ITEMS OF INTEREST
The School Safety Technical Assistance Center and the Special Education Division join with Special Olympics Minnesota in encouraging everyone to participate in the Spread the Word Inclusion Day on March 6, 2019—a day focused on ensuring inclusion for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In schools, workplaces, and communities around the world, local leaders are taking a pledge to create socially inclusive places to learn, work, and live. The Special Olympics’ campaign had previously been Spread the Word to End the Word, which focused on eliminating the use of the R-word (retard). Mental retardation had been a medical term for people with intellectual disabilities, but the R-word morphed into a negative and offensive term.
In 2019, Spread the Word to End the Word became Spread the Word, with a focus not just on the elimination of a word but on the creation of a new reality: inclusion for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Learn more on the Spread the Word Inclusion website. School staff, students and families can take actions to advance inclusion on March 6 and all year long. If you or your school wants to hold events and activities to spread inclusion, request a free Spread the Word Inclusion resource kit by contacting Special Olympics Minnesota’s Nick Cedergren (763-270-7177). For more information about preventing bullying and improving school climate, review center resources.
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Statute requires public schools to provide a minimum number of instructional hours each school year: 425 hours for kindergarten; 850 hours for full-day, daily kindergarten; 935 hours for grades one through six; and 1,020 hours for grades seven through 12. Through the Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System (MARSS), all schools report the number of instructional days provided at each grade level served. An instructional day is a day on which all students in a school and grade are required to attend and participate in instructional activities at the same time. Schools also report the average length of the instructional day in terms of minutes for each grade. The length of the school day includes a supervised recess for elementary students and passing time for secondary students. The school day starts at the time after which a student would be marked tardy or absent if not in attendance. The school day ends when the first students are released. The length of day excludes meals, to and from transportation time, and any time during which not all students in the school and grade are required to attend, e.g., a zero-hour course. From this information, MDE computes the annual instructional hours for each school and grade: instructional days times length of school day (in terms of minutes) divided by 60 (to convert minutes to hours). More information can be found in Appendix B of the MARSS Manual.
For further information, contact Kelly Wosika (651-582-8855) or Sharon Peck (651-582-8811).
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Paraprofessional Recognition Week will be held March 4-8, 2019. There are over 20,000 paraprofessionals in Minnesota working hard every day to make sure every child has the education they need to succeed in school and life. Thank them for their hard work by recognizing their efforts and contributions! Please see the February 21 memorandum that provides activity suggestions for Paraprofessional Recognition Week. Watch for further information on the Paraprofessional webpage. If you have any questions, contact Barbara Sisco (651-582-8226).
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WEBINARS
Our webinar series focused on addressing disproportionalities in discipline will continue next week with Webinar 4. The series is focused on managing effective data conversations, assessing inclusion models, working toward cultural and linguistic competence, addressing implicit bias, and conducting root cause analyses. Hosted in collaboration with the Illinois State Board of Education and the Midwest Comprehensive Center, the next webinar in the series will take place on Wednesday, February 27, 2019, at 3 p.m.
Learn how the Addressing the Root Causes of Disparities in School Discipline Guidebook—produced by the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments—can assist with improvement efforts. The guidebook includes tools to help you assess and systematically address disparities in school discipline. The webinar series will provide an overview of the guidebook and opportunities for you to look at your data and apply the guidebook’s tools. The webinar series covers the following topics:
- Webinar 1 took place on January 16, 3-4:30 p.m.
- Webinar 2 took place on January 30, 3-4:30 p.m., and was repeated on February 6, 3-4:30 p.m.
- Webinar 3 took place on February 13, 3-4:30 p.m.
- Webinar 4 will discuss measuring the action plan, including monitoring as the plan progresses. Webinar 4 will take place on February 27, 3-4:30 p.m.
Recommended participants include district and school administrators, leadership teams, counselors, deans, and any educators interested in supporting this conversation in their schools. Attendees are welcome to join individually or with team members.
Register for Webinar 4 today!
Questions contact Greg Keith (651-582-8316).
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