Southeast Polk Community Schools: July 2020

Monday, July 27, 2020

Return to Learn Updates

Today's blog includes a few updates related to Jump Start PD, some online learning time guidelines, and information on learning platforms for the upcoming school year.

JUMP START PD

As of today, we have over 375 teachers participating in Jump Start PD! That is amazing, and truly speaks to your commitment to professional learning.
Many of you have indicated that your lessons may be added to a shared folder. All shared lessons may be found in the folder below:

Jump Start PD Sharing

Within this folder, the lessons are organized around these areas:

Communication, Expectations, and Guidelines
Digital Feedback Tools
Online Lesson Planning and Design
Scaffolding for Equity
Schedule Analysis
Small Group Literacy Instruction Lessons
Student Engagement Ideas
Universal Lesson Design

Thank you for sharing your ideas...collaborative professional development and learning from each other is a valuable pathway for everyone!

FAQ's for JUMP START PD

Sometimes I am not able to access my Jump Start classes through Canvas. Are there other ways to sign in?

Be sure to access your Canvas account from the mySEP page rather than from Google or an external site. You may also now log in through the Google Apps icon once you have signed in to your Southeast Polk account.

How to Log Into Canvas

Why am I seeing extra modules in 'Best Practices for Online Learning'?

These modules came from the Heartland course "Going Digital" so some of the extra modules are still showing up. You only need to complete the modules that have points attached to them.

I completed 3 modules for the stipend, but I would like to take more modules for additional learning opportunities (TIME, teacher leadership, etc.). Do these need to be completed by August 14th?

Only the 3 modules for the stipend need to be completed by August 14th. There is no deadline on additional modules.

Could I get access to more modules to support members on my team?

Yes. After August 14th, all 12 modules will be open to all teachers. These modules will be available throughout the school year for study and implementation at the building, team, department, grade, and individual level.

ONLINE LEARNING TIME GUIDELINES

As we plan for a Return to Learn, many of the modules address some of the unique needs of virtual learning. One of these is the amount of time that is appropriate for online learning. We will be using the guidelines from the state of Illinois to help make decisions about what this will look like for Southeast Polk students at different grade levels.

LEARNING PLATFORMS FOR 2020-2021

At the end of the last school year, we sent a survey to staff, students, and parents. One theme of parent feedback was the challenge of navigating multiple learning platforms. Now that we have had some time to organize distance learning, we will be providing more consistency in the learning platforms at the elementary and secondary levels.

For the upcoming year, Canvas will be the learning management system for all secondary virtual learning. Canvas is also being purchased at the state level for all districts in Iowa for the upcoming year. You may still use other tools, but all courses will originate in Canvas.

For the elementary level (Grades 2-5), we will be using Google Classroom as our starting point. Again, you may use SeeSaw, Flipgrid, and other tools, but all courses will start in Google Classroom.

We will likely expand the use of Canvas after this year to the elementary grades, particularly grades 4 and 5. You are encouraged to learn more about Canvas for future use, but for consistency for this year's learning pathways, we will begin in Google Classroom.

We understand that virtual learning looks different for our youngest learners, so PK-1 teachers will have flexibility in what this looks like for your students. We do encourage collaborative teams and buildings to use consistent tools in order to support parents who are helping their students learn at home.

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Professional Learning: Teacher Quality Opportunities

Southeast Polk teachers have a strong tradition of continuous professional learning. As we prepare for the upcoming school year, there are 3 opportunities to participate in Teacher Quality activities throughout the 2020-2021 school year. Today's blog has information regarding these learning opportunities, including some that are available to all certified staff prior to the beginning of school.

Return to Learn Jump Start PD
TIME Day
Coursework

Return to Learn Jump Start PD

As a part of Southeast Polk's Return to Learn Plan, online professional development has been designed to support us as we prepare for the upcoming school year.

Below is a 10 minute webinar that provides information regarding Return to Learn Jump Start PD.

Southeast Polk Return to Learn: Jump Start PD

As was shared in the webinar, there are 12 online modules prepared and housed in Canvas. 6 of these modules are part of the core pathway, and 6 are a part of the differentiated pathway. Each of the modules are listed below with a link to a learning map that has more information regarding course content.

Assess Student Needs with Standards as a Foundation (Core)
Focusing Lessons to Match the Curriculum with Student Needs (Differentiated)
Accelerate Student Learning by Scaffolding for Equity (Core)
Engaging Students in an Online Setting (Differentiated)
Feedback and Formative Assessments in an Online Setting (Core)
Accommodations in an Online Setting (Differentiated)
Best Practices for Teaching in an Online Setting (Core)
Small Group Literacy Instruction at a Distance (Differentiated)
Introduction to Canvas (Differentiated)
A Proactive Approach to Minding the Gap (Differentiated)
Building Equity: Practices That Empower All Learners (Core)
Accessibility: Ensuring All Students Can Access Learning (Core)

If you would like to participate in Jump Start PD, please select 3 modules you would like to take prior to the start of the school year. Upon completion of these modules, you will receive a stipend of $400. The timeline for participation is July 15th-August 14th.

To participate:

Review the learning maps to determine which courses you would like to take.
Submit the form below indicating the 3 modules you have selected. You will then be added to the course.
Complete the 3 courses prior to the start of school to receive your stipend.

While this option is available between July 15th and August 14th, these modules will be available throughout the school year to support district goals, building goals, team goals, and individual goals.

Return to Learn Jump Start PD Application Form

TIME Day

Another opportunity for funding will be an option for teachers to participate in additional hours of professional learning throughout the school year (TIME-Teacher Initiated Meaningful Engagement). Certified teachers may receive up to 8 hours of additional per diem pay for collaborative work completed outside their regular contract time during the 2019-2020 school year. The criteria for these hours is below:

Extension of the District/Building PD Plan

Supportive of Building CSIP

Responds to one of the 4 PLC Questions

What do we want students to learn?
How will we know when they have learned it?
What will we do if they do not learn?
What will we do if they have already learned it?

To receive payment for this work, please submit the form below. This form may also be found on the mySEP page under "Teaching and Learning Resources." There will be 3 pay periods for TIME hours during the school year--in September, November, and May.

This year, TIME Day hours may begin in the month of July. As you make plans for TIME day with your collaborative team, you may want to consider engaging in some or all of these hours prior to the beginning of the school year in order to prepare for potential online and hybrid learning pathways.

TIME Hours 2020-2021*

*Please review your collaborative plan with your building

principal prior to beginning this work.

TQ Coursework

There will again the opportunity 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, 2020-August 22, 2021).

There is a $375 limit for teacher quality funding during this timeframe. In order to be eligible for TQ funding, an application must be submitted. Each teacher may submit one TQ Course Application during the 2020-2021 school year.

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.

You may submit an application through the link below. This form may also be found on the mySEP page under "Teaching and Learning Resources."

Teacher Quality Course Application 2020-2021