It’s hard to believe next week is already the first day of September! For me, it signals that fall is coming! Personally, fall has always been my favorite time of the year -- colorful leaves, apple picking and pumpkin season (a couple of my favorite spots include Huber’s Orchard in southern Indiana and Dull’s Farm in Boone County), bonfires out in the backyard, comfy sweaters, a big pot of chili on the stovetop, just to name a few. And as a teacher and school administrator, it always seemed that September was when we started to hit our stride. Routines were established for our students, parents (and the bus routes!), and we really started to get in the flow of the school year. This year, it has been a bit more challenging to get back into that routine due to the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic...and yet we are continuing to work hard and persevere! Thank you.
As many of you know, Indiana has been actively engaged in a partnership with the National Center for Assessment to determine the academic impact of pandemic disruptions on student learning. The study’s findings include details regarding who was impacted, in what subject areas they were impacted, and to what degree they were impacted.
As state and local educational leaders, we are on the front lines when it comes to overcoming these challenges. We know the most effective solutions will be locally-driven and tailored to meet the needs of individual students. We also know the impacts of the pandemic will require a comprehensive, multi-year response.
While you certainly have local student-level data that you are using, in order to further disaggregate state data, Dr. Charity Flores and Jason Callahan’s teams shared several resources last Friday, which are outlined in greater detail here. These resources will continuously be updated as we learn more in the weeks and months ahead.
You may have heard that the National Center for Assessment also looked at instructional mode data for the 2020-2021 school year as it relates to student learning and growth. They found that performance in both ELA and mathematics was strongest among students who received primarily in-person instruction. While this is probably not shocking to most educators (we know the value of face-to-face interaction), this data confirms that we must do everything possible to keep students safely learning in-person this school year.
Thank you for all that you do each and every day for students!
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NEW: Naturalization Examination Requirement Begins This School Year
Beginning with the 2021-2022 school year, students completing a U.S. Government course must participate in the naturalization examination. Schools must report the results to IDOE in addition to posting them on their public website. More information regarding IC 20-30-5-7(d), naturalization examination materials, and reporting of results can be found here. Please contact the Office of Student Assessment with questions.
NEW: Virtual Question and Answer Session Regarding the SAT this Monday, August 30
Keep Indiana Learning is hosting a virtual question and answer session regarding the SAT on Monday, August 30, at 4 p.m. ET. Representatives from the IDOE offices of Student Assessment and Teaching and Learning will answer common questions about the upcoming Spring 2022 statewide SAT administration for all juniors. Interested participants can register at this link and provide their questions in advance. Please contact the Office of Student Assessment with questions.
NEW: Educators Needed for Assessment Committees
The Office of Student Assessment invites all Indiana licensed educators interested in assisting with the development of Indiana assessments to complete this online form. Educators are needed for all tested grade levels and content areas. Most committee meetings occur virtually in the evenings, making both stipends and professional growth points (PGPs) available to participating educators. We also encourage past and present educator participants to notify our office of any updates to their contact information. Please contact the Office of Student Assessment with questions.
REMINDER: 2021-2022 Corporation Amendment Window
The corporation amendment window for the 2021-2022 school year closes on Tuesday, August 31. Corporations and schools with school profile changes should submit a corporation amendment request with supporting documentation by clicking here. Please note: corporations and schools without any school profile changes do not need to submit a request. Contact the Office of Accountability with any questions.
REMINDER: 2021 Graduate Submittal
The 2021 Graduate collection is open through Tuesday, October 5. Schools are encouraged to submit this information as soon as possible to allow adequate time to correct any issues that may arise and to carefully review the cohort report, which can be found in Learning Connection. Contact the Office of Accountability with any questions.
NEW: Submitting P-EBT Eligible Days through Data Exchange for the 2021-2022 School Year
IDOE will be pulling the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) eligibility data and rosters from Data Exchange for the 2021-2022 school year. P-EBT will utilize attendance day types and Free/Reduced Lunch (FRL) eligibility to determine eligible students and benefits. Schools should continue to code these students as they normally would, without concern for P-EBT. Data will then flow seamlessly from IDOE to the Family and Social Services Administration, the state agency administering the P-EBT program. More details are available in the full memo, including guidance for how to provide reason codes for absences so your students receive funds for each eligible day under the program guidelines. Questions about Data Exchange may be directed to dataexchange@doe.in.gov.
NEW: School Office Hours for Data Exchange
Starting Tuesday, September 7, IDOE will be hosting weekly office hours on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET and Thursdays from 3 to 4 p.m. ET. These office hours are intended for school personnel to ask questions and troubleshoot support with Data Exchange implementation. These meetings will be drop-in style, so feel free to stay as long as you can. To join the office hours, log in to the Data Exchange Training and Community course in Moodle and select the page for Data Exchange Office Hours. Questions about Data Exchange may be directed to dataexchange@doe.in.gov.
REMINDER: Data Exchange - Data Reporting Source of Truth
The 2021-2022 school year establishes Data Exchange as the source of truth for all data reporting. Specific instructions for parallel submission with the STN Application Center will be provided as needed. For the current school year, all SPN/STN should continue to be created in the STN Application Center. Details regarding Data Exchange can be found in Moodle. Additional information and training regarding Data Exchange implementation can be found in the Data Exchange Training and Community course in Moodle (no enrollment key required). Questions about Data Exchange may be directed to dataexchange@doe.in.gov.
REMINDER: Organization Leaders - Designation of Security Coordinators
IDOE has configured the LINK Portal to recognize all public, charter, and accredited non-public schools’ local Google G-Suite or Microsoft 365 accounts. For security purposes, IDOE sets the organization’s leader as the first account, and then this person can log in to name up to two security coordinators. Instructions on how to designate/update these security coordinators can be found here. If you are a new superintendent and need the first account configured, please email link@doe.in.gov.
REMINDER: Security Coordinators - Set-up of Key Contacts
The security coordinators for all public, charter, and accredited non-public schools should make sure that their organization’s key contacts for the 2021-2022 school year are set. These include contacts such as principal, superintendent, financial contact and Data Exchange contact, to name a few. Security coordinators are also responsible for making sure that all LINK roles are set for systems such as the Data Exchange Validation Portal. Instructions can be found here. Questions may be directed to link@doe.in.gov.
REMINDER: Annual Financial Report
I.C. 5-3-1-3 requires the secretary of each public school corporation to publish an Annual Financial Report (AFR). The report must be published once annually, not earlier than August 1 or later than August 15. Guidelines are available here and can also be found in Moodle Finance. Please email us a PDF of the report and proof of publication by Tuesday, August 31. Contact afr@doe.in.gov with any questions.
REMINDER: Summer School Final Cost Report
The Summer School Final Cost Report submission window closes Friday, September 10. Information regarding the summer school program can be found in Moodle. Contact Teresa Hemmerle with questions.
REMINDER: Financial Transparency Portal
Please remember to upload your school corporation’s financial transparency data for January to June 2021 into the portal by Sunday, October 31. See the School Finance Moodle Community for a presentation explaining the upload process. Contact form9@doe.in.gov with any questions.
REMINDER: School Improvement Plans
All public and accredited nonpublic schools are required to submit strategic and continuous school improvement and achievement plans each year (IC 20-31-5 and IC 20-31-6). Initial plans are developed for a three-year period and are reviewed and revised annually. Plans for the 2021-2022 school year are due Friday, October 8 and can be submitted at DOE Online. Additional information may be found in this memo. Contact John Purcell with questions.
REMINDER: Required Moodle Training on Indiana IEP Accommodations
A new Indiana IEP Accommodations Course is now available in Moodle. This course is required for all current Indiana IEP users, including those who completed the course last year, as content has changed. The course must be completed by Thursday, September 30. New hires must complete the course within 30 days of their hire date. Please contact Colleen Pawlicki with questions.
REMINDER: LINK Set Up for New School Employees
Security coordinators must add newly hired employees who will need access to Indiana IEP to the LINK Portal. Security coordinators can follow the same steps as they have previously taken, outlined here. The EdPlan account is created when the educator clicks on the EdPlan tile and successfully enters Indiana IEP, after which the Indiana IEP administrator can assign IEP permissions, schools, and students. Security coordinators may email link@doe.in.gov if there are questions.
NEW: 2021-2022 McKinney-Vento District Liaison Identification and Certification
As a part of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, every school district is required to identify a point of contact for families and students experiencing homelessness to assist with identification, enrollment, and coordinating services. This point of contact, also called the McKinney-Vento District Liaison, must complete required training for certification by Friday, December 17. The contact must be updated annually and must be listed on your district website. Please visit the IDOE McKinney-Vento District Liaison Contact List to confirm that the contact person currently listed is the correct McKinney-Vento District Liaison Contact. Contact Gina Woodward, Indiana Homeless Education Specialist, if you need assistance updating any district liaison information that is incorrect or adding your district and contact information to the list if it is currently missing.
NEW: Applications for Title III and Non-English Speaking Program Grants Due Next Week
The 2021-2022 school year applications for both Title III and Non-English Speaking Program (NESP) grants are due on Tuesday, August 31. Title III application details can be found on the IDOE Title III webpage. NESP application details can be found on the IDOE NESP webpage. Please reach out to Adam Pitt with any questions.
NEW: Certificate of Multilingual Proficiency Participation
The Certificate of Multilingual Proficiency is an honor received by Indiana high school seniors who attain a high level of proficiency in both English and another language, demonstrated by earning a level of intermediate high on an approved language assessment. This award recognizes the value of world language and heritage language instruction. To participate in the 2021-2022 cohort, local educational agencies must complete this form. If your school participated during the 2020-2021 school year, please complete this form for any seniors who attempted and/or received the Certificate of Multilingual Proficiency. For any questions, please contact Nicole Leach.
NEW: Vertical Articulation Guides
Updated Vertical Articulation documents for kindergarten through grade eight mathematics illustrate the significant connections between Indiana Academic Standards across grade levels. You can access the documents here. Administrators and teachers are encouraged to use these documents to facilitate cross-grade level discussions. Please email MacKenzie Cox or Dana Hartzell with any questions.
NEW: Wednesday Professional Development with IDOE
Join us in the Learning Lab every Wednesday from 4 to 4:30 p.m. ET for workshops on focused topics delivered by IDOE team members. The first workshop kicks off on Wednesday, September 8. To learn more about this and other September workshops, click here. To register, visit the Learning Lab calendar by clicking here. To create a free Learning Lab account, visit the LINK portal or the Learning Lab website directly, and use your school email to log in. Contact Diana Gill with any questions.
NEW: Digital Learning Research Series: Part 3
Digital and traditional learning require different strategies for success. Providing opportunities for students to learn digitally through virtual instruction, a blended setting, or a hybrid model requires an approach that manages those differences. This four-part research series summarizes and shares key points from relevant research on digital learning, including research before COVID-19 disruptions and now. The third installment summarizes assessment and measurement, as well as diverse and accessible instruction opportunities in a digital environment. The first and second installments are also available. Contact Diana Gill or Dr. Eimear Towler with any questions.
NEW: Fall Digital Learning Book Study
Join the IDOE Office of Digital Learning’s fall book study featuring UDL and Blended Learning: Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes by Katie Novak and Catlin R. Tucker. Asynchronous discussions will begin the week of Monday, September 20. The book study will last nine weeks and will be worth up to 18 PGPs. Join the course using the enrollment key “blended.” Contact Meri Carnahan with questions.
REMINDER: 2020-2021 Formative Assessment Grant Final Report Due Tuesday, August 31
Each corporation which received a distribution from the 2020-2021 Formative Assessment Grant is required to submit a final report to IDOE by Tuesday, August 31 verifying their use of funds. Review this guidance for details and instructions. Schools may also access the published 2020-2021 Formative Assessment Grant distribution list as needed for reminders of their distribution amounts. Contact Michelle Kemper with questions.
REMINDER: Indiana Early Learning Foundations Public Comment
The Indiana Early Learning Foundations create common language and expectations for the early childhood field and outline the developmental progression that typically developing young children may experience as they grow toward Kindergarten readiness. In 2020, IDOE embarked on a review of the 2015 Early Learning Foundations with early learning stakeholders, and is now seeking public comment on the proposed changes. Stakeholders may view the proposed Foundations and submit comments here. Public comment is open through Friday, September 17.
NEW FROM THE 2022 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF INDIANAPOLIS HOST COMMITTEE: Go Teach Mentorship
The Go Teach Mentorship Program encourages high school student athletes to explore the potential paths to a career in education through leadership development, mentorship, building connections, and college planning. The deadline to apply for 2021 is Tuesday, August 31. Learn more here, and contact Chelsea Wilson with any questions.
All Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) newsletters are located in one convenient location. Please find past issues here.
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