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District Highlights	Knock It Out of the PARCC: Next Generation Assessments Tips and Resources	Important Dates and Deadlines	Announcements
Professional Development	Funding Opportunities	Events

District Highlights

• 2014-15 Science Assessment Field Test Guidelines
• FFY14 Scholarships for Opportunities and Results (SOAR) Act Funding Availability
• Parent Power: Saturday, May 2 - It Takes a City: DC Does it Best!
• ESY 2015 Student Transportation Certification Deadline May 4, 2015
• Notice of Intent to Apply for a Waiver of a Title I Section 1003(g) School Improvement Grants Requirement
•  

Knock It Out of the PARCC: Next Generation Assessments Tips and Resources

• Resources for Schools
  • PARCC Parent Toolkit
  • 2015 DC PARCC Administrative Guidance on Timing and Cell Phones
  • DC PARCC Infrastructure Trial Guide
  • PARCC FAQs by LEAs
  • NGA Ambassador Information
  • 2015 DC State Test Security Guidelines
• Resources for Parents/Community
  • PARCC Parent Resources
  • OSSE PARCC Parent Letter (Available in Multiple Languages)
  • Want to see PARCC items in action?
  • Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Ideas for Parents
  • Guide to the New PARCC Assessment (For Parents)

>>>Learn More

Important Dates and Deadlines

Dates

• 2015 DC Assessment Timeline
• 4/28: 2nd Annual Infant and Toddler Conference
• 4/30: April 2015 Next Generation Assessment (NGA) Meeting
• 5/6: DCSAA Recognizes the 2014-15 Student-Athlete Academic Scholarship Winners
• 5/7: Children's Mental Health Awareness Day
• 5/18: NGSS Assessment Begins

>>>View the OSSE Calendar

Deadlines

• 5/1: AFHK School Grants for Healthy Kids Application Deadline
• 5/4: ESY 2015 Student Transportation Certification Deadline
• 5/11: Public Comment Ends for FFY 2015 Draft State Grant Application Under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• 5/20: DC Free Summer Meals Sponsor Application Deadline

Announcements

New

2014-15 Science Assessment Field Test Guidelines

OSSE will be administering the field test of the new science assessment aligned to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) from May 18 to June 19, 2015. The field test is required for students in grades 5, 8, and for high school students enrolled in a biology course. As a field test, this year’s tests will not be used for accountability purposes, and will not be publicly reported at the school, LEA, or DC-wide level. We will provide individual student reports for students and families, as well as educator reports.

Please find online details about the test administration. We will also be focusing on the science test administration in the upcoming LEA meeting on April 30, and will share the tools and resources from that meeting in future editions of the LEA Look Forward and the Admin Bulletin.

Read more about the upcoming Science Assessment.

Notice of Intent to Apply for a Waiver of a Title I Section 1003(g) (School Improvement Grants) Requirement

OSSE intends to request a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education to extend the period of availability for the state's fiscal year 2014 School Improvement Grant (SIG) funds authorized under Section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. If granted, the waiver will allow the state to use approximately $1.3M in FY2014 SIG funds through September 30, 2020 to support low-performing schools that successfully apply for School Improvement Grants. The current period of availability ends on September 30, 2016. For more information, contact Sharon Gaskins.

ESY 2015 Student Transportation Certification Deadline May 4, 2015

The deadline for ESY 2015 certification for student transportation is Monday, May 4, 2015.

All Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and schools that will serve as ESY sites and have students eligible for ESY transportation, please log in to the Transportation Online Tool for Education (TOTE) and submit ESY school calendar information (as applicable) and transportation requests for students eligible for student transportation. For our non-public schools, if you are an ESY site, please upload your ESY calendars in TOTE, which will allow the LEAs to complete the transportation request for your ESY students.

This week, aim to complete submitting all transportation requests for all eligible students. Once all your transportation requests are submitted, you will be ready to complete certification for transportation for ESY 2015. Read more.

For questions, please reference the TOTE Quickstart Guide on OSSE DOT’s website. You may also reach out to the TOTE support team via the “Contact TOTE Admin” tool or via email at [email protected].

For more guidance, register today for training on the ESY certification process (sessions offered every Thursday, April 2–30 2015).

Reminder

DC PARCC PBA Feedback Survey

As many DC LEAs finish PARCC PBA testing, LEA Testing Coordinators have received a link to a feedback survey which OSSE will use to improve support for schools around PARCC and give feedback to PARCC between PBA and EOY. Please be sure your LEA submits a response once you close out PBA testing!

ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Live Q & A Session for LEAs

WIDA will lead a live webinar on April 24 for LEA LEP Coordinators to discuss the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0. The webinar will provide LEAs with a look forward into SY 2015-2016, when the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 will be operational. The session will cover information about the transition to ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 and the new ordering process, allowing time to answer any questions during the second half of the session. There is no pre-registration for the event; interested LEAs can join the webinar by clicking here.

Date: April 24, 2015

Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Link: https://wida.webex.com/wida/onstage/g.php?d=668275982&t=a

ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 Technology Coordinators Webinar

WIDA will lead a live webinar on May 1 for LEA Technology Coordinators. This webinar will focus on the steps LEA Technology Coordinators in preparation for the administration of the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 in SY 2015-2016. As LEAs look forward to the transition to this online assessment in SY 2015-2016, they should begin planning how to meet the technology requirements now to ensure successful implementation of the assessment. There is no pre-registration for the event; interested LEAs can join the webinar by clicking here.

Date: May 1, 2015

Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Healthy Schools Act Meal Reimbursement   

Local Education Authorities:

This memorandum serves as a notice that Healthy Schools Act (HSA) meal reimbursements prior to April 2013 will not be paid by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) without sufficient proof that claims were submitted within the 60 day timeframe and are complete with proper documentation.

Prior to April 2013, Healthy Schools Act additional meal reimbursement payments were determined through menu verification and tracking of local food items. Many times this verification altered the total number of meals allowed for local reimbursement compared to the federal National School Lunch (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). Upon verification, LEAs were responsible to revise the local meal claim and resubmit to OSSE within a timely manner as well as follow up around payment.

Unless OSSE can verify through official records from the LEA that the claim information matches the menu verification, unverified claims prior to April 2013 will not be processed. Any verified claims beginning with April 2013 will be handled on a case by case basis to determine if payment is warranted.

Any inquiries for HSA claims, other than for Fiscal Year 2015, must be sent to OSSE by June 30, 2015.

If there are any questions regarding this matter, please email [email protected].

Healthy Lunchtime Challenge  
 
Calling all kid chefs!  Submit a recipe for the 2015 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, now through April 30.  There will be a winner from each state and you could be one of them! to.pbs.org/HLC ‪#‎LetsMove ‪#‎MyPlate

FFY15 New or Significantly Expanding Public Charter School Forms

All charter LEAs received notification regarding the FFY15 New or Significantly Expanding Public Charter School Forms on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. These forms must be submitted to [email protected] by no later than Noon, on Thursday, April 30, 2015. Incomplete submissions or submissions without an official certifying signature will not be accepted.  A webinar will be held to review the New or Significantly Expanding Public Charter School Notification Policy, Guidance document, and data submission form. This webinar will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2015, at 2:30 p.m., please join at https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/133049741.

Call for Exhibitors - It Takes a City: DC Does it Best!

OSSE invites organizations to exhibit at its LEA Institute on Best Practices in Education at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on May 1-2, 2015.

• Organizations should exhibit programming around the following areas:
• Early Childhood
• Summer Camps
• STEM and the Next Generation Science Standards
• Positive Behavior Supports
• Parent/Family and Engagement

The State Institute Committee will review proposals. All proposals must be received by Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 11:59 PM—selected organizations will be contacted by Tuesday, April 20, 2015. Exhibitors that include programming around evidence- and/or research-based practices, creative summer programming, and summer youth employment will be given preference. Display tables should include program literature and hands on support for families that wish to sign up as participants.   Selected exhibitors must be available for both Friday, May 1, 2015 (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Saturday, May 2, 2015  (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.).  There is no registration fee associated with this conference for exhibitors or attendees. Feel free to spread the word!

Professional Development

New

Early Care and Education Physical Activity and Education Curricula Training: Dr. Diane Craft’s Active Play Training

Are you interested in learning how to new ideas and tips on increasing your center or school’s physical education?, If so, please attend Dr. Diane Craft’s Active Play Training sponsored by the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Unit's DC Child Care Centers Promoting Lifelong Activity in Youth (P.L.A.Y.) Program at OSSE.
Enjoy Dr. Diane Craft’s highly regarded Active Play! Preschool Physical Activity training. Learn fun, inclusive, developmentally appropriate physical activities that use inexpensive equipment, small spaces, and work well in center-based childcare and preschool settings. Learn the importance of physical activity to the physical, emotional and cognitive development of young children. Dr. Craft’s enthusiastic presentation style provides for plenty of interesting and fun hands-on, practical experiences for participants.
Each center will receive a FREE copy of the trainer's curricula/manual and CD the day of the training.

Register here

For questions, please email [email protected].

Early Care and Education Physical Activity and Education Curricula Training: Natii Wright’s “My Little World” Educational Music Series - Your Heart Jumps to the Beat Training

If you're interested in learning how to new ideas and tips on increasing your center or school’s physical education, please attend Natii Wright’s “My Little World” Educational Music Series: Your Heart Jumps to the Beat Training sponsored by the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Unit's DC Child Care Centers Promoting Lifelong Activity in Youth (P.L.A.Y.) Program at OSSE.

The “My Little World” Educational Music Series is a vibrant interactive tool. It is designed to be incorporated into the curricula of early educators, as they engage children, by providing lessons that teach physical movement, early literacy and pre-math concepts, while promoting 60-minutes of healthy physical activity and healthy eating habits.

Each center will receive a FREE copy of the trainer's curricula/manual and CD the day of the training.

Register here

For questions, please email [email protected]

Charter Teacher Family Engagement Professional Learning Community

Flamboyan Foundation is excited to launch the DC Charter Teacher Family Engagement Professional Learning Community (PLC). This professional learning community gives teachers from D.C. public charter schools the opportunity to learn research-based family engagement best practices around (1) relationship building, including home visits (2) academic partnering strategies, such as high quality parent-teacher conferences and student-led conferences and (3) ongoing communication with families. PLC participants who meet the participation requirements will receive a $1500 stipend at the end of SY15-16. Applicants must be early childhood or elementary public charter school teachers, and must apply by May 1, 2015, using this application. Contact Diana Suarez at [email protected] with questions.

Funding Opportunities

New

FFY14 Scholarships for Opportunities and Results (SOAR) Act Funding Availability

OSSE is pleased to announce that the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for FFY2014 SOAR Act Funding will be available in the DC Register this Friday, April 17. The NOFA will be directly available on the DC Register website here: http://www.dcregs.dc.gov/Gateway/IssueList.aspx and will also be available on the OSSE website. The Request for Applications (RFAs) is scheduled to be available May 1, 2015 on the OSSE website. To access the RFAs on May 1, and for more information on the SOAR Act grant, please visit: http://osse.dc.gov/service/scholarships-opportunity-and-results-soar-act-grant-ffy-2014.

Contact: Katherine Cox at [email protected].

Events

New

Registration Now Open! Federal Grants Management Conference

The District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education is pleased to announce the opening of registration for its annual Federal Grants Management Conference. The conference, sponsored by OSSE’s Office of Grants Management and Compliance (OGMC), will take place on Thursday, June 4, 2015, 8AM – 4:30PM, at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center at Gallaudet University.
        
The conference will address issues related to:

• The federal grants management process;
• Available funding opportunities and resources;
• Basic grants management; and
• Procurement.

These topics and more will be discussed during the conference. To register, click here.

Date:  Thursday, June 4, 2015, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Location: Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center at Gallaudet University - 800 Florida Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002

For further information about the conference, please contact Angela Clemons.

Reminder

Register Now: It Takes a City: DC Does it Best!

OSSE is pleased to announce that registration is now open for its final 2014-15 LEA Institute, “It Takes a City: DC Does it Best!”, to be held May 1-2, 2015, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown Washington, DC.

DC public school and public charter school teachers, administrators, service providers, parents and families are invited to attend this exciting two-day event.  During the institute, participants will select from over 100 workshop sessions on topics including:

• Instruction and the Common Core
• STEM and the Next Generation Science Standards
• Positive Behavior Supports
• Special Education
• English Language Learners
• Educator Effectiveness
• Early Childhood
• Parent and Family Engagement (including sessions for parents/families, as well as LEA staff)

Participants will receive OSSE Professional Learning Units (PLUs) for workshop attendance.

Register Now