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IN THIS EDITION |
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PRESS RELEASE |
Twelve school districts across Minnesota receive grant funding to expand wireless internet access. Read January 12 press release.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT |
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), in partnership with the Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM), is offering webinars designed specifically for K-12 mathematics teachers.
Listen live, learn and chat with math teachers as they share their grade level experiences working with their students. Register for one webinar and join either the first session ‒ 2:45-3:30 p.m., or the second session ‒ 3:30-4:15 p.m., or join both! (Sessions are identical, but discussion will vary.) Please consider watching the webinar as a team.
Upcoming Webinars:
- February 7, 2017 ‒ Mathematics and the Path to Equity
- May 23, 2017 ‒ Teaching and Assessment for a Growth Mindset
Register at MDE Calendar!
View Recorded Webinars:
If you have any questions, Contact Terry Alvarado.
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The Minnesota Department of Education, together with Consul Gerardo Guerrero of the Mexican Consulate ‒ St. Paul, and Roberto Garcia Gonzalez, education advisor for the Embassy of Spain ‒ Chicago, will host an information session for both the Mexican and Spanish visiting teacher programs on Monday, February 6, 2017, 9-11:30 a.m., in Room 18, at the Minnesota Department of Education, Conference Center B.
Both visiting teacher programs exist to invite native Spanish-speaking teachers to teach language and culture in immersion, dual language and other programs for which native level language is required and local teachers are not available at present. Information regarding new Department of State requirements as of February 2017 will be presented. The new regulations made changes to teacher qualifications and required information to be provided to teachers. The regulations also allow requests for extensions to year four and five. Attendance at the informational meeting is not a commitment to participate in the visiting teacher program.
Please email Ursula Lentz if you plan to attend and if you have any questions.
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The Minnesota Department of Education and the Regional Centers of Excellence are pleased to offer a Minnesota Early Indicator and Response System (MEIRS) Training Webinar for superintendents, principals, school psychologists, counselors, and other staff who will use the data to plan student interventions for students at risk of dropping out. A district team is encouraged to participate. The MEIRS data is generated for students in sixth and ninth grades. The objectives of the training are to review the definitions of MEIRS variables, understand the benefits of Early Indicator and Response Systems, review Minnesota’s 2014 graduation rate, understand the value of the tool, review the seven-step MEIRS implementation cycle, and discover where to locate effective strategies and other resources.
MEIRS data updates around February 1 of each year.
NOTE: Access to the MEIRS secured data site will be provided to the district designee upon successful completion of the training and receipt of the authorization from the superintendent.
Upcoming MEIRS Webinar Dates and Times:
- Wednesday, January 18, 2017 – 3:30-4:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, February 7, 2017 – 7:30-8:30 a.m.
- Wednesday, February 22, 2017 – 3:30-4:30 p.m.
- Thursday, March 9, 2017 – 7:30-8:30 a.m.
- Tuesday, March 28, 2017 – 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Open a Google form to register.
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The Minnesota Department of Education will be providing a series of Data Center webinars. Each training will be presented twice. To join the webinar, call 1-888-742-5095 and use the conference code of 901 306 2548. For each webinar, you can join five minutes before the scheduled starting time.
Secure Reports Webinar:
Data Reports and Analytics Webinar:
ECLDS and SLEDS Webinar:
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ACTION ITEMS |
Superintendents and charter school directors are invited to participate in this monthly audio conference call hosted by Commissioner Brenda Cassellius. The next call is scheduled for Wednesday, January 18, 9:30-10:30 a.m. A notice providing dial-in instructions will be sent prior to the call. Comments to offer and/or questions you would like to ask are encouraged.
Conference Call Schedule: February 15, March 15, April 19, May 17. All calls are from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
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The Early Learning Scholarships Pathway II application for FY18 and FY19 is now available. Applications are due to MDE by 4 p.m., Wednesday, February 15.
School districts and charter schools with Four Star Parent Aware-Rated early learning programs received notice of available funding for FY18 and FY19 on January 12, 2017. Applications must be submitted through the electronic application survey emailed to the district’s School Readiness contact and Charter School Director by 4 p.m., Wednesday, February 15, 2017. The next application period will not be available until FY2020.
Questions should be submitted to MDE.PathwayII@state.mn.us by February 7, 2017. Answers to questions will be posted weekly on the Pathway II Resources webpage during the application period. A recorded webinar will be made available with the question and answer document. Eligibility to receive Pathway II scholarships requires a program to have and maintain a Four Star Parent-Aware rating.
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In July 2016, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the final rule within the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act on the Local Wellness Policy. This rule has new requirements for each local education agency to implement by June 30, 2017. Each school district has the local authority to create a unique, purposeful policy that works for their own school communities. To assist districts in navigating this new federal rule, MDE has identified below a few resources that may be of assistance.
District leadership teams have the responsibility to review the requirements and begin revising the policy to meet the new regulations. MDE will review local school wellness policies during the school nutrition program administrative reviews that occur once every three years. School nutrition program staff will have the opportunity to provide on-site technical assistance during the administrative review.
Please also consult with professional organizations throughout this process as well as the vast wellness policy resources that USDA has available online. In addition, MDE has updated resources and templates on our Local Wellness Policy webpage. Please contact mde.fns@state.mn.us with any questions you may have.
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In order to hear from as many Minnesotans as possible, we have created a survey to gather feedback about ESSA. The survey is available in four languages, and all responses are anonymous. We encourage all stakeholders, parents, students, teachers and staff to participate. Please share this opportunity with interested parties. The survey is open until January 31. Please contact mde.essa@state.mn.us with any questions.
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ITEMS OF INTEREST |
The Office of Career and College Success would like input from districts and charter schools on a survey related to Minnesota’s Career and College Readiness (CCR) programming. Responses from this survey will assist our office with developing high-quality resources to support your work related to Career and College Readiness and the World’s Best Workforce Goal #4 (all students career and college ready).
The Career and College Readiness (CCR) Survey will take approximately 5-7 minutes to complete. We are requesting feedback from personnel in your district/school who are involved or interested in Career and College Readiness ‒ including superintendents, principals, administrators, counselors, curriculum leaders, teachers, career specialists and work-based learning coordinators. Please also forward to the person in your district/school who completes and submits your World’s Best Workforce Report Summary.
We appreciate your time and effort spent answering these questions and sharing this survey opportunity. The survey will close on January 31. If you have any questions or problems completing the survey, contact Beth Barsness.
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Governor Dayton has issued a proclamation naming the week of January 23-27, 2017, as Paraprofessional Recognition Week. This week gives schools an opportunity to thank the 20,000 paraprofessionals who provide services in multiple settings in Minnesota’s schools. Please see the January 3 memorandum that provides activity suggestions for Paraprofessional Recognition Week.
A copy of the proclamation, and a certificate of commendation that can be downloaded to insert the names of your paraprofessionals, are available on the Paraprofessionals page of the MDE website.
For more information, contact Barbara Sisco, 651-582-8226![]( "Call: 651-582-8226") .
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The Minnesota Board of Teaching has taken the following licensure actions:
- Keller, Anthony (FF #360720) Mr. Keller’s license was reinstated on January 6, 2017.
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