A New State Assessment and Sign Up for Instructional Compendium Class

We have completed the first full week of school and it has been great to see all of the hard work to build relationships, establish routines, and engage students in learning!  This week's blog includes information on the new state assessment and sign up information for the upcoming class "How We Teach: The Instructional Compendium".

Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress

As was shared in the curriculum overview, we will have a new state assessment this spring.  This assessment is called the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP).  The assessment will be administered in the spring in place of Iowa Assessments.  Grades 3-11 will take assessments in math, reading, and writing.  Grades 5, 8, and 10 will take assessments in science. The science assessment will eventually be for all students in grades 3-11.

This new assessment is aligned to the core standards taught at each grade level and will give us a better picture of how students are performing in relation to what is being taught.  The assessments will be administered sometime during the last 12 weeks of school.  A more specific timeline will be shared later this semester.  These assessments will be available in online formats as well as paper formats for districts who do not have adequate technology or for students who have specific designations in their education plans.

The Math and Reading tests will take approximately 1 hour each to administer, and the Writing Assessment will take 2 hours.

We are still learning more about this assessment and our district professional learning in January will provide additional support.  There are currently no technical actions for teachers to take to prepare for the administration of this assessment.  We are working with the technology team to complete a tech readiness survey, and continue to receive updates from the Department of Education.  Below is a proposed timeline to prepare for online administration of the assessment.

Stay tuned for additional updates in regards to this new assessment as they become available.

How We Teach: Instructional Compendium

A course to support the Instructional Compendium will be offered this semester. This course is a hybrid of 3 face to face meetings and online modules. All participants will receive a copy of "The New Art and Science of Teaching" and will have either a licensure or graduate credit option (1 credit hour). The three face to face meeting dates will be from 4:15 PM-7:15 PM and held on the dates below:

• September 11 (Early release to vote!)
• November 6
• December 6

If you attended the summer face to face full day session, you may complete the online modules and only attend the session on December 6th.

If you are interested in taking the course (this does not commit you--it gives an idea for the size of class location needed), please complete the form below by September 5th.

How We Teach: Instructional Compendium Sign Up Form

TQ Application 2018-2019

Welcome back to a new school year! I am looking forward to another great year with exciting learning experiences for students.

Many of you engaged in professional development opportunities last year. There will again be some options for teacher quality funding to support your professional learning this year. 

As was the case last year, there will be one window for teacher quality funds to support coursework this year.  This window will extend across the school year (August 23, 2018-August 22, 2019). 

There is a $375 limit for teacher quality funding during this timeframe. Each teacher may submit one TQ Course Application during the 2018-2019 school year.  You may submit an application through the link below.  This link may also be found on the mySEP page under "Teaching and Learning Resources." 

Teacher Quality Course Application 2018-2019

When your course is completed, please submit your transcript and a payroll sheet to Nikki Christianson in the district office. Payroll sheets may be found on the mySEP page.  Please follow the guidelines below to make sure you receive your payment in an efficient manner.

PAYROLL GUIDELINES

• Payroll sheets may be found on MySEP under the Human Resources/Payroll link.
• Under the description put "TQ: THE NAME OF THE COURSE"
• Make sure you complete 'time in', 'time out' and the total hours (up to 15)
• If the course is more than 15 hours, only submit up to 15 hours.
• All submitted times must be outside of contract hours.
• A separate payroll sheet should be submitted for each month if the course is held across multiple months.
• Be sure to sign your payroll sheet.
• Your instructor should not sign the payroll sheet--your transcript will serve as the verification needed.
• Please submit your payroll sheet within 1 month after completing the course.

A second opportunity for funding will be an option for teachers to participate in an additional day of professional development on February 15, 2019 (TIME-Teacher Initiated Meaningful Engagement). Teachers who participate will receive per diem pay for that day. 

Please let me know if you have any questions about teacher quality funding. Your commitment to building and extending your professional learning is very much appreciated! 

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to another school year--such great opportunities for students as we embark on a 1:1 initiative to support and enhance learning!  Below is a link to the preservice schedule.  There are a few slight revisions (impacted groups have been contacted), and this will support those who prefer an online version.

Southeast Polk Preservice Schedule 2018-2019 

As we enter into a new school year, I want to share some summer activities.  Much work was done across the district to prepare classrooms, curriculum units, and new initiatives.

Summer School 

Summer school was held at 3 elementary schools, the Jr. High, and High School.  In addition, Extended School Year was offered for elementary and secondary students.  It's great to see learning for students all across the year! 

Curriculum Work
Teams of teachers and curriculum coordinators worked hard this summer to review, reflect, and make revisions to curriculum units.  Updates will be shared during preservice.

Professional Learning
Many teachers take advantage of the summer months to advance their professional learning.  Whether it be classes offered at the district, AEA, college, or online, teachers continue their learning all year long. Southeast Polk teacher teams attended conferences to support technology integration, literacy, a unit design model for social studies, and professional learning communities. 

Over 80 Southeast Polk team members attended the PLC Institute in Minneapolis in June.  We continue to build understanding and enthusiasm around the possibilities of effective collaboration.  We were saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. Rebecca DuFour shortly after the Institute and feel fortunate to have learned from her.

Environmental Science Camp
Each year, elementary and secondary teachers partner with Drake and Metro Waste to experience and design learning opportunities at the Environmental Learning center.  These lessons integrate science, math, writing, technology, and engineering.

Camp Invention
We had another successful offering of Camp Invention with nearly 100 children in attendance.  These exploration opportunities are facilitated by teachers with leadership from secondary students.  It is such a great experience to watch the students and their creations!

Recognition
The SEP Special Education department was recognized for their work in partnering with families and community resources.  They received this honor during the statewide Special Education Symposium in June.

Resources
New curriculum resources arrived this summer, including elementary science, world languages, and thousands of chromebooks! A big thank you to all those who helped unpack, sort, and deliver resources to buildings.

All of the work this summer will lead us to another successful school year...we are looking forward to it!