School-Based Vaccination Clinics for 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus - Joint SED-DOH guide to schools as they partner with local health departments to conduct school-based vaccination clinics for the 2009 H1N1 influenza. This includes a letter from Commissioners Steiner and Daines; a guidance document; a sample MOU for the use of school facilities for this purpose; a parent/guardian H1N1 vaccination consent form; a sample letter to parents/guardians; and a summary of relevant legal issues.

In Albany today the New York State Board of Regents took the first in a series of steps to strengthen the preparation and practice of teaching with a specific emphasis on providing high need schools with the best teaching faculty possible. The Regents are authorizing the development of a performance-based approach to teacher certification and inviting - on a trial basis - new entities to prepare teachers for certification. As part of this new approach, the Regents will support the development of new performance-based assessments for teacher certification (including the eventual use of value-added assessment as a component of professional certification), will develop new methods to recruit and retain teachers for high needs schools in subject shortage areas and will allow additional content knowledge demonstrations for prospective teachers to bring new talent into the teaching field.

On October 28, Governor Paterson signed Executive Order 29 declaring a disaster emergency in New York. The Executive Order authorizes a 30 day temporary suspension or modification of several laws and regulations related to licensed professions overseen by the State Education Department and the New York State Department of Health in order to facilitate the timely administration of the 2009 H1N1 and seasonal influenza vaccines throughout the State of New York to prevent the further spread of these viruses.

The NYSED Curriculum, Instruction & Instructional Technology (CI&IT) Team's October 16, 2009 E-Blast is now available.

Dr. David Steiner took the oath of office today as New York State Education Commissioner in front of 5th and 6th grade students at Albany's Pine Hills Elementary School. Judge Victoria Graffeo of the New York State Court of Appeals administered the oath. Also present at the ceremony were representatives of major stakeholder groups in New York State's educational system.

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governor's Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices have convened a State-led process to develop common core standards in English language arts and in mathematics. On September 21st, 2009, the NGA Center and CCSSO released the first official draft of the college-and career-readiness standards and would like public feedback.

The State Board of Regents today announced the selection of Debra Calvino as the 2010 New York State Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Calvino, a high school math teacher at Valley Central High School in Montgomery, New York, also serves as the Chairperson/Supervisor of the school's Mathematics Department. Interim Education Commissioner Carole Huxley made the announcement at the September meeting of the Board of Regents.

The State Board of Regents today announced the appointment of Dr. John B. King, Jr. as Senior Deputy Commissioner for P-12 Education. In his position, King will lead the State's school reform efforts. He will begin State service on October 5, 2009. Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch said, "John King is a nationally recognized education leader with a proven track record of lifting student achievement, particularly for low-income minority students in urban settings. His goal is always the same -- ensuring that the students in his care are prepared for college-level work and productive careers."

The State Education Department announced today that 13 schools have been identified as "persistently dangerous" under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Last year 19 schools were identified. Eight new schools have been added to the list of persistently dangerous schools this year and 14 have been removed. The eight newly identified schools are located in New York City; the 14 newly removed schools are all located in New York City as well. Schools were removed from the list because they reported fewer serious incidents.

A total of 499 elementary, middle and high schools and 35 districts statewide have been identified for improvement under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Of these, 49 schools and three districts were newly identified this year. Of the identified schools, 430 will receive Title I funds in 2009-10 and are required to offer extra help to eligible students; 339 of these Title I schools must also offer public school choice (as appropriate) to all enrolled students. In addition, 197 schools and 26 districts have been removed from the improvement list because they made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two consecutive years in all areas for which they were identified. AYP is the minimum level of performance schools and districts must achieve each year and is based on student participation and performance on state assessments.

Results released today show that New York State students are the largest and most diverse state population in the country taking the SAT and Advanced Placement exams. In the 2008-2009 school year 122,790 students took AP exams and 159,886 seniors took SAT exams indicating a strong interest in preparing for and attending college.

New York State Governor David A. Paterson and the New York State Education Department announced today that 493 schools in 119 school food authorities have been awarded Food Service Equipment Assistance Grants totaling $5.99 million. The grants were made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

The New York State Board of Regents voted today to elect Dr. David Milton Steiner as New York State Education Commissioner and President of the University of the State of New York. The Regents took this action at their July meeting held today in Buffalo.

The Rochester Leadership Academy was created with funding from the Wallace Foundation through the Building a Cohesive Leadership System (CLS) in New York State grant in partnership with New York State Education Department. The academy will serve principals in the Rochester City School District and support their leadership efforts to enhance student achievement. It will serve as a model for replication throughout New York State. This event is designed to recognize the official opening of the academy and to inform all school leaders in New York State of the commitment to leadership development that this grant represents. (An archived version of the webcast will be available a few days after the live event.)

The State Board of Regents today discussed a number of issues related to New York's high school graduation rate. Among the issues discussed were the following: how students, particularly those with the lowest graduation rates, performed; whether to set new graduation rate goals and targets; whether to use a 4 and/or 5-year graduation rate; what the impact of phasing-out the local diploma will be; and how to improve the reliability of the data that districts report to the Education Department. To guide their decision-making on these issues, the Regents reviewed newly available graduation rate data.

Achievement in math in grades 3-8 has improved overall this year, according to 2009 test results announced today by Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch and State Education Commissioner Richard Mills. Eighty-six percent (86.4%) of students across grades 3-8 achieved the standards in math this year, compared with 80.7 percent last year. More of this year's students are meeting the standards than did students in those grades four years ago. Despite these improvements, many students are still not meeting the standards.

Marion Blumenthal Lazan, a Holocaust survivor and community educator in Hewlett, today received the 2008 Louis E. Yavner Citizen Award. Helene Alalouf, a Holocaust educator and retired English teacher in the Yonkers Public Schools, received the 2008 Louis E. Yavner Teaching Award. Established by the New York State Board of Regents and funded by the late Regent Emeritus Louis E. Yavner of New York City, who served on the Board from 1975-1981, the annual awards recognize teachers and private citizens who have made outstanding contributions to teaching about the Holocaust and other violations of human rights.

Achievement in English in grades 3-8 has improved overall this year, according to 2009 test results announced today by Regents Chancellor Merryl H. Tisch and State Education Commissioner Richard Mills. (Press conference archived webcast and materials are available.)

Information in the form of Questions and Answers for educators regarding H1N1 (Swine) Flu.

New York State Education Commissioner Richard P. Mills and New York State Department of Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines update schools and other educators with information on H1N1 (Swine) Flu. DOH Memo, "Educational Institutions: Update #1," is included.

The sixth statewide "Empire Promise Summit: Building Our Economic and Intellectual Capacity" will take place on April 29-30, 2009 at the Holiday Inn Turf, Albany, NY. The Empire Promise Summit is organized by the Liberty Partnerships Programs, a pre-collegiate/school dropout prevention initiative of the New York State Education Department, Office of K-16 Initiatives.

New York State Education Commissioner Richard P. Mills and New York State Department of Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines send memo with information on H1N1 (Swine Flu) to school administrators and other educators.

The State Education Department announced today the release of 2008 School Report Cards for all schools and districts throughout New York. The Report Cards are available on the web at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/. Much of the data contained in the School Report Cards has already been publicly released throughout the past year, but the Report Cards represent a single place for finding all of that information.

The New York State Board of Regents announced today that Carole F. Huxley has been appointed as Interim New York State Education Commissioner, effective July 1, 2009. Carole Huxley had previously served the Education Department as Deputy Commissioner for Cultural Education for 24 years, retiring in November of 2006. Carole Huxley will begin service on May 15, working alongside current Commissioner Mills until he steps down at the end of June. She will assume the office and duties of Education Commissioner and President of The University of New York on July 1, 2009.

A total of 543 elementary, middle and high schools and 53 districts have been identified by the State Education Department as "in Need of Improvement" under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. Of these, 62 schools and four districts were newly identified this school year. All Schools in Need of Improvement (SINI) and Districts in Need of Improvement (DINI) receive federal Title I funds and must take a variety of actions under federal law. In addition, 85 schools and 11 districts have been removed from the Title I improvement list because they have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two consecutive years in all areas for which they were identified. This represents a substantial increase from the 46 schools and four districts that were removed from school improvement last year.

I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents at this critical moment for New York's three million school children. I look forward to working closely with Dr. Milton L. Cofield, Vice Chancellor-Elect, who is a tireless advocate for educational excellence.

Robert M. Bennett, Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, announced today that he is stepping down as Chancellor but will remain as a member of the Board and continue to represent the 8th Judicial District in Western New York.

State Education Commissioner Richard Mills today removed 25 schools from Schools Under Registration Review (SURR) status, the largest number of schools ever removed from registration review in a year. 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.The Commissioner also announced that he had placed an additional five schools under registration review and that four schools in New York City and Buffalo that otherwise would have been named to SURR status will be phased out and closed under agreements with the districts.

The State Education Department (SED) agrees with the findings of the Office of State Comptroller (OSC) regarding criminal history background checks for school employees. SED has instituted the recommendations of the OSC and has made other significant improvements to strengthen the process that will ensure that those hired to work in our schools are properly screened.

Advanced Placement (AP) results released today by the College Board show that many of New York's high school students are well prepared for the academic challenges of college. New York is again one of the nation's leaders in the percentage of students scoring a three or better on at least one AP exam, which indicates mastery.

The New York State Board of Regents seeks applications and nominations for the position of Commissioner of Education. Our goal is to find an accomplished leader who will bring New York State to the forefront in educational achievement. We need a visionary to manage the State's educational resources to raise achievement for all students, close the achievement gap, and raise the State's graduation rate.

The New York State Education Department is accepting applications for the 2009 Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) from public or nonpublic, nonprofit school food authorities; all local, county, municipal, or state governmental entities; migrant programs; nonprofit agencies; and residential camps interested and eligible in sponsoring an SFSP Program.

Nominate an outstanding teacher in your school for the 2010 New York State Teacher of the Year. Deadline for Applications is February 13, 2009.

From Senior Deputy Commissioner Johanna Duncan-Poitier

Governor David A. Paterson today received the final report of the Temporary Special Advisory Panel On Driver Education Availability and Curriculum Enhancement. The report, which was also sent to the Legislature, provides recommendations on improving driver education and making it more available to young drivers across New York State. The report was forwarded to the Governor and the Legislature by New York State Commissioner of Education Richard P. Mills and New York State Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles David J. Swarts, co-chairs of the panel.

Clearly, this is a challenging time – both in terms of the depth and the expected duration of our economic downturn. Earlier this month, the Board of Regents presented a responsible State Aid proposal that balances the needs of our children with the State's fiscal realities.

In response to the State's economic crisis, the Board of Regents has proposed an increase in State Aid that is almost $1 billion less than the increase previously enacted by the State. The Regents today approved their 2009-10 State Aid proposal, recommending an increase of $879 million for the upcoming year. This amount represents a 4.1% increase over the previous year.

Today's release of Measuring Up, a biennial study of various higher education metrics, including college affordability, in the United States, contains inaccuracies regarding higher education costs in New York State.

Elementary school students in 51 schools around the state will be getting fresh fruit and vegetables for snacks during their school day under a new program being administered by the New York State Education Department. A total of $1,730,384 is being allocated through grant awards to 51 schools as part of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.

State Education Commissioner Richard Mills announced today the approval of Contracts for Excellence between the Department and ten school districts throughout the State. This follows the announcement on October 3 of the Commissioner's approval of Contracts in 26 districts.

After serving for more than thirteen years as New York's Education Commissioner, Richard P. Mills today announced that he has notified the Board of Regents of his decision to resign from Office by the end of June 2009.

From Senior Deputy Commissioner Johanna Duncan-Poitier

The Board of Regents today announced the appointment of Bernard A. Margolis as the New York State Librarian. He will assume his new responsibilities in January 2009.

According to the provisions of Chapter 33 of the Laws of 2002, the New York State Board of Regents is authorized to fill any vacancies on the Interim Board of Education of the Roosevelt Union Free School District.

The State Education Department has awarded the 2008 Marge A. Tierney Scholarship Award to Ms. Lynn Gorczyca of Irving, NY. Ms. Gorczyca is a graduate student in the Rehabilitation Counseling program at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

The Board of Regents invites nominations for the 2008 Louis E. Yavner Teaching and Citizen Awards. These awards provide recognition of a teacher and a citizen who have made outstanding contributions to New York State education about the Holocaust and other violations of human rights. The awards were established by the Regents and funded by the late Regent Emeritus Louis E. Yavner. The deadline for submission of nominations is Friday, January 30, 2009.

New York State schools are invited to submit student artwork based on Dr. King's Six Principles of Nonviolence and essays on celebrating his birthday throughout the year. The categories are writing, painting, drawing, sculpting and photography. All entries must be postmarked by December 5, 2008 and will be placed on display for viewing one week prior to the King Holiday January 19, 2009 in Albany, New York.

These reports are produced to inform the people of New York State about the recent performance of public schools. We hope that these reports are used in constructive conversations which lead to improved education for all children in the State.

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.

Help pick the winners for the "I Am What I Learn" video contest. Watch these 10 videos and vote!

Secretary Arne Duncan released the final application for more than $4 billion from the Race to the Top Fund.

Application requirements are now available for the final $11.5 billion under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund.

Secretary Arne Duncan spoke at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Education and Workforce Summit.

Eight school principals who transformed their schools were given the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding School Leadership.

President Obama and Secretary Duncan visited Wright Middle School in Madison, Wisconsin, to highlight the Race to the Top Program.

$1.4 billion in Recovery Funds are now available for Pennsylvania to save jobs and drive education reform.

Over $67 billion in ED Recovery Act formula grants have been awarded, and some 400,000 jobs have been saved or created through these ED grants.

Reports from recipients support estimates that overall the Recovery Act has created or saved over one million jobs to-date

"Far too many states are telling students that they are proficient when they actually are performing below the basic level" on the Nation's Report Card, Secretary Duncan said in response to a new report.

Secretary Arne Duncan spoke at Columbia Teachers College about the need to improve teacher preparation across the U.S.

Watch Secretary Duncan's presentation on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology Oct. 23 at 10:45 am ET. Share your comments during the webcast.

ED is holding public meetings with assessment experts to inform the development of the Race to the Top Assessment Competition. States are invited to participate.

Preliminary data indicate that states will credit the Recovery Act with creating and saving at least 250,000 education jobs nationwide.

First Lady Michelle Obama writes about the importance of good teachers and the need for as many as one million new teachers by 2014.