IEM November 2008/9 ES Agenda

 

Please read the agenda, along with each of its highlighted links, then print out as a guide for this month’s ES job duties.

The agenda quiz must be completed in your ES WEBfiles BEFORE attending your ES meeting!

 

Please note that if you must miss your ES meeting, you should inform your Area Facilitator and ES Advisor and make arrangements with another AF to attend another meeting that month. (All meeting times and dates are posted in the ES handbook along with AF e-mail addresses and meeting date, time, and location). Your AF is listed in ES Webfiles on the ES Welcome page. If you miss the meeting altogether, you will be reminded of your responsibility to attend and will be held responsible for the information given at the meeting. If you miss another meeting, it will become a discipline issue and may result in a drop in your student load. We do not believe that you can effectively serve your students if you miss critical information about the school and your job. Thank you for making these meetings a priority as you schedule your time for this school year!  The ES Support Department.

 

1) Dates to Remember and Dated Duties

a) November 2008: Vigorously continue 1st semester portfolio assembly and collect any and all  missing samples from 1st semester this month.

 

b) November 13, 2008 at noon: The Payroll Snapshot will be run.  Any forms not entered by the office by this date will not be paid in the November 30 paycheck (but will be reconciled in later pay periods—no pay for active student days is ever lost to the ES). The office needs 3 days to get paperwork entered after they receive it.

 

c) November 14, 2008: All ESs who were with us last year and wrote “ES Goals” on their ES Webfiles View/ES Detail page on the OG/SS Prof. Growth Goals tab are to enter a short written Progress report on how you have met your 2009 ES goals to date, and what you expect to do next semester. First year ESs are to be working on the same goals, completing all of the initial phases of ES training, an observation visit, and working on their NCLB certifications.

 

d) November 17, 2008: Deadline to take and pass your November ES Agenda 2009 Quiz in ES Webfiles! 

 

e) November 17, 2008: Second Semester funding will be deposited, and may now be spent. Remember that funding drops every day after this for newly enrolled students.  Use the IF calc chart to give accurate info!

 

f) November 21, 2008: Mail all 2nd semester Student Agreements to the office for those students who will continue with us next semester. Plan now for this! Remember also that faxed copies are not acceptable to the auditor, so please only send these in by mail. Also incomplete course info will result in an “error” designation for that student; do not send until the report card with course names has been created, all info is completed and signed and dated by all 3 required persons (2 for an adult student). If a student is in doubt, send in an SA and then drop them later as necessary. Please audit your own paperwork carefully before mailing! We will begin to run late reports on these beginning 12/4/2008.

 

g) November 21, 2008: For 1st semester graduates, you must submit (complete and click “DONE”) your Webfiles report cards with estimated 1st semester grades.  Yes, we know it is hard to estimate the grades and credits for some, but assume the best, and we can make changes later if needed.

 

h) November 21, 2008: Last day to create a high school report card for your 7th/8th grade students taking Algebra 1 NOT for High School credits in order for their correct STAR math test to be ordered (see link at 4e below).

 

i) November 21, 2008: Final date to sign your 11th grade student up to take the EAP test (see link at 4e below). Last date to enter Summative math in ES Webfiles as well (see link at 4e below).

 

j) December 5, 2008: Deadline to submit the completed grad packet to your ES Advisor in one package and enter graduate updates as needed into ES Webfiles student Detail page.  The ES Advisors need this lead-time to be able to complete their job by the end of the semester!  Please do not be late on this deadline date! (see 3e below).

 

k) December 19, 2008: Remind your families of the deadline to provide to you their Respond to Literature writing assignment this month at your LR meeting. Refer to last month’s agenda for more detailed info. Give them any help they need to get started if they haven’t yet started. You may want to have the students do their writing while at the meeting with you.

 

l) December 19, 2008: Complete entries in Student Surveys (see 2c below).

 

l) December 19, 2008: Sign up all your students in their SME courses for 2nd semester/approve those rolled over (see 2d below) prior to this date.

 

m) December 19, 2008: First Semester Ends.  Plan now to not hold paperwork over Winter Break, but mail everything you have to go to the office that Friday.  The office will be staffed during the break.

 

n) January 9, 2009: For all ESs with students enrolled in SME courses, last day to send to your SME All the Supporting documentation requested

for 1st semester courses (see 2d below).

 

o) January 16, 2009: For all May 20, 2009 graduates, send/email to your ES Advisor information needed for a 2nd semester graduates preliminary assessment (See Grad Procedure in ES Handbook).

 

2) Things to Do

a) ES Advisors: Remember that your ES Advisor is always there to ensure that you know what needs to be done, how to do it, and that you are doing it as required by the school/auditor/state laws and regulations.  Your advisor is a wealth of information, and is committed to supporting you as you become the best professional ES you can be!  Please never hesitate to ask your questions (about anything except specific personnel/payroll issues) of your Advisor first before emailing or calling anyone else! This will save a lot of time/frustration/effort for everyone! You are not bothering them, they are there to serve!

 

b) NCLB Certifications:  Now is the time to review your NCLB Compliance Plan that you completed last Spring (continuing ESs) or with Linette Harris this Fall (new ESs). 

·         We were able to find an online PG VPSS program for English and Math core subjects—thanks Lisa Voss!  We were able to enroll 6 SSCS ESs into the first pilot online program which begins in December.  The next session, which will begin in February, will allow many more enrollments, plus OGCS ESs will be able to participate as well.  New in person Saturday program for VPSS in Santa Clara county! We must have 10 ESs in order to participate. Let Linette know you wish the in person instead of the online course!

·         The good news is that both SS and OG did qualify for grants which will allow the school to pay for ESs enrollments in the VPSS courses, first come first serve by school, until the money is gone! There are 2 tiers to each core subject area, and your NCLB Compliance Plan will help you determine whether you need to do the full 2 classes, or if you can start with the 2nd class. There is enough time for all of our ESs to enroll and complete these courses by the state’s due date for completion, even with the limit of only one course per session!

·         How to get on the list for VPSS enrollment:

o    Those who have already emailed Linette Harris that they were interested in this December pilot session are on the waiting list already for the February session.  Be sure you have a conversation with Linette over your transcripts to ensure you qualify for the tier(s) you are requesting enrollment in.

o    Those who begin to email Linette today (iemtraining2@ieminc.org) will be added to the waiting list on a first come, first serve basis by email date/time. You and Linette will then review your transcripts for correct tier enrollment.

·         We will watch for the first date to enroll for the February session, and will enroll from our list as many as we can.  FYI--There are thousands of teachers statewide that will be trying to get a space for that session, so plan ahead!

·         Also email Linette Harris (iemtraining2@ieminc.org) with any CSET exams you have signed up to take this year, or courses you are enrolled in according to your NCLB plan. Email the results/transcripts as soon as you get them.

·         You may tentatively sign up for VPSS if you are awaiting CSET results.  If you pass the CSET, then let Linette know asap to release your VPSS space.

·         Another piece of good news was that the grade of “C” on a college course will not be accepted for “Not New” ESs towards their HOUSSE certification.  “C”’s will not be accepted for a subject matter authorization, but can be counted on page one of NCLB towards 32 total units if anyone can qualify by that method (New or Not New). If you think this is you, contact Linette asap and she will review your transcripts again.

 

c) Student Surveys: Please complete the survey in WEBfiles for each of your students if you have not already done so. If you completed it last year and there are no changes, you are done—just take a quick look to be sure it is complete. Go to "view" active students, and click on the grey survey button to the left of the student number on the active tab. This information is used for state reports, WASC, and will be used for charter renewal. Please be sure to do this by December 19.

 

d) SME Grades/Credits and Spring Enrollments:

·         Read this reminder document then read the summaries below: (link)

·        Your students who were signed up with an SME for Fall semester will be rolled over to the next course for 2nd semester by November 20th. If you do not need that course, go in after November 19th and delete them; if they will be enrolled, go in right after November 19th and mark your “ES Approval”.

·        New enrollees for 2nd semester classes can sign up after November 19th But, please take care of this prior to Winter break—by December 19, 2008.

·        Remember to email your SME with any modifications needed to make the course fit your students needs when you enroll a student and list the modifications of the SME Assignment Worksheet. A course called "HQT ENGLISH X" should be good for any level of student:  Basic, Regular, and A-G.  The ES needs to email the SME for changes to the syllabus as needed.

·        Begin NOW (as soon as you collect all assignments) to provide your SME with their requested work samples. DO NOT use last year’s SME Assignment Worksheet.  Instead, print out and use the updated/new SME Assignment Worksheet as a cover sheet when sending the work to the SME, along with this NEW SME Student List Worksheet each student that lists their assignments and credits, and specific modifications if applicable. BE sure to copy any of these samples you will need for the student's portfolio before mailing, as they will not be returned. The HQT SME, as teacher of record, is the one who must keep this students work for that course for several years. This is due by January 9, 2009.

·        Your SME will review the work in the order received and communicate with you by phone or email the official grades and credits. You will need to enter those exact grades and credits into the students Webfiles report card and submit prior to the report card due date. Then keep the email in the student's file.

·        Thank you SMEs for another wonderful semester of support and for being so flexible when working with the students and ESs!

 

e) Special Ed concerns: 

·        If you hear a concern from one of your families of special ed students with anything to do with special ed, please do not try to follow up on the issues yourself (as you are only be paid to be the regular ed teacher and therefore are not trained in how special ed is doing their part), but email jbrogan@ieminc.org.  They want and need to hear any concerns you are hearing so they can follow up.

·        You, the ES of a special ed student, are expected to arrange your schedule to be able to be at IEP meetings—your input is critical!

·        To make a referral to special ed for a student not currently in Special ED, see the information in the Handbook at Student Study Teams and follow the process by submitting the required forms. Do not call the special ed office for this!  They will contact you.

·        Special Ed services are not funded by Instructional Funding.  You, the regular ES should not be submitting vendor requests for special ed services, nor making recommendations about these types of services with your family.  All of the services needed specifically for special ed issues will be provided by the special ed department, after being written into an IEP, if appropriate.  In an IEP or 504 meeting, there may be a recommendation of “regular ed” materials or services you need to purchase from IF.  We only expect our regular ed ESs to work with their special ed students in the area of their regular education, or to allow/provide accommodations/modifications as indicated on the IEP. For questionable vendors, vendor relations will check with the special ed department for clarification before approving. For additional questions about this separation, contact your Advisor.

 

3) Training Items

a) Vendor Requests and PO Inquiries:

·         Prior to your meeting, watch the Vendor Requests Webex, then review the Vendor Requests documents.  Note the Vendor Approval Checklist to use when determining if a vendor should be submitted for our school. Bring any questions or concerns to your meeting.

·         Prior to your meeting, watch the PO Inquiries Webex. Bring any questions on this to your meeting.

 

b) Sample Email Templates:

Your advisor team has been hard at work this month creating those email templates for you to use in various situations that typically arise in the course of your work.  More will be coming soon! Please review and we are always open to more suggestions--ask your ES Adviosr!.

 

c) Helpful Google Documents:

·         Please take advantage of the current Google Documents that the advisors have developed.  Using these documents will help make our jobs easier!!  If you have not set up a google account with your iem address you will need to do this first.  Once you have set up the account email your advisor and they will add you to the Google documents that are available.  We currently have a Curriculum Inventory document that will help you find curriculum that other ESs are not using.  The other Google document is a list of pre-approved high school course titles from other local high schools that might not be explanatory based on their course title name.

·         There will be a live Webex training on December 5th at 10am with Tracy Edwards on how to create your account and use the documents. You will need to send Tracy an email to reserve your spot!

·         If you have any further questions please contact your advisor or Tracy Edwards and they will be able to help you.

 

d) Prepare for the December Portfolio Review:

·         Review this document and bring your questions to your meeting: http://www.ieminc.org/handbook/portfolio/portsampqaiem.htm . Remember, the Dec portfolio review meeting is for another ES to peer review your work and provide feedback on corrections needed before you do your final portfolio assembly and to share ideas for subjects where your peers are having difficulty finding an appropriate sample– please come prepared with everything as complete as possible.  Ask your advisor questions now if you are unsure about something so your portfolio can be accurate and complete before your AF meeting.

·         In addition to bringing your completed 1st semester portfolios for all students AND your final completed portfolio for any student who has dropped during 1st semester and any 1st semester grads (note: this meeting does not have time to assemble your portfolios, please have 1st semesters’ done prior to your December meeting), it is helpful to bring the following extra supplies to your ES Group meeting in December:

·         1st semester portfolios should be placed in their envelope left open for review with the following:

·         After this review, make any needed corrections, give the portfolios one more review by you using the checklists, then mail your dropped and grad student portfolios to your ES Advisor.

 

e) Graduation vs Completion:

·         In order for students to receive a diploma, they must meet all of our graduation course requirements, plus pass both sections of the CAHSEE,

·         Can a student receive a high school diploma if an accommodation or modification is used to take the CAHSEE?

o    Passing the CAHSEE is one state requirement for graduation. There are other state requirements, and there may be local requirements. If a student takes one or both parts of the CAHSEE with an accommodation and earns a score of 350 or higher, then the student has passed that part of the exam. As long as all other graduation requirements have been met, the student is eligible to receive a high school diploma.

o    If a student takes one or both parts of the CAHSEE with a modification and has received the equivalent of a passing score, the student has not passed that part of the exam, but is eligible to request a waiver of the requirement to successfully pass that part of the exam. Because the use of a modification changes what the test is measuring, the score report will be marked “not valid” for the applicable part of the exam. If the waiver is granted, and all other graduation requirements have been met, then the student is eligible to receive a high school diploma.

·         What is the waiver process, and who is eligible for it?

Education Code Section 60851(c) explains the waiver process in detail, and it is summarized here. Students who take one or both parts of the CAHSEE with a modification and have received the equivalent of a passing score are eligible for the waiver request process. At the request of the student’s parent or guardian, a school principal must submit to the local school governing board a request for a waiver of the requirement to pass the part(s) of the CAHSEE on which a modification was used and the equivalent of a passing score was earned. For the local board to waive the CAHSEE requirement, the principal must certify to the local board that the pupil has all of the following:

1.     An individualized education program adopted pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) or a plan adopted pursuant to Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794(a)) in place that requires the accommodations or modifications to be provided to the pupil when taking the high school exit examination.

2.     Sufficient high school level coursework either satisfactorily completed or in progress in a high school level curriculum sufficient to have attained the skills and knowledge otherwise needed to pass the high school exit examination.

3.     An individual score report for the pupil showing that the pupil has received the equivalent of a passing score on the high school exit examination while using a modification that fundamentally alters what the high school exit examination measures as determined by the State Board of Education.”

If in doubt, contact Becky Cote (bcote@ieminc.org) for clarification for your student!

·         Non-Special Ed Students who meet all of the graduation requirements, but do not pass the CAHSEE, may choose to receive a School Certificate, and not a Diploma. Or they may choose to stay enrolled for an additional year and attempt the CAHSEE up to 3 more times, which still completing 25 units each semester. Remember there is a form we need signed if they choose to leave the school with a School Certificate located at: http://www.ieminc.org/genericforms/schcertselagr.pdf .

·         Graduation/Completion Packets will still need to be completed in all of the above situations, and sent to your Advisor by the due dates listed above.

Plan ahead to meet your deadlines for submitting your 1st semester packets!

·         Graduation course requirements clarifications: (Contact your ES Advisor for help with specific courses)

 

f) LR Reminders:

·        Seasonal Holiday Activities reminder: Please remember that as the holidays approach, when we document the activities in the learning record, we should not write “are making Christmas gifts, cards, or decorations”, but instead write specifically what they did, a woodworking project? Drew and colored pictures? Created a project using paper mache’? Copied the art technique of the Impressionists? Did cut and paste activities? We are not paid ADA to “create Christmas items”, but to do something like the activities listed. Please just list the activities, not any seasonal holiday description. If the student studies the meaning and origin of Christmas and/or Hanukah, this is only appropriate to list on the LR if the student is studying holidays of all the major world religions this school year.

·        K-8th LR Assessment Statements: As we approach the end of the semester, every K-8th grade LR course will need to have an assessment statement. If your students are assessed monthly, this is ideal. If not, then please email your advisor with the dates of the LR where assessments are included so they can do a review, or email which students are assessed monthly and any record can be reviewed. All advisors should receive an email about each of your K-8th graders prior to January 23, 2009.

 

4) Messages from School Departments

a) IT

The following were added to your views in ES Webfiles:

·        New improved official school transcript with new credit summary!

·        The View/Student Active tab now has 2 sub-tabs: General (basic info) and Notices (Due/overdue dates).

·        The View/Student Test Info tab now has subtabs for each different assessment.

·        New Drop codes added in Webfiles: Regular:  125 & 165; Graduate: 106; Drop Out: 300 Please choose your drop codes carefully, as this information is reported to the state! Note that if you have a student dropping to go to a R-4 home school, that is a regular drop 180 (private school), not a Drop Out 450!!! If CDE things we reported in error, they ask us to check on it!

 

b) VENDOR RELATIONS

·         CP find: To find a CP instructor for a CP course, the ES must use the search/vendors within ES Webfiles.  For confidentiality purposes, they will not show up on our webpage listing of vendors.  A quick way to tell if a person listed by name in the Vendor file is a business vendor or an employee instructor is to see how their name is listed.  A business vendor doing business under their own name will be listed first name first, then last name.  An employee working as a school instructor will be listed by their last name first, then their first name.

·         Semester POs Reminder: When submitting a PO for an educational activity for the whole semester, please break up the units by either session or per month costs. If a PO needs to be canceled before the whole amount has been spent, this will make the process much easier for all.

·         CP Set-ups:  Do not put business names in CP set-ups—they must be employee names, as they are paid on a timesheet. (Remember to do all businesses as POs and not as CPs if at all possible!)

·         New Vendors by School:  SSCS   OGCS

·         GEA Info by school: SSCS     OGCS

 

c) CURRICULUM:

1.     ROP: Now is the time to begin registering for Spring Semester ROP courses.  This valuable program (and its various courses) is available in all counties statewide and should be considered when planning your high school student's curriculum. 

SSCS ESs only: Keep in mind, it is important that the prescribed procedures be followed when enrolling students in the program (see September Agenda ROP link).  For additional information, please see this link.   

2.   SCHOOL-WIDE WRITING ASSIGNMENT COMMITTEE  

If you would be interested in being on the School-Wide Writing Committee, NOW this year to develop next year’s writing assignment materials as a way to earn a few Professional Growth hours, please contact Shelley Ross, curriculum@ieminc.org. Next year’s writing assignment genre is tentatively scheduled to be Persuasive writing.

3.   HIGHLY QUALIFIED – HOUSSE DEADLINE EXTENDED!!!

Anyone who completes 36 hours of curriculum/standards-related work in a subject area, can become highly qualified in that subject area.  The subject areas are:

English, Mathematics, History, Science, Foreign Language, and VPA.  Contact Shelley Ross to sign up, and for information on proposed activities, curriculum@ieminc.org, (916) 997-3936 work cell.

4.     Mercurius:  Now has a school login for school pricing.  I have requested it be put on the ES Detail “Password” section.  School pricing for school POs is much less than individual pricing.

§  Customer-ID is:  000W1083 (case sensitive) 

§  Password is: 000W1083pass (case sensitive)

5.     Florida Dept of Ed (Florida PASS)  

§  They are going into a long process of revising all of their courses. 

§  The “for purchase” packets on their Price List are no longer available for shipping..student or teacher.

§  You cannot order by PO any PASS materials at this time

§  They will begin revising their math courses first, and as they revise a course they will indicate it on the price list on their website, and you will be able to order those by PO as they become available.

§  The FREE “download versions” will continue to be available on the website, but there won’t be teacher editions available for awhile.  They are working on a way for folks like us in California, to eventually have access to the TE’s to the student download versions, but that has not been worked out yet. 

§  Here is the link to the FREE Student Edition downloads, http://www.pass.leon.k12.fl.us/Special%20Documents/Book%20Subject%20Areas.aspx, for those of you that may be new to Florida PASS, and want to check them out.

6.    ROSETTA STONE:

Almost all of the typically ordered languages have been updated to Version 3:  Arabic, Chinese, English (US), English (UK), French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Spain), and Irish (Gaelic). 

§  Still immersion, but more conversationally-based.

§  The user is speaking the language from the very first screen.

§  7-day free trial, http://www.rosettastone.com/homeschool/7DayTrial, then click on “Register Now”.  Then sign up for trial. 

What does this mean for you?

---Version 3 only comes in the Homeschool Edition, single-use license. 

---It cannot be used and passed on to another family.

The Rosetta Stone Homeschool Edition CD pricing is in the PO Notes Box.

All Version 3 languages (which is most commonly ordered languages) come with an Educational Supplementary Materials CD. 

This CD contains printable Adobe PDF files for:

§  The table of contents for each level

§  Scripts for each lesson

§  An index to all words in the program.

§  If the program has the Workbook/Quizzes&Tests available, they will also be on the CD to be printed out as needed.

§  If not on CD, it is because it is not available yet.

As of summer 2008, there are to be Workbooks/Quizzes&Tests for Spanish (Latin American—all levels), English (all levels), French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese for Levels 1 & 2.

7.     BIG BRAINZ– Timez Attack

Website pricing is for credit cards which we don’t do. Complete a PO:

·         Qty:  “1”      Description: “Full Version---Home Use”        Unit Price: $44.99

·         In body of PO put: “Timez Attack, Download with CD”

·         In body of PO put:  ES email

The CD will be shipped to the ES, and an email with the download information will be sent to the ES to forward on to the family.  They will do their own download using the login information that was created for you, but that you will just pass on to them, since you are not using this information.

8. RESPONSE TO LITERATURE – FUTURE SELECTIONS and PRACTICE MATERIALS

In a few years we will circle back to this genre on the school-wide writing assignment.  At that time, we will be making improvements and corrections.  But while it is fresh on your minds, if you would like to send me a favorite selection (email/mail) and indicate the grade level and source, or a favorite practice handout or resource, please email to Shelley Ross, curriculum@ieminc.org, or mail to South Sutter or Ocean Grove Charter School, 1166 Broadway, Suite Q, Placerville, CA 95667.

9.ELL ORDERING AND PRICING INFORMATION

The ELL ordering and pricing information can be found:

§  ESL Curriculum K-5, http://www.ieminc.org/handbook/gencurres/cresource/esl_recommen_curric_k_5.html