Source: http://p12.nysed.gov/accountability/OA_E-News/October2016OAE-Blast.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 00:31:51+00:00

Document:
At its September 2016 meeting, the Board of Regents adopted the amendment of §100.5 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education relating to the Social Studies Regents Examination requirements for a diploma to allow for a transition year and additional involvement of educators in the test development process.
In an effort to conform the current diploma requirements to reflect the implementation of this transition year in 2017-18 and provide flexibility to school districts and students while the Department moves to the new Global History & Geography II Regents Examination in 2018-19, the proposed amendment does the following: shifts the requirement for students to take and pass the new Regents Examination in Global History & Geography II for graduation and provides local school districts or schools with the discretion to determine to accept a passing score on either exam.
The amendment took effect as an emergency rule on September 18, 2016 and will be considered for adoption as a permanent rule at the October 2016 Board of Regents meeting. The permanent rule will become effective on November 2, 2016.
The September 2016 Regents Item regarding the amendment to the Rules of the Board of Regents relating to the Social Studies Regents Examination Requirements for a Diploma, is located at: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/916brca10.pdf.
At its September 2016 meeting, the Board of Regents adopted amendments to §§30-2.3, 30-3.3, 30-3.4, 30-3.5, 30-3.11, and 30-3.13 of the Rules of the Board of Regents relating to annual professional performance reviews of classroom teachers and building principals.
The adopted amendment provides districts and Boards Of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) with greater flexibility in implementing the provisions of Education Law §3012-d and Subpart 30-3 of the Rules of the Board of Regents in the following areas: Teacher evaluation requirements, Teacher observation category, Principal evaluation requirements, Student performance category, Principal school visit category, Teacher or principal improvement plans and Monitoring and consequences for non-compliance.
The amendment became effective as a permanent rule on September 28, 2016.
The September 2016 Regents Item regarding the rules of the Board of Regents relating to Annual Professional Performance Reviews for classroom teachers and building principals, is located at: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/916brca12.pdf.
At its September 2016 meeting, the Board of Regents adopted amendments to §30-3.4 and §30-3.5 of the Rules of the Board of Regents relating to a hardship waiver for independent evaluators for Annual Professional Performance Reviews for classroom teachers and principals.
The proposed amendment revises §30-3.4 and §30-3.5 of the Rules of the Board of Regents to provide a hardship waiver to school districts and BOCES that believe that compliance with the independent evaluator requirement would create an undue burden on the school district/BOCES. The hardship waiver will commence with the 2016-2017 school year.
The adopted amendment became effective as an emergency measure on September 18, 2016 and as a permanent rule on September 28, 2016.
The September 2016 Regents Item regarding the rules of the Board of Regents relating to a hardship waiver for independent evaluators for Annual Professional Performance Reviews for classroom teachers and principals, is located at: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/916brca13.pdf.
At its September 2016 meeting, the Board of Regents adopted an amendment to §80-3.5 of the Commissioner’s Regulations to establish a new pathway option for the Transitional A certificate in a career and technical education subject for candidates who hold a full license to teach in licensed private career schools and have at least two years of teaching experience under such license.
The adopted amendment provides additional opportunities for individuals with specific technical and career experience to obtain a Transitional A teaching certificate in their area of expertise, thus allowing them to teach career and technical education (CTE) subjects at the secondary school level. This will help to increase the supply of qualified, certified teachers in the career and technical education field to satisfy the increasing demand for those teachers.
The amendment became effective as an emergency measure on September 18, 2016 and as a permanent rule on September 28, 2016.
The September 2016 Regents Item regarding the rules of the Board of Regents relating to a New Pathway Option for the Transitional A Certificate, is located at: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/916brca2.pdf.
At its September 2016 meeting, the Board of Regents adopted an amendment to §80-3.5 of the Commissioner’s Regulations to establish new pathway options for the Transitional A certificate in a career and technical education subject for candidates who do not meet the current requirements but who possess industry experience, credentials, or are in the process of completing certification.
The adopted amendment, which clarifies one minor change to Option 1 (originally presented at the July 2016 Board of Regents meeting), provides additional opportunities and flexibility for individuals with specific technical and career experience to obtain a Transitional A teaching certificate in their area of expertise, or a related area, thus allowing them to teach CTE subjects at the secondary school level. This will help to increase the supply of qualified, certified teachers in the career and technical education field in order to satisfy the increasing demand for those teachers.
The September 2016 Regents Item regarding the rules of the Board of Regents relating to a New Pathway Option for the Transitional A Certificate, is located at: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/916brca3.pdf.
At its September 2016 meeting, the Board of Regents adopted an amendment to §100.6 of the Commissioner’s Regulations relating to the establishment of criteria for the approval of work-readiness assessments for earning the New York State (NYS) Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) Commencement Credential.
The emergency rule regarding the NYS CDOS Commencement Credential, took effect on Tuesday, September 13, 2016. It is anticipated that the rule will be adopted and become effective as a permanent rule on Wednesday, December 28, 2016.
At its September 2016 meeting, the Board of Regents was provided with an analysis of the results of the 2016 Grades 3-8 English language arts (ELA) and mathematics assessments. This year in ELA 37.9 percent of students in Grades 3-8 scored at the proficient level (Levels 3 and 4). In math, 39.1 percent of students scored at the proficient level. Due to changes in the 2016 tests, the proficiency rates from exams prior to 2016 are not directly comparable to the 2016 proficiency rates.
The 2016 grades 3-8 ELA and math assessment results Regents Item addresses students who were tracked as not tested and/or test refusals. More details can be found in the September 2016 Regents item located at: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/916p12d1.pdf.
The supplemental presentation regarding 2016 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts and Mathematics Results is located at: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/2016%20P12%2038%20Test%20Results%20Sept%20BOR.pdf.
At its September 2016 meeting, the Board of Regents received an update on the Principal Preparation Project funded by the Wallace Foundation.
This project seeks to develop a computer-based system to help school districts with recruitment and hiring of principals by identifying pre-service and in-service school building leaders and tracking their progress toward placement, including school-based career placement changes over time for practicing principals.
To prepare for the work of the Principal Preparation Project, Commissioner MaryEllen Elia is assembling a Principal Project Advisory Team to conduct a review of related research and literature. Staff has interviewed 50+ stakeholders, and more than 20 focus group meetings are being held throughout New York State.
It is anticipated that recommendations from the Principal Project Advisory Team will come before the Board of Regents at its April 2017 meeting.
The Regents Item regarding the Principal Preparation Project is located at: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/916brd1revised.pdf.
The related Principal Preparation Project Presentation is located at: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/Principal%20Preparation%20Project%20-%20Full%20Board%20Monday.pdf.
At its September 2016 meeting, the Board of Regents discussed the proposed amendment of Commissioner’s Regulations §100.2(gg) relating to the Uniform Violent and Disruptive Incident Reporting System (VADIR).
Both federal and state laws require the Department to implement a statewide policy that identifies persistently dangerous public elementary and secondary schools for the purpose of providing school choice to students who attend persistently dangerous schools.
Together with Department staff, members of the New York State Safe Schools Task Force developed a revised method for collecting incident data that incorporates both VADIR and Dignity for All School Act (DASA) requirements into one reporting structure. The current VADIR regulation will be revised to reduce the current 20 reporting categories to nine categories, commencing with the 2017-18 school year.
It is anticipated that the proposed amendment relating to the uniform VADIR will be adopted by the Board of Regents at its December 2016 meeting. The proposed amendment is scheduled to become effective for the next school year, commencing on July 1, 2017.
Information on current VADIR reporting can be found at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/ssae/schoolsafety/vadir/.
The Regents Item regarding VADIR is located at: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/916p12d2.pdf.
The supplemental presentation regarding VADIR, is located at: http://www.regents.nysed.gov/common/regents/files/P-12%20Violent%20and%20Disruptive%20Incident%20Reporting%20System%20%28VADIR%29.pdf.
On Thursday, September 29, 2016, a field memo was sent to District Superintendents, Superintendents of Public Schools, Charter School LEA Administrators, McKinney-Vento Liaisons providing critical information about how New York State school districts must implement the changes to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. § 11431 et seq.) as a result of the enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December 2015. The September 29, 2016 field memo was issued so that school districts would be aware of the changes required to be implemented by school districts by October 1, 2016.
The memo outlines sixteen major changes to McKinney-Vento relating to new school district responsibilities. To view these changes in further detail, please view the September 29, 2016 field memo at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/homeless/docs/MVESSAFMEMO.pdf.
On Friday September 9, 2016 the New York State Education Department (NYSED) submitted comments on the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Academic Assessments under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The Department’s comments focus on the need to provide states with greater flexibility in the testing of certain English language learners and students with disabilities.
On Tuesday, August 30, 2016 the New York State Education Department (NYSED) accepted public comments on a revised version of the draft guiding principles and characteristics of highly effective schools that prepare students for post-secondary education, careers and life. After seeking input from a variety of stakeholders, NYSED developed the initial draft characteristics for highly effective schools and guiding principles for a public school accountability system to meet the requirements of the federal ESSA. During Phase I of the public comment period, which occurred from July 11, 2016 through August 26, 2016 NYSED received over 300 public comments on both draft documents.
Public comments on the Phase II document were submitted through Friday, September 16, 2016, and more than 200 comments were received.
Both documents will serve as guidelines for NYSED as it develops New York State’s plan to meet ESSA requirements. The Department will provide multiple opportunities for stakeholder and public input before submitting the plan to the United States Department of Education next year.
Please contact us at ESSA@nysed.gov if you require further information.
During October and November 2016, representatives of stakeholder organizations will be invited by BOCES superintendents and superintendents of the Large Five City School Districts to attend Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Regional State Plan Development Meetings. At these meetings, stakeholders will be asked to provide feedback on concepts under consideration by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to recommend that the Board of Regents include in the state plan that the Department will submit to the United States Department of Education (USDE) in 2017.
In preparation for the ESSA Regional State Plan Development meeting, the Department created a recorded ESSA Informational Webinar, which can be found at: ESSA Orientation. This webinar will provide an overview of the requirements of ESSA and the strategy the New York State Education Department is using to develop the plan required by ESSA.
Questions regarding the in-person Regional ESSA State Plan Development Meeting can be sent to district representatives.
In August 2016, the Office of Accountability launched a public Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) website. The website is located at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/essa.html.
Inquiries regarding the ESSA webpage may be e-mailed to ESSA@nysed.gov.
New York State (NYS) has seen a 56% increase in the number of students identified as homeless by New York State school districts and charter schools from 2008-09 to 2014-15. To ensure that all NYS local educational agencies (LEAs) are aware of their responsibility in identifying students who are experiencing homelessness as well as providing services to help them succeed in school, the New York State Education Department (SED) is requiring the McKinney-Vento liaison from each school district, charter school, and BOCES to participate in one of this year’s McKinney-Vento Workshops, on-site trainings, or webinars hosted by our technical assistance center, NYS-TEACHS.
In addition to the Workshops, several on-site regional trainings and hour-long webinars will be offered throughout the year, free of charge. Information about these events is available on the NYS-TEACHS website and is updated throughout the year: http://www.nysteachs.org/trainings/.
To register for a webinar or workshop, please visit the NYS-TEACHS website: http://www.nysteachs.org/trainings/.
On Wednesday, October 5, 2016, Commissioner MaryEllen Elia announced that nine out of 10 Persistently Struggling Schools in New York State made Demonstrable Improvement during the 2015-16 school year, showing progress on performance indicators jointly selected by the State Education Department and the districts where the schools are located.
In accordance with Section 211-f of the Education Law and Commissioner’s Regulations §100.19, Commissioner Elia based the Demonstrable Improvement decisions primarily upon the degree to which schools achieved their progress targets. Each school’s Demonstrable Improvement Plan includes a minimum of ten indicators, which were submitted by the superintendent receiver and approved by the Commissioner.
In accordance with the law, indicators could include: student achievement and growth on state measures; reduction in achievement gaps among specific groups of students; graduation rates; student attendance; suspension rates; measures of school safety; and parent, family and teacher engagement.
The press release, full Iist of Persistently Struggling Schools and their Demonstrable Improvement determinations can be found at: http://www.nysed.gov/news/2016/state-education-department-determines-nine-out-10-persistently-struggling-schools-made.
On Wednesday, September 21, 2016, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) released new draft New York State P-12 English Language Arts and Mathematics Learning Standards for public comment. Two committees comprised of more than 130 educators and parents recommended changing 60 percent of the ELA and 55 percent of the math standards. NYSED is accepting public comments on the draft standards through Friday, November 4, 2016.
Please review the press release at: http://www.nysed.gov/news/2016/state-education-department-releases-new-draft-nys-english-and-mathematics-learning for more details.
In addition, video of teachers on the committee discussing the process of developing the standards is available at: http://www.nysed.gov/video/new-york-state-learning-standards-review.
On Thursday, September 27, 2016, the NYSED Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages (OBEWL) announced the release of a set of resources to support districts and schools in the education of English language learners (ELLs) who are also Students with Inconsistent/Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE). Districts and Schools are strongly encouraged to use these resources.
All ELL-SIFE documents can be accessed through the following link: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/biling/bilinged/SIFE.html.
For additional technical assistance and professional development you can contact your Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (RBERN) which can be found at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/biling/bilinged/betac.html.
If you have any questions please contact Juan D. Vargas at the Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages (OBEWL) at 718-722-2445 or juan.vargas@nysed.gov, or our Albany office at 518-474-8771, or write to us at obewl@nysed.gov.
The 2016-17 Quarterly Leading Indicator Reports provide a single “running record” that documents progress toward achieving the SMART (strategic, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and timebound) goals identified in the SCEP and SPSE. The template also serves as a tool to assist in strategic decision making based on concrete data. The report should be completed by the School Leader, in collaboration with the School Leadership Team, and submitted to the Superintendent or his/her designee for review and verification each quarter.
The Superintendent or his/her designee must submit the Quarter #2 Report for each Non-Receivership Priority/Focus School implementing a SCEP or SPSE via email to fdip@nysed.gov no later than close of business Friday, March 17, 2017. Completed reports should include data collected for first and second quarters.
Information regarding the 2016-2017 Quarterly Leading Indicator Reports can be found at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/fdip/home.html.
On August 29, 2016, a memo was sent to district superintendents, superintendents of public schools, administrators of public, nonpublic and charter schools and school health personnel regarding the Zika Virus and School Resources.
Please note that the Centers for Disease Control Disease and Prevention Interim Guidance for district and school administrators is global, and is not New York State specific. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) also has resources and frequently asked questions (FAQs) at: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/zika_virus/. If you have questions about Zika virus, please contact your county health department or the NYSDOH at Zika Information Line (1-888-364-4723); Monday - Friday (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
The NYSED’s New York State Center for School Health also houses scientifically accurate and evidence-based resources on the Zika Virus at www.schoolhealthny.com in the A-Z index tab.
The Rural Education Achievement Program, or REAP, was established in ESEA/NCLB Title VI, Part B, to provide additional resources to assist rural districts in meeting state definitions for the New York State Accountability System/ESEA Flexibility Waiver and adequate yearly progress (AYP). Formula allocations are provided to approximately 190 districts in New York State each year that are identified as meeting eligibility requirements for one of the three REAP programs, if applicable.
For a list of LEAs eligible for REAP-SRSA and REAP-Flex for 2016-17, please visit: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/reapsrsa/eligible16/index.html and click on the spreadsheet for New York.
Title VI, Part B – REAP information can be found at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/reap/home.html.
Allocations for REAP can be found at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/allocations/home.html.
On Monday, August 29, 2016, data files containing the data for use in the original final APPR ratings for principals of grades 9-12 and principals of grades 4-12 were made available and available for download on the Information and Reporting Services Portal (IRSP) at http://portal.nysed.gov. These results are to be used for advisory purposes only and are necessary to complete original APPR scores and ratings.
Districts/BOCES are required to submit both original and transition scores and ratings by the Friday, October 28, 2016 deadline. Questions about the data provided in the files or how to use these data to complete APPRs can be directed to educatoreval@nysed.gov.
The deadline for 2015 Building Condition Survey (BCS) data entry and submission has been extended to Friday, November 18th, 2016.
District BCS submissions are not final until they have been certified by the school superintendent. Districts can determine when a submission is final when each BCS record has been moved from the ‘inbox’ to the ‘outbox’ in the SED Business Portal for the district.
If the BCS is not submitted by Friday, November 18, 2016, building aid linked to the BCS will be forfeited.
Information regarding the 2015 Building Condition Survey is located at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/BldgCondSurv.htm.
Please refer to the BCS Frequently Asked Questions at http://www.p12.nysed.gov/facplan/documents/2015BCSFAQs.pdf for additional information.
Questions about online BCS data entry should be directed to (518) 474-3906 or emscfp@nysed.gov with '2015 BCS' in the subject line.
Commissioner’s Regulations 100.18(f)(6) requires that all schools and districts be included in the State accountability system and that Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) be determined for each public school, charter school and district. This requirement pertains to schools/districts with fewer than 30 continuously enrolled students who have participated in State assessments during the prior two years combined, or any configuration of grades K through 12 that do not participate in the regular State assessment program.
The deadline for submission of Self-Assessment data was Friday October 7, 2016. Please contact the Office of Accountability at 718 722 4553 if you have questions or concerns related to Self-Assessment or need an extension to submit your self-assessment.
On May 12, 2016, the New York State Education Department informed districts in Good Standing with a LAP school(s) that they were required to complete the Diagnostic Self-Reflection and Plan Template and post the approved LAP Plan to the district website by Friday, July 29, 2016.
Each posted plan must be approved by the local board of education for the district and posted to the district’s website unless the district notifies NYSED of an alternate way by which the plan will be made widely available to the public. The link to each LAP Plan for such districts must be sent to: accountinfo@nysed.gov with the title: LAP Plan Link 2016-17 - District Name.
Specific information about the Diagnostic Self-Reflection and Plan may be found in the April 2016 memo, “Preliminary Identification of Local Assistance Plan (LAP) Schools for the 2016–17 School Year.” The memo is available for review at this link: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/documents/LocalAssistancePlanSchoolsMemo040816.pdf.
The Diagnostic Self-Reflection and Plan Template can be found at: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/accountability/ESEAMaterials.html.
Please send questions regarding the Local Assistance Plan to accountinfo@nysed.gov.

References: §100
 §3012
 §30
 §30
 §30
 §30
 §80
 §80
 §100
 §100
 § 11431
 §100