 Governor Mike Pence congratulated the Kokomo School Corporation (KSC) and local businesses for partnering on a dynamic career and technical education (CTE) initiative for young entrepreneurs. The program, new this fall, is one of the first recipients of Innovative CTE Curriculum Grants from the Indiana Works Councils.
The Governor was joined at the Kokomo Area Career Center (KACC) by KSC Superintendent Dr. Jeff Hauswald, local students, teachers and area officials to recognize a $75,000 grant for KACC’s CEO Program. KACC serves nine area high schools providing students opportunities to earn real-world, hands-on experience within the field of their choice.
“I am excited about this program, as it encompasses inventive and engaging avenues for students with entrepreneurial aspirations," said Governor Pence. "It also advances what I talk about as “Two Plan As” for students studying in career and technical education.”
READ MORE: Official Press Release
ARTICLE: Pence lauds efforts of Kokomo Career Center
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SBOE Hears Recommendations from A-F Accountability Panel
The State Board of Education (SBOE) held a special meeting yesterday in a joint session with the state’s Accountability System Review (A-F) Panel to hear the panel’s recommendations for A-F school accountability system improvements. The panel, created by the legislature, includes education leaders appointed by the Governor, legislative leaders, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The A-F Panel, composed primarily of teachers, principals and superintendents, held 14 prior meetings and focused on complex issues of growth measures and student proficiency. Last November, the panel recommended to the SBOE a high-level framework for accountability. Work since that time has focused on analyzing various options for calculating growth and combining proficiency, growth and college-and-career readiness indicators into a statistically valid and reliable accountability model.
Both the panel and SBOE concurred that measuring growth for all students is important for purposes of accountability. “The value of growth equals the work done in a school year,” added A-F panel member Sheila Seedhouse, Principal at Key Learning Community (Indianapolis Public Schools).
“I think we’re at a place where we can take this work and move on,” concluded SBOE member Dan Elsener, who joined other SBOE members in thanking the A-F Panel for their many hours of work and investigation into improved approaches to growth and accountability. The SBOE will consider the panel’s recommendations as it creates rule language required for implementation...read more
 The Indiana Career Council heard an initial analysis and review of statewide data regarding career and technical education (CTE) at its monthly meeting chaired by Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann. They also unanimously adopted the following resolution that more succinctly affirms the Council’s goals and guides its upcoming work with a focus on these value statements:
- Career and technical education programs should place students and student outcomes at the center of their focus.
- Career and technical education programs and courses of study should align their delivery with post-secondary education and both current and future workforce needs.
- Career and technical education programs should recognize the value of work-based learning.
- Indiana should, to the extent possible, differentiate its emphasis on CTE programs based on regional and local workforce needs for high demand and high wage jobs.
- The State and local CTE programs should create strong partnerships and engagement with businesses and community organizations.
Read the latest from the Indiana Career Council.
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 (PHOTO: Governor Mike Pence and State Rep. Sheila Klinker (left) join leaders of Subaru of Indiana and the Indiana Youth Institute at the Postsecondary Pathways event in Lafayette.)
Teachers, career and technical educators, guidance counselors and employers gathered at Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (SIA) in Lafayette with the goal of connecting Hoosier students with the education and careers that fit their skills and interests. The Postsecondary Pathways event offered panel discussions with area employers, keynote presentations and group networking to connect local educators and workforce leaders with resources to enhance their ability to educate and train students to successfully pursue the postsecondary careers that exist within the region and the state.
“We hope today is the first of many opportunities to come in engaging educators and employers, and Subaru is pleased to be a convener in this effort,” said Brad Rhorer, Manager of Associate Development at SIA and a member of the Region 4 Indiana Works Council. “We want you to know that, as counselors, your work is important to us, and this is just a first step for our engagement.”
Governor Pence was also on hand and offered his appreciation and words of praise to the mentors of Indiana’s skilled workers of the future...read more
 On September 19th in Gary, the SBOE's Committee on School Turnarounds visited Theodore Roosevelt College & Career Academy and held a public meeting in Gary. The Committee provided an overview of the history of turnaround efforts in Indiana, delineated its goals, heard public comment and gathered input from both Gary Community School Corporation and Edison Learning, Roosevelt's turnaround school operator.
“Through this process we’re going to learn what you’re doing in the Gary Community, learn what’s being done around the state and nationally, and use this information to make the best decisions for students,” said Dan Elsener, SBOE Committee on School Turnarounds Chair.
The Turnarounds Committee next meets in Indianapolis on October 9th. On October 22, the SBOE's Committee on School Turnarounds will convene in Evansville for a meeting and to visit two local schools.
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 Jeffrey D. Hudnall has been named the executive director of the Indiana Network of Knowledge (INK). Established in 2014 by the Indiana General Assembly with bipartisan support, INK replaces the Indiana Workforce Intelligence System as the state’s integrated education and workforce data system.
Hudnall will be the first executive director in the history of Indiana’s longitudinal data efforts. In addition to overseeing day-to-day affairs, he will work with state agencies and other participating entities to provide vision, oversight and implementation of INK.
"On behalf of all of the members of the Governance Committee, we’re excited to bring Jeff on as a full-time administrator and advocate for INK," said William McConnell, Chairman of the INK Governance Committee. "Jeff will be the driving force behind our efforts to use state workforce and education data to improve outcomes for students, job seekers, educators, and employers."
Hudnall has broad experience in career development having most recently served as Assistant Director of the Career Center at Indiana State University...read more
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 The U.S. Education Department awarded $75 million to 24 colleges and universities under the new "First in the World" (FITW) grant program. Both Indiana State University and Purdue University were awarded grants designed to drive innovations in higher education that increase college completion, value and affordability.
Indiana State University will dedicate a $1.63 million grant toward its "Accelerating College Completion through Academic Mindset" project. The project builds on research by the Stanford University-based College Transition Consortium that found that when students truly believe they can be successful, a large portion are successful. The project also extends that research by investigating the potential boosting effect of professional development for faculty on how to integrate growth mindset elements into their instruction...learn more
Purdue University will work with its partners in the University Innovation Alliance to use its $2.3 million grant to support STEM undergraduates, particularly women and underrepresented groups, by redesigning large-lecture courses to more fully engage students through active learning interventions. Nearly 10,000 students will benefit over the course of the 4-year grant...read more
Additionally, Ivy Tech Community College will receive a $2.5 million federal job training grant for information technology and cyber security. The funding announced by the White House will help Ivy Tech establish and expand information technology labs on 24 campuses and 10 to 12 data centers to train students majoring in network infrastructure and server administration. The money also will help expand a virtual data lab center for distance education and provide professional development for faculty.
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The State Board of Education’s (SBOE) Strategic Planning Committee met on September 26 to begin the implementation process for its strategic plan. The plan was adopted on July 9, 2014 and promotes the Board’s core values of achievement, accessibility and accountability.
“When we look at the strategic plan, we see that the three primary goals focus on schools and students,” said Dr. David Freitas, District 2 SBOE Representative. “It’s important that we have full participation from all education stakeholders throughout the ongoing strategic planning process.”
The Committee discussed implementation of the balanced scorecard (BSC) approach to strategic management and heard presentations about Indiana’s teacher and principal evaluation system requirements and the state-approved models. The most notable presentation focused on the Indiana Teacher Appraisal and Support System (INTASS) and was led by Dr. Hardy Murphy and Dr. Sandi Cole of the Indiana University Center for Education and Lifelong Learning. INTASS supports districts in planning and implementing equitable, efficient and effective teacher and principal evaluations, using a collaborative process and field tested tools.
A recent INTASS study found that 99% of superintendents, 99% of principals, and 91% of teachers believe that teacher effectiveness affects student achievement. However, 89% of superintendents, 79% of principals and 50% of teachers agreed that teacher evaluation in Indiana needs to improve...read more
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