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IN THIS EDITION
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ACTION ITEMS
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Superintendents and charter school directors are invited to participate in this monthly audio conference call hosted by Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. The first call for this school year is scheduled for Thursday, September 22, 9:30-10:30 a.m. A notice providing dial-in instructions will be sent to you the Monday before each call. Comments to offer and/or questions you would like to ask are encouraged.
Conference Call Schedule: October 19, November 16, December 14, January 18, February 15, March 15, April 19, May 17. All calls are from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
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The Disciplinary Incident Reporting System (DIRS) will soon be open for disciplinary incident submissions for school year 2016-17. Principals must complete reports by July 1, 2017. Superintendents and charter school directors must certify data by July 31, 2017. Access the DIRS web page.
We are currently in the process of updating our DIRS system in order to address new reporting requirements related to physical assaults of district employees by students. We will send notification once the site is ready for submission of data for SY 2016-17. If you have expulsions, exclusions, or physical assaults to report, you will be asked to submit this data once DIRS opens. If you have any questions about how to maintain and document these incidents prior to submission, please contact Sarah Knoph (sarah.knoph@state.mn.us).
Reporting each physical assault of a district employee by a student: Minnesota Statutes, section 121A.53, was updated at the close of the 2016 legislative session to include a heightened reporting requirement for each physical assault of a district employee by a student. Many of these reports were already made in the past. Principals should refer to their district policies in determining reportable incidents.
Updated Reporting Requirements
- The report must be made within 30 calendar days of the effective date of the relevant dismissal action or the date of the assault.
- The report must include:
a) A statement of alternative educational services, or other sanction, intervention, or resolution in response to the assault given the student.
b) The reason for, the effective date, and the duration of the exclusion or expulsion or other sanction, intervention, or resolution.
c) The student’s age, grade, gender, race, and special education status.
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Please remember that athletic data submissions are due on or before October 15 and must be completed on the department’s Athletics Data Reporting web page. The login requires a valid MDE User account before you can log in to the Athletics Data Submission application. If you do not currently have an MDE user account, you will need to create one and then request access to Athletic Data Reporting.
Please contact Sarah Knoph if you need assistance entering your data or receiving access to the site, please contact Sarah Knoph, (sarah.knoph@state.mn.us), 651-582-8359.
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Each school/school district must submit to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) an elementary and secondary athletic program report containing information about both intramural and interscholastic athletics provided by the district. (Minnesota Rule 3535.3600). This report is due to MDE annually, on or before October 15, and must be completed via the department's Athletics Data Reporting web page.
You are required to have a valid MDE User account before you can log in to the Athletics Data Submission application. If you do not currently have an MDE user account, you will need to create one.
Once you have created your MDE account, return to the Athletics Data Reporting page to request access to the page.
If you have questions about reporting this information, please contact Sarah Knoph, (sarah.knoph@state.mn.us), 651-582-8359.
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Read the September 15 memorandum from Angie Johnson. Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) Concurrent Enrollment is a program authorized under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.09, subdivision 10, in which courses are taught in the high school by either a postsecondary professor or an accredited high school teacher that allows students to earn both high school and postsecondary credit, i.e., dual credit. For high schools partnering with postsecondary institutions that are NOT accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP), the signed Concurrent Enrollment Program Aid Application for FY 2017 and required documentation is due to MDE October 30, 2016. The application allows the high school to generate concurrent aid for the dual credit courses that are offered at the high school during the 2016-17 school year. A new signed application is required each school year. Application is not required for partnerships with postsecondary institutions that are NACEP accredited. Access the Concurrent Enrollment Program Aid Application.
If you have any questions, please contact Jacqui McKenzie (jacqui.mckenzie@state.mn.us).
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As first communicated to superintendents in April 2014, all children receiving early learning scholarships must be assigned SSID (State Student Identification) numbers through their resident school district, regardless of where the child is being served. As of July 1, 2016, no scholarship payments can be made on behalf of a child without an assigned SSID number. Your help in continuing to ensure this is completed is critical.
All Pathway I and Pathway II scholarship awards are being entered by Regional Administrators and Pathway II programs. As a reminder, every individual with the SSID Maintainer role has been automatically granted access to the Early Learning Scholarship Administration System (ELSA) with the SSID assigner security role. Each district needs to assign one or more staff with SSID Maintainer role the responsibility to assign SSID numbers for children reported via ELSA. SSID Maintainers must log in to ELSA at least once a month to assign SSID numbers to new resident children with an awarded scholarship. The department has provided and will continue to provide a variety of trainings and resources to support districts in this task.
We appreciate your efforts and support in providing early learning scholarships to children residing in your district. Questions about this may be sent to MDE.ELSA@state.mn.us.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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The Minnesota Department of Education is holding a series of workshops on developing Achievement and Integration (AI) plans. Districts currently in the AI program will be writing three-year plans to be submitted by March 15, 2017. In order to evaluate these plans, the department worked with our federally funded equity center to better align plans with the purpose of the AI program—providing educational equity by increasing integration and closing achievement gaps. As described at meetings with AI districts last spring, the process for new AI plans includes conducting a needs assessment and using a leadership team to develop and manage plans.
At the workshops listed below, we will provide training and resources to support districts with creating their new AI plans.
- October 17, 2016 ‒ Minnesota Department of Education, Roseville
- October 18, 2016 ‒ Redwood Falls
- October 19, 2016 ‒ Redwood Falls
- October 26, 2016 ‒ St. Cloud
- November 10, 2016 ‒ Minnesota Department of Education, Roseville
Register for AI Guidance Session.
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These data workshops will focus on using data to create AI plan goals. District leadership team members who attended one of the 2016 fall guidance session on writing the next AI plan may register. Attendees should bring data collected for the needs assessment described in the AI Plan Guide.
Space at these data workshops is limited. Two sessions have been scheduled thus far, more sessions may be added based on interest.
Participants will leave the workshop with concrete tools for implementing their own improvement process for incorporating school climate data into academic goal-setting.
- November 16, 2016 ‒ Minnesota Department of Education, Roseville
- November 30, 2016 ‒ Minnesota Department of Education, Roseville
Register for AI Data Workshop.
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ITEMS OF INTEREST
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At no cost, your students, teachers, media specialists and other staff can access quality ebooks from many of Minnesota’s independent publishers.
Ebooks Minnesota makes approximately 3,000 titles from publishers such as ABDO, Lerner Publishing Group, Cherry Lake Publishing, University of Minnesota Press, Milkweed Press, Quarto and Coffeehouse Press freely available to all readers within Minnesota’s borders. The collection covers a wide variety of subjects for readers of all ages, including some of Minnesota’s best literature and nonfiction.
No process is required to “check out” a book. Readers can access any book in the collection at any time regardless of how many other readers are also using that book. This feature makes the collection particularly useful for schools that may wish to assign a single book to an entire class or even an entire school—without worrying about checkout limits or due dates. Readers can access the collection online or download an app via the App Store, Google Play, or Kindle Fire HD.
Ebooks Minnesota was made possible in part by funding from the Minnesota Department of Education through a Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Please contact Jen Verbrugge (651-582-8356) with questions or for more information.
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The Minnesota Board of Teaching has taken the following licensure actions:
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Bjerke, Sarah (FF# 493190) On September 9, 2016, the board adopted Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order denying the licensure application of Sarah Bjerke.
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Braaten, Nathan (FF# 381605) On September 9, 2016, the board adopted a stipulation agreement and consent order whereby Nathan Braaten’s teaching license is revoked.
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Brown, Marc (FF# 492153) On September 9, 2016, the board adopted a stipulation agreement and consent order whereby Marc Brown’s teaching license will be renewed but subject to certain conditions and a stayed suspension.
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Ford, Webster L. (FF# 451872) On September 9, 2016, the board adopted a stipulation agreement and consent order suspending the teaching license of Webster Lawrence Ford for a period of two years.
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O’Brien, Donna (FF# 493684) On September 9, 2016, the board adopted Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order regarding the denial of licensure application for Donna O’Brien.
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Vetterkind, Andrea (FF# 474883) On September 9, 2016, the board adopted a stipulation agreement and consent order whereby Andrea Vetterkind’s teaching license will be suspended for a period of six months.
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