As anticipated, this week has really been a ramp up for our schools—and my favorite moments of the week included having conversations with quite a few of you! From heading to Terre Haute for the Indiana Principal Leadership Institute (IPLI) to the Indiana Black Expo Education Day to hearing from many who attended Get Your Teach On events and/or the literacy and STEM instructional coaching sessions…wow, what a good week as we prepare to launch into the 2022-2023 school year. I always appreciate the random calls, texts, and emails, providing a status update from your perspective on what’s working and our opportunities to keep getting better.
As many of you know, Indiana has been actively engaged in a partnership with the National Center for Assessment to best understand the academic impact of pandemic disruptions on student learning. Before the start of the 2021-2022 school year (July 2021), we released Phase One of this study, which focused on who was impacted, in what subject areas they were impacted, and to what degree they were impacted.
To recap, analysis and results indicated the academic impacts of the pandemic were substantial — ranging from moderate to significant across schools, academic subjects, and student populations. Given the magnitude of the impact, we knew that in many cases, recovery would be a multi-year process. In response, we immediately got to work, working together to do everything we can to move the academic needle for our students.
Now, with just a few weeks left before our Indiana students return to the classroom, we have additional insight, not just on the initial impact, but how students have recovered to date. These latest results, Phase Two, were released at this week’s meeting of the Indiana State Board of Education. As you are probably seeing, learning is stabilizing or recovering for many students…while other students are still working to overcome challenges.
In case you missed it, you can review the full press release and school-by-school ILEARN results here. Or if you have a little extra time, you can watch the analysis being presented to the State Board of Education here.
There are many take-aways from this study…but a few that are weighing on my mind include –
- We’re seeing the largest overall improvements from students in math, following a significant academic impact in math observed following the 2020-2021 school year.
- English/language arts learning is stabilizing for many students in early grades. These students are rebounding from learning disrupted by the pandemic, but additional support will be needed for these students to reach recovery.
- Most grade levels and student populations increased their proficiency rates in English/language arts and math by one to four percentage points compared to 2021.
- Proficiency rates in English/language arts and math are gradually increasing for Indiana’s racially and ethnically diverse students.
- Black students outpaced White students in English/language arts proficiency rate increases, with Black students’ English/language arts proficiency up 1.7 percentage points compared to 2021. However, overall proficiency for our Black and Hispanic students remains very low and has URGENT need for improvement.
- Despite English learners experiencing a 2.2 percentage point increase in English/language arts proficiency rates and a 2.9 percentage point increase in math proficiency rates, their proficiency rates remain significantly below their grade level peers and their academic growth is not at the pace of other student populations. Therefore, our English learner students have a lower rate of recovery in English/language arts, especially in middle grades, compared to their peers.
As you can see, while there’s a lot to celebrate here…at the same time, the data continues to show areas of great opportunity and urgency. Indiana has one of the most robust data sets in the country, and this valuable data shows us the grade levels, subjects, and student populations that will most need our support during the upcoming school year and beyond. Together, we must continue to rethink how education looks in the future in order to best impact our students. This includes doubling-down on new, innovative solutions and ensuring all students can read by the end of third grade, as well as have the foundational numeracy skills in order to set them up for success in future years.
None of this…Indiana’s robust data set…the progress made…and the progress to come…would be possible without YOUR hard work and intentionality! Thank you for your perseverance, for your commitment to overcoming challenges by driving towards solutions, and for continuing to support our students. This data empowers each of us to increase academic momentum for all students, and I am grateful for your partnership in this important work. Let’s keep it going…full steam ahead!
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NEW: 2022-2023 Assessment Guidance Now Available
Several primary assessment manuals and guidance documents have been released following approval by the Indiana State Board of Education on Wednesday, July 13. These resources can be found via IDOE’s Assessment webpage.
- 2022-2023 Indiana Assessments Policy Manual
- 2022-2023 Accessibility and Accommodations Information for Statewide Assessments
- 2022-2023 WIDA Assessment Guidance
These resources must be reviewed by school staff as they prepare for the year of assessments. Information includes testing roles and responsibilities, before, during, and after testing instructions, and critical test security measures. Schools may use the 2022-2023 Indiana Assessment Windows document to prepare their schedules. Contact the Indiana Department of Education's (IDOE’s) Office of Student Assessment with any questions.
NEW: 2022-2023 Assessment Milestones Documents
IDOE has released several assessment milestones documents as corporations and schools prepare for the upcoming year of testing. Please refer to the following documents for the corresponding assessment:
Milestones for the SAT will be available soon. Contact IDOE’s Office of Student Assessment with any questions.
NEW: 2022 Summer IREAD-3 Retest Online Testing Window Closes Today
All students participating in the IREAD-3 summer retest administration must finish online testing today, Friday, July 15. As testing concludes, schools should follow IDOE’s guidance regarding test material destruction of any secure materials (e.g., secure scripts, student access cards). Refer to the IREAD-3 Test Administrator’s Manual for additional guidance following testing. Contact IDOE’s Office of Student Assessment with any policy questions and the Indiana Assessment Help Desk for technical assistance.
NEW: Requirements for Indiana School Psychologists Practicing Telehealth
Recently enacted legislation allows for Indiana school psychologists to practice via telehealth. Indiana school psychologists residing in Indiana may practice telehealth within Indiana with no additional documentation as long as they are in compliance with IC 25-1-9.5. Indiana school psychologists residing outside Indiana and practicing telehealth within Indiana will need additional documentation to comply with Indiana law per IC 25-1-9.5-9. If you believe your school (public/charter, non-public, or other) employs a licensed Indiana school psychologist who resides out of state and will be practicing telehealth in Indiana, please fill out this Jotform. Contact Emily Black or Courtney Hott with any questions.
NEW: Family Friendly Schools Program
The IDOE Family Friendly Schools Designation is a state recognition program for schools that excel in engaging families and communities in their children’s education. Through this program, schools may voluntarily request to be assessed by IDOE for the purpose of evaluating and improving family and community engagement in the school. Applications are due Monday, August 1. Learn more or apply here. Contact familyfriendlyschool@doe.in.gov with any questions.
REMINDER: Attract, Prepare, Retain (APR) Grant - Expanding and Diversifying Indiana's Educator Pipeline
IDOE is now accepting applications for the new Attract, Prepare, and Retain Grant. The grant is available for Indiana’s schools and local partners as they work to expand and diversify Indiana’s educator pipeline and retain high-quality educators. A total of $5 million is available through this grant to support local plans. This funding is allocated as part of the state’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. Interested applicants can submit their online application here. Applications are due by Friday, August 5. Please contact eel@doe.in.gov with any questions.
REMINDER: Staff Performance Evaluation Plan Submission
Legal Standard 12 requires each public school corporation to provide a copy of its staff performance evaluation plan to IDOE. School corporations must also submit their staff performance evaluation plan to IDOE for approval in order to qualify for any grant funding related to IC 20-28-11.5-8(d). This includes the Teacher Appreciation Grant (TAG). Staff performance evaluation plans must be submitted via JotForm by Friday, September 16. For more information, click here. Contact Rebecca Estes with questions.
REMINDER: TAG Policy Submission Required
Information regarding the TAG Policy Submission can be found here. Local educational agencies (including charter and virtual charter schools) must submit the TAG policy for approval via JotForm by Friday, September 16, to be eligible to receive TAG funding. Contact Rebecca Estes with questions.
NEW: Data Exchange End-of-Year Reporting Information
Schools should ensure all end-of-year reporting is complete and ready for certification that ended Wednesday, July 13. Data provided through Tuesday, July 6, will be included for certification. There are 12 "collections" for July 2022 certification. All 12 must be checked by the administrator responsible for certification (or sign-off) even if the school had no data required or reported.
- Calendar
- Attendance
- Course Completion
- Certified Employee
- Additional Student Information
- Certified Position
- Homebound
- Special Education Termination
- Title I
- Alternative Education
- Special Education Evaluation
- Graduation
REMINDER: SIS Vendor Status Update
RDS has been badged for the March badging requirements. Please note MySchoolWorx has notified IDOE they will no longer be seeking Indiana Ed-Fi certification. A complete list of vendors working to become Indiana Ed-Fi certified can be found on the Data Exchange webpage.
REMINDER: Final Sign-off for Course Completion
IDOE is aware that schools may have experienced significant issues regarding the July course completion sign off, with many schools ending this collection period with unresolvable errors. Schools are encouraged to submit course completion data as best as possible as IDOE is not expecting all errors to be resolved prior to sign-off. Moving forward, as a best practice, IDOE recommends allowing sign-off on individual data collections. While certifying the entirety of data for the July certification due to the unresolved errors may not be ideal, IDOE is looking at the course completion collection as a “best effort.”
Note 1: IDOE will utilize all valid individual course transcript records even if the student status is 'excluded' due to some individual records with an error or missing completion data. If the school chooses to ignore the error messages triggered by these records rather than making corrections or excluding the course(s) from sending to Data Exchange, the student will have an excluded status on the course completion certification count. However, the valid course data will be available for IDOE use.
Note 2: IDOE is expecting July sign-off/certification even if all data concerns have not been resolved on course completion because the July certification includes the funding datasets (AD, Alt-Ed, Graduate, Homebound, Title) which require certification. Again, IDOE realizes that signing off with errors on course completion is not ideal, but this is something that will need to be addressed over the next few years–this data will not be pristine this year.
REMINDER: SIS Vendor Changes
IDOE-issued Data Exchange credentials (key and secret) are tied to the supporting SIS vendor. If your corporation will be changing or adding an SIS vendor for the 2022-2023 school year, please email link@doe.in.gov with these changes. Your organization will receive a new set of credentials for your new vendor.
NEW: 2022-2023 Membership Count Dates
Please read this memo regarding school year 2022-2023 membership count dates. Contact schoolfinance@doe.in.gov with any questions.
REMIDNER: Full-time Teacher Benefit Survey
Please read this memo regarding the full-time teacher benefit survey, which is due by Friday, August 12. Upon completion of the survey, please email the Excel template to IDOE's Office of School Finance.
REMINDER: Teacher Salary Data Reporting
Please read this memo and teacher salary frequently asked questions (FAQ) document for updates regarding a teacher benefits survey, reporting cooperative expenditures, and January 2023 changes to the Chart of Accounts. An overview of the changes was presented at the Thursday, June 30, School Finance Budget Workshop. Contact IDOE's Office of School Finance with any questions.
REMINDER: School Technology Advancement Account Applications
Today, Friday, July 15, is the final day for school corporations to file an application for a School technology Advancement Account (STAA). The STAA application can be completed online and must be completed in one sitting. A sample application and certification page can be found in Moodle. Contact commonschoolfund@doe.in.gov with any questions.
NEW: The Keep Kids Fed Act (KKFA)
Last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) communicated plans to implement the provisions of the KKFA to state agencies. The waiver extensions apply to Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and Seamless Summer Option (SSO) operations only and are not applicable to school meal programs. Per USDA, to use these flexibilities, SFSP and SSO operators must contact IDOE for approval and provide any necessary information needed to complete reporting requirements. Flexibilities are only allowed to be implemented with prior approval from the sponsor’s assigned field specialist.
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Child Nutrition Response #107 - Extend Area Eligibility Waivers for Summer 2022 Operations
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Child Nutrition Response #111 - Non-Congregate Feeding for Summer 2022 Operations
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Child Nutrition Response #112 - Allow Parent and Guardians to Pick Up Meals for Children for Summer 2022 Operations
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Child Nutrition Response #113 - Meal Service Time Restrictions for Summer 2022
Sponsors are not obligated to participate in any of the waivers. The waivers do not carry over to the 2022-2023 school year. Please contact your field specialist for a list of requirements and to request use of the waivers.
NEW: Return to Traditional Meal Eligibility
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, school corporations have been operating with the use of a federal waiver that allowed meals to be fed to every child free of charge through the end of school year (SY) 2021-2022. The use of this waiver will not be available during SY 2022-2023. Corporations will return to the traditional eligibility requirements for free and reduced and paid meals. Corporations that are not approved for or awaiting approval for community eligibility provision (CEP) in SY 2022-2023 must plan to distribute and process meal benefit applications. Free and reduced benefits walk through and meal benefit application processing webinars are available on Moodle under School Nutrition. Contact your field specialist with any questions.
REMINDER: School Improvement Plans
IDOE is accepting Comprehensive Needs Assessment/School Improvement Plans (CNA/SIP) through Friday, October 7. Use of the template fulfills all school improvement plan requirements under state law, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), as well as requirements for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI), Additional Targeted Support schools (ASTI), and CNA requirements for Title I Schoolwide Programs. This memo provides additional information. The SIP template can be downloaded here. Please contact IDOE’s Office of School Support and Transformation with any questions.
NEW: Title III and Non-English Speaking Program (NESP) Allocations for the 2022-2023 School Year
The 2022-2023 allocations to schools for Title III NESPs have been released. Allocation amounts, instructions for applying for funding, and other grant resources can be found on the IDOE Title III and IDOE NESP webpages, respectively. Please contact IDOE’s Office English Learners and Migrant Education with any questions.
REMINDER: Annual English Learner (EL) Directors’ Meetings - Wednesday, August 10, and Thursday, August 11
All EL leaders within the state are invited to the Annual EL Directors’ Meetings, being held virtually on Wednesday, August 10, for new directors, and Thursday, August 11, for all directors, both new and returning. The schedule for both days will consist of sessions from 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3 p.m. ET. Details for each days’ meetings, including agendas and access links, can be found on the Indiana EL PD Opportunities Calendar. Please contact IDOE’s Office English Learners and Migrant Education with any questions.
REMINDER: Webinar for Special Education Excess Cost (SEEC) Updates
New criteria have gone into effect for the review and approval of SEEC funding. IDOE will hold a webinar at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, July 18, to review these changes and answer any questions. It is strongly recommended that all staff involved with excess cost funding (e.g., special education administrators, business officials, and superintendents) attend. This memo outlines new policies for SEEC funds. Please contact IDOE’s senior fiscal specialist Sarah Fields with any questions.
REMINDER: Register for Get Your Teach On In-School Professional Development and Summer Conferences
IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility is excited to announce a partnership with Get Your Teach On to provide additional professional development opportunities to eight selected Indiana schools. These opportunities are designed to ignite educators' passion for teaching and education, expand on current IDOE initiatives to support and elevate the educator profession, and make students want to come to school and learn while developing relationships. These opportunities promote positive educational outcomes to develop the whole learner. This partnership is offering both summer conference opportunities and in-school professional development to the eight selected schools. To learn more information and apply, please click here. Contact IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility with any questions.
REMINDER: Professional Development (PD) Opportunities with the Indiana IEP Resource Center
IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility is continuing its partnership with Indiana IEP Resource Center to provide PD for corporation leadership teams. These opportunities are designed to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. These sessions will provide support on policies, programs, and practices directly affecting students eligible to receive special education services. Additional information on upcoming opportunities and registration can be found here. Contact IDOE’s Office of Student Support and Accessibility with any questions.
REMINDER: Alternative Special Education License
The Alternative Special Education License is now available for initial special education licensure or for a special education addition to an existing license. Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree and must be enrolled in a post-baccalaureate approved alternative preparation program. Review this guidance for additional information and requirements. Please submit any additional questions via this JotForm.
REMINDER: Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Part B Grant Proportionate Share Waiver Request Form Available
The FY 2021 Part B 611 and 619 grant proportionate share waiver request form is now available. Completed requests with supporting documentation must be submitted to partbgrants@doe.in.gov by Tuesday, August 16. Following waiver approval, a Part B grant budget modification request is required to transfer funds among budget scopes and must be submitted by Thursday, September 15. Download the waiver request form and instructions from the Office of Special Education Community in Moodle. Please direct questions to partbgrants@doe.in.gov.
REMINDER: Register for the ASSET Transition to Teaching Program
ASSET is a new transition to teaching program led by the Indiana Council of Administrators of Special Education (ICASE) as a solution to the current special educator shortage. ASSET is approved by the State Board of Education (SBOE) for anyone with an active Indiana teaching license in any content area who is interested in adding mild interventions, intense interventions, or both to their existing teaching credentials.
The no-cost, 11-month program is aligned with the standards from the Council for Exceptional Children and leverages field expertise to ensure candidates are well-prepared to meet the needs of students with disabilities and to pass the state licensure exam after completion of the program. Participants are required to maintain a small caseload of students with disabilities to meet ASSET program requirements. Summer training will be held Tuesday, July 19, through Thursday, July 21, at Franklin High School in Franklin. Online sessions will occur the first Tuesday of each month from August through May of the 2022-2023 school year. Contact Dr. Jay Arthur, director of the Indiana ASSET program, via email or phone (317-759-2895) with any questions.
NEW: Secondary STEM Certification Guidance
The STEM School Certification process for secondary schools will utilize a separate rubric and evaluation process beginning with the 2022-2023 school year. Materials have been developed by IDOE’s STEM team in consultation with stakeholders. The Secondary STEM Certification Guide, correlation guide to previously used rubrics, and other helpful resources can be found on IDOE’s STEM School Certification webpage. The first kick-off meeting regarding new guidance will be held today, Friday, July 15, at 9:30 a.m. ET. Registration information can be found here. Contact IDOE’s Office of Teaching and Learning with any questions.
NEW: Secondary STEM Certification Deep Dive Series
Join IDOE’s STEM specialists in the Indiana Learning Lab for 2022 Secondary STEM Certification Deep Dive: Essential Elements at 1:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 19. This session is the first in a three-part series examining key components of the Secondary STEM Certification application process. Participants will learn about the essential elements portion of the Secondary STEM Certification application, hear a scoring overview, and have the opportunity to ask questions. Contact IDOE’s Office of Teaching and Learning with any questions.
REMINDER: Save the Date - Quarterly Program Administrator Meeting
The first Title Grants and Support quarterly program administrator meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday, August 3, from 10 a.m. to noon ET. This informational and collaborative meeting will be open to any Indiana administrator or staff member who works with federal grants. Click here to join. Contact Nicole Leach with any questions.
REMINDER: Resources for Schools
IDOE is now offering two resources to schools free of charge. These include:
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TransAct Parent Notices: provides several resources including communication templates that meet Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) standards, available in multiple languages. If you do not know your school's TransACT Administrator, email support@transact.com for assistance.
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Title I Admin: includes a wealth of information, including best practices, tools, and resources provided by the National Association of Federal Education Program Administrators and LRP Publications, publishers of "The Answer Book on Title I." Schools should have recently received an email from Title I Admin with an updated license agreement and staff access spreadsheet. Please submit these items as requested in the email to ensure the school has full access to these helpful resources.
Contact your assigned federal grants specialist with any questions.
NEW FROM THE INLEARNING PARTNERSHIP: School Year’s Eve Event Begins Friday, July 22
Join the INLearning Partnership for School Year’s Eve beginning Friday, July 22, for a top 10 list of back-to-school ideas and explore teacher favorites from summer conferences/learning events to help kick off a great school year. Quick wins for the digital classroom and teacher tips will be curated into a five-minute video and released each day via social media. Contact the INLearning Partnership with any questions.
NEW FROM THE CENTER FOR EARLY LEARNING: Early Childhood Education Professional Development
The Center for Early Learning at Purdue University is hosting a free half-day professional development virtual conference designed for teachers in preschool through first grade classrooms. This year’s conference will be held Monday, August 1. The two sessions are: Creating Meaningful Writing Opportunities within Classroom Routines, and Transitions and Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention. Registration is free but is required and limited to 200 attendees. Register here. Contact cel@purdue.edu with any questions.
NEW FROM INDIANA UNIVERSITY: Virtual Learning Research Study Participants Needed
IDOE’s Office of Digital Learning is assisting Dr. Daniel Hickey, cognitive science professor at Indiana University, in a research study to learn more about virtual learning within Indiana. This study is seeking participants to complete a survey and/or participate in an interview. This opportunity is open to parents/caretakers, administrators, and educators. Use the following links to complete the survey or to indicate your interest in being interviewed.
Please contact Dr. Daniel Hickey with any questions.
NEW FROM THE INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (IDOH): Start Smart Back-to-School Immunization
IDOH has partnered with local health departments and other healthcare entities across the state to host back-to-school immunization clinics this summer as part of a statewide public awareness campaign to help families easily access required and recommended school immunizations prior to the start of the 2022-2023 school year. The Start Smart campaign includes a map showing dates, times, and locations of community immunization clinics. The clinics are open to children ages five and older. Immunizations will be provided free of charge, but families should provide insurance information if available. IDOH is also mailing letters to parents of children whose state immunization records show they are behind on a required immunizations. A list of immunizations required for school can be found here. Contact immunize@isdh.in.gov with any questions.
REMINDER FROM NEXTECH: Counselors for Computing (C4C) Workshop
The National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) C4C, in partnership with Nextech, will offer a full-day virtual workshop from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 19. Participants will receive a C4C Resource Kit, a copy of Stuck in the Shallow End, a $100 stipend, and other hands-on, engaging activities. Register for this workshop here. Contact Nextech’s Stephanie Zircher with any questions.
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