Embedded Files
504
504
WHY?
To better understand the specific accommodations and supports of the learners having a 504 plan in your classroom
DEFINITION:
A plan for how the school will provide support and remove barriers for a student with a disability. Linked to civil rights (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) it covers a broad definition. A child may not qualify for an IEP but may qualify for a 504. The disability must substantially limit a child’s functioning in a specific area.
Two requirements in order to get a 504 plan:
A child has any disability. Section 504 covers a wide range of different struggles in school.
The disability must interfere with the child’s ability to learn in a general education classroom
RESOURCES:
BACKWARD DESIGN
BACKWARD DESIGN
WHY?
To ensure that all students learn at high levels, teachers must identify what students should know, understand, and do and how to measure those learnings
DEFINITION:
In the backward design approach teachers consider the learning goals of the course or content area first. These learning goals embody the knowledge and skills teachers want their students to have learned when they leave the course/grade level. Once the learning goals have been established, the assessments are identified. The backward design framework suggests that teachers should consider these overarching learning goals and how students will be assessed prior to planning how to teach (e.g. activities, homework)
RESOURCES:
BIAS
BIAS
WHY?
We may hold unconscious biases about others even when we intend to treat all equitably. Being aware of common biases against identity groups can help us improve teaching and learning and build classroom inclusion. “By identifying and addressing our own biases as educators, we have the ability to directly impact the engagement of our students. When students are engaged, they are better learners.” [Hilario Benzon, NEA Human and Civil Rights Department, 2019]
DEFINITION:
When one has prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.
RESOURCES:
- https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/ImplicitBiasAwareness
Career and College Readiness
Career and College Readiness
WHY?
Career and College Readiness for students is a central and summative goal we have as educators. Working with students toward the mastery of core skills and helping them become independent learners is critical to ensuring students can: “Start here…Go Anywhere”.
DEFINITION:
Ensuring students have the core competencies, independent learning skills, and exploration opportunities to transition into life after graduation.
RESOURCES:
Compliance, as related to training sessions
Compliance, as related to training sessions
WHY?
Recognizing and understanding legal, ethical, and medical issues and situations is critical to our work with students, families, and the community.
DEFINITION:
Having the knowledge about relevant policies, laws and regulations in order to meet and follow expectations; accountable to those policies, laws, and regulations (e.g. FERPA, HIPPA, Title IX)
WHY?
To provide a guaranteed and viable curriculum, we must establish measures for student performance and teacher accountability.
DEFINITION:
Essential standards, learning targets/outcomes, formative and summative assessments, resources, lessons and academic content taught in a grade level or in a specific course or program
RESOURCES:
WHY?
Allows staff a structured collaborative time to increase knowledge and skills in proven instructional methods.
DEFINITION:
Develop, reflect and improve instructional practices individually and/or collaboratively to systematically improve academic progress for all students utilizing the 4 critical questions framework:
What do we want our students to learn
How will we know that are students are learning
How will we respond when students struggle learning
How will we respond when students excel learning
Curriculum resource
Curriculum resource
WHY?
To provide and utilize high quality instructional materials, used to help students meet identified learning outcomes
DEFINITION:
A textbook, novel, article, educational platform, approved by the board to be used to assist in the instruction of the curriculum.
DIVERSITY
DIVERSITY
WHY?
Teaching children about the different racial and cultural biases society has helps prepare them for the real world and also gives educators opportunities to deliver more appropriate and authentic instruction for a diverse group of students.
DEFINITION:
Diversity is everything that makes people different from each other. This includes many different factors: race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, ability, age, religious belief, or political conviction.
RESOURCES:
Educlimber
Educlimber
WHY?
In order to make decisions for learning and instruction, staff must have a consistent, accessible data management tool which they are confident using when evaluating student progress.
DEFINITION:
Data warehouse and goal setting platform used to keep all academic, attendance, and behavior records.
RESOURCES:
Educlimber School number 1017
FastBridge Benchmark (Screener) Assessments
FastBridge Benchmark (Screener) Assessments
WHY?
Benchmark Assessments are given throughout a school year to establish baseline achievement data and measure progress toward a standard or set of academic standards and goals
DEFINITION:
Benchmarks assessments measure a learner’s achievement towards grade level skills and assist in screening learners who may need additional intervention or enrichment.
RESOURCES:
Benchmark Testing (articles)
Focus on Learning
Focus on Learning
WHY?
Maintaining a Focus on Learning is the highest priority we have as an educational institution. It is the cornerstone of our professional development and the heart of our vocation as educators.
DEFINITION:
Staff working together to increase student learning and achievement.
RESOURCES:
Benchmark Testing (articles)
WHY?
No “one” person can lead and implement. The guiding coalition provides support to both individuals and collaborative teams to ensure high levels of learning for all students.
DEFINITION:
A designated building/district team focused on leading, inspiring, and supporting the change process to becoming a professional learning community.
RESOURCES:
HIPAA/FERPA/Title IX
HIPAA/FERPA/Title IX
WHY?
Being knowledgeable in the areas of HIPPA/FERPA/Title IX have become essential for school employees. Having a detailed understanding of the specifics that impact your classroom or students is essential to compliance with the laws and reducing the potential of a grievance or complaint being filed.
DEFINITION:
HIPAA: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that requires the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge.
FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.
Title IX: In K-12 schools, the new regulations define sexual harassment actionable under Title IX to mean one of two types of behavior: 1) “conditioning the provision of an aid, benefit or service of the recipient on an individual’s participation in unwelcome sexual conduct (often called quid pro quo harassment) and, 2) “unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the recipient’s education program or activity.” This definition is intended to ensure that only objectively serious harassment, which is behavior that if left unaddressed by the school would negatively affect a student’s access to education, is then actionable under Title IX.
RESOURCES:
WHY?
To better understand the specific accommodations, modifications and supports of the learners having an IEP in your classroom
DEFINITION:
Information about each learner and the supports, accommodations and modifications provided so a learner can access the curriculum and function in a learning environment.
An individualized education program (or IEP) is a written statement for a student with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised by a team of people, including the student's family, that outlines an educational plan for the student. It is a legal-binding (IDEA) “contract” between a school and a family.
RESOURCES:
Learning by Doing, DuFour et al, Book Study
Learning by Doing, DuFour et al, Book Study
WHY?
Having a complete and consistent understanding of the PLC process is essential to the implementation of PLC practices. Working and growing together through completing a district-wide book study is essential to the implementation process and sustaining PLC practices.
DEFINITION:
“Learning By Doing” is a must-read guide to PLC implementation. Written by Rick DuFour, one of the founders of Solution Tree, “Learning By Doing” is designed to engage staff in collaborative discussions around PLCs.
Medical - Building Meetings with Nurse Kate
Medical - Building Meetings with Nurse Kate
WHY?
Being knowledgeable about medical situations and illness, and maintaining a healthy school environment is important in providing an environment in which we instruct and children learn.
DEFINITION:
Nurse Kate will educate staff about common illnesses and medical protocols necessary to maintain a healthy school environment. This will include BBP, Hepatitis, HIV, COVID illness but also seizure, glucagon, and epipen use.
MICROAGGRESSIONS
MICROAGGRESSIONS
WHY?
Microaggressions in the classroom can disrupt students' ability to engage in the learning process because their feelings of belonging are called into question.
DEFINITION:
A microaggression is a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group.
RESOURCES:
Micro Credentialing
Micro Credentialing
WHY?
Utilizing resources and training to develop skills and strategies related to instruction and best practices.
DEFINITION:
Personalized, flexible, and job-embedded–micro credentials are learning modules designed to build an educator’s knowledge and skill based in specific areas. (examples available for WEAC members: Working with English Learners, Universal Standards and Levels of Practice for Education Support Professionals, Creating Safe School Spaces for LGBTQ+ Students, and Classroom Management)
RESOURCES:
WHY?
Allows staff a personalized, reflective, and flexible time to best serve learners’ needs
DEFINITION:
Staff work together or individually to accomplish professional responsibilities and needs
Professional Growth
Professional Growth
WHY?
The desire to grow professionally is essential to becoming the best version of your professional self. Professional Growth is at the heart of the Focus On Learning action item of systematically developing the instructional skills, resulting in greater academic progress for all students.
DEFINITION:
Improving the art and science of instruction and ensuring all students are learning at high levels.
RESOURCES:
Run, Hide, Fight
Run, Hide, Fight
WHY?
Training to ensure that staff and students can respond to any situation involving an intruder intent on harming persons in the learning environment
DEFINITION:
RUN: Evacuate If Possible
HIDE: Hide silently in as safe a place as possible
HIDE: Hide silently in as safe a place as possible
FIGHT: Take action to disrupt or incapacitate the shooter
FIGHT: Take action to disrupt or incapacitate the shooter
RESOURCES:
Safety Plans
Safety Plans
WHY?
Maintaining a safe school environment takes knowledge, planning and practice. The safety plan provides the blueprint to engage staff in all three of the areas mentioned above. A commitment by the administration to provide timely, quality training, and the willingness of the staff to participate with intent in the training, is essential for preparedness.
DEFINITION:
Document of information that provides detailed information on how we respond during specific circumstances.
RESOURCES:
SHELTERED INSTRUCTION
SHELTERED INSTRUCTION
WHY?
Utilizing these strategies allows Multilingual learners (and all learners) to gain more access to rigorous content while increasing their English language proficiency.
DEFINITION:
Sheltered instruction is an approach for teaching content. This approach supports student language development by utilizing 8 key components (Preparation, Building background, Comprehensible Input, Strategies, Interaction, Practice/Application, Lesson Delivery and Review/Assessment) along with specific strategies.
RESOURCES:
Social and Emotional Learning
Social and Emotional Learning
WHY?
Social and Emotional Learning is an important part of the ELP-12 experience. SEL binds the entire school experience together. Whether it be focusing on learning, career and college readiness or events outside of the school, having the skills and resources to manage your emotional well being is critical to having successful personal and professional relationships.
DEFINITION:
Having the knowledge, coping skills and resilience to manage the day to day obstacles that confront us.
RESOURCES:
Staff Meetings
Staff Meetings
WHY?
Maintaining a safe and productive learning environment requires staff be up-to-date on information related to the ever-changing school environment
DEFINITION:
Collaborative time to focus on building specific topics.
TRAUMA-INFORMED SCHOOL
TRAUMA-INFORMED SCHOOL
WHY?
When schools are trauma-informed, students cultivate lasting resilience, which leads to significant improvements in behavior, fewer suspensions, fewer expulsions, and significant improvements in academic achievement.
DEFINITION:
A trauma-informed school system is one in which all teachers, school administrators, staff, students, families, and community members recognize and respond to the behavioral, emotional, relational, and academic impact of traumatic stress on those within the school system. Addressing the impact of trauma exposure on students and school personnel directly, resisting punitive responses, and providing practical skills and support to manage traumatic stress reactions are essential for building a positive school climate for students and teachers.
RESOURCES:
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
WHY?
To ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities
DEFINITION:
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.
RESOURCES:
Vertical and Horizontal Alignment (Articulation)
Vertical and Horizontal Alignment (Articulation)
WHY?
Vertical alignment ensures that what students learn from one year to the next is coherent, logical and built on a progression of skills. Horizontal alignment ensures that what students learn within the grade or course level is consistent between classrooms and sections.
DEFINITION:
Staff work collaboratively to create consistent scope (content) and sequence (progression or order) for all students within grade level classrooms or sections of a course based upon identified essential learning outcomes.
RESOURCES:
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