Duncan Supports Reauthorization of Child Nutrition Act

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently conducted a conference call with reporters to discuss reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, which sets nutrition standards for what children eat at school.  During the call, Vilsack said that the Obama’s administration’s priorities for reauthorization of the law are to improve access to free or reduced-price meals and boost their nutritional value, priorities which Duncan called “a major step in the right direction for the health and well-being of our school children."   A statement issued by Duncan supporting reauthorization of the law is available at:
http://www2.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2010/02/02242010a.html.

REMINDER 2009-10 LEA Public School Choice Website Reporting

Districts with campuses in Title I School Improvement are required to post specific information related to public school choice (SC) on their website.  Guidance requires LEAs to post three (3) data components to the Internet in a timely manner; however, the list of available schools to which eligible students may transfer must be displayed sufficiently in advance of, but no later than 14 calendar days before, the start of the school year.  (See SC Guidance questions G-8 through D-10 at: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/schoolchoiceguid.pdf). 

The TEA will begin conducting a review of LEA websites on April 1, 2010, to review the below School Choice data reporting requirements.  LEAs that have not already posted the required SC data to their district and/or campus(es) websites should continue to work with district staff to post the required information.  To comply with this website reporting requirement, LEAs must display the following on their website no later than March 31, 2010:

Beginning with 2007–08 data and for each subsequent year: 

1) the number of students eligible for SC.
2) the number of students participating in SC.

In addition, for the current 2009-10 school year: 

3) a list of available schools to which students eligible to participate in school choice may transfer.

Districts that do not have a website, or for questions regarding this data requirement, please contact Rita Ghazal, State Coordinator, at (512) 936-9374 or rita.ghazal@tea.state.tx.us.
 

NEW 2009-10 LEA Selection Priority Criteria Submission
If more families request Supplemental Education Services (SES) than there are funds, or if the LEA believes the number of families requesting services will exceed the LEA’s funding obligation, then the LEA should set selection criteria to determine which eligible students can get services (see SES Guidance question F-3 and LEA Provisions and Assurances Item 2).  LEAs must contact the Division of NCLB Program Coordination at TEA and discuss its implementation of these criteria before denying services to any eligible student.  If possible, LEAs are encouraged to contact TEA before the LEA believes it will reach its 20 percent Title I, Part A (regular and ARRA) set-aside obligation. 

The Division of NCLB Program Coordination will review, approve, and retain on file the LEA’s selection priority criteria.  Districts that have reached or are close to reaching its set-aside obligation must contact Rita Ghazal, SES State Coordinator, at the TEA to verify whether its priority criteria were received and approved.

For questions regarding this requirement, or to verify receipt of priority criteria, please contact Rita Ghazal, SES State Coordinator, at (512) 936-9374 or rita.ghazal@tea.state.tx.us.

REMINDER 2009-10 Supplemental Educational Services Parent Complaint Policy Submission

Districts with campuses in Title I School Improvement Stages 2 or above are required to have a parent complaint policy addressing parent concerns related to inaccessibility of Supplemental Educational Services (SES).  LEAs must provide the TEA with a written plan addressing such concerns. (See also guidance questions D-4 and D-5.)  LEAs may fax or mail these to the TEA. 

To send via U.S. mail:
Rita Ghazal
Division of NCLB Program Coordination
Texas Education Agency
1701 North Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701-1494

To send via fax:
(512) 305-9447
Attention: Rita Ghazal

For questions regarding this requirement, please contact Rita Ghazal, SES State Coordinator, at (512) 936-9374 or rita.ghazal@tea.state.tx.us.

REMINDER Only One Submission Required: SES and SC 20 Percent Set-aside Reservation Reallocation Process and Procedures

On April 28, 2009, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released policy guidance on the school choice (SC) and SES 20 percent set-aside reservation in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s newly released guidance on SC and SES on January 14, 2009.  School Improvement Program (SIP) requirements require school districts to notify the TEA if they plan to reallocate funds reserved to meet the 20 percent SC and SES set-aside requirement beginning with the 2008-09 school year. 

The existing policy guidance was updated in October 2009 to address LEAs only carrying out the provision of school choice.  However, school districts with campuses in any stage of SIP are required to implement these policies as specified.  Only one submission per district is required.  Districts do not need to submit regular Title I, Part A and ARRA Title I, Part A notices separately.  However, districts submitting one form for both set-aside requirements should ensure that the percentage of funds indicated in the reallocation notification includes both 20 percent set-aside amounts (see example below). 

 

Example

LEA regular Title I, Part A allocation: $2,000,000

20 percent set-aside amount: $400,000

 

ARRA Title I, Part A allocation: $1,875,000

20 percent set-aside amount: $375,000

 

If the LEA plans to reallocate $155,000 across both fund sources it would list four (4) percent to be reallocated on the notice to reallocate submission form.

 

School districts have two options to reallocate unused funds reserved for SC and SES.  For funding reserved for the 2009-10 school year, districts selecting Option One must notify the TEA on or before May 1, 2010.  Districts selecting Option Two must notify the TEA on or before Wednesday, September 22, 2010.

 

The 20 Percent Set-aside Process and Procedures is located on the NCLB website at: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/PDF/20PercentProcedureProcesses.pdf.

For questions or more information, please call Rita Ghazal at the TEA at (512) 936-9374.

Education Secretary Teaches Advanced High School Class About Federal Education Budget

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan stepped out of his office and into a classroom last week to educate a group of a advanced high school students about the federal education budget.

Armed with pie charts and graphs, Duncan served as a guest teacher to the Advanced Placement (AP) government and politics class at Falls Church High School in Northern Virginia, where he taught a lesson on the federal budget for public education.  USDE officials said the students were surprised to learn that, despite President Barack Obama’s request for billions of dollars in education funding from Congress, the federal government provides only about 10 percent of total expenditures nationwide for public schools.  

Students seemed the most interested in the amount of federal funding available for college, particularly when Duncan informed them of the availability of nearly $170 billion in student financial aid in the form of Pell Grants, Perkins Loans, and tuition tax credits.  More information on Duncan’s visit to the class is available at http://www.ed.gov/blog/2010/02/investment-versus-expense-secretary-duncan-teaches-lesson-on-the-federal-education-budget/.

New Learning Resources Available on FREE Website

New learning resources in several areas have been posted to Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE), the website that makes it easier to find teaching and learning resources from the federal government.   Among the topics of the new learning resources are children's literature classics, genetics, bioethics, water, the science behind drug abuse, a history of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and an oral history of the House of Representatives.  These and many other learning resources are available at http://www.free.ed.gov/.

New NCES Report Examines Identification Trends, Outcomes for Students With Disabilities

A new report issued by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) examines existing data collected by USDE and other federal agencies to provide a national description of identification patterns and comparisons of the outcomes for children and youth with disabilities.  The report, “Patterns in the Identification of and Outcomes for Children and Youth with Disabilities” is available on the NCES website at http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20104005/.

USDE Video Examines Los Angeles High School Turn-Around Model

A new U.S. Department of Education video tells the story of Locke Senior High School in Los Angeles, California, where the non-profit organization Green Dot has implemented a school turn-around model focused on ensuring students achievement and college or career readiness upon graduation.  The video is available on the USDE website at http://www.ed.gov/blog/2010/01/a-promise-kept-a-school-renewed-locke-high-schools-turn-around/.

REMINDER:  Second 2009-10 SES Parent Notification Letter Guidance and Submission Process

LEAs with campuses in Title I, Part A School Improvement Stage 2 and above must notify parents of eligible students about the SES option at least twice during the school year.  However, LEAs that meet their Title I, Part A (regular and ARRA) 20 percent obligation are not required to disseminate a second SES parent notification letter because the district already exhausted its funding obligation.  A second SES parent notification letter is only required if a district has not met its Title I, Part A 20 percent obligation (regular and ARRA). 

The state-required PNL and instructions are located on the TEA’s Division of NCLB Program Coordination’s website at: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/titleia/sesPNL0910.html.

The second SES packet must be disseminated to parents of eligible students not currently enrolled in the program.  LEAs should disseminate the second packet during the second semester.  The SES packets must include the following three (3) enclosures.

1.   Providers’ One-Page Summaries

·     http://www5.esc13.net/ses/parent_notification_09-10_ProviderSummaries.html

2.   Provider Service Area Spreadsheet

·     http://www5.esc13.net/ses/parent_notification_09-10.html

3.   SES State Enrollment Form

·     http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/titleia/AppendixD.html

A copy of the parent notification letter and/or packet(s) is required to be mailed to the TEA at the time they are disseminated from the LEA to the parents.  SIP campuses that do not submit this notification may forfeit their ability to reallocate these funds for other allowable activities and/or it may cause the district’s 2010 Initial Compliance Review (ICR) score in the 2011 NCLB desk audit process and subsequent Performance-Based Monitoring (PMB) interventions to be elevated.  Please mail a copy of the SES PNL and packet at the time it is disseminated to parents to:

Rita Ghazal, SES State Coordinator
Texas Education Agency
1701 North Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701

For questions regarding this requirement, please contact Rita Ghazal, SES State Coordinator, at (512) 936-9374 or rita.ghazal@tea.state.tx.us. 

REMINDER Initial SES Parent Notification Letter Update

The Division of NCLB will review the initial SES PNLs in two phases.  The first phase is completed.  Phase one included a compliance review of the parent letter.  Phase two includes a compliance review of the three (3) required enclosures.  Thank you for all of your hard work in completing this requirement.  The division received a record number of accurate phase one submissions.  LEAs requiring PNL corrections will be contacted by Friday, January 15, 2010.  Otherwise, no action is required. 

REMINDER 2009-10 LEA Supplemental Educational Services Website Reporting

The TEA has begun conducting a review of LEA websites to review the below SES data reporting requirements.  LEAs that have not already posted the required SES data to their district and/or campus(es) websites should continue to work with district staff to post the required information.  

Districts with campuses in Title I School Improvement Stages 2 or above are required to post specific information related to Supplemental Educational Services (SES) on their website.  Guidance requires LEAs to post four required data components to the Internet as close to the school start date as possible, and that the data are regularly updated throughout the school year (see SES Guidance questions G-10 through G-13). 

To comply with this website reporting requirement, LEAs must display the following on their website, beginning with 2007–08 data: 

1) the number of students eligible for SES.

2) the number of students participating in SES.

3) a list of approved SES providers that can serve the LEA.

4) the location where SES will be provided, by provider. 

Districts that do not have a website, or for questions regarding this data requirement, please contact Rita Ghazal, SES State Coordinator, at (512) 936-9374 or rita.ghazal@tea.state.tx.us. 

REMINDER 2009-10 Supplemental Educational Services Parent Complaint Policy

Districts with campuses in Title I School Improvement Stages 2 or above are required to have a parent complaint policy addressing parent concerns related to inaccessibility of Supplemental Educational Services (SES).  LEAs must provide the TEA with a written plan addressing such concerns. (See also guidance questions D-4 and D-5.)  LEAs may fax or mail these to the TEA. 

To send via U.S. mail:  

Rita Ghazal
Division of NCLB Program Coordination
Texas Education Agency
1701 North Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701-1494       

To send via fax:  

(512) 463-5337
Attention: Rita Ghazal 

For questions regarding this requirement, please contact Rita Ghazal, SES State Coordinator, at (512) 936-9374 or rita.ghazal@tea.state.tx.us. 

REMINDER SES POLICY GUIDANCE - Updated Supplemental Educational Services (SES) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

On July 14, 2009, the Division of NCLB Program Coordination released a SES resource to assist campuses and districts understand the provision of SES.  The resource, frequently asked questions, addresses many common questions about the April 8, 2009, SES Guidance document.  The FAQ document was updated on Friday, September 18, 2009; the updated guidance document creates new SES policy guidance and program implementation requirements.  It includes new questions that address issues that were undeveloped or unaddressed in the July 2009 FAQ guidance, and it responds to inquires that the TEA received from LEAs and SES providers.  It is located on the NLCB website at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/PDF/SES-FAQs.pdf.

 

REMINDER Second SES Parent Notification Letter (PNL) Dissemination Clarification (See FAQ 29)

Question: If a student is already enrolled in SES, are LEAs required to disseminate the second parent notification letter (PNL) and/or any additional PNL packets to the child’s family?

 

Response: No. Districts are not required to disseminate  the second PNL and/or any additional PNL packets to the parents of eligible students already enrolled in SES.  The purpose of disseminating additional PNL packets after the initial August PNL is to give parents of eligible children more options to choose SES for their child.  Therefore, if a parent already selected SES and enrolled their child, additional PNLs are not required for these parents.
 

REMINDER Supplemental Educational Services (SES) Learning Tool Delivery Clarification

Question:  At what point during SES enrollment/implementation does this learning tool 10-day delivery period begin? 

 

Response: Students enrolled in SES and assigned to a provider must receive applicable learning tools as soon as possible, but not later than 10 days from the date the student’s student learning plan (SLP) is approved. 

December 14, 2009

NEW Highly Qualified Teacher Public Reporting Deadline Extended

NCLB requires each LEA to publicly report progress of the LEA and its campuses toward meeting the HQ teacher requirements as defined by the state’s measurable highly qualified teacher objectives.  The 2009-2010 Highly Qualified Teacher Reports for LEAs and individual campuses are available on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) NCLB web site at:

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/hqreport.html. 

Please note that there will be three applicable reports for each LEA and one report per campus: 

Highly Qualified Teachers Report (by LEA and Campus)
Highly Qualified Teachers Report by LEA’s High Poverty Quartile Campuses
Highly Qualified Teachers Report by LEA’s Low Poverty Quartile Campuses Poverty 

The following poverty percentages can be used to determine if a district has any campuses in the High-Poverty or Low-Poverty quartiles:  

Elementary
Low 0% to 41.4%
High 86.1% to  100% 

Secondary
Low 0% to 27.77%
High 71% to 100% 

The deadline for completing the Highly Qualified public reporting process has been extended until January 15, 2010. 

National Endowment for the Humanities Study Opportunities Available

American educators are encouraged to apply now for 2010 summer study opportunities in the humanities.  Each summer, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) supports national residential seminars, institutes, and workshops located in the U.S. and abroad.  Program participants receive stipends to help defray travel and living expenses.  The application deadline for 2010 summer programs is March 2, 2010.  Educators may apply for up to three projects in any given year but may participate in only one.  For more information, visit http://www.neh.gov/projects/summer10.html.

 

Reports Reveals School Crime and Safety Data

“Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2009,” a report by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, presents the most current available data on school crime and safety.  According to the report, students ages 12-18 were victims of about 1.5 million crimes in 2007, with 55% of these crimes reported as thefts and the rest reported as violent crimes -- ranging from simple assault to serious violence.  In each year during the period from 1992-93 to 2006-07, there were at least 50 times as many homicides away from school than at school, and at least 150 times as many suicides away from school than at school.  For more information, visit http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/crimeindicators2009/.

December 7, 2009

REMINDER Deadline for Public Reporting of Progress in Meeting Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires each local education agency (LEA) to publicly report progress of the LEA and its campuses toward meeting the HQ teacher requirements as defined by the state’s measurable highly qualified teacher objectives.  The 2009-2010 Highly Qualified Teacher Reports for LEAs and individual campuses are available on the Texas Education Agency (TEA) NCLB Program Coordination website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/hqreport.html.  This public reporting process is to occur no later than December 15, 2009.

NCLB also requires that the LEA publicly report the annual progress of the LEA and each campus served by the LEA in meeting the state’s measurable highly qualified teacher objectives.  The LEA should compare the data reported by the LEA to these state annual targets to determine the LEA’s progress in these areas.  The LEA must report both campus and LEA data in comparison to targets for the 2009-2010 school year.   

For more information, see Attachment 2 of the August 20, 2009, To the Administrator Addressed Letter titled Status of No Child Left Behind Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/taa/stanprog082009.html.

Obama Launches Educate to Innovate Campaign

On November 23, 2009, President Obama launched a new campaign designed to improve the participation and performance of America’s students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).  Called Educate to Innovate, the campaign builds on Obama’s pledge to use his position to encourage students to study and consider careers in the STEM fields and elevate those students from the middle to the top, worldwide.  At the kick-off event, Obama announced the following five public-private partnerships that have committed to using media, interactive games, hands-on learning, and community volunteers to reach millions of students over the next four years: 

Discovery Communication’s “Be the Future” Campaign
(http://science.discovery.com/fansites/be-the-future/be-the-future.html)
 

Sesame Street’s Early STEM Literacy Initiative (http://www.sesameworkshop.org/newsandevents/pressreleases/stemeducation_11212009)
 

Time Warner Cable’s “Connect a Million Minds” Campaign
(http://connectamillionminds.com/)
 

National Lab Day
(http://www.nationallabday.org/)
 

National STEM Game Design Competitions
(http://www.dmlcompetition.net/)  

Obama also announced a commitment by leaders such as Sally Ride (the first female astronaut), Craig Barrett (former chairman, Intel Corporation), Ursula Burns (CEO, Xerox Corporation), Glenn Britt (CEO, Time Warner Cable), and Antonio Perez (CEO, Eastman Kodak), to increase the impact of private sector and philanthropic support for STEM education.  Obama also announced an annual science fair to be held at the White House, showcasing the student winners of national competitions in such areas as science, technology, and robotics.  For more information, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/educate-innovate.
 

USDE Issues Guidance in Preparation for H1N1 Flu Outbreak

To improve preparedness in response to the H1N1 flu outbreak, the U.S. Department of Education has issued guidance under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) to answer questions that school officials may have concerning the disclosure of personally identifiable information from students’ education records to outside entities when addressing an H1N1 flu outbreak.  The information covers how, what, and when information can be shared.  The guidance is available at http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/pdf/ferpa-h1n1.pdf. 

USDE’s Family Compliance Office (FPCO) is available to respond to any questions school officials may have about FERPA.  For quick responses to routine questions about FERPA, school officials may e-mail FPCO at FERPA@ed.gov, or call them at (202) 260-3887.  Additional information and guidance on FERPA is available on FPCO’s website at: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/index.html. 
For additional questions about pandemic planning, please e-mail USDE’s dedicated mailbox at flu@ed.gov.
 

REMINDER Second SES Parent Notification Letter (PNL) Dissemination Clarification
(See FAQ 29)

Question: If a student is already enrolled in SES, are LEAs required to disseminate the second parent notification letter (PNL) and/or any additional PNL packets to the child’s family? 

Response: No.  Districts are not required to disseminate  the second PNL and/or any additional PNL packets to the parents of eligible students already enrolled in SES.  The purpose of disseminating additional PNL packets after the initial August PNL is to give parents of eligible children more options to choose SES for their child.  Therefore, if a parent already selected SES and enrolled their child, additional PNLs are not required for these parents.

REMINDER Supplemental Educational Services (SES) Learning Tool Delivery Clarification

Question:  At what point during SES enrollment/implementation does this learning tool 10 day delivery period begin?   
Response: Students enrolled in SES and assigned to a provider must receive applicable learning tools as soon as possible, but not later than 10 days from the date the student’s student learning plan (SLP) is approved.  

REMINDER SES Complaints: Recruitment, Marketing, Enrollment, and Implementation Practices

The School Improvement Resource Center (SIRC) and the Division of NCLB Program Coordination are receiving a number of informal and formal complaints on SES program implementation practices such as recruitment, marketing, enrollment, and incentives.  According to SES Guidance, the SES Provider Provisions and Assurances policy, and the Provider Business Code of Ethics (see below), a provider cannot list or mention any incentives on flyers or posters, through word of mouth to parents, students, or teachers during enrollment and SES delivery.  This information can only be provided after a student is enrolled in SES through EZSES. 

Please review the requirements below and ensure all appropriate LEA and SES provider staff, specifically those staffs within schools, are aware of these guidelines.  Specifically, please review:

SES provider Provisions and Assurances

J.   The provider shall comply with all requests of the Texas Education Agency and the School Improvement Resource Center regarding provider information, monitoring, evaluation, and compliance processes and procedures.

L.  The provider shall abide by the Code of Professional Conduct and Business Ethics for Supplemental Educational Services Providers, adapted from the Education Industry Association Code of Professional Conduct and Business Ethics for Supplemental Educational Services Providers, as outlined on the following page of the application, or the provider may be removed from the list of state-approved providers.

Code of Business Ethics

In the conduct of business and discharge of responsibilities, providers commit to:

2. Conduct business honestly, openly, fairly, and with integrity.

7. Refrain from publicly criticizing or disparaging other providers.

Standards Specific to SES

Members will consistently implement the NCLB Supplemental Services provisions and promote full access to SES services. To that end, providers shall:

7.  Not offer a student, parent, or teacher any form of incentive for signing up a student with a provider.  This includes restricting the promotion of any allowable attendance or performance incentives to the period following student enrollment.  Only then may the provider inform the student of any incentives that are  directly linked to attendance or performance in SES.
 

Guidance on using ARRA Title I funds is available at: http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/guidance/title-i.doc

Guidance and related documents for other funds made available under ARRA, including the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, are available at:  http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/leg/recovery/index.html#appsl
 

Duncan Says Stimulus Bill Will Expand Financial Aid for College

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan unveiled an overview of the U.S. Department of Education's proposed FY 2010 budget last week, highlighting provisions that would dramatically expand student financial aid while making it simpler, more reliable, and more efficient.

USDE’s budget will be increased significantly from funding provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  In addition to increases in funding for elementary and secondary education, the ARRA would provide an additional $17 billion for Pell Grants in 2009 and 2010, Duncan said.  Current year funding for Pell Grants is $16.2 billion, with 6.1 million students participating.  The stimulus package also is providing nearly $14 billion in tuition tax credits for middle class families, raising the credit to $2,500 from $1,800.

USDE’s proposed budget also would restructure and expand the federal Perkins Loan program to ensure that all institutions can take part in the program.  The revised program would offer $6 billion in loans every year, an increase from the current $1 billion in funding.  Funds would reward schools that provide more need-based aid to students and that maintain reasonable student costs relative to other schools in their sector.

Details of USDE’s budget proposal for the 2010 fiscal year will be released in late April.  For more information on the department’s proposed budget, visit http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget10/index.html.