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We have had several questions come in through the SIA Plan Update Office Hours about plan adjustments vs plan amendments so we wanted to take a bit of space this week to offer a reminder on the difference between adjustments and amendments.
For minor changes to your SIA plan that align to current strategies, help achieve named outcomes, as well as address needs identified through community engagement you will most likely need to submit a plan adjustment. Examples of a plan adjustment include the addition or removal of activities within an existing strategy that already exists within the current three-year plan.
If you are making more structural changes to your SIA plan which may include the addition or removal of entire strategies or outcomes you will likely need to submit a plan amendment. This would also include if you are modifying your plan to address new needs identified through ongoing community engagement. Examples of a plan amendment include a changed relationship with a charter school in your district or as mentioned the permanent removal of a strategy in the original three-year plan. In addition, if ODE recommended that you update your strategy language during the progress report process, please file your plan update as an amendment, which means you’ll also be able to upload the new strategy language on either the Integrated Planning Tool or another format.
If you have additional questions you can email SIAInfo@state.or.us or you can register for one of our upcoming SIA Plan Update Officer Hours Sessions:
- Wednesday, June 2, 2021 from 2:00-3:00pm - register here!
- Monday, June 7, 2021 from 10:00-11:00am - register here!
- Friday, June 11, 2021 from 11:00-12:00pm (Charter Focus) - register here!
- Wednesday, June 16, 2021 from 2:00-3:00pm - register here!
- Monday, June 21, 2021 from 10:00-11:00am - register here!
- Wednesday, June 30, 2021 from 2:00-3:00pm - register here!
Summer Extension Grant Agreements: For grantees who requested a Summer Extension, please look for your Summer Extension Grant Amendment next week. We are on target to release those amendments on Friday, June 4th. Once received, please sign and return as soon as possible so we can process them before the end of the biennium.
District Charter Agreement Update:
The initial version of our Charter Guidance for the 2021-23 Biennium stated, “For the 2021-23 biennium, charter schools included in a sponsoring district’s SIA plan update must use an approved district-charter agreement.” The guidance continued on to state, “ODE has developed a district-charter agreement template for your use.” After consulting with the Department of Justice, ODE has been advised to allow each district to develop their own district-charter agreement and run it through their own legal counsel for legal sufficiency. This ensures districts have the autonomy to develop a district-charter agreement for SIA that aligns with their district-charter relationship.
Districts should refer to Section Three of the updated Charter Guidance as they develop their district-charter agreements to ensure the agreement includes the following sections:
- Charter School SIA Adjusted or Amended Plan
- Exchange of Services
- Distribution of Funds
- Administrative Costs
- Accountability
- Reporting Progress
Within Section Three, we’ve also included “Additional Components to Consider” as a reference and guide. These components are not required as part of the district-charter agreement, but are helpful points to consider.
EGMS Claims deadline is June 30, 2021: As a reminder, all grantees need to claim 100% of SIA funds in EGMS by June 30, 2021, even if you have requested a summer extension to continue spending funds through September 30, 2021.
Building upon the resource we shared in the last update, we take a deeper dive into the first tenet - Determinants of Success - which supports one of the SIA’s core values: increasing academic achievement and reducing disparities for student focal groups. Drawing on this Education Week blog post, we share ways in which the understanding and practice of “equal” versus “fair” student treatment can address existing barriers to student opportunities, counteract inequities in our systems, and set every student up for success.
What is the difference between treating students “fairly” and treating them “equally”?
| Equal Treatment (Equality) |
Fair Treatment (Equity) |
- Every student receives the same exact treatment, regardless of student background and circumstances
- Assumes every student has the same opportunity to achieve and starts from a level playing field
- Ties academic success to a student’s privilege, rewarding students with resources and putting those without resources at a disadvantage
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- Each student has differing needs as a result of their background and circumstances, and therefore requires differing levels of support in order to achieve success
- Recognizes that each student comes with varying levels of access as a result of unequal treatment in society and institutions that impacts student ability to fairly access learning
- Meets students where they are in order to facilitate and maximize learning, ensuring all students have opportunity to flourish
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Cultivating habits and practices to treat students “fairly”
Here are a few example habits and associated practices to support fair and equitable student treatment:
- Affirm and recognize that those with the least opportunity to achieve (including SIA student focal groups) are those that are most marginalized in our society/institutions and offer ways to close those opportunity gaps. Associated practice: Develop an assessment policy that allows students multiple opportunities to redo their work so that students understand the high expectations you hold for everyone’s success (Sabrina Hope King)
- Understand that education is a process of learning and growth, not a space of classifying, labeling and sorting. Associated practice: Teach students about equity and equality and the difference between fair and equal so that they understand classroom decisions and practices (Holly Spinelli)
- View assessments as opportunities for students to demonstrate growth and knowledge, not as a judgement of students’ ability and worth. Associated practice: Use inquiry-based, group learning with low-floor, high-ceiling, open-ended tasks that have multiple-entry points (Dr. Felicia Darling)
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Please send any questions or comments to SIAInfo@state.or.us.
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