January 18, 2017
Superintendent's Message
Dear Colleagues,
Earlier this week, school system and school leaders, career and technical educators, counselors and business and industry
partners met for the third annual Jump Start Convention in Baton Rouge to celebrate the program's successes and strategize for full
implementation in 2017-2018.
Tomorrow, we will advance a critical statewide discussion about improving schools that have struggled for years. We will, I hope,
learn a great deal--about our schools, our colleagues, and the work of potential partners from around the state and nation.
Our day will start with a panel dialogue, the purpose of which is to showcase the thinking of leaders of innovative work here and
across the country. Participating in the panel will be
Mitchell Chester, Commissioner of Education for the State of Massachusetts
Pedro Martinez, Superintendent of the San Antonio Independent School District
Patrice Pujol, President of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching and former Superintendent for the Ascension
Parish School Board
These leaders have worked in rural communities, small cities, and large metropolitan areas. Their approaches to the challenge of
historically underperforming schools have differed widely. But they share two elements that command respect.
First, their approaches are cutting edge. None of these leaders has accepted the typical way of going about this work. They have
employed unorthodox and creative solutions to dramatic and dire circumstances.
Second, their strategies are based in evidence of what works for students. For as challenging as improving the schools in question
can be, ultimately there is no replacement for a strong curriculum, supported and prepared teachers, goals-oriented leadership, and
motivated students. The work of these three leaders always aspires to get to this place, even as they take different routes along the
way.
After this starting point, we will each go on our own journeys this Thursday, focused on the schools in our particular communities. I
hope this opening conversation allows us to lift our heads to view the wider world, to examine the work of colleagues from across this
vast country, and to reflect on our work through the lens of their work.
I am anxious to see you in New Orleans tomorrow morning.
As always, thank you for all you do for our children,
John
John White
Louisiana Department of Education
Twitter @LouisianaSupe
In This Issue:
Action Items for Charter Schools
LEA Support
Assessment and Accountability
Data
Special Education
High School Opportunities
Funding and Grants Management
Safe and Healthy Schools
Talent
Finance
Other
Action Items for Charter Schools
Date
Action Item
1/19/2017 Submit teacher and principal of the year
applications
1/26/2017 Register for Teacher Leader and Supervisor
Collaborations
1/27/2017 Submit amended EEF application in eGMS
1/31/2017 Submit Second Quarter Financial Report
2/3/2017 Register for Principal Institute for Implementing
Eureka
2/3/2017 Complete health, physical education, and vending
survey
2/15/2017 Apply to be a Fit NOLA school
2/15/2017 Verify or send updates to E-Rate validation counts
to [email protected]
2/23/2017 Complete ACT site readiness tasks
Owner(s)
CEOs and school leaders
School leaders, technology coordinators, testing coordinators, and
teacher leaders
Federal programs coordinators and finance directors
Type 2, 3B, and 5 charter school finance directors
School leaders
School leaders
Orleans Parish school leaders
E-Rate coordinators and technology directors
Testing coordinators or technology directors
LEA Support
New: Read the Louisiana Science Standards Review Public Comment
The public comment period for the science standards review process has closed. A summary of the public
comments can be accessed on the LDOE Louisiana Student Standards Review web page. The complete set of
raw data, including emails sent to the Department, are located in the Standards Review Materials and Resources.
Considering this public feedback, the science standards workgroups reconvened this week to revise the draft
science standards. The second draft will be submitted to the science standards committee and discussed at a
public meeting on January 25, 2017. If needed, the draft will go back to the workgroup for revisions prior to being
considered by the committee on February 13, 2017 for submission to BESE for approval in March 2017. Detailed
information on the standards review process can be found on the LDOE Louisiana Student Standards Review web
page.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Update: Principal Institute for Implementing Eureka--New Date Added Due to Demand
The February 15, 2017 Eureka Principal Institute for Implementing Eureka is full. Due to high demand, LDOE is hosting a repeat
institute on March 13, 2017 at the Vermilion Conference Center in Lafayette.
The Eureka Math Principal Institute will allow principals and other instructional leaders to dive deep into the things that matter most
in today's math classroom. Learning will spotlight the shifts in the mathematics standards, strategic lesson planning, year-long
planning, and key "look-fors" in a Eureka math classroom. The Curriculum Implementation Scale will be used throughout the day to
discuss concrete ways principals can improve Eureka implementation at their schools.
Email [email protected] with questions.
Reminder: Join the January District Planning Call
The January District Planning Call is Wednesday, January 25 at 1:00 p.m. All charter CEOs and key LEA staff are encouraged
to attend.
Click here to join the meeting or go to https://louisianaschools.adobeconnect.com/dpc/ (no preregistration required)
Audio access via phone bridge: 646-307-1380; meeting room: #951154160
Please email [email protected] with questions.
Reminder: Register for the Teacher Leader and Supervisor Collaboration Events
Registration for the January and February 2017 Teacher Leader and Supervisor Collaborations is open in CourseWhere.
Participants should register by Thursday, January 26, 2017. The dates and locations for these events are:
January 31 in Harvey
February 2 in Baton Rouge
February 7 in Ruston
February 9 in Lafayette
The registration codes for the Supervisor Collaboration is 2017JANFEBSUP. The registration code for the Teacher Leader
Collaboration is 2017JANFEBTEACH.
The Supervisor Collaboration will kick off the 2017-2018 LEA planning process. Please refer to the Supervisor Collaboration
Overview for additional information about this event.
The Teacher Leader Collaboration will help teachers continue to build their knowledge and skills to be successful this school year
and beyond. Please share the Teacher Leader Collaboration Overview with your Teacher Leaders and encourage them to register
by Thursday, January 26.
Please contact [email protected] with questions related to these events.
Assessment and Accountability
New: District Test Coordinator Reminders
Assessment and Accountability Office Hours: Tuesday, January 24, 2017 at 1:00 p.m.
Click here to join the meeting or go to: https://louisianaschools.adobeconnect.com/dtc/
Enter the meeting room as a guest and provide your name.
Call-In Information: 646-307-1380; meeting room #951155484.
ELDA and LAA1 Administrations: On Jan 24, 2017 ELDA and LAA 1 assessment materials will be delivered to sites;
Additional Materials System and Electronic Security Checklists will become available in eDIRECT.
ACT: Schools participating in online testing must complete setting up proctor caching and the other site readiness tasks described
below by February 23, 2017. If your school does not set up proctor caching by this date, ACT will switch your administration from
online to paper.
On January 24, 2017 ACT will host a Q&A session for sites participating in the ACT online pilot. Please register on the ACT iLinc
site no later than 48 hours before the session. You will receive a confirmation email after you register.
For your technical coordinator to help with online testing, you also need to create a user account for him or her in
PearsonAccessnext. You'll find instructions in the "How to Create a User Account" section of the Managing Contacts and
Participation Guide.
Online Testing Resources to help prepare for online testing:
Technical Requirements for the ACT® Test Taken Online outlines the technical requirements for online testing.
The ACT® Test Technical Guide for Online Testing helps technical staff configure an organization's systems for online
testing.
Using PearsonAccessnext for the ACT® Test provides information about procedures in PearsonAccessnext relating to
online testing.
The ACT® Test Mock Administration Guide contains instructions the test coordinator will use to prepare for and
perform a mock administration.
Contact ACT via the Contact Us web page or call ACT Customer Service at 800-553-6244 ext. 2800.
Fall EOC CSV File: The CSV file from the initial window will be available this week. It will not include scores of rescore requests
from LEAs.
Please email [email protected] with questions.
New: ELA Updates in EAGLE 2.0
Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) has been working to address EAGLE 2.0 concerns noted by the field, particularly in the ELA
item bank. A set of items and passages were re-linked in the system over the Christmas break. The EAGLE (ELA) catalog for
passage sets with more than one passage can be found in the EAGLE system under Help, User Guides. The Passage ID can be
used to quickly search for the item sets using the Passage tab in the Item Bank. The department will continue to build upon this
catalog to ensure that teachers can quickly locate passage sets/items in EAGLE.
If you have any questions, please contact the DRC Help Desk at 1-888-718-4836 or by email at
[email protected].
Reminder: Educational Technology Call
Monthly Educational Technology Call: Thursday, January 19, 2017 at 1:00 p.m.
Click here to join the meeting or go to https://louisianaschools.adobeconnect.com/edconnect/.
Enter the meeting room as a guest and provide your name.
Call-in number: 646-307-1380; meeting room #951155484.
Data
New: Monthly Webinar for Data Governance and Privacy Leads
Topics will include data governance planning and privacy.
January Data Governance Planning: Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 10:00 a.m.
Click here to join the meeting or go to https://louisianaschools.adobeconnect.com/datagovernanceplanningjan (no
preregistration required).
Enter the meeting room as a guest and provide your name.
Select the "listen only" mode.
Please email [email protected] with questions.
Reminder: Review Google Data Privacy Agreement
LDOE has completed a statewide contract with Google for use of their G-Suite of applications by schools across the state. Schools
are responsible for reviewing the contract and its terms and conditions to ensure it meets their LEA's/school's data privacy
requirements. Schools can choose to participate by signing an opt-in agreement as specified in the contract. The contract and optin form will be posted to the LDOE Data Sharing Agreement webpage.
For questions about the terms and conditions of the contract, please contact [email protected].
Special Education
New: Improving School Climate and Discipline Conference
Through our State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) and in cooperation with the Caddo School District and the regional network
on positive behavior intervention supports, the Department is sponsoring a conference on January 26-27, 2017 at LSU-Shreveport
focusing on "Rethinking Discipline Practices, Engaging Families, and Changing Climate for Student Success."
Please find the agenda and registration information on the SPDG web site. Space is limited at this event and booking quickly, so
please register as soon as possible.
For more information, please contact Dr. Barzanna White at [email protected].
High School Opportunities
Reminder: Register for the JAG-LA 2nd Quarterly Meeting
The JAG-LA second quarterly meeting is January 25-26, 2017 at the Paragon Convention Center in Marksville, LA. This is a
required meeting for all JAG-LA Specialists per the JAG-LA Grant. Please see CourseWhere to register and for more
information.
Please email Renee Montgomery with questions regarding registration,
Reminder: Register for the February Counselor Collaboratives
The 2016-17 Counselor Collaboratives will focus on developing appropriate High School Pathways and guiding students to
resources that provide post-secondary training opportunities. Participants are asked to register on CourseWhere. For questions
regarding registration, please email [email protected].
Reminder: Financial Aid Planning Resources
Please share this entry with all school and system administrators and counselors.
LDOE has updated its Financial Aid Planning Regional Resource Calendar to inform students, parents, and school systems of
upcoming financial aid events in their area. The calendar, along with other helpful financial aid resources, is located on the
Department's Financial Aid web page. School systems who wish to publish financial aid-related events in the calendar should send
the event name, date and time, specific location, and a brief description to [email protected].
Funding and Grants Management
Reminder: Submit EEF Budget Reduction Amendment
After consulting with legislative staff, LDOE is providing additional guidance concerning the EEF amendment process. The new
guidance provides EEF recipients these additional options for amending their EEF budgets:
1. Basic: Recipients may make a simple 5% reduction across each budget item. Recipients with only one or two budget items
may prefer this option since it will provide for faster processing and delivery of EEF funds.
2. Modified: To accommodate the 5% reduction, recipients may make minor changes to the amounts in their original budget in
a way that allows them to best utilize their money. This includes making minor adjustments to items in the current budget
(e.g., adding or deleting money for specific items in the budget category for supplies).
3. Substantial: Similar to the Modified option, this option enables recipients to make substantial changes to their budgets in a
way that allows them to best utilize their money, including adding items or budget categories that do not exist in the current
budget. Recipients that take this option will be required to submit their budgets for a second approval from the Joint
Education Committee in April.
The submission deadline is 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 27, 2017. No new FY2016-2017 applications will be accepted.
For further information about EEF, please contact John Hanley at [email protected].
Safe and Healthy Schools
Reminder: Health, Physical Education and Vending Survey
In response to Revised Statute 17:17.4 of the Louisiana Legislature, the Healthy Communities Section is requesting your assistance
in completing the annual health and physical education survey.
The Department of Education is required to monitor and evaluate health and physical education, vending machine policies and
School Health Advisory Council activities and provide an annual report to the Legislature. Your participation in this survey is critical
in providing quality, accurate data to the Senate and House Committees on Health and Welfare. It is important to note that data is
analyzed and disseminated collectively and not by individual school systems.
Please have one person complete the survey by February 3, 2017.
Talent
Reminder: Teacher and Principal of the Year Applications Due Thursday
The 2018 Louisiana Teacher and Principal of the Year state-level candidate applications are due in the online portal by January
19, 2017. Information, including timeline and application materials, may be found on the LDOE Award Programs web page.
Please email questions and requests for help to [email protected].
Finance
New: Second Quarter Financial Reports Due
Please forward to Business Managers and Financial Officials of Type 2, Type 3B, and Type 5 Charter Schools.
The Second Quarter Financial Report for FY2016-17 is due January 31, 2017. The Quarterly Report Form and Statement of
Affirmation should be submitted to Karen McCarvy at [email protected].
* The MFP Resolution provides for a mid-year adjustment equal to the total per pupil amount times the number of
students gained or lost from the February 1, 2016, student count to the October 1, 2016, student count.
* School Boards must revise their budget, as necessary, to maintain a balanced budget and accurately reflect the revenues
and expenditures based on the October 1, 2015, student count as reported in SIS.
The Second Quarter Financial Report shall contain year end data through December 31 along with budgeted data for FY2016-2017
(July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017). If your organization operates more than one charter school, you must submit the financial
reports for each individual school.
New: Grant Claim Submission--Periodic Expense Report (PER)
Periodic Expense Reports (PERs) should be submitted quarterly through eGMS by the 15th following the end of the quarter for grant
expenditures.
Quarter 1 - Ending 9/30 - PER Due 10/15
Quarter 2 - Ending 12/31 - PER Due 1/15
Quarter 3 - Ending 3/31 - PER Due 4/15
Quarter 4 - Ending 6/30 - PER Due 7/15
The 12/31 Period Expense Report was due on January 15. As a reminder, the system does not allow school systems to submit
additional claims until the quarterly Periodic Expense Report has been submitted.
Other
New: Civil Rights Guidance
The United States Department of Education (USDOE) released three new sets of guidance to assist the public in understanding how
the agency interprets and enforces federal civil rights laws protecting students with disabilities. These documents clarify the rights
of students with disabilities and the responsibilities of schools in ensuring that all students have the opportunity to learn. The
documents include a parent and educator resource guide to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act in public schools; a Dear
Colleague letter and question-and-answer fact sheet on the use of restraint and seclusion in public schools; and a Dear Colleague
letter, question-and-answer fact sheets (1 and 2), and a Know Your Rights overview concerning the rights of students with
disabilities in public charter schools under both Section 504 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
A pre-recorded webinar, "Rights of Students with Disabilities in Public Charter Schools," along with the transcript and presentation
slides are available at https://innovation.ed.gov/news/.
New: RSD Charter School Stories and Pictures Needed for RSD Annual Report
The RSD's 2016 Annual Report will be presented to BESE in mid-February, and the RSD is looking for high-resolution photos and
programmatic or academic spotlight stories from RSD schools to include in the report. This report will be shared with media outlets
and elected officials throughout the year. If you would like for the RSD to consider including a photo or spotlight story from your
school, please email [email protected] with the information as soon as possible.
Spotlight stories should be examples of unique programs and/or noteworthy academic achievements. Photos must be highresolution, and any photos featuring children must include a minimum of three children (for privacy reasons). Please review the
2015 RSD Annual Report for examples.
Reminder: Become a Fit NOLA Designated School
Orleans Parish type 5 charters may apply to be a Fit NOLA school. A Fit NOLA School is a school that has policies and programs
to promote physical activity and healthy eating for students and staff. To become a Fit NOLA school, complete the Fit NOLA
Designation Survey by February 15, 2017 at www.fitnola.gov. Schools receive a Mayoral Designation, free training sessions,
connection to over 200 community partners, and a mini-grant for up to $1500.
If you have any questions, contact Christine Neely, the Fit NOLA School Sector Coordinator at [email protected]
LDOE Contacts
LDOE Links
John White
State Superintendent of Education
(toll-free) 877.453.2721
Twitter @LouisianaSupe
LDOE Website
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