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Weekly Blast 

April 11, 2024

Federal Funding

In late March 2024, Congress passed the annual appropriations bill, which provides federal funding for school districts for the 2024-2025 school year. The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) has received estimated state allocations for some federal title programs, as shown in the chart below. Our fiscal office will now generate the estimated district allocations. 

ACT and WorkKeys: What, Why, and How for the 2024-25 School Year

A transition is underway with the move to the ND A+ assessment system, including the move away from the ACT as a high school state-funded assessment for accountability. What isn’t changing is the ACT and WorkKeys as measures that support Choice Ready, North Dakota Scholarship, 4-Year Rolling Plan, CREAM – and more.  As several North Dakota high schools have already chosen to do, you can continue to provide the ACT and WorkKeys on a school day through ACT District Testing. In fact, ACT Research for North Dakota shows that school-day administration removes barriers and opens doors for all students. No matter how the ACT and WorkKeys have been made available to your students, this is a good time to learn more about these important college and career readiness measures in the context of North Dakota. Please join an upcoming webinar to gain insights and details for the “what, why, and how” for ACT District Testing as you build your assessment plans and schedules for the 24-25 school year.  

Webinar Options:

1. Click here to join the Thursday, April 25 webinar at noon CT.
2. Click here to join the Wednesday, May 1 webinar at 3:00 PM CT.

Presenter: Kim Rasmussen, ACT Account Executive ND, KS, CO

K-12 Data Modernization Project Updates

Subject Matter Expert/Stakeholder Analysis meetings are taking place twice a week. There are multiple focus groups of stakeholders, and the state is making progress by identifying the essential components and priority list.

• An inventory of systems has been completed to gain an understanding of the current functions within the K-12 data ecosystem.
• A market evaluation has been completed to understand student information systems. The state will look at the options available and the vendors that provide those solutions.
• SME/stakeholder analysis meetings with specific stakeholder groups are held multiple times weekly. There are 24 groups of stakeholders, and progress is being made by identifying the essential outcomes from each group.
• Stakeholder engagement (LEA feedback) sessions are being held this week to gain insight from the field.
• The Stakeholder Engagement Survey closed at the end of March.
• State interviews have been completed to understand other states’ current solutions and past projects related to data modernization efforts.

As stated at the beginning of the K-12 Data Modernization Project, our focus is to research and identify a proven solution to meet the new core needs for a K-12 data system.

Join the Bank of North Dakota on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 11:00 AM CT when we share the impactful new financial literacy website available to all of North Dakota, SmartWIthMyMoney.nd.gov. Lance Hill, CEPF, Leader of Education Outreach and Financial Literacy, will share what makes this site different from many financial literacy tools in the marketplace.

Register and learn how your school can play a role in making North Dakota the most financially literate state by 2024.

ND PL Network Spring Convening 

Join us for a day of learning, collaborating, and sharing personalized practices at the district, building, and classroom levels.

• Date: April 17, 2024    
• Time: 8:30 AM – 3:30 PM CT    
• Where: NDSU, Memorial Union, 1401 Administration Ave, Fargo, ND

Northern Cass is proud to announce the 2024 Northern Cass Personalized Learning Institute! You will hear from experts in the field on how they have led their districts in the transformation to personalized learning. National keynoters include Virgel Hammonds, Dr. Joe Sanfelippo, Aylon Samouha, and Dr. Phil Warrick. Additional keynotes are Matt Shea, Cederick Ellis, and Deborah Gist, who collectively bring practical expertise and will inspire you with strategies to shift your practice. Not only will you hear their story, but you will also work in small groups and receive coaching from experts leaving you with an action plan on how to begin or continue your transformation. You will also be the first attendees to hear a 'Call to Action' by learners as to why we need to transform our current education system. This conference is for everyone, as there will be breakout sessions for all areas. Administrators, teachers, and specialists will find ideas and strategies to implement immediately in your district.

The conference costs $160/person or $135/person for groups of 5 or more. Join us for the Personalized Learning Institute on Wednesday, June 12, and Thursday, June 13. The conference will be held at Northern Cass School in Hunter, North Dakota. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn Express at West Acres (reference Northern Cass block).

To register, click here.

PowerSchool Workshops April 15-19

Tuesday, April 16

PowerSchool ADA/ADM, 2:00 PM CT via Teams, register here. 

Wednesday, April 17

PowerScheduler Load Help Day, 8:30 AM CT West Fargo, register here.   

Required End-of-Year Workshops Now Available 

Sign up early to get the location you want. End of Year sessions are REQUIRED and are offered as 5-hour sessions throughout June/July in various locations across the state. Each district MUST bring one person per school in your district to the SAME session.

*For example, if you have a high school and an elementary school, your district will need at least two people to attend a session on the same date/location.

If you DO NOT have one person per school available, separate trainings are scheduled for you to attend on June 11 in Bismarck or June 19 in West Fargo. This will allow all individuals to stay on pace with the material presented and not feel rushed or wait for others to complete multiple schools.

Click here to get the list of available end-of-year workshops.

Join the YCC Team for a Site Visit on April 25

A site visit at the Youth Correctional Center (YCC) is scheduled for April 25, 2024. It will include a short tour of YCC, a history of the campus, and opportunities to visit classrooms and engage with students. You will be able to look at the Profile of a Lifelong Learner, including rubrics, teaching progressions, and pre-assessments. Educators can share their progress and how it will impact learning across content.

The workshop will focus on the following key elements from the Personalized Learning Framework: Learner Supports and Continuum of Learning.

To register, click here.

The State Automated Reporting System (STARS) is now open to submit state-funded summer school programs for all students in grades K-12.

Schools are required to complete two reports for program approval:

1. The Summer School Application
2. The 2024 Summer School Licensed Personnel (MIS03)

The summer school application(s) and the MIS03 report must be submitted simultaneously. If you need assistance with completing your STARS reporting, the following were created to assist you:

• Help Document
• Guidance
• FAQ

All summer school applications must be received 15 days before your program starts. The NDDPI will send a letter to the district confirming approval of your summer school program. Only summer school programs that meet the provisions identified in the administrative rules and those that have received approval from the NDDPI before the start of the summer school program are eligible to receive state aid payments.

Do NOT submit a summer school MIS03 or application if you’re not holding a program.

If you have any questions, please contact Angie Thomas at (701) 328-2597.

The 2023-2024 spring calendar submission is due June 1, 2024. Before submitting your spring calendar, you must do the following:

• Verify that what was entered in the fall calendar is accurate.
• You may need to add/delete exception days (e.g., storm days)
• Any day that deviates from a regular school day must be entered as an exception day (e.g., late starts, early dismissals)

• Public schools must complete the Student Performance Strategist section.

• The spring calendar directly impacts your ADM calculation and MUST be submitted before submitting the Enrollment Report. Schools should review the Pupil Membership Summary Detail Report to verify that students enrolled for the year show 1.0 ADM.

• Validate and submit (you should see your fall and spring submission dates).

Please read this guidance to assist you with your spring calendar submission. You can find guidance on granting calendar permissions here. If you have any questions, please contact Angie Thomas at (701) 328-2597.

2024 North Dakota Seal of Biliteracy

Now is the time to apply for your senior students’ Seal of Biliteracy. EL teachers and world language teachers in any ND school district can submit electronic applications for students proficient in English and another language. The student will receive a gold or silver foil seal affixed to their diploma and a letter of congratulations from State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler, a framed certificate, and an indicator on their eTranscript. Applications must be submitted by April 12, 2024.

INSTEM Academy for Native American Students Expanded Statewide

Indians into STEM (INSTEM) summer program application is now open and is being expanded for all ND Native American students in grades 6-12 eligible to apply. INSTEM began in 2018 as a pilot project and is an opportunity for students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and to experience living on a college campus. 

The application deadline is April 15, 2024. 

Prevent Child Abuse North Dakota (PCAND) Announces CAP Month Virtual Series

The series is aimed at providing caregivers and professionals with knowledge they can use to keep their children safe and strategies to bring their best version of themselves to this important role.

These Zoom sessions will be live on Thursdays in April at noon CT. Please share this information with your networks and consider printing it out to hang around your communities. We need your help reaching out to your local child-facing organizations, caregivers, parent programs, and faith-based communities.

For more information, click here.

2024 Stepping Up for Children 1 Mile Walk We are excited to announce that registration is open for our 2nd Annual Stepping Up for Children Walk on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Registration is FREE and highly encouraged. You will be eligible to win some amazing door prizes at the event. T-shirts are available for purchase so we can walk in unity to honor those affected by child abuse and walk towards a future where it no longer exists. To view the event flyer and register, click here.

PCAND will host a Wear Blue Day Hike on April 21, 2024, at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park at 3:00 PM CT. FREE admission is available for families participating in the hike.

The 2024 North Dakota Muti-Tier System of Supports (NDMTSS) Conference will be a unique professional development opportunity for all educators, school leadership teams, and administrators. This 3-day opportunity will have keynotes and breakout sessions that pertain to each and every attendee! More information on keynote speakers and registration is coming soon."