NYS Education Department

The NYSED Curriculum, Instruction & Instructional Technology (CI&IT) Team's March 2010 E-Blast is now available.

Statewide high school graduation results reported by school districts were released today.

I am pleased that New York State has been selected as a finalist in the first round of the federal Race to the Top competition. The Regents and I commend our many partners in school districts across the state for their support in developing New York's application. Together, we developed a strong and competitive proposal -- one that will advance the bold reforms needed to turn around failing schools, close the achievement gap and enable all of our children to succeed. These reforms aim to ensure that all of New York's public schools have truly effective teachers and principals, high quality curricula, well-designed assessments and are focused on the academic success of every child. We continue to recognize the importance of Legislative action to the Regents' broader agenda for education reform. We look forward to presenting our case in Washington for a comprehensive, integrated and innovative education reform agenda for New York State.

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has been awarded $9.5 million in a matching grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to expand computer access in public libraries across New York State. The funding is being provided through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).

State Education Commissioner David Steiner today announced the removal of 14 schools from "school under registration review" (SURR) status and the addition of four schools onto the SURR list. Additionally, Commissioner Steiner announced that three schools in New York City and one school in Rochester that otherwise would have been placed on the SURR list will be phased-out and closed. SURR schools are those farthest from meeting State standards and face the possibility of closure if they do not make improvements required by the Commissioner.

I am deeply concerned about the issues facing homeless children in our school system. I believe strongly that our system needs to support all of our children, and that homelessness should never be a barrier to educational achievement. With too many families throughout the State facing homelessness and so many struggling in this economy, it is critical that we get this right.

State Education Commissioner David Steiner announced today that New York will join the Partnership Zone Initiative together with Mass Insight and five other states--Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts--to turn around low achieving schools.

State Education Commissioner David Steiner today announced that 57 schools have been identified as "persistently lowest achieving" and therefore eligible for new funding and major intervention to turn them around, as part of New York's school reform agenda.

A great deal of information, including direct mailings to K-8 teachers and regional meetings across the state, will be made available to teachers and administrators - test design, time requirements, etc. so that the field is fully informed and can offer their insights. Sample questions at each grade level in each subject will also be provided. In addition, curricular and other resources for teachers will be provided on our website.

The purpose of the New York State Education Department's Virtual Learning System is to encourage the use of the Internet as a tool for teaching and learning and to assist classroom teachers in locating Internet resources for instruction. VLS offers the full text of New York State's learning standards with their key ideas and performance indicators, as well as alternate performance indicators for students with severe disabilities. It provides resources that classroom teachers can use to support preK-12 standards-based instruction, such as sample tasks, learning experiences and lesson plans.

The Love Your Library license plate is now available from the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Proceeds from the plate's annual fee will help support the New York State Library's Statewide Summer Reading Program at public libraries across the State.

The Commissioner's monthly report to the Board of Regents featuring information on the Regents School Accountability Plan, Challenges to the Regents Exams, and other relevant topics.

"In an effort to ensure that New York presents the strongest and most competitive Race to the Top application possible and in light of the productive ongoing discussions occurring between school districts, unions and policy makers in districts that have not yet signed, we will be extending the deadline for eligible districts and charter schools to sign on to the state's Memorandum of Understanding. I am in regular contact with school leaders, policy makers and union officials and am hopeful that we will be able to forge a consensus to move forward with the bold reforms necessary to close the achievement gap, turn around failing schools and ensure that all of our children succeed."

To date, over 800 New York State school districts and charter schools, 94% of those eligible, have submitted a signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) supporting the State's application for Race to the Top funding. To date, 656 School districts of 700 overall and 146 of 154 charter schools have submitted a total of 802 MOUs.

Race to the Top is a competitive U.S. Education Department grant that is open to State Education Departments. This funding would not only help provide our schools with much needed support. It would also help to underwrite a bold agenda for reform that will greatly improve the achievement of our students.

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a joint effort by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) www.nga.org and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) www.ccsso.org in partnership with Achieve, ACT and the College Board. Through this initiative, Governors and state commissioners of education from across the country have committed to joining a state-led process to develop a common core of state standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics for grades K-12 and for more detailed information visit www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/common_core_standards/.

Governor David A. Paterson and Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch today announced the award of approximately $5.5 million in grants to 11 "Smart Scholars" Early College High Schools (ECHS) and the State University of New York (SUNY) to coordinate this network of early college high schools throughout the State. Over the course of the four-year program, it is estimated that approximately 2,570 students will be served by these early college high schools supported, in part, by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced last summer.

Each one of our 3.1 million K-12 students in NYS deserves a world-class education — the chance to succeed in college or meaningful employment in our 21st century global economy — along with the tools and the desire for a lifetime of learning. When I was given the task of being Education Commissioner this October by the Chancellor and the Board of Regents — they gave me a very clear charge: raise the quality of education in our state, and work to transform the New York State Education Department into a hub of innovation and best practices.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released guidance on infection control measures to prevent the transmission of 2009 H1N1 influenza for healthcare personnel — including school nurses who may potentially come in contact with an individual with 2009 H1N1 Influenza. The "Interim Guidance on Infection Control Measures for 2009 H1N1 Influenza in Healthcare Settings, Including Protection of Healthcare Personnel" can be accessed at: www.cdc.gov/h1n1/guidenlines_infection_control.htm