The Fall Elevate PERTS Survey has been extended until Dec 16 and allows students to share the extent to which they are having affirming learning experiences. The survey should be conducted in all Algebra I and English I classrooms and is administered by teachers. Teachers can view the training here and a step-sheet for conducting the survey here. The survey will take approximately five (5) minutes. 

All 9th grade students enrolled in Algebra I and English I should take the survey in both classes.

Greetings Principals,

As we prepare for the possibility of inclement weather, we wanted to provide you with a copy of the Emergency Closing of Schools Procedure contained in the AOSS Manual.

Beginning January 2023, the Parent Student Attendance Plan (PSAP) will move from BrightBytes to PowerSchool. Schools will be able to complete the PSAP form using the Incident Management platform. SART leads (administrators, counselors, family engagement specialists) will need to attend the training before being provided access to the form. Clerical staff will not have access. 

Training will be conducted virtually Dec. 13-15 and Jan. 3-5. Participants can sign up for the training using course number 32801. 

For any questions, contact Thomasena Stuckett at stucketttd@scsk12.org.

Please complete Wellness Center Referral Form and email it to wellnesscenter@scsk12.org to notify pertinent individuals of students who are referred for alcohol and drug counseling or who are referred to the Wellness Center. 

REMEMBER to click the identified behavior/purpose of the referral.

As we strive to embrace Restorative Mindsets district-wide, we are continuing to identify schools that have shown tremendous growth and improvement within the areas of behavior, attendance and with their use of intervention and supports. The Equity, Discipline & Intervention team will identify a total of 10 individual schools (1 per month) as our highlighted performers within the areas identified above. The lucky highlighted school will receive an On-Air TV spot that will run on WKNO/PBS Kids channel 10! Each broadcasted spot will air for 1 week!

Our first school to be highlighted will be our very own SHERWOOD MIDDLE!!! Since the start of this year, their Year Over Year Comparison rates have represented extreme growth that cannot be ignored! 

 Sherwood Middle’s data yields...

• 5% Attendance Rate Increase
• 30% Perfect Attendance Increase
• 14% Decrease in Chronic Absenteeism
• 29% Increase in Progressive Discipline Supports
• 28.5% Decrease in Exclusionary Consequences
• 1.2% Decrease in Suspension Rates

They have shown DRASTIC improvements within the areas of attendance and progressive discipline supports. 

Great Job Sherwood Middle & Principal Jean-Louis, keep up the good work!!!

The K-5 Winter Universal Screening and 6-8 Diagnostic Window occurs from Jan. 3 through Jan. 20, 2023.  Students in grades K-5 will engage in screening and benchmarking. Students in grades 6-8 are expected to complete the i-Ready reading and math diagnostic assessments.

Please review the following, to assist in your preparations:

• RTI2 Leads complete and upload the universal screening schedule to the school-specific RTI2 SharePoint by Dec. 16.
  • The screening schedule reflects both i-Ready reading and math diagnostics, i-Ready literacy tasks, written expression, and characteristics of dyslexia.
  • The screening schedule reflects the staff administering the reading and literacy tasks for grades K-2 (cannot be teacher of record).
• The Let's DIG into RTI2 screencast is available in the Curriculum Maps-5. RTI2-1. District Implementation Guide folder to assist with enhancing understanding of the assessment requirements aligned with the RTI2 Framework and Literacy Success Act. In addition, see DIG pages 8 through 21 for specifics regarding student identification for grades K-5. 
• The RTI2 Lead reviews the assessment guidelines for written expression and characteristics of dyslexia.

Update Since Fall Window: The ability to export a report reflecting the results of the i-Ready literacy tasks is now available for school administrators. These exports are available in the Reports tab of i-Ready, by clicking: Reports > District/School > All Exports > Literacy Tasks. The available export will provide student-level data to assist with tracking the completion of the benchmark assessments. As a reminder, data available in this export will only be visible once the teacher has manually entered the data. The FAQ for accessing this report is available in Curriculum Maps-5. RTI2-3. Assessments-a Universal Screener folder.

The previously mentioned resources are all available within the Curriculum Maps-RTI2 folder. These resources can also be accessed via the following link: 

Winter Universal Screening Documents 2022-23

RTI2 Advisors are currently working with all RTI2 Leads to assist with preparations. Feel free to connect with your RTI2 Advisor, the RTI2 Helpdesk (rti2@scsk12.org), or Dr. Maples (maplesa@scsk12.org) with any questions or support requests.

• i-Ready Literacy Tasks Exports
  • Exports for our literacy tasks are now available for school administrators. These exports are available in the Reports tab of i-Ready, by clicking: Reports > District/School > All Exports > Literacy Tasks. Exports available will provide student-level data on the following:
    • Benchmark Assessments
    • Progress Monitoring—Passage Reading Fluency
    • Progress Monitoring—Non-Passage Reading Fluency
  • Remember that students are included in the export only if teachers/admins have manually entered data for them in the user interface
• Personalized Online Instruction
  • Only a few weeks before the holiday break. If you haven’t yet begun monitoring instructional usage at least weekly, this is a great time – and see attached guidance. Reach out to your i-Ready Team for any support!
  • i-Ready is always conducting ongoing research to improve our programs. If you hadn’t yet seen it, this research released in March 2022 talks about the strong impact of i-Ready Personalized Instruction for historically marginalized student groups.

As we prepare to wrap up semester 1, the Imagine Learning team would like to point out a few key product differences between MyPath 6-12 and MyPath Legacy. 

Please click the link MyPath6-12 vs MyPath Legacy to learn more about this updated product. In addition, the Imagine Learning team wants you to know how appreciative we are of your continued partnership. 

We look forward to supporting your implementation of MyPath 6-12 in the spring semester. 

Dual Enrollment Spring registration is underway. Dual Enrollment Spring classes begin Tuesday, January 17, 2023.

The TSAC Dual Enrollment Grant spring deadline is Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Students who successfully completed the TSAC DE grant in the fall will not need to submit a new application.

For more information, contact Armella Smith, Senior Dual Enrollment Advisor, via email or by phone at (901) 416-5465.

Principals, we look forward to you joining us next week for December LDW. Please wear festive holiday colors. Please bring a fully charged laptop to all in-person sessions. 

Click here to access December LDW-Principals' Agenda.

Meeting Details

• 12/13 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., TLA Auditorium
• TASL Credit will be applied following the meeting.

Providing Free Decodables to Students in Grades K-2 to Support Early Literacy

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), in partnership with Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF), is opening up an opportunity for parents to order free at-home reading resources this winter for any of their children in grades K-2. 

• Through this partnership, TDOE and GELF want to encourage at-home reading practice to help young learners become stronger readers outside of the classroom. Based on if a child is in kindergarten, 1st or 2nd grade, they will receive the At-Home Decodable Book Series, which contains 20+ exciting stories full of sounds and words to practice, and age-appropriate, high-quality books from Scholastic.

All Tennessee families can order one booklet pack for each of their kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students using this site. The order will be delivered to the mailing address provided. 

K–2 Specialized Educational Assistants (SEAs) must be assigned to the classes in which they assist in PowerSchool. If you have any questions about how to add an SEA to a section in PowerSchool, please contact Student Information Management for assistance. 

Important Dates:

Wednesday, 12/14/22—Deadline to add the K–2 SEAs to the school's staff list using the Staff & Teacher Request Spreadsheet.

Friday, 12/16/22— Deadline to add the K–2 SEAs to the class section in PowerSchool.
 

There will be a virtual live session with the SIM team for those who need assistance. It will be Tuesday 12/13/22 from 10:00-10:30. Please join with this link. 
 

Through the “Tenn Under 10” initiative, the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) is selecting 10 Tennessee 3rd graders to serve as GELF’s literacy ambassadors and receive a post-secondary education scholarship, based on their ability to overcome obstacles along their literacy journey from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.”

The application is open through January 30, 2023. To learn more details about the qualifications and how it works, click here.

Although the district’s grading scale has changed, the criteria for exemption from semester exams have not. 

As a reminder, the language from the Administrative Rules and Regulations of MSCS Board Policy 5015 Grading System for Grades 6-12 is as follows: “A student having a 90 or higher average for the two terms/quarters in a specific course and having three (3) or fewer excused absences in that same course will be exempted from the semester exam if the student desires. The minimum number of excused absences allowed under this provision may be adjusted by the principal in extenuating circumstances (e.g., long-term illness or hospitalization). 

When a student is exempted from the examination, the semester average will be the average of the two term/quarter grades and any state-mandated exam as outlined above. ANY UNEXCUSED ABSENCE IN THE COURSE WILL DISQUALIFY THE STUDENT FROM ALL EXEMPTIONS. EXEMPTIONS APPLY ONLY TO TEACHER-MADE SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS. 

Twelfth (12th) grade students are eligible for exam exemption during both semesters. All other students in high school courses who meet the above requirements may be exempted for only the second-semester exam.”

The MSCS Compass is a new one-stop shop for all your PowerBI reports, including the new and improved Student Profile, which is now called Student Data 360. Watch our introduction and navigation video here - Intro to MSCS Compass
 

ATTENTION Counselors – We need your help! Please go in and check your intervention plans in BrightBytes and remove the “Protected” access flag. This is very important and impacts the ability to see accurate RTI-B compliance and Progressive Discipline information in PowerBI.

For more information on how to remove the Protected flag, look here.
 

NEW Releases and Features

• Instructional Practices (IP3)

Under Construction

• Several reports are currently being updated and redeveloped and will be temporarily unavailable:
  • Literacy Commitment – Coming End of December 2023
  • Ready Grad – Coming Mid-January 2023
  • Digital Citizenship – Coming Early February 2023
• We are working on optimizing performance on as many reports as possible and your feedback is crucial. Please reach out if you experience any issues so that we can identify major pain points. Email us at DAIMSUPPORT@scsk12.org.
• Does something in a dashboard look wrong? Check our Data Quality Updates.

Trainings 

• Virtual Office Hours: This week (12/13 and 12/15), we will have an Open Forum session. We won’t cover anything but will be available for any questions you may have.
  • VOH is held every week on Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30 PM
  • Recordings go out to anyone on the calendar invite and will be available on our Support Page.
  • Sign up at this link today!

Support

• Power BI Access: Principals can give school staff members access through the PowerBI Access App. If you see someone in the Access App that should be removed from your school, contact DAIM Support (DAIMSUPPORT@scsk12.org) and we can assist.
• Support Resources: Check out the DAIM Support Sharepoint site, complete with additional video tutorials, walkthrough guides, and more!

The 5th Annual School Choice Showcase will be held Saturday, January 28, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m from Hickory Ridge Town Center. We will follow the previous year's set-up, which includes a vendor/expo-style table space for each school.  

[Links to Flyer in English and Spanish]

Over the coming weeks, you will receive information from our team about the set-up for the event, opportunities for student performances, and new event features for school principals. In the meantime, here are a few notes to help you get started with planning.  

Tabling and Booth Information: 

You’ll need 4 people max at your table for the duration of the event. Suggested people include: an administrator, a student, a teacher (or teacher type) and a parent. Create a shift schedule to ensure constant coverage.  

You will have a 10 ft. space with a 6 ft. table and 2 chairs. Electrical outlets will not be provided. Table décor is encouraged, but helium balloons are not allowed. 

Printed Materials 

Each school is responsible for developing and printing any marketing materials needed for the event. All flyers, brochures, or marketing materials MUST be printed in color. Please work with your School PRO on determining which materials you will be taking to the event and ensuring you bring at least 300 copies ready for distribution. 

You will be receiving regular updates and more details over the next few weeks. If you have any questions, please let me know.  

Student Entrepreneurship Fair

MSCS is featuring a Student Entrepreneurship Fair during this year's school choice showcase and we want to feature your business! Click here for flyer.

• Students must be a registered MSCS vendor, see link to become registered. (http://www.scsk12.org/procurement/db.php?PID=282)
• Must be an MSCS student that is currently enrolled in an MSCS school.
• Jan. 28- Hickory Ridge Towne Centre 10AM-2pm 
• Questions- email henningsst@scsk12.org
• Deadline is January 16, 2023. Early sign up is encouraged, slots will fill up fast!

Be reminded, the deadline to complete 100% of TEM Announced observations is Dec. 14. 

Building leaders, ILDs, and Assistant Superintendents may access their school's data using the following link: 

• Completion Status Dashboard.

Educator Level of Overall Effectiveness (LOE) scores for 2021-22 are live in the TNCompass platform.

Information regarding the calculations for 2021-22 teacher evaluations may be found here.  

For an educator to receive an LOE score, scores for all five evaluation components (observation, achievement, growth, professionalism, and student perception survey) must be present in TNCompass. Educators with a partial year exemption (PYE) status will not receive an LOE score.   

All observations from 2021-22 must be finalized and signed with a PIN by Friday, December 16, 2022.  Guidance on signing evaluations can be found here.  It is also on the TEAM website under the TN Compass tab.

For questions regarding missing component scores or other evaluation-related questions, please complete a FootPrints Ticket (click here) so that the EPS can research the issue. 

*Please note: Tracks will not be updated until January 2023.

The TEM TEACHer Training Series is now open for ALL teachers. The series aims to identify teacher and student actions that guide effective instruction at performance levels 3-5 of the TEACH indicators. 

Register in PLZ, course #26177.

Registration is open for SY22-23 Professionalism Training. Click here for additional information, including how to register.