News and Upcoming Opportunities

Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities

Follow us @DallasISDMTSS for the latest updates!

- Universal Screener (MAP Growth NWEA) Team Workshop: August 13, 14, or 15

Click HERE to register for the MAP Growth Workshop!

- MAP Data & Essential Reports Workshop: October 1st, 2nd, or 3rd

Click HERE to register for the MAP Data and Essential Reports Workshop!

- MAP Skills Assessment Workshop: November 5th, 6th, or 7th

Click HERE to register for the MAP Data and Essential Reports Workshop!

- MAP Student Goal Setting Workshop: February 14th

Stay tuned for the MAP Student Goal Setting registration link.

What Are We Reading, Watching, or Listening to?

Week of May 27th, 2019

Ditching Detention for Yoga: Schools Embrace Mindfulness to Curb Discipline ProblemsAs more schools aim to address students’ social and emotional needs, some are using meditation, yoga, and other mindfulness practices to address misbehavior and stress. But the research on the effectiveness of such practices is mixed.

Jen's Pick

Why aren't kids being taught to read?Scientific research has shown how children learn to read and how they should be taught. But many educators don't know the science and, in some cases, actively resist it. As a result, millions of kids are being set up to fail.

Lauren's Pick

Week of May 21st, 2019

In High School, the Kids Are Not All Right

Read this article to obtain a glimpse into the life of high school students who are silently dealing with mounting social and academic pressures. This article provides five strategies that promote high schoolers' mental well-being.

Jen's Pick

Leveraging Social Media to Build a Digital PLN

Read this article to learn tips for building a professional learning community online as a way to develop collaborative relationships with other teachers.

Nisey's Pick

Structured Academic Controversy (SAC)

Watch this video to learn how you can have your secondary students engage in structured academic controversy. The teacher and students clearly articulate how this discussion strategy allows them to see other viewpoints and consider them carefully. It takes classroom discussion to a whole new level.

Lauren's Pick

Week of May 13th, 2019

Using Children’s Literature to Teach Mathematics is an excellent tool to enhance mathematics instruction. Quantile Curriculum specialists share a scale for evaluating trade books and strategies to integrate mathematics literature to support mathematics instruction.

Nisey's Pick

The power of collaborative educators is immeasurable. Special education teachers and general education teachers can benefit from the steps described in the article about how to form a win-win situation for everyone through a collaboration.

Lauren's Pick

Week of May 6th, 2019

Check out how math Think Alouds helps students to reflect upon and clarify the math problem they are trying to solve, and to focus on solving it one step at a time. "Thinking aloud" requires students to talk through the details of the problem, the decisions they have made as they try to solve the problem, and the reasoning behind those decisions.

Nisey's Pick

Teach teachers how to create magicWhat do rap shows, barbershop banter and Sunday services have in common? As Christopher Emdin says, they all hold the secret magic to enthrall and teach at the same time — and it's a skill we often don't teach to educators. A longtime teacher himself, now a science advocate and cofounder of Science Genius B.A.T.T.L.E.S. with the GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, Emdin offers a vision to make the classroom come alive.

Check out this TEDTalk by Christopher Emdin. Chris is a teacher in NYC that uses cultural illustrations and memes to help teachers create “magic” in the classroom. The “magic” is nothing more than teachers understanding what excites their students, thus transmitting that excitement into transformative lessons that engages the student in learning.

Jen's Pick

The National Center on Intensive Intervention at American Institutes for Research provides a brief explanation of progress monitoring and how it works as an essential part of the MTSS framework. There are also links to several resources to support intervention implementation, specific to progress monitoring.

Lauren's Pick

Week of April 29th, 2019

This course provides a brief overview of the ESTAR/MSTAR Diagnostic Assessments, examines how learning progressions fit with the Diagnostic Assessments, discusses how the diagnostic assessments were developed, and provides guidance on how to interpret the results.

Nisey's Pick

This article is a short but powerful read for teachers who find teaching African-American males challenging. This article presents best practices for teachers who struggle and strategies to help increase teacher cultural competency.

Jen's Pick

[The Five Pillars of Reading] Breaking Down the Elements of Successful Literacy Instruction

This module, presented by the Center on Response to Intervention at American Institutes for Research, gives an overview on Progress Monitoring and how that is an essential part of the RtI or MTSS framework.

Lauren's Pick

Week of April 22nd, 2019

This course provides a brief overview of the ESTAR/MSTAR Universal Screeners and describes how to interpret the results obtained after administering a screener.

Nisey's Pick

Morning meetings have long been a staple of elementary classrooms, but they can help students in all grades transition into class.

Jen's Pick

Lauren's Pick

Week of April 15th, 2019

The danger of a single storyOur lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

Click here to watch!

Jen's Pick

Click here to read!

NCTM continues its tradition of mathematics education leadership by defining and describing the principles and actions that are essential to strengthen mathematics learning and teaching for all students.

Nisey's Pick

Click here to read!

RtI Action Network discusses and exams the disproportionate representation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in Special Education and how the RtI framework could help dismantle this serious issue.

Lauren's Pick

Week of April 8th, 2019

Click here to listen!

The benefits of working in small groups are many and this podcast is loaded with where to start and how to sustain facilitated groups.

Episode 4 digs into a deep discussion about flexible, homogenous, and heterogeneous grouping and the importance of letting students be social while working out difficult Algebra concepts.

Nisey's Pick

Dear White Teachers: You Can't Love Your Black Students If You Don't Know ThemIt isn't enough to "love all students," writes the University of Georgia's Bettina L. Love.

Click here to read!

A key factor of great classroom management is teachers “knowing” their students. This article supports that notion. Teachers who disregard the impact of racism on Black children's schooling experiences, resources, communities, and parent interactions will do harm to children of color.

Jen's Pick

Don't feel sorry for refugees -- believe in them"We have seen advances in every aspect of our lives -- except our humanity," says Luma Mufleh, a Jordanian immigrant and Muslim of Syrian descent who founded the first accredited school for refugees in the United States. Mufleh shares stories of hope and resilience, explaining how she's helping young people from war-torn countries navigate the difficult process of building new homes. Get inspired to make a personal difference in the lives of refugees with this powerful talk.

Click here to watch!

Luma Mufleh explains why we shouldn’t feel sorry for refugees, rather, we should believe in them. Listen to this very moving TEDtalk and think about all of the populations we serve here in DallasISD.

Lauren's Pick

Week of April 1st, 2019

Responding to Trauma in Your ClassroomSpot signs of trauma, and learn how you can help.

Click here to read!

This articles provides a brief description of trauma. In this article, teachers will learn how to spot the signs of trauma and gain insight with helpful strategies when working with students who have been affected by trauma.

Jen's Pick

Recognizing and Overcoming False Growth MindsetExamples of a false growth mindset include praising effort over progress, affirming students' potential without enabling them, and blaming their mindset instead of refocusing it.

Click here to read!

Check out this brief read by Carol Dweck on false growth mindsets.

Lauren's Pick

Week of March 25, 2019

13 ways educators can transform literacyNashville English teacher and Project LIT founder Jarred Amato says avoiding quick fixes, putting students before the "classics," and being willing to ask "What if?" are key strategies to turn the page on reading.

Click here to read!

"Check out these tangible tips to help ALL students develop a true love for reading!"

Lauren's Pick

Zaretta Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students speaks at the San Francisco Public Library.

Jen's Pick

www.heinemann.com/products/e07815.aspx

Click here to check it out!

Grace Kelemanik, Amy Lucenta, and Susan Janssen Creighton, authors of Routines for Reasoning offers a variety of structures for weaving the Standards for Mathematical Practice into you teaching by harnessing the power of classroom-tested instructional routines.

Nisey's Pick