July 26, 2010

Good afternoon,

Even though the sweltering heat of summer continues, we are all keenly aware that each week brings us that much closer to the start of a new school year with August looming just around the corner. I hope you all will find time for some final summer fun and relaxation in the upcoming weeks.

This week will be an eventful one at ODE as the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) announced that they will be releasing the list of finalist states for Round 2 of Race to the Top (RttT) tomorrow, July 27 at 1 p.m. Of course, we hope to again be included in the group of finalists invited to make presentations to the USDOE in August. There are details in the items below about how you can watch the announcement from Secretary Arne Duncan via webcast. We have plans in place to communicate the list of finalists to all of you once it is released from the USDOE. Please keep your fingers crossed for good news tomorrow!

I am excited to share some news with you about a number of Ohio schools that recently received national attention. Thirteen Ohio high schools were selected as 2010 High Schools That Work (HSTW) by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). I am particularly proud that Ohio leads the pack nationally, with more HSTW awards than any other state this year!

The SREB is a 32-state national network, with more than 1,200 high schools, 125 technology centers and 400 middle-grades schools that participate in initiatives designed to improve teaching, learning and school environments in high school and middle grades.

The Ohio HSTW winners are among 62 high schools nationally being named to one of five SREB award categories, which are based on 2010 HSTW assessment and state performance data. Ohio schools received awards in three of the five categories. Seven Ohio schools won the Pacesetter School designation, five were given Gold Achievement Awards and one school was presented the Gold Improvement Award. Congratulations to the following Ohio schools being recognized as HSTW:

HSTW Pacesetter Schools
•          Hicksville High School, Hicksville Exempted Village School District (Defiance County)
•          Little Miami High School, Little Miami Local School District (Warren County)
•          Monroeville High School, Monroeville Local School District (Huron County)
•          Norwalk High School, Norwalk City School District (Huron County)
•          Scarlet Oaks Career Development Campus, Great Oaks Institute of Technology (Hamilton County)
•          Vermilion High School, Vermilion Local School District (Erie County)
•          Warren County Career Center (Warren County)

HSTW Gold Achievement Award Schools
•          Granville High School, Granville Exempted Village School District (Licking County)
•          Springboro High School, Springboro Community City School District (Warren County)
•          Sylvania Southview High School, Sylvania City School District (Lucas County)
•          Talawanda High School, Talawanda City School District (Butler County)
•          Xenia High School, Xenia Community City School District (Greene County)

HSTW Gold Improvement Award School
•          Greene County Career Center, Greene County

These successful HSTW are outstanding models for other high schools in both Ohio and throughout the nation. Kudos to these exceptional schools and their students, staff and families for their commitment to excellence! To learn about the other award recipients, click here. For more information about HSTW, please visit www.sreb.org. 

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Here are two other items that may be of interest:

•          ODE seeks feedback from Ohio elementary school principals through survey
•          Invitation for Webcast with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

ODE seeks feedback from Ohio elementary school principals through survey
Now through Sept. 1, ODE and the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators (OAESA) invite elementary school principals in Ohio to participate in a statewide, online survey to help measure the impact of the Ohio Ready Schools Initiative. This initiative aims to ensure that schools are ready to help all kindergarten through third-grade children succeed in school, regardless of culture, language and quality of preschool experiences. The survey will help to shape future efforts that benefit all elementary schools by identifying how well ready-school concepts are understood and practiced in Ohio.

For the past two years, ODE and OAESA have been conducting the Ohio Ready Schools Initiative in conjunction with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation’s SPARK program. Forty-five schools have participated in this pilot initiative that helps children prepare for kindergarten by building reading, language and social skills. Also through the program, project sponsors produced a free publication that all Ohio administrators can use to plan ready-school efforts.

To complete the Statewide Ohio Principals’ Ready School Survey, click here. For more information, contact Lisa Usselman at (614) 644-0628 or lisa.usselman@ode.state.oh.us.

To download the free publication, titled Strong Beginnings, Smooth Transitions, Continuous Learning: A Ready School Resource Guide for Elementary School Leadership, click here or visit education.ohio.gov and search for keywords: early learning documents.

Invitation for Webcast with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
You are invited to watch, via webcast, as U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan discusses "The Quiet Revolution" in education reform at a National Press Club luncheon on Tuesday, July 27, 2010, at 1 p.m. In this important address, Secretary Duncan will celebrate the wide range of reforms underway across the country at the state and local levels and will announce the Race to the Top finalists.

The event will be webcast live by the National Press Club and should be accessible by going to http://www.press.org and clicking on the link that says “Calendar.” Once in the calendar, go to the right-hand side of the page and click on “Arne Duncan.”  The webcast will pop up. You will not be able to access this link until about 12:50 p.m., just a few minutes before the Secretary begins his remarks. For those who are unable to watch the event live, you may return to the National Press Club website and view the speech through their archived news events.

Follow ODE’s Twitter feed by clicking here.

Kathe Shelby, Director - Office for Exceptional Children (July 2010)

Ohio's Interagency Work Group on Autism announces new Web site

A new Web site is launching at www.autism.ohio.gov!  Ohio’s Interagency Work Group on Autism (IWGA), facilitated by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, is pleased to announce its new site that will introduce you to the IWGA partnership of state agencies, allow you to follow the group’s progress and give you an opportunity to provide input toward its work.  The site offers many features, so you can: 
• Learn about autism spectrum disorders;
• Keep up-to-date on emerging state initiatives;
• Find public resources that can assist individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families across the lifespan;
• Keep informed of autism-related legislation and national news highlights; and
• Stay current on autism-related training and professional development opportunities.
A guiding principle of Ohio’s Interagency Work Group on Autism is that “Information sharing and open communication build collective wisdom”.  We hope you enjoy navigating www.autism.ohio.gov and find it helpful – please share the link with others, and feel free to provide your input to us by clicking on ‘Contact Us.’

July 19, 2010

Good morning,

It seems like only last week when I was writing about the waning days of the school year and the potential relaxation that summer offers. Now, the end of July is looming and I know how hectic the next several weeks will become as you finalize staffing, student schedules, transportation routes and jump into the beginning of another school year.

Each August, ODE releases state and local report cards for each school district and school building. This year, a release date of Aug. 27, 2010 has been established. On that date, data about state and local results will be available, as well as electronic versions of each report card. We are in the process of updating the “media guide,” which you and many members of your staff may find useful when explaining the accountability system to your communities. When completed, the 2009-10 guide will be available at reportcard.ohio.gov. I will be sure to inform you as to its readiness date.

Last week, I shared information about my budget proposal, which was presented to the State Board of Education’s Budget Subcommittee. A summary of the budget discussion, as well as the actions taken by the full Board, are available in the July 2010 Board Brief summary.

Last Thursday, the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) issued its budget guidance to all state agencies. OBM assists the Governor’s office in creating the Executive Budget proposal, which is presented to the General Assembly as they begin budget deliberations. This year’s guidance directs state agencies to prepare two budget scenarios: one assuming flat funding from FY2011 GRF appropriation for each fiscal year of the 2012-13 budget, and one assuming 90 percent funding from FY2011 GRF appropriation in each fiscal year of the 2012-13 budget.

Please let me reiterate that no final decisions have been made about funding levels for the 2012-13 biennium. My proposal to the Board and OBM’s guidance are just the beginning steps in this lengthy budget process. As the Board develops its budget recommendations, or if we receive any additional guidance or mandates from OBM, we will be certain to keep you informed of any major developments.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Here are additional items that may be of interest:

·         Innovative Learning Environments conference is Aug. 2-5
·         Battelle for Kids holds teachers conference Aug. 9-11

Innovative Learning Environments conference is Aug. 2-5
Five national keynote speakers and Ohio district presenters will focus on 21st century learning, leadership and technology integration at a conference titled Innovative Learning Environments: Learning and Leading 21st Century Practices on Aug. 2- 5 in Hilliard (a suburb of Columbus). The Educational Service Center of Central Ohio and Hilliard City Schools are hosting this four-day conference (with two-day options available) for preK-16 educators, administrators and leadership teams. Each day, conference attendees can choose to either continue their learning with the keynote presenters or attend special breakout sessions that are organized in three strands: teaching/learning, leadership or technology skill development. Teams also may spend time together creating action plans. For more information, find the registration link at escco.org or contact Mary Barr at mary.barr@escco.org or (740) 548-7880.

Battelle for Kids holds teachers conference Aug. 9-11
Battelle for Kids will host theGreat Teachers Make Great Schools: 2010 Teacher Conference in Dayton on Aug. 9 -11.This three-day conference is planned by teachers for fellow K-12 teachers, teacher leaders, pre-service teachers, coaches and curriculum directors from Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.

Program highlights will include an Aug. 9 pre-conference workshop with Harvey Silver,author of The Strategic Teacher, who will focuson strategies that teachers can use to meet today’s standards and reach different types of learners. Other featured speakers during the conference include Rick Stiggins, founder of the Assessment Training Institute, who will outline specific assessment actions for narrowing achievement gaps; and LouAnne Johnson, teacher and author of Dangerous Minds, who will provide suggestions for helping all students feel motivated and capable of learning. Interactive sessions and roundtable discussions throughout the conference will focus on strategies that can provide a positive influence on teaching and learning.

The Ohio Education Association and the Ohio Federation of Teachers are providing support for this conference. For more information or to register for one, two or three days of the event, click here.

Follow ODE’s Twitter feed by clicking here.

Workshop Title

Boot Camp for Leaders of New Community Schools

Date

August 16, 2010

Location

State Library of Ohio, 274 East First Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43201

Time

9:00am-3:00pm

In times like these, it is essential for school Food Service Administrators to do what they can to cut costs and boost their school lunch revenues. One of the easiest and most efficient avenues for achieving this goal is converting lunch lines to cashless FSS POS systems and allowing parents to deposit lunch money online via MySchoolAccount.com. Schools and parents agree that this system saves both time and money.

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Denise Geist - Food Service Director
Punxzutawney Area School District
Punxsutawney, PA

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• Increase Efficiency - Drastically improve the efficiency and speed of your lunch line.

Contact us to learn how over 1000 schools/districts nationwide are cutting costs and simplifying their lives by making the move to an FSS POS System with MySchoolAccount.com. Experience the system in action from the convenience of your home or office by scheduling a FREE no commitment web demonstration today.

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Food Service Solutions, Inc.
1-800-425-1425 
sales@foodserve.com

Kathe Shelby, Director - Office for Exceptional Children (July 2010)

Institutions of Higher Education – Request for Proposals announcement

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) is supporting Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) in the ability to plan and pilot a redesign of their teacher prep-program, this redesign will ensure that intervention specialists and early childhood professionals are highly qualified to teach students who have disabilities. This redesign requires a strategic state investment, including various program areas in education as well as local educational agencies.  To achieve this goal the ODE Office of Exceptional Children invites IHEs, who have teacher prep-programs and are members of the Ohio Consortium to Improve the Teaching of Students with Disabilities, to improve the teaching of students with disabilities to submit innovative proposals to redesign intervention specialist and/or early childhood preparation programs to not only meet NCLB and IDEA requirements but to provide a structured, systemic approach to improve professional teacher education.
Correction:
Information about the Request for Proposals can be viewed by clicking here. You can also download the RFP document directly by clicking here.

July 6, 2010

Good morning,

I hope you had a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend! I also hope you found some way to beat the high temps that Ohio is experiencing.

As outlined in Ohio’s Race to the Top application Section C(3), Ohio plans to provide a state standard instructional improvement system (IIS) that will include:

·         Online access to electronic curriculum, resources and tools aligned to the revised academic content standards;
·         Curriculum customization for differentiated instruction;
·         Online formative assessments;
·         Data-analysis capabilities; and
·         Early-warning indicators for teachers, administrators, parents and students.

I am pleased to announce that Ohio, along with Florida, was selected by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to participate in a statewide initiative focused on assisting Ohio’s school districts in developing a conceptual model, functional requirements and performance specifications for an IIS. This opportunity will provide Ohio with a jump start on the work that is required to develop a high quality IIS that meets the needs of our districts.

The Center for Educational Leadership and Technology (CELT) has announced the first series of needs analysis activities and focus group meetings for this project. The meetings will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, July 27 in Cincinnati, Wednesday, July 28 in Columbus, and Thursday, July 29 in Cleveland. We hope that you will be able to join one of these important meetings and have a voice in the development of this important work. Your input and expertise is critical in defining a standard IIS. Ohio is fortunate that many components of an IIS are already being utilized across the state, with the D3A2 project and other locally developed systems. The intent of this initiative is to expand upon these existing investments to build a robust IIS for all districts in Ohio. CELT requires that participants register by July 16.

For more information on this important initiative and on how to register for a focus group meeting (see the Focus Group Invitation), please visit education.ohio.gov and click on the Events link.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Follow ODE’s Twitter feed by clicking here.

Kathe Shelby, Director - Office for Exceptional Children (July 2010)

Special Education Data Check

As a result of our recent verification monitoring visit by the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Office for Exceptional Children (OEC) is increasing its scrutiny of EMIS special education data, especially those data reported in our State Performance Plan (SPP).
To assist LEAs in reporting complete and accurate data for SPP indicators, OEC staff members are completing a preliminary analysis of data for compliance indicators. Starting tomorrow and through next week, the OEC staff will send e-mail messages to LEA superintendents and special education directors who have submitted data indicating potential noncompliance or missing codes. Please note that the e-mails for special education directors will be sent to the electronic addresses most recently provided to the OEC by the LEA. Although not every LEA will receive an e-mail, all LEAs are encouraged to check their own data for inaccuracies. Also, please check your spam mailbox to ensure that any e-mail sent by OEC has not mistakenly been directed there.
LEAs receiving data for review will be sent two e-mails: one with the notification and password for accessing the encrypted data file, and another containing the data file comprised of the applicable student EMIS records.

In particular, OEC staff members are looking at LEA's data to ensure that:

• for every parental consent that has been reported, an initial ETR also has been reported (Indicator 11);
• for any initial ETR that was late, a noncompliance reason has been reported (Indicator 11);
• the number of preschool transition conferences reported by districts in EMIS matches the number reported to the Department of Health by Help Me Grow (Indicator 12);
• for any IEP implemented after the third birthday for preschool students transitioning from Help Me Grow, a noncompliance reason has been reported (Indicator 12); and
• a secondary planning element code has been reported for every student that attended your LEA sometime during the school year and turned age 16 prior to June 1, 2010 (Indicator 13).

Institutions of Higher Education – Request for Proposals announcement

The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) is supporting Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) in the ability to plan and pilot a redesign of their teacher prep-program, this redesign will ensure that intervention specialists and early childhood professionals are highly qualified to teach students who have disabilities. This redesign requires a strategic state investment, including various program areas in education as well as local educational agencies.  To achieve this goal the ODE Office of Exceptional Children invites IHEs, who have teacher prep-programs and are members of the Ohio Consortium to Improve the Teaching of Students with Disabilities, to improve the teaching of students with disabilities to submit innovative proposals to redesign intervention specialist and/or early childhood preparation programs to not only meet NCLB and IDEA requirements but to provide a structured, systemic approach to improve professional teacher education.
Review the Request for Proposals at www.education.ohio.gov keyword search "Request for Proposals Intervention Specialist."

Revised Q&A from OSEP on IEPs, Evaluations and Reevaluations

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) issued a revised Q&A document to provide States, State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), parents and other stakeholders with information regarding the IDEA requirements relating to individualized education programs (IEPs), evaluations, and reevaluations. Questions and Answers on IEPs (revised June 2010) is available online at http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/iep-ga-2010.pdf.
The Guidance Document on edresourcesohio.org is currently being reviewed to ensure that it aligns with USDOE's new guidance.

Whose IDEA Is This? Available in Accessible Formats

The Statewide Braille Production Center at the Ohio State School for the Blind (OSSB) has accessible copies (including braille and large print) of the updated Whose IDEA is This? A Parent's Guide to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA). To request an electronic copy or a paper copy, please contact Cheryl Boley at cboley@ossb.oh.gov or call (614) 644-8461.