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September 13, 2024
Updates in this email:
The Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) will be administered between January and June 2025. School districts that participate are obligated to notify families of the upcoming survey administration under the Protection of Pupils Rights Amendment (PPRA). There are two steps you must follow:
- Notification of your district’s planned participation in the 2025 MSS must be included in your district’s annual PPRA notification.
- Prior to administration of the MSS, you must distribute a more comprehensive notification letter to parents and guardians. Sample letters will be provided no later than November 2024.
Additional information about the MSS will be coming this fall. If you have immediate questions, please contact MDE.StudentSurvey@state.mn.us.
The new Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families offers a variety of grant opportunities for early learning providers, child care providers, Tribal Nations and others. Please visit Grant RFP Programs | Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families to see the latest grant opportunities and sign up for weekly updates.
Minnesota continues to see an increase of measles cases, primarily in unvaccinated children ages 2-10 years old. There have been 40 confirmed cases of measles in Minnesota in 2024 related to the current outbreak, with roughly one third of cases being hospitalized. Any unvaccinated people who are exposed to measles need to remain out of school and other high-risk activities for up to 21 days to prevent further cases of measles. Because measles spreads easily through the air, even before people may have symptoms, a single case of measles at a school can, and has, led to the entire school being exposed.
Here are several steps you can take to learn more about measles and prepare for a measles case in your school: review and refer to Preparing for and Responding to Measles in Your School.
In 2014, the Minnesota Legislature approved funding for full-day kindergarten across the state and was an important turning point to increasing access to quality early learning for all Minnesotan children.
In light of this important milestone, we want to elevate the critical role kindergarten plays in the K-12 experience, identify opportunities for growth and increased support, and to celebrate the incredible work being done in kindergarten classrooms! Stay tuned for more and we hope you will all join us in this celebration!
“Kindergarten has been a wonderful experience for my family so far. It has been great to see my child learn and grow in so many ways. I love how kindergarten has helped my child develop socially and emotionally as well as academically.” - Kindergarten parent
“And I just love being their launch into their elementary school careers because they are really ready to be there, they want to be there. They’re excited to be there every day and really say the darndest things. They really do. But they’re always really excited about everything that we’re learning and it’s just – it's really fun to be part of all that excitement.” - Kindergarten teacher
If you have any questions about kindergarten in Minnesota, please contact Olivia Christensen.
On April 22, 2024, the Office of Management and Budget issued revisions to the Uniform Guidance (2 C.F.R. 200), or the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. You can find details of the key changes in the Federal Register: Vol. 89, No. 78 / Monday, April 22, 2024. The Uniform Guidance is one of the primary regulations that applies to federal awards. The effective date of the revisions is October 1, 2024. To explain key changes, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) recently issued Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
As a result of the Uniform Guidance changes, we are sharing this information to help you prepare. Consider reviewing the Federal Register and FAQ and work with your staff to update your written policies and procedures, update materials as needed, and training staff as appropriate. We are sharing this information to help you prepare as a result of the Uniform Guidance changes.
Districts and charter schools offering concurrent enrollment courses in partnership with eligible institutions during the 2024-25 school year are eligible for aid reimbursements per student per course.
For more information, read the September 3, 2024, memorandum from the Career and College Success Division or email mde.postsecondary@state.mn.us. Visit the MDE Calendar for Concurrent Enrollment Aid Overview session information.
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Communications Office regularly shares news and announcements via news releases. You can subscribe to receive these via our News Release list. Read our recent releases on our News Releases webpage.
Funding is available to schools and districts for the implementation of high-quality educator training and planning for K-12 expansion of computer science (CS) learning experiences. The primary goal of this grant is to support the expanded access of CS education to all K-12 students in Minnesota, particularly those from underrepresented groups, to support schools and districts in developing a plan for expanding and sustaining equitable computer science, and to support educators in delivering high-quality computer science instruction.
The total amount available is $165,000 to fund up to 11 grants of $15,000 each for applicants new to computer science with no current computer science offerings. $250,000 is available to fund up to 5 grants of $50,000 each for applicants with an existing computer science program looking to expand. The application due date is by September 13 at 5 p.m. Learn more about the grant requirements and timeline at K-12 Computer Science Education Advancement Grants – State Fiscal Year 2025.
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