Curriculum Updates

District teams of 5-8 administrators and lead teachers are encouraged to attend a two day Accelerated Learning training with IU staff either this summer or fall here at the IU. The main focus of the Accelerated Learning training will be:

• Instructional loss (adjusting curriculum and/or instruction)

• Mental health

Part of the training will be dedicated to digging into your district data and to help you develop a plan to address the specific needs of your district.

IU28 staff who will be facilitating this training session include:

• Lauren Cunningham (Director of Curriculum with secondary ELA background)
• Lacie Cook (Curriculum Specialist with math and special education background)
• Mariha Shields (TaC team member with special education, curriculum, and mental health background)

The summer session for district teams will take place at ARIN IU28 on July 19th and 20th from 9:00am-3:30pm. We can train up to five teams in one training session. We are happy to schedule additional days, however, if you would like a training session totally customized to your district for two days.

The fall session for district teams will take place at ARIN IU28 on September 19th and 20th from 9:00am-3:30pm.

Official registration is not currently available. We are waiting on more specifics regarding training content. If you would like to, however, informally let me know via email if you are interested in attending an Accelerated Learning training, I will personally get in contact with you as soon as we are ready to go.

PVAAS Updates from the Statewide Team:

• Full April presentation to PAIUCC

• What’s New in PVAAS

• New Resources

• Trainings and 1:1 Consultations

• Questions can be sent to: pdepvaas@iu13.org

PEERS is a free, voluntary, web-based version of the Act 13 semi-annual and annual rating tools, PDE 13-1, 13-2, 13-3, and 13-4. PEERS includes evaluation metrics for Observation & Practice, Building-level Data, Student Performance Measures (SPMs), Teacher-specific Data, and PVAAS Teacher-level Data.

PEERS is hosted within the existing PVAAS web application and is accessed through the PVAAS login page. This integration provides these key features:

• Access is available through a user's PVAAS account
• Secure access is available to rating reports (13-1 PE or TPE, 13-2, 13-3 PE or TPE, and 13-4)
• More than one evaluator may have access to an individual's rating form during the input phase in developing the summative report
• PEERS pre-populates the Building-level Data

• PEERS pre-populates the teacher-specific component for the PVAAS 3-year rolling average
• PEERS pre-populates the teacher-specific achievement measure (% P/A) as calculated with roster verification data for LEAs to choose to use (or LEAs could choose to enter a locally calculated measure)
• Data entry flags and cues to check for data entry errors
• LEAs may determine and choose the specific year of available data (year prior or current year)
• PEERS can be used alone or in combination with other supervision or evaluation systems
• * NEW! PEERS will be the exclusive source for the Act 13 rating forms. Act 13 Excel rating forms will not be available from PDE.

Click here to see a PEERS FAQ !

At the May 2022 PA State Board of Education meeting, the board approved a resolution to extend the Act 158 COVID-related extenuating circumstances waiver through the graduating class of 2024 and 2025. Act 158 remains in effect beginning with the graduating class of 2023, and no additional changes to the composite have been approved.

Link to April updates to PAIUCC from the FRCPP team.

• Bus Evacuation Report: Due April 29, 2022

• May 1st new reports will be released. (These plans are clustered so users will need to be assigned to only safe schools. They will not be listed individually.

• All these new reports will be due July 31, 2022

• Check out this list with the most common RA Accounts for the Department.

• Link to apply to summer PD

• Slidedeck to share with role-alikes, etc

Students experiencing homelessness, and youth who have been adjudicated or are involved in the juvenile justice system often attend multiple schools in a year. These students who experience such “education instability” face barriers to high school graduation due to lost or unrecognized credits or a student’s inability to take a course required by their last school.

In January, the General Assembly enacted Act 1 of 2022 (Act 1) (24 P.S. § 13-1331.1) to remove educational and graduation barriers for students who move between school entities due to homelessness, adjudication, foster care, and juvenile justice or court-ordered placements. Act 1 requires school entities assign a point of contact, adopt clear policies and practices to apply credit for satisfactorily completed coursework, and develop a graduation plan for students experiencing education instability. Act 1 also includes protections to facilitate equal access to school, including participation in extracurricular opportunities.

Act 1 is effective for the 2021-22 school year with the Keystone Diploma being available to students graduating in 2023.

Please click here to read more information via a letter from Secretary Ortega.

Chapter 49 sets forth requirements for educator preparation, certification, induction, and ongoing professional education. There are two aims to the amendments to Chapter 49: conforming the chapter to changes in State statute and enhancing educator preparedness by establishing new training requirements related to culturally responsive and sustaining education (CR-SE), structured literacy and professional ethics.

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First, this final-form rulemaking adds requirements for instruction for preservice educators, which would be delivered as part of undergraduate or alternative post-baccalaureate programs for individuals who are working toward earning a teaching certificate. Under this final-form rulemaking, individuals studying to become teachers would need to receive instruction in professional ethics and CR-SE. CR-SE is inclusive of mental wellness, trauma-informed instruction, cultural awareness, and technological and virtual engagement. Preservice instruction in structured literacy also would be required for individuals seeking to earn the following instructional certificates: Early Childhood; Elementary/Middle; Special Education PreK—12; English as a Second Language; and Reading Specialist.

Second, this final-form rulemaking adds requirements for training as newly-employed teachers enter the profession. When teachers enter the classroom for the first time, they are required to complete an induction program that includes a variety of professional support services, often delivered under the guidance of a mentor teacher, to facilitate entry into the education profession. At present, induction programs typically span an educator's first year in the classroom. This final-form rulemaking extends induction supports to the first 2 years of an educator's career. This final-form rulemaking also requires induction programs for newly-employed educators to include training in CR-SE, as previously described and in professional ethics.

Finally, this final-form rulemaking adds requirements for training as part of continuing professional development for current educators. The act of November 23, 1999 (P.L. 529, No. 48), requires educators in this Commonwealth to complete continuing education requirements every 5 years to maintain an active teaching certificate. Educators must earn either six credits of collegiate study, six credits of Department-approved continuing professional education courses or 180 hours of continuing professional education programs, activities or learning experiences through a Department-approved provider to maintain active certification status.

Further, both section 1205.1 of the Public School Code of 1949 (24 P.S. § 12-1205.1) and § 49.17 (relating to continuing professional education) require school entities to develop continuing professional education plans every 3 years. The existing requirements of Chapter 49 further require that professional education plans must address training in meeting the needs of diverse learners (defined as students with limited English language proficiency or students with disabilities), improving language and literacy acquisition, and closing the achievement gap among students. This final-form rulemaking requires that continuing professional education for current educators also include training in CR-SE and professional ethics for all educators, as well as training in structured literacy for educators who hold instructional certificates in Early Childhood, Elementary/Middle, Special Education PreK—12, English as a Second Language and Reading Specialist.

Please read the full report here.

The Curriculum Department at ARIN is hosting five summer learning sessions just for administrators! From 3D Learning to Instructional Coaching to TDA, check out the full list of available learning opportunities here. These sessions are tailored to an administrative audience with the goal of helping school leaders understand key academic topics and how to plan for and support the professional learning of their staff.

Watch your inbox in June! Our catalogue of professional learning opportunities offered at ARIN for the 2022-2023 school year will be sent out. I may also host a 30 minute virtual zoom meeting to highlight some of our new offerings, which include a full "Getting to Distinguished" series for educators, plus other excellent engaging topics and new networking opportunities.

Instructions and access for paraprofessionals to engage with our completely asynchronous "Paraprofessional Learning Depot" will be sent to you as well!

Click on each individual to see their "Year in Review" SMORES!

Mariha Shields

Jayna Greenfield

Nicole Cornman

Sharon Arbuckle

Amanda Anderson

Adrienne Stiteler

Al Fiedler