Hot Topics

Program Re-Approval Preliminary Reports

In preparation for the launch of the new program re-approval system, OSPI will be sending preliminary reports with which courses will be pulled over, into the program re-approval system, to provide time for districts to make necessary corrections, and submit any missing courses prior to the launch. Within the report, you will find the preliminary data set, which should help guide the next steps for the school district, in preparation for this year’s launch of the program re-approval system. This system is scheduled to open for submission January 1st, and districts will be re-approving every CTE program area offered. Districts should review the courses, that are set to be included in the new system, and determine any missing courses. There are a few reasons courses may not be pulling over:

1. Invalid course hours:  Courses less than 45 hours, and in excess of 1400 hours, are not valid, and are not included in the re-approval. If the district had an original submission outside of that range, due to incorrect submission information, the course will need to be submitted, and approved, in the course approval system, to prepare for the re-approval system. The only exception to this rule includes the Work Based Learning CIP codes that end in “8888”.
2. Outdated Course: The system is built to pull the applications based upon district/group/program area valid dates. If the district missed submitting, and approving, a course, consistent with the scheduled program date, the system will invalidate the older course which should have been replaced.
3. Naming does not match: If the course does not match information from the local course title, and the sequence of courses or multiple courses tab, then the course will be excluded. In some cases, this is proof the system is pulling correctly, as every course on the sequence of courses tab does not reflect courses offered within the CTE program. Additionally, the course may be excluded from an application ID that had the course listed on the sequence of courses, but does pull over from an alternative application. In situations where courses have been included solely because of the naming conventions not matching, OSPI program supervisors will work with districts to achieve approval on these courses prior to the program re-approval system opening.

Additionally, please utilize the following resource documents to aide in understanding. You can find the new re-approval cycle here.

Additionally, guidance for program re-approval is here.

Paraeducator Survey 

Paraeducators are an integral and necessary part of the instructional process of the public school system, and are partners in the quest for an equitable education for all students. Our support to their professional and career development is paramount to decreasing the opportunity gap between students, and we hope you will assist us to meet this end.

The Washington State Paraeducator Board is conducting a voluntary and confidential online survey of all current paraeducators in Washington State, and we need your support.

If you are a paraeducator, please consider completing this confidential survey. By participating, you will directly help inform K–12 and higher education leaders as they determine policies regarding professional development and career ladder programs for paraeducators. 

With your assistance, we hope to more fully understand the level of interest paraeducators have in participating in these programs, the barriers that exist in their participation, and the support that paraeducators may need to participate in them.

If you are not a paraeducator, your assistance is still needed and greatly appreciated. Please forward this request to paraeducators you know who may be willing to help.

Responses to the Paraeducator Survey must be submitted by October 31, 2017. If you have any questions, you may contact us at paraboard@k12.wa.us.

US Presidential Scholars Nomination Application - Deadline Extended

The deadline to nominate your students for the US Presidential Scholars award has been extended. The new deadline 5:00 p.m., Friday, October 20th. Please click here to nominate your students. 

iGrants Package 668: Aerospace Grants

iGrants Form Package 668, Aerospace Grants, has been launched, and is now available. The deadline for submission of the package is Thursday, October 26th, at 4:00 pm. You can find the grant here. Log in, then Select Form Package #668. This year you can apply for Start-up, Expansion, Professional Development, Maintenance, or a combination of any of those areas.

If you have specific questions, please contact Doug Meyer via email or call 360-725-6244.

iGrant 828: College and Career Readiness Training

The College and Career Readiness (CCR) Training, for School Counselor grant, is designed to increase knowledge, and skills, of school counselors, career counselors, career specialist, or other staff, who advise students on their post-secondary aspirations, and provide students with college access information. Grant funds for school counselors, or other staff, will facilitate using content from the Southern Regional Educational Board’s (SREB), online, Go Alliance Academy, which uses national, research-based, training modules, with additional Washington state resources. All modules are online, are approximately 6-8 weeks in length, and will begin in December 2017. Clock hours will be offered for each module.

For this competitive grant, school counselors, and/or staff who work in college and career access, can choose one of the two modules offered:

• For High School: College, Career and Academic Planning
• For Middle School: College and Career Advising for Middle Grades

Overall, this competitive grant will fund 50 high school counselors, and 25 middle school counselors, statewide, to take one module. Schools should apply within a district grant, in the EDS System, Form Package #828. One, or more, schools, from a school district, can participate. The cost for each person, for one module, is approximately $160. Additional funds in this grant, of $40 per person, will be kept, by the schools, for collaboration, and professional development opportunities, required by the grant. Therefore, the cost for each person, to take one module, is $200. A school district may receive up to a maximum of $4,000, depending on the number of school counselors, and others, included in the application.

Grant Application Due Date is November 9, 2017.

After grantees school districts and/or schools have been selected, the budget section of the grant application will be opened to complete. School Districts will be invoiced by WA College Access Network (WCAN).

Questions: Contact  Danise Ackelson. More information. 

GAMA Annual Competition

The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) hosts an annual competition, the Aviation Design Challenge, to promote STEM skills in U.S. high school students through aviation. GAMA recently opened registration for the 2018 competition. The competition is open to the first 110 high schools who enter, or until January 13, 2018. The competition is free and GAMA provides a curriculum and software through a partnership with Fly to Learn and X-Plane. The winning team receives an all-expenses-paid, two-week trip to experience general aviation manufacturing firsthand.

You can learn more about the Aviation Design Challenge, and register, on GAMA's website. If you need additional information, please contact GAMA directly at 202-393-1500 or via email. 

2018 Excellence in Action Award 

Do you think you have one of the best CTE programs in the nation? Apply for Advance CTE's 2018 Excellence in Action award to showcase the amazing work of your students, instructors, faculty and partners at the national level. In its 5th year, this award honors innovative and high-impact programs across the 16 Career Clusters that prepare students for the real world.

Not only will your program be featured in the media and an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. in the spring, you’ll also be contributing to a positive image of CTE programs, and letting policymakers, employers and education leaders know that CTE really is for all students, and prepares them for a lifetime of college and career success. Applications are open to secondary and post-secondary schools/institutions. Apply today! Please contact Advance CTE with questions. 

ACTE Announces Retired Washington CTE Specialist, Roxanne Trees, as National Award Finalist The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) announced Roxanne L. Trees, CTE Specialist of Seattle Public Schools in Seattle, Washington, as the recipient of the 2017 ACTE Region V Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes CTE professionals for their leadership on behalf of ACTE, their innovations in CTE and their contributions to the field over an extended period of time. Roxanne Trees has spent a lifetime in CTE, beginning in the Family and Consumer Science (FCS) classroom and finishing as a CTE specialist for Seattle Public Schools (SPS) at the time of her retirement. “A fraction of Ms. Trees' achievements could fill the lifetime of a more ordinary person,” says Shepherd Sigel from SPS. “But Roxanne Trees is no ordinary person.” Beginning in 1995, Trees managed $3 million for Health & Human Service (HHS) programs to enhance classroom instruction and upgrade their materials and technology. In 1998, Trees presented the Family & Consumer Sciences Education (FACSE) National Standards in the Washington state roll-out. Trees also developed 35 SPS cross-credit courses matching content standards in Lab Science, Math, Health, Social Studies, and World Languages; organized HHS professionals to review the National Standards, 21st Century skills, and update their courses; led HHS staff to review/recommend articulation of 44 courses for in-demand careers and college degrees; and participated on Governor’s task forces writing State Health & Fitness standards and CTE cross equivalency. Trees helped establish HOSA and FCCLA chapters in every HHS high school program in Seattle Schools, as well as Project Lead the Way biomedical programs. On administration of the Carl Perkins Grant, Trees led consolidated program reviews, a federal fact-finding review, and Office of Civil Rights reviews to share strategies and data on improving equity and access to CTE programs. She gave Congressional testimony for the White House Conference on Families, testified to the Washington legislature regarding CTE access, and petitioned the State School Board to expand Health, Mental Health, and FCS curriculum. During her role as President of Washington ACTE, Trees agreed to serve a second term to support the organization during the hiring of a new Executive Director. Trees has won many awards and honors for her instruction and leadership, and has been featured on National Public Radio and in Time Magazine. In her retirement, Trees continues to assist the Seattle College District as an observer, mentor and supervisor of teachers completing their final CTE practicum prior to full certification. Trees is one of five finalists for the 2018 national title. The national winner will be announced at the ACTE Awards Banquet, a dinner and award presentation recognizing the best CTE educators in the country. The event will take place on Wednesday evening, December 6, during ACTE’s CareerTech VISION 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.

FIRST Robotics Competition FIRST WA Leadership Teams for First Robotics Competition, and First Tech Challenge, met on September 30, 2017 at the First WA Fieldhouse. Live streaming was available for several locations throughout the state. Student leadership teams met to discuss fundraising, leadership, diversity, inclusion, and more! Way to go First WA!

Learning and Teaching Update

To read more about Learning and Teaching and to read monthly Learning and Teaching updates, visit their newsletter webpage.

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Free Online STARS Training Course

Nurturing Young Eaters is a new training course for early learning professionals from the University of Washington Center for Public Health Nutrition. The goal of this training is to empower early learning professionals to provide engaging and healthy mealtime environments and take advantage of mealtime opportunities to promote learning and child development. This training also highlights how providing engaging mealtime environments can help earn points for Early Achievers, Washington's quality rating and improvement system. Participants who complete the training will earn 1 STARS continuing education credit in Health, Safety & Nutrition. This online training is made freely available to early learning professionals thanks to support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Washington State Department of Health.

More Information

College & Career Resources for School Counselors

• Pave the Way Conference. Oct. 19, CWU.
• Youth Mental Health First Aid Course. Learn to support youth mental health.
• OSPI Student Attendance Campaign. OSPI has created a campaign that includes posters, PSAs, a social media toolkit, and more, to encourage good attendance. Launches in September.
• AP Announces Expanded Student, Teacher Supports and Khan Practice for 2019. Khan Academy will provide AP students with instructional videos and engaging opportunities to master content at their own pace.

Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession (CSTP) Teaching Academy Pilot

Recruiting Washington Teachers Teaching Academy Pilot

The Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession (CSTP) is excited to offer an extended opportunity for educators to pilot professional development online modules for the Recruiting Washington Teachers Teaching Academy curriculum that were developed by WA teachers over the last year.

CSTP is seeking up to 50 educators to pilot the online modules that have been created. CSTP is interested in educators from all over the state and from a variety of curriculum areas and levels who can do this work by October 31.  

Expectations of Pilot Participants:
1. Review the pre-recorded informative webinar prior to piloting the materials
2. Pilot up to 5 modules available online via Canvas Learning Management System
3. Complete a feedback survey after piloting each module

CSTP will provide:
1. Direction and guidance for pilot participants
2. Payment to pilot participants of $25 per module piloted (up to 5 total) after feedback is submitted. 
3. Clock hours are available for a small cost for people who review at least 3 modules.

If you are interested in participating, please register via this survey monkey link.

If you have questions, please contact Lindsey Stevens.

Teacher Trainings for the Mental Health & High School Curriculum Resource

Two teacher trainings, for the Mental Health & High School Curriculum Resource, are being held on October 23 and December 6, in Tacoma.  

OSPI has identified the Mental Health & High School Curriculum Resource for use in high schools. These teacher trainings will prepare classroom teachers, in the use of the Mental Health & High School Curriculum Resource in their classroom, providing a basic overview of mental health, and illness, and orientation, to the teaching materials. The resource improves mental health literacy, and it is widely taught in schools across Canada, and internationally. The material is medically accurate, designed for classroom settings, and all teaching materials can be downloaded at no cost. 

OSPI has mapped the Mental Health & High School Curriculum Resource to the Health Education K-12 Learning Standards (revised 2016), and it aligns with all eight learning standards (H1-8) when the full curriculum resource is implemented with fidelity.  

Teacher Training Info:

• Participants should be teachers who plan to teach the curriculum resource, and who have support to attend from building or district administrators 
• Clock hours provided through OSPI and Project AWARE.  Sign-in and course evaluation required.
• Offered at no cost, with lunch provided
• Training hours are 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
• Tacoma location will be provided when registration has been confirmed
• We request teachers share implementation information after teaching

Registration: 

October 23:  https://www.pdenroller.org/Catalog/Event/48546

December 6: https://www.pdenroller.org/Catalog/Event/48548

Additional teacher trainings are planned in early 2018 – please email Rachael Wagoner to be added to the interest/notification list.

We appreciate your help letting high school teachers and administrators know about these Teacher Training opportunities!

Mental Health & High School Curriculum Resource Training Coordination Team:

• Deb Binion
• Mandy Paradise
• Rachael Wagoner
• Monet Craton

Bringing the Mental Health & High School Curriculum Resource to Washington students is a partnership between the WA Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Project AWARE, the Jordan Binion Project, and CHI Franciscan Health’s Prevent-Avert-Respond (PAR) Initiative. We thank Comprehensive Life Resources for their collaboration in providing these Teacher Trainings.

Rachael Wagoner

Phone: 360-725-6247 Email

Introduction to Teaching Health Science as a Career Pathway Online Course

The Eastern Washington Area Health Education Center (EWAHEC) is offering an online course, “Introduction to Teaching Health Science as a Career Pathway”. The course was offered as a pilot in the summer of 2017, and has been adjusted and improved.

The course takes approximately one hour, per day, across two weeks, for a total of ten hours. The EWAHEC is working with OSPI to provide clock hours to teachers for taking the course.

Fall 2017 Session: 10/30-11/10/2017

Spring 2018 Session: 4/9-4/20/2018

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about the range of health care careers available.
• Learn to effectively advise students in healthcare career options.
• Demonstrate understanding of the National Consortium of Health Science Standards and Accountability Criteria including areas of heath careers, communication, legal and medical ethics, wellness, teamwork, human growth and development, mental health, nutrition, infection control, and vital signs.
• Participate in various learning activities using Common Core Standards.
• Describe, analyze, and evaluate various teaching methods/techniques and curricula for health science education.  Register here.

Cancer Happens Teen Education

Cancer Happens is a cancer education, and risk reduction, program offered, free of charge, to middle, and high school, classrooms, nationwide. The Cancer Happens curriculum provides important cancer education for teens.The program includes standards-based lesson plans, as well as a teacher guide, designed to help navigate the online program, and provide more information on ways to support your students. Some of the topics include: understanding what cancer is and who gets it, cancers that impact teenagers, risk factors for cancer, healthy living and risk reduction, the importance of nutrition and exercise, and how to more effectively communicate with those you care about.

Click here to book a presentation or register for  e-learning modules. For more information, you can also contact Jana Mastrogiovanni at jana@cancerpathways.org or 1-866-200-2383.

October 2017

Mental Health & High School Curriculum Resource

October 23 | Comprehensive Life Resources (CLR) |Tacoma WA  | More Information 

November 2017

WA-ACTE Fall Summit Strategies for Success: Connecting Education, Communities, and Careers

November 2-3 | Great Wolf Lodge | Grand Mound, WA | More Information

December 2017

Mental Health & High School Curriculum Resource

December 6 | Comprehensive Life Resources (CLR) |Tacoma WA  | More Information 

ACTE CareerTech Vision Conference

December 6-9 | Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center | Nashville, TN | More Information

CTE Program Area Updates

Agriculture Education Sciences

Convention Volunteers Needed: Volunteers are still needed for a variety of events at the 90th National FFA Convention & Expo. If you or someone you know will already be in Indianapolis and are interested in volunteering on Wednesday and/or Thursday, please encourage them to sign up via the links below. Please know that the National FFA does not reimburse for any travel or parking accommodations. Additionally, in an effort to maintain the integrity of the process, National FFA tries to avoid placing judges in areas where their state/school is represented. Additional details are available upon request. Thank you for your assistance to help secure these volunteers that are critical to the success of the programs. Click here for more information. 

SAE Grant Applications Now Open: $152,000 is available to help students start or enhance their SAE. The National FFA Organization is pleased to announce the 2017 SAE Grant awards cycle. 152, $1,000 grants are available in the following entrepreneurial/agriscience focus areas.  Applications are due November 15, 2017 and are found in the student toolbox in ffa.org. 

How to Access the Application: To complete an SAE Grant application members must log in to their FFA.org account at FFA.org. The application can be accessed through the Application Center which can be found by clicking Open Your FFA Dashboard on the top right side of the website and selecting Application Center.  A new application can then be selected from the drop down menu or an existing application can be updated.  You can also access the SAE Grant application from the SAE Grant webpage (Click Here or from the FFA.org homepage, select Participate then Grants & Scholarships then SAE Grants). 

National FFA Launches New App for iPhone and Android for National Convention and Expo: The official app, of the 90th National FFA Convention & Expo, in Indianapolis, Indiana, includes a full convention schedule, general information, venue maps, tour information, shuttle schedules, safety information, photo filters and more. The app works with limited or no internet connection on mo-bile devices. Tools include personalized schedules, to-do lists, exhibitor contact information and delegate resources. Download to-day in your app store. Be sure to download the new app. 

State Day of Service Grants: The National FFA Organization is pleased to announce the FFA State Day of Service Grant is now open! This is a competitive funding opportunity for all FFA state associations or foundations to help in-fuse service activities at the state level. States may apply for funds up to $8,000 to support a state-level day of service event as well as the promotion of the new Living to Serve Grant series. Applications are due December 1, 2017. Click here for more information. 

National Convention Educational Standards: The Convention Standards Alignment documents serve as guidelines to assist the advisor in planning, attending and implementing post-trip processing and work.  Standards for each session, workshop and/or career success tour are suggested standards based on the central theme, objectives and projected content and activities of each event. While every standard listed may not be covered during the actual event, these lists should serve as a guideline to validate and actualize educational relevancy for the 90th National FFA Convention and Expo. Standards can be found on the National FFA Convention and Expo website.  

Red Brand Fence Teaching Tools: Free for Ag teachers and FFA chapters, nationwide. Red Brand has created a fence 101 kit designed to educate students about fence selection, calculations, and installation and they’re making it available for free to Ag education departments. The kit includes five lessons, fence samples, videos, and assessment materials. Click here for more information.

Questions regarding Agriculture Education? Contact Denny Wallace, Agriculture Sciences Education Program Supervisor, via email or call 360-725-6241.

AP/CTE

Questions regarding Advanced Placement? Contact Barbara Dittrich, Advanced Placement Program Supervisor, via email or call 360-725-6097.

Business and Marketing

Get involved on the Business Leadership Council

Interested in getting involved in the Washington DECA Business Leadership Council? Email  

Questions regarding Business and Marketing, Microsoft Imagine Academy, Work-Based Learning, DECA and FBLA? Contact Lance Wrzesinski, Business and Marketing Program Supervisor, via email or call 360-725-6258.

CTE Certification

Questions regarding CTE Certification? Contact Kelli Bennetti, CTE Certification Specialist, via email or call 360-725-6400

Graduation, Reality, and Dual-role Skills (GRADS)

Questions regarding the GRADS Program? Contact Denise Mileson, GRADS Program Specialist, via email or call 360-725-0417.

Grants and Special Programs

Questions regarding Perkins, grants and special programs? Contact Debra Durupt, Grants and Innovative Programs Program Supervisor, via email or call 360-725-6253.

Family and Consumer Science Education

Free Nutrition Education Resources

Every teacher in Washington State can receive $25 of free nutrition education resources from EatSmart.org! Use your Council Cash and get great materials for your class! Learn how by clicking here. Do your students have questions about sugar sweetened beverages? Are you looking for ways to explain the new nutrition labels? Help your students “Think Your Drink” with Beverage Cards, Posters, Worksheets and Lesson Plans here. 

Change to the Award for the Child Care Basics Course 

Background: Since 2014, child care professionals have been able to receive a $50 dollar professional development achievement award for completing Child Care Basics, in addition to receiving training reimbursement.

What’s changing: Though still eligible for training reimbursement, the required CCB curriculum will no longer be part of the education verification process or be eligible for a Professional Development Achievement Award.

As of: September 7, 2017, the updated Education Application will no longer count Child Care Basics as eligible to receive an achievement award. CCB will still display in the training history section of MERIT and if eligible, within the Training Reimbursement application.

If you have any questions about these changes, please email Leslie Smith, Professional Development Registry Business Owner, Department of Early Learning.

Questions regarding Family and Consumer Sciences Education, FCCLA, FEPPP, and Early Childhood Development? Contact Mary Nagel, Family and Consumer Sciences Education Program Supervisor, via email or call 360-725-6242.

WA-CTE-CTSO ASL Regional and State Competition 2018

West Side Regional Competition March 10, 2018 

Burlington-Edison High School- Burlington, WA

Contact: Liza Bancroft

Email: lbancroft@ be.wednet.edu Phone: (360) 757-4074 Ext 3551

East Side Regional Competition  March 24, 2018

Moses Lake High School- Moses Lake, WA

Contact: Kristi Couch 

Email: kcouch@mlsd.wednet.edu Phone: (509)766-2666 Ext 40810

Health Sciences Education

Questions regarding Health Sciences Education? Contact Marianna Goheen, Health Sciences Education Program Supervisor, via email or call 360-725-6257.

Skilled and Technical Sciences

Questions regarding Skilled and Technical Sciences? Contact Doug Meyer, Interim Skilled and Technical Sciences Program Supervisor, via email or call 360-725-6244.

STEM         

Questions regarding Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)? Contact Dan Tedor, STEM Program Supervisor, via email or call 360-725-4467.

Contact Us: Email 

Phone: 360.725-6245

EVERY STUDENT READY FOR CAREER, COLLEGE, AND LIFE Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.