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Superintendent's Message
Dear Colleagues:
As we raise expectations to a time when schools must have a college-ready average to achieve an "A" rating, it is critical that we not denigrate educators, humiliate schools, or punish students. Instead, we will provide educators, students, and parents time to learn the new expectations over the next two years.
The policies that allow us to do this, passed at BESE last week, are varied and detailed. Below you will find both a one-page document describing each policy, as well as times and dates for webinars during which Department staff will explain the policies in depth. I hope teachers, administrators, and central office staff will be able to join, so that all can be informed and can make plans accordingly.
- Educator evaluation
- Compass transition document
- Webinar information below:
- When: Wednesday, December 18th from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
- Click here to join by computer
- To connect by phone dial 877-336-1829 and enter access code 9725937# when prompted.
- School and district accountability
- Accountability during transition document
- Webinar information below:
- When: Wednesday, December 18th from 9:00 am - 10:00 am
- Click here to join by computer
- To connect by phone dial 877-336-1829 and enter access code 9725937# when prompted.
In the weeks to come, our team will turn its attention toward finalizing high school transition policy. While there will be no change in high school statewide tests - BESE confirmed this last week -- for some time the Department and BESE have been examining the Career Diploma, accountability points for career outcomes, and funding the career education system. I look forward to proposing changes that seek to end the stigma that for too long has worked against career education in our state and country, and to offering greater economic opportunity to graduates seeking a different path to the middle class.
As always, thank you for all you do for our children,
John
John White
Louisiana Department of Education
Twitter: @LouisianaSupe
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Superintendents' Conference Call
You are invited to participate in the Superintendents' Conference Call hosted by State Superintendent John White on Tuesday, December 17, now at 1:00 pm. You may begin dialing into the call 15 minutes in advance. Please follow the instructions below: To join the Superintendents' December 17, 2013 Meeting: - Click here to log in
- Select: Participant Application
- When prompted, enter the Meeting Access Code: 9725937#
- Dial into the Phone Bridge: (866) 802-4328 (Use this phone bridge only; do not use the AT&T phone bridge listed on the link above.)
- When prompted, please give the Meeting ID #: 1629245
- You will need to identify yourself in order to be placed into the meeting.
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Compass
Compass Video Library
This week, the Department is adding new videos to the video library. Instructional Videos portray the instructional shifts required when teaching to new, more rigorous standards and in order to meet the student-centered instructional practices articulated in the Compass Teacher Rubric.
New Feedback Videos provide examples of how teachers and leaders can prepare for and participate in productive feedback conversations that lead to improved educator and student work.
The Video Library User Guide provides viewers with a guide as to how these videos can be used as the basis for collaboration and discussion among teachers and leaders around student outcomes.
Compass Information System Enhancements
The Department has released the latest series of enhancements to the Compass Information System (CIS). The enhancements are detailed below.
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Update
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Description
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Student achievement trend data reports
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These reports are now available in CIS at the school-level, to school principals.
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Ability for teachers and administrators to view prior-year data
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Allows evaluators and teachers to view prior-year observation, student learning target, and evaluation data stored in CIS.
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Record and view grievances from 2012-13 school year
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District administrators may now record grievances from the prior school year and, if applicable, use this information to remove prior-year evaluation ratings.
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These enhancements are now reflected in the CIS user guides available in the Compass Library:
Please contact compass@la.gov or you network team's data specialist with questions.
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District Support
Expansion of Early Childhood Community Network Pilots - RFA for Round 2
On Monday, December 9, the Department released a Request for Applications (RFA) to identify Cohort 2 Community Network Pilots. The RFA is posted here. The state is seeking communities of early childhood providers who are ready and willing to accept the challenge to lead the expansion of the Act 3 Early Care and Education Network. The new Community Network Pilots (Cohort 2) will be announced in March 2014 and will:
- Train teachers and leaders to use Louisiana's new Birth to Five Early Learning and Development Standards, CLASS, and Teaching Strategies GOLD;
- Use CLASS and Teaching Strategies GOLD to drive ongoing system improvement; receive and make public a quality rating;
- Identify all at-risk infant-to-age-five children in the community attending or in need of publicly-funded care and education services; identify and plan to address service gaps;
- Plan to serve all eligible four-year-olds by July 1, 2015; and
- Use a common enrollment process for all programs starting with four-year-olds for fall 2015.
LDC and MDC Orientation Meetings
The Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) and Math Design Collaborative (MDC) are frameworks for preparing students for college and career. Both frameworks support middle and high school teachers through the behaviors outlined in the Teacher Support Toolbox.
Currently, 32 districts participate in the LDC and 15 in the MDC. The Department plans to provide an opportunity for new districts to participate in these initiatives for the 2014-2015 school year. In preparation for this expansion, the Department will host three regional Orientation Sessions on January 14-16 to provide an overview of each framework. These sessions are meant to help participants understand what LDC and MDC are and if they want to participate. Newly interested districts are encouraged to send a team comprised of a central office leader, principal(s), and teacher leader(s). You can register here on Coursewhere.
Please contact jill.slack@la.gov with questions.
Reminder: 2015 Teacher and Principal of the Year Application Process Now Open
The application process for the Louisiana Teacher and Principal of the Year is now open. Districts may nominate up to three candidates, one per division, for both Teacher and Principal of the Year. For more information on this year's selection process, click here. Application materials are available here and should be submitted to excellenteducators@la.gov by 5:00 pm on January 17, 2014.
Please send any questions to excellenteducators@la.gov.
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Assessment
EOC, LAA2 and GEE Waiver Submission Information Please forward to special education directors, charter school operators, school principals, assessment and accountability staff, guidance counselors, and special education teachers. The Louisiana Department of Education is accepting application for End-of-Course (EOC), Louisiana Alternate Assessment, Level 2 (LAA2), and Graduation Exit Examination (GEE) waivers for students with disabilities. Pursuant to Bulletin 741, §2319B, LEAs may apply to the state to request a waiver of one of the required component of the student's required exit examination(s). Requests may be submitted for graduating seniors who are eligible for the spring and summer 2014 graduation. Students who have met all other graduation requirements, and eligible for the waiver, will receive a standard high school diploma. If you have questions or need additional information, contact your IDEA point of contact. Click here for the waiver application timelines, waiver application checklist, and student waiver assurance form.
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Finance
Approval of FY2013-14 General Fund Budgets Please forward to business managers, superintendents, and type 2 and type 5 charter school board presidents. Louisiana R.S.17:88 requires that LEA school boards adopt, no later than September 15, a budget of expected revenues and probable expenditures for the year and that copies of the budget be submitted to the State Superintendent of Public Education for review and approval. Budgets are due to the Department no later than September 30 each year. The attached documents below include a listing of the LEAs with approved budgets. LEAs that had their budget approved after September 15, or submitted their budget to the Department after September 30, should take the necessary measures to ensure compliance with R.S.17:88 in the future. If your LEA is not included in the attached lists, you should have received an email regarding the status of your budget. If you have any questions or need additional information you may contact Zalinsky.matthew@la.gov. Attachments:
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Policy
District Charter Application Process
At the December BESE meeting, BESE formalized a legislative requirement that all charter authorizers in Louisiana accept charter applications on a common timeline. As a result of the common timeline, by January 6th each local district must begin the district charter school application process for charter applicants intending to open schools in the fall of 2015.
The Department has created a manual and a PowerPoint that will guide district leaders through the steps required to set up a district charter application process. Both documents can be found on the district charter application page, here.
District leaders may participate in either of two identical webinars in order to walk through each step of setting up the district charter application process with a Department staff member.
- Webinar 1: Tuesday, December 17th at 2:00 pm
- Webinar 2: Thursday, December 19th at 10:00 am
To receive webinar access information, please RSVP to david.shepard@la.gov. You must RSVP at least one hour in advance of the webinar.
Districts that received charter applications in the fall of 2013 may face financial hardship in running a second charter application process in the same fiscal year. Districts may apply for a financial hardship waiver allowing them - for a transition year only - to run their next charter application process in the fall of 2014 instead of in the spring of 2014. To receive a waiver application, please contact david.shepard@la.gov. Applications are due Friday, December 27, 2013.
Districts with questions regarding the district charter application process should contact david.shepard@la.gov.
Upcoming Task Force and Commission Meetings
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Meeting:
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When/Where:
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Special Education Advisory Panel
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December 19, 2013
9:00am
Iowa Room (1-153)
Claiborne Building
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Data
CSPR Part II Data Collection for Title I, Part A and Part D
The Louisiana Department of Education must report in the Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR) its progress and compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.Additionally, LEAs must submit student and staff data for Title I, Part A and Title I, Part D. Title I directors/security coordinators can enter the data for the 2012-2013 school year at this link. The deadline for entering data is January 27, 2013.
If any additional information is required, please contact your NCLB point of contact (POC) for further assistance.
Graduation Support Profiles
To identify and intervene with first-time 9th graders at-risk of dropping out, 2013-2014 Graduation Support Profiles have been generated based on data entered into SIS. The last group of reports have been placed on the Department's FTP site. SIS coordinators please provide to superintendents to distribute. As in prior years, these reports apply statistical analyses of recent statewide cohorts to each student's 8th-grade achievement and demographic data.
If you have any questions, please email Sherry.Randall@la.gov.
Data Coordinator's Webinar
To stay informed of the latest changes, due dates, and relevant information on the core data systems, please join us for the next data coordinator's webinar on December 11th at 2:00pm. Please see the INSIGHT Coordinator Portal for participation instructions and agenda.
Please e-mail Rebecca.Lamury@la.gov if you have questions.
Official Transcripts System (OTS)
Please forward to Official Transcript System (OTS) users, Student Transcripts System (STS) users, and IT security coordinators. To install the latest version (V13) of OnBase software to support OTS more efficiently, we will shut down the OTS starting at 7:30 am on December 21st. During this OTS downtime period, no high school graduate transcript will be generated from the STS. However STS should be functioning as usual and will be available for use.
After the OnBase software is upgraded all OTS users must login the LEADS Application Portal to download the Hyland ActiveX Control software and install it on their computers to be able to access OTS and retrieve transcripts. Please click here to open the OnBase Web Client Setup and Access OTS Instructions for reference.
If you have any questions, please call Cheng Lee at 225-342-1825 or email cheng.lee@la.gov.
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December 10, 2013
