Assignment Monitoring Timeline 2017-18

As a reminder, each district is monitored for credentialing assignments every four years.  For 2017-18, the districts being monitored are:

• Bolinas-Stinson
• Lagunitas
• Kentfield
• San Rafael
  
  

A notice was sent in September to the districts' Superintendents / Personnel offices who are being monitored this year.  We look forward to working with district staff to complete the process by June 20, 2018.

California Distinguished Schools Program

The CDE is currently in the process of transitioning from the California Gold Ribbon Schools Program to the California Distinguished Schools Program. As you know, the Distinguished Schools program was on hiatus while California transitioned to its new assessment and accountability system, the California School Dashboard.

The Dashboard will be used as the eligibility criteria for this year's Distinguished Schools Award. We have been advised by CDE that it is very important that you verify that information in the Dashboard is correct at this time. If there are any questions regarding the Dashboard, please contact the Academic Accountability Unit by phone at 916-319-0863 or by e-mail at aau@cde.ca.gov.

Information about the Dashboard can be found on the CDE California Accountability Model and School Dashboard Web page.  Additional information about the Distinguished Schools Award, eligibility, and how to apply will be provided in December, please note this year is an elementary school cycle.

The Marin County Teacher Induction Program

Over the past few years the funding structure for the Induction Program has shifted.  In 2014-15 a program fee was implemented for participating teachers and the MCOE annually decreased the subsidized funds to the districts.  As shared in Spring of 2017, beginning in the 2018-19 school year, the Marin County Induction Program will move to a full fee for service program. 

Education of Homeless Children and Youth Update

The Marin County Office of Education received a small non-competitive grant this fiscal year to support work for Homeless Children and Youth.  The funds for this project are being used to support technical assistance countywide as well as prepare for submission of a three year Homeless competitive grant (2018-2021).  These new grant resources will offer technical assistance to our districts in the education of homeless children and youth.  The grant application will be submitted on or before February 1, 2018.  As we prepare for this submission we are conducting a needs assessment with districts that will drive aspects of our plan and assistance.  Overall, the goal is to expand our focus on coordination, collaboration, and professional development opportunities, for district and school site staff.  The hope is that this expansion of support will directly impact our ability to effectively serve homeless children and youth.  More information will be forthcoming.  Click here to see a copy of the needs assessment.

Kindergarten Student Entrance Profile (KSEP)

Pilot Project 2017 in Partnership with First 5 Marin and Marin County schools.

In an effort to have a universal and researched-based kindergarten screening tool to provide data about our incoming Kindergarten students the KSEP tool was found to be in use by a number of neighboring counties (examples include Fresno and Sonoma).

KSEP was developed and evaluated over eight years as part of a school, community, and university action research collaboration.  It is a 13-item screening tool designed to screen a child's school readiness through observational ratings.  The scoring rubric consists of 6 Social Emotional items and 7 School Ready Knowledge items with 4 rubric ratings.  The KSEP is designed to inform and provide baseline information in a targeted period of time following the start of the school year.  This tool is not diagnostic, but rather is considered a preliminary resource to help determine if additional assessment is needed to identify student need.

Our Marin pilot is focused on the usability of the KSEP tool.  We have 10 teachers participating across Marin from 4 districts, San Rafael, Ross, Ross Valley, and Dixie.  The teachers are currently engaged in the observation phase and we will convene on December 19th to debrief and collect feedback.  We will compile and share our findings with you and the Marin First 5 Commission in January 2018.

Click here to see a sample of the tool as well as the KSEP PowerPoint Presentation that was provided to First 5 Marin.

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Fall 2017

Cohort 1: There are no Marin County LEAs in the Cohort 1 group

Cohort 2: Novato Unified School District moved from Cohort 1 to Cohort 2; applications for Cohort 2 were completed by: Larkspur Corte-Madera School District and Sausalito/Marin City School District

Cohort 3: Request for Application (RFA) window opens on February 1st, applications will be due on March 31st.  Topics cover:

• Foundations of MTSS: understanding why and how MTSS is to be implemented and sustained
• Structuring MTSS: data-based conversations to identify priorities and steps needed to achieve sustainable transformation
• Engineering MTSS: review of tools to help schools and districts identify available resources, set clear rules for when to provide additional support, and deliver equitable resources and support when needed
• Advancing MTSS: ensuring attention to coaching and facilitation that will continue to advance efforts and formatively assess progress to inform next steps
  
  

Trainings for Cohort 2: 

• March 5th and 6th @ Alameda Office of Education
• April 11th @ Alameda Office of Education
• May 2nd @ MCOE
• May 29th @ Solano County Events Center
  
  

 Link to MTSS Cohort 3 RFA information provided on the Orange County Office of Education’s website.

The Race to Submit Initiative - now through March 2, 2018

Notice for District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and High School Principals: The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) and the California Department of Education (CDE) invite you to participate in the statewide "Race to Submit" campaign to encourage all California high school seniors to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act Application (CADAA).  Filing financial aid applications is the first step towards college success and helps eligible students qualify for federal, state, and campus-based aid, as well as some private scholarships.  The Race to Sumbit is based on the highly successful Riverside County initiative that increased FAFSA/CADAA completions countywide by approximately 35% over three years.  The Race to Submit is complete with a real-time dashboard located at the CSAC website that allows communities to review their progress. Click here for Locations to free Cash for College Workshops available!.  To submit an application, click here for more information. information.

Diplomas, Report Cards, and Transcripts for Students with Disabilities

Attached please find a helpful legal update regarding diplomas, report cards, and transcripts for students with diabilities.  See attached for advice on Diplomas and Certificates of Completion, Report Cards and Transcript Requirements, and more helpful information for our students.

2018 CISC Leadership Symposium - February 21-23, 2018

The 2018 CISC Leadership Symposium will focus on supporting leaders in developing systematic solutions to create a coherent and equitable educational environment.  The three days of immersive professional development is centered around the following:

• Coherent Systems - participants will be exposed to strategies supporting the alignment of educational initiatives and priorities, resulting in a single, integrated system of support.
• Continuous Improvement - participants will interact with tools and resources to support a strategic and systematic approach to on-going educational improvement efforts.
• Equity - participants will deepen their understanding of strategies, tools and methodologies to address opportunity and achievement gaps for all learners.