Curriculum Updates

The spring 2022 testing window has been extended. To provide flexibility for schools to administer the Spring 2022 PSSA and Keystone exams, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is modifying the testing windows as follows:

• April 18 – April 29 English Language Arts PSSA
• May 2 – May 27 Math, Science, and Make-Up PSSA
• May 9 – June 1 Keystone Exams

The extended windows add approximately three weeks to the allowable administration of each test. Test Administrators may use the additional time as needed and do not need to submit an extension request to PDE or DRC. The deadline to be eligible for early reporting remains May 6, 2022 for pencil and paper testing and May 13, 2022 for on-line testing.

All PSSA materials should now be inventoried and shipped for return by May 27, 2022. All Keystone Exam materials should now be inventoried and shipped for return by June 2, 2022.

This information can also be found here via a letter from Brian Campbell on April 4th, 2022.

• School Leaders Trifold & Flip Book (to access new reports)
• New Report: Difference Between Actual & Pre-pandemic Projected Scores (DBAPPS)
• Trainings and 1:1 Consultations
• Other Professional Learning and Support Opportunities
• Full PVAAS Statewide Team Slides from March Meeting

New resources have been added to the SAS portal under the "instruction" tab in the "PA Roadmap: Focus on Effective Instruction" category. Educators know that there are students who require support in addressing unfinished learning from prior grades. Since time is a scarce commodity in classrooms, strategic instructional choices about which content to prioritize must occur.

The three sets of documents below offer instructional supports:

• Classroom Quick Tips: Instruction, Assessment, and Time Management
  Each 1-page document offers easily doable instructional, assessment, and classroom/time management strategies – offering general strategies, ELA-, and math-specific suggestions for implementation.
• Academic Strategies
  Using the key concepts in the left-hand column, educators can complete a self-check for current instructional and assessment practices. After identifying areas of need, the right-hand column offers specific strategies/resources that may strengthen the selected concepts.
• Focus Documents
  Supported by key PA Academic Standards, areas of high-level focus in content areas are identified and defined. Note: While all standards deserve a defined level of instruction, neglecting key concepts may result in learning gaps in student skill and understanding and may leave students unprepared for the challenges of a later grade.

Reminders:

• Achievement scores that came out for 2021 spring testing are NOT to be used in teacher evaluations this year. Act 136 made the 2020-2021 school year "observation only" regarding teacher evaluations.
• Act 13 rating forms must be used this school year.
• Next year using SLOs will no longer be optional and all schools must move from using SLOs to student performance measures.

The Educator Effectiveness Section in the SAS Portal has tons of resources, information, and recorded webinars that were offered throughout this past school year.

The Keystone Exemption Non-Numeric Proficiency and Best Exam Results report displays all students reported in grades 9 through 12 in each of the three Keystone subject areas, the student’s Keystone exemption status (if any) for each subject area, and the student’s highest scale score and related proficiency level in each subject area (if any).

This report will assist school leaders in determining Act 158 graduation status, particularly with eligibility for the Proficiency and Composite Pathways. LEA's can view both the scaled-score and non-numeric Proficiencies earned by the student and the student’s best-score-to-date on each Keystone exam. This information can guide future graduation and accountability decisions for the student.

Directions to access the report are here.

The Bureau of Career and Tech has now aligned the K-12 Guidance Phases to the Comp Plan phases to alleviate confusion. With this change, the due dates have also changed (no longer due 3/31/22).

LEAs will now follow the phase they are in for comp planning, and the due date for their K-12 Guidance Plan will be as follows:

• Phase 1 – March 31, 2024
• Phase 2 – March 31, 2025
• Phase 3 – March 31, 2023

Link to Planning Due Dates

Comprehensive Planning Tip Jar for March 2022.

MAY 12-23, 2022

We're looking for hands-on and engaging events designed for kids of all ages. Anyone can be an event host - schools, public libraries, tech centers, museums, play spaces, community centers, non-profits, business and industry partners, and more.

SCHOOLS: (THINK: Title 1 Literacy Family Nights, PTO/PTA fun nights, STEAM Showcase or Science Fairs, etc.)

Interested but not sure where to begin?

• Look Through: Brochure of Past Remake Learning Day Events

• Watch: 5-Minute Video Tour following families around Southwestern PA Remake Learning Day events

REGISTER HERE for the 2022 Career Ready PA Backpack Challenge!

Click here for more details about the challenge. (Deadline to sign up: April 30th!)

We have 75(!) events on the Remake Learning Days Northwest PA calendar. Check out this preview of a handful of our IU28 region's events:

STEM Walk Hoodlebug Trail

STEM Walk Butler-Freeport Community Trail

Geocaching for Kids!

Remake Learning Days at the Apollo Library

Digital Storytelling Event

Our curriculum department created this choice board of Accelerated Learning topics for you to use FREE in your schools if you'd like. Each topic consists of 2 hours of professional learning for teachers and/or principals.

*This choice board meets all Accelerated Learning topics

ARIN is excited to announce that our classroom management course for individuals seeking classroom monitor permits under Act 91 has been approved by PDE. Please click here to access the memo that was sent to superintendents on Thursday, February 3rd. The memo features access to the completely asynchronous training. If you need any additional support or have further questions, please contact Lauren Cunningham at lcunningham@iu28.org.

April is National Poetry Month! Check out this SMORE for poetry lesson ideas and resources. The SMORE also provides information on ARIN's first annual regional poetry competition, open to all students in grades K-12.

• We are working behind the scenes to bring you a catalogue of ALL of our professional learning offerings for 2022-2023 that will be offered at the ARIN offices.
• Also coming soon will be a SMORE highlighting a series of Summer Admin learning sessions.
• Our asynchronous paraprofessional training will be finished by June 1!