Please ensure the following K-1 procedures are followed at your school.

• All eligible kindergarten and first grade (K-1) students riding the bus must have an orange K-1 sticker (provided by MSCS Transportation) attached to the front of their bus pass.
• Please remind/notify all K-1 parents/guardians that they are responsible for meeting or designating someone appropriate to meet their K-1 child at the bus stop daily. Any K-1 students who have no one at the bus stop in the PM to accept them will be returned to their school at the conclusion of the route. Contact the Transportation Office if additional K-1 stickers are needed.
• It is imperative that school administrators/designees identify the correct bus route information for all K-1 students before placing them on a bus. K-1 students should be assisted on the bus at the school before the driver proceeds on the route. Please contact the Transportation office at (901) 416-6077 or TransAdminSupport@scsk12.org if you have any questions or concerns.

SAT® fee waivers help millions of students take the SAT for free and show colleges they’re interested in higher education. Whether scores are required or optional, the SAT helps students be seen by colleges and remains an important part of the admissions process.

This email contains a reminder about how eligible students can receive fee waiver benefits as well as an update on fee waiver codes.

How Students Can Secure Fee Waiver Benefits

Eligible students have two ways of securing SAT fee waiver benefits:

• Educators can access fee waiver codes through the K–12 score reporting portal: For schools that receive fee waiver codes from College Board, visit the K–12 score reporting custom reports page under the Downloads section. Educators with detail or summary level access can access an Excel list of fee waiver codes.
• If you’re unsure if your student has fee waiver benefits, the Roster Report in the K–12 reporting portal indicates whether they’ve used a fee waiver to register for the SAT. Visit Getting SAT Fee Waivers for Schools to learn more.
• Students can request fee waiver benefits directly from College Board: We encourage eligible students to receive SAT fee waiver benefits by logging in to their College Board account and submitting a request. Learn more.

Additional Fee Waiver Codes for the 2024-25 School Year

Starting August 16, additional fee waiver codes will be available to schools through the College Board K–12 score reporting portal for the weekend SAT administrations.

• Fee waiver codes can be used starting with the October 5, 2024, SAT administration.
• Unused fee waiver codes left over from previous years are valid and can continue to be used. They don’t expire.
• For additional support, please refer to the SAT Fee Waiver Codes (.pdf/587 KB) and these resources on Getting SAT Fee Waivers for Schools:
  • Strategies for Using SAT Fee Waiver Codes (.pdf/465 KB)
  • Educator Fee Waiver Codes Tracking Form (.pdf/104 KB)
  • Student Fee Waiver Tracking Form (.pdf/96 KB)
• As always, the quantity provided to schools is based on the number of fee waivers students used in the most recent fall and spring testing administrations.
• For more information about the K–12 score reporting portal, visit our Help page. You can also view our K–12 Educators: SAT Fee Waivers page for more details about eligibility and benefits.

For additional assistance, please call Customer Service at 888-SAT-HELP (728-4357).

If you need assistance regarding textbooks please contact Dave Barrett at barrettdr@scsk12.org  or 416-5870. 

All consumable textbooks should have arrived at your school.  If you need additional consumable textbooks due to more students being registered than what was projected, please send an e-mail with a specific request of what is needed so the appropriate research can be done regarding what has already been shipped and how many students are registered in PowerSchool.  If you need additional non-consumable textbooks, please send a specific request with exactly what is needed so the appropriate research can be done regarding the school's enrollment, number of class sections in PowerSchool, and textbook inventory, to determine next steps.

Virtual Textbook Access:

The previously utilized Thrivist Classgather purchase was not renewed for the 2024-25 school year; therefore, IT is currently working to align course codes and textbooks in Clever. As virtual access becomes available, updates will be provided.  In the interim, please refer to each content area’s Getting Started Document available in the Curriculum & Instruction SharePoint (Curriculum Tools-Content Area-Supporting Documents), which includes the generic demo account login credentials.  

Mathematical Reasoning HS Course:

The curriculum maps and access code for virtual textbook access are found within the Curriculum Maps Sharepoint (Math-Curriculum Maps-HS).  The textbook purchase is being finalized during the September Board meeting due to the state Textbook & Instructional Materials Commission finalizing adoption at the end of the summer.

The MTSS Lead Weekly Updates are emailed to identified MTSS Leads on Monday morning each week.  Moving forward principals will not be included in that weekly email group, but will be able to access the weekly updates in Leaderboard from the link posted or they can request the MTSS lead share it with them.

https://secure.smore.com/n/r13s8

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.  

RETURNING NIE Evaluators  

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   
• Live/Virtual - PLZ Course #36378 
• Please Note: Only ONE option is necessary for certification.

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.

Administrators are required to earn TASL credits if they spend 50 percent or more of their time in direct delivery of instructional services to the following: teachers, principals, and/or other educators in administrative or supervisory positions. All principals and assistant principals are TASL mandated. Most district staff in instructional supervisor roles are TASL mandated. Teacher leaders are not TASL mandated.

The Office of Performance & Leadership Development is curating professional learning opportunities specifically for school-based clerical staff. To assist us in this effort, we ask that you complete the Microsoft Form by August 23, identifying your clerical staff who would benefit from these learning experiences.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

The existing ELA standards, first implemented in the 2020-21 school year, are being reviewed in the public feedback survey. The public is encouraged to note whether a standard should be kept, removed, modified, or moved to a different section. All Tennesseans are invited to review the standards, and the survey will remain open through September 8. Click here for more information and to take the survey.

Join us for a week of growth and collaboration!

• Monday, August 26: PLC Coaches
• Tuesday, August 27: Principals & Vice Principals
• Wednesday, August 28: Assistant Principals & Deans of Students
• Thursday, August 29: Professional School Counselors

For more information, contact Racheal Addison at addisonrd@scsk12.org or 901-416-9233.

Are you a school-based staff member or central office personnel passionate about enhancing educational opportunities? Join the Professional Learning Experiences Team and help shape the future of our districtwide professional learning initiatives.

As a committee member, you'll collaborate with like-minded professionals to plan in-service events and contribute to our annual Leadership Institute. To express your interest, please complete the interest form by accessing the link: https://bit.ly/PLETeamInterest

For more information, Click here or contact Racheal Addison at addisonrd@scsk12.org or call 901-416-9233.

Join us for virtual support sessions to get the most out of your Unit and Lesson Preparation Guides. Each session includes an overview and Q&A.

Session Schedule:

• High School: Tuesday, August 20
  • 3:00-3:30 PM | 3:30-4:00 PM
• Middle School: Wednesday, August 21
  • 3:30-4:00 PM | 4:00-4:30 PM
• Elementary School: Friday, August 23
  • 3:30-4:00 PM | 4:00-4:30 PM

Reminders:

• Guides capture your thoughts and support weekly planning.
• Familiarize yourself with the guides this month.
• No “exemplar” guides provided—customize yours for effective planning.

Sessions will be recorded and PLZ credit is available. Miss your session? Join another! Contact Joyce Harrison at harrisonjr@scsk12.org or Dr. Tiffany Boyle at boyletd@scsk12.org if you have any questions. 

The US Naval Academy is sponsoring a STEM on Deck event over the Fall Break. 40 MSCS students from grades 9 to 11 will have the opportunity to get an all-expense paid flight to Annapolis, Maryland. This event is from October 9th thru October 11th. It is open to MSCS student who have excellent grades, character, and health. It should not be considered a JROTC Cadet only event.  The US Naval Academy has several career opportunities available to all students. If you have student that you feel should be afforded this opportunity, please contact the JROTC Department. The point of contact is SGM Larry McDaniel.  McDanielll1@scsk12.org.

The selected students must have everything in by September 26.

LTC Walleon Bobo, Manager ROTC MSCS JROTC.  901 416 7465.

Project Graduation Fall 2024 programming has returned! Project Graduation (PG) will offer Distance Learning and School Specific Supports (formerly known as Special Projects) starting August 26. Professional School Counselors have already been made aware of the following PG Fall Service Models and how to register students for these opportunities.

School Specific Supports (S3): Project Graduation offers classes at specific school sites upon principal request. Led by a certified teacher, S3 classes are held in-person twice per week and begin 15 minutes after the regular school day ends. The school principal will recommend the teacher of record who will then be onboarded as a PG part-time teacher to teach the course after school. Principals can request up to four PG S3 classes by August 21, by calling 901.416.9041 or emailing scsprojectgraduation@scsk12.org. Availability is limited.

Distance Learning: Project Graduation offers synchronous online courses led by a live, certified teacher. Students must log into class at the scheduled time, but they do not need to stay on campus after school to participate. Because these courses are accelerated, virtual attendance is mandatory.

Classes for both service models begin on August 26, 2024.

Part I (.5 credit) - August 26 to October 3, 2024 (Enrollment Deadline: August 23) 

Part II (.5 credit) - October 17 to December 10, 2024 (Enrollment Deadline: October 17) 

To support you, PG has set up a Project Graduation: HS Principal Tool, as well as the following virtual support labs to assist School Admin Teams, PSCs, and Graduation Coaches with troubleshooting, questions, and efficient enrollment. 

Announcements:
New User Training Sessions are happening now! Look for Course Code 34810 in PLZ and register today! See this page for more information.

----------------------------- 

New Releases:

Student Data 360 reports now allow you to filter to students in the state bottom 25% in English, Math, Science, Social Students and Overall (i.e., any subject). 

In addition, reports will now filter to Networks and Supe Groups. Use the Filter Pane on the right side of the screen. This replaces the ability to filter by ILD Zones.

Check out more information on filtering in Power BI!

Several Attendance Reports have been updated and optimized for improved performance. These include the District Quick Report, At Risk Report and the Truancy Details report. Check out the user guides for more!

COME to Win Report is now available! This report provides 20-day attendance information and if students are Champions, Winners or Participants. Note that it will not start populating data for 24-25 until the end of the first 20-day period. Check out the user guide for more information!

Several reports are no longer available or will soon be unavailable. These include:

• Digital Citizenship
• Instructional Practices
• School Profile -> You can find the same information in School Snapshot
• Student Assessment - Mastery Connect -> Historical Data will be unavailable after Labor Day

----------------------------- 

Monthly Newsletter: 

Check your inbox! On the first Wednesday of every month, the DAIM team sends out a monthly newsletter to all Power BI users. In it, you will find more information on upcoming trainings, new releases, and how-to guides. 

To see this month’s edition (and all archived editions), visit our support page. 
----------------------------- 

Training and Support Resources:   

Check out our Training Calendar for all upcoming District Trainings. 
---------------------------- 

Virtual Office Hours sessions are back! Sessions are every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30 PM on Microsoft Teams.

Sign up today! For more information on Virtual Office Hours, check out this flyer! 
---------------------------- 

Check out our new page of all updated features and recent releases on our DAIM Support Page! 

You can reach out to us at DAIMSUPPORT@scsk12.org if you need support.   
---------------------------- 
Power BI Access: 

Principals can give school staff members access through the PowerBI Access App. For more information about how to use the app, see this user guide