Better Schools Magazine May 2022

CLXXVIII | MAY 2022

Fundamental Resources and Editorials for School Administrators

BUILDING

‘PARENTSHIPS’ IN LEARNING COMMUNITES

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PILING IT ON: MANDATES

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT SCHOOL LIBRARY SELECTION POLICY

IMPLEMENTING OKLAHOMA’S NEW DYSLEXIA SCREENING LAW

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CONTENTS CCOSA Executive Committee Melisa Kifer CCOSA Chairperson ODSS Past-President Special Services Director Stillwater Public Schools Kyle Reynolds CCOSA Vice Chairperson OASA President Superintendent Woodward Public Schools Dr. Matt Posey OASA President-Elect Superintendent Bethel Public Schools David Beiler OASSP President Jenks High School Jenks Public Schools Randy Biggs OASSP President-Elect Principal, Frederick HS Frederick Public Schools Robb Mills OMLEA President Principal, Dewitt Waller MS Enid Public Schools

9 Words From the Director

By Dr. Pam Deering, CCOSA/OASA Executive Director

10 Don’t Miss the CCOSA Summer Leadership Conference!

13 Piling It On: Mandates, 2023 and Beyond

By Dr. Jeanene Barnett, CCOSA Education Policy and Research Analyst

17 Anticipating Oklahoma’s New Special Education Policies and Procedures Manual

By Andrea Kunkel, ODSS Executive Director/CCOSA General Counsel

19 Leading and Serving During Tragedy

By Andrea Kunkel, ODSS Executive Director/CCOSA General Counsel

23 Implementing Oklahoma’s Dyslexia Screening Law

By Andrea Kunkel, ODSS Executive Director/CCOSA General Counsel

27 What to Know About School Library Selection Policy

Kate Creekmore OMLEA President-Elect Activities/Athletic Director Bixby Public Schools

By Shelli Sharber, PhD

Teresa Golden ODSS President Special Services Director Kingston Public Schools Rachelle English ODSS President-Elect Special Services Director Stilwell Public Schools Ashley Hoggatt OAESP President Principal, Kirkland ES Putnam City Public Schools Janalyn Taylor OAESP President-Elect Principal, Nance ES Clinton Public Schools Dr. Gregg Garn Higher Education Liaison Sr. Associate Vice Provost of Digital Learning University of Oklahoma

30 Welcome to the Team!

Onboarding New Employees

By Dana Ezell, Chief HR Officer, Jenks Public Schools

44 Sign up for 2022-2023 District Level Services Program ASSOCIATION UPDATES 47 OASA

53 OAESP

48 OASSP/OMLEA

55 ODSS

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CONTENTS

32 Beginning School with Intentional Plans for a Positive Year

40 Building ‘Parentships’ in Learning Communities

By Traci Newell, Principal, Elgin Lower Elementary, Elgin Public Schools & Incoming OAESP President-Elect and Dana Moore, Principal, Edison Elementary, Lawton Public Schools

By Dr. Kyle Palmer, author of Parentships in a PLC

CCOSA Staff Dr. Pam Deering CCOSA/OASA Executive Director

Andrea Kunkel CCOSA General Counsel ODSS Executive Director

Derald Glover OASA Assistant Executive Director

Dr. Jeanene Barnett Education Policy & Research Analyst & TLE Coordinator

William D. Parker OASSP/OMLEA Executive Director

Elyse Maxwell Director of Marketing and Communications

Glen Abshere OAESP Executive Director

Kathy Dunn Director of Professional Learning, State and Federal Programs Cynda Kolar Business Manager Charlotte Murphy OASSP/OMLEA/CEC Executive Assistant

Lynne White OAESP Executive Assistant & Assistant to the TLE Coordinator Laura Crabtree Membership Coordinator ODSS Executive Assistant Nicole Donnelly OASA Executive Assistant Holliann Burnett Marketing & Communications Coordinator

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Words from the Director Dr. Pam Deering, CCOSA/OASA Executive Director deering@ccosa.org

It’s five o’clock somewhere…

Wishing that it was five o'clock May 27, the Legislature would be adjourned and the summer would be ahead with the promise of time to regroup and refresh. We can only hope for an earlier adjournment due to upcoming elections.

With a budget agreement for FY23 this week, they are poised to close the session and go home. Sadly, the agreement is a standstill for Common Education with flat funding in the face of high inflation (8.3%), the teacher shortage, and the decline in federal funding related to the pandemic.

We have one more week for legislators to sift through some remaining legislation. Because of your calls, texts, emails and face to face meetings with your legislators, you have made the difference in fending off bad policy this year.

We know, however, that next year looms with the possibility of these bad policy issues resurfacing.

Our fight for public education is ongoing!

June election primaries are so important to public education. CCOSA and OROS are working together on another campaign, as we did against vouchers, to remind our districts and members along with their staff to understand the importance of registering to vote and voting for pro-education candidates.

Our ask is that you will continue your work even after school is out to inform your district staff and community about candidates who will work for public education or continue to work for public education. We saw the price that some Senate members paid during the voucher debate when they voted against vouchers. Some lost committee assignments, their bills were not heard, and opponents were solicited to run against them in their upcoming races. Who said there were no politics in education?!

During this same time, CCOSA has been focusing on “a new CCOSA experience from the inside out” with a plan to deliver more value to CCOSA members. This strategy will help us drive volunteer leadership engagement, training, and overall member growth over the next 12-36 months. A part of this focus will require a CCOSA investment in infrastructure and structure to create a foundation for success, now and in the future. What this really means is that we will invest in new membership management software, review our internal processes, and ensure that we are properly aligned with our mission, vision, and values. We want you to more easily interact with CCOSA, connect and network with our members, and benefit from unmatched products and services. We can’t wait to get started on this journey to make CCOSA the best ever!

Five o’clock somewhere might be at the CCOSA Conference as we learn and have fun together.

Register here www.ccosa.org/professional-learning/ ccosa-summer-leadership-conference for a more comprehensive review of new laws at the CCOSA Summer Leadership Conference and many other great learning sessions June 7-9, 2022, along with updates on CCOSA’s progress on this new journey to improve the CCOSA experience.

Thank you from the CCOSA Executive Committee (CEC) and the CCOSA team for your help in making this our highest membership year, our program participation one of the highest in years, and our partnership/ sponsorships the highest ever! We have so much more to go and grow to keep you as a valued member. Always here to support you!

Sincerely, Dr. Pam Deering CCOSA/OASA Executive Director ■

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MORE THAN 80 BREAKOUT SESSIONS TO CHOOSE FROM! DON'T MISS OUT ON THESE AND OTHER GREAT SESSIONS! ■

Superintendent Contracts: Supt. & Board Perspective

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Returning to the Joy of Teaching

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Is Public Education in Jeopardy?

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School Finance 101

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ACT Preparation

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Next Level School Budgeting

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Tax Protests & TIFs: Why you need to know more about them

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Reimagining Leader Induction and Retention Closing the Equity Gap – Practical Steps to Creating Equitable Classrooms

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What to do when library materials are challenged Preparing for Board Meetings The Proper Place for Religion in Schools

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Innovation Through STEM When School Culture is the Focus

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Weighing the Risk for Dyslexia Through Screening Prepping Students for High School and Beyond (College & Career) —Dave Schuler, AASA Developing a High Performance Superintendent/Board Leadership Team Bond Issue Challenges: A District’s Success Story Promoting Entry-Level Teachers to First-Class Educators

DON'T MISS KEYNOTE DR. RICK RIGSBY, PRESIDENT & CEO RICK RIGSBY COMMUNICATIONS, MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER & BEST-SELLING AUTHOR! WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2022 8:30 AM - OPENING GENERAL SESSION

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MAY 2022 | better sch o o ls

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Piling It On:

MANDATES 2023 and Beyond

By Dr. Jeanene Barnett, CCOSA Education Policy and Research Analyst

In addition to the over 20 mandates instated this year, Oklahoma schools have several mandates that prior years’ legislation requires for implementation in future years.

Below, you will find a list of eight mandates, categorized by the school year in which they are required to be implemented, with a hyperlink to the bills themselves, so you can read the specific language for more details if you wish. Then, below, you will be able to read more of a detailed summary of what each bill requires from schools. This list does not include any new mandates that may come from the 2022 Legislative Session.

Mandates Implemented In 2022-2023 HB 1103 (2021) Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment Survey shall be given every other year in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12.

HB 1568 (2021) Maria's Law directs that health education curriculum must include instruction in mental health, with an emphasis on the interrelation of physical and mental well-being.

HB 2804 (2020) Dyslexia screening is required for any student enrolled in grades K, 1, 2 or 3 who does not meet the grade-level targets in reading after the beginning-of-the-year assessment for RSA. Dyslexia screening also may be requested for a student by his or her parent or guardian, teacher, counselor, speech-language pathologist or school psychologist.

HB 2030 (2021) United States naturalization test given to students at least once per school year, 8-12 grades, may be offered to 8th grade students at district’s discretion HB 2749 RSA Professional Development is required in districts receiving more than Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) in RSA funds. Districts shall spend no less than ten percent (10%) to provide professional development for teachers teaching prekindergarten through grade five in the science of how students learn to read as well as instructional materials required for implementation.

Mandates Implemented in 2023-2024 SB 89 (2021) Health Education Act health education (physical, mental, social and emotional, and intellectual) provided

Mandates Implemented in 2024-2025 HB 3400 (2020) Minimum of four Advanced Placement courses available to students SB 252 (2021) Computer Science (one in HS; aligned to standards in MS and Elementary) offered

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Detailed summary of what each bill requires from schools HB 1103 (2021) requires that every public and private school student in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 will be administered the Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment (OPNA) Survey every other year. Survey results provide direction to schools to effectively improve the lives of students with a focus on alcohol, tobacco, other drug use, mental health, academic failure and violence. Board of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Oklahoma State Board of Education (SBE) may promulgate rules (none posted yet), and survey administration will be subject to the availability of federal funding. HB 1103 became effective November 1, 2021 with an implementation during the 2022-23 school year.

HB 1568 (2021) creates Maria's Law and requires that all schools, as part of any health education curriculum, include instruction in mental health, with an emphasis on the interrelation of physical and mental well-being.

The SBE will promulgate rules to implement this new law (none posted yet). The SBE did adopt new Oklahoma Academic Standards (OAS) for Physical Education & Health Education at the March 10, 2022 SBE Meeting, approving a modified version. The modified version rejected the proposed Oklahoma teacher-created New OAS

for PE & Health Education and, instead, replaced them with the original OAS for PE and Health Education standards, with additional language to address Maria's Law requirements only. SDE, in partnership with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, will identify and provide additional resources for districts as they meet this 2021 mandate "that all schools, as part of any health education curriculum, include instruction in mental health, with an emphasis on the interrelation of physical and mental well-being." HB 1568 became effective November 1, 2021 with an implementation date of July 1, 2022.

HB 2804 (2020) requires dyslexia screening for any student enrolled in grades K, 1, 2 or 3 who is assessed under the RSA and isn’t meeting grade-level reading targets after the beginning-of-the-year assessment.

Additionally, a parent, teacher, counselor, SLP or school psychologist may also request screening for a student. The SBE has developed policies for dyslexia screening and have adopted a list of approved qualified dyslexia screening tools that can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/ OSDEdyslexiascreeners

Beginning June 30, 2023 and annually thereafter, districts shall provide certain screening and other dyslexia-related data to SDE, and by December 31, 2023 and annually thereafter, SDE shall provide a report including all such information to the Governor and Legislature and post the report on its website. HB 2804 became effective November 1, 2021 with various implementation dates for different mandates in the bill. The requirement for dyslexia screening becomes effective in the 2022-2023 school year.

HB 2030 (2021) requires the United States naturalization test be given to students at least once per school year, 8-12 grades, with the 8th grade offering at a district’s discretion. Students must pass (get 60 out of 100 questions correct) the U.S. naturalization test in order to graduate, beginning with those who are 9th graders in the SY202122. Districts must exempt students with disabilities whose IEPs indicate assessment with alternate achievement standards through the OAAP. HB 2030 became effective November 1, 2021 with districts required to offer the test during the 2022-2023 school year.

OSDE FAQs: https://tinyurl.com/ SDEcitizenshipexamfaqs

2023-2024 SB 89 (2021) creates the Health Education Act which requires health education (physical, mental, social and emotional, and intellectual) be taught in the public schools. By the SY2022-23, the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) shall develop a micro-credential and professional development for health teachers.

By the SY2023-24, school districts must provide instruction (either integrated into an existing subject or as a stand-alone course) addressing all health education subject matter standards, as adopted by SBE, at least once in the grade spans of pre-kindergarten through 2nd grade, 3rd through 5th grade, 6th through 8th grade and 9th through 12th grade. At the March 10, 2022 State Board of Education meeting, the SBE approved a modified motion to adopt the alternative proposal, drafted by Board members and available in the Board book, that retained the original OAS for Physical Education and Health Education, with the additions that addressed Maria's Law requirements only. The motion directed that the Board would revisit the OAS for Physical Education and Health Education within the next 12 months and delay making changes that reflect the requirements in the new Health Education Act (SB 89-2021) even though the OSDE is directed in statute to develop a micro-credential and professional development for health teachers in SY2022-23. SB 89 was effective July 1, 2021 with various implementation dates for different mandates in the bill.

2024-2025 HB 3400 (2020) all public high schools must make a minimum of four advanced placement courses available to students. Options for accessing advanced placement courses include: a school site or sites within district, a career and technology institution within the district, a program offered by the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board or one of its vendors, or a school site or sites in another school district. This bill was effective November 1, 2020.

SB 252 (2021) requires high schools to offer a minimum of one computer science course (redefined in HB 43892022) to students, and middle and elementary schools to offer instruction aligned to the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Computer Science. It permits the instruction to be offered through stand-alone computer science courses or through integration in other courses. This bill became effective November 1, 2021. ■

SY2023-25 New Mandates

MAY 2022 | better sch o o ls

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Anticipating Oklahoma’s New Special Education Policies and Procedures Manual

by Andrea Kunkel, ODSS Executive Director/ CCOSA General Counsel OSDE’s Special Education Services (SES) section has made the decision to convert the current Special Education Handbook back to a Policies and Procedures Manual (P&P).

SES staff members, along with OSDE attorneys, have been working to update the current language and guidance to prepare for that conversion. The conversion requires 30 days of public comment and approval of the final P&P by the State Board of Education (SBE). OSDE projects that SBE will consider the P&P for approval at its June 23 regular board meeting and that the approved document will take effect in July.

Prior to the public comment period, SES released many of the chapters for comment to Oklahoma directors of special services. Nevertheless, we anticipate the draft P&P released for public comment to include some language we haven’t seen before and some language we hoped not to see again. When the draft P&P is released for public comment, directors and others should review it carefully and submit their comments as directed.

These are just a few of the changes we expect to see in the P&P released for public comment: ■

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Secondary transition services must be in effect at the beginning of the ninth-grade year or by age 15, whichever comes first.

An IEP for students moving in with an IEP from another Oklahoma LEA must be in place within 10 school days of the student’s first day of attendance in the new LEA. A shortened school day requires an FBA/BIP. If additional data is required for an initial evaluation per the Review of Existing Data, the LEA must gain signed parental consent or document the parent’s refusal to consent for the initial evaluation within 10 school days.

Draft IEPs and evaluation summary results must be provided to parents 2 school days prior to the formal team meeting.

By the time this article is published, the draft P&P should be well into its 30-day comment period. If you haven’t already done so, please review and comment about at least a portion of the draft. Once SBE approves the final P&P, we’ll likely be living with it for a long time. ■

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MAY 2022 | better sch o o ls

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LEADING AND SERVING DURING TRAGEDY

by Andrea Kunkel, ODSS Executive Director/CCOSA General Counsel

Sadly, Oklahoma school communities suffer difficult losses every year. When the loss affects entire communities, however, the response of education leaders is essential and often inspiring. Teresa Golden serves as the Director of Special Services for Kingston Public Schools and the President of ODSS. It has been a pleasure to see her leadership in action in both of those roles and as a member of the “hub team” for TeleSPED. But Teresa also put her leadership skills into action in the aftermath of two recent tragedies—the March 21 tornado in Kingston and the March 22 traffic accident that caused the deaths of six students in Tishomingo.

After the March 21 tornado had passed, but before the rain had even stopped, Teresa and other district administrators began trying to confirm that students and staff were safe. Thankfully, the tornado didn’t damage Teresa’s home or Kingston Schools’ property.

Unfortunately, the damage to the rest of the community was severe.

The administrators visited—or tried to visit—all school sites, but encountered many inaccessible roads and areas. Hearing reports

of damage there, Teresa called the Chickasaw Children’s Village, a residential and educational care facility whose students attend Kingston Schools. Michelle Strain, an OSDE Crisis Team school counselor, responded to Teresa’s request for resources concerning PTSD and tornadoes.

School staff throughout the district pitched in to assess the damage and needs in their areas and relayed information back to the administrative team,

helping them to identify student, staff and community needs and corresponding resources.

On a personal level, Teresa also responded to requests from some neighbors—weekend residents of Kingston—by climbing onto their roofs, looking for damage.

Laughing, Teresa said of her roof climbing efforts, “It wasn’t pretty.”

When asked what ODSS and CCOSA could do to help in Kingston, Teresa quickly shared that a paraprofessional and a fellow CCOSA administrator had lost their homes in the tornado. That information gave CCOSA staff, members of the ODSS Executive Committee and Teresa’s fellow TeleSPED hub team members the opportunity to donate through Venmo and to their Go Fund Me accounts.

The Tishomingo tragedy happened the day following the tornado, and news of it spread quickly. When Teresa, a certified school counselor in addition to other certifications, heard about it, she approached

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Kingston’s middle and high school counselors, school-based social worker and school mental health professional about volunteering their services in Tishomingo Schools the next day, when school in Kingston was still out. When asked why Kingston staff had reached out while still managing their own tragedy, she explained, “There isn't a script to follow when a tragedy on this scale happens— although you can prep for it—but you go where your heart takes you and try to help as many people as possible.”

Tishomingo also had volunteers from different schools and agencies present to help, and the Kingston group split up between different school sites, where they provided support for students and staff in staging areas and subbed for teachers who needed to be in and out of their classrooms. Some members of the group went back to Tishomingo the following day,

but Teresa stayed in Kingston, passing out food in the community and responding to requests for resources as she could.

When asked what she learned from her experience, Teresa said she had new appreciation for the unpredictability of tornadoes and would always take cover in the future. She also asked that we thank and express her

appreciation for all the CCOSA members who checked on her and her district during and after the tornado. Although she always knew that CCOSA was a supportive community, she had not previously experienced a situation that placed her in the center of that support.

This was Teresa Golden’s first experience with tragedy on such an extensive scale. She and her fellow educators showed up and took on the challenges without hesitation. They coordinated across communities, collaborated with resources from across the state, and pulled together to begin the healing process. Teresa demonstrated what public school educators do best–caring for students, teachers, and families, no matter what. ■

MAY 2022 | bet t er sch o o ls

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IMPLEMENTING OKLAHOMA’S DYSLEXIA SCREENING LAW

by Andrea Kunkel, ODSS Executive Director/CCOSA General Counsel CCOSA has adapted this article from presentations made by staff in the Curriculum and Instruction and Special Education Services Sections of OSDE and information found on the OSDE website.

Mandatory Dyslexia Screening for Certain K-3 Students Title 70, Section 1210.520 of the Oklahoma Statutes provides that, beginning with SY2022-23, any student enrolled in grades K-3 in an Oklahoma public school who is assessed through RSA and isn’t meeting grade-level targets in reading after the beginning-ofschool-year assessment will be screened for characteristics of dyslexia. SBE has approved the following screening instruments for this purpose:

Acadience (formerly DIBELS Next)*

Acadience Learning, Inc.

Amira

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

FastBridge*

Illuminate Education

Istation*

Imagination State

MAP Reading Fluency™

NWEA

mCLASS© DIBELS 8th edition*

Amplify Learning, Inc.

STAR CBM

Renaissance Learning, Inc.

The asterisk * above means the assessment must be supplemented with the Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST) for advanced phonemic awareness skills, which can be found at no cost at www.thepasttest.com.

The * assessments meet all the requirements of state law except that they lack the advanced phonemic awareness component. The use of the PAST with these assessments ensures that all required dyslexia screening components are covered.

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The purpose of this screening is to identify risk for characteristics of dyslexia early on. The screening does not provide a diagnosis of dyslexia. It does provide additional information useful in implementing tiered reading intervention in the general education classroom.

OSDE is creating a common form for technical guidance for each dyslexia screener listed at left.

It will ask vendors to fill in appropriate information and post completed forms on the OSDE website.

Any certified teacher can administer the screening. If someone else administers the screening, the student’s general education teacher should communicate closely with that person because information from the screening should be used to inform instruction.

School staff members can find detailed information on interventions most helpful for students with characteristics of dyslexia in Chapter 7 of the Oklahoma Dyslexia Handbook, found at https://sde.ok.gov/sites/ default/files/Oklahoma%20 Dyslexia%20Handbook_0.pdf.

OSDE has proposed timelines to govern the K-3 screening process. These proposed timelines may change, so readers should carefully monitor dyslexia screening updates from OSDE. Aug/Sept

Administer beginning-of-school-year universal RSA screening assessment to students K-3. LEA sets specific assessment window.

Oct 1

RSA beginning-of-school-year report due.

No later than Nov 1

Within 30 days of identifying student as at risk for reading difficulty by not meeting the grade-level target on screening assessment, complete IPRI. Begin intervention plan.

No later than Nov 1

Within 30 days of completing universal RSA screener but no later than Nov 1, administer the dyslexia screener to students K-3 who didn’t meet grade-level target on the universal screener.

Begin any changes to IPRI intervention (documented on IPRI or addendum) conducted in general education.

No later than Dec 1

Within 30 days of completing dyslexia screening but no later than Dec 1, advise parents of results through the IPRI or IPRI addendum.

Provide families dyslexia info sheet.

Adjust IPRI intervention plan as needed.

Dec-Jan

Administer middle-of-school-year universal RSA screening assessment to students K-3. LEA sets specific assessment window.

April-May

Administer end-of-school-year universal RSA screening assessment to students K-3. LEA sets specific assessment window.

May 31

RSA End-of-Year report due.

Throughout year

Administer interventions described on IPRI. Monitor student progress (recommended monthly; more often for more intensive interventions) and make appropriate adjustments to intervention.

Districts must provide parents with certain information concerning dyslexia. School staff will complete the IPRI addendum or add dyslexia screening results to the IPRI and send it to parents within 30 days of completing screening. They’ll also provide parents an OSDE-created information sheet on dyslexia that includes the definition of dyslexia, risk factors and how this might related to special education services. OSDE’s family guidance is ready and will be released with its guidance for K-3 dyslexia screening, which is being finalized and should be ready for release in May.

Dyslexia Screening Requested by a Parent or Guardian, Teacher, Counselor, SLP or School Psychologist In addition to mandatory dyslexia screening for certain K-3 students, Title 70, Section 1210.520 of the Oklahoma Statutes provides that “Screening also may be requested for a student by his or her parent or guardian, teacher, counselor, speech-language pathologist or school psychologist.”

This provision potentially encompasses K-3 students for whom mandatory dyslexia screening isn’t required as well as students in grades 4-12. OSDE has not yet released guidance about this screening. That information is expected later this summer. ■

MAY 2022 | better sch o o ls

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MAY 2022 | better sch o o ls

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What to Know About

SCHOOL LIBRARY SELECTION POLICY

By Shelli Sharber, PhD Amid the recent wave of book banning across the nation many school officials are pondering if their library collection policies are strong enough to counter such challenges and questioning if their district is prepared should they face one. Fortunately, in Oklahoma the Standards for Accreditation of Oklahoma Schools, Standard VII: The Media Program, identifies policies and guidelines to aid in both the development of a collection and protection from censorship.

According to Standard VII, there shall be board approved policies for selection criteria including responsibility for selection and guidelines for reconsideration. In addition to said policies, Standard VII directs the staffing of a certified library media specialist (aka, school librarian) which helps assure the collection is developed and maintained based on the approved criteria.

OAS 210:35-3-126. Collection

development of the students for whom the materials are selected Incorporate accurate and authentic factual content from authoritative sources

(a) There shall be a written policy, approved by the local board, concerning the criteria to be used in the evaluation and selection of materials for the media program.

The written policies should contain criteria for selection, responsibility for selection, and guidelines for reconsideration.

X Earn favorable reviews in

Selection Criteria:

X Exhibit a high degree of potential

Individual districts can approve criteria that reflect their mission and goals, but there are some basic criteria that most policies contain. Here are a few that the American Library Association (ALA) recommends for school libraries.

General Criteria: X Support and enrich the

curriculum and/or students’ personal interests and learning

X Meet high standards in literary,

artistic, and aesthetic quality; technical aspects; and physical format

X Be appropriate for the subject

area and for the age, emotional development, ability level, learning styles, and social, emotional, and intellectual

standard reviewing sources and/ or favorable recommendations based on preview and examination of materials by professional personnel user appeal and interest

X Represent differing viewpoints on

controversial issues

X Provide a global perspective and

promote diversity by including materials by authors and illustrators of all cultures

X Include a variety of resources

in physical and virtual formats including print and non-print such as electronic and multimedia (including subscription databases and other online products, e-books, educational games, and other forms of emerging technologies)

X Demonstrate physical format,

appearance, and durability suitable to their intended use

X Balance cost with need

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OAC 210:35-3-127.

Staff responsibilities (a) The professional staff of the school, under the leadership of the media specialist, shall assume responsibility for the cooperative selection of materials and equipment for the media program.

Instructional/learning materials and equipment shall be selected by means of comparative analysis, based on criteria approved by the instructional staff prior to the selection Responsibility for Selection: It is common for the selection process to involve a committee, such as a library advisory committee, on the selection of materials; however, it is also common for selection discretion to be granted solely to the certified school librarian. The final selection decision is made as the school board approves the purchase of requested selections.

It should be noted that certified school librarians have been trained

to develop library collections based on best practices which include adhering to selection criteria, knowledge of learners (school librarians are also certified teachers), and use of professional tools (including professional reviewing sources, reading lists, award lists). They have the expertise to keep a collection balanced, relevant, and current as well as make unbiased selections.

Guidelines for Reconsideration: A reconsideration policy, the tandem to a selection policy, is a must for all school districts. It should contain specific steps on the procedures for challenging materials and those should be followed by all parties throughout the process. A well-established process will help prevent personal criticism of library personnel as well as bandwagon efforts to make blanket removals from the collection. The process assures a well-vetted examination and guides a decision based on a committee. It can also include an appeal process

involving a second and final decision regarding the material in question. Generally, the committee consists of the school librarian, an administrator, a teacher, a community member, and a student (if appropriate).

As a result of professional preparedness and knowledge of the established guidelines set forth

by Standard VII, well-informed administrators—together with their certified librarians—can create policies that place the district in the best position possible to handle any formal challenges or questions about the collection. For more information about Standard VII or collection development policies, see the below resources. ■ REFERENCES: American Library Association. Selection Criteria. https://www.ala.org/tools/ challengesupport/selectionpolicytoolkit/ criteria Standards for Accreditation of Oklahoma Schools (2014-2015). Standard VII: The Media Program. https://sde.ok.gov/sites/ default/files/documents/files/Library%20 Standard-VII.pdf

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Onboarding New Employees

By Dana Ezell, Chief HR Officer, Jenks Public Schools Shallow applicant pools and a sea of options for those seeking employment have turned the tide for how Oklahoma school districts should approach new employee onboarding.

Sink or swim may have been the approach in the past, but today a strategic approach for welcoming, preparing, and supporting is needed to successfully launch new employees.

According to the Gallup State of the American Workplace Report, “Employees WELCOME ABOARD make judgments and form opinions about their organization every single day — from the first day. Initial impressions matter.” With this in mind, it is critical for first impressions to be good impressions. Here are some simple steps districts can take to create positive first impressions.

■

■

Provide the information new employees need to feel confident on the first day. This can be as simple as making sure they know the date, time, and location of where to report to work. Details on where to park, what to wear, and what events to expect on the day can also ease the stress of walking into a new situation.

Set up technology access. There is nothing more frustrating to a new employee than not being able to access communication, systems, and information as soon as they need it. From taking attendance to accessing a learning management system or registering for professional

development, many processes in schools today require electronic access. Without the technology tools and access they need, new employees may already feel left behind.

■

Prepare the workspace. Remove old files and any confidential records. Provide keys to the door, desk, filing cabinets, etc.

Confirm the space has adequate furniture and supplies for the new employee to get started.

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Be friendly and welcoming.

Make sure that new employees receive a tour, know where the workrooms are, and have an invitation to lunch.

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NAVIGATING COMPLIANCE A cumbersome but important part of the onboarding process is legal compliance.

The key to staying on course is organization and preparation. Checklists can help make sure none of these steps are missed.

■

■

■

Gather the information required for the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s School Personnel Report including legal name, social security number, gender, date of birth, ethnicity, race, and certificate information.

Collect documents for Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Standards for Accreditation including official transcripts, the original teaching certificate, the loyalty oath, and the criminal background check through the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Complete United States Citizenship and Immigration Services processes for proving identity and employment authorization including the Form I-9 and E-Verify.

■

Provide enrollment forms for the Oklahoma Teacher Retirement System, medical and life insurance, and other state and local benefits.

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Obtain tax information for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Oklahoma Tax Commission.

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Ensure receipt of workers compensation notices, staff handbooks, district policies, and the Oklahoma Standards of Performance and Conduct for Teachers.

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Share payroll information including direct deposit forms, pay dates, and leave information.

■

Issue an employment contract and provide information about the Board of Education approval timeline.

STAYING AFLOAT

Staying Afloat

Starting a career in education can be like jumping into the deep end. Providing critical support via orientation, professional development, and mentorships will help new employees stay afloat.

An official new employee orientation can be a wonderful way for a new employee to quickly experience the culture of the district. Exposure to key leaders, learning about the district’s history and traditions, and meeting other new employees set the new hire up for success. The time is ideal for introducing the mission and vision of the district as well as sharing core values and expectations.

Focused professional development is also a key for new employees.

Being up to speed on district curriculum and practices before stepping into the classroom will prevent new employees from drowning under information overload after the school year begins.

At a time when district leaders are trying to keep their heads above water themselves, adding an onboarding process may seem daunting; however, developing an onboarding process for new employees will be time well spent.

Author and recognized expert in career psychology Arlene Hirsch reports that, “69 percent of employees are more likely to stay for three years if they experienced great onboarding.” At a time when every employee counts, great onboarding can be a lifesaver. ■

One of the most important aspects of onboarding is the assignment of a mentor. Research has shown new employees who were mentored had higher satisfaction, commitment, and retention. Successful mentors are those who can provide the right information at the right time while providing an appropriate level of support.

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Beginning School With INTENTIONAL PLANS FOR A POSITIVE YEAR

By Traci Newell, Principal, Elgin Lower Elementary, Elgin Public Schools & Incoming OAESP President-Elect and Dana Moore, Principal, Edison Elementary, Lawton Public Schools

MAY 2022 | better sch o o ls

The beginning of school can inevitably set the tone for the entire school year.

As administrators we want to ensure that the tone we set is a positive one. As you begin to plan for the new school year it is important to be intentional about the activities you plan as teachers come back to the building. Some things to consider include a welcome back to school letter, a school wide theme, and team building activities.

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A welcome letter is a good way to introduce new staff, share what the plan is for the beginning of the year activities, remind teachers of a school theme, and share your goals for the year. Another option is to take the time prior to school starting to send a personal “welcome letter” that is handwritten and sent to each teacher and/or staff member to their home. It’s an opportunity to let them know you hope they have a good summer, if you know of a specific trip they took, ask them about that. You can share that you are looking forward to working with them during the school year and remind them of a success they experienced from the previous year. Whichever option you choose, making that initial positive communication will help you set the tone for the year.

Choosing a theme for the school year can provide a fun starting point to work around. In the spring, before school is out, have your staff suggest themes to choose from for the coming school year. The themes may range from working around hallway and classroom decor to inspirational quotes. The entire staff then vote on the suggested themes and the winning theme is used. The theme can be used to decorate the school hallways and school foyer. School spirit shirts for the year are also created to go along with the theme. The morning Zoom assemblies use a Google Slide template with the theme as well. Don’t require teachers to change their classroom themes each year. The school theme is simply something that brings everyone together. Here are some themes to consider:

Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars!

This would be an easy theme to use as far as decorations because there are so many different directions to go with it. Some of the decorations teachers could use include an “All Star” sports theme, space star theme, Hollywood star theme and just plain stars.

Rock and Roll School t-shirts could have “tour dates” listed on the back of the t-shirt which are all of the different professional days or holidays that students would be out of school that year. Decorate with old record albums, inflatable guitars, microphones and boom boxes. Have the music teacher teach a fun song like Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer.”

During a school spirit week, students and staff can dress up in their best 80’s apparel.

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All About the Books

Fairy Tales, Fables & Classic Tales Have each class choose a specific story to decorate a bulletin board outside of their classroom. One idea is to use lessons taught from the stories as talking points for morning assemblies. One teacher might even create a cardboard castle entrance to walk through into her classroom.

Other themes could include construction, race cars, jungle, ocean, mystery, garden and flowers, circus, sports, camping, adventure and All-American theme.

Teachers could choose a book and decorate their beginning of the year bulletin board around its subject matter. Teachers share their favorite children’s books throughout the year and change boards to match those books. Use inspirational quotes from books to post throughout the hallways.

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The Importance of Team Building Activities Another important component to starting the year on a positive note is to be very intentional with your back-to-school activities. Planning professional development that is meaningful to your staff and addresses specific school needs is crucial. It is important that teachers understand you are not just checking the professional development box but rather providing them with information and activities that they can use to better teachers and to address student learning needs. When possible, incorporating team building activities in with your professional development days, you allow teachers to reconnect, laugh, and learn from each other all at the same time. Here are some examples of team building activities:

Scavenger Hunt: Divide the staff up into groups of 5 or 6 people. Teams need to come up with a name for their team and create a team poster. Give every team the same scavenger hunt sheet which directs them to find things around town to take photos of with their team.

As they take photos they will upload them to a shared Google Drive folder. Give the staff two hours to attempt to get as many photos as possible. While the teams are out taking photos, a couple of staff members can stay behind with the principal to create slideshows for each team using their photos. Plan to share the slide show during lunch or at the end of the day. great time. You can also use many of the photos to print and place in picture frames throughout the school. The students will love seeing their teachers acting silly and working together.

Hint for the scavenger hunt photos: Give each item a point value. Some photos required all team members to be in the photo. Those were some of the best photos because teams had to get strangers to take their photos. Here are some of the photo tasks we required: 4 members of your team in a bathtub, 5 members of your team on the playground slide, 1 member of your team hanging upside down on the jungle gym, 1 member of your team standing on one of the big red balls outside of Target, 1 member of your team sitting in a shopping cart, 2 members of your team giving each other piggyback rides, all members of your team in a human pyramid, all members of your team in a boat, 4 members of your team running through a sprinkler, 1 member of your team helping to deliver food at Sonic, all members of your team test driving a new car, all members of your team under a table, 2 members of your team on a diving board, 2 members of your team thanking a police officer, 2 members of your team on a fire truck, there are so many great ideas!

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Charcuterie Board Contest: This would be an activity that would be given to the staff prior to actually arriving to work and may take outside planning on the part of the team. Divide teams up equally with different grade levels and support staff. Provide a list of different charcuterie board themes for staff to choose from: meat and cheese, fruits and nuts, veggies, dips & crackers, sweet treats, nachos or tacos. The teams have to decorate their tables and then display their foods. The benefit of this is you will use this as one of your lunches during your back to school activities. This is definitely an activity that could be used at other times of the year, like Christmas, rather than planning an actual party off site.

Bulletin Board Decorating Contest: Divide teachers up into teams with staff that they might not usually get to work with and have them decorate bulletin boards in the common areas that do not belong to specific teachers or grade levels.

Purchase a ton of bulletin board decorations to have ready for the teams to use. Do not give them a theme for the boards. The only instruction to give is for them to come up with something that could stay up for the semester. Give them an hour and a half to create their works of art. Take photos of the boards and share them on your social media accounts for people to vote. The team with the most votes at the end of the week could win lunch on you and/or a free recess duty pass!

Other team building activities could include escape rooms, trust walks, cup stacking, tallest tower using marshmallows/spaghetti, and activities related to the school theme for example, if you used Blooming and Growing All Year you could have each teacher plant a succulent to keep on their desk.

The beginning of a school year can be an exciting and stressful time.

With some thought and planning, we can be sure that our teachers and students will come back to a school that is prepared for a year of focused and fun learning where our teachers and our students thrive and grow. ■

MAY 2022 | better sch o o ls

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Building

‘Parentships’

By Dr. Kyle Palmer, author of Parentships in a PLC

I had the honor of being the principal at Lewis and Clark Elementary in Liberty, MO for 10 years (2007-2017). During that time, we were fortunate enough to be nationally recognized four times by world class organizations Solution Tree and the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE). So much went into those accomplishments.

We had an amazing staff, amazing students, and amazing parents. As I reflect back to that time, I often think about how we underutilized the power of our parents.

Our parents had a voice, but they were not “enough” of the voice!

History has shown us that oftentimes parent communities and school communities are at odds. This was even true prior to the COVID pandemic. After two years of essentially slamming the door to our parents and not allowing them into our schools, the need to reengage with our parent community is more important than ever! Instead of parent enragement, we need more parent engagement! Higher Ed Dive (2019) reports that of the one thousand primary teachers across the United States who participated in the 2019 State of Parental Engagement survey, 55 percent stated that they did not understand the importance of parental involvement in the classroom. In addition, 54 percent believed that education was the teacher’s job, not a collaboration between parents and teachers. It may seem noble that these teachers are owning their professional obligations to ensure students learn, but at the expense of understanding the need to involve parents in the journey. In fact, parents can and need to be used as a prized and plentiful resource.

As an educator, I see daily how important it is for schools and families to work together. Whether it was during my time as a teacher, my ten years as a principal, or now my five years as a Human Resources Director, the lack of connection between teachers and educators is evident. All students deserve what I call a strong Parentship.

If you have been thinking that parentship is a made-up word, you would be correct!

Parentship is the state of having a trusting and robust collaboration between parents and educators, with an intentional focus on student growth. In a Professional Learning Community (PLC), a parentship better leverages parents’ impact on their children’s learning in the

MAY 2022 | better sch o o ls

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in Learning Communities

collaborative culture by equipping parents with the tools necessary for them to make a positive impact, along with the school, on their children’s learning. A parentship is a more specific way to focus on the dynamic, powerful partnership between parents and educators that is critical to student success.

Parentships include a student’s parent, guardian or caregiver, or another adult who is working to help improve the student’s success in school and life.

It is important to make the distinction between parental involvement and parental engagement and to understand how they differ, as both are needed in schools. Parental involvement is often the first step toward deeper parental engagement.

When schools ask parents to attend school events, such as concerts, carnival nights, and art shows, the schools are asking parents to be involved— to be present. In these examples, parents are involved but not necessarily engaged. When parents are engaged, they have voices and are listened to. Eliciting parental engagement is more than inviting parents to be present; it’s asking parents for their thoughts and feedback about the school. The table below highlights the differences between parental involvement and parental engagement. The goal in a parentship should be full engagement.

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The work in your PLC to drive the development of your parentship is focused on Four Critical Parentship Questions The following four critical questions will help you shift your attention to parent learning and strongly commit to parentships in a PLC. 1. What do parents need to know and be able to do to support student learning?

2. How will we know parents understand how to help student learning?

3. What will we do to support parents who don’t aren’t equipped to help student learning?

4. What will we do to support parents in extending students’ learning?

Answering these four critical questions will allow members of a PLC to thoughtfully plan for and advance parents’ and caregivers’ learning and determine how they will respond if there is no evidence of learning. Parents are a valuable resource in the educational process.

As you work toward increased levels of student learning, address these parentship questions in sequential order to focus the conversation around partnering with parents. The best way to build your parentship is to create a guiding coalition of key members of your school staff, along with key members of your parent and guardian community. This team

will then lead the collaborative work needed to establish your own parentship. This guiding coalition team is called the Parentship Success Team, or PST. In an effort to support students and families in making postsecondary decisions, you can organize student panels to provide more vital information to families. As we all know, many students and families struggle with these types of decisions. While the school counseling team can handle financial aid and admissions questions, with this strategy, families can seek feedback from former students who have recently graduated and had similar experiences.

Another strategy to build your parentship to impact students and their learning is to establish schoolwide norms. Just as those in collaborative teacher teams should establish behavioral norms for interactions within and outside the group, schools should determine norms for parent meetings and schoolwide events. It is always best to be explicit about your expectations of others.

You’ll need to lay out norms for: ■

Meetings between teachers and parents or guardians

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Meetings between the principal and parents or guardians

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Interactions between front-office staff and parents or guardians

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Phone conversations between teachers and parents or guardians

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Phone conversations between the principal and parents or guardians

If you would like to learn about more amazing strategies to help you and your school build your very own parentship, be sure to see my book Parentships in a PLC which can be purchased at Amazon and the Solution Tree website. ■

MAY 2022 | better sch o o ls

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ASSOCIATION UPDATES

MAY 2022MAY | better 2022 |sch bet o otls er sch47 o o ls

OASA

Dr. Pam Deering, CCOSA/OASA Executive Director Derald Glover, OASA Assistant Executive Director

Members continue to “zoom-in” for OASA Touch Base with numbers over 100 each week. We value this opportunity to provide a platform for a network of professionals learning together on timely topics.

Membership continues to grow each month thanks to your efforts of support for your professional association. OASA now enjoys working with 800 superintendents and central office staff! This is a milestone that includes 495 superintendents which is approximately 97 percent of the traditional school superintendents in the state.

To date, Oklahoma has 164 AASA members. Our goal would be to reach over 200 members so that we could have an additional seat on the AASA Executive Committee as we did in the past.

The OASA Constitution and ByLaws Committee met to review the document for this year.

The committee made several recommendations. Dr. Hau serves as the chair of this committee along with Rob Friesen, Thomas Schools Superintendent and Ed Kennedy, Grandview Schools Superintendent.

These recommendations were then approved by the OASA Executive Committee to then go to a vote of the OASA Membership.

OASA District Directors and members are celebrating the defeat of the voucher bill but are wary of it coming back in some form in the future. Members continued to voice their concerns and the need to continue the fight against vouchers in our state.

Members are challenged to give to the CCOSA PAC as much and as often as they can. It is easy to do. If we want to continue to fight vouchers and other bad policy issues, we must elect people who believe in and support public education with their actions, not just say that they support public education as a political campaign promise, then do the opposite. The PAC contribution gives you an even greater voice for public education in election years. www.ccosa.org/

advocacy/pac Along with other bills, OASA staff has worked diligently with OASA member input to provide recommendations and language on the Teacher/Leader Effectiveness (TLE) bill (SB 1535). The bill sought to eliminate the state mandate for teacher/leader evaluations. OASA members believe that we need a consistent evaluation system statewide but get relief from reporting requirements.

OASA Supt and Asst Supt of the Year Award notices for nominations were sent out after spring break.

District superintendents of the year have been selected and committees have now been approved to select the state superintendent of the year and the Lifetime Achievement Award winners. ■

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ASSOCIATION UPDATES

OASSP / OMLEA Will Parker, OASSP/OMLEA Executive Director

Membership

OASSP Region 5A Meeting

At the end of January, OASSP membership is 882, exceeding last year’s total of 811 by 71 members. We are continuing efforts to reach new members through outreach to former members as well as campaigns to non-member principals to join in order to attend summer professional development at a discount rate.

On Tuesday, March 8, 2022, Tulsa-area principals gathered at Tulsa Technology Center's Client Service Center, 3638 S. Memorial Dr., to discuss legislative updates as well as issues happening within their schools.

Attendees included school leaders from Bartlesville, Bixby, Broken Arrow, Collinsville, Jenks, Owasso, Sand Springs, Tulsa Technology and Union. Thank you to Chris Johnson, Tulsa Technology Director of Student Services and OASSP Region 5A Representatives Principal Stan Trout, Charles Page High School, Sands Springs, and Terry Adams, Bixby High School, for organizing and facilitating this meeting. If you are interested in hosting or attending a region meeting, please email Will Parker at parker@ccosa.org.

To date, OMLEA has 651 members representing 403 principals, 192 assistant principals, and 56 directors, deans or central office administrators. We have exceeded last year’s membership of 526 by adding 125 new members. Our membership is a combination of both elementary and secondary members who also serve middle-level learners.

OASSP President-Elect, Melissa Barlow

OASSP High School Principal of the Year

OASSP/OMLEA Middle Level Principal of the Year

Voting for OASSP President-Elect ended on March 28, 2022, and Principal Melissa Barlow, Yukon High School was elected PresidentElect for the 2022-2023 school year.

Election results will be presented to the OASSP Executive Committee at the June summer conference for approval. Ms. Barlow will work alongside current OASSP President David Beiler, Jenks High School and current OASSP President-Elect Randy Biggs, Frederick High School as their roles transition in July to Past-President and President, respectively.

On March 28, 2022, the Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals was pleased to announce High School Principal of the Year, Terry Adams from Bixby High School. As principal of Bixby High School, Terry Adams has facilitated a culture of well-being, safety and belonging. In addition to ensuring strong academic outcomes, Bixby staff are committed to teaching, reinforcing and rewarding positive behaviors. As a result, Bixby High School has been a Great Expectations Model School for four years, the only high school in the state with this designation.

Congratulations Mr. Adams!

On March 30, 2022, the Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals (OASSP) and the Oklahoma Middle Level Education Association (OMLEA) were pleased to announce Michelle Brumley from Chouteau Middle School as Middle Level Principal of the Year. During her twelve years as principal at Chouteau Middle School, Michelle Brumley has led efforts to increase student well-being and academic growth. As part of tight-knit rural community with 226 students, grades 5-8, the school utilizes a CARE (Coordinating Available Resources in Education) team where teachers collaborate around concerns with academic, behavior, emotional, physical, or extracurricular needs. Congratulations Michelle Brumley! ■

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Principals’ Day at the Capitol On Wednesday, March 30, 2022, more than forty OAESP, OASSP and OMLEA principal gathered in Oklahoma City at the CCOSA office with a Legislative Briefing led by Dr. Pam Deering. Also, Dr. Jeanene Barnett, Elyse Maxwell, and Megan Benn provided feedback on communications, advocacy tips and context for current legislation.

Afterwards, principals visited the offices of state Senators and Representatives. Among the many bills discussed, principals were also able to thank members for their ongoing support of Oklahoma's public schools. A few highlights included: ■

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Bixby High School Principal Terry Adams met with Senator J.J. Dossett and Representative Melissa Provenzano who congratulated Mr. Adams on his recognition as OASSP High School Principal of the Year. Ms. Provenzano also presented Mr. Adams with a proclamation from her office recognizing his award.

Jenks Associate Principal Eric Fox met with Senator Jo Anna Dossett, Tulsa.

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Yukon High School Principal Melissa Barlow and Yukon Middle School Principal Clay McDonald met with Representative Rhonda Baker, Chair of the House Education Committee.

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Warner Middle School Principal Jeremy Jackson brought students along for visits and had the opportunity to meet with Senator Dewayne Pemberton.

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Stillwater Junior High Assistant Principals Jason Riggs and Kane Mach met with Senator Tom Dugger.

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Guthrie Superintendent Mike Simpson and High School Principal Chris LeGrande met with Senator Chuck Hall (who represents Pawnee, Noble, Logan and Kingfisher).

Each of these principals took the opportunity to thank elected officials for their support of public education.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out to your state senators or representatives this legislative session! ■

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ASSOCIATION UPDATES

MAY 2022MAY | better 2022 |sch bet o otls er sch53 o o ls

OAESP

Glen Abshere, OAESP Executive Director Association Business: Membership

OAESP Principal of the Year

OAESP membership continues to grow this year. OAESP has 833 members. Of those 833 members, 192 of those members are new to OAESP this year. OAESP has a 48 member gain this year.

The OAESP Administrator of the Year/National Distinguished Principal (NDP) application packet was sent to 12 nominees. The NDP selection committee reviewed and scored the application packets and narrowed the list to the top three candidates. The NDP Committee conducted school visits last week.

The results after conducting the site visits are:

TeleLEAD TeleLEAD wrapped up its second year last month. We averaged 33 participants this year. TeleLEAD will return in September 2022.

NAESP 2022 PreK – 8 Principals Conference The NAESP PreK-8 Principals Conference will be held July 1517, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Attending the conference are President Ashley Hoggatt, President Elect Janalyn Taylor, State Rep Julie Bloss, 2021-2022 OAESP Principal of the Year Mark Lea, and Executive Director Glen Abshere.

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Oklahoma Principal of the Year: Nicole Marler, Principal of Ida Freeman Elementary School, Edmond Public Schools

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Oklahoma Principal of Excellence: Heather Holland, Principal of Thackerville Elementary School, Thackerville Public Schools

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James R. Burnette Distinguished Principal: Dr. Tamara Roberson, Principal of Barnes Elementary School, Mid-Del Public Schools

Oklahoma will not have an NAESP National Distinguished Principal for the second year due to the candidates not meeting the new requirement of being an NAESP member for three years prior to their nomination.

OAESP Presidential Election The OAESP Presidential election took place in February. Traci Newell, Principal of Elgin Lower Elementary School, Elgin Public Schools was voted as the next OAESP PresidentElect. She will begin her role as President-Elect in July. ■

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ASSOCIATION UPDATES

MAY 2022MAY | better 2022 |sch bet o otls er sch55 o o ls

ODSS

Andrea Kunkel, CCOSA General Counsel & ODSS Executive Director

Amy Beams, Executive Director of Special Services, Yukon Public Schools, has been named the 2022 Outstanding Director of the Year.

Nicole Bushman, University of Oklahoma student and aspiring special education teacher, will receive the Jimmie Prickett $1,000 Scholarship for the 2022-23 academic year.

Please join us in congratulating Amy Beams and Nicole Bushman!

Policies and Procedures Manual OSDE’s Special Education Services (SES) section has made the decision to convert the current Special Education Handbook back to a Policies and Procedures Manual (P&P). SES staff members, along with OSDE attorneys, have been working to update the current language and guidance to prepare for that conversion. The conversion requires 30 days of public comment and approval of the final P&P by the State Board of Education (SBE). OSDE projects that SBE will consider the P&P for approval at its June 23 regular board meeting and that the approved document will take effect in July. With these dates in mind, ODSS has scheduled four 60-minute sessions to review and discuss the new P&P on June 27, 28, 29 and 30, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. each day. We invite ODSS and other interested CCOSA members to join

us for these Zoom discussions. We’ll send out the Zoom link later in May and again in June.

Boot Camp For Directors For the second year, ODSS is holding a free summer boot camp for directors. This one, on July 21, will focus on the needs of new and early career special education directors. Participants can choose to attend presentations or Q&A sessions with experienced directors and representatives from OSDE’s Special Education Services Section, the Oklahoma Autism Center, Oklahoma ABLE Tech and more. We’ll send out registration information in June and July.

CEC/CASE Legislative Summit The CEC/CASE Legislative Summit will take place in person in Washington, D.C. on July 10-13,

with (current) President Teresa Golden, President-Elect Rachelle English, Legislative & Policy Liaison Kim Elkington-Baxter and Andrea Kunkel planning to attend.

Rachelle and the incoming ODSS President-Elect (who will be elected in June) are likely to attend the CEC Leadership Institute on July 8-10, also in D.C. The Institute will include training in legal/financial best practices, truly understanding the value proposition of ODSS through our members’ eyes, managing volunteers and other key facets of association management

Save the Date!

Mark your calendars for the ODSS 2022 Best Practices Conference at the Moore-Norman Technology Center, South Penn Campus, Oklahoma City, on October 26-27. ■

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