Dear Colleagues,
Happy Holidays! I’m Shannon Tahoe, Interim Commissioner of Education. As Beth Berlin mentioned in her previous update, her last day at the New York State Education Department (NYSED) was Friday, November 15.
Since 2006, I have served in various capacities at NYSED, including Deputy Counsel and Assistant Counsel for Legislation. I look forward to getting to know you in the months ahead.
This week, the Board of Regents also announced the appointments of William Murphy as the Deputy Commissioner for Higher Education and Aaron Baldwin as Acting and Deputy Counsel. Mr. Baldwin will serve in the Acting Counsel position until a permanent Commissioner is identified. At that time, I will take on the role of Counsel and Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs. Thank you for your continued support as we work through this transition.
As we reach the end of this eventful year, I’d like to wish you, your families, and your school communities a safe and happy holiday season and a wonderful New Year. Thank you for your continued commitment to education and for everything you do to help give students the opportunities they need to succeed in school and in life.
Below are updates on:
Thank you again for all you do every day for the children of New York.
Sincerely,
Shannon Tahoe
Interim Commissioner
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Board of Regents Advances 2020 Budget and Legislative Priorities and State Aid Request
The New York State Board of Regents this week called for a $2 billion increase in Foundation Aid for the 2020-21 school year to support a minimum one percent increase for all districts and prekindergarten expansion and inclusion pilot programs. In addition, the Board advanced a bold and comprehensive set of funding proposals to best meet the needs of every student in New York by achieving Equity, supporting Early Childhood Learning and English language learners, implementing New York’s Every Student Succeeds Act plan, and enhancing efficiency within the State Education Department and school districts statewide.
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Guidance to Increase Equitable Access to Advanced Coursework for All Students
The State Education Department recently issued guidance to assist school districts in ensuring all students, including those that are historically underserved, have equitable access to rigorous coursework. The guidance, rooted in five core principles, builds on the State’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan, which uses multiple measures of success to advance equity. This includes a “College, Career and Civic Readiness Index,” that measures, among other indicators, advanced course enrollment.
Implementing the strategies outlined by the guiding principles will help districts provide additional opportunities and encourage students who are underrepresented in advanced coursework. Offering the preparation, information, and access to such courses will ultimately improve their ability to be ready for all available post-secondary options.
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2020 New York State Summer School of the Arts
The New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA) is now accepting applications for the 2020 session. Each summer, talented students study with arts professionals in the NYSSSA program in the fields of theatre, ballet, modern dance, orchestral studies, choral studies, visual arts, and media arts.
Students in grades 8-12 are encouraged to apply now for the 2020 NYSSSA session. Auditions begin in January and will be held across the state.
Visit the NYSSSA website for more information, including a schedule of audition sites and application materials.
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New Guidance for HIV/AIDS Prevention Education
The State Education Department, the State Department of Health AIDS Institute, and other experts have developed new guidance for HIV/AIDS Prevention Education.
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Southern Adirondack Library System Honored with 2019 Shubert Library Excellence Award
The New York State Library recently awarded the Southern Adirondack Library System with the 2019 Joseph F. Shubert Library Excellence Award for its Fresh Food Collective Farm-2-Library Distribution program. The Library System launched the Fresh Food Collective program in 2018 to address the food scarcity challenges faced by small, rural communities in its region. The library system collaborated with other community stakeholders, including Comfort Food Community and Glens Falls Hospital, to provide fresh, local produce to community members that may not otherwise have access to it and reduce food waste at local farms. Congratulations to the Southern Adirondack Library System for launching this inspiring program!
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Teacher of the Year
The New York State Teacher of the Year program is now accepting applications for 2021 Teacher of the Year. The Teacher of the Year is an exemplary educator who will serve as ambassador for New York State teachers and will be the state’s nominee for National Teacher of the Year.
Find out how to nominate a teacher and/or submit an application.
The application deadline is February 1, 2020. Questions may be directed to the Office of Curriculum & Instruction at 518-474-5922 or toty@nysed.gov.
Join us in recognizing and celebrating our outstanding teachers!
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Professional Development Workshops for NYS World Language Teachers and Administrators
NYSED’s Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages will present a series of three professional development workshops: Implementing New York State Standards for World Languages – Supporting Learners on the Pathway to the Seal of Biliteracy, facilitated by ACTFL presenters to support the transition to the revised New York State Standards in World Languages.
These three full-day workshops are open to any New York State (NYS) World Language Teachers or Administrators. They are offered free of charge and will be held in each our of 7 regions of New York (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island – see locations below) from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. A total of five (5) CTLE hours will be granted for attendance at each workshop. While this a related series of workshops, participants may choose to attend one, two, or all three, depending on their professional development needs. For detailed workshop descriptions, dates, locations and presenter information, click on the appropriate link(s) below.
Additional information can be found at the NYSED-OBEWL 3-PD Series – Implementing New York State Standards for World Languages: Supporting Learners on the Pathway to the Seal of Biliteracy (Winter/Spring 2020) web page. Questions can be directed to our Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages at (518) 474-8775 or OBEWL@nysed.gov.
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