• Presentation  from EverFi regarding FREE instructional resources

  • • Aligned with PA Core and CASEL Standards, EVERFI's new digital library of DEI, Mental Health, and 306-Africa American History courses have been added to PDE's Equitable Resources Hub and available for member districts completely free of cost. EVERFI's Director of Implementation for Southwestern Pennsylvania schools, Alyssa Lyons, will provide us with a brief overview of the digital resources and how these bite-sized, supplemental lessons can meet DEI goals while providing timely support for students + families. Preview those resources on slide 8 here. 

• Fusion Credit Recovery Coursework (March 22 - May 7) - Kristin VanStrien 

• IU1 EVOLVE Update - Adding Partners and Free Series! 

• Pancake Bots ($70 per pancake bot) and Desk Dividers (20" for $10 per divider and 24" for $12 per divider) are on sale. 

• Health and PE Re-Entry Plan resources

• Educator Effectiveness Survey due February 19, 2021

  • • Surveys should be completed and submitted to PDE via email at RA-PDE-Evaluation@pa.gov no later than February 19, 2021.The submission process for this year’s collection is the same as last year. Remember to include your LEA’s name in the subject line of your email.  The survey can be found on the Teacher and Principal Evaluation Survey page.  To ensure complete and accurate information, review all items highlighted on page 8 of the survey. If you have any questions concerning this year’s collection efforts, please contact Emily Wolff at (717) 525-5399 or at RA-PDE-Evaluation@pa.gov .

    • Guidance on Educator Effectiveness 2019-2020 and 2020-2021

    • IMPORTANT! ESSA reporting - Make sure you understand the difference in reporting and how ESSA reporting is calculated for this year.   

• Update PBS Data Casting Initiative with pilot districts (5 IU1 districts) in the Connected to Learn Pilot 

• One time ask from PDE through PIMS for districts to identify students enrolled in and who have passed a Keystone course in 2019-2020; they will be labeled with a non numerical proficient and their scores (regardless if they take it again or not) will never count towards accountability.  Anyone in 10th grade or lower who is labeled with this nonnumerical number, will only have 4 graduation pathways as this nonnumerical does not count in the composite score option for graduation beginning with the graduating class of 2023.   (Students must be offered the opportunity to take the test for a score for graduation purposes.)  

• No PVAAS roster verification this spring.

• PDE will most likely extend the testing window this spring too, but this is not official; An FAQ for testing is in the works at PDE

• IU1 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusions Series continues! 

  • • Title: Diversity 

      • Presenter: Dr. Sheri Boyle, California University of PA 

      • Date: January 20, 2021, 9:00-11:00 am

      • Register: Diversity 

    • Title: Restorative Practices: Delivery of Education to Diverse Students 

      • Presenter: Dr. Ryan Bunting and Dr. James Longo, Washington and Jefferson University 

      • Date: February 10, 2021 9:00-11:00 am

      • Register: Restorative Practices: Delivery of Education to Diverse Students 

    • Title: Equity Resources 

      • Presenter: Craig Hummell, Melissa Hunter, and Joe Mahoney, IU1 

      • Date: March 10, 2021 9:00-11:00 am

      • Register: Equity Resources

• Learning Blade Backpack - STEM resource for Chromebooks for students with little or no internet access (sent from Judd Pittman)

• Culturally Responsive School Leadership Framework

• New PDE Antibullying website and resources

• Certification Staffing Policy Guidelines (CSPGs) for 7-12 Computer Science  

• Inventionland Updates - It brings us great excitement to share Virtual Touring with you. We would like to invite education groups of all kinds to tour our factory from the comfort of your home-offices, classrooms, or both! With interactive experiences that are custom built for every group, each tour is unique to the focus of your class. Educators will work alongside our tour staff to create an experience that students will talk about for years to come. Feel free to check out the Frequently-Asked-Questions Guide by clicking here. It covers everything from cost to post-tour activities.

• 10 Significant Education Studies - https://www.edutopia.org/article/10-most-significant-education-studies-2020

•  Please share the upcoming IU1 CPE course offerings with your staff!

  • • Reading Strategies for the Content Area Teacher February 5, 2021 - March 21, 2021

    • Project-Based & Challenge-Based Learning February 12, 2021 - April 10, 2021

    • Writing Strategies for the Content Area Teacher February 12, 2021 - March 28, 2021

    • There's an App For That… Integrating the iPad into the Classroom February 19, 2021 - April 17, 2021

    • Technology Tools For the 21st Century Classroom February 26, 2021 - April 24, 2021

    • Digital Literacy March 5, 2021 - May 1, 2021 

• Green Ribbon Schools Application deadline: 6:00 PM February 5, 2021
  Pennsylvania has partnered with the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) program to recognize USDE Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awards, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awards. This is the tenth year Pennsylvania has participated in the program. The ED-GRS program was launched by the U.S. Department of Education to recognize schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education that reduce environmental impact and costs, improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff and provide effective environmental and sustainability education. Combined progress in all three of these areas, known as Pillars, serves as the basis for recognition. Each year states may nominate up to five Pre-K-12 schools or districts and one postsecondary institution for the ED-GRS program. USDE then selects and announces awardees nominated by each state in the spring. Pennsylvania’s Pathways to Green Schools Program recognizes schools across the commonwealth as they design, build, and implement environmental literacy and sustainability plans in their school, school district, or postsecondary institution in their quest to achieve ED-GRS recognition.
  For further details and application process please visit:  Pennsylvania’s Pathways to Green Schools Program  For questions, please contact: Tamara E. Peffer, Environment & Ecology Content Advisor, PDE: TPeffer@pa.gov

• Penn State Outreach Readiness Institute – Hope Moon Shot, deadline January 22, 2021; The Readiness Institute at Penn State is embarking on a mission to help foster hope among people around the world.  Students, educators and members of the global community are invited to share messages of hope — for free — that will be included aboard a mission to the moon. The hopes will be saved on an SD card and will be placed in a storage capsule that will be sent to the moon’s surface by Astrobotic, a Pittsburgh-based space robotics company. To be a part of the Hope Moonshot mission, submit hopes before Jan. 22, 2021. Participants will have an opportunity to receive mission updates, images and attend a virtual launch party in the second half of 2021. Lesson plans also are available for educators.  For more information, please visit: https://readinessinstitute.psu.edu/hope-moonshot/  Questions? Please contact Justin Aglio - justinaglio@psu.edu  

• Reminder: 2021 Pennsylvania STEM Ambassador Program: Developing STEM Policy Leaders in Pennsylvania. Application deadline: January 22, 2021. STEM Champions, please consider applying for the new cohort of PA STEM Ambassadors and forward to colleagues/friends for consideration. This is a great opportunity to get more involved in STEM in Pennsylvania– highly recommend it!  For complete details and application, visit the PASADYN website HERE. 

• The PDE Data Summit will be Free & Virtual - March 22 – 24, 2021 Register Today

Quarter Turns: Supports to Access Complex Text Across Disciplines 

What are quarter turn instructional moves? Quarter turns are small pivots teachers and students can make to help all students learn from rich grade-level text. Quarter Turns have been designed to engage more students more frequently with more text. 

• TRETC 

  • • TRETC Keynote YouTube Channel - Jamie Casap

    • TRETC Digital Notebook

    • Pittsburgh STEAM Station on YouTube - local teachers share STEAM activities for K-12 

      • Pittsburgh STEAM playlist for spring 2021

    • Freebies for Science Teachers

    • Low Tech STEAM Planning 

    • Project Zero Thinking Routines

    • Burgettstown SD STEM to Go

• Ask, Listen, Learn - Ask, Listen, Learn is a free, digital underage drinking prevention program for kids ages 9-12. Focused on how alcohol and cannabis affect the developing brain; focused on Next Generation Science Standards 

• Green Ribbon Schools Application deadline: 6:00 PM February 5, 2021:     Pennsylvania has partnered with the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) program to recognize USDE Green Ribbon Schools, District Sustainability Awards, and Postsecondary Sustainability Awards. This is the tenth year Pennsylvania has participated in the program. The ED-GRS program was launched by the U.S. Department of Education to recognize schools, school districts, and institutions of higher education that reduce environmental impact and costs, improve the health and wellness of schools, students, and staff and provide effective environmental and sustainability education. Combined progress in all three of these areas, known as Pillars, serves as the basis for recognition. Each year states may nominate up to five Pre-K-12 schools or districts and one postsecondary institution for the ED-GRS program. USDE then selects and announces awardees nominated by each state in the spring. Pennsylvania’s Pathways to Green Schools Program recognizes schools across the commonwealth as they design, build, and implement environmental literacy and sustainability plans in their school, school district, or postsecondary institution in their quest to achieve ED-GRS recognition. For further details and application process please visit:  Pennsylvania’s Pathways to Green Schools Program.  For questions, please contact: Tamara E. Peffer,  Environment & Ecology Content Advisor, PDE: TPeffer@pa.gov 

• Penn State Outreach Readiness Institute – Hope Moon Shot, deadline January 22, 2021:    The Readiness Institute at Penn State is embarking on a mission to help foster hope among people around the world.  Students, educators and members of the global community are invited to share messages of hope — for free — that will be included aboard a mission to the moon. The hopes will be saved on an SD card and will be placed in a storage capsule that will be sent to the moon’s surface by Astrobotic, a Pittsburgh-based space robotics company. To be a part of the Hope Moonshot mission, submit hopes before Jan. 22, 2021. Participants will have an opportunity to receive mission updates, images and attend a virtual launch party in the second half of 2021. Lesson plans also are available for educators. For more information, please visit: https://readinessinstitute.psu.edu/hope-moonshot/       Questions? Please contact Justin Aglio - justinaglio@psu.edu