Let us know what you think about the new design. Email [email protected] with your feedback.
Sign up to receive the LEA Look Forward every week.
>>>Read more
| District Highlights | Important Dates and Deadlines | Announcements | Professional Development |
| Events |
District Highlights
Important Dates and Deadlines
Dates
- 1/22: January LEA Data Discussion Meeting
- 1/23: LEA Institute II: “It Take a City to Knock It Out of the PARCC!”
- 1/26: DC ESEA Waiver Renewal Process: First Stakeholder Meeting
- 1/30: FY15 LEA Reimbursement and Budgeting Business Process Adjustment
- 1/30: The Best Me I Can Be: Implementing Student-led IEPs in the Special Education Planning Process
- 2/2: Required PARCC Test Coordinator Training for Charter Schools
- 2/3: Required PARCC Test Coordinator Training for DCPS Schools
- 2/3: FY15 LEA Reimbursement and Budgeting Business Process Adjustment
Deadlines
- 1/30: Translating the Next Generation Science Standards into Practice Pilot Study
- 1/31: DC School Garden Grant Request for Applications
- 2/1: 2015 National History Teacher of the Year Award Nominations
- 2/17: Healthy Schools Act School Health Profile Due
- 2/17: Request For Applications for the 2015 CTE Certification Program
- 2/23: Request For Applications for the 2015 DC Career Academy Network (DC-CAN)
- 4/1: PAEMST 2015 Award Nominations Open
Announcements
New
New Year, New Promotion: Take the GED Practice Test for $1 per subject
Take the GED Ready official practice test to: 1) Find out if you’re ready to take the GED® test; 2) Get personal study plans to help you score higher and 3) see the exact pages/chapters you need to study when the candidate inputs the specific name of the GED study guide used. To purchase your GED Ready® practice test for $1, log into your MyGED® account and use the promotion code READYFORABUCK at check out. GED eligible DC residents who do not have a computer nor Internet access may take the GED Ready practice test at the GED Program Office (GEDPO) computer lab. For more information, visit www.gedtestingservice.com/promotions.
Date: Effective From 1/26 – 2/28.
Time: GEDPO Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 am – 3 pm. Second Wednesdays 9 am – 7 pm and second Saturdays, 9 am – 3 pm by appointment.
Location: DC GED Program Office, 441 Fourth Street, NW, Suite 370, North, WDC 20001
Contacts: Deysi Ramirez or Meta Trivers, 202/274-7173
Reminder
2015 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
NAEP 2015 is right around the corner. The NAEP administration window is January 26–March 6. Sampled students across the District in grades 4, 8, and 12 will be assessed on the nation’s largest continuing measure of student achievement. Approximately 12% of the District’s student population and 184 campuses will take part in the one-day assessment that will provide a measure of how DC students perform compared to their peers across the country.Two years ago, DC showed higher growth than any jurisdiction in the nation on the 4th and 8th grade reading and mathematics tests.
This year, students will be assessed in mathematics, reading, or science. Students do not need to study for this test, but we ask parents and teachers to encourage students to do their best and get plenty of rest the night prior to the assessment. For more information about the assessment or to review resources available for parents and teachers, please visit the NAEP website. In addition, NAEP makes sample questions available after each administration in Sample Question Booklets. For specific questions about NAEP in the District, please contact NAEP State Coordinator Swea Hart.
GED Testing & Inclement Weather Policy
The GED Program Office administers testing Monday–Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the office computer lab at One Judiciary Square. In case of inclement weather, if DC Government offices are closed or on delayed schedule, then GED Testing for that date and time is cancelled. Examinees may check www.dc.gov for updates.
OSSE Announces Eligibility for 2014-2015 Free and Reduced Priced Meals
OSSE announced the criteria for determining the eligibility of participants to receive free and reduced price meals for institutions participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the Special Milk Program (SMP). Read the full announcement.
School/Student Contests and Competitions
The ExploraVision K–12 competition, which supports learning called for in the Next Generation Science Standards, challenges students in the U.S. and Canada to research a technology of interest and explore what that technology could be like 20 years from now. Up to $240,000 in savings bonds (at maturity) are awarded annually to student winners for the most innovative ideas that combine imagination with the tools of science. Winning schools, students, and teachers capture additional prizes—including computers and an expenses-paid awards event in DC for the first and second place winning students, their parents or guardians, coach and mentor, and team.
Project Deadline: January 30, 2015
The DuPont Challenge© Science Essay Competition
As one of the foremost student science and technology prize programs in the U.S. and Canada, the Challenge helps to increase science literacy among students and motivates them to excel in communicating scientific ideas. Students in grades 7–12 are asked to write a 700- to 1,000-word essay in one of four categories: food, energy, protection, or innovation. Prizes include U.S. Savings Bonds and a special awards trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort and the Kennedy Space Center. Teachers advising winning students receive a cash grant, the awards trip, and an expenses-paid trip to the National Science Teachers Association National Conference on Science Education.
Essay Deadline: January 31, 2015
Educator Opportunities
Fund for Teachers
Apply to be a fellow. Fellowships enrich the personal and professional growth of teachers by recognizing and supporting them as they identify and pursue opportunities around the globe that will have the greatest impact on their practice, the academic lives of their students and on their school communities. There will be ongoing information sessions and webinars.
Grant Deadline: January 29, 2015
Notice of Data Collection: ACCESS for ELLs Roster Verification
The roster verification for students who are slated to take the ACCESS for ELLs assessment will take place between February 17 and March 17, 2015. Please verify your LEP Coordinators with Doreen Christian. Instructions and links to webinars will be emailed shortly to the LEP Coordinators, and will also be listed in the LEA Look Forward.
Professional Development
New
Meal Pattern Training for Breakfast and Lunch
School food authorities and vendors are invited to attend the Lunch and Breakfast Meal Pattern Training hosted by The National Food Service Management Institute on February 10th 9:00-4:00 p.m. at OSSE, 810 First Street, NE, Third Floor Grand Hall. This training provides an overview of the Meal Pattern for lunch and breakfast, focusing on Food-Based Menu Planning required for the National School Lunch Program. Activities and group discussion are used to reinforce training objectives.
*Note: This training does not discuss certification of compliance with meal requirements or the six (6) cents per lunch rule.
Lesson topics include:
- New Meal Pattern
- Vegetable Subgroups
- Whole Grain-Rich Foods
- Meal Components and Menu Planning
- Calorie Range for Breakfast and Lunch Menus
- Dietary Specifications for Sodium, Saturated Fat, and Trans Fat
- Offer Versus Serve (OVS)
Location: OSSE, 810 1st Street, NE, 3rd Floor, Grand Hall
For more information, email Noni Robinson or call 202-741-6418.
Register
Yoga for Healthier & Happier Classrooms
Yoga & mindfulness can improve breathing and circulation, strengthen the immune system, reduce body strain and injury, and promote greater self-care and resilience. Led by a certified yoga instructor (RYT 200), approved trainer, and early childhood educator, this interactive class will introduce you to yoga movement, breathing techniques and mindfulness activities that you can practice and develop in yourself and share with your students for improved health and safety in the classroom. No prior yoga experience required. $25.00 per person.
February 27; March 27; and April 24, 2015 classes available
1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
M Street Yoga
300 M Street, SW, Washington DC 20024
Register
Contact: Lisa Danahy
Reminder
The Best Me I Can Be: Implementing Student-led IEPs
Research has shown that students who actively participate throughout the IEP process have higher levels of school engagement and are more likely to achieve their academic and personal goals. Participants will learn how student-led IEPs fit within the broader concept of self-determination and become familiar with resources, including “The Best Me I Can Be” film modules and the Student-led IEP Toolkit, that illustrates how to facilitate increased student engagement in the planning process for students of all ages through curriculum, activities, and guided discussions.
Presenter: OSSE Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Specialized Education (ESSE)
Date: January 30 and February 27, 2015
Time: 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
Location: OSSE, 810 First St. NE, 8th Floor Room 806 A & B
Register
Preparing for Assessments with Strengthened Supports (PASS) Webinar Series
OSSE in collaboration with Charter School Essentials, is pleased to offer a series of professional development opportunities for teachers, administrators, and school leaders in DC. The Preparing for Assessments with Strengthened Supports (P.A.S.S.) webinar and training series is designed to prepare educators for the Partnership of Assessments for Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment. Webinars and in-person training sessions will begin with pre-recorded webinar sessions in January and live webinar and in-person sessions held during the months of February and March. For more information, please email Abreyon Moses.
Date: February 2, 2015
Time: 5 p.m.–5:30 p.m.
Trainer Contact: Abreyon Moses
Webinar link: http://osse.adobeconnect.com/cse/
English Language Learners: Introduction to English Language Development Standards
This webinar, led by a WIDA Learning Specialist, is designed to engage participants in learning about academic language within the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards. The purpose of the live webinar is to familiarize educators who are new to the WIDA ELD Standards Framework with its components and their uses in instructional planning and language assessment.
Date: February 11, 2015
Time: 10 a.m.–Noon
Register
If you have questions, contact Katie Williams at (202) 550-4952.
Events
Reminder
DC ESEA Waiver Renewal Process: First Stakeholder Meeting
OSSE will host its first stakeholder meeting on Monday, January 26 to discuss DC’s ESEA waiver renewal process. States are required to submit an application by March 31, 2015, for consideration. The U.S. Department of Education has also required states to submit an updated plan to address equitable access to quality teachers. This plan, which has intersections with the waiver, is due in June 2015. Register
Inaugural State Institute on Best Practices in Education: Request for Proposals
OSSE is pleased to announce its inaugural State Institute on Best Practices in Education, to be held May 1–2, 2015, in DC. OSSE is currently accepting proposals from local and national researchers and practitioners that reflect high quality, innovative best practices. We will also be soliciting proposals from LEAs to present on local best practices.
Proposals should be focused on one (or more) of the following strand areas of research and practice:
- Early Childhood
- Special Populations (i.e., instruction, positive behavior supports, related service delivery, secondary transition, and ELL)
- Instruction and the Common Core
- STEM and the Next Generation Science Standards Positive Behavior Supports
- Parent/Family and Engagement
Session type(s) will include:
- Poster
- Workshop
- Lecture
- Panel
- Plenary
More information on how to apply will be forthcoming in future editions of the LEA Look Forward. If you have any initial questions, please contact Brandon Wallace or (202) 741-5944.
