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IN THIS EDITION |
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ACTION ITEMS |
Thank you to all who participated in today's conference call! We had a full agenda and hope that the information provided was helpful. Superintendents and charter school directors are invited to participate in this monthly audio conference call hosted by Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. Here are the dates for the remainder of the school year: 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 Minnesota Department of Education is hosting a series of regional meetings for stakeholders, and there are other ways you can get involved, too. For more information and to register to attend a regional meeting, visit the Stakeholder Meetings page. All events will be held 6-7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 5 – Duluth
- Thursday, October 6 – Bemidji
- Thursday, October 13 – Marshall
- Friday, October 14 – Rochester
- Wednesday, October 26 – St. Cloud
- Thursday, November 3 – Burnsville
You can also go directly to the regional meeting registration form.
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The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Drinking Water Program provides guidance to school administrators on the sources and health effects of lead and copper in drinking water. The guidance manual, Reducing Lead in Drinking Water: A Technical Guidance for Minnesota’s School and Child Care Facilities, is intended for use by all public and private schools in Minnesota.
The manual is designed to assist Minnesota's schools in minimizing student and staff lead exposure. It provides instructions regarding testing and corrective actions intended for school health, safety, and maintenance personnel as well as consultants working with educational agencies. MDH also encourages school administrators to distribute lead information to parents so that they can evaluate exposure to lead from all potential sources in their homes.
The following information and guidance materials are available on the Drinking Water in Schools page of the MDH website.
- Reducing Lead in Drinking Water: A Technical Guidance for Minnesota’s School and Child Care Facilities
- Reducing Children’s Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water
- Let it Run…..and Get the Lead Out!!! (English, Spanish and Hmong versions)
Access additional information about Lead in Schools on the MDH website. Local water suppliers are also a great first resource/partner for information about water quality.
Lead Testing and Abatement Allowable Uses of Long-Term Facilities Maintenance Revenue
Districts are encouraged to perform lead in water testing every five years, or when pipes or fixtures are modified. The cost of sampling and analysis of water, paint and soil due to possible lead contamination qualify for funding. More detailed information is available on the Minnesota Department of Education Facilities and Technology website. See Page 7 of Long-Term Facilities Maintenance Revenue Guide for Allowable Expenditures. See also Minnesota Statutes, sections 144.9501-144.9509, Lead in water; Testing and Mitigation.
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The
USPSP was established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, and since that
time, the program has honored more than over 7,000 outstanding high school
seniors. The mission of the program is to recognize and honor outstanding high
school seniors, and thereby encourage high attainment among all students. Students are selected on
the basis of outstanding scholarship.
Chief
State School Officers are invited this year to nominate up to 20 candidates
from their states for the general component of the program and an additional
five students for the CTE component. Please consider nominating students in
your district who are outstanding high school seniors. Read the memorandum from Commissioner Brenda Cassellius for nomination details.
If
you have questions, please contact Terry Alvarado at terry.alvarado@state.mn.us.
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Holly Brunson is the new Outreach and Training Specialist for the Division of Statewide Testing. This position was created to meet the needs educators have expressed. There are two major components of the position that districts should be aware of. First, Holly will be supporting teachers, schools, and districts as they look at the testing data available through the Data Center. As she travels around the state, she will help facilitate conversations around what data is available and how this information could be used in a meaningful way. Second, Holly will be working to create a teacher-friendly interface for teachers to access resources to help inform planning and strategies and make the assessment resources more easily accessible. Holly’s position works with each team within the division of Statewide Testing and collaborates with staff across the agency. You may also see Holly responding to data requests through the Data Analytics inbox.
Before joining MDE this past June, Holly worked in an elementary school as an intervention specialist, classroom teacher, grades 5 and 6 skills teacher, and Title I/gifted education teacher. She is excited to work at the state level supporting educators.
Please feel free to contact Holly if you are interested in hosting a brainstorming session for the teacher-friendly interface or need training on the data available in the Data Center: holly.brunson@state.mn.us or 651-582-8563.
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The Tablet Size Comparability Study has been cancelled due to the loss of approximately 200 grade 11 student participants. Despite best attempts, replacement students could not be identified at short notice.
We appreciate the support of districts that agreed to participate in the research study. We also appreciate the thoughtful consideration of those districts who were contacted at late notice this past week regarding possible participation.
The purpose of the Minnesota Tablet Size Comparability Study was to look at the impact of tablet size on student test scores. A decision to allow testing on “mini” tablets could not be provided without completing this research. Due to this cancellation, iPad minis will not be supported in either the 2016-2017 or the 2017-2018 administrations. The minimum screen size for supported tablets will remain 9.5-inch, which is unchanged from previous specifications. All supported devices and specifications can be found on the TestNav System Requirements page of the Pearson Assessment Support website. View system requirements (Pearson Assessment Support > TestNav 8 > TestNav System Requirements).
If you have questions regarding the tablet study, please contact Jennifer Dugan (jennifer.dugan@state.mn.us).
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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 the department 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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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT |
A new Fall Discipline Scenarios Webinar Series will provide administrators, teachers and other district staff members with additional strategies and perspectives for addressing challenging situations that are traditionally thought of as discipline issues. Presenters will share stories based on compliance calls received from parents and school districts. Presenters will brainstorm new ideas and solutions to the most relevant discipline challenges facing our schools and touch on broader compliance issues including alternatives to suspension; closing the achievement gap; diversity and equity, and restorative justice. We will also explore how all of these issues intersect. Panelists include presenters from the Minnesota Department of Education Divisions of Compliance and Assistance, Special Education, and the School Safety Technical Assistance Center.
CEUs will be provided for teachers for each individual session attended and for administrators completing all three parts of the series. Learn more about the webinars and register.
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The Minnesota Department of Education and the Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium would like to invite K12 teachers and administrators to Educator Day II at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, 350 Harbor Drive, Duluth. This event will be held Wednesday, October 26, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Teachers and Administrators attending will learn about ArcGIS and ArcGIS Online mapping resource tools that are available FREE to all schools. This event will include breaks, snacks, lunch and a luncheon speaker. This year’s speaker is Gina Hollinday, a high school teacher from Duluth Denfeld, and two of her students. Up to seven CEUs will be available for teachers AND administrators. Substitute reimbursement is available if needed.
Discover the basics of using ArcGIS Online in your classroom. If you are a GIS user already, then you may be interested in intermediate and some advanced techniques. Story Maps are all the rage so let’s learn more about how they are developed. What is Survey123 and how can my students use it to collect and map data? ALL sessions will have a current classroom teacher as the instructor. This is for both beginning and advanced ArcGIS Online users with specific sessions on Story Maps, Web Apps, ORG accounts, Geo-Inquiries, Crowd-Sourced maps and Curriculum topics. The schedule provides opportunities to collaborate with other teachers and GIS professionals on projects for the classroom. Here is your chance to learn about ArcGIS Online, collaborate with other teachers, both public and nonpublic, mingle and develop mentor opportunities with GIS professionals that could last years.
Please refer questions to Scott Freburg (scott.freburg@state.mn.us), (651) 582-8789. More information can be found on the registration page.
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The Minnesota Department of Education is pleased to announce a two-day training workshop for all gifted education coordinators and specialists. The workshop provides an overview of legislation, reporting requirements, funding, the identification of students for services, and models of service. The workshops also include representatives of districts of all sizes and models of services. If you have any questions, please contact Wendy Behrens (wendy.behrens@state.mn.us).
Learn more about the workshop and register online at Metro ECSU.
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The Full-Time Gifted Programs Network focuses on the unique needs of schools that have full-time programs for the gifted or are exploring the possibility of creating one. Each full-day session will be held at the department in Conference Center B, Room 16, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. There is no charge to the participant to attend, but lunch is on your own. All are welcome.
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October 28, 2016 – Early to Rise: Long-term Effects of Acceleration
Guest Speaker: Katie McClarty, Ph.D., Chief Assessment Officer, Questar
Minnesota Department of Education, Conference Center B, Room 16
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December 9, 2016 – On-Location: Full-Time Network Visits Three Suburban Districts*
Guest speakers: Staff and students at three full-time gifted schools
Minnesota Department of Education, Conference Center B, Room 16
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January 27, 2017 – TBA
Minnesota Department of Education, Conference Center A, Room 13
Register for the Full-Time Gifted Program Network Meetings.
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Dr. Scott J. Peters, University of Wisconsin, will explore
various options for locating larger numbers of students from traditionally
underrepresented populations for gifted and talented programs. These options
will include how using different tests (such as nonverbal ability and
performance assessments) and using common assessments differently can result
in greater numbers of low-income, ELL, and racial/ethnic minority students
being identified for advanced academic interventions. Size, racial / ethnic /
economic diversity, and diversity of educational need of the identified
populations will also be considered as this session focuses on how to best
locate all learners who have unmet needs. Target audience: gifted education coordinators and specialists, K-12 classroom teachers and
administrators. Location: Minnesota Department of Education, Conference Center B, Room 15. If you have any questions, please contact Wendy Behrens (wendy.behrens@state.mn.us).
Learn
more about the workshop and register online at Metro ECSU.
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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. At the workshops listed below, we will provide training and resources to support districts with creating their new AI plans. Please note the corrected date for the first session below.
- October 10, 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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ITEMS OF INTEREST |
If you have not already done so, sign up for Learning Matters. Updates regarding ESSA will be a regular feature of this newsletter. Read previous issues.
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The U.S. Senate Youth Program is a nationwide program that brings high school students to Washington, D.C., for an onsite introduction to the functions of federal government, particularly the U.S. Senate.
Selected students will learn about the Senate and meet with political leaders March 4-11, 2017. In addition, each delegate will be awarded a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate studies, with encouragement to pursue coursework in history and political science. To be eligible, students must be in 11th or 12th grade and hold an elected office (student government, civic, community, etc.) during the 2016-2017 school year.
The program is sponsored by the U.S. Senate. All expenses for U.S. Senate Youth students are paid by The Hearst Foundations. Visit the U.S. Senate Youth Program website. Access the application form.
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The Minnesota
Board of Teaching has taken the following licensure actions:
- Breiland-Hodgson, Sondra (FF# 146308) Ms. Breiland-Hodgson’s license was suspended on September 21, 2016, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 214.101, subdivision 1(b), until she meets requirements of the Board of Teaching.
- Hozian, LaToya (FF# 450409) Ms. Hozian’s license was suspended on September 21, 2016, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 214.101, subdivision 1(b), until she meets requirements of the Board of Teaching.
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