Happy New Year! The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is kicking off 2019 with new features on our social media channels that I think you will enjoy. I encourage you to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for tips, resources, activities, and events highlighting daily themes, including "Math Monday," "Trivia Tuesday," "Wellness Wednesday," "Throwback Thursday," and "Weekend Reading." In addition to the daily themes, NYSED is participating in several awareness campaigns on social media for the month of January. These campaigns include National Mentoring Month, National Braille Literacy Month, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Follow us for tips, resources, and our latest news.

If you will be in the Capital Region this weekend, consider visiting the State Museum for " New York State's Great Places and Spaces" program on Saturday. Representatives from over a dozen New York State historic sites and cultural organizations will provide educational hands-on activities and unique artifacts to explore. In addition, a guided tour of "The Historic Woodstock Art Colony" exhibit will be held at 1:00 p.m., followed by a Hudson Valley art project inspired by the exhibit. A guided tour of "Enterprising Waters: New York's Erie Canal" will be held at 3:00 p.m. For more information, visit the Museum's website.

Finally, NYSED is currently inviting public comment on two topics: the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and Annual Professional Performance Reviews (APPR). The public comment period on proposed regulations to implement New York State's ESSA plan will run through January 25. The public comment period on APPR gives stakeholders the opportunity to provide input on the proposed extension of the transition period for APPR through the 2019-20 school year. The extension would continue the moratorium delinking student assessments from teacher and principal evaluations. The public comment period on APPR will end February 25. I hope you will take some time to participate in these public comment periods.

Please be sure to sign up for our parent email list to have these updates delivered directly to your inbox, and encourage other parents to do the same. I will be in touch again later this month.

 

Sincerely,

 

MaryEllen Elia

Commissioner