(BOISE) – Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter submitted Idaho’s application today for its share of federal education funding recently appropriated by Congress, and he joined Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna in urging local school districts to use the money prudently.
The State Department of Education worked closely with school districts and charter schools eligible to share in the money on responding to an August 20th letter from the Governor announcing the State’s decision to apply for an additional $51.6 million in one-time federal funds for Idaho’s public schools. The Governor asked local districts to confirm their acceptance of the funding and encouraged them to devote any money they get to preserving student-teacher contact time.
“We know that budgets have been set and most schools now are under way. But as I wrote last month, it is important that our local school boards and superintendents have a say as well,” Governor Otter said. “Local school districts tell us they want the money, and how these funds are used ultimately rests in the hands of those same local school officials. So I want to make sure that they have plans in place for putting these taxpayer dollars to the best possible use.”
“With funding from the Education Jobs Fund, we will continue to make our students the priority, encouraging local school districts to use these funds effectively and prudently over the next 27 months to preserve student-teacher contact time by rehiring teachers and teaching aides and restoring any instructional days that might have been lost,” Superintendent Luna said.
The money was appropriated as part of the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act. Governor Otter is concerned about the cost to taxpayers, but committed to ensuring that Idaho schoolchildren get the benefit of what Congress already has done.
“Funding for public schools remains one of our highest priorities for state government,” the Governor said on August 16th in announcing the decision to accept the federal funding. “The Legislature and I have put the largest percentage of General Fund dollars into K-12 education since 1989. With today’s decision I have directed more than $445 million in additional resources to public schools since 2009 to minimize the impact of State budget cuts. Over this same period, the unprecedented revenue decline has resulted in cutting the rest of State government by 19.5 percent.”
~Niccole B.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Farm to School Kick Off Event at Morley Nelson Elementary
Thursday, September 02, 2010 was an exciting day at Morley Nelson Elementary School. The school was chosen to host the Farm to School Kick Off Event for the Boise School District.
The Farm to School program is a joint effort between the Idaho Department of Agriculture and the child nutrition division of the Idaho Department of Education. It provides schools with locally grown fruits, veggies, and meats to serve at lunch time meals.
The fourth grade class at Morley Nelson got to be first in line to enjoy new lunches featuring locally grown foods. They had fish burgers made with Idaho rainbow trout from Clear Springs Foods in Hagerman. There was also corn, cantaloupe, tomatoes, salads, and lots more!
The anxious kids waited in line to have their turn at tasting the new healthy options available to them.
Jose Catalan said he thought the new foods tasted “extra yummy” and was excited to see what tomorrow’s lunch will have.
Leslie Encinas said, “My dad’s a farmer and I think some of the corn came from our fields!”
Kim Peterson of the Department of Agriculture explained, “This is just the start of a great way to support the local economies and to get kids eating healthier. All Boise schools will participate in September because it is Idaho preferred month since it’s harvest time. During September the local schools will offer a variety of local foods for students at all grade levels. Then for the remaining months of the school year, each school will offer at least one kind of local product each week.”
She went on to say, “This will make it so much easier for kids to make good eating choices and feel connected to their local communities.”
After all the kids had sat down and begun to eat their lunches, they got to hear from Idaho’s First Lady, Lori Otter.
Mrs. Otter started off by telling the kids, “You are what you eat.” To which they all laughed and began saying “I’m a burger” and “I’m a cantaloupe.”
She asked the students if any of them had gardens in their backyards and several raised their hands and shouted “I do!”
She went on to say, “Well farmers grow gardens just like you. They just have bigger backyards. And they want you to all grow up and be big and strong so they are giving you nutritious foods to enjoy at lunch time.”
After her speech, she went through the line and sampled some of the foods provided by the local farmers. After getting her meal, she sat down with the students and talked to them about the importance of working hard at school.
Peggy Bodnar, the supervisor of Food and Nutrition Services for the Boise School District told a funny story. She explained how they had snap peas available for lunch the other day. One student asked her if she had to eat the funny seeds inside it.
“It’s so sad that kids don’t have any idea that peas don’t come from the freezer or the microwave or a can. They actually come from a plant and are quite delicious,” said Bodnar.
*Farm to School is a national program that connects kindergarten through twelfth grade schools and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local and regional farmers.
*More information can be found at http://farmtoschool.org/
~Niccole B.
The Farm to School program is a joint effort between the Idaho Department of Agriculture and the child nutrition division of the Idaho Department of Education. It provides schools with locally grown fruits, veggies, and meats to serve at lunch time meals.
The fourth grade class at Morley Nelson got to be first in line to enjoy new lunches featuring locally grown foods. They had fish burgers made with Idaho rainbow trout from Clear Springs Foods in Hagerman. There was also corn, cantaloupe, tomatoes, salads, and lots more!
The anxious kids waited in line to have their turn at tasting the new healthy options available to them.
Jose Catalan said he thought the new foods tasted “extra yummy” and was excited to see what tomorrow’s lunch will have.
Leslie Encinas said, “My dad’s a farmer and I think some of the corn came from our fields!”
Kim Peterson of the Department of Agriculture explained, “This is just the start of a great way to support the local economies and to get kids eating healthier. All Boise schools will participate in September because it is Idaho preferred month since it’s harvest time. During September the local schools will offer a variety of local foods for students at all grade levels. Then for the remaining months of the school year, each school will offer at least one kind of local product each week.”
She went on to say, “This will make it so much easier for kids to make good eating choices and feel connected to their local communities.”
After all the kids had sat down and begun to eat their lunches, they got to hear from Idaho’s First Lady, Lori Otter.
Mrs. Otter started off by telling the kids, “You are what you eat.” To which they all laughed and began saying “I’m a burger” and “I’m a cantaloupe.”
She asked the students if any of them had gardens in their backyards and several raised their hands and shouted “I do!”
She went on to say, “Well farmers grow gardens just like you. They just have bigger backyards. And they want you to all grow up and be big and strong so they are giving you nutritious foods to enjoy at lunch time.”
After her speech, she went through the line and sampled some of the foods provided by the local farmers. After getting her meal, she sat down with the students and talked to them about the importance of working hard at school.
Peggy Bodnar, the supervisor of Food and Nutrition Services for the Boise School District told a funny story. She explained how they had snap peas available for lunch the other day. One student asked her if she had to eat the funny seeds inside it.
“It’s so sad that kids don’t have any idea that peas don’t come from the freezer or the microwave or a can. They actually come from a plant and are quite delicious,” said Bodnar.
*Farm to School is a national program that connects kindergarten through twelfth grade schools and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local and regional farmers.
*More information can be found at http://farmtoschool.org/
~Niccole B.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Idaho Takes Lead In Developing Next Generation of Assessments Nationwide
Way to go Idaho!!!
BOISE – Idaho is a leader in the 31-state consortium that was awarded a $160 million Race to the Top Assessment grant to build the next generation of assessments.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the grant award at a meeting of state educational leaders in Washington, D.C. today. The U.S. Department of Education awarded two federal Race to the Top Assessment grants: one to the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium and the other to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career.
Idaho is a governing state in the 31-state SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium, which applied for the grant in June. Idaho’s Deputy Superintendent of Assessment Dr. Carissa Miller has been elected to serve on the consortium’s executive committee that will administer and oversee the four-year grant.
“This is a great day for Idaho. We are becoming a national leader in many of our efforts, including our work to improve the assessment tools available to educators in the classroom,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said. “Our goal is to ensure every student graduates from high school prepared to go on to postsecondary education or the workforce without the need for remediation. To accomplish this, we must have high-quality assessment tools in place to measure student progress throughout the school year and provide immediate feedback to parents, teachers and students.”
Idaho and the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium states will use the grant money over four years to develop a comprehensive assessment system that measures student achievement in grades 3-8 and 11 and assesses problem solving and complex thinking skills. States will have the option of adding assessments in grades 9 and 10. The assessment system will include end-of-year assessments and assessment tools that teachers can use to measure student progress throughout the school year.
Specifically, the consortium of states will create state-of-the-art adaptive online exams. The online system will provide accurate assessment information to teachers and others on the progress of all students, including those with disabilities, English language learners and low- and high-performing students. It will include:
1. A summative exam, required by No Child Left Behind, offered twice each school year;
2. An optional formative, or benchmark, exams; and
3. A variety of tools, processes and practices for teachers to use in planning and implementing informal, ongoing assessments. This will assist teachers in understanding what students are and are not learning on a daily basis so they can adjust instruction accordingly.
Based on the consortium’s work, students will have the option to take formative exams, which provide guidance to teachers about instructional milestones. These formative tests and multiple opportunities to take what are traditionally year-end summative exams will move the testing process away from the traditional one-size-fits-all state exams. The goal is for students who score well on specific learning standards earlier in the school year not to be tested on those standards later on an end-of-the-year test because they’ve already demonstrated proficiency.
Teachers in Idaho and other participating states will be involved at all stages of item and test development, including the writing, scoring and the design of reporting systems. Educators will also be able to access a reporting system that identifies each student’s strengths, weakness and progress toward college and career readiness.
The assessments will be tied to the Common Core State Standards to ensure students graduate from high school ready for postsecondary education or the workforce. The Common Core State Standards are a voluntary, state-led initiative to raise the bar on standards in mathematics and English language arts. Idaho has played an integral role in developing these standards. The State Board of Education and Idaho Legislature will be deciding in the coming year whether or not to adopt the Common Core State Standards. These standards are now available for public comment at
http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/common/
A seven-person executive committee, led by co-chairs Judy Park of Utah and Tony Alpert of Oregon, will oversee the SMARTER Balanced Assessment consortium grant. Other committee members include Joe Willhoft (Washington), Carissa Miller (Idaho), Joseph Martineau (Michigan), Lynette Russell (Wisconsin) and Dan Hupp (Maine).
“Idaho has been at the forefront in delivering assessments online. This partnership is an opportunity to build an online system that includes assessments that transcend state boundaries and give us the chance to see how Idaho students compare to their peers around the world,” Miller said. “Idaho is excited to be a part of this unique venture.”
Funding for the Race to the Top Assessment grant will begin October 1. Here is a list of states participating in the SMARTER Balanced Consortium:
Alabama
Colorado
Connecticut*
Delaware
Georgia
Hawaii*
Idaho*
Iowa
Kansas*
Kentucky
Maine*
Michigan*
Missouri*
Montana*
Nevada*
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico*
North Carolina*
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon*
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Utah*
Vermont*
Washington*
West Virginia*
Wisconsin*
*Denotes governing states
Learn more about the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium at http://www.k12.wa.us/SMARTER.
~Melissa M.
BOISE – Idaho is a leader in the 31-state consortium that was awarded a $160 million Race to the Top Assessment grant to build the next generation of assessments.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the grant award at a meeting of state educational leaders in Washington, D.C. today. The U.S. Department of Education awarded two federal Race to the Top Assessment grants: one to the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium and the other to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career.
Idaho is a governing state in the 31-state SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium, which applied for the grant in June. Idaho’s Deputy Superintendent of Assessment Dr. Carissa Miller has been elected to serve on the consortium’s executive committee that will administer and oversee the four-year grant.
“This is a great day for Idaho. We are becoming a national leader in many of our efforts, including our work to improve the assessment tools available to educators in the classroom,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said. “Our goal is to ensure every student graduates from high school prepared to go on to postsecondary education or the workforce without the need for remediation. To accomplish this, we must have high-quality assessment tools in place to measure student progress throughout the school year and provide immediate feedback to parents, teachers and students.”
Idaho and the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium states will use the grant money over four years to develop a comprehensive assessment system that measures student achievement in grades 3-8 and 11 and assesses problem solving and complex thinking skills. States will have the option of adding assessments in grades 9 and 10. The assessment system will include end-of-year assessments and assessment tools that teachers can use to measure student progress throughout the school year.
Specifically, the consortium of states will create state-of-the-art adaptive online exams. The online system will provide accurate assessment information to teachers and others on the progress of all students, including those with disabilities, English language learners and low- and high-performing students. It will include:
1. A summative exam, required by No Child Left Behind, offered twice each school year;
2. An optional formative, or benchmark, exams; and
3. A variety of tools, processes and practices for teachers to use in planning and implementing informal, ongoing assessments. This will assist teachers in understanding what students are and are not learning on a daily basis so they can adjust instruction accordingly.
Based on the consortium’s work, students will have the option to take formative exams, which provide guidance to teachers about instructional milestones. These formative tests and multiple opportunities to take what are traditionally year-end summative exams will move the testing process away from the traditional one-size-fits-all state exams. The goal is for students who score well on specific learning standards earlier in the school year not to be tested on those standards later on an end-of-the-year test because they’ve already demonstrated proficiency.
Teachers in Idaho and other participating states will be involved at all stages of item and test development, including the writing, scoring and the design of reporting systems. Educators will also be able to access a reporting system that identifies each student’s strengths, weakness and progress toward college and career readiness.
The assessments will be tied to the Common Core State Standards to ensure students graduate from high school ready for postsecondary education or the workforce. The Common Core State Standards are a voluntary, state-led initiative to raise the bar on standards in mathematics and English language arts. Idaho has played an integral role in developing these standards. The State Board of Education and Idaho Legislature will be deciding in the coming year whether or not to adopt the Common Core State Standards. These standards are now available for public comment at
http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/common/
A seven-person executive committee, led by co-chairs Judy Park of Utah and Tony Alpert of Oregon, will oversee the SMARTER Balanced Assessment consortium grant. Other committee members include Joe Willhoft (Washington), Carissa Miller (Idaho), Joseph Martineau (Michigan), Lynette Russell (Wisconsin) and Dan Hupp (Maine).
“Idaho has been at the forefront in delivering assessments online. This partnership is an opportunity to build an online system that includes assessments that transcend state boundaries and give us the chance to see how Idaho students compare to their peers around the world,” Miller said. “Idaho is excited to be a part of this unique venture.”
Funding for the Race to the Top Assessment grant will begin October 1. Here is a list of states participating in the SMARTER Balanced Consortium:
Alabama
Colorado
Connecticut*
Delaware
Georgia
Hawaii*
Idaho*
Iowa
Kansas*
Kentucky
Maine*
Michigan*
Missouri*
Montana*
Nevada*
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico*
North Carolina*
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon*
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Utah*
Vermont*
Washington*
West Virginia*
Wisconsin*
*Denotes governing states
Learn more about the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium at http://www.k12.wa.us/SMARTER.
~Melissa M.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Two Districts Combine Sports Teams
Reporter Kerri Sandaine at the Lewiston Tribune had a great story on her blog last week I thought you all might find of interest.
Two school districts in northern Idaho came up with an innovative way to share resources this year – they’ve decided to combine sports programs.
The Culdesac Wolves and Highland Huskies have worked out an agreement where neither school will lose its mascot. Instead, some sports programs will belong to the Wolves and some to the Huskies.
Cross country, girls basketball, boys baseball and tennis will be based in Culdesac. Volleyball, boys basketball and girls softball will be based in the Highland district. They're still working out the details for track and field and have agreements with other schools to share resources in football.
Get all the details on Kerri’s blog.
~ Melissa M.
Two school districts in northern Idaho came up with an innovative way to share resources this year – they’ve decided to combine sports programs.
The Culdesac Wolves and Highland Huskies have worked out an agreement where neither school will lose its mascot. Instead, some sports programs will belong to the Wolves and some to the Huskies.
Cross country, girls basketball, boys baseball and tennis will be based in Culdesac. Volleyball, boys basketball and girls softball will be based in the Highland district. They're still working out the details for track and field and have agreements with other schools to share resources in football.
Get all the details on Kerri’s blog.
~ Melissa M.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
71 Idahoans Win Extra Money for College
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna joined Idaho Treasurer Ron Crane today to announce the names of several lucky winners statewide – who all got a little boost in their college savings this year.
It was all part of the 529 IDeal College Savings Plan contest, organized through the State Treasurer’s office and supported by local businesses.
IDeal is Idaho’s College Savings Plan. Idaho residents who opened IDeal accounts by June 15 were automatically entered into a random drawing with the opportunity to win contributions of up to $529.
The contributions were generously donated by Idaho companies Qwest, Debest Inc., Citi and Norco Inc.
About 3,500 Idahoans participated in the contest this year, contributing more than $2 million to help save for their children’s or grandchildren’s college savings.
Eleven lucky people won $529 in additional contributions, including Grant Beebe of Boise who was at the award announcement today.
In addition, 60 people from across Idaho won contributions of $52.90 through the contest. Several Treasure Valley winners, including Julie Grainger, Rosemarie Barfuss, and Jerry Nielsen, were also present at the check presentation today.
Learn more about how you can start saving for your kids’ college!
~ Melissa M.
It was all part of the 529 IDeal College Savings Plan contest, organized through the State Treasurer’s office and supported by local businesses.
IDeal is Idaho’s College Savings Plan. Idaho residents who opened IDeal accounts by June 15 were automatically entered into a random drawing with the opportunity to win contributions of up to $529.
The contributions were generously donated by Idaho companies Qwest, Debest Inc., Citi and Norco Inc.
About 3,500 Idahoans participated in the contest this year, contributing more than $2 million to help save for their children’s or grandchildren’s college savings.
Eleven lucky people won $529 in additional contributions, including Grant Beebe of Boise who was at the award announcement today.
 |
| Grant Beebe and his daughter |
 |
| IDeal 529 College Savings Plan contest award winners! |
~ Melissa M.
10 State Awarded Race to the Top Grants in Second Round
Education Week is reporting that 10 states have been awarded federal Race to the Top grants in the second round of funding. The states are:
Idaho applied for the first round of Race to the Top funding. Based on peer reviewers' comments and feedback from stakeholders in Idaho, the state chose not to re-apply in the second round.
Check out more details on the Education Week blog.
~ Melissa M.
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Rhode Island
Idaho applied for the first round of Race to the Top funding. Based on peer reviewers' comments and feedback from stakeholders in Idaho, the state chose not to re-apply in the second round.
Check out more details on the Education Week blog.
~ Melissa M.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Kids in Nampa, Vallivue districts benefit from Feed the Children Donation
Today, representatives of Feed the Children, a nonprofit relief organization, 960 backpacks full of books and school supplies to help children in need in the Treasure Valley.
Karen Seay, Homeless Education Coordinator at the State Department of Education, and about 40 volunteers were on hand at the Nampa School District Warehouse this morning to help unload the backpacks, which will specifically help students in the Nampa and Vallivue school districts who have been identified as homeless in the Nampa and Vallivue school districts.
Now, the Feed the Children truck is continuing on to make another donation to children in Montana.
The population of homeless children in Idaho has grown in recent years during this tough economic time. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, students are identified as homeless if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
The Nampa School District has seen an increase in children and youth identified as homeless, from 149 in the 2008-2009 school year to 757 students in 2009-2010.
The number of homeless students in the Vallivue district has increased as well, from 39 students in 2008-2009 to 145 last school year.
We at the State Department of Education are grateful to Feed the Children organization for its generous donation. We also extend a huge thanks to Peggy Miller, homeless education liaison for the Nampa School District, who helped make this event happen.
~ Melissa M.
Karen Seay, Homeless Education Coordinator at the State Department of Education, and about 40 volunteers were on hand at the Nampa School District Warehouse this morning to help unload the backpacks, which will specifically help students in the Nampa and Vallivue school districts who have been identified as homeless in the Nampa and Vallivue school districts.
 |
| Karen Seay of State Department of Education with representative of Feed the Children, unloading donations to kids in the Nampa and Vallivue School Districts. |
The population of homeless children in Idaho has grown in recent years during this tough economic time. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, students are identified as homeless if they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
The Nampa School District has seen an increase in children and youth identified as homeless, from 149 in the 2008-2009 school year to 757 students in 2009-2010.
The number of homeless students in the Vallivue district has increased as well, from 39 students in 2008-2009 to 145 last school year.
We at the State Department of Education are grateful to Feed the Children organization for its generous donation. We also extend a huge thanks to Peggy Miller, homeless education liaison for the Nampa School District, who helped make this event happen.
~ Melissa M.
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