Quarter 2

2024-2025

Hot off the Press!

Dear Staff,

The Office of Planning and Accountability is here to support your needs in a variety of areas. We want to remind you that we are available to assist with: data requests, reporting guidelines, homeschooling, State Reporting, or we are happy to discuss other needs that you may have. For request, please submit a ServiceNow ticket. We are committed to providing you with the support you need.

Thank you, Tyrone O'Meally

The Data Dish:

Federal Reporting:

We are required to submit data for the 23-24 SY to the Federal Government. Our Office may reach out to you in order to assist us with data cleaning and reporting the data with accuracy.

Enrollment:

When receiving a records request for a Student with a Disability, please ensure to include Registration and the Office of Student Support Service ( Michele Zielinksi) in the email.

Grading:

Below is a link to the 24-25 Report Card Schedule

2024-2025 PROGRESS REPORT CARD SCHEDULE

Servicenow:

The Data Team has moved over to Servicenow. This will allow us to ensure we capture all requests and create an efficient system for the Data Team. Please access Servicenow on your Launchpad on Classlink and follow the instructions below:

https://scribehow.com/shared/Log_in_to_ServiceNow_and_access_District_Initiatives_Planning_and_Accountability_catalog_items__zR_Bzj0_TAaqgYBuKr6N8w

The Registration Record

Buildings - Principals and Secretaries:

Please remember when making address changes to call the school the student is going to and make sure they have room or the Special Education Office if they have an IEP. If there is court paperwork that you receive and there is a new guardian fill out the address change form and attach the court documents and send to Katy Vacca and Theresa Ravas.

If you receive a request for records on a student please send them to Katy Vacca (vaccak@schenectadyschools.org) so that she can withdraw them in Infinite Campus.

Please remember to let Student Support Services (IEP Department) know if you are withdrawing a student with an IEP so that they can withdraw them in Frontline.

AND

Universal Pre-K lottery applications will be available the middle of March. Have parents watch the district website under the Prekindergarten tab for details at: https://www.schenectadyschools.org/page/prekindergarten

AND

Kindergarten registration opens on March 3rd for the 2025-2026 school year. Forms can be found at:

https://www.schenectadyschools.org/page/student-registration

STAFF TRAC

This is a friendly reminder that all faculty and department meetings should be added to StaffTrac. Building Principals/Secretaries - Please remember to enter ALL building faculty meetings in StaffTrac. Each event must have a description and/or agenda attached. All staff enrolled need to be marked as 'Attended' or "Did not attend' after the meeting.

If you would like StaffTrac training, please contact Natasha Bangaroo at: bangaroon@schenectadyschools.org.

The HomeSCHOOL review

Home School/Instruction continues to be supported for 2024-2025!

Parents of, or persons in parental relation to, compulsory school age children have the legal right to instruct their children at home. If a child is being educated at home, the local school district must be assured that the child is receiving instruction in certain required courses/subjects.

Parents who wish to home school their children must provide written notice of intent to the school district superintendent. The school district must then respond to the family and provide a copy of the home instruction regulations as well as an individualized home instruction plan (IHIP) form to complete. Parents are responsible for identifying the curriculum materials that they will use to instruct their children in the required subject areas.

NOTE: this is NOT homebound instruction/tutoring related to a medical issue - please contact Student support Services for homebound instruction/tutoring.

If you have interested families looking for information, please inquire to ask why they are seeking homeschooling, ensure that staff/school has provided supports that will encourage students to stay enrolled in the building, and that they have reviewed their intent with the Principal or Counselors. We have developed a "Fact Sheet for Counselors" to assist the conversations with families about homeschooling. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Also, We have updated our Homeschooling Support Center Website

NOTE: If you have a family/parent that would like to re-register their child back to the school building, please have them contact Registration to review what they would need.

Wait, there is more!

Supports for CSI and TSI schools

Diagnostic Tool for School and District Effectiveness (DTSDE) School Review

Coming to Schenectady CSD for ALL schools in 2024-2025.

DTSDE Tenets of Effective School Systems and Practices

Tenet 1 – Systems and Organization: Effective schools establish school-wide systems and structures that promote continuous improvement and success for all students.

Tenet 2 – School Leadership: Visionary leaders create a school community and culture that leads to success, well-being, and high academic outcomes for all students.

Tenet 3 – Curriculum: Effective schools provide students with rigorous, coherent, and relevant curricula that prepares all students for success.

Tenet 4 – Instruction: Effective teachers engage with students in a manner that promotes mastery and allows students to stretch their knowledge and deepen their understanding.

Tenet 5 – Social-Emotional Learning: Effective schools develop a systematic approach to Social-Emotional Learning to ensure that all students can develop social-emotional learning skills necessary for success within and beyond school.

Tenet 6– Parent and Community Engagement: Effective schools develop a systematic approach to Family and Community Engagement to empower parents to effectively advocate for their child’s learning and for the improvement of the school.

DTSDE Framework

The DTSDE Framework outlines effective practices organized along the DTSDE Tenets. The framework is a reference tool to assist schools in examining the practices and engaging in reflective dialogue to improve practice.

For questions, contact Tracy Angelini at angelinit@schenectadyschools.org

Trends from DTSDE School Reviews and Support Visits

Tenet 2 (leadership) trends:

continue with classroom walkthroughs, norming administrative language, to provide feedback to teachers on an ongoing basis and identify needs for professional development;
leverage instructional-walkthroughs structures to gather data and identify support teachers need to move practices more consistently towards student centered learning, increased engagement and real-world connections across the disciplines;
reorganize PLCs to have explicit agendas with action items;
define the overall vision for the school and create a statement of high expectations for all stakeholders; ensure schedules are followed based on expectations;
continue to promote and coordinate the schools shared vision for academic and student success by ensuring that SEL themes/activities are embedded in schoolwide systems and classroom instruction;
use faculty meetings to reinforce best practices

Tenet 3 (curriculum) and Tenet 4 (instruction) trends:

focus their learning and planning on providing lessons that provide multiple modes of access;
incorporate technology tools to support differentiated instruction;
plan and use district-approved curriculum materials that align with the student's grade level, IEP accommodations, and modifications to keep high-rigor practices in instruction;
students receive real-time support based on the work they are completing and learning;
beginning stages of developing a comprehensive system in ELA and mathematics for teachers to track and monitor student academic growth so that students can engage in the curriculum successfully;
providing students with quality, actionable feedback;
identify specific classrooms to establish a rotating schedule for teacher observations (e.g., lab classrooms);
incorporate higher order thinking questions during lessons and increase opportunities for student-to-student collaboration

Tenet 5 (social-emotional learning) and 6 (family and community engagement) trends:

reintroduce PBIS strategies to all staff members, ensuring a shared understanding of recognizing and encouraging positive student behaviors;
review their SBST processes and look for areas to improve the process;
each meeting will end with a “Next Steps”;
professional development for lunchroom staff and safety agents focused on SEL and Second Step best practices;
continue to be more visible at his hallway post and throughout the school;
continue to work with and support the PTO/PBIS school initiatives to ensure these activities are maximized and well-known by all staff;
communicate the process and distribution methods for communicating with parents more consistently;
increase the amount of reciprocal communication with families around student academic, behavioral and attendance data.

Thank you all who participated in the DTSDE School Review Process for your building or support visits. Thank you to the teachers for welcoming us into your classrooms and releasing your students to have conversations with our team. This work continues to be a collaborative effort with the Building Administration to identify next steps toward school improvement.

and, yet - more good news -

NYS Gr 3-8 TESTING

Guidance on Preparing Students in Grades 3-8 for CBT

Guidance Preparing Students in Grades 3-8 for CBT

State provided CBT Overview: Computer Based Testing NY Question Sampler Overview | New York State Education Department

Daily/Weekly Use of Google Classroom

Students type responses to Whit and Wisdom prompts in Google Docs

Students keep journal in Google Classroom for morning Work

Assessments in e-Doctrina

Benchmark Exams in e-Doctrina and take the exams on devices

Formative and unit exams in e-Doctrina

i-Ready Benchmark Assessment

Computer based assessment

REVISED K-8 iReady Guidance - January 12

New York Question Sampler

Web Access for Staff and Students: NY Question Sampler

What is offered?

Math

ELA

Science

4 ‘Samplers’ for each test and grade level. ELA also has an ‘ELA Response Box’ for students to practice typing responses to a teacher provided prompt.

Platform will not provide a score report for the work students do in this platform.

Possible Solution: Use nearpod to screenshot questions within the sampler and have students respond with teacher feedback

2024-25 School Year Elementary- and Intermediate-level Testing Schedule per NYSED

NYSAA ELA, Math, and Science

Monday, March 10 - Friday, June 6; Make-ups must be given within the testing window

UPDATE:

Science Gr 5 & 8 - 4/8/2025; all makeups through 5/16;
ELA CBT and PBT - 4/29-4/30; all makeups through 5/16; and
Math CBT and PBT - 5/7-5/8; all makeups through 5/16.

NYSESLAT Speaking

Monday, April 14 - Friday, May 23; Make-ups must be given within the testing window

NYSESLAT Listening, Reading, and Writing

Monday, May 12 - Friday, May 23; Make-ups must be given within the testing window

NOTE: SCSD communication for parent/guardian available here!!!

our crew

The Crew

518-881-3405

Tyrone O'Meally - Executive Director for Schools, Planning, and Accountability (X36979)

Tia Corniel - Executive Director for Schools and Assessments (X76020)

Tracy Angelini - Director for Planning, & Accountability (X36976)

Natasha Bangaroo - DIPA Project Manager (X36937)

Natalie Cable - Manager of Data and Information (X36972)

Hector Gallardo - Senior Data Analyst (X36973)

Sujaan Shah - Data Analyst (X36919)

Jimmy Rampersaud - Assistant Manager of Data (X36926)

Rajwantie Sukram - Assistant Manager of Data (X36937)

Katy Vacca - Registrar/Principle Clerk (X36928)

Aimee Demarest - Registration Secretary (X36929)

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