The department collaborated with the Department of Human Services to develop a data matching system to identify and directly certify low income students for participation in USDA child nutrition programs. The system automatically communicates this information to the student’s school at the time they become eligible.
The department developed a system for effective ordering and distribution of USDA commodity allowances to low income households and partners. During the biennium, over 8 million dollars worth of USDA Commodity Foods were distributed to low income households throughout the state.
The department brought all facets of education together to design a web-based, statewide system of intensive and sustained support and improvement (SSOS) to assist local education agencies and schools in need of program improvement to meet the state’s academic content standards and student academic achievement standards. The statewide system is inclusive of all students, including at-risk students, students with disabilities, and those with limited English proficiency.
The department, in collaboration with school counselors, the ND University System, and the Education Standards and Practices Board; amended administrative code to ensure counseling criteria meets changing school needs.
The department conducted a first-ever survey of all North Dakota public high schools to collect specific courses required by each district for high school graduation.
The department rewrote the majority of the Online Reporting System (ORS) and implemented the student level data upgrade to a new system called the State Automated Reporting System (STARS). This new system includes fall enrollment and year-end pupil membership data collections; we added management of transportation during the second year of the biennium. The School Finance and Organization Unit provided training and technical support to the field and reviewed and validated data submitted.
The department successfully transitioned from the US Department of Education federal data collection system called EDEN to the now federally mandated collection system called EdFacts.
The department created an online video training program for the ND State Assessment and the online Consolidated Application modules and worked with Special Education to produce a DVD movie for their monitoring process.
The department’s Coordinated School Health Unit was reorganized to include adult education and Learn and Serve. These programs have cross functional purposes; consolidation resulted in better service to students, parents, and increased agency efficiency.
The department was successful in obtaining its second, five-year, highly competitive prevention grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). North Dakota was one of 17 states awarded the grant.
The department placed approximately 400 automatic external defibrillator (AED) units and cabinets in ND schools – both public and private.
The department accepted statewide and department-wide responsibility for pandemic planning. As a result, the department and all ND schools have implemented a crisis management plan to deal with this potential threat.
The department completely rewrote the State Aid payment system required to implement the new legislative funding formula; replaced outdated software with a WEB application to collect financial data in the spring of 2008; and is currently in the process of moving paper-based Student Contracts to a WEB application that will manage notifications, contract workflows and payments.
The department revised all state guidelines related to the IDEA. Subsequent training on these revised policies and procedures were conducted to school administrators and coordinators, parents, advocates, and other state agency personnel. Materials were widely distributed for further local training opportunities.
The department was awarded an additional $500,000 annually for 5 years to reform and improve the personnel preparation and professional development system for teachers and related services personnel. This project is directed toward the needs of the most rural communities in North Dakota and will help assure that highly qualified special education personnel will be available for the children and schools of our state.
The department was one of a small number of states selected to receive a grant award from the National Center for Special Education Personnel and Related Service Providers. This additional award facilitated North Dakota’s capacity to recruit, prepare, and retain special education-related personnel.
The department developed a statewide web-based special education case management system. Beginning in May of 2008, all public schools in North Dakota will be using this system to make special education case management easier and more efficient; promote compliance with federal regulations; ensure more accurate data collection and reporting; and assist teachers and administrators in using data to serve students with disabilities more effectively.
The department met or exceeded its goal to establish rigorous K-12 academic content standards and to implement academic achievement standards based on the state’s assessment system in a number of specific areas.
The department successfully revised and implemented alternate assessments for students with significant cognitive disabilities; developed and implemented English Learning Proficiency assessments for students with limited English proficiency; and revised, modified, and implemented assessments for students with persistent learning difficulties based on modified achievement standards.
The department partnered with the ND University System to provide math and science grants in certain high-need districts and assisted districts with federal consolidated grants.
The Early Reading First Program, part of the President’s “Good Start, Grow Smart” initiative, is designed to transform existing early education programs into centers of excellence that provide high-quality, early education to young children, especially those from low-income families. The overall purpose of the Early Reading First program is to prepare young children to enter kindergarten with the necessary language, cognitive, and early reading skills to prevent reading difficulties and ensure school success. The North Dakota Early Reading First program, called MiND PLACE or Minot, North Dakota Preschool Literacy Acquisition Collaborative for Education, serves preschool children in the Minot and surrounding areas within three Head Start Centers, Minot Public Schools Head Start, the Three Affiliated Tribes Head Start Program, and the Early Explorers Head Start Program.
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North
Dakota Department of Public Instruction
Dr. Wayne G. Sanstead, State Superintendent
600 E. Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 201
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505-0440
701/328-2260
