Elementary Job-Alike Collaboration: February 11th

We are looking forward to our upcoming Elementary Collaboration on Wednesday, February 11th. Today's blog has information on the content and location for this collaboration.

K-2 Classroom Teachers Principals and Instructional Coaches may choose either the K-2 or 3-5 CKLA training.	Focus: New Social Studies Standards and Amplify CKLA Overview of the new standards Integration opportunities with CKLA Exploration of CKLA Demo Site Location: District Office Board Room* (Report here when you arrive) *Please see map below for important parking information. Breakout Rooms: Kindergarten Commons Area Grade 1  Curriculum Work Room Grade 2 Large Conference Room Time: 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM *Please bring: A charged laptop, and all your materials (Amplify bag) from the January 28th training
3-5 Classroom Teachers Principals and Instructional Coaches may choose either the K-2 or 3-5 CKLA training.	Focus: Strengthen Training: Enhancing Practice (Amplify CKLA) Location: Virtual training, at your building. log in with your grade-level team in the same room.  Virtual Training Links: Jennifer Piehl Gr 3: meet.google.com/ura-wvxa-pje Mercedes Pratt Gr 4: meet.google.com/csj-yzyh-hiw Devin White - Gr 5: meet.google.com/xmn-dban-qcv Time:  2:00-4:00 (virtual training begins promptly @ 2:00) * Use the Participant Notebook during this training. Use this link: https://go.amplify.com/PDP1307ckla3  & * Bring your Current or upcoming teacher materials with you
ESOL Teachers	Focus:  Exploring LanguageStudio and envisioning future instruction Location: District Office Atrium (back table)  Time: 2:30-4:00pm Please bring: A charged laptop  *Please see map below for important parking information.
Title 1 Math Teachers	Focus:  FastBridge and Panorama Updates Location: District Office Room B136 Time: 2:30-4:00pm *Please see map below for important parking information.
Special Education Teachers	Focus: CKLA Support Location: Strengthen Training: Enhancing Practice (Amplify CKLA) Location: Virtual training, at your building. log in with a grade-level team in the same room.  Virtual Training Links: Jennifer Piehl Gr 3: meet.google.com/ura-wvxa-pje Mercedes Pratt Gr 4: meet.google.com/csj-yzyh-hiw Devin White - Gr 5: meet.google.com/xmn-dban-qcv Time:  2:00-4:00 (virtual training begins promptly @ 2:00) * Use the Participant Notebook during this training. Use this link: https://go.amplify.com/PDP1307ckla3
Reading Specialists	Focus: CKLA Support Location: Strengthen Training: Enhancing Practice (Amplify CKLA) Location: Virtual training, at your building. log in with a grade-level team in the same room.  Virtual Training Links: Jennifer Piehl Gr 3: meet.google.com/ura-wvxa-pje Mercedes Pratt Gr 4: meet.google.com/csj-yzyh-hiw Devin White - Gr 5: meet.google.com/xmn-dban-qcv Time:  2:00-4:00 (virtual training begins promptly @ 2:00) * Use the Participant Notebook during this training. Use this link: https://go.amplify.com/PDP1307ckla3
Preschool Teachers	Focus: Continued work on DATA and curriculum collaboration. Location: Willowbrook Preschool Annex Time: 2:30 - 4:00
Remaining Core+ Teachers  (TAG, PE, Music, Art, School Counselors, Teacher Librarians):	Focus: Continued work on your collaborative focus areas. Location: Each team please identify and share the location for meeting with those on your team. Time: 2:30-4:00pm

Please reach out if you have questions about the afternoon.  We are looking forward to learning and collaborating together!

For those coming to the district office, please refer to this image for parking instructions:

New Social Studies Standards

Iowa's new Social Studies standards were adopted by the State Board of Education on January 15, 2026. Over the past year, the state of Iowa completed a full rewrite of the Social Studies standards. Unlike ELA, Math, and Science—which focused on refining existing expectations—Social Studies required more significant change to strengthen clarity, coherence, and rigor across grades. 

Schools will have a 3 year timeline for full implementation.  Our first step with the new standards will be to build familiarity.  We can do this by reviewing the K-12 Social Studies Storylines, the Content Comparison Chart, and becoming familiar with the language of the new standards. 

The full standards document is linked below and has been uploaded to the Social Studies page of the Teaching and Learning site.  In addition, the page also has links for each individual grade level as well as 9-12 courses.  

Please feel free to reach out to the Teaching and Learning team to help support the first step of building familiarity with the new standards. We appreciate the work you do every day to help students understand the world around them.

New Social Studies Standards

Adopted January, 2026

• NEW Kindergarten Social Studies Standards 2026
• NEW Grade 1 Social Studies Standards 2026
• NEW Grade 2 Social Studies Standards 2026
• NEW Grade 3 Social Studies Standards 2026
• NEW Grade 4 Social Studies Standards 2026
• NEW Grade 5 Social Studies Standards 2026
• NEW Grade 6 Social Studies Standards 2026
• NEW Grade 7 Social Studies Standards
• NEW Grade 8 Social Studies Standards 2026
• NEW 9-12 Economics/Financial Literacy Standards 2026
• NEW 9-12 World History Standards 2026
• NEW 9-12 Geography Standards 2026
• NEW 9-12 Civics/Government Standards 2026
• NEW US History Standards 2026
• NEW 9-12 Psychology Standards 2026 (Elective)
• NEW 9-12 Sociology Standards 2026 (Elective)

Changes to ISASP and an Opportunity to Participate in Standard Setting

There will be some changes to the ISASP test this spring.  As a part of these changes, the Department of Education is seeking qualified individuals to participate in establishing new performance standards.  Please see the information at the end of the blog if you are interested. 

Changes for ISASP 2026

• ELA and Math tests will have additional content coverage (more items) and stronger alignment to the standards. 
• This document includes the changes in the number of items.
• A similar process will follow for Science in 2027--Science will remain the same for 2026.
• The Math test will be in an adaptive format this year. 
• ISASP scores will be interpreted using four different performance levels
• These levels provide additional levels of information for students, educators, and families and supports interpretation at a finer level of differentiation
• This model is currently offered by 47 states and NAEP
• The levels of performance will be:
• Below
• Approaching
• Meeting
• Exceeding
• Practice tests that reflect these changes will be available very soon on the ISASP portal. 

Apply to Participate in Performance Standard Setting for ISASP

The Iowa Department of Education is seeking qualified individuals to participate in a performance standard setting that will help shape the next generation of the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP).

The performance standard setting will cover the updated rigorous academic standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics, which were adopted by the Iowa State Board of Education in 2024. Iowa’s academic standards establish what students must learn to be prepared for success at each grade level and after high school.

An estimated 170 seats are available for the performance standard setting for individuals with knowledge and expertise of the updated academic standards for ELA and mathematics. Administrators, educators, higher learning professionals and other community stakeholders are encouraged to apply to participate.  

The performance standard setting will take place on June 8-12 in Des Moines. All individuals who wish to participate must commit to the full schedule. Specific location details will be released in the future. Each participant will receive a $200 honorarium and reimbursement for travel and lodging.

Applications to participate in the performance standard setting will be collected until Feb. 9 at 5 p.m.  

For more information on Iowa’s academic standards, including those on ELA and mathematics, visit the Department’s Iowa Academic Standards webpage.

Specific questions on the performance standard setting can be directed to Heather Briggs, education program consultant, at heather.briggs@iowa.gov. 

Snow Day Self-Paced Professional Development

During the 2024-2025 school year, we implemented a virtual professional development day on one of the snow days in order to fulfill contract days for staff.  We reviewed the data, collected feedback, and we are prepared to implement this model again, if needed, for the 2025-2026 school year.  

In the event a full day of school is cancelled, certified staff will shift to "Snow Day Self-Paced PD".  This model will be implemented for up to 2 potential snow days.  The design of each day will be decided by building leadership and tailored to district goals, your building needs, or individual professional development goals.

In the event of a full snow day, communication will be sent to all certified staff to implement "Snow Day Self-Paced PD." Your building administrator will provide specific details on the content. Think good weather thoughts, and enjoy the season!

Scaffolds and Interventions/December Teaching and Learning Newsletter

Today's blog looks at comparisons between scaffolds and interventions with additional resources and information from December's edition of the Teaching and Learning Newsletter. 

As teams are engaging in pre-unit planning to provide access to core instructional for ALL students, there have been some discussions around the use of scaffolds and interventions.  Below is a table that compares the two. 

Scaffolds	Interventions
Proactive Anticipation of challenges Designed prior to the unit	Reactive In response to student performance Designed as part of daily lesson planning
A component of Tier 1/core instruction that make grade-level learning accessible to all students.	Targeted, Tier 2 supports provided in addition to core instruction  when data indicates more support and practice is needed.
If it can be planned before instruction using knowledge of students’ needs, it’s a scaffold.	If it’s added after data shows a learning gap, it’s an intervention.

So why is this important?? Can't some instructional strategies be used as scaffolds AND interventions?

Yes, that is true.  The difference comes not with the strategy itself, but with the intention of how it is used. When collaborative teams intentionally plan for scaffolds in Tier 1 instruction, fewer students require intervention later.

For a graphic on scaffolds and interventions as well as a resource with multiple ideas for scaffolds, check out the December edition of the Teaching and Learning Newsletter. 

Scaffolding and Interventions

College and Career Opportunities

Writing to Learn

Science for All

K-6 Mathematics: Sample Schedules