Monthly Communication
for Continuous Improvement and State & Federal Programs
September 2022
Welcome to the monthly Continuous Improvement and State & Federal Programs communication. The purpose is to contextualize Continuous Improvement into our daily work, to efficiently complete all State and Federal Program tasks, and to promote moving these tasks past simple compliance. If this was forwarded to you, you are welcome to subscribe.
In This Issue
- Important Dates
- Continuous Improvement Tasks and Updates
- 98b/104h - School Goals and Benchmark Assessments
- Clarifying "Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Service"
- FER Reminder - Wait until October 1
- Resource Roundup
- S&F Programs PD for 2022/23
- Quarterly Virtual S&F Programs Meetings (Note some date changes)
Important Dates
- September 7 - MASFPS 31a Series Session 1 (Info | Register)
- September 15 - School Level Goals Due (98b - see info below)
- "First 9 weeks of school" - K-8 benchmarks administered (104h - see info below)
- September 22 & 23 - Special Populations Conference (Info | Register)
- September 28 - MASFPS Professional Learning Institute Session 1 (Info | Register)
Continuous Improvement Tasks and Updates
Two main updates to MICIP this month (along with other technical fixes):
- Users who have ownership to strategies and activities will receive email notifications if a due date is drawing near
- Users now have the ability to add evidence to Impact Notes on the Monitoring Goals Page
Continuous Improvement Tasks for September:
- Do you have your teams and meeting dates set for the year? (Forming a team | District and Building Teams - Balance)
- Review the September District and Building Activities around Continuous Improvement
98b/104h - School Goals and Benchmark Assessments
- Principals work with staff to create building-level goals around achievement or growth in reading and math associated with benchmark assessments. This is due by September 15th. I anticipate a memo from MDE with more details this Thursday, September 1st. The process will likely be similar to last year.
- Benchmark assessments must be conducted in the first 9 weeks of school. Those results must be shared with parents within 30 days of conducting the assessment. The assessment results will also be reported to MDE in a manner and timeline that will be communicated later.
How did we get here? (history according to Dave)
Prior to COVID, there was a reimbursement grant for K-3 assessments through Sec 104d. COVID hit and Extended Continuity Of Learning plans were a "thing" in 2020/2021 (as outlined here, also see next article). This was the first year that MDE changed and said they would pay for K-8 assessments as long as districts used one of the "approved assessments" and complied with all the reporting requirements of 98b. That morphed into 98b/104a for the 2021/2022 school year (as outlined here) and is now 98b/104h for the 2022/2023 school year (updated 22/23 graphic and resources).
Can I just use MICIP as my goals?
Possibly, if the MICIP goals meet all 98b requirements: Are the goals written at the school level and established for each school? Do you have goals in Reading and Math? Do the goals reflect achievement or growth based on your selected benchmark assessment(s) (K-8)? If the answer to all of the above is yes, then you can likely use your current MICIP goals. If not, use the forthcoming process from MDE to update the goals you created last year. The important takeaway here is you can't just say "we did MICIP so we're all set with this."
Clarifying "Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Service"
I have received several questions about if Continuity of Learning/eCOL plans are still required. COL/eCOL plans were part of state statute and are no longer required. But before you get too excited, read on...
What is required of districts that accept ESSER funds (pretty much everyone) is to maintain a "Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Service Plan." Here is info from Kevin Walters, MDE:
"The eCOL plans as we knew them are no longer required by state statute. Now, for recipients of ARP ESSER III formula funds, there is a federal statutory requirement that the LEA update their existing eCOL plan to a Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services plan. This update must include an opportunity for public input into any proposed changes and must be posted on the LEA website within six months of receipt of a Grant Award Notification (GAN) for ARP ESSER III formula funds. This is an LEA-only requirement according to USED, so there is no submission to MDE as the SEA required."
Further information:
- This document outlines requirements
- Note in the 4th paragraph, that the plan must be reviewed and, as appropriate, revised every 6 months. This requires public input (can be completed at a board meeting or through another forum)
- There is no specific format or template for the plan and, as Kevin indicates above, there is no submission process
Final Expenditure Report Reminder - Wait until October 1
Resource Roundup
State and Federal Programs PD for 2022/23
- Directors' Workshop (formerly Boot Camp) Info | Registration
- Professional Learning Institute (formerly Fall and Winter Conference) Info | Registration
- Title IA Principals' Workshop Series Info | Registration
- 31a Workshop Series Info | Registration
- Grant Programs - Finance 101 Workshop Series Info | Registration
This is high-quality PD that is not available anywhere else. If you have any questions about any of the offerings, please don't hesitate to reach out to me or the MASFPS Executive Director, Sara Shriver (masfps@gmail.com).
Quarterly S&F Programs Meetings
Mark your calendar for the following dates:
- November 2, 2022 (Note: Date Change)
- January 25, 2023
- March 15, 2023 (Note: Date Change)
- TENTATIVE: MDE Spring Workshop May 5, 2023
Contact Dave Hundt, MAISD
Email: dhundt@muskegonisd.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/muskegonisd.org/processes/home
Phone: 231-767-7265