Weekly Updates

Looking back to a March 2017 ASCD article on micro-credentials Will Teacher Microcredentials Upend the $8 Billion PD Industry? prompted me to reflect on the value added by our own micro-credential and badge initiative at C-A.

Since we began using the OYO platform in the 2016-17 school year, we’ve worked to create a more responsive, flexible, and cost-effective approach to professional learning. What started as a way for students to access real-time support in learning computer coding and computer science has grown into a broader initiative supporting both student learning and staff development.

To date, we have:

• Created 337 unique badges/challenges and 53 learning paths

• Teachers have earned a total of 6,202 badges through professional development

• Teachers have earned 10,202 STARS (our original micro-credential system)

• Teachers have earned 363 Mastery Badges, reflecting deeper levels of learning and implementation

Each badge represents a professional learning experience. To put this in perspective, the average cost to attend a one-day PD workshop outside the district is approximately $500. If each of the 6,202 badges represented an outside PD event, that would total $3.1 million in professional development expenditures. Instead, our district has invested approximately $225,000 over nine years in the OYO platform—demonstrating a remarkable return on investment.

This initiative has enabled teachers to engage in personalized, on-demand learning aligned with district goals and instructional needs. It has also fostered a professional learning community where teachers build capacity, share best practices, and model lifelong learning for their students. By earning these badges teachers have provided evidence of implementing their learning into their instructional practices.

At C-A, we’re proud that micro-credentialing has not only extended access to professional development but also provided students with meaningful opportunities to build computer science skills. Students have earned 1000’s of badges in coding and CS and classroom specific competencies. This dual impact—on both educators and students—highlights the transformative potential of a well-implemented micro-credential system.

After conversations with the owners of OYO we will be transitioning to a new partnership model in 25-26 that significantly reduces our costs. Our Teacher PD community will still exist and what will be new will be a full range of AI tools for teachers to utilize, modify or create to allow them more time to teach. OYOclass.com's Dat AI environment provides a safe and easy way for teachers and students alike to create customized AI helpers. From engaging chatbots focused on history, to rubric creators & lesson plan helpers, to personalized tutors for language development, Dat AI allows you to bring your ideas to the next level.

I am happy to announce for the third year in a row the HS Marine Lab has been awarded a $750 Earth day grant from the Eastern New York Chapter of the Air & Waste Management Association. As the marine lab continues to be completely self funded we plan on using the funds to continue to maintain the aquarium, replace a damaged lab fridge and pumps, and hopefully add some additional corals over the next few months.

Thank you Lillian Klass for submitting the grant application and I look forward to seeing the changes.

On Tuesday, May 20, registered voters will head to the polls to vote on the proposed 2025–2026 school budget and to elect three members to the Board of Education.

Last night, the Board of Education adopted a $37.7 million spending plan for the upcoming school year—a $701,000 increase (or 1.89%) over the current year’s budget. The proposal includes a projected tax levy increase of 2.83%, which is within the state's allowable tax cap.

This year’s budget development was particularly challenging due to sharp increases in costs for health and prescription insurance and transportation contracts, which rose by a combined $2.2 million. In response, the district conducted a thorough review of class sizes and staffing levels, guided by ten-year enrollment and staffing trends.

As a result, the district will move forward with a reduction plan that includes the potential elimination of 9 teaching positions and 9 paraprofessional roles, along with approximately $622,000 in cuts to other operating expenses.

This is not a decision we take lightly. I am incredibly proud of our educators and support staff. But with continued declines in student enrollment and rising operational costs outpacing state aid at an accelerated pace, we must make difficult choices to protect our financial future. The district has seen a steady decline in student enrollment over 20 years, which has led to smaller class sizes and reduced staffing needs. At the same time, the costs of employee benefits, transportation, utilities, and educational resources have continued to climb, while state funding has remained largely flat.

Our goal is to ‘right-size’ the district so we can continue offering high-quality instruction while remaining fiscally responsible. These are incredibly difficult decisions, but they are necessary to ensure we are using our limited resources in ways that best support student learning and long-term sustainability.

Running for the school board’s three vacant seats are: Michael Petramale, Shelly West, Nicole Canning, William Gates and Michael Donahue. The three candidates receiving the most overall votes will be seated for 3-year terms. This year voters may vote at either polling location.

I would like to introduce Tommy Esposito. Tommy is excited to be joining the team as the new IT and Communications Specialist! He recently moved to the area from New Jersey this past January and is looking forward to getting to know all of you.

"I come from a background in film and have worked on a number of movies and TV shows in NYC. Here at the school, I'll be managing our social media presence and handling anything related to film or media production.

If you have any stories, events, or highlights you'd like to feature on our social media platforms, feel free to send me photos and short captions, and I'll take care of the rest. If there are any upcoming events you want to showcase as well please let me know and I can come by and snap pictures and videos. I'm very excited to be here and to work with all of you!"

-Tommy Esposito

espositot@cacsd.org

It’s important for a school to tell its own story to the community because if we don’t, someone else will—and their version may not reflect our values, achievements, or the hard work of our staff and students.

At Coxsackie-Athens, we are committed to sharing a story rooted in our vision of all learners achieving extraordinary success. We want our community to see how we live out that vision every day, offering big-school opportunities in a small-school setting where each student is known, supported, and challenged. By owning our story, we build trust, celebrate what makes us unique, and ensure our narrative reflects who we truly are and where we’re going.

Below is a summary timeline for some of the of collaborative work ahead:

• April: Finalize decision on formative assessment tool that Fastbridge currently is used for.
• May: Finalize substitute onboarding operating procedures
• May: Update district MTSS plan
• May: Complete recommendations for attendance policy changes
• June: Complete Revisions to the code of conduct
• June: Establish new 3-year LINKS performance goals-to be finalized in August
• June: Training in new formative assessment tool

I found this essay thought provoking. I share not as an endoresment but as a way to further the conversation on the future of PK-12 education.

Talk with your principal if you have an idea that CAFE could help support.

Coxsackie-Athens Foundation for Education Grant Application

Submit grant applications to: cafe@cacsd.org

Please share the stories happening in your classrooms or a colleague's through out the year. Share a shout-Out for one of your colleagues.

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5/20: noon dismissal

5/23: No classes- Staff at active intreuder drill or professonal development

5/26: Memorial Day holiday

C-A is looking to highlight students and staff members who embrace the District's mantra, #CA_RightHereRightNow, through acts of service to better their school community. This includes the many projects our students engage in throughout the year. Please complete the form at the link below if you, someone you know, a club, or grade level provides service to the school community!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeFIZEF29RCA-YQnDWe2SvIDnuxWSrwGAcV7D6orJBL5fNSzw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a broad term for technologies that allow computers to perform advanced functions, while generative AI is a specific type of AI that focuses on creating new content

Tools (not all free)

• Stanford Classroom-Ready Resources About AI For Teaching (CRAFT) https://craft.stanford.edu/
• The latest release of Claude 3.7 Sonnet lets you generate interactive web-based applications,and even games, from just a short description. https://claude.ai/
• Augie Studio allows anyone to create professional looking videos by using AI to select imagesfrom the famous Corbis image library, as well as access to a professional music library.Designed for public relations professionals and social media creators, the free version lets you create up to five minutes of video a month. https://augie.studio/

We are moving from the idea that AI is not just moving quickly, but it is also accelerating

rapidly,

The sudden emergence of DeepSeek, a free AI chatbot created by a Chinese company, sent

shockwaves through the stock market, and led to the collapse of NVIDIA stock. You can use a

domestically-located version of DeepSeek on the Perplexity website. Select it from the download menu when you search. https://www.perplexity.ai/

After DeepSeek was launched, other AI companies launched their own AI reasoning and research models with a series of rapid successive announcements:

● Just over six days after DeepSeek was launched, OpenAI the company that makes ChatGPT, released a free version of AI reasoning model called “03-mini”

https://chatgpt.com/?model=o3-mini

● Three days later, they released a version of ChatGPT called Deep Research, a multi-step research tool. It is currently only available to their Pro subscribers who pay $200 a month. https://openai.com/index/introducing-deep-research/

● Three days after that, Google released Gemini 2.0, their most advanced AI model. Then, nine days later, Perplexity released their Deep Research model.

https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/blog/introducing-perplexity-deep-research

Khanmigo is an AI-powered tool from Khan Academy that helps teachers and students learn and teach more effectively.

What Khanmigo can do

• Tutor students: Khanmigo helps students learn math, science, and humanities through personalized guidance. It can also help students prepare for tests and learn new skills.

• Assist teachers: Khanmigo can help teachers with lesson planning, grading, and creating engaging activities.

• Support parents: Khanmigo can help parents provide on-demand homework help.

How Khanmigo works

• Khanmigo uses a large language model (LLM) to respond to users.
• Khanmigo can provide instant feedback on homework problems and step-by-step explanations.
• Khanmigo can encourage students to think critically by asking them challenging questions.
• Khanmigo can act as historical figures to help students learn about history.

Your own automated app developer

Meet Replit Agent, an advanced AI making programming accessible to everyone. Build at the speed of thought and launch in minutes. Create a website, eduction games. This is more to show you what is already here. CLICK HERE

1. Google Arts and Culture can help you develop AI prompting skills with their “Say What You See” website activity.
2. The 12 Days of OpenAI highlighted new technology developed by OpenAI.

Researchers pitted humans against AI on essay grading and the robot did OK. In a companion study on evaluating student essays, ChatGPT also produced impressive feedback, sometimes better than human writing instructors. In a separate essay grading study, it appeared that AI was consistently penalizing Asian American students. It’s still not known whether instant grades or feedback improves student writing. READ MORE

This week's AI tool is Napkin AI. I have been using it for a couple weeks. I put it to the test for my slide deck updates (slides 7-12) for the last BOE meeting. It is a pretty good tool at organizing a text, bulleted list, or a group of ideas and graphically presenting them.

Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to using Napkin AI:

1. Sign Up or Log In

• Visit the Napkin AI website or download the app (if available).
• Create an account or log in using your credentials.

2. Create a New Workspace

• Once logged in, click on "New Workspace" or a similar option.
• Give your workspace a name that aligns with your project or note-taking needs.

3. Add Notes or Ideas

• Type out your ideas, tasks, or notes directly into the workspace.
• Use bullet points, sentences, or keywords. Napkin AI organizes this information automatically.

4. Organize and Connect Notes

• Napkin uses smart linking to connect similar or related ideas.
• Review the connections Napkin AI suggests and make adjustments if needed.

5. Use Tags for Easy Categorization

• Add tags to notes to make them searchable and better organized.
• You can create custom tags or use system-recommended ones.

6. Visualize Relationships

• Explore the visual map or network of your notes to see how ideas are connected.
• This is great for brainstorming or identifying patterns.

7. Export or Share Your Workspace

• When your workspace is ready, export it as a document or share it with collaborators via a link (if supported).

8. Regularly Update and Refine

• Add new ideas and revisit your workspace regularly.
• Let Napkin AI's algorithm enhance connections over time for better insights.

That's it! Napkin AI helps turn scattered thoughts into meaningful connections with minimal effort.

Notion for education acts as a digital workspace that allows students and teachers to organize their notes, assignments, class schedules, and other educational materials in one centralized location, enabling them to effectively manage their coursework, collaborate with peers, and track progress, all within a customizable interface; essentially acting as a personalized digital notebook for learning.

Key features for education use:

• Note-taking: Create structured notes with different block types like text, lists, images, and embedded links for each subject.

  Project management: Organize project tasks, deadlines, and collaborate with group members on assignments.

• Lesson plan creation: Teachers can build detailed lesson plans with objectives, activities, and assessments.

• Grade tracking: Keep track of student grades and performance

• File storage: Upload and store relevant course materials like documents, presentations, and videos

• Sharing capabilities: Easily share pages and databases with classmates or collaborators

• Customization: Design your workspace with different layouts and color schemes to suit your learning style

Benefits for students:

• Improved organization: Centralize all learning materials in one place, making it easier to find information

  Enhanced collaboration: Work together on projects with classmates through shared pages

• Flexible note-taking: Adapt note structure to different learning styles

• Accessibility across devices: Access notes and assignments from any device

Benefits for teachers:

• Streamlined lesson planning: Create and manage lesson plans efficiently

  Effective student monitoring: Track student progress and provide personalized feedback

• Efficient communication: Share important information with students through shared pages

• Improved class organization: Manage class schedules, assignments, and deadlines in one platform

Below are steps to generate personalized digital art work.

1. Search for Adobe Firefly
2. Click on AI Art Generator Online
3. Click on Generate Ai Art (in blue oval)
4. Describe the image you want created. Be descriptive, the more details you provide the closer to your vision the artwork will be
5. Click Generate
6. It may ask you to sign in, using your school Google account
7. It will produce four samples
8. You can download an image or add more details or take out details and generate new images.

https://notebooklm.google/ is a tool that has been around a while in AI terms. Like a notebook it can store documents, slides, websites, videos and your own notes. You can ask it questions(it creates suggested questions to ask) and it will answer using the resources you uploaded into the notebook.

After you have uploaded all your resources with a click you can create: FAQ, summary, study guide, timeline, a table of contents, citations, a briefing. AND as of last month a podcast.

I have just started experimenting with this tool and it has some real possibilities in the classtoom and district. In about 2 innings of play while watchng the Mets take care of the Phillies one night last week I uploaded several docs from our website and a webpage from our district website and created a six minute 2-person pod cast that explains our Redefining Ready work.

Imagine uploading your notes and materials on your unit about the Great Depression, or a book you are reading in class. How about uploading websites or articles on a science topic and then have NotebookLM create all your study materials for you. BTW you can share your notebook page with students or other persons in our CACSD domain. i've just started exploring this AI app, and we have opened up this AI app for you to try as well. Tech Services is ready to support your adventure.

This summer, MIT hosted a conference called the AI + Education Summit. You can view all 33

videos from the conference here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6cp6kydiOXeS3Sz-

IUYlo7JfERyxzd7a

Common Sense Media published a new report, "The Dawn of the AI Era: Teens, Parents, and the Adoption of Generative AI at Home and School." "The findings tell us that young people are quickly understanding the potential of generative AI platforms, perhaps without fully grasping the pitfalls, which underscores the need for adults to talk with teens about AI. We need to better understand their experiences so we can discuss the good and the bad—especially around bias and inaccuracy," said Amanda Lenhart, head of research at Common Sense Media.

Among the findings, three important themes rose to the top:

• A majority of teens use AI tools, especially chatbots and AI-supported search.
  • Seven out of 10 teens have used at least one type of generative AI tool.
  • A majority (56%) of teens report using search engines with AI-generated results such as Google SGE.
  • Black and Latino young people are using image and video generators more than their White peers, for schoolwork and personal purposes.
• Teens are using AI to stave off boredom almost as often as they're using it for homework help.
  • Teens report using generative AI most often for homework help (53%), to stave off boredom (42%), and to translate something from one language to another (41%).
  • Two in five (40%) teens report having used generative AI to help with school assignments, and 46% of them report doing so without the teacher's permission.
  • Teens also use AI for other personal activities, including when creating content as a joke, planning activities, and seeking health advice.
• Most adults in teens' lives—from parents to teachers—are out of the loop.
  • Just 37% of parents whose teen reported using at least one generative AI platform thought their child had used generative AI.
  • Almost half (49%) of parents say they have not talked about generative AI with their child.
  • About six in 10 teens report either that their school has no rules for how generative AI can be used or that they're not sure if there are rules.
  • Importantly, most parents (83%) say that schools have not communicated with families about generative AI.

This report is based on a nationally representative survey of 1,045 general-population U.S. adults (18+) who are parents of a teenager age 13 to 18 and their adolescent child. To download the report, with complete findings and methodology, please visit www.commonsense.org/dawn-of-AI-era.

Purpose

Our anchor strategy, PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS states, “Students with Purpose are inspired to learn. The world has changed and a vision for college, career and citizenship readiness has emerged. Centered on the concept that each student will have a purpose and PATHWAY TO SUCCESS, we will have an uncompromising and relentless commitment to preparing students for college, career and citizenship; in other words, preparing students for their future. This will be accomplished by creating relevant learning environments, and interacting with the people working in the ecosystems of the career paths students are working towards.”

Therefore, we will inspire and prepare students for college, career, and citizenship readiness through comprehensive career exploration and pathway development. The program will help students discover their interests, skills, and preferences, and provide them with real-world experiences and guidance to prepare for their future careers.

READ MORE INCLUDING BUILDING LEVEL EXPECTATIONS

All C-A staff and their families have access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) that is free to all employees and their family members.

The begining of the school year, though exicting can also be stressful and I want to again remind you help is available.

A Professional Learning Community (PLC) at Coxsackie-Athens Schools is a collaborative effort focused on improving student learning. Every day during the professional learning period, teachers will engage in this work, emphasizing three core principles:

1. Ensuring That Students Learn: The focus shifts from just teaching to ensuring all students learn. Teachers collaborate to identify what each student should learn, how to assess learning, and how to provide support when students struggle.

2. A Culture of Collaboration: Teachers work together to analyze and improve classroom practices. This collaborative culture ensures that educators are not working in isolation but are continuously sharing strategies and supporting one another to enhance student outcomes.

3. A Focus on Results: PLCs measure their success by student achievement. Teachers regularly assess and discuss data, identifying areas for improvement and celebrating successes. This results-oriented approach drives ongoing improvement in teaching and learning.

By being present each day during the PLP we will work together to enhance the educational experience, ensuring that all students achieve their extraordinary success.

2025 PERFORMANCE GOALS (Set summer 2022)

In order for 95% of our students to graduate, our goals are:

1. Wellness:

   1. Support of student and staff wellness will be indicated by 100% of students and employees being able to identify one ally and improved results on climate surveys each year.

2. Reading:

   1. 73% of students PK-8 will be reading at or above grade level by 2025. This will be a 19% improvement from 2022.

3. Math:

   1. 73% of students PK-8 will demonstrate grade level proficiency in math by 2025. This will be a 17% improvement from 2022.

4. Research Based Projects:

   1. 100% of students will be creating at least three research-based products every year by 2025.

5. Life Readiness:

1. 100% of students will demonstrate competence in a majority of the Life Ready Skills and Financial Literacy Indicators appropriate for their school level by 2025.

Below you can access the strategies and action steps at the school level to reach our 2025 goals:

• Elementary Schools Plan
• Middle School Plan
• High School Plan:
• LINKS Team 24-25 Agendas and Notes

-Fred Rogers

We all learn in a variety of ways. Students should be able to demonstrate readiness in a variety of ways.

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Below are several resources that highlight the opportunities we offer ALL students. WE truly are a small school with BIG Opportunities!

1. Did you know that every student at C-A HS can have one early college course paid for in full by the district? The reduced tuition rates for all college courses allows many students to graduate with over 20 credits. Many of our alum are able to enter college as sophomores or graduate from a college a semester early saving thousands of dollars.
2. Our parternship with Questar III BOCES provides 23 offerings in career technical education pathways. Our students who complete these programs are ready to enter the workforce in a varirty of occupations and fields.

We believe ALL students CAn be life, career and college ready when they graduate from C-A. I very muhc apprecait the collaborative work taking place in all classrooms to ensure ALL students are self-directed and prepared to succeed in our global society.

• COMMENCEMENT READINESS INDICATORS DASHBOARD
• READINESS INDICATORS K-12 BOOKLET 2020 :
• EARLY COLLEGE PAMPHLET
• COLLEGE IN THE H.S. OFFERINGS
• CAREER TECH ED OFFERINGS

LINKS- The process of aligning and LINKing the work we do to achieve aim high annual performance targets. Our LINKS team plans are our annual performance targets and the strategies and action steps as well as the professional development and training so that we can implement with confidence our strategies to help every kid be successful everyday. You can review the goals and building level plans on our LINKS Team Page. The 2023-24 plan is being worked on now and will be finalized this Thursday!

Each annual plan it aimed at making progress towards achieving our 3-year district wide performance goals. The most recent goals were set last summer to be achieved by 2025. These 3-year goals are aligned to our 2030 DESTINATION - a set of four possibilities we want to become reality by 2030.

Our LINKS Team Page will include notes from our quarterly meetings so that you can stay up to date on our collective work. Reach out to a LINKS member if you have questions or ideas-- or talk with your principal about being part of the LINKS team.

Why did our school join the AASA Learning 2025 Network and how will this affiliation impact teaching and learning in our district?

Being part of a network carries weight. There’s an expectation in a network that there’s both something you bring and receive

Our involvement is a collective way of lighting the way forward, serving as models for other school systems. We believe that now is a crucial time to catch our breath, look around, appreciate and respect one another, and acknowledge that public education is working. As we learn from one another, we will be taking bold action steps together, while we work to accelerate our goals not only for today’s students but our future students. These efforts take teamwork within C-A and partnership with other schools. We know that there is not an algorithm in a spreadsheet, nor a binder on a shelf to guide us on this journey, but we do know that research, evidence, common sense and shared experience will serve as the light on our path forward. Isolation is not an option if we’re going to deliver equity-based, future-driven education to every student learning and growing at C-A on our way to our 2030 Destination.

Coxsackie-Athens is among 13 school districts that have been recognized as “Lighthouse” systems that will serve as models of positive change in public education.

Learn More About Our Work Here

Like planning a road trip our 2030 DESTINATION, TIMELINE may change as detours pop up or new adventures present themselves.

Take a look. Our road trip will have some exciting mile markers that sustains and enhances the work we have started and will lead us to our 2030 Destination.

• Professional Learning Communities
• Growth Mindset
• Student Centered/Directed Learning
• Digital Conversion
• Pathways to Success

It is with gratitude and humility that we acknowledge that we are learning, speaking and gathering on the ancestral homelands of the Muhheaconneok (Muhhekunneuw) or Mohican people and the Munsee Lenape people, who are the indigenous peoples of this land. Despite tremendous hardship in being forced from here, they now reside in Wisconsin and are known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. We pay honor and respect to their ancestors past and present as we commit to building a more inclusive and equitable space for all.

Email: squierr@cacsd.org
Website: www.cacsd.org
Location: 24 Sunset Boulevard, Coxsackie, NY, USA
Phone: 518-731-1700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100043677108930&mibextid=LQQJ4d
Twitter: @coxathschools

Our new app is now available for download from the Apple Store and the Google Play Store. Keep up to date on all things C-A, right from your device. This app is designed to create easy access to Sports Schedules, Live Feed, Alerts, our Staff Directory and more!