Minnesota Department of Education :

Minnesota Announces 2009 Teacher of the Year

Amber Damm, a 7th- and 8th- grade English and Language Arts teacher at Clara Barton Open School in Minneapolis, was awarded the 2009 Minnesota Teacher of the Year on Sunday afternoon by Education Minnesota.

“It’s my pleasure to congratulate Amber Damm on being named Minnesota’s 2009 Teacher of the Year.  Amber Damm’s commitment to discovering how children learn and enriching the relationships with her students and their families demonstrates the impact teachers can have in the classroom and lives of their students. Read news release.  For additional information, visit the National Education Association site and Education Minnesota.

Federal Government Approves Minnesota’s Application for More than Half a Billion Education Stabilization Dollars

Statement from Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren

“We are pleased with the federal government’s quick approval of Minnesota’s application for more than $547 million in education stabilization funds, which will hopefully allow us to more quickly distribute these dollars to schools following the passage of legislation appropriating the funds.  Minnesota’s application is based on Governor Pawlenty’s proposed K-12 budget, which increases education funding and includes reforms to improve student achievement.

“We look forward to working with legislators and educators to use these funds in order to help better prepare every Minnesota student for success after high school.”

Note:  Under Minnesota law, stabilization funds will be allocated through the legislative process and made available following the passage of legislation appropriating the funds. Minnesota may also have to resubmit its application depending on the outcome of the legislative session.

MDE Swine Flu Update

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is working closely with other government agencies, including the Minnesota Department of Health, in response to Swine Influenza.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has increased surveillance including testing of patients who are being evaluated for influenza-like illness. Minnesota has not identified a swine influenza case to date.

Read the memorandum from State Epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield to school district officials regarding prevention and response measures that they can take in their districts. We encourage you to share this information with staff, students, teachers and parents.

MDE will continue to provide updates to local districts as this situation develops.

Swine Influenza page

Minnesota Department of Education on Twitter

You can now follow the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) on Twitter, which is a free real-time short messaging service. 

Follow MDE at:  https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090514194834/http://twitter.com/MDECOM

Updated/Redesigned Federal Stimulus Page 

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has been in the process of reviewing hundreds of pages of guidance from the federal government regarding the allocation of federal stimulus dollars. The federal government will be releasing additional guidance on ARRA reporting requirements and ARRA competitive grant programs.

MDE has updated and redesigned its federal stimulus page to include additional information on ARRA grant programs.  This new page will be updated on a regular basis.   

Noble Academy  28th Charter School to Enter  Q Comp

Minnesota Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren announced today that Noble Academy will implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school will receive $55,380 in total revenue for the 2008-09 school year for implementation.

“I commend Noble Academy on their decision to participate in this important education reform,” said Commissioner Seagren. “Q Comp will give participating teachers an opportunity to enhance their skills and take part in real-time, research-based professional development, which will help raise student achievement.” Q Comp is designed to advance the teaching profession by providing structured professional development and evaluation, as well as an alternative pay schedule that compensates teachers based on performance, not just seniority.

Said Neal P. Thao, M.Ed, Noble Academy CEO/Principal. “Q Comp helps our teachers focus their attention on becoming instructional leaders while taking on new roles within the school and classroom that enhance, guide and improve practices.  All of which results in academic success.” Read news release.
 

Minnesota Academic Assessments

MCA-II
On April 13, Minnesota students will begin taking the MCA-II assessments.  Minnesota’s assessment system is a tool to measure how well our students are learning the Minnesota Academic Standards in reading, math and science. The Academic Standards are what a student should know in a particular subject area at a particular grade. These standards are developed in partnership with Minnesota educators and set the content expectations for all students.

The Mathematics MCA-II is taken by students in grades 3-8, and 11. The Reading MCA-II is taken by students in grades 3-8, and 10.  Science MCA-II is taken by students in grades 5, 8, and high school.

GRAD
GRAD fulfills Minnesota’s high school graduation assessment requirement in writing, reading and math. Students take writing in ninth grade, reading in tenth grade, and math in eleventh grade. The Reading and Math GRAD are embedded into the MCA-II for the first administration. If a student does not meet the graduation requirement on the first attempt, there are multiple retest opportunities available online. Students meet Minnesota’s graduation requirement by meeting the GRAD cut score or by earning a proficient score on the MCA-II. More Information for Parents.

Roseville School District Adds Fairview Early Childhood Special Education to the Q Comp Program

Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren announced today that Roseville School District’s Fairview Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) will implement Minnesota’s nation-leading Q Comp performance and professional pay program. The school district will receive $23,140 in total revenue for implementation in the 2008-09 school year.

“I commend Roseville School District and its Fairview ECSE on their decision to participate in this important education reform,” said Commissioner Seagren. “Q Comp will give participating teachers an opportunity to enhance their skills and take part in real-time, research-based professional development, which will help raise student achievement.” Said Dr. John Thein, Roseville Schools Superintendent.  “There is no doubt that the positive and supportive interaction between the Roseville Area Schools Learning Community and the Minnesota Department of Education is making a huge difference in building and maintaining the trust that is required to improve student achievement. Read news release.

Governor Pawlenty's Honorary Proclamation and Letter to the Military Child

Governor Tim Pawlenty has issued a Proclamation to the State of Minnesota declaring April as Month of the Military Child. The Governor's Proclamation states "It is only fitting that we recognize and honor their sacrifices, celebrate their spirit, and let our men and women in uniform know that while they are taking care of us, we are taking care of their children."

In recognition of the Military Child's heroism, Governor and Mrs.Pawlenty will send a letter of gratitude to each child nominated by their military parent who serves in Minnesota National Guard, Reserves and Active Duty residents. Nominations will be collected online at the Department of Veteran Affairs website through 30 April 2009.

To discover more resources, activities and support systems for Military Children and their Families, please visit www.beyondtheyellowribbon.org and www.operationmilitarykids.org. Also visit our Yellow Ribbon Resource Page under Current Topics.

Peanut Recall Update

Fifty-eight Minnesota school districts and schools have reported to the Minnesota Department of Education that they have identified and isolated a total of 252.31 cases of recalled peanuts from the federal commodity program. Those peanuts have been destroyed or are in the process of being destroyed. Each individual case weighs a total of 24 pounds.
Read news release.
View Schools and Districts affected by the Peanut Recall.

Education Commissioner Alice Seagren Announces Real World Design Challenge Winners

A team of students from Hutchinson High School has won the Real World Design Challenge, a competition designed to increase student interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

“When students are inspired and engaged they can achieve amazing things,” Commissioner Seagren said. “Their efforts, and the efforts of all the students who participated in the Real World Design Challenge, will better prepare them for a hypercompetitive 21st Century.”

The Hutch Innovators will represent Minnesota in the national competition in Washington, DC in March. Read news release.

Q Comp Commentary

The following commentary by Education Commissioner Alice Seagren has been published by the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

STUDENTS WIN WITH Q COMP

When teachers succeed, they do too

Studies show that after parents, teachers have the biggest impact on student success. That's why we are transforming Minnesota's system of education in order to recruit, retain and retrain the best teachers. As a part of that effort, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and legislators in 2005 created Q Comp to enhance professional development, evaluate performance and reward quality teachers.

Although it has had some critics, Q Comp has been praised by educators, policymakers and leaders from both major political parties, including President Obama.

In order to provide a more complete look at Q Comp, I want to share some key points that weren't fully covered in recent articles and editorials.

Complete commentary can be found at: https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090514194834/http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/39236362.html?elr=KArksUUUU

Additional Q Comp Resources:

MDE response to Office of the Legislative Auditor Report

HEZEL Q Comp Report

Q Comp Fact Sheet

Department of Education Releases Analysis of Q Comp

Report finds “There is a significant and positive relationship between the number of years a school has been implementing Q Comp and student achievement.”

Roseville, MN – There is a significant and positive relationship between the number of years a school has been implementing Q Comp and student achievement, according to a new analysis conducted by Hezel Associates, LLC, an independent education research and evaluation firm. The analysis, conducted on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Education, was released today. Read news release. View the report. View Q Comp overview.

Business and Education Leaders Launch Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Web Portal

Education Commissioner Alice Seagren and Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA) President Kate Rubin today announced the launch of www.getSTEM-mn.com, a Web portal for Minnesota educators and businesses to build relationships and collaborate to match STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education needs with STEM businesses resources. “Minnesota educators are working to prepare students for careers rich in math, technology, science and engineering skills,” said Education Commissioner Alice Seagren. “The getSTEM Web portal will connect teachers with interactive and exciting learning resources they need to provide the rigorous and relevant learning that will prepare students for success.” Read news release.

Governor Tim Pawlenty’s Proposed Budget

Governor Tim Pawlenty’s proposed education budget, which was released today, includes new K-12 education spending, along with several reforms to better prepare Minnesota students for success in the 21st century, including:

Making Minnesota the nation’s leader in teacher preparation and training by passing the “Teaching Transformation Act.”

Expanding Q Comp to every school district and charter school in the state to provide additional funding to schools and continue the transition to paying for performance.

Providing additional K-12 education funding through a new program that will provide up to an additional 2 percent per student for every student meeting standards or at least showing reasonable growth toward achievement.

Summary of Governor’s Budget

Find out what the Governor’s budget proposal means for your school district

Summer Food Programs Looking to Expand

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), the Minnesota Vikings, Hunger Solutions Minnesota and Second Harvest Heartland are partnering to increase the number of summer feeding sites to serve at-risk Minnesota children. "During the summer months, many of our low-income children lose access to the nutritious meals they receive during the regular school year," said MDE Commissioner Alice Seagren. "The Summer Food Service Program fills this gap by providing free meals and snacks to eligible children 18 years and younger, helping them return to school in the fall ready to learn. Read news release.

Governor Pawlenty Highlights Education Proposals in State of the State

• During his recent State of the State Address, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty laid out several initiatives to improve and reform Minnesota’s system of K-12 Education, including:
  
  --  Making Minnesota the nation’s leader in teacher preparation and training by passing the “Teaching Transformation Act.”
  --  Expanding Q Comp to every school district and charter school in the state to provide additional funding to schools and continue the transition to paying for performance.
  --  Providing additional K-12 education funding through a new program that will provide up to an additional 2 percent per student for every student meeting standards or at least showing reasonable growth towards achievement.
  --  Fixing the current teachers union-school district labor system that allows teachers to strike by using a fair arbitration process.
  --  Passing school district shared services legislation to save on purchases of IT, food services, textbooks and supplies and put more money into the classroom.
  
  A summary of the Governor’s proposals from the State of the State Address can be found on the Governor's Website.  View Governor Tim Pawlenty's Website.
  

Increasing Awareness of Military Issues Within Minnesota Schools

Thousands of Minnesotans serve our country in the military and in turn, thousands of military families and children are impacted by their service. As leaders in education, we want every educator to know that children in their classrooms and schools may be affected by the military service of a parent or family member.

The Minnesota Department of Education has partnered with Governor Pawlenty’s Yellow Ribbon Task Force and other educational organizations to increase awareness of military issues within Minnesota schools. As part of this effort, we are making available informational resources for military children, families and educators.