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Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) leadership and staff have been engaging with educators from across the state during the first-ever #INedchat slow chat. The multi-topic conversation began December 9 and will continue through Wednesday, December 16. Consider joining the conversation. Contact Chief Communications Strategist, Holly Stachler with questions.
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All IDOE newsletters are located in one convenient location. Please find December updates and past issues here.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act creates the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program, an important opportunity to provide nutritional resources to families who are losing access to free or reduced-price school meals as schools across the State of Indiana close or have implemented hybrid schedules in response to COVID-19.
Indiana was one of the first states to implement the P-EBT in early Spring. As a result of the State’s successful collaboration efforts and quick response in the fall, Indiana has been able to provide more than $236 million in nutrition benefits to more than 800,000 students since May.
This memo provides information on the P-EBT program and Indiana's path forward. This critical program will assist Hoosier families by improving nutrition, health, and well-being of our most vulnerable populations.
Indiana Health Workforce Needs Request
The Indiana State Department of Health has developed health workforce- related resources that are available to all heath care providers should an urgent or emergency need for additional workers arise. Should your school require additional health care workers, a request can be submitted through the Indiana Healthcare Workforce Needs Request Form that is hosted on the State coronavirus homepage. All submissions are responded to within 24 hours and include a list of reserve workforce members available within the local community.
New! December Tuition Support Distribution
The Office of School Finance has processed the December tuition support payment. The payment was updated to reflect actual career and technical education and honors data. This memo provides an overview of the update. If you have questions about this information, please contact Amy Pattison or Melissa Ambre.
New! Per Federal and State Statute Spring 2021 Testing Moving Forward in Indiana
The National Center for Educational Progress (NCES) announced last week that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2021 is postponed. NAEP recommends that states use their state-administered assessments to collect data to inform decisions in lieu of NAEP this year. Review this document for additional information about why Indiana is moving forward with Spring 2021 testing.
New! Prepare for the ILEARN Biology End-of-Course Assessment (ECA) Rescore Request Process
The rescore request window for the Fall 2020 ILEARN Biology ECA will occur January 11 through 22, 2021. Schools must communicate with parents preliminary results and details of the legislated ILEARN Rescore Request Process on behalf of students who tested during the current ILEARN Biology ECA test window. Be sure to review the optional, "Request an Item Rescore" module for an overview of the process that principals will follow to manage rescore requests in TIDE. Please contact the Office of Student Assessment (OSA) with any questions.
Update: Accessibility and Accommodations Guidance Updated
IDOE has updated the "Accessibility and Accommodations Guidance for the 2020-2021 School Year" guidance to reflect the changes to text-to-speech (TTS) and human reader accommodations for grades three through five adopted by the Indiana State Board of Education in November. Guidance for assigning TTS or a human reader on state assessments for the 2020-2021 school year are located in Appendix A of the Accessibility and Accommodations Guidance. Contact OSA with any questions regarding these updates.
Reminder: TTS Guidance Webinar
IDOE is hosting three webinars to offer more information about the recent guidance regarding TTS. This webinar is for special education directors, Corporation Test Coordinators, administrators, Superintendents, and classroom teachers. The dates, times, and registration are available here.
Reminder: ISTEP+ Winter Retest Window Ends Today
Today is the end of the ISTEP+ Winter Retest window for high schools. Seniors that were unable to attempt the ISTEP+ during this window for graduation requirements will have the opportunity to attempt the ISTEP+ Retest during the spring window in February.
New! Duty To Report Regarding Attendance
In response to inquiries from the field, and in collaboration with the Department of Child Service, schools are reminded to report educational neglect. Appropriate flexibility and open communication with families is encouraged, but if there are any concerns, please refer to this resource. You can access this resource here. Please contact Lisa Truitt, State Attendance Officer, with questions.
New! A Year in Review of Social, Emotional, Behavioral Wellness (SEBW) Team Suppports
As you plan for professional development for next semester or next school year, please remember that the SEBW offers a variety of supports and professional development options. Please review the Year in Review document to see how the SEBW team can provide supports. Please contract Christy Berger with any questions.
New! Resource Released for Parents to Help Establish Foundations of Communication at Home
Please share with parents this informative video, "Helping Your Child with the Foundations of Communication at Home" (the second in a series). This video focuses on three key questions: Why is it important to support my child’s emerging communication skills at home? How can I help my child communicate clearly with others? What support can I ask for from my child’s school? Please contact the Office of Special Education (OSE) with any questions.
Updated: Indiana Resource Network (IRN) Partnership Spotlight
In addition to the OSE, IRNs offer Indiana public schools free or low cost in-person and virtual professional development and technical assistance options. This includes the Indiana Deaf-Blind Services Project who provide technical assistance, training, and support for children and young adults who have a combined vision and hearing loss, their families, and educators who work with these individuals. Please contact Kristan Sievers-Coffer with any questions.
New! Supporting Productive Struggle Professional Learning Opportunity
Join the IDOE math team to reflect on productive math struggle and engage in rich conversation to reinvigorate your work. Experience activities from John Sangiovanni’s 2020 book, "Productive Math Struggle: A 6-Point Action Plan for Fostering Perseverance for seamless integration into your own classroom. The meeting will take place Tuesday, December 29, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (EST). Sign up here. Please contact either Emily Bruning with questions.
New! Charter School Program – The Quality Counts Grant RFP is Now Available
IDOE’s Office of Charter Schools and Special Programs is pleased to announce the release of the request for proposal (RFP) for Cohort 5 of the Charter School Program - Quality Counts Grant. Please visit IDOE’s Charter School Program website and navigate to the Cohort 5 dropdown menu for grant materials and guidance documents. Applications are due by July 31, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. (EST). Please reach out to Amreen Vora or Bea Pacheco for additional information.
New! Methodology Guidance Offered
The Office of Federal Grants and Support has released the "Title I, Part A Methodology Requirement for Desktop/Onsite Fiscal Monitoring" memo. The memo provides guidance on what will be reviewed during desktop or onsite fiscal monitoring. Please contact your assigned Title I Federal Grants Specialist with any questions.
Reminder: Title IV Annual Performance Report (APR) for School Year 2019-2020 Deadline is January 15
The Title IV, Part A annual performance report is now open. The report may be submitted here. The APR is used for statewide reporting to US DOE. The APR is due January 15, 2021. Please contact your assigned Title IV Specialists Laura Blaydes or Lacey Bohlen with any questions.
New! Department of Workforce Development Needs Assessment for Training
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has received technical assistance funding from the US Department of Labor to conduct a needs assessment and develop a training plan to help implement a systems approach to workforce development, of which high schools are a key component. DWD is asking principals and superintendents to consider completing this survey to help in identifying learning objectives and key priorities for a statewide training plan. Contact Nancy Davisson, DWD Director of Employer Engagement, with questions. The deadline to complete the survey is December 31.
Reminder: Indiana State Fire Marshal Resources for Schools
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s (IDHS) Code Enforcement Section inspects Indiana schools in partnership with IDOE. Schools can take many actions to reduce risk and be in compliance with applicable codes between visits by IDHS inspectors. New resources have been made available for schools. View the fire safety and evacuation plans review sheet, checklist, classroom fire safety guidance and common code violations.
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