MDE Weekly Superintendent Mail - 7-27-17

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Weekly Briefing for Superintendents and Directors

7/27/2017

IN THIS EDITION

ACTION ITEMS

Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) Program – New Legislation

PSEO and concurrent enrollment eligibility and program requirements are outlined in Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.09, the Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act. During the 2017 legislative session, the following pieces were added, effective during the 2017-18 school year:

  • Definition of concurrent enrollment, subdivision 3 (c): Eligible dual credit courses, taught by a secondary teacher or postsecondary faculty member, offered at the high school for which the district is eligible to receive concurrent enrollment aid under section 124D.091.
  • Adoption of district grade weighting policies, subdivision 12 (c): A school board must adopt a policy stating whether or not the district offers weighted grades for any course. A list of courses for which a student may earn a weighted grade must be published annually on the district’s website. 
  • Access to building and technology for PSEO students, subdivision 11a: A school district must allow a student enrolled in a PSEO course to remain at the school site during regular school hours. Districts must adopt a policy that provides PSEO students reasonable access during regular school hours to a computer and other technology resources that the student needs to complete coursework for a PSEO course.

The PSEO Reference Guide has been updated to reflect these additions and is available on the PSEO Program and PSEO Finance pages of the Minnesota Department of Education website. If you have PSEO course or program questions, please email Beth Barsness or call 651-582-8336. For PSEO finance or reporting questions, please email Jeanne Krile or call 651-582-8637.

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TRAININGS

SERVS Financial Undrawn Funds for Federal Fiscal Year 2015 WebEx Training – Tuesday, August 15

The Minnesota Department of Education invites you to participate in a WebEx session regarding requirements for handling undrawn funds for FFY 2015, State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2016. Please share with anyone who enters special education data on EDRS, SERVS or UFARS.

  • Date: Tuesday, August 15, 2017
  • Time: 1 p.m., Central Daylight Time
  • Event Number: 592 115 844
  • Event Password: servs

Agenda: 1-2 p.m. – Review LEAs and steps for reconciling and closing a special education application grant. We will focus on Federal Fiscal Year 2015, which is part of State Fiscal Year 2016.

To register for this WebEx, please visit the MDE Calendar. This session does require a registration password. Following your registration, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with instructions on how to join the event. If you do not receive a registration confirmation e-mail within two hours of registration, please email Michelle Carey or call 651-582-8848.
 
Presentation materials and the WebEx link to join the presentation will be emailed to registered participants on Friday, August 11.

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Training Opportunity for School Immunization Reporting

The Minnesota Department of Health is providing a School Immunization Reporting Webinar on Monday, August 21, 2017, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

  1. Understand school immunization reporting requirements and expectations.
  2. Use the Minnesota Immunization Information Connection (MIIC) to get information for the Annual Immunization Status Report (AISR).
  3. Complete the AISR. 
  4. Find useful resources for school immunization reporting.
  5. Identify whom to contact for help with school immunization reporting.

To find more information and register for the webinar, visit For School Health Personnel. Nurses can get one hour of continuing education credit for participating. If you have any questions, email Health.AISR@state.mn.us.

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ITEMS OF INTEREST

Minnesota Board of Teaching Licensure Actions

The Minnesota Board of Teaching has taken the following licensure actions:

  • Wood, Steven (FF #442982) Mr. Wood’s license was suspended on July 20, 2017, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 270C.72, until he meets requirements of the Board of Teaching.
  • Sandvig, Lois (FF #321551) Ms. Sandvig’s license was suspended on July 24, 2017, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 270C.72, until she meets requirements of the Board of Teaching.

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Website Refresh Coming This Weekend

The department’s website will begin switching to a new design over this coming weekend, completing on August 1. We are adopting a new logo and color scheme that reflects the new consistent visual identity of State of Minnesota agencies. At the same time, we are switching to a responsive design, which means our website will be significantly more usable by folks using mobile phones and tablets to navigate the site.

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ESSA Public Comment Period Starts August 1

After more than a year of stakeholder and public engagement, we will post Minnesota’s draft state plan for complying with and implementing the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaces No Child Left Behind. The plan will be posted on our ESSA page beginning August 1, 2017, for a 30-day public comment period. We will be holding regional town halls throughout the second half of August to walk Minnesotans through the plan and hear their feedback. Register now to attend one of these statewide meetings.

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MCA Release Coming August 7

The 2017 MCA and MTAS summary test results will be available in Secure Reports to districts only, beginning Friday, August 4. We will release MCA results to media and to the public at the same time on Monday morning, August 7. Results will appear on the easy-to-use Minnesota Report Card, which displays the results in customizable charts and graphs. Results will also be in our Data Center as Excel spreadsheets for those who prefer to sort and filter data tables. We are not doing a media embargo period this year, a practice that has been almost universally frustrating for users. Data will be ready August 7, and as soon as they are posted, media may publish them.

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Update - Commissioner's Dialogue with Superintendents – Conference Call Schedule

You are invited to participate in the monthly audio conference calls during the school year. It is intended that regular monthly dialogues with you will provide insight into hot topics, answer your questions and most importantly, to hear your ideas about how we can work together to help all students learn at their highest potential. Come ready with your questions, comments and ideas for sharing with your fellow superintendents.

The calls are normally scheduled for the third Wednesday of the month, however there are two date exceptions indicated below. All calls are held 9:30-10:30 a.m. You will receive call-in instructions prior to each call.

Wednesday, September 20
Wednesday, October 18
Tuesday, November 7 * Please note change from 11/8 to 11/7 *
Thursday, December 14 *
Wednesday, January 17
Wednesday, February 21
Wednesday, March 21
Wednesday, April 18
Wednesday, May 16

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