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IN THIS EDITION |
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PRESS RELEASE |
Approximately 100 percent of Minnesota’s high school graduating class of 2016 took the ACT college entrance exam as an 11th- or 12th-grader. Read August 24 press release.
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ACTION ITEMS |
On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and changed many portions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) has issued some guidance for a clear and orderly transition during the 2016-17 school year. The Minnesota Department of Education has prepared the Transition to ESSA document to provide Minnesota-specific information to help ensure a smooth transition for schools.
For more information, visit the ESSA web page. If you have any questions, contact mde.essa@state.mn.us.
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The Minnesota Department of Education has posted two legislative summaries from the 2016 legislative session on the Legislation web page. The first summary is a legislative overview presentation given by department staff at conferences and cooperatives in the early summer. The second summary is a more detailed description of the newly passed provisions with contact information for the appropriate department division. Also note that the page includes summaries from the prior three legislative sessions.
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As a result of legislation passed in 2016, the schedule for reviewing and revising the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards has changed (H.F. 2749, Conference Committee Report). The legislation requires the Minnesota Department of Education to adopt, and modify as needed, the National Standards and Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education published by SHAPE America. The department will convene a standards committee during the 2016-2017 school year to review the physical education standards and determine whether any modifications are needed before the standards are adopted into rule. Information about the physical education standards review process will be posted on the department website in September and included in the Superintendent’s Mail.
To accommodate this year’s review of the physical education standards, the reviews of the standards in the other subject areas will be one year later than originally scheduled. The new legislated schedule is as follows.
Review Year
- 2016-2017, 2022-2023, and every ten years thereafter – Physical Education
- 2017-2018 and every ten years thereafter – Arts Standards (Last revised 2008)
- 2018-2019 and every ten years thereafter – Science Standards (Last revised 2009)
- 2019-2020 and every ten years thereafter – English Language Arts Standards (Last revised 2010)
- 2020-2021 and every ten years thereafter – Social Studies Standards (Last revised 2011)
- 2021-2022 and every ten years thereafter – Mathematics Standards (Last revised 2007)
If you have any questions about academic standards, contact mde.academic-standards@state.mn.us.
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The 2016-2017 Title Applications are due on or before September 1, 2016. This includes applications for:
- FIN 401 – Title I, Part A.
- FIN 406 – Title I, Part D.
- FIN 414 – Title II, Part A.
- FIN 417 – Title III, Part A.
Early submissions are encouraged and appreciated to minimize wait time while working in SERVS Financial. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your district’s area director or call ESEA Title Programs Support at 651-582-8579 and ask to speak with your area director.
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The Minnesota Department of Health's immunization program has become aware that schools may or already have received calls or inquiries regarding the immunization law—specifically on exemptions and the materials you use to communicate with parents. These calls are being made by organizations that are interested in how the immunization law is carried out, but do not have any regulatory authority over the Minnesota immunization law. If you are contacted regarding this information, we encourage you to thank them for bringing this to your attention and let them know you are working with the Minnesota Department of Health.
As a reminder, MDH has a form for students (and child care) available on the Immunization Laws in Minnesota website that includes information about obtaining legal exemptions. These forms meet all of the requirements in the Minnesota immunization law.
The Minnesota Department of Health appreciates all your hard work. If you have any questions, please call them at 651-201-5414. Thank you.
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GRANT OPPORTUNITY |
The Minnesota Department of Education invites applications from Minnesota public school districts, charter schools, intermediate school districts and education districts who want to provide an approved summer agricultural program to high school students. There is $250,000 available in state funding from Minnesota Statutes, section 2016 Session Law, Chapter 189, Article 25, section 55, Subdivision 14, for this initiative. Funds may be used to support one-half share of salary and benefits for each licensed agricultural teacher for up to three teachers in each program for a total of up to 40 days for the summer program. Applicants selected for funding must match the amount funded with the grant.
Applicants will decide if they want to offer their approved agricultural summer program during the summer of 2017, or the summer of 2018. A district may offer an approved summer program at more than one high school or for students at more than one high school. However, the program must be the same at each site. Applications are reviewed based on the type of program offered. If a district wishes to provide a different approved summer program, they must submit a separate application.
Applications could serve students in many areas, such as: 1) leadership development activities, 2) service learning, 3) experiential learning, 4) career exploration, 5) farm safety, and 6) program development.
The grant opportunity documents and announcement will be available after August 25, 2016, on the department's grant opportunity site.
Questions are due to Joel Larsen, AFNR Program Specialist, at Joel.larsen@state.mn.us or 651-582-8395. Applications must be received by (not postmarked by) October 17, 2016, 3:30 p.m., Central Time.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT |
The Minnesota Department of Education is offering three Q Comp Application Writing Workshops for districts and charter schools that are interested in learning more about the application process and that are developing applications for submission during the 2016-17 school year.
The workshop will include a brief history of the program, time for teams to discuss alignment to other initiatives, an overview of the application process and requirements, and time to begin designing your Q Comp plan. Interested districts or charter schools are asked to bring a team of administrators and teacher leaders to the training.
All workshops will be held at the department in Conference Center B, Room 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at no charge to participants. Lunch is not provided. Currently, there is a waiting list for Q Comp funding.
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ITEM OF INTEREST |
The Minnesota Board of Teaching has taken the following licensure actions:
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Aronson, Amy (FF# 405267) Ms. Aronson’s license was reinstated on August 24, 2016.
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Coffey, Laurel (FF# 319148) Ms. Coffey’s license was reinstated on August 18, 2016.
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