process, IDOE will implement additional steps in order to comply with federal reporting and documentation requirements and transparency reporting in association with state transparency requirements. Click on this memo to read more about steps five to eight of the reporting process. Please use this email to share any questions. The deadline is January 31, 2020.

 

Office of Innovation

Additional Clarification Regarding HEA 1008 Career Ladders  

The October 18 issue of the Weekly Update released the pause placed on the HEA 1008 Career Ladders grant applications. Questions from school districts regarding the funding allocations stipulated in the application document require additional clarification. The Allocation Request Guidelines provided serve as a minimum possible dollar amount to be awarded. Depending on the number of districts that apply, and the quality of applications submitted, it may be possible for districts to be awarded more than the amounts listed in the guidelines. Therefore, districts interested in submitting an application for funds greater than the guidelines, may do so provided they are prepared to justify the additional request and recognize that adjustments may be made to final applications to support the competitive nature of this grant.

Purdue Hosting November 6 Cybersecurity Training for Teachers and Students

Purdue University is offering a full day of presentations and activities for high school teachers and students, focused on cybersecurity learning. Indiana teachers interested in cybersecurity, along with up to five students, are encouraged to attend. Teachers will receive a $300 stipend, there will be a mini cyber competition, and great swag for the students. Event information is available here.

eLearning Day Implementation Resources

Is your district ready to implement eLearning Days? Check out these newly created resources and assurances to help in determining the readiness of your district to employ eLearning days with fidelity. Contact Jennifer Watson, Senior Digital Learning Specialist, with questions or for additional assistance.

·         eLearning Day Implementation Toolkit

·         eLearning Day Best Practices and Considerations Checklist

 

Computer Science Professional Development Opportunities

Click here for information about upcoming computer science professional development opportunities for Indiana educators. Contact Jake Koressel with questions.

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.  

·         Elementary School

·         Middle School

·         High School 

SCRIPT Workshops

The SCRIPT - the Strategic CSforALL Resource and Implementation Planning Tool - is an initiative of the CSforALL Consortium that serves as a framework and platform to guide district staff in the creation of K-12 Computer Science implementation plans that reflect the unique goals and needs of any school district. The following SCRIPT workshops are now available for teams from Indiana schools/districts:

·         Monday, November 18 in Columbus, IN (Register Here)

·         Tuesday, November 19 in Terre Haute, IN (Register Here)

·         Wednesday, November 20 in Richmond, IN (Register Here)

·         Monday, December 2 in Fishers, IN (Register Here)

 

Office of Title Grants and Support

ED-FLEX Application

The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) has offered states the ability to waive specific statutory or regulatory requirements for LEAs related to certain programs under ESSA. IDOE has developed six requirements in which it is requesting USDOE to grant the ability for our state to waive. These requirements can be found on page nine of IDOE’s ED-FLEX application. Please note that most federal requirements are ineligible to be waived. The public is requested to provide input regarding this waiver request via this jotform by November 25. Based upon feedback provided by the public, IDOE will submit the request to USDOE shortly thereafter for consideration. The ability to implement the waiver is subject to approval by USDOE. Questions regarding this waiver request can be sent to Nathan Williamson.

Title Con 2020 Save the Date

It is time to Save the Date for Title Con 20/20. Our theme for the conference is "Creating a Vision for the Future." Title Con 20/20 will be held April 14 for pre-conference workshops, and April 15-16 for the keynotes and breakout sessions at the Embassy Suites in Plainfield. Additiional information can be found on the Title Con 20/20 webpage.

Comparability of Services under Title I

LEAs who accept Title I funds, including traditional public schools and charter schools, must annually determine comparability of services under Title I. The comparability form is now open and due October 31. Please see the attached memo, guidance, and application guide.

Staffing Report

The 2018-2019 Title I Staffing Report collection window will be open until Thursday, October 31. This report collects data on Title I funded staff from the 2018-2019 school year. All school corporations and charter schools that received Title I, Part A funding in SY 2018-2019 and funded positions using Title I, Part A dollars in SY 2018-2019 are required to submit this report. The Title I Staffing Report homepage can be accessed via this link. DOE Online credentials will be needed for login (note this is not the Title I application center login). 

 

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Weekly Updates

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.