January '25 Newsletter
FROM THE ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT
Scott Reeves, Assistant Superintendent, Teaching & Learning
Hello staff and welcome to 2025. I cannot believe that we are a quarter of the way through this century! Seems like yesterday (for those of us who were alive) when the radio stations were blaring Prince’s “1999” on that particular New Years.
Thank you to teachers who have invited me to visit and/or participate in your class activities. I’ve loved reading to elementary students, digging into middle school science projects, or presenting to classes. Please keep inviting me. I will have my available times updated on my calendar through February.
With that said, every time I visit classes I see evidence of the skills of our Portrait of a Graduate competencies being built. It’s very fulfilling that nearly every time I bring that to the teacher’s attention, the teacher says “That was intentional.” This month’s competency is Problem Solving, which we know as adults, may be one of the most valuable skills in our professional and family lives.
So much in this issue, as we are beyond the halfway point to this year, which means we are already starting to plan for next year! We’ve got scheduling on the horizon at the secondary level, CogAt and Iowa testing, OELPA testing on tap, and we are super excited to expand Hope Squad into the middle school level.
Lastly, I’ve gotten great feedback from everyone who previously attended my “They Are ALL Our Kids” session at WE Day and I’ll be conducting it again in February in Session 3. Please sign up if you can!
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
Cheryl Relford, Executive Director of Elementary Schools
Kate Thoma, Director of Elementary Curriculum & Instruction
Hopefully your 2025 is off to a great start! As a reminder, we have the following upcoming Collaborative Problem Solving meetings where we brainstorm ideas and solutions to Elementary items. Our interest in these meetings is pretty low and we would love to see your faces! If we do not have 10 WEA members, we will cancel the session so tell all your friends and come share your thoughts and ideas. See below for dates and topics. If interested, please email Kate Thoma to be added to our invite.
SECONDARY EDUCATION
Anne Baldwin, Executive Director, Secondary Schools
Dr. Jennifer Knapp, Director, Secondary Curriculum & Instruction
Matt Misener, Director, Career and College Pathways
Becca Yanni, Coordinator, Extra and Co-Curricular Activities
January is such an exciting time in secondary schools as underclassmen students begin to consider the possibilities for personalizing their schedules for the next school year. Thank you in advance for engaging students in conversations about how their talents, interests, and post-secondary goals can be developed through the exciting course options available!
We are still looking for team members to join our collaborative design teams at the middle level for both Middle School Design and Advisory! These teams meet once a month after school and participation is eligible for Schedule S payment. If you are interested in joining a team to collaborate and problem-solve with colleagues from across our district, please reach out to your principal or Anne Baldwin. Our next Middle School Design Team meeting is scheduled for January 29th and MS Advisory Design Team meeting is scheduled for February 5th.
Secondary Curriculum & Instruction
- Shout outs to the following teachers who proposed WE Day sessions and/or are helping to facilitate on February 14th - Jake Miller, Cassie Coggburn, Larissa Anders, Jenny Freshly, Paige Fritz, Cory Dickman, Elise Johnson, and Jamie Bousher
- Required Sessions
- Grades 6-8: Intervention or OST Prep? NO! Intervention AND OST Prep! (8:30 - 9:30)
- Grades 9 & 10: ELA Data Dive & Collaboration (session is repeatable; 9-10 teachers are required to attend at least one session) (9:35 - 10:35 OR 10:40 - 11:40)
- CCP ELA: Collaboration Session (8:30 - 9:30)
Mathematics Session Highlights
- Shoutout to Elizabeth Robinson and Zoe Mieras for helping to facilitate sessions on February 14th!
- Required Session - From Tiresome to Energizing: Transforming Mathematics OST Review
- 6-8 Math Teachers (10:40-11:40)
- Algebra and Geometry Teachers (9:35-10:35)
- Secondary Math Intervention and Enrichment Resource Playground (offered 8:30-9:30 and 10:40-11:40)
- Intervention or OST Prep? NO! Intervention AND OST Prep! (for 6-8 teachers, 9:35-10:35)
- Algebra 2 and It’s Equivalents Roundtable (9:35-10:35)
- Geometry and Algebra 2 Amplify Desmos Pilot Presentation (8:30-9:30)
Social Studies Session Highlights
- Shoutouts to Caitlin Robbins, Brandon Allen, and Don Ogle for leading sessions!!
- Required Sessions
- Preparing Students for the American Government OST - (10:40-11:40)
- Preparing Students for the American History OST - (9:35 - 10:35)
- Sessions will focus on preparing students for the OST, including past test score data review in the Central Reporting System, using released questions to prepare students for the test, and using the state’s Test Authoring site to create question sets for classroom review.
- Global Scholars Information and Connection to the Middle School Exploring Global Issues Course - required for MS Global Issues teachers (8:30 - 9:30)
- (HS) Financial Literacy - Final collaboration session for the year. Focus on unit planning and NGFP integration
Science and Engineering Session Highlights
- Shout outs to Jessica Meginnis, Tori Cook, Dwight Back and Jen Hubble for leading middle school science sessions; as well as Mia Grube, Matthew Christ, Adam Pope, Becky Rollo, and Greg Pilcher for facilitating high school science sessions.
- Required Sessions
- Biology Data Dive and Collaboration (8:30 AM)
- Grade 8 Science Data Dive and Collaboration (10:40 AM)
- Sessions will focus on preparing students for the OST, including past test score data review in the Central Reporting System, using released questions to prepare students for the test, and using the state’s Test Authoring site to create question sets for classroom review.
- Collaborative Sessions
- Science and Engineering Sessions Overview
- Each science grade/discipline has allocated time to focus on identifying high quality Tier 1 strategies that could be integrated into instruction in upcoming lessons.
Career and College Pathways
This week kicked off the Spring semester for College Credit Plus. This year, we have just about 500 students participating in the College Credit Plus program. This includes students taking courses on our campuses (embedded courses), on college campuses, and online. Our top 3 college partners in the program are Columbus State, Otterbein, and The Ohio State University.
As you are talking to students about the College Credit Plus program, or if you want more information, please see our website by clicking HERE. If you are advising students on the first steps of the program, direct them to the website to watch the mandatory information session that is posted (if they haven’t done so already) and complete the Intent to Participate form. Per ORC, this form is due by April 1, 2025. Completing the form does not sign the student up for College Credit Plus, but acknowledges they are interested in the program. It is free to complete and does not commit the student to taking one or more College Credit Plus courses.
Finally, if you are looking for a quick graphic to share with students about how to participate in College Credit Plus, please see below. This is also found in the High School Academic Planning Guide.
If you have any questions, each high school has a College Credit Plus counselor liaison:
- Westerville Central: Monica Johnson
- Westerville North: Amy Brake
- Westerville South: Jenny Coulter
You can also reach out to me, Matt Misener, Director of Career and College Readiness or our District School Counselor, Jennifer Harris.
Extra and Co-Curricular Activities
Spotlight on Student Support: Breaking Barriers to Extracurriculars
We are excited to share a new initiative led in collaboration by our school counselor team, social worker team and admin. Together, they are holding focus groups with students in all secondary schools to engage in meaningful conversations capturing positive moments and barriers to participating in extracurricular activities.
These focus groups aim to better understand the challenges our students face—whether it’s scheduling conflicts, communication breakdowns, transportation issues, financial concerns, or something else—and explore actionable solutions to overcome them. Our kids have the best ideas and we are listening!
This initiative reflects our commitment to ensuring all students can access the enriching opportunities offered through co and extracurricular involvement. We believe every student should have the chance to discover their passions, build connections within their school, and grow beyond the classroom.
Stay tuned for updates on what we’re learning from these conversations and how we’re working to make co and extracurricular activities more inclusive and accessible for all!
STUDENT SERVICES
Tami Santa, Executive Director, Student Services
Jessie Martin, Director, Student Well-Being
Ja'Niece McAlpine, Director, Educational Equity
Megan Orlowski, TOSA, Educational Equity
Rachel Pinto, District Nurse Coordinator
Failing Forward: when we can emphasize the positive aspects of failure and turn problem solving into learning experiences (that our educators do every day), we encourage an environment where growth and resilience are celebrated.
THANK YOU for helping our students understand that mistakes are an essential part of progress, and through perseverance and support, they can achieve, no matter how many attempts it takes.
Educational Equity
What’s culture got to do with it? The solutions for closing students’ learning gaps in the classroom lie within tapping into their culture. Being aware of students' rich background knowledge that impacts comprehension and problem solving can enhance implementation of culturally responsive tools and strategies. There are 3 levels of culture, specifically deep rooted culture that grounds a person and their approach to problem solving. Please see visual from Aliza Maynard.
Clinics & Health Services
The clinic staff want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all school staff who have participated in the cardiac emergency response teams and drills last quarter, fulfilling the important requirements outlined by Ohio House Bill 47. Your commitment to these efforts plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and well-being of all our students and staff. By participating in these drills and training, you've helped build a proactive response plan to effectively address potential cardiac emergencies. You are an essential part of creating a safer school environment for everyone, and we appreciate your continued dedication to this truly lifesaving cause! Look for future opportunities led by our School Nurses to learn how to perform compression only CPR and use our district AEDs!
Student Well Being
This year marks an exciting milestone for our schools! The Hope Squad program is now in its fourth year at the high school level and has officially expanded to middle schools for the first time.
Hope Squad empowers students to recognize signs of distress, support peers, and connect them with trusted adults. With four years of success in high schools and now a strong start in middle schools, the program continues to foster a culture of connection, care, and hope across all grade levels.
This January, our middle and high school Hope Squad members are leading the way in promoting mental health awareness. In preparation for Hope Week, taking place during the last week of January, high school Hope Squad members visited middle school Hope Squads to connect, inspire, and prepare students for this important event.
Hope Week focuses on raising suicide awareness, fostering peer support, and encouraging students to seek help when needed. Together, we’re building a community where every student feels seen, heard, and supported.
OFFICE OF ASSESSMENTS AND ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION
Nick McIlwain, Director of Alternative Education & Assessments
Welcome back for the 2nd semester. We hope everyone had a fantastic Winter Break.
2nd semester REALLY gets fun with all of the State testing that is coming up. MANY staff members have jumped into the Readiness portal and administered checkpoint/benchmark assessments to their students in the 1st semester. Helping our students become more familiar with the testing platform and the types of questions they will answer greatly reduces test anxieties. Take a look at our awesome checkpoint and benchmark assessment numbers from the 1st semester:
- Checkpoint ELA tests given: 477; Benchmark ELA tests given: 14
- Checkpoint Math tests given: 0; Benchmark Math tests given: 11
- Checkpoint Science tests given: 149; Benchmark Science tests given: 7
- Checkpoint SS tests given: 0; Benchmark SS tests given: 0
*Over 1,500 tests have been taken in the test authoring system (teachers creating their own checkpoints/benchmarks for students).
Our numbers are trending upwards with the use of the checkpoints/benchmarks/authored assessments in the classroom from this time last year during the 23/24 SY:
- Checkpoint ELA tests given: 49; Benchmark ELA tests given: 33
- Checkpoint Math tests given: 32; Benchmark Math tests given: 12
- Checkpoint Science tests given: 146; Benchmark Science tests given: 0
- Checkpoint SS tests given: 0; Benchmark SS tests given: 1
*388 tests taken in the test authoring system (teachers creating their own checkpoints/benchmarks for students).
If you need any help with accessing student testing data in the CRS, would like to know how to administer a checkpoint/benchmark practice assessment in the State Readiness portal, or how to print testing tickets for your students for practice tests in the State system, please check out these handy resources:
- Directions on how to print testing tickets, follow the steps in this document
- Directions to access student test scores in the CRS and Assessment Authoring (bank of all the released OST questions), follow this step sheet
- Directions for how to start at Readiness Assessment (checkpoint is 5-8 questions for a specific standard and benchmark is a full length practice OST), use this step sheet
SPECIALIZED LEARNING PROGRAMS
Guerdie Glass, Executive Director, Specialized Learning Programs
Adam Flugge, Director, Special Education
Suzanne Kile, Director, Preschool Services
Jennifer Winters, Coordinator, Office of English Learners
Valarie Jasinski, Coordinator, Gifted Education
Elizabeth Jelkin, Civil Rights Coordinator
What is problem-solving?
Problem-solving is figuring out what’s not working, thinking of ways to fix it, picking the best ideas, trying them out, and checking if they work. It’s about using clear thinking, creativity, and teamwork.
Remember, problem-solving is not about perfection—it's about progress. It's about taking each step forward with curiosity, compassion, and an open mind. Together, we are stronger, and together, we will find solutions that make a lasting difference. As we continue our journey together into the second semester of this school year, know that you are not alone, we are here to help troubleshoot difficult situations with you!
Thank You for All You Do,
The Specialized Learning Team
Special Education
IEP team members problem-solving together ensures that the approach to a student’s education is individualized, responsive, and effective. If questions arise while planning for the instruction and services for a student in special education, the Special Education Administrative team is a great resource to provide suggestions, support, and guidance during these conversations. Click here to access a list of buildings and assigned Special Education Coordinators.
Also, the Special Education Department will be hosting the second Special Education Family Engagement Forum on January 22nd from 6:00-7:00 pm at the Early Learning Center. The topics discussed will include community connections, organizations, and supports.
Office of English Learners
WE Day Offerings: Are you a middle school or high school general education teacher seeking information for best ways to support English Learners? Come to our WE Day sessions!!
- Session 182: Middle School Cohort-- Empowering All Learners: Leveraging EL Proficiency Levels and UDL Strategies for Inclusive Tier 1 Instruction (8:30-9:30)
- Session 183: Empowering All Learners: Leveraging EL Proficiency Levels and UDL Strategies for Inclusive Tier 1 Instruction (9:35-10:35)
OELPA Testing: Each year every English Learner in the district participates in the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment to see how their language skills have developed in the areas of reading, writing, listening and speaking. The testing window for this school year is February 3rd through March 28th.
The EL Staff and administration will be working very hard to set up the testing schedule and administer these assessments. We appreciate all the support you can provide to our staff during the testing window. Support may include the following: understanding that students may need to miss general education instruction to complete assessments, exempting and/or reducing classwork during this time to ensure our students do not fall behind, understanding that our EL staff may need to cancel groups and temporarily suspend support in the general education classroom in order to administer the assessments, and more. Thank you in advance for helping our English Learners during OELPA season!
2nd Edition EL Newsletter: Our EL Specialists have put together the second edition of The Multilingual Messenger. Check out all the amazing things happening in our EL classrooms and get tips on how best to support English Learners in all settings!
Gifted Education
The Gifted department is seeking referrals for potential gifted identifications in the area of visual performing arts (art, theater, vocal music, instrumental music, dance). Referrals can be filled out here.
Districtwide CogAt and Iowa Testing for students in grades 2 and 5 runs January 13 - 31, 2025. NEW THIS YEAR: second grade will only take the CogAT (no IOWA). Fifth grade will take the CogAT and IOWA Science and Social Studies only (no reading and no math). As in years past, any teacher, coach, or para who is testing students will need to view this year's training slide deck.
A few important reminders:
- EL students will take both the CogAT and the Iowa (5th grade only) tests (not the NNAT3)
- There are allowable accommodations for students with a 504, IEP, or EL students (see links below)
- Second grade CogAT will be proctor led
- Students in fifth grade will have the option for directions in languages other than English
