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Contents:
The Oklahoma State Department of Education is excited to share a new series of guidance documents and resources aimed at supporting educators as they plan and carry out instruction for the 2020-21 school year. The series includes guidance for PK-12 educators in a variety of disciplines and provides considerations and resources to support in-person, blended and distance learning. Guidance includes considerations for:
- Standards and Pacing
- Effective Instructional Routines
- Blended or Distance Learning Modifications
- Classroom Assessment
- Connections and Integration with Other Disciplines
- Social and Emotional Well-Being
- Equity and Inclusion
- Safety Considerations
In addition, each document provides information about ongoing support for instruction, including registration for monthly meetings offering professional learning and support for educators. Additional guidance documents for Foundational Literacy and the Reading Sufficiency Act and Launching Instruction with Digital Tools have also been developed. To access the new guidance documents and to connect with virtual professional learning opportunities being offered this year, go to https://sde.ok.gov/covid19-instruction-support.
As a reminder, the final rule recognizing sexual harassment as sexual discrimination went into effect August 14, 2020. The rule clarifies the requirements for how schools must respond to sexual harassment under Title IX.
View guiding principles of this rule here.
If you have questions, contact Dr. Robyn Miller at robyn.miller@sde.ok.gov.
The Office of Management & Enterprise Services (OMES) has negotiated special deals on behalf of school districts to assist in virtual and distance learning.
Dell, HP and Lenovo have discounted Chromebooks and other devices to help teachers and students navigate the new reality of teaching and learning.
For more information about what each company is offering and how to order, click the links below or contact the listed representatives to learn more. You can also find additional resources through Digital Bridge.
Dell
Sylvia Cuff, (512) 513-0444
Slyvia.cuff@dell.com
delltechnologies.com/en-us/industry/education/
HP
Debra Lee, (847) 537-0344
Debra.lee@hp.com
hp.com/buy/oklahoma
Lenovo
Melissa Freeman, (914) 701-2800
mautey@lenovo.com
solutions.lenovo.com/distance-learning/
Driver education applications for prior-year reimbursement are due Sept. 1.
Please submit original applications with signed rosters to:
Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE), State Aid Section
2500 N. Lincoln Boulevard
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4599
You may also email the materials to state.aid@sde.ok.gov.
If you are no longer using Green Cards, please type “certificate” in the column labeled “Enrollment Card ID#” on the student roster. Please make sure you sign each roster.
If you have questions, contact Mitzi Perry at mitzi.perry@sde.ok.gov.
The Office of Federal Programs will host a Zoom meeting to kick off FY21 with information regarding nonpublic schools on Sept. 15, 9-11 a.m.
This meeting will provide LEAs and nonpublic school administrators with an overview of equitable services for nonpublic schools.
Register here.
Learn more about Nonpublic schools here.
If you have questions, contact Naomi Ward at (405) 522-3218.
Oklahoma Excel is excited to announce a NEW professional learning opportunity for educators. Starting in early October, Oklahoma Excel will launch three virtual Communities of Practice (CoP). There will be an ELA, math and science CoP, all of which will focus on helping educators use principles of improvement science to solve relevant and timely problems of practice that are unique to their classrooms, schools or districts.
Each content area CoP will be open to 20 educators on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached. This opportunity is open to both classroom teachers and school and district leaders (superintendents, principals, district coordinators, etc.).
All professional development sessions will be held on Zoom from 3:30-5 p.m.
Dates for Oklahoma Excel CoP
Thu., Oct. 8, 2020
Thu., Dec. 17, 2020
Thu., Feb. 11, 2021
Thu., Mar. 25, 2021
A stipend will be provided for those who attend all meetings and complete all activities.
Apply here.
If you have questions, contact Dawn Irons, Director of Oklahoma Excel, at dawn.irons@sde.ok.gov.
HB 2957 (2016) changed the requirements needed for a probationary educator to attain career status under the TLE. This change goes into effect for the 2020-21 school year.
In accordance with HB2957 (2016), a career teacher who was employed for the first time in one school district under a written continuing or temporary teaching contract beginning in 2017-18 or thereafter:
a.) has completed three consecutive complete school years in one district and has achieved a district evaluation score of superior for two of the three school years,
b.) has completed four consecutive complete school years in one district and achieved at least an effective district evaluation score on the TLE for the last two years of the four year period, or
c.) has completed four or more consecutive complete school years in one district and has not met the requirements above, only if the principal of the school of which the teacher is employed submits a petition to the district superintendent requesting that the teacher be granted career status, the superintendent agrees with the petition and the local board of education approves the petition. The petition shall specify the facts supporting the granting of career status to the educator. These documents should be retained as part of the educator's personnel file.
Although TLE data collection and reporting were waived in March 2020, the 2019-20 school year is to be included as one of the four years of probationary status for educators.
If you have questions, contact Jaycie Smith, Executive Director of Teacher and Leadership Development, at jaycie.smith@sde.ok.gov.
The OSDE is pleased to share the sixth annual Red Banner book as a resource to help educators stay informed of education legislation.
New laws that emerge from legislative session each year can be overwhelming. The impact on districts, schools and classrooms across Oklahoma can be significant or minimal, immediate or delayed, positive or troubling — but there is one constant: You need to know the law.
This book is not intended to be all-inclusive, nor serve as legal advice, but it will give you a general overview of this year’s new laws and legislative actions affecting public education.
This year presented the Oklahoma Legislature with significant challenges, namely a drastic downturn in the economy and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing a revenue shortfall, legislative leaders made the difficult decision to reduce appropriations to many sectors of state government, including common education, for fiscal year 2021. Like everything else, COVID-19 impacted legislative proceedings and ultimately resulted in a condensed session that saw far fewer new laws than most years.
However, there were notable pieces of legislation that passed, including reforms to the operations of the statewide virtual charter schools in H.B. 2905 and S.B. 212, improvements to the state textbook adoption process in H.B. 3466 and the realization of a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for the state’s retirees in H.B. 3350.
Download the Red Banner: 2020 Legislation book here.
View additional legislative resources here.
On July 23, the State Board of Education voted to approve Oklahoma School Safety Protocols as a set of recommendations to schools.
These recommendations, developed in collaboration with public health officials, are aligned with the Oklahoma State Department of Health's weekly COVID-19 Alert System and reflect a tiered approach to reopening schools as safely as possible.
Both systems are built on a color-coded system that graduates in recommended protocols and safeguards – from Green to Yellow, Orange and Red – as community spread of coronavirus increases in each of Oklahoma's 77 counties. To find the most current rate of community spread in your county, click on the most recent PDF under the heading of "County Risk Level Trends" on the COVID-19 Alert System home page.
On a weekly basis, it is possible for county color categories to change, depending on mitigation or escalation in community spread of COVID-19. Some counties may not experience a straight path from a red designation to a yellow and then a green designation. Instead, cycling back and forth among designations may occur as public health indicators improve or worsen.
The goal is for each county, and all schools, to be in the Green category, with manageable levels of COVID-19.
The OSDE encourages you to give these safety protocols your strongest consideration.
The 2021 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year application is now available. The application deadline is August 31. Judging will take place throughout the fall, and the new Oklahoma Teacher of the Year will be announced at a ceremony in February 2021.
Traditionally, the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year is selected from a pool of district Teachers of the Year who apply and participate in a comprehensive selection process. Because some districts do not select a local Teacher of the Year, amazing educators may never have an opportunity for well-deserved recognition at the state level. To ensure every exceptional Oklahoma educator is eligible for this prestigious award, we have decided to broaden the competition. Please encourage your local Teacher of the Year to apply. If your district does not select a local Teacher of the Year, please nominate someone!
Download the 2021 Teacher of the Year application packet and find more details at https://sde.ok.gov/oklahoma-teacher-year.
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