Attention: Elementary Principals - Jumpstart's Read for the Record, Thursday, October 24, 2024

• Jumpstart’s Read for the Record raises public awareness about the importance of early childhood education programs, early literacy, and community involvement for all children of every income level by gathering to read the same book on the same day.  We are requesting that every elementary school join us in setting a new world record in a way that engages our entire community – children, families, and civic leaders – in our schools. 
• The 2024 Read for the Record Book is Piper Chen Sings by Grammy winner and Tony-nominated actress Phillipa Soo and Maris Pasquale Doran and illustrated by Qin Leng.
• The Department of Curriculum & Instruction has purchased a special paperback edition of Piper Chen Sings for our Pre-K through 2nd grade teachers so that they may participate with their students on the campaign day – October 24, 2024. In addition, Jumpstart has online resources for educators, including classroom activities, lesson plans, certificates of participation, registration guidelines, and other pertinent materials. 
• Each year, the Office of Curriculum & Instruction recommends one elementary school to serve as a host school for the District celebration of Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign. While all elementary schools participate, dignitaries will receive special District invitations to attend the celebration at the host school, and media coverage will be concentrated on that site. 
  • This year, we are asking schools interested in being selected to be the host school to complete the form at https://bit.ly/24RFTRHOSTAPP by Friday, July 26, 2024.  One elementary school will be selected from the applications submitted by the Department of Curriculum & Instruction as our host site.
  • Below are suggestions to assist with planning your celebration:
    • Garner the support of faculty and staff for assistance with decorations for storytimes.
    • Invite parents and community leaders to be in-person and/or virtual guest readers on October 24, 2024.
    • Encourage whole-school participation. We want every student to hear Piper Chen Sings on October 24, 2024, despite the focus on early literacy.
    • Your school will receive a copy of Piper Chen Sings for each PreK through 2nd grade classroom.
    • Ensure that the books are shared with all Pre-K through 2nd grade teachers.
  • Let us know what you are planning so we can share!
  • If you have any questions, please contact Alicia Fields fieldsa@scsk12.org, Library Services Instructional Advisor, or Meryl Isabel isabelml@scsk12.org, Textbook and Educational Support Manager. 

Middle School and High School Administrators:
Middle and high school course requirements for Computer Science will begin in the 2024-25 school year. If you need to enroll more teachers in the computer science endorsement course, registration for the Computer Science Endorsement Pathway (CSEP) is now open. Monica Smith will provide additional information about the teacher training on the Kira Learning Platform, the curriculum platform for the state-mandated computer science course.

CSEP Registration Information:
The teacher registration form for the fall cohort is now open and will remain open until August 1. Please use this form or the link below to register your teacher(s) for this course. The teachers registered in this form will be contacted if they are selected to enroll in the Fall Cohort of the CSEP. This course will begin on August 12 and end on December 1.

Enrollment into the Fall Cohort is prioritized based on a school’s need and available space in the course. The CSEP course will be offered every fall and spring, and additional teachers will be able to register for those cohorts. If you have further questions concerning the CSEP, please get in touch with Amanda McClusky at Amanda.McClusky@tn.gov.

Please use this link for registration:
https://stateoftennessee.formstack.com/forms/csepfall24

Please email Monica Smith at smithmc@scsk12.org if you have any questions or concerns.

TEM Certification SY2024-25: According to Tennessee State Board of Education Policy5.201, all educators must be evaluated annually by a certified evaluator.  

For SY2024-25, there are three options offered in attaining TEM Certification:  

- Returning Observers   

• Self-Paced (Canvas) - Manual Registration ONLY 

- New Observers 

• Canvas Self-Paced 
• 2-Day Live Virtual Session

Course numbers and date information can be found HERE.  

 *Note: ALL Returning Observer participants must complete their TEM coursework and calibration by August 30.  

The NIE Self-Paced Recertification window for the 2024-2025 school year opened June 12. Identified Returning NIE Evaluators who were certified during the 2023-24 school year were automatically placed in the Recertification Self-Paced course in Canvas. Therefore, self-registration is not necessary and will not be accessible in PLZ.  

• Please check your Canvas dashboard for this course.  

NEW NIE Evaluators  

Registration is open to Evaluators that are NEW to the Non-Instructional Evaluation process. For SY2024-25, there are 2 options offered in attaining NIE Evaluator Certification.  

• Self-Paced (Canvas) – PLZ Course #36779   
  • Canvas course goes live July 8th   
• Live/Virtual - PLZ Course #36378 

Additional information regarding NIE Certification for SY 2024-25, including course numbers and date information, can be found on the NIE Evaluator Training Calendar.  

The district completion deadline for ALL RETURNING EVALUATOR Certifications is August 30.  

Questions/Concerns? Send an email to eps@scsk12.org.  

The State is excited to announce that TEAM training is transitioning to the TeachALL platform. This transition will make accessing TEAM trainings simpler and more user-friendly. TeachALL features include: 

• No more hassle with course registrations! 
  • With TeachALL, evaluators can now self-enroll in initial evaluator courses at their convenience. 
  • Certified evaluators will continue to receive a recertification email with log in information.  
• Upon completion of certification courses and passing assessments, TeachALL automatically awards you with a certificate, that will automatically connect to TNCompass to upload your credentials. 

TeachALL is an intuitive and user-friendly platform designed to empower evaluators. The new platform is easy to access with your Single Sign On (SSO).   

• Recertification courses are open from June 3, 2024, to August 31, 2024.  
• Initial certification courses are open from June 3, 2024, to March 31, 2025.  

​**All TEAM evaluator completion certificates should be forwarded to Employee Performance and Support via email:  eps@scsk12.org.  

For more information about TEAM training and certification, please visit the TEAM website. 

Contact the State at team.questions@tn.gov should you have any questions or concerns regarding TEAM certification for 2024-2025.