June 2009 Key Messages

American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA)

A. Qualified School Construction Bonds (QSCB) Awards

Qualified School Construction Bonds (QSCB) are zero interest bonds awarded to school districts for the construction or renovation of school facilities or for the acquisition of land upon which a school is to be built. Under this program, the IRS gives tax credits to the lending institution to offset the interest that would normally be charged to the school district. New Hampshire's allocation for 2009 is $29,784,000. The QSCB Program was authorized under Title I of Division B of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The School Building Authority met on May 21, 2009 to review and prioritize applications for the 2009 allocation of QSCB. The Building Authority recommended that the following allocations be awarded: Somersworth $19,930,790; Winnisquam $ 3,550,000; Concord $3,680,000; and Pembroke $2,623,210 (Pembroke's request was for $3,600,000). The Commissioner of Education approved the Building Authority's recommendations on May 22, 2009. More information can be found on the Department's Web site at www.education.nh.gov.

Contact: Ed Murdough, (603) 271-2037, emurdough@ed.state.nh.us

B. Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZAB).

$3.4 million in allocation remains available for 2009. Schools where work is to be accomplished must have at least 35% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. Go to www.education.nh.gov for information on how to apply.

Contact: Ed Murdough, (603) 271-2037, emurdough@ed.state.nh.us

Accountability, Assessment, Curriculum, and School Improvement

A. Statewide Assessments

The 2009-2010 Statewide Assessment Memo will be sent to test coordinators, school principals, and superintendents during the first week of June. The memo will contain information about statewide assessment programs: the fall and spring NECAP assessments, the ACCESS for ELLS assessment, the NH Alternate Assessment, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress. In addition to being sent directly to schools and districts, this memo will be posted on the Department's Web site (www.education.nh.gov) within the Notices link and the Assessment Updates link. Please circulate this comprehensive memo to all appropriate staff members.

Contact: Tim Kurtz, (603) 271-3846, tkurtz@ed.state.nh.us

B. Mathematics and Science Summer Learning Experience (MSSLE)

A Mathematics and Science Summer Learning Experience (MSSLE) is scheduled for July 27-29, 2009. It will be held in Nashua, NH. The intent of the institute will be an extension of last summer's mathematics institute and to offer professional development opportunities relating to research, leadership, and best practices in mathematics and science education. All registrations are due by June 22, 2009. Information can be found at www.education.nh.gov.

Contact: Christine Downing, (603) 271-3844, christine.l.downing@ed.state.nh.us (for mathematics)
Jan McLaughlin, (603) 271-3856, jmclaughlin@ed.state.nh.us (for science)

Certification

A. Educator Information System (EIS) - Teacher Renewal Form

The NH Department of Education will be implementing the new EIS, the online system enabling educators to complete the renewal process for their New Hampshire educator certification, including credit card payment. All recommendations for renewal will be submitted online by the SAU office. Educators, not opting for the credit card option, will be able to submit paper renewals through the mail paying by check. A transmittal form is now available at www.education.nh.gov. More information can be found on the Bureau of Credentialing Web site at www.education.nh.gov.

Contact: Denise Littlefield, (603) 271-4196, denise.littlefield@ed.state.nh.us

Data Issues

A. Race and Ethnicity

The DOE introduced the new USED collection and reporting requirements for racial and ethnic data for students at the i4see end of year training held this past month at the DOE. Documents from the training session have been posted to the DOE i4see Web site (www.education.nh.gov) under Tip #22. School districts will be required to report racial and ethnic data following the new guidelines beginning with school year 2009-2010 Beginning of Year (BOY) submissions.

Contact: Irene Koffink, (603) 271-3865, Irene.koffink@ed.state.nh.us

B. Performance Pathways (P+) and Assessment Data

For the past year, the NH DOE has been sending data to P+ for several assessments: NECAP, NWEA, DIBELS, AimsWeb, Access for ELL's, and Stanford Reading First. If your district conducts any of these assessments and you are not seeing them in P+ but would like to, please contact us.

The state is also paying for P+ to load two additional third party assessments for districts with student level assessment results (e.g. if you are conducting the CAT tests, IOWA, etc.).

Please note: Your students' results can be included in P+ at no additional charge. They will do the work for you to include these results.

Finally, districts may load as many additional assessments (local or national) as desired if the district loads the data directly in P+ themselves.

Contact: Lisa Kaim, (603) 271-8049, lkaim@ed.state.nh.us

Funding Issues

A. School Building Aid

a. Please submit Form A24F and any other missing documentation as soon as construction projects are complete. We cannot make the final payment on any project with missing documentation.

b. Project Status Reports were mailed in April to verify the entitled amounts of School Building Aid for each district in FY 10. Please sign and return the form as soon as possible if you have not already done so.

c. Summer Tips - Schools which are closed for the summer need to be checked for leaks following heavy rain storms. Wet areas must be dried completely within 48 hours to avoid the growth of mold. When cleaning carpets using wet methods, try to avoid very humid days and Fridays. Provide as much ventilation as possible to dry the carpet quickly. Do not close up a school with wet carpet longer than overnight.

d. Reminder: Monthly fire drills are required during summer sessions. Schools may need to consider a different evacuation plan for the summer due to different patterns of building usage.

Contact: Marjorie Schoonmaker, (603) 271-3620, mschoonmaker@ed.state.nh.us

Grants and Requests for Proposals
ALL RFPs Can be Found on the Department Web site at www.education.nh.gov

A. Vocational Rehabilitation

New Hampshire Vocational Rehabilitation (NHVR) is currently seeking proposals from all interested parties (community rehabilitation programs, school districts, employers, community-based organizations, postsecondary institutions, faith-based organizations, agency collaborative, etc.) to: work with school districts with high incidences of students who have dropped out of school, in order to develop a plan for drop out recovery leading to graduation and meeting career ready standards leading to employment; increase competitive integrated employment opportunities for people with disabilities who traditionally experience lower employment retention success; and develop sector-based training opportunities embedded within the specific industry that leads to skill acquisition and concrete job opportunities. Deadline: Friday, June 19, 2009 at 4:00 p.m.

Contact: Sharon DeAngelis, sdeangelis@ed.state.nh.us, (603) 271-3806

Hearings

A. Ed 700 Adult Education

There is a public rulemaking hearing, Wednesday, August 12, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. in the State Board Room at the Department of Education, 101 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301. Deadline for written comments is August 26, 2009.

Contact: Mary Mayo, (603) 271-3189, mmayo@ed.state.nh.us

Initiatives

A. Common Core State Standards Initiative

New Hampshire has joined the Common Core State Standards Initiative along with 45 other States and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. The initiative is led by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the National Governors Association, and the states. Commissioner Tracy recommended to Governor Lynch that as participants NH could share the lessons learned from its partnership with the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) and the benefits of states working together collaboratively. This effort anticipates development of common core standards that are based on research and evidence, are aligned with college and work expectations, include rigorous content and skills, and are internationally benchmarked. Once developed the adoption of these common core standards is voluntary for states, and it is fully intended that states adopting the common core may choose to include additional state standards which go beyond the common core.

Contact: Virginia M. Barry, Ph.D., (603) 271-3144, virginia.barry@ed.state.nh.us

B. Summer 2009 Response to Intervention (RTI) Conference

The "Doing RTI: What Does it Really Mean" Conference will be held July 7-9, 2009 at the Radisson Hotel, Nashua, NH. This conference features Shannon Harken of the (Iowa) Heartland Area Education Agency. With many years of first-hand experience in introducing and sustaining RTI in Iowa schools, Shannon Harken will present on "lessons learned" from her experience with RTI, from the early stages of building consensus and developing collaborative teams through the use of data to modify and differentiate instruction to reach all students. She will introduce RTI tools and facilitate workshops and action planning for teams of educators on this essential new school improvement approach. Teams from schools and districts at all stages of the RTI process are invited to learn more and network for two and a half days of professional learning. District or school teams will receive preference; individuals are welcome based on available space. Funding possibilities include Title II redistribution funds (use DOE Form 1), IDEA Part B funds, IDEA ARRA funds, and district PD funds. Conference registration closes on June 12th and the deadline for room reservations is June 20th. An RTI brochure can be found at www.education.nh.gov.

Contact: Dr. Nancy Childress, (603) 271-6579, nancy.childress@ed.state.nh.us

NH High School Redesign

A. Fourth Annual Apex II Summer Leadership Institute

"Systemic Reform and Redesign to Improve High School Outcomes: APEX II and Beyond" is being held August 18 and 19, 2009 at the Attitash Inn and Conference Center in Bartlett, NH. This year's institute will be open to teams from high schools that are interested in: Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS); Improving school culture and climate; Student Leadership and participation; Intensive school-to-career interventions; Data-based decision-making; Creating multiple and individualized pathways to graduation; and Function-based assessment and interventions. For more information and to register go to www.iod.unh.edu/events.html#apexsi.

Contact: McKenzie Harrington, (603) 271-3739, mharrington@ed.state.nh.us or
Bonnie St. Jean, (603) 271-3805, bst.jean@ed.state.nh.us

School Approval Standards
This section applies to both public and nonpublic schools

a. The Commissioner's recommended designations for school approval, for schools expiring June 30, 2009, will be submitted to the State Board of Education for their approval on June 10, 2009. Final designations will be sent to schools after the State Board meeting.

b. Districts that are opening new schools, closing schools, or changing the grade configurations of schools for School Year 2009-2010 must notify the Office of School Approval prior to June 26, 2009. Such changes can only be effective as of July 1, 2009. Notification of changes received after that date will not be effective until July 1, 2010. This affects AYP, state aid, and other concerns.

c. School approval packets for public schools expiring June 30, 2010 will be mailed around July 1st. Packets for nonpublic schools will be sent in the Fall.

Contact: Marie Morgan, (603) 271-4125, mmorgan@ed.state.nh.us
Leslie Higgins, (603) 271-3759, lhiggins@ed.state.nh.us

Special Education

A. Technical Assistance - NH Rules for the Education of Children with Disabilities

The Bureau of Special Education has one session remaining for technical assistance for understanding the changes to the NH Rules for the Education of Children with Disabilities on Wednesday, June 10, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the NHDoE - Room 15.

Contact: Santina Thibedeau, (603) 271-6693, sthibedeau@ed.state.nh.us

B. New Hampshire Special Education Information System (NHSEIS) Weekly Forum

The New Hampshire Department of Education and PCG conduct weekly forums via conference call on the New Hampshire Special Education Information System (NHSEIS).

The forum has two purposes:

• communicate approaches and resolution of common support issues.
• provide a forum for districts to raise issues and seek input from all parties (district, NHDOE, and PCG).

Conference line number: 1-888-742-8686
Conference ID: 1745834

• Thursday, June 11, 2009 - 10:00a.m. - 11:00a.m.
• Thursday, June 18, 2009 - 3:00p.m. - 4:00p.m.
• Thursday, June 25, 2009 - 10:00a.m. - 11:00a.m.
• Thursday, July 2, 2009 - 3:00p.m. - 4:00p.m.
• Thursday, July 9, 2009 - 10:00a.m. - 11:00a.m.
• Thursday, July 16, 2009 - 3:00p.m. - 4:00p.m.
• Thursday, July 23, 2009 - 10:00a.m. - 11:00a.m.
• Thursday, July 30, 2009 - 3:00p.m. - 4:00p.m.

Contact: Terry Hersh, (603) 271-3775, Terry.Hersh@ed.state.nh.us

C. New Hampshire Special Education Information System (NHSEIS)

The New Hampshire Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education, will provide on-site training for school districts who would like to use the Individualized Education Program (IEP) component of NHSEIS.

NHSEIS Training	July 2009	August 2009
Administrators as users regarding federal State reporting	Wednesday, July 8, 2009 NHDoE - Room 15 1:00p.m.-4:00p.m.	Thursday, August 13, 2009 NHDoE - Room 15 9:00a.m.-12:00p.m.
CAT AID Chapter 402	Thursday, July 9, 2009 NHDoE - Room 15 9:00a.m.-12:00p.m.	Tuesday, August 25, 2009 NHDoE - Room 15 1:00p.m.-4:00p.m.
Teachers as users regarding IEP development	Thursday, July 9, 2009 NHDoE - Room 15 1:00p.m.-4:00p.m.	Tuesday, August 25, 2009 NHDoE - Room 15 9:00a.m.-12:00p.m.

Contact: Santina Thibedeau, (603) 271-6693, sthibedeau@ed.state.nh.us

D. Special Education Technical Assistance Consultants (TAC) Project

The Bureau of Special Education would like to remind school districts that free technical assistance is available through the New Hampshire Department of Education (NHDOE) TAC project during the 2009-2010 school year. The NHDOE knows that professional development days are determined during the spring months for the upcoming school year and we encourage you to put in a request now to secure free technical assistance for your school district staff.

Areas of technical assistance include, but are not limited to:

SPP/APR & District Data Profiles, Individualized Education Plan (IEP) TA, Special Education Process, Transition Planning, and Parent Involvement.

Contact: McKenzie Harrington, (603) 271-3739, mharrington@ed.state.nh.us

Professional Development

A Consolidated Application Workshops for No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

The Department of Education will be offering a series of regional workshops to provide technical assistance to train staff that will be completing the NCLB Title applications for 2009-10. Please bring your computers and your questions. Work time has been built into the schedule. Titles I, II-A, III, IV, and V will be reviewed. Laura Douillette, NCLB accountant, will be present to answer questions about the fiscal process. Register at www.spdc.org. These sessions will be held at the regional professional development centers at various dates and times:

• 6/11/09 9a.m.-12p.m. SouthWestern NH Educational Support Center, Keene, NH
• 6/16/09 1p.m.-4p.m. North Country Education Services, Gorham, NH

Contact: Jennifer Middaugh, 775-8693, jmiddaugh@sau16.org

B. Instructional Coaching Conference: August 11-13, 2009, location TBA

Kathy Dunne has 20+ years of experience in designing and implementing mentoring, induction, and coaching programs, and in the training and preparation of mentors and content-based coaches. She is co-author of Mentoring New Teachers Through Collaborative Coaching: Linking Teacher and Student Learning and the accompanying facilitator guide. Upcoming registration will be found on this link: www.education.nh.gov.

C. STEM Equity Train the Trainer Grant Organizing Meeting

This professional development will form a State Team of secondary Career and Technology Education Center Directors that will apply for a grant issued by the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Equity Pipeline, a National Science Foundation extension service grant. The grant will provide access to experts in research and practice in gender equity in STEM through a train-the-trainer process. This event will take place at the NH Department of Education, Room 15, on June 11, 2009, from 2:30-4:30.

Contact: Sue McKevitt, (603) 271-6613, smckevitt@ed.state.nh.us

D. New Hampshire's Rigorous Plans of Study Initiative

This professional development is for Health Science, Accounting, and IT teachers and college professors who will examine state and national curricula to align courses that enable students to gain dual-credit opportunities. A statewide articulation agreement will result from this work. Students following the rigorous program of study while in high school will be prepared to enter college without the need for remediation and will maximize the opportunity to gain college credit while in high school. This event will take place on June 30 to July 1, 2009, at the Seacoast School of Technology, Exeter NH.

Contact: Kim Runion, (603) 271-7977, krunion@ed.state.nh.us

E. OPEN NH Offers Discounts for Districts for e-Learning for Educators Online Professional Development Courses

OPEN NH (New Hampshire e-Learning for Educators) offers a variety of group discounts for SAUs, districts, or schools. Discounts include 25 seats in our 7 week online courses for $1900 and 5 seats for $450. The OPEN NH Fall 2009 Session will begin on October 6th. Districts can also request the special delivery of any of our courses at the 7-8 week time frame of their choice. To request a special delivery course, a designated team leader should complete a Special Course Delivery Registration form available online and send it to the OPEN NH Project Coordinator for processing, or contact the OPEN NH project coordinator.

The OPEN NH Fall 2009 Session will run from October 6th through November 24th. The list of courses running in the fall, as well as descriptions of all courses in the OPEN NH catalogue, can be found on the Web site www.opennh.org. A new online registration process will be available shortly for the fall session. Please visit the Web site for updates.

Graduate credits are available through Plymouth State University at an additional cost.

Contact: Stan Freeda, (603) 271-5132, sfreeda@ed.state.nh.us

Department Staff Updates

Virginia M. Barry, Ph.D. was sworn in as Commissioner of Education on June 1, 2009. The Executive Council unanimously confirmed Governor John Lynch's nomination of her on May 6. She can be reached at Virginia.barry@ed.state.nh.us or (603) 271-3144.

Resources

A. SunWise Program

The SunWise Program (www.epa.gov/sunwise/) is an environmental and health education program that aims to teach the public how to protect themselves from overexposure to the sun through the use of classroom, school, and community-based components. There are many excellent resources on that site.

Other

21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, Title IV B, July 1, 2009 Awards

The 21st Century Community Learning Center program awards competitive grants for expanded academic enrichment opportunities for children attending high poverty schools. The following will be receiving grants on July 1, 2009:

• Berlin School District/Family Resource Center at Gorham-Project Youth
• Hillsboro-Deering School District/UNH Cooperative Extension
• Rochester Housing Authority/Rochester School District
• Winchester School District/Keene Housing Authority
• Madison School District/Madison Recreation Department
• Manchester School District/Boys & Girls Club of Manchester
• Nashua School District/Greater Nashua Boys & Girls Club

The goal of the 21st CCLC program is to raise student academic achievement through the creation and expansion of community learning centers that provide students with academic enrichment opportunities as well as additional activities designed to complement their regular academic program. Grants are up to five years.

Contact: Suzanne Birdsall, (603) 520-6263, sbirdsall@ed.state.nh.us or
Christina Durkee, (603) 271-7306, cdurkee@ed.state.nh.us

ABC's Shark Tank

The producers of the new ABC reality series Shark Tank are on a nationwide search to discover the next successful - and possibly wealthy - entrepreneurs, inventors, businesspersons, dreamers, promoters, creators and innovators. If you feel you have a lucrative business idea but just can't seem to secure the financial backing to get it off the ground then Shark Tank is just the show for you. Each episode features aspiring entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas to moguls in hopes of landing investment funds. Apply now for your chance to enter the "Shark Tank" and see if your idea survives. All interested parties should e-mail vanessa.bond@yahoo.com with the following information: Name, Age, Hometown, Telephone and Photo: Please put in the subject line of your e-mail if you are an: Inventor, Entrepreneur or both

NH Libraries Kick Off Summer Reading Program

Children's librarians across New Hampshire are creating special summertime programs based on the slogan "Summertime.and the Reading is Easy," which was selected by The Children's Librarians of New Hampshire, a division of the New Hampshire Library Association, as the theme for the 2009 New Hampshire Summer Reading Program. To participate in "Summertime.and the Reading is Easy," children need to register at their local library. Over the course of the summer, they will be asked to keep track of how much time they spend reading or how many books they read. There are no set reading lists; participants can read whichever books they want. Children will be offered incentives to read as much as they can during the summer months. For more information about "Summertime.and the Reading is Easy," contact Ann Hoey, youth service coordinator at the New Hampshire State Library, at (603) 271-2865 or ann.hoey@dcr.nh.gov.

AgBiotech Workshops at New England Agriculture Educators Conference: Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs and BioPharming

Carolyn Kelley, former NH Biotechnology teacher, will present two hands-on, all-day workshops for secondary Agriculture educators that address: GMO's - their science, regulation, and sale, including a laboratory investigation testing local foods and Pharming - the process of genetically altering plants and animals to create pharmaceuticals. All materials, including lesson plans and teaching activities, are aligned to national science standards; CDs, and laboratory teaching kits are included. This professional development will take place at the Bristol County (MA) Agricultural High School, all day on June 26, 2009.

Contact: Kathleen Totten, (603) 433-1964, erpartnership@ccsnh.edu

Archaeology Field School

The 2009 Summer Archaeology Field School, co-sponsored by the NH Division of Historical Resources and Plymouth State University, will be held in two 2-week sessions from June 21 through July 17 in Randolph, NH. Science and Social Science teachers will have an opportunity to participate in a dig on a 12,000 year old site and obtain graduate level continuation credits. For more information, visit www.nh.gov/nhdhr/scrap09.htm or contact Richard Boisvert, (603) 271-6433 or richard.a.boisvert@dcr.nh.gov

Show Me the Evidence:
Evidence-Based Practices for Supporting Students with ASD in Schools and Communities

The goal of the Autism Summer Institute is to provide strength-based perspectives about students with Autism Spectrum Differences (ASD) to improve the quality of education in inclusive settings. Participants will gain knowledge and skills to evaluate and select supports and strategies based on research evidence that will enhance the full participation of students with ASD in their schools and communities. This Institute taking place August 10-13 offers a unique combination of keynote presentations, breakout sessions, and "home" work groups. For more information visit www.iod.unh.edu/events.html#asi.

Watershed Ecology Institute: Opportunity For Teachers and Community Leaders

Science teachers, conservation commission members and environmental educators interested in exploring watershed ecology can sign up for a ten-day course offered this summer on July 20-24 and 27-31, 2009, at the Meredith Community Center. The Watershed Ecology Institute is sponsored by an alliance of organizations, including NH Fish and Game and UNH Cooperative Extension. It can be taken on a non-credit basis, or for undergraduate or graduate credit. For registration forms, contact information and more www.huntnh.com/Newsroom/News_2009/News_2009_Q2/watershed_ed_summer_wkshop_09.html.

Adventures in Babysitting

Adventures in Babysitting is a two-night weekend camp open to both military and civilian youth which will be offered July 10-12 and July 17-19, in locations throughout the state. The program utilizes the 4-H/Army Child & Youth Services Babysitting curriculum, and participants will receive an official Certificate of Completion at the program's end. Topics include safety, first aid, child development, nutrition, entertaining children, and the business of babysitting. The course will be taught by youth development professionals and group leaders formally trained in the babysitting curriculum. Course graduates will be expected to provide childcare at military events and/or for individual military families on at least two occasions. For more information, visit www.nhomk.com or call the Operation Military Kids (OMK) office at 862-2297.

WalMart's Nation Challenge - Earth Day Every Day

Maple Avenue Elementary School in Claremont, NH is one of 20 national finalists to win a $500.00 prize to do more green efforts in the school. Maple Avenue Elementary School is the ONLY school in the final 20 schools nation-wide that is located in New England. Please vote online for Maple Avenue Elementary School in order to work towards winning the national level prize - $20,000.00. The prize will be awarded based on the total number of votes. There are some much larger schools among the top 20 schools nationally, so we must rally support.

The deadline to vote is June 19th. The Web site is: www.earthdayeverydaychallenge.com. You'll see Maple Avenue Elementary School right there on the front page.