IU1 Curriculum Department

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• IU1 PD HUB

  •  Buy 9 full PD days and get one free. 

IU1 PD HUB

• Registration Information 

Save the Dates

• PDE SAS Conference (December 8-10), ACT 45 hours available

• PVAAS Statewide training on November 24th

  • • • Registration

      • Topics of interest

Online Assessment Updates

• CDT Updates

• Updates

  • Upcoming IU1 trainings for CDT's will be held on October 7th and October 31st.

• Chemistry CDT's are going away.

• CDT STEELS Update / Diagnostic Categories 

• • Firefly Updates

    • Firefly Benchmark Assessment 

    • Updates

    • ISR

    • Rostering Changes

  • Student Group Management is changing.  Rostering, District/School.  Create Roster. Name the roster and assign a teacher, location, and content area, Save and Continue.

  • Add participants, students that were loaded under student management will appear.

  • Instead of Interactive Reports you need to click on Reporting Services.

  • Import Management is how you would upload multiple rosters, still a CSV file.

  • The changes will allow for interactive reports.  Similar to CDT's.  Videos will be available

  • General Overview of Anticipated Firefly Reports (Not for Science or Biology)

    • Individual Results

      1. Student Group Roster  – 10/6/25 

      2. Individual Student Reports will contain predictions for PSSA or Keystone performance – 10/6/25 (Within an hour of submission)

      3. Instructional Strategies – Fall/Winter

      4. Longitudinal Roster – 2/2026

    • Group Results:

      1. Longitudinal Roster – 2/2026

      2. Content Area Comparison – 11/2025

      3. Group Performance – 1/2026

      4. Group Progress - 3/2026

• Online Assessments

  • This winter retest window is the last paper pencil option for schools.

  • Videos of learning sessions to come soon.

  • Accommodations Guidelines

  • To have paper and pencil test

    • Must be documented within the IEP

    • Or a medical note within 2 weeks of testing windows

    • Or court order that kid is not allowed a device

  • Paper/pencil tests are downloaded as a PDF for the kid

    • Teachers/adults must transcribe student responses into digital format

    • Schools will securely destroy printed materials

  • Braille/large print are shipped out to school by PDE

  • 2025 Fall Assessment Newsletter

  • There is an update to the format of Item Samplers. Historically posted as a pdf. Future samplers will be posted in the assessment ‘practice’ platform and replicate the Insight testing engine experience. OEQs will be accompanied w/ sample student responses w/ scores. Answers and analytics will accompany each objective question type as ‘click to enlarge’. These will appear in Home → INSIGHT Training → Online Tools Training → Item Samplers. 

ACT 45 Updates

• Principal Induction - Principals that are in year 4 and 5 will take priority.

• Approved Non-PIL Act 45 courses 

Act 48 Updates

Level I to Level II Assessment form

• • Certificate Status Circular for Educators

  • Certificate Status Circular for LEAs

ACT 13

• Upcoming PDE Act 13 Office Hour Meeting Dates for 2025-2026

On behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, we are sharing information about Act 13 Office Hours. These sessions are provided monthly.  All administrators are welcome to attend. These sessions address frequently asked questions and provide opportunities for attendees to ask questions related to Act 13 Educator Effectiveness implementation and processes.

Sessions are held the fourth Thursday of the month from 12 to 1 p.m. virtually via TEAMS.

No registration necessary. Simply join the meeting. See meeting link and details below:

2025 Dates:

• 8/28/25

• 9/25/25

• 10/23/25

• 11/26/25*

• 12/23/25* 

2026 Dates:

• 1/22/26

• 2/26/26

• 3/26/26

• 4/23/26

• 5/28/26

• 6/25/26

To Access the Act 13 Office Hours Sessions (No registration is needed.)

School Improvement

• New designations and redesignations will be announced by December

Personal Finance

• Timing: The personal finance standards will take effect July 1, 2026. 

• Personal Finance Toolkit

PVAAS Updates

• Updates

• PVAAS Statewide training on November 24th

  • 1. • Registration

       • Topics of interest

  • We have a new scheduling option (https://PDE1on1DataSession.as.me/), now available on our PVAAS login page: PIMS Support for PVAAS Collections!

  • PVAAS are collecting these linkages to coincide with Student Enrollment Updates in PIMS (6 opportunities to participate!). Check out the SY25-26 PIMS Calendar for collection dates and frequency!

  • PVAAS is working on the Firefly as a local assessment.

PDE Q&A

• Schools have asked for more specific results from the Science PSSAs. They only received raw scores and percentiles(?). They didn't receive cut scores nor rough proficiency levels as *they haven't been set yet*, correct? Do you know when we might expect these? 

  • The first rating of proficiency will happen after the Spring Science exams

• Keystone spring assessment: Will we receive an item sampler prior to the spring assessment? 

  • Yes, an item sampler will be offered, but we are also in the investigation stage to possibly have some 3-Dimensional assessment questions available in the SAS Assessment Builder 

  • Assessment Toolkit in STEELS Hub

• Has there been a release of a model curriculum framework for the new financial literacy/personal finance standards? 

  • Not yet, but it is in the creation stage. We hope to have it and also a Personal Finance course available soon. 

• What is up w/ the PSSA Samplers? 

  • There is an update to their format. Historically posted as a pdf. Future samplers will be posted in the assessment ‘practice’ platform and replicate the Insight testing engine experience. OEQs will be accompanied w/ sample student responses w/ scores. Answers and analytics will accompany each objective question type as ‘click to enlarge’. These will appear in Home → INSIGHT Training → Online Tools Training → Item Samplers.

PDE Content Advisors

• SAS News 9.4.25

• SAS News and Noteworthy

Comp Planning/FRCPP

• Comp Plan/FRCPP info site

• CP Tip Jar

• Starting May 3, 2024, School Districts must use the Administrator Changes page in the School Reconfiguration plan to submit changes.

Esports

• TheEsportsCompany - Seth Mason

• Working on a Fall/Spring Esports tournament for two different games.  This will be held at Waynesburg University on December 15, 2025

• Esports Lending Library - IU1 has Nintendo Switches and Gaming Computers to loan for a semester at a time.  

CPE

• Flyer below

LinkIt

• presentation 

ACT 45 Registration