The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is soliciting district volunteers to participate in the Firefly Pilot for the 2024-2025 school year.

The Firefly benchmark will be available for ELA grades 3-8, Mathematics grades 3-8, Keystone Algebra I, and Keystone Literature during the pilot in 2024-2025. The pilot window will run from mid-November through mid-March. The benchmark will be administered online, and we anticipate each assessment will take about 45 minutes for students to complete.

For the pilot year, ELA grades 3-8 will assess and report only reading; writing will be added in 2025-2026. For mathematics, information will be reported for each of the five grade level assessment anchors. PSSA Science for grades 5 and 8 and Keystone Biology will be added during the 2025-2026 school year. Also, during the 2025-2026 school year, the Firefly will be available from August/September until a few weeks before the beginning of the PSSA and Keystone administration windows.

PDE is developing suggested assessment schedules which could include the Classroom Diagnostic Test (CDT) and the Firefly Benchmark. The CDT is a true diagnostic assessment; the Firefly benchmark is designed to be an interim assessment and will provide a prediction as to how students will perform on the PSSA or Keystone assessment. The CDT and Firefly assessments are free to Pennsylvania schools.

If your district or school is interested in participating in the Firefly Benchmark Pilot, please complete the PDE Firefly Benchmark Pilot Interest form.

Please direct questions to Dr. Megan Clementi at mclementi@pa.gov.

As we come back from summer vacation, please remember to make time for some wellness routines. Here are some resources and tips to utilize along the way:

Apps and Tools

• Calm: A popular meditation and sleep app.
• Headspace: Another meditation app with guided sessions.
• Forest: A productivity app that helps you stay focused.
• Trello: A project management tool to organize your tasks.

Articles:

• 7 Simple Ways To Sneak Mindfulness Into Your Teaching Day

• Self-Care Tips for Teachers

Work-Life Balance

• Disconnect: Limit work-related activities outside of work hours.
• Hobbies and interests: Pursue activities you enjoy outside of teaching.
• Plan vacations: Take regular breaks to rest and rejuvenate.

Professional Self-Care

• Time management: Develop effective time management strategies to reduce stress.
• Continuous learning: Stay updated on educational trends and best practices.
• Celebrate achievements: Recognize and reward your accomplishments.
• Take breaks: Schedule short breaks throughout your workday to rest and recharge.

Physical Self-Care

• Get enough sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.
• Regular exercise: Incorporate physical activity into your routine, even if it's just a short walk or yoga session.
• Healthy eating: Fuel your body with nutritious foods.
• Mindful movement: Practice mindfulness through activities like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing.

The 2023-24 Act 35 reporting window opened in the Future Ready Comprehensive Planning Portal (FRCPP) on July 8, 2024; the deadline for reporting is Friday October 4, 2024. Act 35 requirements began in the 2020-21 school year and requires each district, charter school, and comprehensive CTC to administer a locally developed assessment of United States history, government, and civics. The assessment must be administered at least once to students in grades 7-12 and must include the nature, purpose, principles, and structure of United States constitutional democracy, the principles, operations and documents of United States government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

The data to be collected in the FRCPP system includes:

* Type of the assessment administered

* Total number of students who took the assessment

* Total number of students who attained a passing grade on the assessment

* Grade level or levels in which the assessment was administered

* Course or course in which the assessment was administered

* Number of students scoring 100% on the assessment

As you gather this information in preparation for the upcoming collection, you can find more information on Act 35, including guidelines for accessing and submitting your data in the User Guide.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/157eSMwcVlI0j0IuYxcfQ5oqVfgpEPnPw/view?usp=sharing

You may also find the “Frequently Asked Questions” document useful as well.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11BMeTpqaTEYYD6rJlORF42N30P_LMNxc/view?usp=sharing

Note that if your charter school does not encompass grades 7-12, you are exempt from this submission. However, if your school includes at least one grade level 7-12, this legislation applies to your LEA. Submission is also required for IUs that provide civics instruction on behalf of their LEAs, as well as comprehensive CTC schools.

The Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21 Joint (Curriculum & Instruction/Educational Technologies) Council will meet on the following dates beginning at 9 a.m. at the Carbon Lehigh IU 21 Central Office, 4210 Independence Drive, Schnecksville, PA 18078:

• September 24, 2024
• October 22, 2024
• November 19, 2024
• December 17, 2024
• January 28, 2025
• February 25, 2025
• March 25, 2025
• April 23, 2025
• May 20, 2025

CLIU 21, Colonial IU 20, and Luzerne IU 18 are partnering to bring Innovamat, experts and specialists in math teaching and learning for a professional learning series that will focus on hands-on/minds-on strategies for teaching and practicing elementary math skills. Along the way, participants will learn about math skill sequencing and the interdependence of skills within the continuum of grades. Help students build strong mathematical mindsets to improve math outcomes!

Series Details:

• Location: Carbon Learning and Achievement School Conference Room, 770 State Road, Lehighton, PA 18235
• Dates:

• Workshop #1: September 25, 2024
• Virtual Check-in #1: October 8, 2024
• Workshop #2: October 21, 2024
• Virtual Check-in #2: November 6, 2024
• Workshop #3: November 13, 2024
• Virtual Check-in #3: December 3, 2024
• Workshop #4: January 8, 2025

• Workshop Times: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
• Virtual Check-in Times: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM (Please let us know if we should adjust this time to better meet your needs)
• Lunch: Provided
• Cost: $595.00 per participant (billed to districts at the conclusion of the series). Due to the number of participants, we were able to reduce the fee from the previously indicated $650 per participant.

We have 12 spaces available in this professional learning series. Please use the link below to register and individual or team.

Innovamat PD Registration