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The U.S. Department of Education recently extended an invitation to states to apply for additional program flexibilities under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant Program (Title IV, Part A). As a result, the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) intends to apply for a waiver of the following requirements in Title IV, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA):
- Section 4106(d) of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA, related to LEA needs assessments for the 2020-21 school year.
- Section 4106(e)(2)(C), (D), and (E) of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA, with respect to content-area spending requirements for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2020 Title IV, Part A funds.
- Section 4109(b) of Title IV, Part A of the ESEA, with respect to the fifteen percent spending limitation for technology infrastructure for FY 2020 Title IV, Part A funds.
Prior to submitting this request, OSDE is providing the public and all local education agencies in the state with the opportunity to review and comment on the waiver request. Those wishing to provide comment can do so through Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, and should submit them to Monty.Guthrie@sde.ok.gov.
To learn more, read this letter.
OSDE and the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) are partnering to conduct the 2020-21 statewide kindergarten immunization survey. Your participation in the 2020-21 Kindergarten Immunization Survey is essential to monitor trends in immunization coverage among children and to drive public health program activities to target vaccination efforts in the state.
It is preferable that your school nurse or other designated staff member familiar with the review and entry of vaccination records complete this survey. The survey must be completed by Jan. 31.
Read a joint letter from Supt. Hofmeister and OSDH Commissioner Dr. Lance Frye regarding the survey here.
Access the survey here.
Download survey instructions here.
Also, download the Kindergarten Immunization Survey worksheet and corresponding worksheet instructions. Once the worksheet is completed, please upload the finished worksheet into the online survey.
If you need additional assistance, contact Immunization Services at the Oklahoma State Department of Health at ksurvey@health.ok.gov or (800) 234-6196.
The Oklahoma Educational Publishers Association annually sponsors a caravan to showcase newly adopted instructional materials. This year, the caravan will present virtual sessions for Science and Science Content Reading by grade band and Advanced Placement (AP). Districts that are looking to adopt Physical Education, Health and/or Vocational Education titles should contact publishers directly to schedule presentations for their district.
- Grades PK-5: Tue., Jan. 26
- Grades 6-8: Wed., Jan. 27
- Grades 9-12: Thu., Jan. 28
- AP: Fri., Jan. 29
Pre-registration with a school email address for each session is required for viewing. All virtual sessions will be recorded and available for viewing with the original registration links throughout February.
Visit http://okedpublishers.com for registration links, further scheduling details and the publisher directory.
For a complete listing of all approved programs, visit http://oktextbooks.ok.gov/ or contact Rebecca Morales, Director of Instructional Materials and Library Media, at rebecca.morales@sde.ok.gov.
With more people online, it’s important to watch out for cyber attackers in all areas - especially schools doing distance learning. According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, “K-12 educational institutions are experiencing more disruptions of distance learning efforts by cyber actors via ransomware, malware, video conference disruptions and distributed denial-of-service attacks.”
Malicious cyber actors are expected to continue seeking opportunities to exploit the evolving remote learning environment. Phishing, obtaining personal information and requesting to perform tasks are just some of the ways these attackers are presenting to students, parents, faculty, IT personnel and other individuals involved in distance learning.
Learn how to protect your organization with the best practices outlined in this Distance Learning Scam Alert flyer.
Proposed State Department of Education (OSDE) administrative rule changes are now open for public comment through Jan. 19, 2021. A copy of the proposed rule changes and Rule Impact Statements are available on the OSDE Administrative Rules web page.
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210:1-5-6. Suspension and/or revocation of certificates [AMENDED]. The proposed amendment to the administrative rule governing the suspension and revocation of teaching certificates explicitly recognizes violation of the Standards of Performance and Conduct for Teachers adopted pursuant to 70 O.S. § 6-101.21 as grounds for the revocation of a certificate. While the rule has historically included "willful violation of a rule or regulation of the State Board of Education" as grounds for revocation, and that provision will remain, the explicit inclusion of violating the Standards of Performance and Conduct as grounds for certificate revocation is intended to call attention to the importance of the Standards for certified educators.
- Chapter 15, Subchapter 23 - Gifted and Talented Education Regulations
210:15-23-1. Responsibilities of school districts and local boards of education in providing for a gifted and talented program [AMENDED].
210:15-23-1.2. Definitions [AMENDED].
210:15-23-2. Procedural safeguards for the identification of students for gifted education programming [AMENDED].
210:15-23-7. Qualifications of gifted educational program staff [AMENDED].
210:15-23-9. Process for appeal of penalty [AMENDED].
210:15-23-10. Failure to Report [REVOKED].
The rules for gifted and talented education programs in Oklahoma public schools, which were last amended in 2001, are being updated to ensure they are consistent with the requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and best practices.
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210:25-5-4. Accounting [AMENDED]. This is the proposed permanent version of an emergency rule currently in effect. The administrative rule that addresses accounting guidelines for public schools is being amended to add submission and review windows for required reports of school finance data. Existing statute and rule provisions require school district and charter accounting systems to operate in compliance with the Oklahoma Cost Accounting System (OCAS), which includes specific reporting codes for different categories of revenues and expenditures. The new proposed subsection codifies due dates for the initial reporting of end-of-year revenues and expenditures for each fiscal year, to ensure any potential issues can be identified and corrected prior to the final certification of the data. This submission and review process for public school finance data will help schools verify they have reported their revenues and expenditures accurately, avoiding any statutory penalties that would have been associated with certifying inaccurate data.
Written comments on the proposed rule changes will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. Comments may be submitted via email to rules@sde.ok.gov during the open public comment period. If you wish to submit an oral comment, you must attend the public hearing on these rules. The public hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, at the Hodge Education Building, State Board Room (Room 120), 2500 North Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City. Social distancing and other public health precautions will apply to the public hearing if appropriate at that time under federal and state recommendations regarding COVID-19.
If you would like to be added to the distribution list and receive a direct email when proposed OSDE rule changes open for public comment, please email rules@sde.ok.gov.
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