March 6, 2013

Superintendent's Message

 

Dear Colleagues,

 

As you know, this Thursday BESE will consider this year's proposal for the Minimum Foundation Program (MFP). It is not an easy year for any governmental budget in Louisiana. In every area, agencies are taking reductions; the Department of Education has taken a 24 percent reduction in personnel over the last four years. Obligations on school systems continue to rise in spite of revenue challenges.

 

Given this context, and much as we may yearn for better times, it is positive that Louisiana will be investing more money than ever before in public education next year, when the MFP will increase by nearly $40 million. This means that in most parishes the overall amount of state funding will increase. You can find a summary of parish MFP projections here. You will also note that, where state contributions did not increase, it is almost always because of student population drops or changes to the local tax base. If you would like to learn more about your individual parish or city school system projection, please contact Beth Scioneaux for an in-depth discussion.

 

Other changes in this year's MFP proposal will have a minimal impact on the bottom line. Special education and academic rigor changes, for example, are designed to reward achievement and to fund plans that benefit students, but they have been limited to 10 percent of their true impact. This results in negligible changes to overall projected funding levels. For an overview of these changes, please click here.

 

In a time of reductions across government, there are hard choices to make. This formula increases state funding for education while honoring parents' choices and rewarding schools and districts that have made strides in the classroom.

 

As always, thank you for all you do for our children.

 

John

 

John White

Louisiana Department of Education

Twitter: @LouisianaSupe

 

In This Issue:
Superintendent's Conference Call

You are invited to participate in the Superintendents' Monthly Conference Call hosted by John White on Monday, March 11, at 10:30 a.m. CST.  You may begin dialing into the call 15 minutes in advance.  Please follow the instructions below:

 

To join the Superintendents' March 11, 2013 Meeting:

 

1.    Go to: https://ldoe.uc.att.com/la/meet/?ExEventID=NJCEPD&MeetingKey=TDK1HQ1L&UserExtEventID=394414 

2.    Select: Participant Application

3.    Dial: (866) 814-8399

4.    Meeting ID: 1607152

5.    You will need to identify yourself in order to be placed into the meeting.

 

Please note that this call is for superintendents and charter leaders only.

Classroom Support Toolbox

In Case You Missed It: Classroom Support Toolbox Webinars 

 

Last week the Department unveiled The Classroom Support Toolbox, which was created by teachers for teachers to provide support during the transition to the Common Core State Standards. 

 

In order to provide an overview of the toolbox's functionality and usefulness, Louisiana teachers hosted webinars to introduce the Classroom Support Toolbox. If you missed the webinar last week or if you wish to watch it again, it is now available for viewing and can be found here

 

In the coming months the Department will continue to add new content to the toolbox. All toolbox additions will be highlighted in this newsletter. 

 

Questions or Feedback

 

Please e-mail [email protected] with your questions or comments. 
 
 

Nominate Louisiana Teacher Leaders by March 15th

 

Districts should submit one district application (including their teacher, principal, and district staff nominations) by March 15. Districts and schools should use this guidance to determine the best teachers and leaders for this group, including: 

 

 

  • More specific guidance on the projected role of Teacher Leaders
  • Specific teacher qualifications that schools should consider as they select their Teacher Leader
  • Considerations for districts in building their full Teacher Leader team
  • Specifics on what the state will fund to support this initiative

 

Review how many teachers, principals, and district staff each district is allowed to nominate.You can find this updated guidance on the Teacher Leader pages in the district and teacher toolboxes.  If you have additional questions regarding the Louisiana Teacher Leaders please email [email protected].  

 
 
Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Summer Institute Reimbursement 
 
To encourage and enrich growth of the Advanced Placement� and International Baccalaureate� Programs, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) is inviting new and experienced AP� and IB� teachers and administrators to participate in several exciting professional development opportunities this summer. 

                                                           

College Board AP� Summer Institute (APSI)

Professional development opportunities offered in various locations throughout Louisiana and Texas. 

 

College Board's AP� Summer Institute for Administrators (APSIA)

Jacksonville, FL 

 

2013 IB� Conference of the Americas

The conference represents the largest annual gathering of the global IB� community

New Orleans, LA

 

Please complete the attached AP� or IB� Summer Institute Fee Reimbursement Packet and return it electronically to[email protected] by April 15, 2013.

 

The new cohort graduation index recognizes a score of 3 or higher on at least one AP� exam or an International Baccalaureate (IB) exam of 4 or higher as the highest level of achievement earned by a cohort graduate. Each student with at least one AP� score of 3 or higher or an IB exam of 4 or higher will earn the maximum 150 points toward the graduation index. Students who take an AP� or an IB� course and earn a 1 or 2 on an AP� exam or a 1, 2, or 3 on an IB� exam receive 110 points toward the graduation index.

 

Attachments:  

APPLICATION - 2013 IB Conference Reimbursement Packet

APPLICATION - 2013 APSIA Fee Reimbursement Packet

APPLICATION - 2013 APSI Fee Reimbursement Packet 

 
District Support

Opportunity: Common Core Field Test for Grades 3-8 

 

The Department is pleased to announce an opportunity for all students in grades 3-8 to participate in a common core-aligned, online field test this spring. The tests will be administered from May 6th to May 17th across the state and data results will be shared with schools at the start of the 13-14 school year.

 

What are the benefits of participating? 

  1. Educators will receive student results on common core-aligned items in order to inform planning for the 13-14 school year including preparations for the 13-14 common core-aligned LEAP and iLEAP assessments.
  2. Students are able to practice the common core using aligned items.
  3. Schools are able to practice administering assessments online in advance of online testing in the 14-15 school year. 

What is required of participants? 

  1. Schools must be able to support the technology requirements of the online system (Click here for technology requirements and click here for a list of schools that are tech ready according to our latest Tech Readiness Footprint). 
  2. School test coordinators must participate in one webinar (March 22nd, April 3rd, or April 17th).
  3. Schools must administer the tests to students between May 6th and May 17th.  

How can districts sign up?  

  • The district test coordinator (or other superintendent designee) should complete this survey to identify the schools (and grades within those schools) that will participate by Monday, March 11th. Due to requests by the districts, the deadline has been extended from March 6th to March 11th.
Please contact Jessica Baghian ([email protected]with any questions.

 

21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Programs Request for Proposals

 

The Department has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals from current 21st CCLC program providers, community organizations as well as eligible public and private schools. The 21st CCLC program provides funding to create community learning centers. 

For more information and a copy of the RFP, visit: http://wwwprd1.doa.louisiana.gov/osp/lapac/pubmain.cfm.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
Compass

New Reports Available for the Compass Information System

 

The Compass Information System includes new reports to support Compass implementation in your LEAs, including: 

 

  • A Compass teacher dashboard, a report that can be used to review Compass completion and accuracy metrics at the LEA and school-level for all teachers in the Compass Information System.
  • An employee roster report, a report that can be used to review employee information at the LEA, school, and evaluator-level.
  • Employee job titles function, that gives you the ability to update employee job titles for teachers, principals/assistant principals, counselors, and librarians, if necessary.

 

Also, please note that the Compass Information System no longer designates observation types as formal or informal. This is consistent with the Compass improvements made in January 2013.

 

Please review this guide to learn more about the new reports and functionality.   

Assessment & Accountability

  

ACT Rosters

 

Please forward to district test coordinators.

 

Updated ACT rosters will be distributed on Monday, March 11, 2013. Each district will receive an updated version of the "ACT Match" and "ACT No-Match" files that were distributed in early November, 2012. The updated versions of the ACT rosters will provide the most current list of 12th grade students who have already taken the ACT test and the most current list of 12th grade students who need to take the ACT on March 19. 

Finance
  

2013-2014 Minimum Foundation Program 

 

Find district by district projected summaries for the 2013-2014 school year here

 

 

2013-2014 Provider Application for Funding for LA 4, 8(g) and Nonpublic School Early Childhood Development (NSECD) Prekindergarten Programs 


Please forward to early childhood coordinators, supervisors, and directors 

 

The Early Childhood Education Network (Act 3) seeks to unify our state's fragmented system of early childhood education.  As part of this work, the LDE has streamlined the requirements for state-funded prekindergarten programs and developed a common application for providers. Through this common application, school districts, charter schools, nonpublic schools and eligible child care providers may apply for funds for LA 4, 8(g), and NSECD programs for the 2013-2014 school year.   

 

The application as well as streamlined requirements and guidelines can be found here. Please note that the deadline for submission of an application by Monday, April 1, 2013

 

If you have any questions regarding these materials, please contact Mary Louise Jones at (225) 342-3647 or via e-mail at [email protected].
Policy

Governor's Conference on Juvenile Justice

 

Each year the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Advisory Board hosts a conference that delivers information regarding the current state juvenile justice and delinquency prevention in Louisiana. National and state experts will once again present powerful and timely messages about the current state of the system and offering innovative solutions to problems facing our juvenile justice professionals. The 33rd Annual Louisiana Governor's Conference on Juvenile Justice will be held in New Orleans from April 3 - April 5, 2013 . Registration fee is only $50. Please see information below and the attachment for more information. You may also click on the web link below to register and get additional information about the conference.
 
What: 33rd Governor's Conference on Juvenile Justice 

When: April 3-5, 2013

Where: Marriott Convention Center Hotel, New Orleans, LA

Website: http://www.lajuvenilejustice.org/

 

Attachment:

 

Education In The News 

 

Support new teacher rules

 

Teachers set to get assistance

 

Study says KIPP student gains substantial

 

School just got tougher: Louisiana raises bar for student testing this spring

 

 

LDOE Contacts
John White
State Superintendent of Education
877.453.2721
(toll-free)
Twitter @LouisianaSupe

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