Grants, Professional Development and Student Opportunities s1

Principals’ Weekly August 28, 2012

Table of Contents

 Calendar of key dates and deadlines

Schools Description Dates Administrative Announcements All Special Education CORe Checklist and Webcast 9/4 All Print and Distribute Medicaid Reimbursement Parent Consent Forms 9/6; 12/15 All School Opening Enrollment Memo and New Student Registration FYI Elem, mid Enrollment Capping FYI Mid, high Immunization Requirements FYI High Enter August Graduation Outcomes in ATS 9/14 Elem, mid Preliminary Progress Report Workbook Release 9/6 All Online School Bank Account Survey 9/21 All 2012-13 Fair Student Funding Budget Adjustments FYI All Emergency Preparedness General Response Protocols (GRP) FYI High Updates to the High School Academic Policy Reference Guide FYI All Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) Initial Assignments FYI All New Online Application and C-30 Tracking System for AP Positions FYI All Supplemental Calendars Available FYI All Yearly Testing Calendar & LAB-R Administration FYI All Individual Student Reports - NYSESLAT FYI All Periodic Assessment Updates FYI All Opportunity for Teacher Leaders to Participate in New 2012-13 Teacher 9/21 Leadership Program All Nominate Leaders to Create New Schools 9/21 All New Resources on the Common Core Library FYI All Updated Delivery Dates for Core Curriculum Trade Books FYI Middle Apply for CHAMPS Middle School Sports and Fitness League 9/14 Pre-K, elem Support Family Involvement Through the Arts 9/15 Pre-K Early Childhood Social Workers 9/4-6 All September 13 Primary Election 9/13 All Office of School and Youth Development Policies and Procedures FYI All 2012 Principal Satisfaction Survey Results FYI All Use Environmentally Sensitive Cleaning Products FYI ***Updated Announcements*** All IEP Paraprofessional OSIS Confirmations in Galaxy Update: September 28 9/28 Deadline Elem, mid August Promotion Update FYI All Hiring Restrictions Update FYI Reminders (Announced in Previous Issues) All Prepare to Serve All Students with Disabilities and English Language FYI Learners (ELLs)

1 All Prepare for School Opening FYI All Galaxy Staffing Transactions and the First Payroll Close 8/28 All Enter Summer School Performance Ratings 8/31 All Annual School Walkthroughs 8/31 All Campus Audit Template 9/1 Mid, high STARS Scheduling 9/5 All Subsidized Bilingual Extension Program 9/14 Elem Gifted and Talented Applications 9/14 All Ordering Period for Administrative Forms 9/14 All Arts in Schools Report 9/20 All Common Core Instructional Leads and Additional Resources 9/28 Pre-K Pre-K Developmental Screening (ESI-R) 10/20, 11/9 Mid, high 2012 Over-the-Counter (OTC) Placements FYI All Share a Full-Time Teacher FYI All Data Systems Updates FYI Elem Ready New York Kids FYI All Student Requests for Transcript and Attendance Records FYI Elem, mid NYS Grades 3-8 ELA/Math Individual Student Reports (ISRs) Now FYI Available All New York State Accountability Status Release FYI Elem, mid Class List Reporting (CLR) FYI All ARIS & ARIS Parent Link Updates FYI All Quality Review Scoring Guidelines and Report Changes FYI

Grants, Professional Development and Student Opportunities Opportunities available to schools are posted on the following webpages:

This Week’s Highlights: Grants (you can visit the grants Web site on any computer using this link) . Target Field Trip Grants

Professional Development and Student Opportunities . Sign Up Now: Reading Tracker Professional Development Opportunities . Sign Up Now: Early Childhood Education New Teacher & ESI-R Trainings . Apply by September 21: New 2012-13 Teacher Leadership Program

We appreciate your feedback on the ways we share information with you. Please let us know what you think.

Administrative Announcements

Special Education CORe Checklist and Webcast All schools / Event: September 4

As noted in last week’s Principals’ Weekly, you and your School Implementation Team can use the CORe Checklist to assess the needs of students with disabilities and analyze school resources to meet these needs as you prepare for school opening. You are invited to register for a webcast focused on the CORe Checklist, scheduled for at 3 p.m. on September 4.

For questions, contact [email protected].

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Print and Distribute Medicaid Reimbursement Parent Consent Forms

2 All schools / Deadline: December 15

Parents of children with IEPs must complete a Medicaid Reimbursement Parent Consent form by December 15, regardless of whether the family receives Medicaid. This form allows the NYCDOE to receive Medicaid reimbursement for some of the related services that are delivered to students with IEPs; this reimbursement in no way affects a family’s eligibility for these services, eligibility for Medicaid insurance, or ability to receive coverage for other care.

Next week, you should generate and print Parent Consent forms using ATS and distribute the forms to parents of children with IEPs. By December 15, collect and verify the forms and scan the forms into ATS.

See here for relevant documentation, including Parental Consent Best Practices and Medicaid Claiming FAQs.

For questions, contact your network ASE. If you need assistance with printing and scanning the forms, please contact your network data/application support specialist.

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School Opening Enrollment Memo and New Student Registration All schools

Review this year’s School Opening Enrollment Memo to learn the details about student registration and enrollment policies. The memo includes information about where students should go to register and what documents they need to bring. Please welcome all students who are sent to your school from a registration center. If you have questions about a placement, refer to the escalation protocols in the memo.

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Enrollment Capping Elementary and middle schools

If your school is zoned, you may need to cap a grade if your school is unable to accommodate all of its zoned students; enrollment capping for grades K-8 will begin on the first day of classes. All of the conditions outlined in the Capping Memo must be met in order for a cap request to be approved. If you anticipate a need to cap, please first consult with your network leader to identify internal solutions (bridging sections, collapsing sections, adding a new section, etc.) and notify affected families using this sample parent letter. Translations of the sample letter will be made available shortly; the Capping Request Form will be made available in next week’s Principals’ Weekly.

For questions, contact your network leader.

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Immunization Requirements All schools

As required by state law, New York City school children must be fully vaccinated against specific preventable diseases in order to attend school. You are responsible for enforcing this law, excluding students without proper documentation, and monitoring student immunization status in ATS.

The 2012-13 requirements include some changes:

3  The vaccine against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) will now be required for students entering grades 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 born on or after January 1, 1994. The grade 11 requirement is new this year.

 Students entering pre-kindergarten are now required to have at least one dose of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV 13).

 New entrants to secondary schools (grades 6-12) are no longer required to undergo testing for latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (TST or blood-based test). If a student is tested for TB and has a positive result, they should seek a full-evaluation and treatment, but should not be excluded from attending school.

For more information, see this letter. For questions, contact the Bureau of Immunization at 347-396-2433 or [email protected].

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Enter August Graduation Outcomes in ATS High Schools / Deadline: September 14

September 14 is the last day to enter high school summer graduation outcomes in ATS using the GRDT screen. You should ensure that student transcripts are complete in STARS and that graduation codes are entered appropriately.

For policy questions, refer to the High School Academic Policy Reference Guide. For other questions, contact your network data/application specialist.

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Preliminary Progress Report Workbook Release Elementary and middle schools / Deadline: September 6

You should have received an email with preliminary Progress Report workbooks (without grades) for your school today. Please work with your network and school leadership to review the data in preparation for the release of the 2011-12 Progress Reports in late September. The deadline to enter any data changes in STARS or to raise any appeals is September 6 at 5 p.m.

For assistance with STARS, please contact your network data/application specialist. For questions regarding the Progress Report process, please contact your network accountability point or email [email protected].

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Online School Bank Account Survey All schools / Deadline: September 21

You are required to report your school’s reconciled June 30, 2012 bank account balances by September 21 through the Bank Account Survey.

Registration of all bank accounts is necessary to complete this. If your school accounts are registered in FAMIS, you will receive a confirmation email when the account balances are successfully entered. Otherwise, you will need to register each account on the login page of the Bank Account Survey.

As a reminder, balances of more than $250,000 for one school or location that are maintained at any one bank (all branches combined) are not FDIC-insured. However, funds maintained in both a demand deposit account (checking account) and another type of account will be separately insured for up to $250,000. For more information, see here.

4 For questions, contact Roza Yusupova at 718-935-2654 or [email protected].

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2012-13 Fair Student Funding Budget Adjustments All schools

2012-13 Fair Student Funding (FSF) allocations will be adjusted for changes in student enrollment in two rounds.

The first round of adjustments is based upon the ATS RSNR report as of November 9 and will reflect students enrolled at your school as of October 31. Allocation adjustments will take effect during the week of December 3.

The second and final round of adjustments will be based upon the RSNR report as of January 31, in accordance with the audited register from October 31 and the RSNR report on December 28, which will incorporate data on selected special needs pupil counts. Allocation adjustments are scheduled to take effect during the week of February 11. See more information about both rounds of adjustment here.

To align budgets with the flexible programming for services to special needs pupils as part of the special education reform, new screens and flags are in development to capture data in ATS. Details will be announced in a future edition of Principals’ Weekly. You should let your pupil accounting staff know that these changes are coming.

Work with your network budget liaisons to determine whether funds should be set aside for register loss or if ASA should be provided for register growth. Your network data/application support specialist can assist with questions regarding student coding and class information in ATS. For additional questions, contact your network budget liaison.

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Emergency Preparedness General Response Protocols (GRP) All schools

The General Response Protocols must be implemented in your school building at the start of the 2012-13 school year. GRP classroom posters and assembly cards will be delivered directly to your school. Additional materials, including parent information letters and training curriculum, will be available on the Principal’s Portal.

Your school’s Building Response Team (BRT) leader has been directed to provide GRP training to your school’s teachers, who will, in turn, train students. Please ensure that your staff and students receive GRP training prior to the first fire drill of the new school year.

For information and questions, please contact your Borough Safety Director (BSD) or Jay Findling [email protected].

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Updates to the High School Academic Policy Reference Guide High schools

The updated High School Academic Policy Reference Guide is available on the Academic Policy Resources Intranet page. Refer to the table of contents for an overview of updates and additions made to the guide, which was originally distributed in February 2012. As a reminder, please review the new credit recovery policies for credit recovery programs that began on or after July 1.

For questions, contact your network academic policy point.

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Absent Teacher Reserve (ATR) Initial Assignments All Schools

If you have any initial ATR assignments to your school, you will be notified by email on August 30. These initial assignments will be in place through early October, at which point ATRs will rotate on a weekly basis. This year, guidance counselors and social workers will also rotate on a weekly basis.

You can access ATR assignments in the absent reserve section of your Galaxy Table of Organization. If an excessed employee reports to your school, but is not included in the notification emails you receive, advise him or her to report to the location assigned through the Excess Staff Selection System. Excessed employees who do not report to their assigned locations may be docked pay for an unauthorized absence.

For questions, you should contact your network HR Director. Excess employees should contact HR Connect at 718-935-4000.

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New Online Application and C-30 Tracking System for AP Positions All schools

Starting with the September 4 vacancy postings, a new module in the Teacher Support Network (TSN) will replace OpenHire as the online application and C-30 tracking system for Principal and AP positions. If you post any AP positions on September 4, you will receive an email alert and will be required to log in to the system to review the applications after these postings close on September 19. The new process in TSN is very similar to the process you previously followed in OpenHire.

If you wish to request a vacancy posting after September 4, you must submit an online Interim Acting & Request to Post form in the new system. This 30-minute webcast explains the new system in detail, with step-by-step instructions on how to complete the entire C-30 process.

If you have any questions, please contact your C-30 Coordinator.

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Supplemental Calendars Available All schools

The following calendars are available on the NYCDOE’s website:

 Student Attendance: includes procedures for reporting accurate attendance for state aid purposes.  June 2013 Clerical Shortened Days memo: contains the dates that elementary and middle schools are released in June, enabling clerical administrative tasks related to closing out the school year and preparing for the new school year.  Religious Released Time: informs principals when to release students for religious instruction, which occurs one hour before normal dismissal on Wednesdays.  Citywide and Statewide Assessment Calendar: contains assessment dates and test descriptions.

For questions, contact Lora-Lynn Byfield at 212-374-5402.

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Yearly Testing Calendar & LAB-R Administration All schools

6 Review the yearly testing calendar for summative City and State assessments for the 2012-13 school year, as well as Assessment Memorandum #1 on testing accommodations.

You should also review Assessment Memorandum #2 to prepare for the administration of the Language Assessment Battery-Revised (LAB-R) and the Spanish LAB for General and Special Education students. This assessment determines whether a student needs bilingual education or English as a Second Language (ESL) services, and must be administered within 10 days of a student's enrollment. Test booklets and answer documents will be delivered to schools this week.

For questions, contact your network assessment liaison.

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Individual Student Reports - NYSESLAT All schools

Between September 4 and September 10, schools who administered the NYSESLAT last year will receive NYSESLAT Individual Student Reports via CD for students who tested at the school site. For now, you should keep these CDs; additional information regarding distribution of the CDs will be provided in a future Principals' Weekly.

For questions, contact your network assessment liaison.

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Periodic Assessment Updates All schools

Acuity: All schools have access to Bi-monthly Ordering for custom tasks and tests through the Acuity system. Orders placed by August 31 will arrive in schools by September 20; orders placed by September 15 will arrive by October 2. For more information, see the 2012-13 bi-monthly ordering calendar.

ECLAS-2: On August 28, Literacy Development Checklists (purple books) and kits arrived at schools that requested them. See the ECLAS-2 Fall 2012 administration memo for more information. Teacher answer documents and blackline masters will be sent at a later date.

EL SOL: Any school wishing to receive EL SOL materials to assess K-2 Spanish Literacy may reach out to the Periodic Assessment Team at [email protected].

Performance Series (PS):  The PS site will be unavailable from 5:00 p.m. on August 31 until 9:00 a.m. on September 3 for system enhancements. See the Enhancements FAQs for information on the new interface, on new math items on skills below Grade 3, and on a partnership with netTrekker search.  Key Contacts from schools that selected Performance Series through the Periodic Assessment Selection Tool for the first time received an introductory email on August 22 or 23 that contained the Site ID for the school as well as information for how to administer the assessment.  All staff access has returned to Galaxy roles; educators who had special access should email Performance Series at [email protected] or the Periodic Assessment Team at [email protected] to reinstate special access levels.

For questions, contact the Periodic Assessment Team at [email protected].

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Opportunity for Teacher Leaders to Participate in New 2012-13 Teacher Leadership Program All schools / Deadline: September 21

7 Encourage strong teacher leaders, particularly Instructional Leads, to apply for the NYCDOE’s new Teacher Leadership Program. This professional development opportunity focuses on strengthening leadership skills to align with the citywide instructional expectations. It will include 10 three-hour sessions over the course of the school year for which participants will earn per session.

Interested teachers should complete this online application by September 21. You will be asked to confirm your support for applicants before they are accepted into the program (note that some teachers nominated by clusters have already been accepted).

For questions, contact Leticia Pineiro at [email protected].

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Nominate Leaders to Create New Schools All schools / Deadline: September 21

You are invited to nominate talented educators to take part in the New Schools Design and Development process. Nominees should be willing and able to take on the challenge of opening a new district school in September 2013. Once nominated, candidates will be contacted and asked for a letter of intent to propose a new school. Letters of intent should be submitted by 9 a.m. on September 21; nominations received up to the submission deadline will be honored. Click here to submit nominations.

For questions, contact Kristin Jefferson at [email protected].

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New Resources on the Common Core Library All schools

Visit the Common Core Library for activities and resources to support the implementation of the 2012-13 citywide instructional expectations and the Common Core Learning Standards, including:

 Professional development activities to support teachers in understanding the NYCDOE-selected priority instructional shifts in literacy and math, exploring what Danielson competencies look like in practice, and considering how the 3–8 state tests will change to be Common Core-aligned,  New Common Core-aligned tasks with instructional supports in math and literacy,  Rubrics to evaluate the quality and alignment of instructional materials, and  Parent roadmaps that provide guidance for families on how to support their children with the Common Core Learning Standards for grades k-8 in English language arts/literacy and mathematics.

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Updated Delivery Dates for Core Curriculum Trade Books All schools

Core Curriculum trade book deliveries are late and will be delivered after school opens. Delivery timelines for Core Curriculum trade books are posted on the Core Curriculum intranet page under “2012 Core Curriculum Delivery Information.” You can still place Core Curriculum orders until the October 10 deadline by emailing [email protected].

For questions, contact the Core Curriculum Response Team at [email protected].

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Apply for CHAMPS Middle School Sports and Fitness League 8 Middle schools / Deadline: September 14

The final deadline to apply for all fall, winter, and/or spring CHAMPS Middle School Sports and Fitness League programs is September 14. CHAMPS offers middle school students the opportunity to engage in a variety of physical activities. Complete the application by signing in to the CHAMPS Portal and clicking “Apply for Program.”

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Support Family Involvement Through the Arts Pre-K and elementary schools /Deadline: September 15

Title 1 elementary schools are invited to enroll in Cool Culture's "Literacy Without Walls" program to provide pre-K and kindergarten families with unlimited access to 90 museums, gardens, and zoos.

Cool Culture trains a staff person at your school, typically a parent coordinator or early childhood teacher, to administer the program. The deadline to enroll is September 15.

For more information, contact Barbara Palley at 718-230-4186 ext. 304 or [email protected].

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Early Childhood Social Workers Pre-K / Event: September 4–6

Early childhood social workers return to work and will report to their payroll schools on September 4. On September 5, they will attend an all day professional development session hosted by the NYCDOE. Beginning September 6, they should report to their assigned schools.

For questions, contact the Office of Early Childhood Education at [email protected].

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September 13 Primary Election All schools / Event: September 13

The primary election for state and local offices is September 13. If your school is a polling site, you are required by law to ensure that the designated rooms within your school are open to the public on Election Day. Polling site and room designations cannot be altered in any way.

If you are unclear about the polling arrangements at your school, contact your network facilities point.

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Office of School and Youth Development Policies and Procedures All schools

To support your efforts to establish and maintain a safe and supportive learning environment for all students, please refer to the following memos: Discipline Code, Safety Procedures, Attendance, Military Opt Out Procedures, Best Practices for Creating and Sustaining a Safe and Supportive School, and Respect For All and Dignity Act Compliance.

For questions, contact your network youth development, attendance, or safety point.

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9 2012 Principal Satisfaction Survey Results All schools

The 2012 Principal Satisfaction Survey results are available this week through the Principals’ Portal. 76% of principals responded to this survey administration, and your feedback will be used to help us improve our services.

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Use Environmentally Sensitive Cleaning Products All schools

In accordance with state law, only environmentally sensitive cleaning and maintenance (Green Seal Certified or Eco Logo approved) products may be used in New York City public school buildings. Custodian engineers and building managers are aware of these requirements and use environmentally sensitive products. Although not mandated, teachers often purchase cleaning products for their classrooms. Please ensure that teachers who purchase their own products use only Green Seal Certified or Eco Logo approved surface and hand cleaners.

For additional information, visit the State's website on the Green Cleaning Program. You may also contact your custodian engineer, building manager, or deputy director of facilities.

For questions, contact Sal Calderone at 718-349-5736 or [email protected].

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***Updated Announcements***

IEP Paraprofessional OSIS Confirmations in Galaxy Update: September 28 Deadline All schools / September 28

To ensure that students receive mandated IEP paraprofessional services, and to optimize student placement, your school must assign students to IEP paras in Galaxy for FY13. Galaxy will validate the student’s OSIS number against IEP para recommendation information from SESIS and SEC. All existing paras must be updated with the OSIS number for student assigned to them for the new school year by September 28. After that date, on-going updates are required to ensure all students are receiving mandated services. See here for detailed instructions.

For questions, contact your network budget liaison.

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August Promotion Update Elementary and middle schools

Parents who are not satisfied with their child’s final August promotion decision may submit an appeal to their child’s principal. The Parent Appeals Process Flow Chart outlines the process for families to appeal August promotion decisions. All parent appeals should be submitted to the principal first and decided upon using the student’s promotion criteria and assessment-related performance. You should direct your staff to use the RQSA function in ATS to enter the following types of appeals:

 Appeals for a grade change within the same school: Submit appeals using the GRC (Request Change of Student Grade Level) function. If the appeal is approved by the superintendent, the student’s grade level will be changed accordingly.

10  Appeals for a grade change that would result in a transfer to a different school: Beginning August 30, use PAT (Request Promotion Appeal Transfer) to enter appeals for students whose grade change would result in a transfer. If the appeal is approved by the superintendent, the student’s grade level will be changed and they will be list-noticed to the appropriate school (e.g., high school match).

All recommendations to change a student’s final August promotion decision are subject to superintendent approval. You should work to resolve all promotion decision appeals by September 5.

For questions, contact your network promotion point.

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Hiring Restrictions Update All schools

The teacher hiring guidelines and restrictions for the 2012-13 school year were updated on August 24. See the current list of exception areas.

For questions, contact your network HR director.

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Reminders (Announced in Previous Issues)

Prepare to Serve All Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners (ELLs) All schools

Special Education CORe Checklist: As you prepare for school opening, you and your School Implementation Team (SIT) should use the CORe Checklist to get to know the unique needs of students with disabilities and to analyze school resources to meet these needs. For questions or for support using the CORe Checklist, contact your network Special Education Achievement Coach.

Placement Data Correction Policy: In order to ensure that related services are provided promptly at the beginning of the school year, you must enter all placement data in CAP and/or SEC for all students with IEPs. Networks will monitor CAP and will communicate with schools to ensure that all required placement information is accurately reflected for all IEPs associated with current students. The Placement Data Correction Policy memo provides guidance on completing this process and includes resources to identify IEP data that require follow-up. For questions, contact your network ASE.

Administer the LAB-R: Rather than waiting for the start of school (as has been the requirement in past years), all schools are now authorized to administer the LAB-R to eligible students. For materials and instructions on LAB-R packaging and delivery of documents, refer to Memorandum #2 or contact your borough assessment implementation director.

Complete the ELL Parent Choice Screen in ATS: The NYSED requires schools to record the ELL program chosen by the parent of each new admit whose home language is not English. You should direct your staff to record parent choice information in the ELPC screen in ATS. This information includes the date of LAB-R administration, whether the parent was provided with information about ELL programs, which program the parent chose, and in which program the student has been placed. ELLs must be placed in the parents’ program of choice within 10 days of enrollment and the ELPC screen must be completed no later than 10 days after each new ELL admit is placed in an ELL program. Directions for completing this process are here. For more information, contact your senior ELL CPS or Nick Pandey at 212-374-0793.

Ensure ELLs with disabilities are served and record services in IVR: ELLs with disabilities served in CTT or special classes, and whose IEPs recommend ESL, must be served in an ESL class. Students

11 recommended for bilingual services who are awaiting placement (called alternate placement) should, at a minimum, receive ESL services. These students are identified on the Special Education Online Reports page which can be accessed via a NYCDOE-networked computer. To ensure that services are recorded for ELLs with disabilities, you should direct your staff to call in first-attend dates to the IVR system.

For questions about the online reports, contact Richard Bellis at [email protected]. For more information about recording first-attend dates in IVR, refer to this guidance document, to the Q&A on Recording First Attend Date of ESL for ELLs in Self-Contained and CTT Environments, or contact your senior ELL CPS.

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Prepare for School Opening All Schools

School Opening Checklist: A school opening checklist is posted on the School Opening website. Although not mandated, you are encouraged to use the checklist to assess your school’s readiness for the start of the school year. This checklist is for your internal planning and does not need to be submitted to your network. Please feel free to share the checklist with your staff. For questions and support, contact your network leader.

Test Roster: A test roster was sent to all ATS printers on August 28 (the ATS print queue job is named “ROSTERTEST”). All schools must scan this test roster to test their printer's network connectivity. Please scan the roster as you would a real attendance sheet. Note that nothing needs to be bubbled on this test roster. For questions, contact your network data/application specialist.

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Galaxy Staffing Transactions and the First Payroll Close All schools / Deadline: August 28

In order to ensure that new pedagogues make the first September payroll, staffing in Galaxy should have been finalized by 7:00 p.m. tonight; staffing actions made after the deadline may not make the first payroll close. The status of applications and background clearance (fingerprint clearance and the moral questionnaire) can be viewed in Galaxy by left-clicking the icon with two people ( ), pictured to the left of the person’s name, and by clicking on “Details.”

For questions about the status of the personnel transactions, as well as certification issues, contact your network HR Director. For assistance with budget issues related to vacancy creation, contact your network budget liaison.

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Enter Summer School Performance Ratings All schools / Deadline: August 31

The last day to enter summer school performance ratings in EIS is August 31. After this deadline, you will no longer be able to adjust ratings.

Principals, assistant principals, or school payroll secretaries should post final ratings for instructional staff working in summer school programs to the Employee Information System (EIS). Secretaries should enter S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory) ratings for per session and/or supplementary paid instructional staff who appear on your school rating list (EIS Option 7.2.10); you or an assistant principal should finalize these ratings. You must also provide each employee with a completed Rating Form OP 150. A step-by- step guide on how to post and finalize ratings in EIS is available on the Performance Ratings page of the Principals’ Portal.

12 For system usage questions, secretaries can call the HR Connect Secretary Hot Line at 718-935-4003. For other questions, call HR Connect at 718-935-4000.

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Annual School Walkthroughs All schools / Ongoing through August 31

School walkthroughs will be conducted through August 31. Please ensure that your custodial staff places Core Curriculum boxes in the location(s) approved by you and/or your custodial staff.

Once your walkthrough is completed, you can view your school’s walkthrough results in FAMIS by navigating to your Core Curriculum Order History.

For questions, contact the Core Curriculum Response Team at [email protected].

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Campus Audit Template All schools / Deadline: September 1

Per Chancellor’s Regulation A-190, all campuses with co-located schools are required to submit the Campus Audit Template, which was emailed to all campus principals on August 1. Work with your Building Council to complete the audit template and submit it to your campus folder by September 1, in accordance with the instructions you received by email.

For questions, contact Linda Edouard at 212-374-0232 or [email protected].

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STARS Scheduling Middle and high schools / Deadline: September 5

Schedule all sixth to twelfth grade students in STARS by September 5.

You must: . Finalize the schedule, . complete the “Bell Schedules” section on the STARS client to reflect length of instruction per period, and . complete the “Teacher Reference/Email Reference” section on the STARS web to link teachers to the master schedule.

For policy questions, high schools should refer to the High School Academic Policy Reference Guide. For other questions, contact your network data/application specialist.

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Subsidized Bilingual Extension Program All schools / Deadline: September 14

You are invited to nominate new and current teachers at your school to begin teaching bilingual classes under a supplemental bilingual extension certificate while completing coursework at a partnering university. Pending successful completion of the program, participating teachers will receive a Bilingual Extension to their teaching certificate, and all costs for the certification will be subsidized by the NYCDOE. The nomination deadline has been extended to September 14.

For questions, email [email protected] or call Chauncey Nartey at 718-935-4238.

Gifted and Talented Applications Elementary schools / Deadline: September 14

Applications for placement in an upper elementary (grades 4–5) Gifted and Talented (G&T) program are available to parents online and at local enrollment offices. For more information, please refer interested and eligible families to the G&T website.

Scores of Level 4 on both 2012 NYS English Language Arts (ELA) and math tests are required for placement consideration for current public school students. For students who are currently in non-public schools, G&T eligibility is established through a review of the student’s test scores.

Grade 5 G&T placements will occur only in K-6 or K-8 schools; K-5 schools will not receive grade 5 G&T placements.

The deadline for families to submit the application is September 14. The NYCDOE will send placement offers to families in September.

For questions, contact the Office of Student Enrollment at [email protected].

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Ordering Period for Administrative Forms All schools / Deadline: September 14

The second ordering period for administrative forms for the 2012-13 school year runs through September 14. All orders placed in FAMIS during this period will be delivered in November 2012. Small quantities (less than the minimum $50 order in FAMIS) of some administrative forms may be reprinted directly from the administrative forms catalog.

For questions, contact the Finance Service Center at [email protected] or 718-935-4444.

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Arts in Schools Report All schools / Deadline: September 20

You can view the annual Arts in Schools Report for the 2011-12 school year on your school’s public Web portal. This report provides baseline information for arts education accountability and can help identify areas of success and areas in need of support.

The name of your school’s Arts Education Liaison is listed on your school’s report. The NYCDOE will send information about arts education resources and opportunities for the upcoming school year to your Arts Education Liaison. Update your school’s Arts Education Liaison contact by September 20 using this link.

Elementary schools can prepare for next year’s Arts Survey using the instructional hours tracking tool for the 2012-13 school year on the Arts Education webpage.

For questions, call Darleen Garner or John Brinegar at 212-356-8574 or email [email protected].

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Common Core Instructional Leads and Additional Resources All schools / Deadline: September 28

14 As outlined in the letter you received from Chief Academic Officer Shael Polakow-Suransky on August 3, you should identify two to eight Common Core Instructional Leads (including an Instructional Lead focusing on Special Education) within your school to support the implementation of the 2012-13 citywide instructional expectations. Instructional Leads may be supported using the funding allocation defined in SAM 40 for the citywide instructional expectations. You should work with your staff as you prepare for school opening to determine who can serve in this role and identify these staff members in Galaxy by September 28.

Additional resources for the upcoming school year, including the Common Core Library and SED curriculum modules are also available, as outlined in the letter.

For questions, contact your network leader.

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Pre-K Developmental Screening (ESI-R) Pre-K / Screening Deadline: October 20, Data Submission Deadline: November 9

All schools with pre-k programs must administer the Early Screening Inventory–Revised (ESI-R) or a comparable developmental screening to capture potential developmental delays of all children within 45 calendar days of their entrance into school. Screening for students who begin school in September 2012 must be completed by October 20, and results must be entered into the Payroll Portal by November 9. Teachers administering developmental screenings should consider the needs and backgrounds of the children they are screening and should ensure that they are being culturally, linguistically, and developmentally responsive. See here for more details, as some of the screening policies have changed.

Materials to complete screenings will be shipped to pre-kindergarten programs at the beginning of September. The website includes information for the new school year as well as letters for families. Translated letters should be available shortly.

For questions, contact Michael Greenberg at [email protected] or 212-374-5767.

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2012 Over-the-Counter (OTC) Placements Middle and high schools

Last week, you should have received an email regarding Over the Counter (OTC) placements you are expected to serve in order to meet your school’s enrollment target for October 31. The email includes school-specific enrollment data that will help you plan for general education and special education (ICT & SC only) students who will be placed in your school. Current registers may be higher than the October 31 target, but please remember that all schools will experience discharges due to attrition and/or Long Term Absences (LTAs).

For questions, contact the Projections Team at [email protected].

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Share a Full-Time Teacher All schools

As you plan your school budget and staffing, you may want to think about opportunities to share a full- time teacher with another school (for example, the teacher works three days at one school and two days in another). This may be a particularly efficient approach for providing arts instruction. Click here for a spreadsheet of current candidates and opportunities.

Email [email protected] to identify a matching opportunity if you have such a position and/or a teacher and are looking for a partner school. Include the following in your email:

15 . the license/subject . whether you have a teacher for consideration or are looking for a candidate . preferred schedule . school, district, and contact information

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Data Systems Updates All Schools

Social Security Numbers (SSN) in Galaxy: SSN data is now hidden from the Personnel/Job Details screen in Galaxy for staffed positions and is also not visible on Galaxy TO Reports. SSN data will, however, be visible in Galaxy during the hiring process and up until a person has been staffed. Once a person is staffed, SSN data will be hidden. For questions or assistance, please contact your network budget liaison.

ATS Password Self Reset: In the past, you had to call the help desk to reset your ATS password. Now, if you have an Active ATS User ID and your Outlook Email Alias (UUWA) is associated with your ATS User ID, you can reset your own password. For questions, contact your network data/application specialist.

NYCDOE Password Recovery: The Password Recovery and Account Confirmation Tool (PRACT) assists employees with validating, securing and protecting their identity across multiple NYCDOE systems. This guide will assist you with the reset and recovery process. For questions, contact your network data/application specialist.

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Ready New York Kids Elementary schools

NYC Office of Emergency Management is offering presentations on emergency preparedness for second and third grade students and families. For more information, visit www.NYC.gov/readynewyork or call 311.

For questions or to schedule a Ready New York assembly for your school, contact Mitchell Bass at 718- 422-4887 or [email protected].

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Student Requests for Transcript and Attendance Records All schools

You should notify your school’s office staff that they may see an increase in requests from current and former students for transcripts and attendance documentation as a result of a new federal immigration initiative known as "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals." This initiative allows undocumented young people who were brought to the United States as children, and who meet certain criteria, to be considered for work authorization and relief from deportation. Candidates must provide documentation that they meet the eligibility criteria; school records are included as a possible form of documentation.

The application period for Deferred Action opened on August 15. You should instruct your office staff to accept photo ID as proof of identity (including school IDs, consular IDs, etc) when responding to these requests. For more information about Deferred Action and eligibility criteria, click here.

For questions, email Maria Villasenor at [email protected].

NYS Grades 3-8 ELA/Math Individual Student Reports (ISRs) Now Available Elementary and middle schools

Individual Student Reports (ISRs), created by NYSED for families to learn about their child's exam performance, are available in L2RPT for students who took the NYS grades 3–8 ELA/math exams. As in previous years, you should print and distribute ISRs to families in the fall after school begins and enrollment has stabilized.

For questions, contact your network data/application specialist.

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New York State Accountability Status Release All schools

The first wave of the New York State Department of Education’s (NYSED) 2012-13 district and school accountability status reports will be released this month. As previously communicated, state accountability has been significantly redesigned as part of New York’s federal waiver exempting it from many provisions of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). NYSED will identify Priority Schools, Focus Schools, and Reward Schools in August and will identify Local Assistance Plan Schools and Recognition Schools this fall.

The NYCDOE will email principals of schools that have been identified as Priority, Focus, or Reward schools prior to NYSED’s communication. To learn more about the new rules under the waiver, visit the State and Federal Evaluation page.

For questions, contact your network accountability liaison.

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Class List Reporting (CLR) Elementary and middle schools

You can log in to the Class List Reporting (CLR) web application to download Final Class List Reports for all grade 4–8 core ELA and math teachers who were at your school during the 2011-12 school year. The Final Class List Report displays a teacher’s class list information, which was reviewed and certified in the CLR web application in the spring and accepted by the New York State Education Department (SED). In fall 2012, SED will use this information to generate teacher growth scores to be used as one of multiple measures of teacher effectiveness.

Teachers received an email notifying them of the availability of the report on August 10.

Updated support materials are available on the CLR website. For questions, please contact your network data/application specialist or the CLR Support Help Desk at [email protected].

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ARIS & ARIS Parent Link Updates All schools

State test results (levels, scale scores, proficiency ratings, strand and performance indicator details) are now available in ARIS.

ARIS has transitioned to the 2012-13 school year and is again accepting changes made in ATS, STARS, Galaxy & LCGMS. Please update these source systems to ensure appropriate access to student data in ARIS. 17 The NYCDOE is working with the State Education Department on additional data tools that will be available to NYC educators and families as an upgrade to ARIS. The new tools, which are being developed with Race to the Top funding, will be available to schools throughout New York State beginning as early as the 2013-14 school year. The NYCDOE will provide updates about the new data tools in Principal’s Weekly.

For questions about NYS test results, contact your network assessment liaison. For questions about source systems, contact your data/application specialist. For other questions about ARIS, contact the ARIS helpdesk at 718-935-3910 or [email protected].

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Quality Review Scoring Guidelines and Report Changes All schools

Quality Review scoring guidelines, as well as changes to the report structure for the 2012-13 school year, are available here.

For questions, email Daniel Menezes at [email protected].

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Contact Us  For submissions or questions, email: [email protected].  To subscribe, email: [email protected].  To view grants: https://portal.nycenet.edu/DOEPortal/Principals/SchoolSupport/AcademicServices/Grants.  To view professional development and student opportunities: http://schools.nyc.gov/Teachers/Resources/Other/ProfessionalDevelopment/default.htm.  To view old issues: http://intranet.nycboe.net/DOEPortal/Principals/PrincipalsWeekly