ADE Briefs

If you live near Jonesboro and want to take part in planning the state’s application for the competitive Race to the Top Funds, don’t forget to attend the session from 4:30-6:30 p.m. today at Jonesboro High School. Race to the Top is a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and could meant millions of dollars for education in the state.
Posted by JJT.

Arkansas is again recognized by the Data Quality Campaign for being one of a handful of states with premium educational data systems. In a report released this weekend to the Council of Chief State School Officers at the annual policy meeting, the Data Quality Campaign named Arkansas as one of 11 states to meet the organization’s 10 criteria for a longitudinal data system that follows student progress from preschool through college.
“We were one of the six states that had all ten elements in 2008,” said Jim Boardman, Arkansas Department of Education assistant commissioner for technology and research. “This report illustrates that Arkansas is a national leader regarding the collection of the ten essential elements of a longitudinal data system.”
The full report is availabe at www.DataQaulityCampaign.org.
Posted by JJT.

Arkansas students interviewed for the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) Thursday at the Holiday Inn Airport. In addition to the interviews, Senator Shane Broadway addressed the students — who are semi-fianilsts at this point — as the luncheon speaker. The delegates, who will go to Washington, D.C., and their alternates will be announced in early December.
Posted by JJT.

This just in from the Arkansas Department of Health:

(Little Rock) —The number of confirmed deaths in Arkansas from the H1N1 flu has now risen to 20, according to the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). Additional vaccine supplies for protection against H1N1 flu are arriving in the state, and more is on the way.
People in all of the higher risk groups (including pregnant women, people caring for infants under 6 months, health-care and EMS personnel, people 6 months – 24 years and people 25-64 with underlying medical conditions) can begin to check with their providers to get protection from the H1N1 flu. Over 900 facilities in the state have expressed an interest in being able to distribute H1N1 vaccine, and vaccine is currently being shipped to some of those providers depending upon supply.

Additionally, James Phillips, M.D., Infectious Disease Branch Director at ADH, said that people with chronic underlying conditions should contact their physician as soon as possible if they develop flu-like symptoms consisting of fever over 100 degrees, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea.

These include:

• Children younger than 5 years of age (the risk for complications from flu is greatest for children younger than 2 years old)
• All pregnant women up to 2 weeks postpartum
• People of any age with chronic medical conditions such as:
Asthma, reactive airway disease
COPD
Any chronic lung disease
Chronic heart problems (except hypertension)
Chronic kidney problems, especially if on dialysis
Liver problems
Neurological/neuromuscular problems (such as disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerve)
Muscular problems (cerebral palsy, epilepsy/seizure disorders, stroke, intellectual disability/mental retardation )
Muscular dystrophy
Spinal cord injury
Blood problems such as sickle cell anemia, leukemia
Metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus)
• People with weakened immune systems such as those undergoing chemotherapy or those on immune suppressing drugs, people who have HIV
• People under 19 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy

Phillips said that plans are being made for the second round of mass vaccination clinics to offer free H1N1 vaccine to high risk groups after the Thanksgiving holidays, and a listing of those clinics will be posted at www.healthyarkansas.com . Arkansans are encouraged to keep checking the website for listings.

All school districts and charter schools in Arkansas now have access to ESRI’s full complement of geographic information system (GIS) technology. The software is available for both administrative and classroom use.
Jim Boardman, ADE assistant commissioner for research and technology, says that this “is an important step in providing educational opportunities for our students to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.”
The Arkansas Department of Education plans a comprehensive program to introduce GIS to the state’s students, teachers and administrators. A Web site will be set up to exchange information, post announcements, answer questions and manage GIS software distribution. ESRI’s Virtual Campus will be used extensively to introduce students to GIS concepts and applications, and the EAST Initiative will provide administrative, instructional, and technical support.
Posted by JJT.

Dr. Tom W. Kimbrell left today for his first meeting with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The five-day CCSSO policy conference is being held in Naples, Fla., and will involve state education chiefs, deputy chiefs and federal liaisons from across the country.
CCSSO is a leader in the state-led voluntary national common core standards initiative as well as a respected voice on other education policy matters including educator development, data-driven instruction and advances in assessments of student learning.
No doubt, a major topic at the policy session will be the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, specifically the just-issued guidance for the $4.35 billion competitive Race to the Top Fund.
Posted by JJT.

Education stakeholders in the state are invited to attend one of a series of meetings ADE is holding as we develop the application for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s Race to the Top grants. The states that win these grants will receive hundreds of millions of dollars to make significant advances and reforms in public, K-12 education.
All of the state’s education reform in recent years puts Arkansas in a prime position to submit a winning application. During the meetings, we will share a general overview of the Race to the Top requirements, as well as solicit input from participants on developing the plan for the state’s application.
The schedule is:
Monday, November 23: 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Jonesboro High School
in Jonesboro
Thursday, December 3: 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Henderson State University’s Caplinger Airway Science Academic Center in Arkadelphia
Monday, December 7: 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Northwest Arkansas Education Service Center in Farmington
Tuesday, December 8: 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Southeast Arkansas Education Service Center in Monticello
Monday, December 14: 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Arkansas Activities Association in North Little Rock
Tuesday, December 15: 3:00-5:00 p.m. at Arkansas Tech University’s Chambers Cafeteria in Russellville
Wednesday, December 16: 4:30-6:30 p.m. at Forrest City Junior High School in Forrest City
Posted by JJT.

Bryant School District leadership knew more technology was needed in the schools’ classrooms; they just didn’t have the funding. While the district had kept up with advances the best it could through wise use of regular appropriations and grants, the schools were still lacking many tools to maximize learning and to expose students to current technology.
Enter the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and Arkansas’ allowance for a significant portion of the federal funds to be directed toward educational improvements.
When the money’s availability was announced in early 2009, a team from the district determined which purchases would have the most impact and submitted their proposal, one of the first districts in the state to do so. Their well-researched request was approved, and the district ordered nearly $1 million in computers, computer-based equipment and software, most of which was delivered in October.
“Students expect technology in the classroom. They interact with technology in every other aspect of their lives; it’s how they learn. In order for them to be engaged in the classroom, up-to-date technology has to be there as well,” said Jessica Norris, Communications Director for the district.
The following are just some of the items the ARRA money allowed the district to purchase:
• 600 Apple laptops to be used for in-classroom learning, allowing most students in the district hands-on access.
• 60 iPod Touch devices to be used in science instruction and to replay lectures.
• 181 REDCAT classroom audio enhancement systems, allowing at least one unit for every elementary school in the district.
• 15 SMART boards – or interactive white boards – with Texas Instrument navigator systems to be used in high school classrooms, and 111 interactive Mimio boards for elementary and middle school classrooms.
“We’ve already received everything we ordered and are getting the systems in the classrooms as quickly as possible,” Norris said.
Posted by JJT.

Arkansas teachers honored at the Arkansas Teacher of the Year gala on November 6 were featured prominently in Sunday’s High Profile section of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Congralations again to all the finalists this year!
Posted by JJT.

A Commissioner’s Memo describes the process each school that qualifies must follow to apply for Gains or Status Awards money. Because of a technicality in the law, the process is slightly different than announced earlier and also includes different deadlines.
The Office of Academic Accountability, along with staff from the School Improvement Division and the Finance Division, will review and approve each proposal, and approve spending of performance-based funding for those academic expenses listed.
Posted by JJT.