May District Learning Day (DLD) is a school-based professional learning day for teachers. It involves a variety of school-based training sessions, workshops, and collaborative activities aimed at enhancing teaching skills, improving educational practices, and aligning with district priorities. These days are designed to provide educators with the tools and knowledge they need to effectively support student learning and development. 

May 28, 2025 – ½ Admin Day ½ PD Day

May 29, 2025 – Full PD Day

Outcome: By the end of the District Learning Day, teachers will have gained valuable insights and practical strategies to reflect on their past year's experiences, celebrate their achievements, and prepare for the upcoming school year.  

Action Required: School leaders are to submit agendas outlining their day including professional learning opportunities teachers will engage in for the day using the link provided below. School leaders should submit this form by Friday, May 16, 2025.

Link: School-Based Agenda Submission

Contact: PerformanceLeadership@scsk12.org

This folder contains the status of Portfolio completion for educators by schools.

Status updates will be uploaded daily.

All Pre-K, Elementary PE, Fine Arts, and 6-12 French and Spanish Teachers should be rostered.  If a teacher is not listed, please have the educator complete this form.

Reasons for Exemption:

• Regularly teaches at 3 or more schools
• Present 120 instructional days or fewer (PYE)

The deadline for Portfolio completion is 5 p.m. Monday, May 5. After this time, the platform will no longer accept submissions.

Educators with missing collections will receive an Incomplete, and an LOE for SY24-25 will not be generated.

Questions?  Contact the District Portfolio Lead, Ayodele Hall, by email: hallam@scsk12.org or phone: (901) 416-2913.

100% of all TEM Observations should be completed by Friday, May 2. Please use the evaluation dashboard

to check your location's status. 

Professionalism represents 5% of an educator's final evaluation score and must be finalized by the educator and administrator by May 9. Please use the evaluation dashboard to check your location's status. 

100% of TEAM Cycle 2 Observations should be completed and finalized by Friday, May 23.

Questions? Contact EPS by email: eps@scsk12.org or phone:(901) 416-2475.

Dear Principals,

We hope that you have had a productive week. As we continue to strive for excellence in our educational practices, we are pleased to inform you about the upcoming Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) support sessions organized by Performance & Leadership Development. These sessions are designed to provide ILT members with the necessary tools and strategies to enhance instructional leadership within your schools. 

1. Upcoming Support Sessions & End of Year Celebration:
   • Leveraging Data for a Successful Year: Strategic Planning for Future Growth
   • Date: Thursday, May 1, 2025
   • Time:
     • 3:15pm-4:15pm (High School, CCTE ILT Members Only)-Auditorium
     • 3:30pm-4:30pm (Middle School ILT Members Only)-Multipurpose Room
     • 4:30pm-5:30pm (Elementary School, K-8 School ILT Members Only)-Auditorium
   • Location: Teaching & Learning Academy Auditorium/Multipurpose Room located at 2485 Union Avenue, Memphis TN, 38112
2. Save the Dates: ALL ILT Documentation May 2, 2025

Spring 2025 ILT Teacher Logs and ILT Stipend Excel Sheet: Due by May 2, 2025                

 (Any schools submitting documents after this deadline will waive their semester stipends.)

Documentation Deadlines:

To ensure we are all aligned and prepared for Spring 2025 ILT Stipend Submission, please be reminded of the following documentation deadlines:

• Spring 2025 Teacher Log dates should reflect: January 6-May 2, 2025
  • *The ILT Support Session, Data Driven Instruction Cycle that occurred on December 5, 2024, can be included as (1) hour on the ILT Content Teacher Log for the Spring 2025 semester.
• ILT Semester Hours: ILT Content Lead Teachers must complete and submit to their respective principal by the deadline at least (22) hours per semester conducted and logged outside of the allotted (contractual) school day to be eligible for the semester stipend.
• Mandatory Attendance: ILT Content Lead Teachers must attend all Instructional Leadership Team meetings and all District-level Content Support Session meetings to be eligible for the semester stipend.

Below is a link to our ILT Principal Resource Folder for your reference:

Principal Resources 2024-25

Your timely submission of these documents and attention to due dates is crucial for the success of our collaborative efforts. Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at iltstipends@scsk12.org.

Thank you for your continued dedication and hard work. We look forward to supporting you and your ILT teams by working together to achieve our district’s priority goals.

Best regards,

Performance & Leadership Development Team

Dear Principals,

Ensure that your respective PLC Coach or Instructional Facilitator are entering their weekly data via the PLC Tool each Thursday by 5:00pm. The PLC Tool allows our district to capture the number of teachers supported, identify areas of refinement, and trends in instruction. PLC Coaches and Instructional Facilitators may access the link below. If you or your team should need support, contact Ron Clark at clarkr@scsk12.org.

PLC Tool Link:

https://org25f1fe79.crm.dynamics.com/main.aspx?appid=3e48c7b3-3977-ed11-81ab-00224809cc5f&pagetype=entitylist&etn=kmstest_facilitatorsupportlog&viewid=ce92ab5f-d7a9-45c2-ba19-4aeaaa5e6dbe&viewType=1039

Nominate for 2025 Principal & Supervisor of the Year

It's time to celebrate the exceptional leaders within MSCS! Nominations are officially open for the 2025 Principal of the Year and Supervisor of the Year Awards.

This is your chance to nominate a principal or supervisor who has made a real difference in the lives of our students, supported our families, and positively contributed to our community. Let's recognize their hard work and dedication!

You can find all the information you need to nominate a superb educational leader through the links below:

Principal of the Year Nominations

Supervisor of the Year Nominations

Best regards,

Performance and Leadership Development 

The Performance and Leadership Department of Memphis-Shelby County Schools is excited to invite proposals for the 2025 MSCS Leadership Institute, scheduled for June 11-13, 2025, at Southwind High School. This year's theme, "Great Leaders Grow Here," focuses on five key conference learning strands: Student Outcomes, Teacher Effectiveness, Leader Effectiveness, Instructional Core, and Operational and Financial Optimization. 

We encourage proposal submissions that submit proposals that urge others to think critically and creatively to:

• Unlock the Full Potential: Harness the abundant capabilities within the organization to drive excellence.
• Inspire Innovation: Encourage, inspire, and motivate employees to innovate and create transformative changes that will shape the future of our schools.
• Cultivate Leadership: Cultivate and motivate leadership through innovative strategies that will propel the students of the Mid-South towards collective success.

To submit proposals, please follow the steps below:

• Begin by reviewing the conference strand titles and descriptions. 
• Next, use the link below to download the document or by scanning the QR code on the flyer.
  • Link: https://bit.ly/2025MSCSProposalFile
• Complete the document in its entirety. 
• Then submit your proposal using the submission link below. 
  • Link: https://bit.ly/2025MSCSProposal

For additional details visit www.scsk12.org/ls. 

For any inquiries, feel free to reach out via email at mscsleadershipinstitute@scsk12.org. We look forward to your innovative contributions to the conference! 

As we prepare to close-out the school year, here are a few reminders and requests to help us end the year!
 

End of Year Celebration

Ensure you have submitted your RSVP to attend our end of the year celebration on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, using the link below.

NTM End of Year Celebration

Dates to Remember:

*Past Due: Wednesday, April 25, 2025​

Final Informal Observation Submitted​

Wednesday, May 7, 2025​

Final CAL Submitted to CAL Forms Link​

Friday, May 9, 2025​

Deadline for ALL Spring documents due for Spring stipend

Friday, May 9, 2025

Deadline for End of Year Survey
 

Close-Out Survey

As our year comes to a close, your feedback is needed! As we strive to improve our efforts to support mentors, we'd like to capture your thoughts. Please complete the survey here by Friday, May 9, 2025.

NTM Close-Out Survey

The deadline to complete all TEM Observations is Friday, May 2.  While there is no extension offered, Administrators may continue to complete observations until May 23.  After this date, ALL SY24-25 TEM plans will be archived.  Once plans are archived, no further edits can be made. Please use the evaluation dashboard to check your location's completion percentage.

This folder contains the status of Portfolio completion for educators by schools.

Status updates will be uploaded daily.

All Pre-K, Elementary PE, Fine Arts, and 6-12 French and Spanish Teachers should be rostered.  If a teacher is not listed, please have the educator complete this form.

Reasons for Exemption:

• Regularly teaches at 3 or more schools
• Present 120 instructional days or fewer (PYE)

The deadline for Portfolio completion is 5 p.m. Monday, May 5. After this time, the platform will no longer accept submissions.

Educators with missing collections will receive an Incomplete, and an LOE for SY24-25 will not be generated.

Questions?  Contact the District Portfolio Lead, Ayodele Hall, by email: hallam@scsk12.org or phone: (901) 416-2913.

Professionalism represents 5% of an educator's final evaluation score and must be finalized by the educator and administrator by May 9. Please use the evaluation dashboard to check your location's status. 

100% of TEAM Cycle 2 Observations should be completed and finalized by Friday, May 23.

Questions? Contact EPS by email: eps@scsk12.org or phone:(901) 416-2475.

The DEADLINE to complete ALL NIE End-Of-Year Conferences are as follows:

• School-based - May 16th 
• Central Office – June 13th 

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:   

• The Goal Setting Conference AND Mid-Year Conference should be completed in its entirety BEFORE completing the End-of-Year Conference in PLZ.

Note: Staff who have not completed the Goal-Setting Conference will need to do so.

The Mid-Year Conference is NOT required for NIE Partial plans and will not appear as a container to complete.

Please use the evaluation dashboard to check your location's status.

Questions? Reach out to Evaluation and Support via email (EPS@scsk12.org) or phone (901) 416-2475.

Please find the MTSS Lead Updates for 4/28/25.

The 7th graders will once again engage in the Algebra I Placement Assessment, May 6th - 19th.  The assessment will occur via a Microsoft Form that will be shared with each school Tuesday morning, May 6.  An overview meeting will be held Monday, May 5th, for those Principals, Building Test Coordinators, or Counselors unfamiliar with the process.  The informational letter and meeting materials are available in the following OneDrive folder:  Algebra I in 8th Grade.

Contact Curriculum & Instruction Math Manager, Antronette Brown (416-5250), with any questions.

Retention Prevention/Retention Meetings: In accordance with state and federal policies (Section I, Part G, Guidelines to Satisfy Legal Requirements of Lau v. Nichols), MLs cannot be retained solely due to English language proficiency. Please review the guidelines for retention prevention with your content and ESL teacher(s). Any ML who is at risk of retention or course failure must have a documented meeting held with guardians, school administration, at least one content teacher, and an ESL Teacher/Specialist. Meeting documentation is required for all MLs being considered for retention regardless of interventions such as tutoring, summer school, etc. In addition to meeting documentation, teachers who assigned failing grades were to provide 3 pieces of documentation to demonstrate evidence of linguistic scaffolds and accommodations per the student’s Individual Learning Plan (ILP). Please see link below to access documents and contact your advisor with questions. 

Retention Meeting Documents 

ELPA21 Summative Scores: Scores will be available electronically in the TIDE platform beginning May 23rd. BTCs have access to view and download score reports. A copy of each ML student's score report is required to be placed in the student's ESL folder. Resources for educators and families are linked below. 

ELPA21 Score Reports - Quick Guide for Educators 

Parent Guides to Student Score Reports 

Professional Development Opportunity: MTSU ELL Collaborative for Administrators, Sept 19, 2025. Registration will open on July 24th at noon. TASL approval pending.  

The end of the school year is fast approaching, and we want to be sure to align our planning efforts to promote a positive experience for our students and all who are celebrating grade level promotions alongside them. While promotional programs are not required, we understand that many schools have a tradition of celebrating students by recognizing their accomplishments in Kindergarten, 5th grade, and 8th grade. 

Planning Notes:

1. Coordinate with nearby feeder schools to avoid overlapping event dates.
2. Ensure there is adequate parking space for all guests (families, staff, etc.), especially if the event is held at an external venue.
3. Plan for comfortable seating that accommodates the anticipated number of guests, including any necessary seating for students, staff, and families. Ensure there are enough seats for elderly guests and people with mobility challenges.
4. If planning an outdoor event, have a backup plan for inclement weather (such as renting a tent or moving the event indoors).
5. Choose a venue that is neutral and inclusive for all students, regardless of their religious, cultural, or socioeconomic backgrounds.
6. Provide translation or interpretation services for families who may not speak the primary language of the school, ensuring all families can engage and participate fully.
7. Involve students in the planning process where possible (e.g., allowing them to help choose the theme, décor, or music).
8. Think about creating a welcoming and festive environment through visuals (e.g., banners, posters, and flowers). Ensure that decorations represent all cultures and identities within the school.
9. Ensure that the program is designed to be engaging and meaningful for all students. Programs should include accommodation students with special needs and those with limited English proficiency.
10. Be sure to celebrate the success of the event with your team, thank volunteers, and acknowledge any special contributions from the community or other stakeholders.

Please use the link below to share information about any planned celebrations by Friday, May 2, 2025.  https://forms.office.com/r/bxYbPR28Px

The Shelby County Youth Council is a representative body for all 13 districts within Shelby County that aims to ensure that government representatives listen and respond to youth voices. As well as include high school aged youth in decision-making processes, solve issues that youth have identified in the community, and strengthen youth engagement in the county government.

Earlier this spring SCYC hosted a Youth Voice Summit where over 250 youth were in attendance that came together to create solutions to issues around Mental Health, Violence and Public safety,  Education, and Things for youth to do in Memphis and Shelby County. You can read about the summit here from our local media outlets, WREG and WMC.

Following this Summit, SCYC took the findings from this event and Went before the County Commission and the School Board to share some of those recommendations, during their scheduled meetings.    

Now the council is gearing up for the next year, and they are looking for youth to join them. We have open spots for Shelby County districts  2,4,5,6,7, 8, 9, 11, and 12! Please share this information with young people in your networks! The deadline to apply has been extended to accept applications on a rolling basis until all spots are filled. 

More Information Here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J5Y68jOAEOEk1jWwfBkAll4n-gRHTO9g/view?usp=sharing

The yearly TCAP testing window is approaching. Starting April 14th, all MSCS students will take the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) test.

To maintain proper test security, it is ideal test security protocol to have a second adult (proctor) in each testing room, such as a second teacher or a volunteer proctor who assists the test administrator. While volunteer proctors cannot handle test materials, they can help monitor the room during testing. Each school will have its own testing schedule, so please coordinate accordingly.

To ensure we are following all security protocols, it is important that all volunteer proctors are screened appropriately. Please have your volunteer proctors follow these steps:

Visit: https://scsk12.org/face/level2

Click on the link in Step 2 and watch the 6-minute orientation video

Click the APPLICATION tab to begin the online volunteer application

Select the school building that you will report to.

Under Volunteer Function, select Test Monitor/Proctor (Level 2)

Once approved, the volunteer will receive an automated email notification. 

School leaders recently received a package of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) resources from The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Please share these resources with team members who will benefit from them most. 

From CASEL: “SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. The five broad, interrelated areas of competence are: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.”

Social Emotional Learning Resources

CASEL Guide to Schoolwide SEL (download)

The CASEL 5 Poster Collection

CASEL DRC: Essentials (download)

Shelby County Government, through Mayor Harris' Office of Innovation & Strategic Communications, will offer Art for All: Summer Pass (formerly 901 Student Passport) this summer from May 26-August 1. This is a FREE program that provides K-12 students + one accompanying adult unrestricted access to several participating museums in Shelby County during the 10-week 2025 Summer Break period. 

Please share with students and families.

Memphis Public Libraries (MPL) will be encouraging summer reading again this year!  The focus is on children and teens reading, but all ages are welcome to participate. Children will read 100 minutes a week and check in at their library to earn a prize each week of the summer.  Students will maintain a reading log and submit it to win a grand prize drawing at the end of the summer.  Each of the 18 locations will have one child win a grand prize!

The official dates for summer reading are June 1- July 31.

Consider encouraging teachers to loop this in with their Summer Reading List, so students feel more motivated to read over the summer. Also, if your school would like to send over your reading lists by May 23, MPL will collect and distribute to branches so for students to easily access.

Christa Ogier Christa.Ogier@memphistn.gov 

Education Liaison Coordinator 

Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library 

901-415-2856

For more information, visit https://www.memphislibrary.org/explorememphis/