Riverview IU6 Educational Programs

SPIDER LEARNING:

• Solution 1: Through a partnership with Amazon Web Services and Agilix Buzz, we are providing free curriculum / resources / content to any schools that are being closed due to the epidemic and use a Learning Management System that is LTI compliant. We have a comprehensive Middle School curriculum, including Algebra and elective courses. The announcement will be coming shortly and will direct people to this website to learn more and sign up for a provider. These requests will come in to us here at Spider and we will then contact the district, send them the course packages they requested and the secret and key they need to import into their LMS. The courses will be available until the end of the 19-20 school year.
• Solution 2: For schools that do not have an LMS or want a solution with more hands-on support, schools can use the Spider content and student management tools (called the Classroom Command Center) for the remainder of this school year at no cost. If they choose this solution, we would train the teachers on the system (basic training via webinar or recorded webcast) and support them (with some help from the IU) as they prepare for a possible school shutdown. If that happens, they will be ready to assign lessons remotely in any of the subject areas to their students. Pre-Tests in every lesson will automatically generate custom playlists for each student, and as the students work, the teacher can monitor their progress and performance in real time and intervene where needed to keep their students on track. To learn more, visit www.spiderlearning.com.

Fees Waived for Online Teaching Solutions: This linked document provides direct links to ALL online teaching solutions who are providing free access during school closures from now until the end of the year.

EVERFI: is offering a remote learning best practices webinar on 3/16 at 5 pm ET which includes a remote learning tool kit.

PAECT: is offering a "Support for Teachers" Webinar on March 17: Register

Kelsi has created a Google Classroom on "How to Use Google Classroom". (Please let us know if you'd like access, as IU6 will need to white list your domain AND your district tech department will need to whitelist our domain. Access Code: mbcthnx

PDE will examine the state’s current standards, outline the various components that must be addressed when changing regulations, and develop a proposed timeline for making the changes – with the overall goal being to provide the best framework possible to prepare all students to be productive citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

PDE’s examination of the current standards includes input from the public. A series of stakeholder engagement sessions will be held across the state and virtually – the public is invited to attend and provide input. An abbreviated list of options for stakeholder session dates, times, and locations appears below. Register here to attend a stakeholder session.

Virtual Session - Wednesday, February 26, 2020, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Clarion University - Friday, February 28, 2020, 9:00 a.m. to noon
Virtual Session - Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The standards are packaged to include science, technology, environment, and ecology.

PDE will release invitations and applications on March 15 to serve on the content committee and/or the steering committee. Applications are due back by April 15.

The State Board of Education will vote to approve committee members at the May meeting. Committee work will begin in June. Recommendations will be voted on by BoE at the September meeting.

Targeted grants for 2019-20 have been announced. Please use this link to see the awards.

Advancing grants for 2019-20 will be announced soon. PDE received 153 applications. $10.7 million dollars is to be awarded! Last year, 24 applications were funded.

The video below uses a baseball analogy to explain the implications of meeting, exceeding, or failing to meet the standard for academic growth for lower, middle, and average achievers.

Short on time? Begin the video at 1:15 and stop at 7:45, making the concept easier to understand in 6.5 minutes.

Time Sensitive:

• 2020 Teacher as Researcher Grant, Deadline: Mar 15
  
• American Honda Foundation STEM Grants, Deadline: May 1 (returning organizations)

Ongoing:

• Alternative Fuel Foundation Grant
• Brown Rudnick Community Grants
• Civic Engagement and Environmental Impact Grants
• DiscoverE Collaboration Grant (Engineering)
• DonorsChoose
• Kinder Morgan Grant
• Lockheed Martin Philanthropy
• Michael & Susan Dell Foundation Grants
• Mobile Beacon Connect for Success
• PA Association of Educational Office Professionals (PAEOP) Grants
• Sony Grants for Education
• TheBestSchools.org Online College Scholarships
• Toshiba America Foundation Classroom Innovator Grants
• Waste Management Charitable Giving
• Whitaker Center Outreach Fund

Principals Understanding Leadership in Special Education

Applications for PULSE (Principals Understanding Leadership in Special Education) are now being accepted for the spring semester 2020.

This course is ONLY for General Education Administrators - Principals, Assistant Principals, Superintendents, and Assistant Superintendents. Please do not complete an application if you are not currently in one of these leadership positions.

This 30-hour PIL-approved course aims to build upon principals’ working knowledge and skillsets needed to successfully program and innovate for students with disabilities. The growing field of research at the intersection of principals and special education yields evidence-based practices that support outcomes for students with disabilities. PULSE blends and braids throughout three instructional days, data practices, multi-tier systems of supports, legal literacy, and implementation of and sustaining evidence-based practices. Through retrieval and analysis of data related to special education to understanding programming options for inclusive systems and individual student supports, participants will increase their abilities to lead and impact student and systems growth. Other experiences that encourage knowledge and skills around special education include, self-assessment, lectures, exposure to literature, videos, scenarios, discourse, and action research design.

Day 1 - March 25, 2020, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Day 2 - April 15, 2020, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Day 3 - June 2, 2020, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Day 4 - June 16, 2020, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. OR 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Applications will close at 4:00 p.m. on March 16, 2020. Please complete your application and return to Tammy Starcher at tstarcher@riu6.org . There is a $35 fee to cover the cost of the book and materials.

Any questions, contact:
Mary Anne Jordan - Director of Special Education - mjordan@riu6.org

Bethany Wilson - IU6 TaC - bwilson@riu6.org

You are Invited!

PaTTAN Student Behavior Coalition*

March 24, 2020
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Offered regionally at all three PATTAN locations:
Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, East (Malvern)

Approximately 500 middle and high school students participating from local schools and districts in breakout sessions and facilitated workgroups around the topics of positive climate, resilience, and healthy social-emotional responses.

*Lunch will be provided but no credits are available!

School Representatives:

Please RSVP for your school team (max. 5 students; 2 chaperones) to Tina Rife, trife@pattan.net, by February 29, 2020. Teams will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis due to building capacities.

Please direct all testing questions to:

Brian Truesdale | Division Chief

Department of Education | Division of Assessment and Accountability

333 Market Street | Harrisburg PA 17126

Phone: 717.214.5433 | Mobile: 717.903.8490

btruesdale@pa.gov | www.education.state.pa.us

To get up-to-date assessment timelines, visit the DRC website, log in and click on My Applications, General Information, then Announcements.

2019/2020 Winter Keystone Exams
September 6-12, 2019 - Enrollment System
October 16-18, 2019 - Test Setup Window for Precode Labels
October 23-26, 2019 - Testing Dates Collection Window
By November 4, 2019 - Administrative Materials (manuals)arrive in districts
By November 18, 2019 – Wave One Secure Materials(test booklets) arrive in districts
December 2-13, 2019 – Wave One Testing Window
By December 18, 2019 – Wave Two Secure Materials(including additional materials) arrive in districts
January 6-17, 2020 – Wave Two Testing Window
Deadline to return materials - January 23, 2020
February 18 - 20, 2020 – Keystone Corrections Window
March 3, 2020 – District Student Data Files Released

2020 Spring PSSA
September 26-October 1, 2019 –Enrollment System Window
January 28-February 10, 2020–Testing Dates Collection Window
February 24, 2020 – Test Setup available for creation of online test sessions
March 5, 2020– Handbook and DFAs available for download
By March 23, 2020 – Handbook and DFA shipment arrives
By April 6, 2020 – Secure material shipment arrives
April 20-24, 2020 – English Language Arts Testing Window
April 27-May 1, 2020 – Mathematics, Science, and Make-ups Testing Window
May 1, 2020 – Deadline to return used answer booklets for early reporting
May 4-8, 2020 – Optional Mathematics, Science, and Make-ups Testing Window
May 29, 2020 – Early Student Reporting Results Performance File Released (4pm)
June 23, 2020 – Final Student Reporting Performance File Released

2020 Spring Keystone Exams
December 4-9, 2019 – Enrollment System Window
March 16-18, 2020 – Test Setup for Precode Labels Window
March 25-April 7, 2020 – Testing Dates Collection Window
March 31, 2020 – Handbook and DFAs available for download
By April 13, 2020 – Handbook and DFA shipment arrives
By April 27, 2020 – Secure material shipment arrives
May 11-22, 2020 – Spring Keystone Testing Window
May 28, 2020 – Materials pick up
June 26 - 30, 2020 – Keystone Corrections Window
July 16, 2020 – District Student Data Files Released

Diagnostic data, paired with progress monitoring data, provide timely information to help teachers and students address skill deficiencies through differentiated, supplemental learning opportunities.

A Timely Tip!

The score in the middle of the green band is the target for most students to achieve by the end of the course, a helpful hint if you are looking at CDT scores in a predictive sense. NOTE, however, there are no open-ended questions on the CDT so the CDT results should be paired with independently completed open-ended items to have a clear picture of student overall performance. Also note it would be best to have a "middle of the green" score from the full CDT, not just a diagnostic category assessment to have confidence in the student's overall performance.

Let us help you successfully diagnose students' needs and use the data to impact teaching and learning routines. We can provide:

• Resources to encourage your students to do their best work...
• Assistance in reading and analyzing CDT reports...
• Tools to conference with students...

Contact Dr. Robin Filllman, rfillman@riu6.org or Lori Rodgers, lrodgers@iu28.org for a personalized consultation.

FUTURE READY COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING PORTAL (FRCPP)

ACCESSING THE NEW FUTURE READY COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING PORTAL (FRCPP)

• Access to the FRCPP is a 2-step process. Click here for directions to access the FRCPP application and then assign access to specific plans within the Portal.

• IU Points of Contact will need to be added by the LEAs they support in order to access School Level and Comp Plans.

• Additional resources have been posted to the Google Site.

DUE DATES

Comprehensive Plans

• Phase 1 - plans not submitted in the Comp Plan Web Application as of November 30, 2019 are due in the FRCPP by April 30, 2020.

• Phase 2 - November 30, 2020 (FRCPP)

• Phase 3 - November 30, 2021 (FRCPP)

Special Education Plans

• Phase 1 - May 1, 2022 (FRCPP)
  
• Phase 2 - May 1, 2020 (Comp Plan Web Application)
  
• Phase 3 - May 1, 2021 (system TBD)

School Improvement Plans (CSI and A-TSI)

• June 30, 2020
  

Title I Schoolwide Plans for non-designated Schools

• September 1, 2020
  

Regional School Level Plan Training

Description: Facilitated walkthrough on school-level plans including guidance on completing the Needs Assessment section within the new Future Ready Planning Portal. This session will help designated schools (CSI, ATSI, TSI) and Schoolwide Title 1 schools complete their required plans within the new web portal (please note that TSI-designated schools are not required to submit a plan to the state). Schools that are non-designated and not schoolwide Title-1 are welcome to attend if they are interested in learning more about using the portal and completing a needs assessment. Click here to access the School Plan template and guidance document.

*A recording and resources will be posted at the Google site.

Dates and locations:

2/5- IU 16, 2/6- IU 19, 2/7- IU 17, 2/10- IU 8, 2/12- IU 1, 2/13- IU 3, 2/14- IU 27, 2/18- IU 14, 2/19- IU 24, 3/5- IU 25

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is responsible for ensuring that all special education programs in schools are appropriate and effective. To do this, school districts must submit a Special Education Plan every three years to PDE as required under 22 PA Code 14.104. In preparation for Phase 2 school districts to submit their Special Education Plan by May 1, 2020, training details are highlighted below and will also be sent via PennLink.

The school district’s Special Education Plan focuses on plans generated from compliance monitoring, professional development activities, and training necessary to provide appropriate programs to students with disabilities. School districts will submit their plans by May 1, 2020, via the Comprehensive Planning Web Application.

Should you have any questions regarding the content of your plan, please contact Amy Deluca or Cortney Verner, in PDE’s Bureau of Special Education, at amdeluca@pa.gov or cverner@pa.gov. If you have technical questions, please contact the PA Planning Helpdesk at paplanning@caiu.org or 717-732-8403.

Phase 1 Timeline

Phase 2 Timeline

Click here to access the most current Comprehensive Planning information.

SCRIPT — the Strategic CSforALL Resource & Implementation Planning Tool — is a framework to guide teams of district administrators, school leaders, and educators through a series of collaborative visioning, self-assessment, and goal-setting exercises to create or expand upon a computer science education implementation plan for their students.

School districts and other local education organizations are the units of change toward creating rigorous, inclusive and sustainable K-12 computer science education. The SCRIPT supports systems-level change by addressing five key areas: (1) Leadership, (2) Teacher Capacity and Development, (3) Curriculum and Materials Selection and Refinement, (4) Partners, and (5) Community.

A DISTRICT SCRIPT TEAM MUST INCLUDE:

(1) central admin, (1) building admin, (2) teachers or librarians who will be asked to teach CS and (1) school counselor.

Join us April 2, 2020 @ RIU#6

The Media and Design Competition is an annual event that highlights Pennsylvania high school and middle school students' application skills and computer knowledge. This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the student achievements that happen in your classroom each day. Students are able to unleash their creativity, learn how to convey information more dynamically, and enhance the learning process. Students in 6-12 grade can compete individually or as a group.

Categories

• 3D Design
• Animation
• Logo and Graphic Design
• Digital Movie
• Programming
• Web Page Design

Important Dates

• March 30, 2020- Registration Deadline
• April 3, 2020- Regional Competition @ Clarion University of PA
• May 2020 State Competition: Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
• Registration Link is available here.

A learning event for teachers in any discipline, grades 4-12

Participants will learn six signs, six anchor questions, and six lessons to help readers identify character development, conflict, plot, and theme. Six lessons, six signs, six questions, and one learning goal: "I got this!"

@ RIU6

Wednesday, March 11th, 2020

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Visit My Learning Plan to register.

A learning event for teachers in any discipline, grades 4-12

Participants will explore an interconnected framework of strategies that every student can use to get beyond a superficial reading.

• 3 big questions that set students up for attentive readings of nonfiction texts
• 5 clues that cue students to apply the skills and processes used by sophisticated readers
• 7 proven strategies readers can use when the text gets tough

@ RIU6

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Visit My Learning Plan to register.

A complete digital session is also available at a cost of $25 per participant. Please contact Lauren Cunningham, facilitator, for more information.