For many schools across our state, summer has only just begun…but so too have the preparations for fall. That includes building “master schedules” for schools, selecting and solidifying our educator and staff teams, analyzing student-level assessment data, and jumping in to strategically accelerate learning.
As you continue this important work, we know that you will need reinforcements, and we are eager to be a part of that support system! Following the passage of House Enrolled Act 1008 during the 2021 legislative session, IDOE recently awarded $122 million through the Student Learning Recovery Grant Program. These funds will support innovative partnerships...that YOU helped create and are leading...in order to bring communities together and maximize student outcomes.
We know that the greatest impact is made when local communities are activated, having the synergy and trust to move toward a common mission. In this case, that mission is student success. So when 110 school and community partnerships...which includes over 350 unique partners...come to the table, we know that meaningful results will follow. The awardees of the Student Learning Recovery Grant Program also represent 83 of Indiana’s 92 counties, illustrating the exciting work taking place in communities, big and small, urban and rural, and every place in between!
Many of these awardees honed in on key focus areas, such as literacy, math, and college and career readiness. They are utilizing focused tutoring, afterschool programming, and other enhanced learning opportunities to continue the momentum this summer and in the years to come. Grant awardees have designed ways to work with local schools to track student outcomes as part of this program, and as we begin to see the results, I look forward to sharing some of those stories with you.
While this work is just beginning...here are stories from two grant recipients already incorporating research-based practices to bring outcomes to their communities:
Minority Health Coalition of Madison County (Anderson, Indiana)
Minority Health Coalition of Madison County is partnering with Anderson Community School Corporation, Renew Children and Family Foundation, Empower Schools, Anderson Education Foundation, Learning Hubs, Sisters of Royalty, and Allen Chapel Church to continue instruction over upcoming summer, fall, and spring breaks. Together, they plan to continue instruction for more than 4,500 K-8 students over the next two years, including targeted learning in English/Language Arts and/or math.
To provide this strategic accelerated instruction, teachers will be paired with eight to 10 students to deliver lessons based on students’ specific needs. Each content teacher will also be paired with a high school student who provides 1:1 tutoring and mentorship/ support for students. This research-based, proven intervention has already seen success in other communities across the country...and I can’t wait to see the results here.
Marian University
Marian University will partner with 34 K-12 schools across Indiana to provide services to nearly 16,000 students annually, including 2,400 students who need intensive intervention. The partnership will utilize the City Connects Program, recommended by the U.S. Department of Education, to address out-of-school barriers that impact student performance in the classroom.
Site Coordinators will collaborate with teachers to assess students across multiple domains. This data will help create customized support plans for each child, matching identified strengths and needs with a tailored set of services and enrichment opportunities. The plan leverages a wide array of existing community-assets that serve the needs of student groups who were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including racially and ethnically diverse, low income, English learner and special education students.
As the summer progresses, I look forward to seeing these and many other plans executed across our state. We have extraordinary work (and opportunity!) ahead of us, but the steps many of you are already taking are nothing short of inspiring. As a state, we will utilize an all-hands-on-deck approach, knowing that together, we can and we will help our students thrive!
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NEW: IDOE Website Migration
IDOE is in the early stages of migrating our current website to the state’s host. The move will not only align our website to that of other state agencies but will also be more cost effective. We will also work diligently to improve overall navigation based on feedback received from stakeholders. In order to mitigate any potential impact to the field, this migration will occur during the summer months, but we also anticipate ongoing efforts to build and refine the site’s content throughout the remainder of the year. We appreciate your patience as we move toward a more user-friendly and cost-effective site.
REMINDER: ESSER III Final Allocations and Application Now Available
Please see the Indiana Department of Education’s (IDOE’s) ESSER webpage regarding final ESSER III allocations, application walk through, and FAQs. Applications are available and are due Friday, June 25. Please contact your federal grant specialist or Cole Dietrich with questions.
NEW: All ILEARN Preliminary Results Now Available
Cambium Assessment, Inc. (CAI) deployed preliminary student results for remaining ILEARN tests in the Online Reporting System (ORS) earlier this week. Corporations and schools should provide preliminary ILEARN results and the accompanying interpretive guide to parents/guardians in a timely manner. The ILEARN Reporting FAQ and the 2020-2021 Indiana Interpretive Guide for Statewide Assessments provide more information about reviewing and interpreting data. Parents and schools may continue to submit rescore requests in the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE) for any open-ended items through Tuesday, June 8. Please contact the Indiana Assessment Help Desk for questions or assistance.
NEW: IREAD-3 Summer Retest Results Available to Schools Beginning Monday, June 14
Student results will deploy in the Online Reporting System (ORS) beginning Monday, June 14. After this date, results will be available in ORS within 24 hours of test completion to allow IDOE and CAI to complete routine quality control procedures of early return data. Contact the Office of Student Assessment with questions.
NEW: One:Ten Communications Becomes Ed-Fi Certified
IDOE is excited to announce One:Ten Communications as an Indiana Ed-Fi Certified SIS Vendor for Data Exchange in the 2020-2021 school year. Schools should contact their vendor for specific guidance regarding connecting the SIS to Data Exchange. Additional guidance is forthcoming. Schools may check the status of SIS Vendors currently working toward certification on the Vendor Certification Status document. Contact dataexchange@doe.in.gov with any questions.
REMINDER: Critical Teaching Shortage Areas Survey Due Today
IDOE is collecting information regarding the publication of teacher statistics, as required by IC 20-19-3-20. The purpose of this survey is to identify positions which are "critical shortage areas" as determined by unfilled vacancies. This survey should be completed once by each school corporation and charter school for the 2020-2021 school year. Even if your school corporation has no “unfilled vacancies” to report, please complete the survey to help provide a complete picture of staffing needs across the state. Today, Friday, June 4, is the final day to complete the survey. Contact John Keller with any questions.
REMINDER: Data Collection for Summer Student Learning
IDOE intends to collect information about all summer learning programs facilitated by Indiana public schools. While this practice is new, such data will be critical to understanding how Indiana is making progress in accelerating student learning in light of the COVID-19 disruption. This data will be collected at the student level and will require simple student participation information in math, English/Language Arts, college and career readiness, and physical and mental wellness learning programs. Here’s what you need to know as the school year ends and summer activities begin:
- Keep accurate attendance records for all students participating in K-12 summer learning programs. (Summer High School course credits will continue to be submitted in the fall, as normal).
- Document the details of your summer program (duration – days/minutes and curricular focus).
- Anticipate reporting this participation in August 2021 through templates created by IDOE and distributed to schools.
- The goal of this data collection will be to understand the following: (1) which students in Indiana participated in summer learning, (2) how much formal learning students experienced in Indiana public schools, and (3) how summer learning was distributed across subject areas.
IDOE will share details on how to submit this data in the coming weeks. Questions about summer data collection can be sent to dataexchange@doe.in.gov.
REMINDER: School Actions to Complete Transition to Data Exchange
Schools with an Indiana Ed-Fi Certified SIS Vendor should have completed the onboarding and established their SIS connection to Data Exchange. Schools should also be actively validating and reviewing data in Data Exchange for accuracy in preparation for certification of Calendar and Attendance data. This memo contains critical dates for all Indiana traditional public schools, public charter schools, and accredited non-public schools (choice and non-choice) in preparation for certification of school data in Data Exchange. A SIS Vendor Certification Status list can be found here. Additional information on implementation of Data Exchange can be found on the Data Exchange website. Please contact dataexchange@doe.in.gov with questions about these dates or about the Data Exchange system.
REMINDER: Data Exchange Office Hours Available
IDOE’s Data Exchange Team is now hosting office hours. Data Exchange office hours will be held on Tuesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. ET and Thursdays from 3 to 4 p.m. ET. These office hours are for school personnel to ask questions and troubleshoot support with Data Exchange implementation. To join the office hours, log in to the IDOE Moodle “Data Exchange Training and Community” course and select the page for Data Exchange Office Hours.
REMINDER: Superintendents and Principals Encouraged to Nominate Educators for Emerging Leaders Recognition
IDOE’s Office of Leadership and Innovation is looking for confidential recommendations of secondary-level leaders representing the very best educators in Indiana. These emerging leaders must have between five and 15 years of experience, demonstrate leadership beyond the classroom, and positively affect school culture and student achievement. Superintendents and principals may submit recommendations here. Recommendations will be accepted through Friday, July 16. Please contact Rebecca Estes with any questions.
REMINDER: Indiana Teacher of the Year Application Process is Open!
Each year, the Teacher of the Year program works to elevate the teaching profession and celebrate those who dedicate their lives to helping Hoosier youth achieve their greatest potential. Each Indiana District Teacher of the Year is eligible to apply. The Indiana Teacher of the Year selection process and application can be found here. For more information, contact Rebecca Estes.
REMINDER: Student Safety Reporting
Indiana’s Student Safety Reporting Law (IC 20-34-6-1) requires school corporations to report student bullying and arrest data for each school to IDOE. The data collection period is now open and will close Friday, June 18. More information can be found here. Contact Stephen Balko with any questions.
NEW: Indicators 11 and 12 - Child Find and Early Childhood Transition Stakeholder Meeting on Tuesday, June 22
IDOE is hosting two virtual stakeholder input sessions on Indicators 11 and 12: Child Find and Early Childhood Transition on Tuesday, June 22, at either 9 to 11 a.m. or 5 to 7 p.m. Registration is required and will close on Friday, June 18. For more information, please contact Kristan Sievers-Coffer.
NEW: Indiana IEP June 2021 Updates
Routine updates to the Indiana IEP (IIEP) system will be released this evening, Friday, June 4. These releases are outlined in the following document, Release Notes June 2021, and can also be found on the Office of Special Education’s Moodle page under “June 2021 Release Notes” in the “Upcoming Releases” folder. For more information, please contact Colleen Pawlicki.
REMINDER: Indicator 7 - Preschool Skills Stakeholder Meeting on Tuesday, June 15
IDOE is hosting two virtual stakeholder input sessions on Indicator 7: Preschool Skills on Tuesday, June 15, at either 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 5 to 7 p.m. Registration is required and will close on Friday, June 11. For more information, please contact Kristan Sievers-Coffer.
NEW: Science Standard Revision Committee Recruitment
IDOE reviews Indiana Academic Standards on a six-year cycle. Science standards are the next to be reviewed. Educators in kindergarten through grade 12, higher education, and parents interested in joining these work groups are encouraged to complete this form. Please contact Matt Walsh with questions.
NEW: Continuous Learning Challenges - Summer Edition
IDOE’s Continuous Learning Challenges (Summer Edition) are now available. Please share these resources with families to help accelerate learning over summer break in a fun and engaging way. Contact Emily Bruning with questions.
REMINDER: Registration Now Open - Productive Math Struggle Workshop
Discover how to implement and support student productive struggle in the math classroom during IDOE’s FREE workshop. This full-day training is for any K-12 educator, administrator, or instructional coach. Please register for only one workshop option as capacity is limited. An Eventbrite ticket is required to enter the workshop. Follow the links below to register and receive a ticket. Contact Emily Bruning with questions.
NEW FROM THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Secured School Safety Grants
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security has opened the fiscal year 2022 Secured School Safety Grant application period. The application will close at 5 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, June 30. Schools can access the Notice of Funding Opportunity here.
All Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) newsletters are located in one convenient location. Please find January updates and past issues here.
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