Update from State Superintendent....Parent Message Included

Alert From Indiana Dept. of Education View this email as a webpage Add xxx@doe.in.gov to your address book | Contact Us Superintendent Ritz's Winter video messages  January 20, 2016 I hope that your school year has been going well so far. I know that across Indiana, teachers and administrators like you are busy making sure our children are best prepared for their next challenges. Since we are over half way through the school year, I am excited to share three important messages with you to give you an update of where we are as a state. I hope that you share these videos with your fellow educators, your student's families and other staff that are making it happen in your schools. First, I want to share a video I made for the parents of students in the State of Indiana. You will see me address my concerns about the one-size-fits-all 2015 ISTEP+ and why we need to move away from it. I also outline my legislative agenda, which includes holding schools harmless, reevaluating our assessment system and implementing strategies from my Blue Ribbon Commission on the Recruitment and Retention of Excellent Educators to address Indiana's shortage of teachers. I encourage you to share this video with the parents of your students and your school community.  View the Parent Message for Winter 2016 Second, I am sharing with you a video directed towards you: the teachers in our classrooms. While this video is similar to the video I have made for parents, I give you a little more detail on why it is important for us to hold our schools harmless this year. I believe in strong accountability, but I also believe in accountability that is fair.  View the Teacher Message for Winter 2016 Finally, I invite you to celebrate Indiana's bicentennial with other educators from across the state by taking the Bicentennial Book Challenge. This year, Hoosier Family of Readers is giving students and schools in Indiana access to myOn's digital library from now through December 2016. Help us reach our goal of reading 200,000 books by the end of the year by reading 200 books with your class this year.  View the Bicentennial Book Challeng  Thank you for the work that you do each day to educate the students of Indiana. I hope that you view and share these videos with your fellow educators, parents and school community. Sincerely,  Glenda Ritz, Superintendent of Public Instruction