Thanks to all school staff who gave the PIRS the attention needed to assess fidelity in implementing Tier 1 RtI2-Behavior systems effectively. We are organizing the raw data in a readable format for the 17 indicators and the open-ended questions. Principals and the school RtI2-B Team Coach and Co-coach will receive the report, which can be used to make plans for continuous improvement for 2022-23. The following may help administration and  RtI2-B Team leaders assess the effectiveness of administering PIRS and help build a road map to improvement next year. Your RtI2-Behavior District Counselor will follow with a site visit to help guide the review.

1. Check the number of PIRS participants. Anything less than 70% participation should raise questions about the RtI2-B Team's commitment to advocating maximum staff involvement.
2. Look closely at the responses to the 6 point rating scale. It will help expose how much staff knows about RtI2-B and its deeply ingrained in the school culture.
3. The Five (5) open-ended questions should provide information about what is going well or what needs addressing. Few responses may indicate that the staff was not adequately informed before the administration.
4. The results will produce a rating score that must be included in the Year-end Annual Report. The score may impact approval for advancement and recognition in reviews by the state. 

Once you have received the report and processed what it means, you can direct questions to your RtI2-Behavior District Counselor.

The Office of Academics is excited to hear feedback on the success of your school's Spring Family Data Night. We have created a brief school-level survey. We ask that you or a designee complete the survey by Monday, April 11. We will use the data from the survey to better serve you and your parents. Use the following link to access the school-level survey: 2022 Spring Family Data Night Follow-up Survey. 

Also, please remind parents that their feedback is valuable to the success of our District Data Nights. We ask that you post the parent survey links on your school’s webpage or direct parents to http://www.scsk12.org/familydatanight to complete the survey. 

If you have any questions, please let our team know.
 

Congratulations to the March Incentive Campaign Winners!

• Reading
  • 1st Place: Zone 3 – Catherine Battle
  • 2nd Place: Zone 2 – Janice Tankson 
  • 3rd Place: Zone 10 – Kimberly Sanders
• Math
  • 1st Place: Zone 2 – Janice Tankson 
  • 2nd Place: Zone 7 – Debra Fox 
  • 3rd Place: Zone 10 – Kimberly Sanders

School Winners March 2022

Zone Winners March 2022

Thank you for all the work you’ve done thus far to assist with the ESL retention prevention process. As we’ve continued to communicate, the goal of this process is to move away from being reactive about EL failures and focus on being proactive to support the students and teachers to prevent retention on the front end.  

Work samples for ESL students who failed Quarter 3 were due in ELLevation on Friday, April 8. For students who have forgotten one of the courses below for two or more quarters (Quarter 1, 2, and/or 3), please schedule a retention prevention meeting prior to April 22. This meeting can be held virtually or in person.

• K-5 - ELA, ESL, & Math
• 6-8 - ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, ESL 
• 9-12 - Any course that affects graduation

Elementary Leaders, MSCS is taking part in a FREE book delivery program this summer as a part of the Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF)! Each rising 1st and 2nd-grade student, current kindergarten and 1st graders, will receive SIX high-quality books this summer at no cost to the District. The Rising 1st and 2nd Grade Book Delivery Program is an opportunity for current kindergarten and 1st-grade students to build their home libraries with free books delivered directly to their homes, funded by GELF. The book deliveries are expected to begin in June. As a bonus, schools will also receive copies of the texts in June to distribute to their 1st and 2nd-grade teachers to incorporate into their classroom libraries! 

Schools and parents do not have to take any action to participate in this book delivery program. We are very excited to have this great partnership with GELF and would like for you to join us in encouraging our families to celebrate and grow students' home libraries. Additional communications to parents and schools will be shared. Questions? Email ci_ela_team@scsk12.org. 
 

Rising 1st and 2nd Grade Book Delivery Program FAQ 

The Peer Coaching application process for the 2022-23 school year is now open. Please see this attachment for a detailed description of the ESL Peer Coaching Program and its responsibilities.  

To be considered for the program, teachers must meet the position's requirements and complete the application process. This process consists of an online application, an interview, and classroom observation. Applicants will be notified by Friday, April 29, if they have been selected to move on to the interview process.

Teachers interested in applying to be a part of the ESL Peer Coaching team should submit their application by Sunday, April 17 at 11:59 p.m.

Please contact ESL Manager Magda Sakaan (sakaanm@scsk12.org) with any questions regarding the position or the application process.

Following district policy is essential to ensure legal and regulatory compliance and efficient district functions. The AOSS Manual Appendix 13 - Policy includes several links to district policies that may be useful for your school’s daily operations. Please take some time to review the information with your teams. For the complete District Policy Manual, please see the district website.

Take a moment to review and share the March edition of Curriculum Connection! 

The Division of College, Career and Technical Education seeks K-8, middle school, and high school College, Career, and Life Readiness (CCLR) Leads to ensure a cohesive plan to develop a culture of College, Career, and Life readiness in place for each middle and high school.

The plans will include ACT Prep, Naviance, and Ready Graduate implementation milestones. After successfully executing school milestones, a $2,000 stipend will be paid to each CCLR Lead. Please complete the form to submit someone. https://forms.office.com/r/yUWqQwdgeg

You should have a link to take the 2022 Tennessee Educator Survey (TES) in your inbox. The TES is an annual joint effort by the Tennessee Department of Education and the Tennessee Education Research Alliance to gather information about schools across the state. 

Not only is it essential to encourage your teachers to take the survey, but it’s crucial that you also participate. The survey provides you an opportunity to tell us and the Department of Education what is working and what improvements need to be made for your teachers and your school. Your feedback provides critical, actionable data that influences strategies and goals in our district and in the state. 

We hope you’ll participate because: 

• Your feedback will provide critical, actionable data as we refine our district’s strategy for the next school year.
• Sharing your perspective will help us understand and highlight both the challenges you are facing and the successes you are having as a school leader this year.
• Your insights will help us and state leaders to understand what supports and resources you need to best support your teachers and your students going forward.

Survey Quick Facts 

• Open to all educators from March 7th to April 29th
• Completely confidential – District and school leaders will not receive individual results
• Is voluntary – Though we strongly encourage participation, it isn’t required
• Only takes about 20 minutes to complete
• Contains questions on issues such as instructional materials, planning, student engagement,  educator support, and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic

You will be sent a personalized invitation via email to complete the survey.  If you have questions regarding the survey, please reach out to tned.research.alliance@vanderbilt.edu. 

Attention Leaders!

We are excited to announce that in collaboration with TDOE, Early Reading Training will be offered again this summer for K-5 Memphis Shelby County Schools teachers. Early Reading Trainings are designed to develop knowledge & application of foundational skills for K-5 teachers. Teachers that successfully complete Courses 1 and 2 will receive a $1000 dollar stipend. 
 

Course 1 Asynchronous

• Use this link to access Course 1: 

➢ https://bestforall.tnedu.gov/binder/reading-360-modules 

• For more information regarding Course 1 click here. 

Please encourage teachers to sign up for this week-long of in-person early reading training using the following link: 

➢ https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080e4aa8ad2ba1fa7-tdoe 

Training Dates & Times

• June 13th-17th 9:00 am-4: 00 pm (CST)  

• June 21st- 24th 9:00 am-5: 00 pm (CST) 

• June 27th- July 1st 9:00 am-4: 00 pm (CST) 

• July 5th- July 8th 9:00 am-5:00 pm (CST) 

Noteworthy: To be eligible for the $1000 stipend, teachers must meet the following criteria:

• Current K-5 classroom teacher with a valid TN teaching license 

• Complete the asynchronous Course 1 

• Attend ALL dates associated with the face-to-face training selected

For additional information email ci_ela_team@scsk12.org

Early Reading Training Flyer

Registration for the 2022 Midsouth Leadership Symposium is now OPEN.  Please see details on this flyer.

• Time sheets will need to be submitted weekly on Fridays by 12:00 noon
• Schools can work from April 6 thru May 27
• Upload 3 after hours staff members here Submit Your 3 Staff Here    
• Submit Your Time Sheets
• See the attached time sheet and info for additional details.

NEED MORE CLARITY?

More After Hours Support Stipends Info

Time Sheet: Attendance & Discipline Supports

Dr. Blocker, Manager of EDA

School Health Profiles Survey Administration: As a requirement of our cooperative agreement with the CDC, in April and May, MSCS will conduct surveys of principals and lead health education teachers to assess the status of school health policies and practices at all traditional and alternative middle schools and high schools. We will administer the School Health Profiles surveys online through Survey Monkey.  Each school will receive one questionnaire for the principal and one for the lead health education teacher.

By Friday, April 15th, please complete this two-question participation form that provides more information about the questionnaires and asks you to designate a teacher or staff member to complete the lead health educator survey.

Do you have teachers who missed Engage2Learn’s February 2022 DLD session, First Steps to Implementing Blended Learning?  A make-up course will be available in Canvas starting April 12th. 

Please have teachers register for CADRE1210 in PLZ and the course will appear on their Canvas dashboards.  This opportunity is open through May 5th.  Credit for the make-up course will appear on teachers’ transcripts on May 13th. 

The April Principals' Business Meeting will take place Tuesday, April 12th at the TLA Auditorium.  The agenda can be viewed here.