August 29, 2008
Dear Select County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, and Categorical Program Directors:
Announcement of Categorical Program Monitoring (CPM) Statewide Training for Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in 2008-09 CPM Cycle C Via Webcast
The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce the following training opportunity for LEAs participating in CPM during Cycle C, the 2008-09 CPM review cycle.
CPM Statewide Training for Cycle C LEAs will be provided via Webcast on October 9 and 10, 2008, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a 60 minute lunch break at 12:00 noon on both days.
This training is specifically to help LEAs meet legal requirements pertaining to categorical programs. It is provided for LEAs participating in Cycle C and will consist of a statewide Webcast transmitted to LEAs via streaming video on the Internet from the State Board Hearing Room at the CDE. LEAs are invited to participate in the Webcast online. The Web address, the Internet Universal Resource Locator (URL), and agenda details will be provided to all CPM Cycle C LEAs in subsequent messages.
Presenters will include CDE administrators and consultants with knowledge of current legal requirements and use of state and federal categorical program funds. Training content will include:
- An overview of the CPM process.
- What to expect during a CPM site visit.
- A review of selected items from the categorical program instruments used by CDE program monitors to determine whether an LEA is meeting statutory requirements.
- Question and Answer (Q & A) sessions. The Q & A sessions will be interspersed throughout the Webcast to allow participants an opportunity to e-mail questions about the CPM process and specific program instrument items directly to CDE representatives ready to take live questions from the field. You will be able to e-mail us your questions to cpmwebcast@cde.ca.gov with "Webcast Q & A" in the subject line.
Approximately 20 days prior to the Webcast, LEAs participating in CPM Cycle C will receive specific instructions about how to access the Webcast on October 9 and 10 via the Internet URL address. We need an e-mail address to contact your district Internet Technology (IT) coordinator so we can provide your IT coordinator Webcast connectivity updates. Please e-mail your IT coordinator's contact address to cpmwebcast@cde.ca.gov with "Webcast Coordinator" in the subject line. By October 6, 2008, LEAs participating in CPM Cycle C will receive an agenda for each day of the Webcast, so that representatives can watch all or selected presentations during the two-day Webcast.
For those who wish to view the Webcast content but are unable to do so on October 9 and 10, we are pleased to announce that the Webcast content will be archived and posted on the Internet so that individuals in CPM Cycle C or any other cycle can view the entire Webcast content, or select segments, from anywhere, at anytime from approximately mid-October 2008 through mid-June 2009.
During a period in which LEAs and CDE must reduce expenditures to essentials, including conference and travel costs, we are pleased to have developed what we believe is high-quality training content through a very accessible and low-cost option for LEAs. The LEA may have a central viewing site for the LEA staff or designate satellite viewing sites around the district on one or both days of the Webcast.
We look forward to having LEAs participate in this interactive and in-depth training opportunity. Our primary goal is that the Webcast will help LEAs meet legal requirements pertaining to categorical programs. Join us on Thursday, October 9, 2008, at 8:00 a.m., when State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell will present his opening remarks and launch the two-day Webcast.
If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact Lynn Bartlett, Education Programs Consultant, Categorical Program Monitoring Office, at 916-319-0958 or by e-mail at LBartlet@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
Fred Balcom, Director
Accountability and Improvement Division
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814