• 10:00am - Presentation on Bias by ADL

  • • • “Introduction to ADL’s Anti-Bias Workshops” - this workshop is a smaller part of ADL’s A World of Difference® Institute, custom anti-bias workshops for students and educators.  Participants will explore what bias is, how it may manifest in schools, and learn more about ADL’s resources and programming offerings.

      • Contact: Alana Bandos, Education Director, Cleveland Office, PO Box 22186, Beachwood, OH 44122, phone: 216-278-0522, email: abandos@adl.org 

• Western PA Hot Topics Talks  - During the month of March (3/2-3/16) the western PA IU curriculum coordinators are hosting hot topic discussions around pertinent, timely topics to be discussed across western PA

• CCC Dates for next year - virtual or F2F?

• Learning EVOLVEs with IU1! - IU1 EVOLVE Flyer to share with Staff

• IU1 Summer Learning Program -  ESSER II funds for learning loss

• PDE - no longer learning loss but instructional loss; much as been learned during this pandemic

• This week the US Department of Education issued the following guidance regrading federally mandated assessments.

  • • • https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-education-releases-guidance-states-assessing-student-learning-during-pandemic

      • The gist is that there is not going to be a waiver but they are offering three options to states for flexibility.

1. Extending the testing window and moving assessments to the summer or fall

2. Giving the assessment remotely, where feasible

3. Shortening the state assessment, to make testing more feasibly to implement and prioritize in-person learning time.

• Today PDE posted a letter on their website stating that PDE will follow the first option and extend the testing window through September 2021.

• https://www.education.pa.gov/Schools/safeschools/emergencyplanning/COVID-19/messages/February2021Messages/Pages/February23.aspx

• PDE letter

• Keystone Window for Spring 2021

• Assessment through the Student's Eyes - ASCD Article

• PDE Student Wellness Self Assessment - make a copy so you can download and keep your own data separate!  

• PDE Organizational Self Care Assessment - make a copy so you can download and keep your own data seperate! 

• Wallace Study - Principals make a 30% impact on students 

• Studies of Distance Learning from What Works Clearing House 

• Learning Loss Discussion Guide by Hanover Research

• US DOE COVID Handbook

• US DOE Learning Guides for School Admin, Teacher, and Parents

• School Practices to Address Student Learning Loss - Annenburg Ed Research for Recovery

• Results for America and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, EdResearch for Recovery Briefs: They released numerous briefs that highlight evidence-based strategies to help policymakers and educators address key challenges. Written by leading education researchers, the briefs share strategies to consider - and strategies to avoid - as federal, state and local leaders accelerate their COVID-19 recovery efforts. You can find them here.(They have briefs on learning loss, social emotional learning, communicating with parents, high-quality tutoring, supporting ELLs, and much more.)

• Penn State Center for Science and the Schools (CSATS) is excited to announce that we have developed online learning modules, The Science of COVID-19, along with experts in virology, epidemiology, agent-based modeling, and public health preparedness. This introductory course allows secondary students to learn about COVID-19 through the lenses of three distinct scientific fields while engaging in the practices of scientists to understand how researchers investigate and take action against a new virus. The course is made up of three self-paced modules: 1) virology, 2) epidemiology, and 3) public health preparedness. Teachers can determine which aspects of the course are most appropriate for their students. The modules do not need to be completed in order and the use of the course is flexible. When teachers register, they gain access to resources that they can modify to support the use of this course in their classrooms. 

• PDE Navigating the Roadmap Series on YouTube.  The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and partner organizations created a roadmap of resources to support educational leaders in their continuous efforts to provide quality instruction programs during these unpredictable times. This roadmap serves as repository for current and future tools.

  • • • Attendance Playbook

      • Navigating the Roadmap: Vulnerable Population Resources

• Project Invent Maker Educator Fellowship

• Equity Page Resources

• RML is excited to share with you the Remake Learning Moonshot Grants opportunity! The RFP is not open just yet, but information sessions and details on funding amounts and requirements can be found here: https://remakelearning.org/grants/.   I hope to see many bold idea submissions come out of rural communities across the SWPA and northern WV region this year! Thank you for all that you do. 

• Discovery Education FREE Webinars

• PDE Conference 2021, Making a Difference: Educational Practices That Work! Wednesday, March 3, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Thursday, March 4, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM - This is a free virtual event! 

  • • • Join Pennsylvania’s educators for the Bureau of Special Education’s signature event. This annual statewide conference offers an opportunity to learn and engage with nationally recognized presenters, highlighting effective instructional strategies and interventions designed to make an educational difference for all students. Conference topics include: Equity, Literacy, Mathematics, Secondary Transition, Behavior, Autism, Family Engagement, Leadership, Cultural Responsibility, Inclusion, Behavioral Health, STEM, and Legal Issues

      • Keynotes: Adam Saenz, Ph.D., D.MIN Relationships That Work: The Four Must-Have Readiness Skills for Every Educator; Ronald Whitaker, Ed.D.  HELP: Understanding the Fierce Urgency of Now;  Hamish Brewer  Relentless

      • For additional conference information and registration please visit: https://www.pattan.net/Training/Conferences/Pennsylvania-Department-of-Education-Conference

• All of TRETC2021 is now available via the link: TRETC2021.  This link will expire after 30 days.  Join in to watch any sessions that you missed or re-watch the sessions that you loved!

• STEM related Virtual Field Trips

• Apple Professional Development Virtual Conferences - FREE

• EColors in Education Brochure

• Alyssa's Computer Science Updates below!  

Dave Dunham

• Congratulations to these educators who are among the first to pass the PA 7-12 CS Certification exam:

Michael Lee (United SD), Jeffrey Wile (Warwick SD), Josh Fleming (Palmyra Area SD), Luke Herron (Keystone Central SD), Megan Altebrando (Montoursville Area SD), Jesse Saunders (Avella Area SD), Gerald Aungst (Cheltenham SD), Darlene Martin (Blackhawk SD), Robert Svitilla (Saucon Valley SD)

• Tell us your plans for the certification and exam with this Google Form. The form allows for multiple submissions allowing you to update your status with the exam (before/after you register, and after you take the exam).

• • • Prepare for the exam. Any PA 7-12 CS teacher that did not participate in a Targeted Grant 7-12 PDE Pathway is eligible to enroll in a self-paced online course to prepare for the exam. There is no cost to participate and Act 48 credit is available. Learn more here.New additions to the #CSinPA resource collection:

    • CS Course Data Analysis Worksheet - We created this worksheet in Google Sheets for educators to compare the demographics of students in their CS courses to the overall enrollment of their school. This worksheet makes it easy to identify equity gaps in CS courses and hopefully, leads to efforts to close such gaps. To learn more about underserved populations of students in PA K-12 education, click here.

    • Other resources & opportunities:

      • In addition to sharing our own resources, we update this Google Doc whenever we come across something related to CS education we think others in #CSinPA might find interesting. Bookmark it and you’ll have a list of new products, professional development, student scholarships, and more, right at your fingertips.

      • We send alerts through our Schoology course about things that really catch our attention or are specific to Pennsylvania, too. Join the course and you’ll never miss out!

      • Here's something we're really excited about right now, especially as we begin celebrating Black History Month:

        • Your Voice is Power - In Your Voice is Power, students learn about CS careers held by people of color, how music and CS are being used to fight for racial justice, and how to remix music using CS! Students remix Pharrell’s new song “Entrepreneur” using Python computer code and are invited to upload their own sounds to the EarSketch library. Students can also use computer code to remix Ciara’s songs “Set” and “Melanin” and Common’s “God is Love” on EarSketch, and more songs will be added to the library throughout the year.  Students may submit their creations to the "Your Voice is Power" competition, open now through June 4, 2021. Five students will win a $5,000 scholarship or grant to start a business, and five teachers will receive $1,000 for above and beyond instruction. Your Voice is Power is a collaboration between Amazon, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Pharrell Williams, and Yellow.

• NSTA Daily Dos for PreK-12 for families 

• FREEBIES for science teachers

Remake Learning Days

• Remake Learning Days is back in 2021! Do not miss this opportunity to receive funding (up to $100**) to showcase innovation in your school on May 6 to May 16, 2021.

• Attached you will find the IU1 Event Request Form. Please complete the Event Request Form and return by email/mail/fax by February 26, 2021 to IU1. In order to receive funding, participating schools must also register online through Remake Learning at https://remakelearningdays.org/submit-an-event/  as well as retuning the Event Request Form to IU1 (email sarah.durzo@iu1.org). 

• These brief documents ensure your schools event is received by RemakeLearning and forms (combined) should take less than an hour to complete. We hope to see your school in the spotlight during Remake Learning Days 2021! As always please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. 

  • • Schools may receive funding up to $100, schools may receive more depending on the number of applications received.

Media and Design Competition

• Registration is now open for teams or individual students in middle school and high school to enter to compete in the 2021 Competition. The IU1 Regional Media and Design Competition will be all v virtual, students will submit their projects electronically and will be able to attend a virtual award ceremony on March 10, 2021 from 12:00PM - 1:00PM.

Students will have until March 3, 2021 to submit their projects in one of the six categories including 3D Design, Animation, Digital Movie, Logo and Graphic Design, Programming, and Web Design. The PA Media and DesignCompetition, formerly the PA Computer Fair, is an annual event that highlights Pennsylvania students’ application skills, creativity and knowledge. Students are able to unleash their creativity, learn how to convey information more dynamically, and enhance the learning process.

• For more information on the competition, categories, and to register your team or student project go to www.mediadesigncompetition.org. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you are interested in participating, if you have questions about this year's virtual competition, or just want to learn more.

IU1 Camp Tech

• Camp Tech will be coming back virtually for the summer of 2021. Currently there is a possibility of a face to face camp at W&J College and more details will be released soon. 

Lending Library 

• Open for reservations: https://sites.google.com/iu1.org/innovationanddesign/lending-library 

Grant Opportunities

• Moonshot Grants from Remake Learning: https://remakelearning.org/grants/ 

• Innovation Grants: coming soon, expect a release date for the 2021-2022 in late March or early April. 

• Fab Lab/Makerspaces Website

Learning at Home PA

• PA PBS Landing Page: https://pennsylvaniapbs.org/learning-at-home/ 

• WQED Learning at Home Landing Page: https://www.wqed.org/learningathome 

• Broadcast Schedules: https://pennsylvaniapbs.org/learning-at-home/schedule/

• Weekly Activities: https://pennsylvaniapbs.org/learning-at-home/   (click Weekly Activities in the top menu)

• Reminder that February broadcast schedules have programming and activities in relation to Black History Month - check the schedules here https://pennsylvaniapbs.org/learning-at-home/schedule/ 

• March broadcast schedules and weekly activity sheets in English and Spanish are now available! https://pennsylvaniapbs.org/learning-at-home/schedule/ 

• 10:00am - Presentation on Bias by ADL

  • • • “Introduction to ADL’s Anti-Bias Workshops” - this workshop is a smaller part of ADL’s A World of Difference® Institute, custom anti-bias workshops for students and educators.  Participants will explore what bias is, how it may manifest in schools, and learn more about ADL’s resources and programming offerings.

      • Contact: Alana Bandos, Education Director, Cleveland Office, PO Box 22186, Beachwood, OH 44122, phone: 216-278-0522, email: abandos@adl.org