These past two months may have been the most challenging in our careers as educators. I'm pretty sure not one of our undergraduate or graduate classes prepared us for the possibility of having to close schools due a global pandemic. Not one of them prepared us for having to learn how to provide eLearning, for many of us, essentially overnight. Not one of them prepared us on how to meet social-emotional needs for students, families, and staff from a distance.

And yet, without any training, formal or informal, you did it to the best of your ability!

We have to step back, take a moment, and truly acknowledge the feat all of you in the field, and I will add, all of us at IDOE, have accomplished in what may have seemed to be an impossible task. Students were fed, instruction was being provided in creative ways, and students and families had well-checks via Zoom, Google Hangouts, and phone calls.

Take a moment to relish in what has been accomplished. You deserve it!

As we move towards next year, with all of its unknowns, remember to practice self-care, know IDOE is here to support you in reaching your goals, and that eventually, as with all things, this too shall pass.

Take care, stay safe, stay well,

Frank

• General CARES Act resource documents
• CARES Act 4-Part Webinar Series
• Non-public Schools CARES Act resource documents

• COVID-19 Resources for Indiana Schools

In order to ensure the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) houses accurate information, all public school corporations, charters, and nonpublic state accredited schools must notify the Department when changes are made that affect school configuration/s prior to the beginning of the school year for which the changes will take effect. Possible changes that must be reported include:

• Opening a new school
• Closing a school or consolidating schools
• Reconfiguring the grade levels of a school
• Changing the name of a school
• Redistributing students due to redistricting

All corporation amendments must be submitted to IDOE by the superintendent or their designee through the following link: https://form.jotform.com/200923955878974. Paper copies, emails, etc., will not be accepted. In addition to the amendment, school corporations and nonpublic state accredited schools must submit school board minutes indicating approval of the changes. Charter schools must submit verification from their charter authorizer that the change is approved and covered in their current charter. The window to submit a school corporation amendment for the 2020-2021 school year is only open from May 1, 2020 through September 1, 2020. Submissions outside this window will not be accepted.

For school corporations that have Title I served schools: please submit the school corporation amendment before submitting the corporation’s Title I application. Changes in enrollment and poverty may affect the “method to qualify” and/or the ranking of the schools. As a reminder, INtelligrants consolidated applications due on August 30, 2020.

As a final note, the Offices of Accountability and Data Reporting will no longer be granting grade exceptions in lieu of a corporation amendment. Unless there is an extraordinary circumstance requiring a grade exception for a single year, a grade reconfiguration request will be required.

Please contact the Office of School Accountability at schoolaccountability@doe.in.gov with any questions.

Beginning in September, individual users will begin receiving notices to participate in online training regarding the new system. District administrators will need to begin sharing that information in September with individual users based at the schools.

If your LEA is not yet using the TransAct system, which IDOE provides for free to LEAs, now is the perfect time. The system eases the burden of administering beginning of school year parent notices/forms required under Title I and other programs under ESSA.

Sign up for an account at transact.com using your school e-mail address.

April 2020

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December 2019

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August 2019