Curriculum Updates

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.

• The Future Ready Index will be updated with new state testing around March 1st. In regards to this, it was also shared that the average statewide participation data for testing was 71%, but individual school district participation data ranges from 20% to 80% across the commonwealth. It was stressed that this information is of course crucial to consider when looking at the big picture of these results. Districts will have a preview window of about 3 days before the updates are released to the public facing website.
• Growth data updates to the index will be more delayed than achievement data. This information will not be released until late April or the beginning of May.
• The state will be releasing new school improvement designations in the fall of 2022. The designation criteria will be altered from it has been in the past. We will know around the beginning of April what that designation criteria will look like.

On January 13, 2022, the State Board of Education unanimously voted to approve the final-form amendments to Chapter 4 (Academic Standards and Assessments).

Key points:

• The standards will take effect on July 1, 2025. This was changed from July 1, 2024, to maintain our commitment to a 3-year implementation window.
• The first year of mandated implementation of the revised standards will be school year 2025-26.
• The Biology Keystone and science PSSAs will be updated, and the new tests will be implemented in school year 2025-26.
• Two documents were approved:

1. Final form of Annex A
2. Final form of Appendix B-1

Our Intended Plan to Begin Preparing Teachers for Full Science Standards Integration: STEM “Soft Launch” Topics:

• 3D Teaching and Learning

• Understanding NGSS

• Engineering

• Phenomenon based learning

• Lending Library customized sessions

• UDL

• StartSOLE

• MWEE

The annual Teacher and Principal Evaluation, now titled the Educator Effectiveness Annual Report, was available in the Future Ready Comprehensive Planning Portal (FRCPP) to Superintendents, CTC Directors, and Chief School Administrators on January 28, 2022.

The survey is a required report to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and is to be submitted by March 31st.

This report collects data on LEA-specific evaluation systems, as well as each school’s building level performance results of Classroom Teachers, Principals, and Non-Teaching Professionals. In addition, the survey will gather aggregate, building-level data for ESSA required reporting on equitable access to effective educators.

Please note that federally required, building-level reporting on rates of inexperienced, ineffective, and out of field educators is separate and distinct from educator evaluation data, and therefore has no impact on the completion of teacher and principal evaluations. Only building-level aggregate totals of Effective/Ineffective classroom teachers will be reported to PDE per ESSA’s requirements.

February 16: FAQs

February 24: Tracking Tool

March 2: Industry Credentials

March 9: Special Education

March 30: Technical Assistance Session for Tracking Tool

Additional Training Opportunities

March 16th: Tracking Tool Webinar –9-10:30am

ACCESS ALL ZOOM LINKS HERE!

The 2022 Data Summit (March 21-23, 2022) will also offer multiple sessions on Act 158 topics. Any questions related to Act 158, the trainings, or resources may be directed to ra-edgradrequirement@pa.gov

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is pleased to announce the following webinar opportunities. Please review the flyer to see several training and office hour opportunities.

FRCPP Plan Updates

January 24, 2022

• Educator Effectiveness (Due March 31, 2022)

January 31, 2022

• School Improvement Plans (Due June 30,2022)

• Schoolwide Plans (Due September 1, 2022)

Please click here to access a full presentation from the statewide comprehensive planning team on their most recent updates.

Click here to access the latest edition of the Comprehensive Planning Tip Jar.

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

We are opening the winter window of asynchronous training from January 7th through April 30th.

Here are the available offerings currently open for registration:

The Achievement Mindset

Google Certified Educator Level 1 Bootcamp

• Google Basics Part 1 (can be completed separately from the full bootcamp)
• Google Basics Part 2 (can be completed separately from the full bootcamp)
• Google Classroom (can be completed separately from the full bootcamp)

*Accelerated Learning Categories: Equitable Practices, Class-Wide Supports, SEL

February 10, 2022 - Using CDT’s

Teachers will learn about:

• Why CDT’s are a good tool for literacy, math and science.
• Diagnostic information to guide instruction to support intervention and enrichment.
• Identifying student academic strengths and areas in need of improvement.
• Links to classroom resources on SAS.

February 24, 2022 - Taking a Look at PVAAS Reports

Teachers will learn about:

• Two types of information: value-added (growth) data on groups of students and student-level projections data.
• Growth and projection data (in conjunction with achievement data).
• Making data-informed instructional decisions for all students.

Participants will need a laptop or Chromebook with an Internet connection for these sessions.

These sessions will be hosted at https://us06web.zoom.us/my/ljrodgers and begin at 3:00 pm and end by 4:00 pm. The session will also be recorded for future use. Those who are interested can register online at: https://www.solutionwhere.com/ww/arin/.

*Accelerated Learning Categories: Academics

During this training, we will be looking at both the educator’s social and emotional wellbeing, as well as that of his or her students. This is an area of concern that has been on the rise since the start of the COVID pandemic, and one that is critical in order for academic learning to take

place. If educators do not take care of their own social and emotional needs, then it is hard for

them to address these needs effectively with their students. This training will take time to look at both educators and students, strategies and routines they can implement in their classrooms, and finally, signs to watch for in our students regarding mental health concerns.

This session is offered on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, from 8:30AM-3:30PM. Click here to learn more!

*Accelerated Learning Categories: Social Emotional Learning

This three day series is not designed to train on analyzing data from specific assessments: it is a learning experience designed to dig into the why and how of data analysis and how to support overall assessment literacy in efforts to use data productively in our schools. We will look at data on a systematic level, from developing and using assessment maps to creating data teams, and we will also look at data at the classroom level, from having productive data team meetings to creating an action plan with identified strategies to inform and adjust instruction.

Please click here for more information.

*Accelerated Learning Categories: Academics

This training is recommended for all teachers, however, districts are encouraged to send co-teaching partners. This training will focus on the different models of co-teaching, the pros and cons associated with each model, and it will also help teachers to determine the best model to use in their classrooms. We will look at ways to best utilize all professionals (teachers and support staff) in a classroom in order to actively engage learners and meet the needs of every student.

Please click here for more information.

*Accelerated Learning Categories: Scaffolded Supports, Academics

This training will take a deeper dive into Universal Design for Learning, how to incorporate it into your classroom daily without burning yourself out, and creating a learning environment that impacts all learners. There will also be some focus on Webb's Depth of Knowledge, and making sure that educators are getting higher level questions and activities into their UDL lessons.

• Webb's Depth of Knowledge
• What is Universal Design for Learning?
• How can I implement Universal Design for Learning?
• Time to apply learning about Webb's Depth of Knowledge and Universal Design for Learning.

Training Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2022, from 8:30-3:30.

*Accelerated Learning Categories: Scaffolded Supports

From 1:1 to Wow!

Date: March 10, 2022

In this session, we will introduce how to use those chromebooks and laptops! Everyone has as a tool to engage students in collaboration and communication tools. We will used tools like Nearpod, Jamboard, StartSOLE, and others to get you and your students thinking differently about computer time.

StartSOLE (Self Organized Learning Environment)

Date: March 24, 2022

This half-day session will provide teachers the opportunity to use StartSOLE with their students in their classrooms. StartSOLE is a Self Organized Learning Environment (SOLE). It is a simple educational approach designed to promote inquiry and foster self-empowerment. This interactive and collaborative session will give teachers a new tool to engage students in their learning. Participants will need to bring a laptop or Chromebook that can access the Internet.

There is no cost to attend this session. Please have those who are interested register online at: https://www.solutionwhere.com/ww/arin/.

Please check out these other GREAT STEAM sessions available!

*Accelerated Learning Categories: Academics

ARIN IU 28, in collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific, is again pleased to invite student teams from IU 28 school districts to participate in the STEM Design Challenge. ARIN will host its 10th regional competition for student teams (two to four students per team) in two divisions (grades 4-5 and grades 6-8) at the Elderton High School Gym located at 239 S Lytle St, Elderton, PA 15736 on March 30, 2022.

This year’s challenge is: To Improve Our Transportation System. Think of current

transportation systems like air travel, vehicle travel, bicycling, etc. In what ways can they be

improved to create a safer, healthier, and cleaner world? Maybe even create a new transportation system. Teams will use K’Nex pieces and/or recyclable materials to create their prototype. Each team will need to bring a completed Narrative Report Form and a blueprint with them to the competition. Please see the attached flier for further information, including the schedule for the day and the Narrative Report Form.