Pw 20090630

Principals’ Weekly June 30, 2009 Note: Principals’ Weekly is published every other week during the summer. The next issue will be published on July 14. Table of Contents •

Calendar of key dates and deadlines

Which schools?

Description

When?

Administrative Announcements Elem Elem Elem, mid All Elem Elem, mid All All All All All

Updates on Kindergarten Waitlists Gifted and Talented Program Rosters Preliminary Progress Report Metrics Select Computer Repair Vendor and Service Plan Second Round of Pre-kindergarten Admissions Process Item and Skill Reports for ELA and Math Tests Available in ARIS Connect New Features Now Available in ARIS Data for Discharged Students in ARIS Parent Link Updates on Periodic Assessments Revised Summer Administrative Payroll Delivery Schedule Obtaining a DOE Identification Card During the Summer

This week Next week This week By 7/10 7/13-31 FYI FYI FYI FYI FYI FYI

Reminders (Announced in Previous Issues) Elem, mid All All All All High

Verify Course Assignments for Teacher Data Reports Complete Survey on Data, Technology, and Collaboration Submit Change Requests for NCLB/SED Accountability Data Update Bilingual Education Student Information Survey in ATS Delivery of Core Curriculum Materials Recommended Curricula for New Algebra 2 Course

By 7/2 By 7/2 By 7/3 By 7/17 7/20-8/7 FYI

Grants, Workshops, and Other Opportunities (New) Elem, mid All All

Workshop on Collaborative Team Teaching for Teachers and Administrators Summer Professional Development for Parent Coordinators Wilson and Fundations Support for 2009-10 School Year

7/8, 8/26 FYI FYI

Grants, Workshops, and Other Opportunities (Reminders) All Elem, mid High All All Mid, high

Summer Professional Development in Science and Math Teachers Can Register for Free Social Studies Core Curriculum Institutes Free Hindi Language Program for High School Students Administrators Can Register for Free Workshop on “All Kinds of Minds” Administrators Can Register for Free Intro to Wilson Reading System P-Credit Course on Theater with ELLs 1

Jul, Aug 7/3 or 7/10 7/6-24 By 7/10 By 7/10 7/13-17

All Mid, high Elem All Elem All All

Hire Technology Interns from CUNY Free Workshop for Administrators on Reading Program for Spec. Ed. ELLs Administrators Can Register for Free Intro to Fundations Receive Group Discount for Renzulli Differentiated Instruction Online Program Free Workshop for Teachers at Schools That Ordered Fundations This Year Free Workshop on Hudson’s Quadricentennial External Opportunities, Grants and Resources for Students and Educators

By 7/15 7/15 By 7/15 By 7/24 9/3, 4 9/4 FYI

Administrative Announcements Updates on Kindergarten Waitlists Elementary schools / Event: This week Updated information for schools with kindergarten waitlists will be available by this Friday, July 3 on the Principals’ Portal. For additional information, contact Kim Cobb at [email protected]. Go back to the top Gifted and Talented Program Rosters Elementary schools / Event: Next week Schools with gifted and talented programs will receive rosters of students who accepted offers to their program during the week of July 6. For additional information, e-mail [email protected]. Go back to the top Preliminary Progress Report Metrics Elementary and middle schools / Event: Next week Elementary, middle, and K-8 schools will receive their preliminary Progress Report metrics next week, along with preliminary Progress Report data files that will contain all of the student-level data that supports the preliminary metric calculations. Schools can input this information into their Progress Report modeler, which is located in ARIS Connect, to gain a preliminary view of their Progress Report score. Final Progress Reports will be based on data that is pulled from ATS following the July 17 data verification deadline. Schools can expect to see their unofficial Progress Reports in early August, and reports will be made public a few weeks later. Go back to the top Select Computer Repair Vendor and Service Plan All schools / Deadline: July 10 By July 10, you should select a computer repair vendor and a computer service plan for your school using FAMIS. To make your selection, sign in to FAMIS and select the “PCS” option. For additional information about the selection process and resources to help you make your selection, visit the Principals’ Portal. If you do not select an option by July 10, your school will be automatically enrolled in the standard service plan. If you have any questions, contact your borough technology manager or e-mail [email protected]. For more information about the allocation your school received to pay for a computer service plan, click here. 2

Go back to the top Second Round of Pre-kindergarten Admissions Process Elementary schools / Event: July 13-31 The dates for the second round of the pre-kindergarten admissions process are as follows: Monday, July 13: Second round application period begins. Directories and applications will be available. Friday, July 31: Second round application deadline. Friday, August 28: Offer letters mailed to families. Wednesday, September 9: Families register at schools. Go back to the top Item and Skill Reports for ELA and Math Tests Available in ARIS Connect Elementary and middle schools Later this week, item-level reports for the 2009 ELA and math tests will be available in ARIS Connect. You can access these reports in Excel format in your private community in ARIS. For more information, please contact the Accountability Service Desk at [email protected] or visit the New York State Test Community in ARIS Connect. Go back to the top New Features Now Available in ARIS All schools Log in to ARIS using your DOE username and password to check out the following new data and features that are now available:

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EPAL results for early elementary students and NYSAA results on class views and student profiles NYSESLAT results for ELL students on student profiles Standard and strand-level reporting for science and social studies tests and performance indicator-level reporting for science tests “QuickStart Reports” with pre-selected parameters to give users easy access to reports Correlation report to find relationships across student results over time Ability to search related content in Connect based on reports

Go back to the top Data for Discharged Students in ARIS Parent Link All schools When students are discharged from the New York City school system, their data is no longer available in ARIS Parent Link. However, data for students who are discharged after June 30 will remain available until early August when ARIS rolls over to 2009-10 data. For additional information, please contact [email protected]. Go back to the top Updates on Periodic Assessments All schools Visit the Periodic Assessment Team’s Web site for the latest updates on periodic assessments and 3

professional development opportunities. Here are this week’s updates:

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New schools should submit their periodic assessment selections for 2009-10 by July 15. The selection tool will be available on the Principals’ Portal starting July 1.

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Please read the “Acuity Predictive Data and Research Memo” to learn about the resources we will be providing over the summer to help you and your staff better understand the Acuity predictive data to see student growth.

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Once the state releases its new test calendar, we will let you know about any changes to the periodic assessment administration schedule that result from the moving of the ELA and math tests to May.

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The Acuity system will be unavailable July 4-13 due to scheduled system maintenance.

If you have any questions, contact [email protected]. Go back to the top Revised Summer Administrative Payroll Delivery Schedule All schools Click here to view the revised summer delivery schedule for H and Z-Bank administrative payrolls (effective July 9 through August 20). The schedule also includes locations for the deliveries. Go back to the top Obtaining a DOE Identification Card During the Summer All schools During the summer, DOE staff members who are requesting an identification card must provide an official authorization letter from a hiring manager, principal, director, administrator, or payroll secretary that is not more than 30 calendar days old. School-based staff who are not able to contact their school’s HR staff over the summer and who need a new authorization letter should contact their ISC or CFN. Go back to the top

Reminders (Announced in Previous Issues) Verify Course Assignments for Teacher Data Reports Elementary and middle schools / Deadline: July 2 The deadline to update teacher course assignment data in ATS for use in your school’s Teacher Data Reports is Thursday, July 2. All schools with grades 3-8 that administered state tests in 2008-09 should use the Teacher Data Initiative (TDI) verification screens in ATS to review and update teacher course assignments. The updated data will be reflected in the Teacher Data Reports for your school. The Teacher Data Reports Verification Page on the Principals’ Portal provides complete details on how to complete this verification. If you have any questions about teacher course assignment data verification or need technical assistance, please contact the Teacher Data Reports data verification help desk at (212) 374-6646 or [email protected]. 4

Go back to the top Complete Survey on Data, Technology, and Collaboration All schools / Deadline: July 2 You still have a few more days to participate in an online survey conducted by the American Institutes for Research about how educators use data and collaborate with colleagues online. By filling out this survey, you can help improve online tools and professional development opportunities in New York City. The survey will take approximately 7-10 minutes to complete. It’s completely confidential and voluntary. The deadline is July 2. For additional information, visit the Principals’ Portal. Go back to the top Submit Change Requests for NCLB/SED Accountability Data All schools / Deadline: July 3 Change requests for NCLB/SED accountability data are due July 3. You should have received a prepopulated change request spreadsheet earlier this week. More details are available in the Quick Start Guide on the Intranet. The deadline to complete Progress Report and NCLB/SED data verification is July 17. Detailed instructions and a “known issues list” are available on the State and Federal Accountability intranet page. Elementary and middle schools can view their data using the REMS report in ATS, and high schools can view their data using the RHSV report. You will need to certify your NCLB accountability data on the data specialist SharePoint site by July 22 (user ID: dataspecialist; password: password). Preview accountability overview reports will be available in nySTART on Thursday, July 2. Please be sure to keep a copy of the final accountability verification report and accountability overview for your school when it is available in August, since appeals will not be accepted without this data. If you have any questions or need technical assistance, please contact the nySTART support hotline at (212) 374-5765 or [email protected]. Go back to the top Update Bilingual Education Student Information Survey in ATS All schools / Deadline: July 17 The Bilingual Education Student Information Survey (BESIS) is open again in ATS until July 17. This survey collects information about students identified as English Language Learners, including their placement in a bilingual, ESL, or dual language program. Data from this survey affects funding you receive from the State and your compliance with State accountability requirements. Please add recently admitted English Language Learners to the survey and ensure that you have properly identified all the ELLs at your school. For more information on completing the survey, contact your district’s ELL Compliance and Performance Specialist. Go back to the top Delivery of Core Curriculum Materials All schools / Event: July 20-August 7 Delivery of core curriculum materials will begin July 20 and run through August 7. Please let the contact person you designated when you ordered your materials know that vendors will reach out to them about 5

the delivery for your school. Please set aside space for boxes during the delivery window. As the boxes arrive, please write a room number on them to assist your custodial staff in placing them in the correct location. Updates on the delivery process will be available throughout the summer on the core curriculum intranet site. Additionally, you can view box counts for your school on the core curriculum inventory site. For additional information, or to order additional materials, contact the core curriculum response team (718) 935-3334 or [email protected]. Go back to the top Recommended Curricula for New Algebra 2 Course High schools Implementation of the last of the three new high school math courses (Algebra 2 and Trigonometry) will begin in September 2009. About 20% of the topics in this course have not been taught in previous high school math courses. The Division of Teaching and Learning has just issued a list of recommended curricula for the course. Publishers on this list are committed to providing schools that choose their curricula with pacing calendars and summer professional development, which will be organized through Teaching & Learning. Go back to the top

Grants, Workshops, and Other Opportunities (New) Workshop on Collaborative Team Teaching for Teachers and Administrators Elementary and middle schools / Events: July 8, August 26 The Office of Special Education Initiatives is offering two one-day workshops on July 8 and August 26 for teachers who will be team teaching next school year at the elementary or middle school level. The workshop will help teachers define, describe, identify, and apply the six different collaborative team teaching models, incorporate team building techniques to enhance productive partnerships, improve communication with the other member of their team, and plan collaboratively based on students’ varied educational needs. Staff from the Office of Special Education Initiatives will make one follow-up visit to participating teams. The general and special education teachers assigned to the collaborative team teaching class are encouraged to attend as a team, and administrators are encouraged to attend with their teams. Attendance is limited to 30 participants. A co-teaching manual will be provided. The cost for this training is $100 per participant. The July 8 workshop will take place at 1780 Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn. The August 26 workshop will take place at the Bronx ISC (1 Fordham Plaza, 8th floor). To register, visit http://pd.nycoit.org using activity code 051-10-015-011 for the July workshop or activity code 051-10-015-012 for the August 26 workshop. For additional information, please contact Hector Uribe at [email protected] or Paula Magdalena at [email protected]. Go back to the top Summer Professional Development for Parent Coordinators All schools The Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy will host professional development sessions for parent coordinators throughout the summer. Click here for more information about the trainings. Please share this opportunity with your parent coordinator. Go back to the top Wilson and Fundations Support for 2009-10 School Year 6

All schools The Office of Special Education Initiatives will offer support packages for schools implementing the Wilson or Fundations reading programs in the 2009-10 school year. If you purchase a support package, a trainer will come to your school three times during the year to observe, demonstrate a lesson, and meet with small groups of teachers to review program strategies and procedures. The cost of a support package is $750 (FAMIS #S48010316 for Fundations and #S48010317 for Wilson). For additional information, contact Sharon Grunfeld at [email protected]. Go back to the top

Grants, Workshops, and Other Opportunities (Reminders) Summer Professional Development in Science and Math All schools / Events: July and August The Office of Teaching and Learning is offering a number of professional development opportunities in mathematics and science this summer. Opportunities in mathematics include a three-day workshop covering the new high school Algebra 2/Trigonometry course, as well as additional courses covering grades K-12. Opportunities in science include a variety of two-day workshops to support the core curriculum rollout in grades K-2 and a separate course for cluster teachers. There will also be many science workshops for teachers of upper grades. The courses will take place at locations in Manhattan. You can register for these courses online. For more information, contact Joe Quigley at [email protected]. Go back to the top Teachers Can Register for Free Social Studies Core Curriculum Institutes Elementary and middle schools / Deadline: July 3 or 10 / Events: July The Department of Social Studies invites teachers of grades 5 and 8 to attend free training in the new core curriculum materials. Schools are invited to send one teacher leader to attend a three-day institute. Participants will be registered for sessions that support the program chosen by the school (comprehensive textbook or trade book). The training will focus on Unit 1 and will include information on fostering historical thinking, inquiry-based learning, using primary sources and reading in social studies. The 5th grade training will take place July 14-16, and the registration deadline is July 3. The 8th grade training will take place July 21-23, and the registration deadline is July 10. Go back to the top Free Hindi Language Program for High School Students High schools / Event: July 6-24 High school students who speak Hindi at home or in their community who want to deepen their Hindi language skills can register for the Summer Intensive Hindi Program, which will take place July 6-24 at Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School in Jamaica from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays. The program will prepare beginning and intermediate students for post-secondary studies while preparing advanced Hindi speakers for the Foreign Language Regents Hindi examination. All students who successfully complete this free program will receive a $100 stipend and an opportunity to gain foreign language exemption credits from New York University. For more information, click here or contact Sushma Malhotra at (718) 640-5259 or [email protected].

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Go back to the top Administrators Can Register for Free Workshop on “All Kinds of Minds” All schools / Deadline: July 10 / Event: July 23 The Office of Special Education Initiatives is offering a free half-day workshop introducing administrators to the neurodevelopmental framework for learning developed at All Kinds Of Minds. Participants learn how this service delivery program can meet the diverse learning needs of all students across all content areas. The workshop will take place on July 23 at the School Construction Authority (30-30 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City) from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. All participants will receive a copy of A Mind at a Time by Dr. Mel Levine. To register, please e-mail Bill Stone at [email protected] by July 10. This course is limited to 40 participants. Go back to the top Administrators Can Register for Free Intro to Wilson Reading System All schools / Deadline: July 10 / Events: July 15 and 16 The Office of Special Education Initiatives is offering a free workshop for administrators who want to find out more about the Wilson program for grades 3-12. The workshop will provide an overview of the program, including supervision of teachers using Wilson, administrative checklists, training options, and support services. Since space is limited, you need to pre-register to attend by July 10. You can register for one of these sessions:

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July 15, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the Manhattan CSE (333 7th Ave., 7th floor conference room). E-mail Maura Hersh at [email protected] to register.

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July 16, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at 1780 Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn. E-mail Sandi Feldman at [email protected] to register.

Go back to the top P-Credit Course on Theater with English Language Learners Middle and high schools / Event: July 13-17 Drawing from Lincoln Center Theater’s successful LEAD (Learning English & Drama) project, secondary teachers of English Language Learners can explore how theater-based lessons for the classroom can enrich the study of poetry, folklore, and dramatic literature while promoting students’ English language skills. Video of LEAD Project classroom sessions will be used to demonstrate student learning and assessment practices. The course meets at Lincoln Center Theater (150 West 65th Street, Manhattan) from Monday, July 13 to Friday, July 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The course costs $215 ($100 ASPDP course fee and $115 fee for registration and materials). You can register online. Go back to the top Hire Technology Interns from CUNY All schools / Deadline: July 15 College students from the City University of New York (CUNY) are available to assist your school with its technology needs, from hardware and software installation and maintenance to technical support for your staff. These interns are working toward degrees in computer-related fields and are screened by both a program manager at CUNY and a borough technology manager at DIIT. You can hire an intern for either 14 or 19 hours a week. Participating schools will receive on-site technology support for 39 weeks of the year, from August 31 through June 30 (excluding school breaks). 8

Hiring an intern for 14 hours a week costs $9,600 (FAMIS # DIIT00001). Hiring an intern for 19 hours a week costs $12,500 (FAMIS # DIIT00002). After you schedule the appropriate funds in object code 998 in Galaxy and purchase the service in FAMIS, CUNY will e-mail you a registration form. The deadline to purchase this service is July 15. For additional information, please e-mail [email protected] or call (212) 652-2862. Go back to the top Free Workshop for Administrators on Reading Program for Special Education ELLs Middle and high schools / Event: July 15 The Office of Special Education Initiatives is offering a free half -day session introducing administrators to the Reading Instructional Goals for Older Readers (RIGOR) program developed by Dr. Margarita Calderón. Participants will learn how this program can meet the diverse learning needs of special education students who are English Language Learners in middle schools and high schools. The presentation will include actual teachers using the program in special education settings. Participants will receive a copy of Demystifying Secondary Inclusion: Powerful Schoolwide & Classroom Strategies by Lisa Dieker. The workshop will take place on July 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at 101 West End Avenue, in Manhattan. To register, e-mail Stella Sánchez at [email protected]. Participation is limited to the first 30 participants who register. Go back to the top Administrators Can Register for Free Intro to Fundations Elementary schools / Deadline: July 15 / Events: July 20 and 23 The Office of Special Education Initiatives is offering a free workshop for administrators who want to find out more about the Fundations program for grades K-3. The workshop will provide an overview of the program, including supervision of teachers using Fundations, administrative checklists, training options, and support services. Since space is limited, you need to pre-register to attend by July 16. You can register for one of these sessions:

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July 20, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at PS 48M (4360 Broadway). E-mail Sharon Grunfeld at [email protected] to register.

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July 23, 9:30-11:30 a.m. at 1780 Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn. E-mail Sandi Feldman at [email protected] to register.

Go back to the top Receive Group Discount for Renzulli Differentiated Instruction Online Program All schools / Deadline: July 24 Please note the new deadline. The Division of Teaching and Learning is offering schools the opportunity to obtain group pricing of $2,800 per school for the Renzulli Differentiated Instruction Online Learning Program. Participating schools will receive a site license to Renzulli Learning System; online/offsite resources for developing personal success plans for all students; onsite and offsite training; 24/7 access to online learning modules; access to reporting tools and accountability metrics; tech skill assessment for teachers and staff; and ongoing support. For more information about Renzulli, visit www.renzullilearning.com. To participate in the bulk 9

pricing, visit http://tinyurl.com/RLS2009-2010 and place your order through FAMIS (item # 800087100) by July 24. In addition, registration is now open for Renzulli’s Confratute, a combined conference, fraternity and institute geared toward providing educators with strategies for differentiation and enrichment, which will take place July 20-24 at the University of Connecticut. Hands-on opportunities to learn RLS will be included. Go back to the top Free Workshop for Teachers at Schools That Ordered Fundations This Year Elementary schools / Event: September 3 or 4 New York City elementary schools that have ordered Fundations materials using 2009-10 core curriculum funds are eligible to send kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers to attend a free Fundations workshop offered by Wilson Language Training. The Fundations Introductory Workshop is an essential first step in supporting your teachers’ implementation of the program. The workshop is offered on Thursday, September 3 or Friday, September 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Hotel Pennsylvania (401 Seventh Avenue, Manhattan). There is no charge for the workshop (the fee is waived for schools that purchased Fundations for the 2009-10 school year). Seats are limited, so register as soon as possible. Go back to the top Free Workshop on Hudson’s Quadricentennial All schools / Event: September 4 The Department of Social Studies invites educators to a free workshop celebrating the Hudson Quadricentennial. September 12 marks the 400th anniversary of the voyage of Henry Hudson, who led the first European expedition to sail up the Hudson River. Participants will consider the voyage in the context of the Age of Exploration, and as the first link between Europe and culture of the Old World and that of the colony that they would soon build in the New World. Participants will explore a wide variety of resources to help bring early New York to life in the classroom. The workshop takes place Friday, September 4 from 8:30 a.m. to12:00 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York (1220 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan). A tour of the museum’s exhibits “Amsterdam/New Amsterdam: The Worlds of Henry Hudson” and “Mannahatta/Manhattan” are included in the workshop. Participants will receive a copy of “Beyond the Sea of Ice: the Voyages of Henry Hudson.” You should register in advance at http://pd.nycoit.org (Protraxx activity code 051-10-013-002). Go back to the top External Opportunities, Grants and Resources for Students and Educators All schools The DOE regularly learns about exciting opportunities, grants, and resources for New York City students and educators being offered by various external organizations or educational institutions. You can access a weekly roundup of these opportunities at http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/ExternalOpportunities. This week’s opportunities include summer fellowship and scholarship opportunities for teachers and students; an exhibit featuring one of the four remaining copies of the Magna Carta, opening in the fall; a free summer program in Earth Science for elementary and middle school teachers; Facing History and Ourselves summer seminars; the National Hispanic Environmental Council’s NYC Minority Youth Environmental Training Institute in July; a free summer conference on Picturing America; and a summer institute exploring the African Burial Ground National Monument. For more information, contact Anita Cassity at [email protected].

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Key Dates and Deadlines June/July 2009 Su 28

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M 29 Submit rec for principal in charge for summer school

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7 No Principals’ Weekly this week

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20 Delivery of Core Curriculum materials (through 8/7)

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21 No Principals’ Weekly this week

W 1 Earliest start date for summer school programs

Th 2 Verify course assignments for Teacher Data Reports

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F 3 Submit PPR end-of-year summary Submit change requests for NCLB/SED data 10 Complete spring compliance checklist Select computer service plan 17 Complete verification of NCLB/SED and Progress Report data Update bilingual education survey in ATS 24

S 4 Acuity unavailable (through 7/13)

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Contact Us • •

By email: [email protected] On the web: http://intranet.nycboe.net/DOEPortal/Principals/PrincipalsWeekly/

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