Dec. 30, 2009

Good afternoon:

I hope you had a wonderful holiday with family and friends and are ready to celebrate the New Year later this week. In this message, I am sharing important information about the kindergarten waiver and a conference call on Race to the Top scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 5.

Since the passage of House Bill 1 in July, there has been much conversation about the Education Reform Plan and the implementation of the reform elements. In recent weeks, much attention has been paid to the all-day, every-day kindergarten component.

All-day, every-day kindergarten becomes a requirement for all school districts beginning with the 2010-2011 school year, unless the district obtains a waiver from the state. With the passage of amended House Bill 318 “a school district may seek a delay, until fiscal year 2012, of the requirement to implement all-day kindergarten for all students in that district.” HB 1 permits the superintendent of public instruction to grant a waiver to a school district from the requirement of providing all-day, every-day kindergarten if the district can demonstrate that a hardship exists which prevents it from offering all-day, every-day kindergarten in the 2010-2011 school year.

The waiver application is available by clicking here or by visiting education.ohio.gov and searching for keywords kindergarten waiver. Districts must submit the waiver application in hard copy form to ODE along with two attachments: 1) a copy of the local school board resolution that contains a request for delay of all-day, every-day kindergarten and justification for seeking a waiver; and 2) a copy of the local school district plan for providing all-day, every-day kindergarten in school year 2011-2012. The waiver and the two attachments should be submitted to ODE in hard copy form by U. S. mail to:

Office of Early Learning & School Readiness, Mail Stop #305
Ohio Department of Education
25 S. Front Street
Columbus, OH 43215
Attn: Michelle K. Smith

We have prepared waiver guidelines and a list of frequently asked questions, which may be accessed by clicking here or by visiting education.ohio.gov and searching for keywords kindergarten waiver.

Only traditional public school districts seeking a waiver from providing all-day, every-day kindergarten need to complete the waiver application. Districts planning on offering all-day, every-day kindergarten in 2010-2011 do not need to complete a waiver application or notify ODE.

Waiver applications will be reviewed as they are received, and ODE will notify superintendents of the approval or denial of their waiver application via email.

Should you have any questions regarding the waiver application, please contact ELSR@ode.state.oh.us or 614-995-9974.

In addition to the kindergarten waiver, I realize there is a great deal of work going on throughout the state relating to Ohio’s application for the federal Race to the Top grant.

Please join representatives from the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Education Association and the Ohio Federation of Teachers for a conference call to provide additional guidance and technical support in the completion of the Race to the Top Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The Conference Call will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 5, from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Interested LEAs are encouraged to participate as a team comprised of the superintendent, board of education president and teachers’ union president.   

MOU Submission Details  

• Completed MOUs must be received by 4 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2010. Late submissions cannot be accepted.
• MOU submissions should be sent via e-mail or U.S. Postal Service to: 

michael.dougherty@ode.state.oh.us  or   

Michael Dougherty
Ohio Department of Education
25 South Front Street; MS 701 
Columbus, OH 43215-4183  

Instructions to Access the Jan. 5 Conference Call 

Step 1:  Dial the Toll-Free Conference Access Number:   1-866-200-6965

Step 2:  Enter the Participant PIN Code:   519061#

Step 3:  Callers will be placed on musical hold until the event begins

If the PIN code is not dialed or is dialed incorrectly, callers will be automatically transferred to the Customer Service department who will place participants into the conference. Instructions will be provided at the beginning of the session on how participants may submit questions. The Customer Service team can be reached at any time during your conference call simply by pressing *0 on the telephone keypad. The maximum number of participants for this call is 150.

Just a reminder, the ODE offices will be closed the rest of this week for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

As always, thank you for all your hard work, especially the work that has been completed in these holiday weeks. Have a Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Dec. 17, 2009

Good afternoon:

I know that I mentioned in Monday’s EdConnection that I would not be sending another newsletter until after the New Year, unless there were developments with the state budget situation. As I am certain you have heard by now, Governor Ted Strickland and the General Assembly have come to an agreement on how to address the $851 million dollar shortfall that has been talked and written about so much during the last few weeks. The final language of the legislation, House Bill 318, is still being crafted, but we do know certain aspects of the bill that are not expected to change.

House Bill 318 addresses the shortfall by freezing state income tax rates at the 2008 level, postponing the final 4.2 percent reduction. The tax revenues made available through this postponement will allow the state to avoid any cuts to education funding. Also, these funds ensure that Ohio will continue to receive State Fiscal Stabilization Funds tied to education and will remain in a competitive position for Race to the Top funds.

I am certain you are all relieved to know that this situation has been resolved. I know I am. We can now devote our full attention to educating Ohio’s children.

In addition to addressing the budget issue, House Bill 318 also contains language regarding waivers from providing all-day, every-day kindergarten until fiscal year 2012 (the 2011-2012 school year). The language in the current version of the bill will require local boards of education to adopt a resolution providing justification for the delay of implementing all-day, every-day kindergarten. Districts also will be required to submit a plan for the full implementation of all-day, every-day kindergarten beginning in the 2011-2012 school year. The current bill states that ODE will grant a waiver to school districts fulfilling both of these requirements.

Once we have a final version of the bill, we will begin developing a process by which districts will request a waiver. We will do our best to provide information to you in a timely manner regarding the waiver process, and will be certain that you have ample opportunity to fulfill the waiver requirements.

The bill also addresses funding for non-public, chartered schools. A provision in the bill would allow ODE to use General Revenue Fund lapses to restore funding for non-public, chartered schools up to FY 2009 spending levels. Again, as further details about this piece become available, I will be sure to keep you informed.

I hope this great news that education funding will not be reduced offers you some reassurance as you embark on your winter break.

Sincerely,

Dec. 7, 2009

Good afternoon,

The blustery weather that invaded Ohio late last week shows us that winter has truly arrived! I hope that your school week returned to normal last week following the holiday break.

This week, the State Board of Education will hold its monthly meeting. You can review the agenda for the meeting at www.sboe.ohio.gov.The State Board also welcomes the newest board member, Kathy Leavenworth, who was appointed to the board last Friday by Gov. Ted Strickland. Kathy has served as a local board of education member for the West Geauga Local Schools since 1979.

I would also like to welcome Francis Pompey to ODE. Francis joins ODE as our chief operating officer. In addition to the operational offices within the department, he will oversee the Center for School Options and Finance. Francis comes to ODE from Huntington Bank, where he previously served as senior vice president of strategic planning and business performance. He has more than 20 years of experience in the financial industry, working on executive business transformation and efficiency initiatives. Francis brings a background to ODE that will help us continue improving efficiencies and business practices. I look forward to working with both Kathy and Francis on the important work we have ahead of us in the coming months.

Thanks to those of you that completed our Kindergarten Survey last week. I realize that there were some technical issues that prevented some of you from accessing the survey and I appreciate your patience as we worked through those problems.

During the last few weeks, the Office of Educational Reform has received several inquiries stemming from a newspaper report regarding the elimination of elementary art, music and physical education in a Columbus-area school district.

The Operating Standards for Ohio’s Schools (Ohio Administrative Code 3301-35) and Ohio Revised Code (Section 3313.60) contain language that requires school districts to develop a curriculum for all schools under their control, and physical education and fine arts, including music, are among the subjects that must be addressed in all schools.

The Operating Standards also state that each district is required to “provide every student with opportunities to acquire the knowledge and skills required to meet local course of study objectives…” and requires that “students shall be provided sufficient time and opportunity….” However, the time allocated to all such opportunities is a local decision. Students in all schools must be afforded the opportunity to engage in the study of the fine arts and physical activity.

While we recognize that districts regularly face difficult operational and programmatic decisions, often compounded by serious and complex fiscal circumstances, minimum educational standards and opportunities for all students must be maintained. Inquiries concerning curricular requirements may be directed to the Office of Educational Reform or to the Office of Curriculum and Instruction by calling (877) 644-6338.

I hope you find this information helpful and that you have a wonderful week. Stay warm!
  
Sincerely,

Here are additional items that may be of interest to you:

• LEA MOUs needed for Ohio’s Race to the Top application process
• New licensure application forms must be used starting Jan. 1
• KRA-L data now posted on the Interactive Local Report Card Web site
• Dec. 16 Webinar explains House Bill 1 family and civic engagement provisions
• Applications for SPARK Physical Education grants due Dec. 31
• Get ready for Census 2010
• Contribute to the national education-technology plan by Dec. 31
• Shine the spotlight on Dowds Elementary School (Shelby City Schools) and United Elementary School (United Local Schools)

LEA MOUs needed for Ohio’s Race to the Top application process
ODE is in the process of preparing Ohio’s Race to the Top (RTTT) grant proposal. RTTT will offer significant opportunities as Ohio enacts its new education reform plan and builds upon education system improvements of the past decade. With RTTT funds, Ohio will be able to accelerate and expand needed innovative approaches to increase student achievement, improve graduation rates and considerably reduce or eliminate achievement gaps.

The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that all Ohio local education agencies (LEAs) will have the opportunity to participate in Ohio’s RTTT application. A critical component of a successful application will be the demonstration of support and commitment from LEAs for Ohio’s reform plan. The key deliverable needed from participating LEAs is a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which demonstrates a commitment to the elements of Ohio’s reform strategy. Providing a signed MOU is a requirement of participation in Ohio’s RTTT program.

It is expected that the MOUs will be released to LEAs for consideration on Monday, Dec. 14. Each MOU must be signed by the LEA superintendent (or equivalent), board of education president (or equivalent, if applicable) and teacher’s union president (if applicable). MOUs must be returned to ODE by the first week in January 2010. Ohio’s application is due on Jan. 19, 2010, and awards are expected to be announced in April 2010.

In addition, participating LEAs must submit a local implementation plan to ODE 90 days after the federal award notice. ODE is committed to partnering with participating LEAs in these critical reform areas.

Ohio was placed in a funding category based on student population making the state potentially eligible for an award of $200 to $400 million. Should Ohio receive RTTT funds, at least 50 percent of the grant must be distributed to participating LEAs based on their relative share of Title I, Part A allocations. Until the final grant award is made and the number of participating LEAs is finalized, the total available funds for participating LEAs cannot be calculated.

Guidelines released from the U.S. Department of Education are very prescriptive in terms of centering the reform work on four specific areas: standards and assessments; data systems to support instruction; great teachers and leaders; and turning around the lowest-achieving schools. Each assurance is focused on deep and systemic reform:

• The standards and assessment assurance includes the adoption of internationally benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the workplace.
• The data systems assurance includes building a longitudinal data system that measures student success and informs teachers and principals how they can improve their practices in concert with analyzing student data.
• The great teachers and leaders assurance includes recruiting, developing, retaining and rewarding effective teachers and principals. Additionally, it calls for changes in teacher and principal preparation and training programs.
• The lowest-achieving schools assurance calls for aggressive action to be taken in turning around persistently underperforming schools.

ODE recognizes that this is an especially inconvenient time for districts and schools between winter recess and closures around the holidays. Unfortunately, because of the imminent application deadline, timing cannot be changed. We encourage LEAs to participate and to watch for the release of MOUs early next week. 

Ohio’s application will emphasize the reforms of House Bill 1 and the explicit guidance provided in the RTTT application. Applications for Phase I RTTT grants are due on Jan. 19, 2010. Phase I awards will be announced in April 2010. For detailed information about the RTTT application process, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s RTTT Web site.

More information concerning LEA participation will be sent in a future EdConnection.

New licensure application forms must be used starting Jan. 1
By Jan. 1, 2010, updated educator licensure application forms will be posted on the ODE Web site to comply with new House Bill 1 criminal background check requirements. Under the new requirements, applicants for Ohio licensure need to establish whether they have lived continuously in Ohio for the past five years. The answer to this residency question will determine what background checks educators will need to complete as they renew licenses or apply for additional licenses. These updated licensure application forms are the only applications that will be accepted after Jan. 1, 2010. Please share this important information with all district staff.

The new forms will be posted on the licensure applications Web page by Jan. 1. To access the page, click here or go to education.ohio.gov and search keywords: licensure applications.

KRA-L data now posted on the Interactive Local Report Card Web site
The Kindergarten Readiness Assessment – Literacy (KRA-L) annual data from Fall 2005 through Fall 2008 is now posted on the ODE Interactive Local Report Card Web site. For the first time, Web users may now view KRA-L data disaggregated by student demographic characteristics at both the district and state levels.

Per the Ohio Revised Code (3310.0715), the KRA-L is an initial screening instrument administered to all incoming kindergarten children no earlier than four weeks prior to the start of school and no later than Oct 1. The KRA-L is designed to assist educators in the evaluation of young children's literacy skills at the beginning of the kindergarten year. The KRA-L measures six elements or essential indicators of later reading success: answering questions, repeating sentences, identifying rhyming words, producing rhyming words, identifying letters and recognizing initial sounds.

To access the data, click here for Power User Reports. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Begin, then click on Early Learning Tests. For more information about the KRA-L, click here or visit education.ohio.gov, keyword search: KRA-L.

Dec. 16 Webinar explains House Bill 1 family and civic engagement provisions
A Webinar sponsored by ODE and Ohio Family and Children First will shed light on House Bill 1 requirements to establish district-level family and civic engagement teams and to define the role of family engagement coordinators. The Webinar is Dec. 16 from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

This free professional development event is appropriate for local school board members, superintendents, principals, school counselors, other school personnel and ESC staff, as well as community partners who may be involved in district or school family and civic engagement efforts.

The Webinar presenters are staff of The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Social Work and the OSU Center for Learning Excellence. They will answer questions e-mailed to them during the session; an e-mail address will be provided on the Webinar site.

To participate in the Webinar, click here. Once on the site, click Family and Civic Engagement: Understanding Teams and Coordinators. Participants can access the Webinar at any time during the session. The session will be taped for eventual posting on ODE’s Web site.

Applications for SPARK Physical Education grants due Dec. 31
Middle school physical education teachers can apply now for training in the Sports, Play and Active Recreation for Kids (SPARK) program. SPARK offers a research-based curriculum that teaches movement knowledge, motor skills, healthy lifestyles, and social and personal skills.

ODE’s Office for Safety, Health and Nutrition will award individual grants to 40 Ohio teachers to cover their participation in two days of training for implementing the SPARK curriculum. Teachers will receive program manuals, CDs and fitness software. Schools also will receive $100 for each day of training to help cover the cost of substitute teachers. The total value of each grant is more than $700 and includes technical support from the SPARK training staff and the ODE Healthy Schools Program consultant. The trainings will be held in central Ohio in January and August 2010.

The deadline for applications is Dec. 31. For more information and the grant application, click here and click on the home page link, or search keyword: SPARK.

Get ready for Census 2010
April 1, 2010, is U.S. Census Day, which provides the opportunity to enlighten students on census data and to challenge them to learn more about their community and its needs. The U.S. Census Bureau has created the program Census in Schools: It’s About Us, which offers standards-aligned materials and lesson plans that can be integrated into district curriculum. Additionally, there are family take-home pages that provide information and promote participation in the 2010 Census.

ODE is working with the Ohio 2010 Census committee to encourage Ohio schools, students and parents to be counted on April 1, 2010. Because census participation can significantly impact district budgets, educators are encouraged to communicate to families and communities the importance of a complete and accurate count in Ohio. For more information, click here.

Contribute to the national education-technology plan by Dec. 31
Principals of schools with robust technology are invited to participate in the Project Red online survey, which is a means of collecting information about what’s working in schools and how technology can save money when properly implemented.

Project RED is a national educational technology study that aims to quantify the impact of technology in education, define technology models that can lead to student achievement and evaluate cost savings and revenue enhancements to states that directly result from investments in educational technology.

Superintendents and technology directors can support the effort by helping principals with survey questions 4, 5, 11, 23 and 24. Project findings will be provided to the national education-technology plan as well as schools, districts and educational policy makers across the country. The deadline for survey completion is Dec. 31. To access the survey, click here. For more information, call (877) 635-4198.

Shine the Spotlight on Dowds Elementary School (Shelby City Schools) and United Elementary School (United Local Schools)
Dowds Elementary School students conducted an annual food drive supporting Shelby’s Ministerial Association Community in November – and learned some valuable lessons along the way. Kindergarten students brought canned goods to school. First through fourth-grade students brought cash donations, earning money at home by doing chores for family and friends. Classroom discussions were held about helping others and being wise shoppers.

In late November, students went to a local grocery store and worked with adult volunteers to purchase food with the donated funds. Their purchases were brought back to school and displayed under a Christmas tree before volunteers transported the food to the Helpline Distribution Center.

The Dowds Elementary contributions resulted in more than $1,541 worth of groceries for needy families. The experience of giving to others in the community resulted in countless lessons for Dowds students about the rewards of service to others.

United Elementary School
The school nurse at United Elementary has collected food items, clothes and other household goods for those in need in the local community for several years. Traditionally, school staff had always helped provide food items and money to keep the cupboards full.

However, during an interview this year about what the nurse does, the fifth and sixth grade student council members discovered that she had been collecting these items. They also learned that there was a greater need due to the current economic conditions.

The students organized the "Two CAN Make a Difference" food drive for the month of November. Students spoke to all classrooms, made announcements over the public address system, and collected, sorted and counted the items. The goal of 2,500 items was exceeded. Student Council members then helped pack more than 30 boxes of food that were delivered to local families.

Congratulations to both of these groups of students for their hard work and commitment to their communities.

If you would like to share news about a service-learning project involving a group of your students who are helping the community, please send an e-mail with Spotlight in the subject line to superintendent@ode.state.oh.us. We also are pleased to learn about any curricular connections to projects and to receive digital images of these activities.

Note: You also may find this document online at education.ohio.gov by searching keyword: EdConnection. If you have questions, comments or suggestions about this weekly e-mail or would like to be added to the mailing list, please feel free to contact me at superintendent@ode.state.oh.us.

Dec. 2, 2009

Good afternoon,

Monday’s EdConnection included information about ODE’s Kindergarten Survey. Today, we have started to receive several e-mails from you stating that the link included in the message is not working. We are experiencing some technical issues with the survey tool. Our Information Technology staff is working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. If you have been unable to access the survey today, please try to do so later this afternoon.

If we are unable to resolve the issue today, we will extend the deadline to ensure you have ample time to complete the survey.

If you are having trouble accessing the link, please do the following:

1. Highlight and copy this URL: http://survey.education.ohio.gov/se.ashx?s=60DA727035F9EA19
2. Paste the URL into the address bar of your browser.
3. Enter your District IRN as the username and password to access the survey.

Several ESCs and community schools also have inquired about completing the survey. Please note that only traditional public school districts need to complete the survey.

If you have questions about the content of the survey, please e-mail lisa.usselman@ode.state.oh.us. For additional technical assistance, contact emily.buser@ode.state.oh.us.

Have a wonderful afternoon!

Sincerely,

Kathe Shelby, Director - Office for Exceptional Children (December 2009)

December Child Count

The December Child count reporting is underway.  Full instructions for reporting are posted on the ODE web site, www.education.ohio.gov, use the search function with keywords December Child Count Instructions.
 
Changes from Previous Year
Reporting requirements have evolved since last year. Reporting of program codes has been eliminated during December, but otherwise the changes to 2009-2010 December reporting are minimal.  The changes that districts should note include:

• Related services will NOT be reported in December;
• Environments (LRE, primary program codes) are now reported ONLY as outcomes of an IEP, rather than both as an IEP outcome and a program code;
• Environment codes (LRE settings) that have changed due to either a change in a student’s grade level or due to an amendment to an IEP can be updated using the FN270 data element, “Updated December 1 Outcome;”
• Alternative placement will not be reported in December; it will be reported in October and Year-end periods;
• The completion of transition planning is now reported only as part of the special education event record (in the form of a secondary planning element) rather than both as an event record and a program code;

• Two new event types are available for reporting, as needed. If parents have withdrawn consent for services, districts should report using the CIEP event type; if districts chose to use an abbreviated IEP meeting process for soon-to-graduate seniors, districts should report using the FIEP event type. Not all districts will need to use these codes. 

Focus on LRE Reporting

In a previous list-serv message, the Office for Exceptional Children (OEC) shared a table that can assist district staff in calculating the percentage of time a student spends in a setting that serves all students. In this message, OEC presents an example of a completed table. This example will be posted to our Web sites in the near future.

Funding Available for eRead Professional Development Modules

ODE’s Office of Literacy and eRead at the University of Akron worked together to develop online professional development courses and resources for K-12 literacy educators. The Office for Exceptional Children is offering funds through the regional State Support Teams (SST) to support districts utilizing the eRead Modules as professional development for special and general education teachers who teach students with disabilities.
The modules help educators develop skills that are sustainable, ongoing and focused on student achievement. Educators can build a strong foundation in the Five Essentials, Early Language Learning, Differentiation, English learners, Adolescent Literacy, Scaffolding, High Yield Strategies or Assess Plan Teach. There also are modules on School Leadership and Instructional Coaching. All modules promote a blended face-to-face, online, high-quality professional development experience led by an experienced facilitator.
If you are interested in learning more about the modules, access www.eReadOhio.org and/or contact Lori Vargo, 330-972-7708, or by e-mail at  LVargo@uakron.edu. If you are interested in learning more about accessing funding to support this e-learning professional development effort, contact your regional State Support Team.

Center for Instructional Supports and Accessible Materials (CISAM) Fall Circular is now available

http://www.ossb.oh.gov/CISAM/CISAM%20Fall%20Circular%202009.pdf 

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