Pictured above from left to right (top row) Dr. Latoya Johnson, Brandy Marshall, Amanda Palmer, Jennifer Marshall, (seated) Susan Gibbons, Paolo Giovine | |
Happy New Year from the Charter School Office
The Charter School Office has been busy this fall with 28 renewal site visits. It has been a great opportunity for our new liaisons to meet the school communities which we serve and see the wonderful things happening in charter schools across the state. As all of our schools head into the new year, we wish you the best for a peaceful, productive, and successful 2024!
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BENCHMARKS
FOCUS: PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK BENCHMARK 10
Benchmark 10 of the Charter School Performance Framework states that schools must comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and provisions of their charters. During review of renewal applications, revision requests, and board member applications there are common mistakes that result in corrective work for schools and liaisons. One of these is pertaining to fingerprint clearance compliance. The following reminders serve to help schools alleviate some of the corrective work by ensuring the law is properly interpreted, and information is accurately reported.
- When completing the staff roster in your Annual Report, please double check the identification number and spelling of the name for each employee. This ensures we are able to accurately access and report fingerprint clearance data for your school.
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Please take time to read and fully understand state law (linked below) regarding fingerprint clearance for employees. All prospective employees must be cleared before beginning employment.
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School Environmental Health Program
The New York State Department of Health School Environmental Health Program offers free resources and technical assistance to New York State Schools. Use the links below to learn more or contact the department.
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NYS Statewide Language Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (RBERN)
The Mission of the NYS Language RBERN is to support and build the capacity of New York State schools, school districts, and their parents and families to enhance instructional practices and educational outcomes of English Language Learners and world language students.
There are eight RBERN centers in the state of New York, which include seven regional RBERNS and one statewide RBERN. These centers offer many support opportunities for the education of limited English proficient/English language learners (LEP/ELLs). Click the links below to learn more and see upcoming workshops.
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NYSED Reminders and Information
Click the links in the right column below for more information.
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2023-24 Final Title I Allocations | |
Final 2023-24 Title I allocations will be released by the Department in the near future. Charter schools are encouraged to review their updated ESSA allocation reports at the link below upon release to determine whether any action is needed. Should the allocation increase, an FS-10A budget amendment can be submitted to the Office of ESSA-Funded Programs to add the funds to the existing approved FS-10 budget. Note that additional grant funds are not available to be expended until the amendment is approved. If the allocation decreases, no action is required, but it’s important to be aware that fewer funds are available for the school’s 2023-2024 Title I program. Questions may be directed to the Office of ESSA-Funded Programs at conappta@nysed.gov. | | | | |
Important Dates to Remember | | |
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Student Digital Resources (SDR) Due- reported through SIRS- This collection helps identify specific needs and target resources and funding opportunities when they become available.
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Course Instructor Assignment (CIA) and Student Class Entry Exit (SCEE) Due- reported through SIRS- They will be used by the Office of State Assessment for determining counts of students enrolled in courses leading to state assessments.
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Extended due date for ESSA Financial Transparency (EFT) Report- reported through the IDEx on the NYSED Business Portal
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Data pull of Student Enrollment, Program Service, and Demographic data- all reported through SIRS- These will be used to create the extract of 0231 Program Service Codes for schools administering the operational NYSESLAT and SAFT.
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The NYSED Office of Accountability will be releasing the final 2023-24 ESSA accountability status for public schools, charter schools, and districts later this month. Charter schools that are identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI), and Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) are required to submit the “2023-24 Charter School DCIP Equivalency Form” by February 22, 2024 to charterschools@nysed.gov. | | | |
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Data pull of free and reduced price lunch (FRPL) counts, and enrollments - all reported through SIRS- These will be used for preliminary State Aid calculations and federal reports.
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Keep your reporting up to date. Below is a list of past due dates for reporting. | | | |
| Reporting | Date | | Overdue SIRS Reports | Begin or complete as soon as possible. | | Day Calendar and Marking Period | Collection opened September 25, 2023. | | Student Enrollment and Demographics | Collection opened September 25, 2023. | | Staff Snapshot | Due November 20. | | Staff Assignment | Due November 20. | | Student Daily Attendance | Collection opened September 25, 2023; should be reported at least bimonthly throughout the school year. | | Overdue Business Portal reports | Complete as soon as possible. | | ESSA Financial Transparency (EFT) Report | Due December 31, 2023. | | Building-Level Emergency Response Plan | Due October 1, 2023. | | District-Wide School Safety Plans | Due October 1, 2023. | | |
NY-RISE
NY-RISE is a partnership between WestEd and the New York State Education Department to provide free professional development workshops and technical assistance webinars for New York charter schools. Their sessions are intended to strengthen charter schools’ capacity in the areas of board governance, financial operations, special education, and home to school connections. All sessions are recorded and posted on the NY-RISE website by category. Recent sessions have focused on supporting students with autism, executive sessions during governing board meetings, expanding programming for students with disabilities, and strategies for increasing student enrollment.
Link to NY-RISE Website
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NY-RISE Upcoming Sessions | | |
Elevating Family Engagement with the Academic Parent-Teacher Teams Model
Date and Time: January 29, 2:00 PM-3:00 PM
Intended Audience: Family engagement leads, school leaders
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Budgeting During Lean Times
Date and Time: February 8, 2:00 PM-3:00 PM
Intended Audience: School leaders
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Do you have something amazing happening in your school?
If you have a noteworthy program or successful best practices in your school pertaining to one of the performance framework benchmarks, reach out to your liaison to let them know. We would like to use this section to share evidence-based successful practices and programs in charter schools.
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Charter School Office
(518) 474-1762
89 Washington Ave.
Albany, NY 12234
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