Ron Gallagher
Celebrating Wins: What Worked and Why?
Aligning School Goals with District Priorities
The Office of the President has issued an executive order, Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education For American Youth, this week to create a national strategy for integrating AI into American education. The order creates a White House Task Force on AI Education, launches a Presidential AI Challenge, and mandates federal support for AI curriculum, educator training, and apprenticeships.
Schoolwide plans (CSI,ATSI,TSI, and Title 1) and Comp Plan (Phase 1) applications are now open.
FRCPP OFFICE HOURS:
Beginning February 5th, open office hours for FRCPP support will be held from 2:30 - 3:30 pm on the 1st Wednesday of each month via Teams.
To join a session, click here. (No registration required.)
2025 Spring Assessment Updates
Online Parental Reviews
You should start noticing ACT 45 hours being posted to your PERMS account
Roster Verification SY24-25: The countdown is on!
Staff- Student- Subtest Collection was due yesterday.
PIMS Admins can run a Validation Report of the SSS Template as an early look
LEA/District Admin & School Admin can review and revise what was submitted by their LEA via the SSS during the Preview Phase, opening April 17.
Roster Verification page on PDE website: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/education/programs-and-services/instruction/elementary-and-secondary-education/assessment-and-accountability/pvaas/roster-verification.html
Roster for Grade 5 Science is occurring this year, many districts missed this on the PIMS upload.
Important Dates:
Preview: Thursday April 17, 2025 - Wednesday April 30, 2025
Teacher Verification: Thursday May 1, 2025 - Wednesday May 14, 2025
School Verification: Thursday May 15,2025 - Wednesday May 28, 2025
LEA Verification: Thursday, May 29, 2025 - Friday June 20, 2025
Use the Roster Verification Checklists to check for…
All schools, all teachers, all rosters
RV permissions for administrators assisting in the process
District level admins / users cannot “manage” teachers. This means they cannot add or remove teachers; this must be done at the school level.
Roster Verification: RA-DDQDataCollection@pa.gov
RV Demo
RV columns
Usage Report
Data to Excel
Thoughts of Firefly
What schools need to do for successful online assessment transitions
Regular Practice with Online Assessments
Preparing Students for Online Testing
Teacher and Staff Preparation
Technical and Infrastructure Readiness
Organizational and Leadership Strategies
PA 250-Toolkit is in routing and will be available shortly; hopefully by May
School Counselors Framework- in process of being created led by Karen Rubicon
Computer Science State Framework- in process of being created
Review of Arts/Humanities, Health Physical Science and Safety Standards; hopefully this time next year these will be formalized.
PDE has ended the PennLinks mailing list. All notices will now be one-way from PDE to the field.
To sign up for the new PDE Bulletin Board listserv, go to https://app.e2ma.net/app2/audience/signup/1989993/1965088.436328480/
PDE also has a monthly newsletter - EdVentures. Sign up here: https://app.e2ma.net/app2/audience/signup/1986722/1965088.424434720/
Federal funds from Presidents budget is level for 2025. For 2026, significant cuts are likely (May proposal). I am hearing of a possible 25% cut to Title I.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
PDE response - fully complied with legal obligations. At this time no action is needed.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has joined a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump Administration over the sudden cutoff of pandemic relief funding for schools. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, argues the administration unlawfully reversed a prior decision allowing states to use COVID relief aid through March 2026. Shapiro says the move puts $183.6 million owed to 116 Pennsylvania school districts and education centers at risk, along with $1.8 million owed to the state Department of Education. He criticized the reversal as a broken promise that could harm students and leave Pennsylvania taxpayers to cover the costs.
PA Certification Alignment
Legislative fixes to support certification alignment (ex. Pre K-4 certified teacher can not teach grade 5 if they are in an elementary school)
PAIMS Consortium Pricing Agreement Update / Reminder
Review documentation to see if it’s possible a district/ building is over paying when Consortium pricing is available.
We are very excited to be hosting the 2025 Spring Showdown tournament on May 27th! Once again, this event is being cosponsored by TEC and IU1. The tournament will be open to Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. teams. The Smash tournament will be held in our new console gaming arena! It is under construction right now but will be complete in time for the tournament! This will be an in-person event and will be open to the first eight teams to register. If you would like to participate in one or both games, please complete this registration form as soon as possible. Once you have sent in a registration form, you will also need to have your players complete an individual player registration form which will be provided to you at a later date. We hope to see you here!
Registration – https://shorturl.at/WHfbV
Rocket League Rules:
Double elimination tournament
Teams consist of 3 players, no subs
Matches are Best of 5 (5 minute games)
Finals (time permitting) are Best of 7 (5 minute games); otherwise it will be Best of 5
Super Smash Bros. Rules:
Double elimination tournament
Teams consist of 4 players, no subs
Matches consist of 4 games / first player to take 3 stocks wins the game / each team rotates to the next player
First team to win 3 games wins the match
If there is a tie at the end of four games, another 3-stock game will be added – coaches will choose the player
Finals (time permitting) will be best of 3 matches; otherwise it will be same as above
On September 12, 2024, the State Board of Education approved final-form amendments to 22 Pa. Code Chapter 4. Collectively, the five documents listed below comprise the final-form rulemaking that was approved by the Board.
Social Studies-Jordan Lozosky, Curriculum Specialist
Ken Burns and his collaborators have been creating historical documentary films for more than forty years. Known for a signature style that brings primary source documents, images, and archival video footage to life on screen, these films present the opportunity to pose thought-provoking questions for students, and introduce new ideas, perspectives, and primary sources.
Our FREE 2025 Virtual Teacher Institute is the can't miss online educator event of the summer. The event brings together educators from all over the world, and, over three days, provides interactive sessions headed by engaging and leading experts in the history and education fields.
Theme: Tracing the Footsteps of History
Educators will be immersed in a friendly, fun, and engaging virtual learning environment on the American Battlefield Trust's webinar platform. Our Virtual Teacher Institute is more than just methodology; it's about making you a better, more well-rounded educator. We hope that you will leave the Institute with a better understanding of your subject matter and a passion for history education.
This event is FREE to active educators. Please join us July 21-23, 2025, on the American Battlefield Trust webinar platform
Waynesburg University Teaching Primary Sources: BASICS
If you are seeking additional resources or any information related to enhancing your existing social studies curriculum, please contact:
Jordan Lozosky, Curriculum Specialist
Phone: 724-938-3241 ext. #405
Email: jordan.lozosky@iu1.org
Induction & Gifted Updates-Jordan Lozosky, Curriculum Specialist
*Participants must register on the hyperlinks on the flyer via Frontline.
**District Participation Form Linked Here**
More Info Available on Our Website As Well!
Career Readiness--Elizabeth Meerdo
We currently have 42 simulations (and counting!) on our VR headsets, and each simulation takes approximately 5 minutes to complete.
Through these VR career exploration simulations, students can step into the shoes of professionals across various industries while experiencing a realistic, risk-free environment in which to explore their interests in potential careers. A list of simulations is below:
Current VR Simulations List as of 4/2025
The Simcoach Games 2025 Summer Apprenticeship is a state-recognized pre-apprenticeship program designed for high school students passionate about games, storytelling, art, and technology. Participants will gain real-world experience in roles such as producer, artist, designer, and developer while building essential 21st-century skills like communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and creativity.
To be eligible to apply, students must be at least 16 years old by the start of the program (June 9, 2025) and must be entering their senior year of high school after this summer OR graduating in 2025 to apply. Exceptions to these age and grade requirements cannot be made due to the Registered Pre-apprenticeship Compliance Requirements.
The apprenticeship runs from June 9 to July 18 and will be held at the Simcoach Games' Game Studio located at 2026 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. Their office is on a bus line and has nearby parking available.
To apply, please visit: 2025 Application: Simcoach Games' Summer Apprenticeship in Game Design & Development
QUESTIONS? Email: apprenticeship@simcoachgames.com
Catalyst Connection is excited to share the dates and locations for this summer’s Industry 4.0 Teacher Academy 3-Day Experience! Receive a $250 stipend and ACT 48 hours for attending the academy--you must attend all 3 days in full to receive.
Who Can Attend:
K-12 teachers from ANY subject area!
Administrators, curriculum directors, guidance counselors, etc.
We highly recommend more than one person attending from your district--this allows for cross curricular collaboration all year long!
Why You Should Attend:
Join a peer network community of fellow educators!
Learn how the manufacturing industry is using the emerging Industry 4.0 technologies and see them in action.
Learn how you can implement Industry 4.0 technologies and career pathway knowledge into your classroom.
Network with resource providers, partner organizations, and manufacturing industry representatives.
Tour state of the art industry 4.0 facilities and connect with industry professionals.
Follow-up days in the Fall to reconnect and share out.
Summer 2025 Dates & Locations:
July 30 – Mill 19
August 6 – CCAC Allegheny Campus
August 13 – Digital Foundry
*Bonus tours to be announced!
📎 Attached is a flyer with additional information: 2025 Summer Industry 4.0 Teacher Academy Flyer
🔗 Learn more and register here: Industry 4.0 Teacher Academy - Explore the New Manufacturing
ELA Curriculum Specialists - Dave Dunham and Tracey Czajkowski
2025-26 Comprehensive ELA Curriculum Writing for grades 7-12
ELA Curriculum Writing Pricing and Dates Flyer
We will be putting together the cohorts for the Tuesdays and Thursdays of next school year in June. Please let us know if your district will be participating. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ron, Tracey, or Dave.
Due to district requests, this professional development opportunity will be offered on May 8th at Redstone and again on August 20 at Central Office. There will be two half day workshops each day. Please make note of the different locations.
The August 20th workshop will have an active link for the May meeting.
Math- Teresa Brown and Sam Taylor
Please click on the monthly Math Newsletter for all of our math updates.
Registration is almost full for the "Learning Without Walls" Conference!
Please join us on June 10, 2025 for an enriching day full of connection, learning, and inspiration. This conference is an excellent opportunity for teachers gain resources to support the "ELS" implementation of the PA STEELS Standards.
Register at this link.
IU1 STEELS Administrator PLC Sessions
Our first session, held on April 7, 2025, was a great first connection with our IU1 region around our implementation of PA STEELS in our districts. Based on feedback provided, we will continue to hold these PLC sessions on a bi-monthly basis for 60 minutes.
Save the date for these upcoming PLC Sessions:
Monday, June 9, 10:30 am-11:30 am
Monday, August 4, 9:30 am-10:30 am
More details to come!
This month's Rural Educator Spotlight celebrates Maddie Loring of Jefferson Morgan School District, read all about how she inspires her students everyday here.
🌼 April showers bring May Remake Learning Days! 🌼
Celebrating 10 years in 2025, Remake Learning Days (RLD) is an innovative learning festival for youth and families! Taking root in regions across the world, thousands of hands-on learning events are designed for kids of all ages at libraries, schools, tech centers, parks, museums, play spaces, community centers and more. Help your kids discover their spark for learning!
Check out these events happening in the IU1 region!
April 30, 2025- Falcon Friends and Family Fun Night- Brownsville Area HS
May 1, 2025- Washington Wild Things Winners Day- Washington STEAMworks Inc.
May 7, 2025- Jefferson-Morgan Art Gallery and Student Showcase- Jefferson-Morgan SD
May 9, 2025- Dive into STEM- Frazier School District
May 9, 2025- Benthworth HS STEM Night- Bentworth
May 16, 2025- Family STEM Challenges- Brownsville Area Elementary School
May 20, 2025- Family Game Night- East End United Community Center
May 22, 2025- Cultural Dance Celebration- East End United Community Center
May 23, 2025- Pollinate Possibilities: Bees, Science, and Sustainability- California Area School District
Check out this upcoming event:
2025 Personalized Learning Summit
June 17, 2025 from 8:30am-3:30pm
Join the Personalized Learning Working Group for the 2025 Personalized Learning Summit! Educators, leaders, and community partners will have a chance to connect with innovative peers from across the region and immerse in relevant components of personalization.
Hosted by Remake Learning at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, 475 E Waterfront Dr, Homestead PA 15120
Register here!