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Contents:
The
Governor has signed a number of bills that involve OSDE and public education.
Summaries are included below.
HB 1201: Deletes
the requirement for school districts to provide copies of credit card statements
to the State Department of Education for posting on the state transparency
website. Effective November 1, 2017.
HB 1202: Defines
per-pupil expenditure to mean the aggregate current expenditures from all
funding sources divided by the aggregate student membership number for the same
current year. The definition excludes any expenditures not related to
day-to-day operations. This bill will align Oklahoma’s per-pupil expenditure
definition with that of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Effective November 1, 2017.
HB 1693: Updates
the A-F school accountability system to reflect requirements of the Every Student
Succeeds Act. It requires the report to include separate grades for each
indicator and an overview grade. It further defines the indicators to be
included in the accountability system, requiring the academic indicators to
make up at least 70% of the overview grade. Effective November 1, 2017.
HB 1715: Creates
the Patriotic Access to Students in Schools (PASS) Act to encourage increased
community involvement in schools. Requires that school buildings and property
be made available to any youth group listed in Title 36 of the U.S. Code as a
patriotic society (i.e. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts), so that these groups may
provide services for students outside of instructional time. Requires
principals to allow representatives of patriotic societies to speak with and
recruit students during school hours.
HB 1760/SB 0084: Makes
permanent the requirement that students who have not obtained automatic
promotion to fourth grade be evaluated by a Student Reading Proficiency Team
for probationary promotion. Requires students who score limited knowledge on
the statewide assessment, who have not previously met RSA benchmarks, to be
evaluated by a team for promotion or retention beginning in 2017-2018. Requires
data to be collected regarding students who were retained and students who were
promoted. Effective November 1, 2017.
HB 1837: Requires
the first $50 million of net proceeds of the Oklahoma Lottery Commission to be
transferred to the Oklahoma Education Lottery Trust Fund and requires the
Commission to submit an annual report to the Governor, Speaker and President
Pro Tempore of the Senate on the impact of having a set dollar amount allocated
for education (versus a percentage). Any proceeds that exceed the $50 million
must be appropriated by the Legislature for the OSDE to allocate to public
schools for reading intervention and STEM programs. Effective November 1, 2017.
HB 2155: Requires the State
Board to adopt a system of statewide Individual Career Academic Plans (ICAPs).
Beginning in 2019-2020, students entering ninth grade must complete an ICAP in
order to graduate. ICAPs for each student will include career and college
interest surveys; postsecondary and workforce goals; progress toward said
goals; academic progress; and experience in work environment activities.
Effective November 1, 2017.
SB 0015: Directs the OSDE and
the State Regents to develop a teacher recruitment program emphasizing (but not
limited to) high school and undergraduate students, mid-career and retired
professionals, retired or honorably discharged military personnel and members
of underrepresented gender and ethnic groups. The program will be financed by
the Oklahoma Teacher Recruitment Revolving Fund, which will get its funds from
the Oklahoma License to Educate License Plate fees. Effective July 1,
2017.
SB 0029: Allows
a school board the option of not seeking a new criminal history record check
for an individual who has obtained certification (meaning they had a criminal
history record check at the time of certification) from the State Department
within the previous twelve months. Effective July 1, 2017.
The Oklahoma State Legislature appropriates lottery funds to the
School Consolidation Assistance Fund. Pursuant to Title 3A, Section 713,
Paragraph (C)(3) in Oklahoma statutes, School Consolidation Assistance Funds in
excess of five million dollars shall be allocated as ACE Technology Funds.
These funds are paid to public school districts based on the
preceding school year’s audited, end-of-year average daily membership for
grades 8-12. Funds shall be used for costs associated with the online testing
requirements of the Achieving Classroom Excellence Act of 2005 (ACE).
The ACE Technology allocations (05/04/17) [Source of Revenue Code
3690 and Project Reporting code 361] have been posted to Single Sign-On.
Payment will be effective on Thursday, May 11, 2017.
If you have questions regarding the expenditures, please contact
Financial Accounting (OCAS) at (405) 521-2517.
For questions regarding the allocation, contact the Office of State Aid at state.aid@sde.ok.gov or (405)
521-3460.
The United States Department of Education (USDE) is currently
operating under a Continuing Resolution that ran through April 2017. This means
that preliminary allocation amounts will be delayed for all federal education
programs. The USDE’s budget has not been established beyond that date to enable
calculations or estimates of school year 2017-18 allocations. The USDE has
shared the following:
“The Continuing Resolution will also result in the delay of
the normal release of information on final appropriations levels for FY2017.
For example, the Department typically would release preliminary FY 2017
allocations for State formula grant programs in February or March of 2017. This
fiscal year, because the Department must wait for final appropriations action
to publish preliminary allocations, we anticipate that this information will
not be available until late spring or early summer of 2017, or just prior to
the usual announcement of final allocations on July 1.”
Based on this information, the Oklahoma State Department of
Education (OSDE) anticipates being able to provide allocation amounts to
districts prior to July 1, 2017. The OSDE is working to get this information to
districts as soon as it is made available to federal program managers.
If you have questions, contact the Office of Federal Programs at (405) 521-2846.
The 2017-18
school year will be the first year under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
where Title II-A allocations for school districts will be calculated without
the Hold Harmless amounts required under No Child Left Behind. The Title II-A
allocation formula under ESSA determines district awards based solely on the
following:
- 20% of the award is based on the state’s number of 5-17-year-olds (population level)
- 80% of the award is based on state’s number of low-income
5-17-year-olds (poverty level)
Hold Harmless under No Child Left Behind was an allocation
component that guaranteed school districts at least as much money as they
received in 2001 for Title II-A. Under ESSA, this formula component is
eliminated. The elimination of Hold Harmless will likely affect every district
with potential increases and decreases and may have a significant impact.
If you have questions, contact the Office of Federal Programs at (405) 521-2846.
Concerning the Title III LEP and Immigrant funds allocated in March of
2017, please disregard the guidance provided on May 8, 2017, and review the
following:
- As this money was an additional allocation, not a
reallocation, it will carry over to FY 18.
- There
is no requirement to budget and encumber these funds by June 30, 2017.
- These
funds must be budgeted and encumbered by September 2017 or they will be
returned to the state un-allotted fund.
The Office of Federal Programs apologizes for any undue burden this issue
may have caused for your district.
If you have questions, contact Dan Ruhl, Program Specialist
with the Office of Federal Programs, at daniel.ruhl@sde.ok.gov.
Subject Code Changes
In an effort to streamline
subject codes and provide stronger guidance to districts, OSDE is making a few
changes to course codes for high school science that will go into effect for
the 2017-18 school year. These changes promote improved science advising for
all Oklahoma high school students.
Revised course codes are provided
in the document linked below, along with notes, in an effort to reduce
confusion around, and duplication within, course codes. Decisions about
additions, deletions and combinations were informed by the following four
factors:
-
Factor 1 -
Alignment to Current Standards
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Factor 2 -
Alignment to Best Practices Regarding Remediation and Support Structures
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Factor 3 -
Alignment to Advanced Science Learning Opportunities
-
Factor 4 -
Alignment to Best Practices Promoting Postsecondary Readiness
Download
the Course Code Changes document here and forward it to all appropriate
staff members within your district.
Oklahoma Science Graduation Requirements FAQ
In an effort to provide support
and guidance for the new high school science graduation requirements after the
passage of Senate Bill 1380 in 2016, OSDE has developed the Oklahoma
Science Graduation Requirements FAQ document.
This document, in conjunction
with the Oklahoma Science Subject Code Changes
document, serves to provide guidance to school
administrators, counselors and teachers in the coming school years.
Upcoming Conference Call
In consideration of how these
subject code changes and graduation requirement FAQs may impact Oklahoma school
districts, OSDE will be offering a conference call to discuss and clarify any questions
districts may have on May 11, 3:30-4:30
p.m.
- If you have questions prior to the conference call, please email
your question to Tiffany.Neill@sde.ok.gov with the
subject line Science Course Codes or Science Graduation Requirement
Questions.
- On May 11 at 3:30
p.m., join the conference call
using the following details: Call: (605) 475-4700; PIN: 687599#
During the call, attendees will refer
to notes on this Google document. If you wish to utilize this feature, please review the link
before the meeting begins.
We’ll be
taking EngageOK “On the Road” again this summer! Each session will offer rich
and meaningful professional development focused on a host of education
topics.
The
agenda for each session will be posted as soon as it’s available. Listed below
is the EngageOK On the Road schedule:
July 10: Yukon
High School
July 11: Union High School (Tulsa)
July 12: Enid High School
July 13: Weatherford High School
July 18: Durant High School
July 19: Ada High School
July 20: Cache 5th & 6th Grade Center
Please be sure to register
for the date and location you’d like to attend. Registration
is available here.
If you have questions,
contact Martha Eaves, Director of Events, at martha.eaves@sde.ok.gov.
Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) is
a comprehensive professional development curriculum that offers high-quality
support for literacy educators. More than any other professional development
curriculum, LETRS prepares educators for the challenging work of teaching
literacy.
Beyond the routines and lesson plans of adopted
reading programs, it’s important that educators understand the language
structures they’re teaching, how students learn to read and write and the
reasons why some children fail to learn.
Due to an overwhelming response, OSDE has added
two more LETRS Foundations trainings this summer.
Please note that you must attend all days within
each training to receive a certificate of completion. LETRS trainings honor RSA
requirements for teacher literacy professional development.
LETRS Foundations (NEW)
June 19-22: Oklahoma City
Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA) Building
Register
here
June 26-29: Muskogee
Indian Capital Technology Center
Register
here
If you have questions, contact Timmie Spangler, Director of
Instructional Materials & Library, at timmie.spangler@sde.ok.gov.
All
School Food Authorities (SFAs) operating National School Lunch and/or School
Breakfast Programs must have a written policy in place no later than July 1,
2017, that addresses situations where children participating at the reduced
price or paid rate do not have money to cover the cost of a meal at the time of
the meal service.
SFAs have discretion in
developing the specifics of their policies, and USDA’s Food & Nutrition
Service (FNS) expects charge policies will vary based on local circumstances
and available resources. This webinar will provide an overview of the local
charge policy requirement and share best practices for successful policy
development. Participants will have the opportunity to submit questions during
the Q&A portion of the webinar.
When: May
11, 1-2 p.m.
Register here.
For technical webinar
support, email help@readytalk.com or call
(800) 843-9166.
Please note: This
webinar will include the same information as the Local Charge Policy
Requirement webinar that aired on April 4, 2017. FNS is hosting a second live
version of the webinar to accommodate participants who experienced technical
difficulties.
More information and
resources:
The requirement for SFAs to
establish a local charge policy is outlined in SP 46-2016: Unpaid Meal
Charges: Local Meal Charge Policies. View the memorandum here.
Other resources related to this topic may be found on USDA’s Unpaid Meal
Charges webpage.
If you have questions,
contact Patricia Beutler, Director of Training for Child Nutrition Programs, at patricia.beutler@sde.ok.gov.
Deadline: May 26
 The 2018 Oklahoma
Teacher of the Year application is now available.
Download the 2018
application packet here.
Important note: There are several
changes in this year’s application. Please read it carefully.
Applications are due to the Oklahoma
State Department of Education by Friday, May 26.
If you have questions about the Teacher
of the Year program, contact Martha Eaves, Events Director, at martha.eaves@sde.ok.gov or (405) 522-8767.
Finalists will be announced at the EngageOK On the Road summer conference.
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Deadline: May 19
State
statute (§70-11-103.2) requires ALL Oklahoma high schools to
complete the Oklahoma Academic Scholar report.
Report the names of
qualifying seniors to the Oklahoma Academic Scholars Report, located on Single Sign-On, even
if you do not have any qualifying seniors. All high schools must
complete the report to ensure all students who have met the requirements below
are recognized.
Also, please enter the
mailing address, not the physical address, of your school within
the report.
Your school will be mailed
certificates and gold seals for the diplomas, and the names of qualifying
seniors will be posted on the State Department of Education website to be
shared with media. If a student at your school qualifies with scores from the April
2017 ACT test date, please call the Gifted Education Office at (405)
521-4288. The students will be added to the final list, and OSDE will
send seals and certificates to you.
 The Oklahoma Academic
Scholars program recognizes outstanding academic achievement of graduating
seniors. Oklahoma Academic Scholars will be presented a certificate of
distinction from the state and their local high schools. A gold seal will be
affixed to their diplomas and the honor will be recorded on their official
transcripts. Graduating seniors must meet all of the following
criteria to qualify for this honor:
- Accumulate over Grades 9,
10, 11 and the first semester of Grade 12 a minimum grade point average of
3.7 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted), or be in the top 10 percent of their
class.
- Complete (or will complete)
the curricular requirements for a standard diploma.
- Achieve a 27 composite score on the ACT or 1220 combined reading and
mathematics score on the SAT I. The ACT or SAT I must have been taken on a
national test date.
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Thank you
for your assistance in recognizing outstanding Oklahoma high school seniors!
If you have questions,
contact Rebecca McLaughlin, Director of Gifted Education, at rebecca.mclaughlin@sde.ok.gov or (405) 521-4288.
Beginning with the FY18
grant award cycle, eligible local education agencies (LEAs) will need to submit
an application to the USDE every year in order to receive an SRSA formula
grant. The new, annual application process ensures that all SRSA grantee
contact information will be updated at least annually, thereby enabling the USDE to communicate more efficiently and effectively with grantee LEAs.
The SRSA application period for FY18
opened Monday, May 1, and ends at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, June 30.
The SRSA application with instructions is now
available on Grants.gov.
Grant award amounts will depend on the
statutory allocation formula, the number of LEAs that receive awards and the
amount of money Congress has allocated for SRSA.
Dual-eligible LEAs that do not submit an SRSA
application will be designated as eligible for the Rural, Low-Income School
(RLIS) program.
For more information on the annual SRSA application
process, consult the Applicant
Information page on the SRSA program website. Additional FAQs are located here.
If you need assistance with Grants.gov,
please contact the Grants.gov Help Desk at (800) 518-4726.
Please take the time to fully review the data-related sections below.
The information SDE receives through these reports may affect your programs and
allocation amounts.
The RSA End-of-Year Report
and the RSA Annual District Reading Plan are now open on Single Sign-On.
Reporting Deadlines:
RSA End-of-Year Report: June 1
RSA Annual District Reading Plan: August 31
If you need guidance
regarding the RSA End-of-Year Report, view
this video tutorial. A tutorial video for the RSA Annual District Reading
Plan is coming soon.
If you have questions,
contact Dionne Jordan-Mock at dionne.jordan-mock@sde.ok.gov
or (405) 521-4096.
Deadline: June 15
As
required by statute, each district is responsible for submitting TLE
qualitative data to OSDE through the Wave for every certified teacher and
administrator who was evaluated during the 2016-17 school year.
Districts will have
until June 15 to complete and successfully upload their
evaluation data on Single Sign-On.
If you have questions or
need assistance, contact Joyce Cheatham at joyce.cheatham@sde.ok.gov or (405) 521-2820.
The
Alternative Education End-of-Year Program Report is due before your program
closes for the summer. This year, only aggregated information is required. You
will not have to detail the information for each individual student.
Instructions and tips for
filling out the form:
Gather your data before you
sit down to complete the online form. There is no way to save a partially
filled out form.
- Open the https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MY7TLCPalted1617.
- Print the page.
- Collect your answers to the
questions on the form using your student data.
- Open the online form again
and enter your data. Please remember that the LEA of a cooperative
fills out the data for the whole program. Sending schools do not fill out
the online form.
- After you have answered all
required questions, click the Submit Button and your
completed document will be sent to us.
Please note that this assessment is only required for districts
with alternative education programs.
If you have any questions,
contact the Jennifer Wilkinson at jennifer.wilkinson@sde.ok.gov or (405) 522-0276.
Deadline: June 30
The
Districtwide Students Needs Assessment is now live on Single Sign-On.
All districts
must complete the assessment by June 30.
OSDE has opened this report early so
all districts can complete it before summer break. The data collected by the
assessment includes information regarding attendance, promotion and suspension
for all students in grades 6-12 by gender.
If you have questions,
contact Jennifer Wilkinson, Director of Alternative Education, at jennifer.wilkinson@sde.ok.gov or (405) 522-0276.
Deadline: June 30
The
Annual Incident Report is now open on Single Sign-On.
Districts have through June 20 to submit their data to this report.
This
report asks for district information regarding substance-related incidents,
property-related incidents, violent incidents with and without firearms and
suspension data.
If
you have questions, contact Michelle Sutherlin, Director of Prevention Services,
at michelle.sutherlin@sde.ok.gov.
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