We are almost at the start of the 2025-26 academic year and it's time to prepare for our 2026 Graduation Season. High school graduation represents a significant milestone for our students, families, faculty/staff, and the larger community of supporters around our district. We are excited to begin the planning process and ensure a memorable experience for all.

Please use this link to submit the information below:

• Name and contact information for your school's Graduation Coordinator
• Approximate number of graduates (December 2025 & May 2026)
• Preferred date(s), time(s), and location(s) for your school's graduation

Venue Information:

• Graduations may be held at the school site with addition supports for AV/IT, stage, chairs, etc.
• Orpheum: 1,500 guests with up to 100 graduates on stage; Available dates are May 11-17, 2026
• Cannon Center: 1,900 guests with 150 graduates on stage; Available dates are May 13-20, 2026
• Renasant Convention Center: 4,000 guests including graduates; Available dates are May 11-20, 2026
• Memphis Sports & Event Center: (2,500 bleacher seats; graduation dates must be planned around Nike EYBL)
• Other: We are open to consider/research the venue of your choice.

Requests will be honored in order received. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Luster <lusterey@scsk12.org>.

As we prepare for another successful school year at MSCS, I would like to share a few important reminders from the Special Populations team. Our mission is to support the district in removing barriers for students who are experiencing homelessness, in foster care, or from migratory backgrounds. In accordance with federal guidelines, these students must be enrolled immediately and provided with the necessary support to access a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

Homeless Students 

To ensure timely support, all McKinney-Vento referral forms have been uploaded to SharePoint. In order for services to be initiated, a completed referral must be submitted to our office. Once received, a team member will contact the parent or caretaker within 48–72 hours. Please use the SharePoint link below to access the referral forms.

MSCS Displaced Referral Forms.pdf

Backpacks and school supplies were purchased last school year for each student identified as homeless and delivered to schools. Please ensure these materials are distributed accordingly.

Additionally, to comply with McKinney-Vento awareness requirements, each school must have one English and one Spanish McKinney-Vento poster displayed at all times. If you need additional posters, please email Vequitia Barnes at barnesvl@scsk12.org.

Also, the dispute resolution form is available on SharePoint, https://scsk12.sharepoint.com/sites/SpecialPopulations-Displaced.

Foster Care Students

Students in foster care must be enrolled immediately, even if they do not have the required documents at the time of enrollment. The DCS case manager or designee should provide a School Enrollment Form and an Education Passport. If these forms are not available, please have the case manager complete a records release form so the necessary documents can be obtained from the previous school of attendance.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Karen Ball-Johnson <BALLKF@scsk12.org>.

STUDENT CONGRESS: 

Please be sure to review Student Congress (​Policy 6061).​ 

August 2025: Principal and staff student recommendations​ Each HS must have a minimum of 2 representatives (9th – 12th)​ Each MS must have a minimum of one 8th grade representative​ Deadline: Friday, August 29, 2025​ ​ 

PURPOSE: The purpose of this policy is to establish the district-wide Student Congress as a mechanism for increasing students’ voices in the District; enhance the educational experience of students; and allow the Board to gain greater insight into educational needs from the student’s point of view.

STUDENT CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Please be sure to review Student Clubs and Organizations (Policy 6064).​

Each school shall distribute a list of available clubs and organizations inthe student handbook or equivalent. 

The list shall include: ​ 

• The names of the clubs and organizations, including any abbreviations or acronyms; ​
• The mission and purpose of the clubs and organizations; ​
• All financial requirements associated with membership in the club or organization; and ​
• The procedures for providing informed written consent by parents and/or legal guardians for minor students to join or participate inthose organizations.​

​Please be sure to review Student Government (Policy 6065).

This policy applies to middle and high schools. ​

Each school shall establish an elected student council. The council shall be governed by its own constitution which shall be approved by the school principal. Defining the council’s jurisdiction shall be a joint and cooperative effort of the council, students, and the student government constitution.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Billy J. Walker, II <Walkerbj@scsk12.org>.

School leaders, please review the following updates to high school ESL programming and compliance requirements from the Office of Multilingual Leaners. For detailed information, please schedule a meeting with your assigned ESL Instructional Advisor.  

ESL Replacement ELA Curriculum: All 9th and 10th grade ESL Replacement ELA classes will be using the Lift Curriculum from National Geographic. Training and year-long implementation support will be provided.  

Retention Prevention: The retention prevention/course failure review process for high school has been renamed as “Multilingual Learner Academic Success Assurance Protocol” or “ML ASAP.” Key updates/reminders include: 

Updated delineation of roles and responsibilities for school leaders, content teachers, and ESL teachers; school-based training and support materials will be provided 

Schools are encouraged to hold quarterly data meetings to review ML academic progress and identify areas of support for students and teachers; meeting templates will be provided 

For more details, click here. 

TEAM Student Growth scores have been released. Portfolio educators may check TN Portfolio for scores. 

Please contact the District Portfolio Lead, Ayodele Hall via email (HALLAM@scsk12.org) for any questions or to report any issues.

According to Tennessee State Board of Education Policy5.201, all educators must be evaluated annually by a certified evaluator.  

For SY2025-26, 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 September 30th.  

According to state board rule 0520-02-01 and state board policy 5.201, all educators must be evaluated annually by a certified evaluator.

All evaluator certification training for 2025-26 is virtual.

• The window for Recertification is from June 2, 2025 to September 3, 2025, 5:00pm CT.
• The window for Initial certification is from June 2, 2025 to March 31, 2026, 5:00pm CT.

All certification courses will be accessed in the TeachALL platform.

​Registration is not required. Invitations to access the learning module and to take the recertification test were emailed directly to currently certified evaluators.

If you were a certified TEAM evaluator in 2024-25 and did not receive an invitation and process details, please be sure to check spam/junk folders. As invitations were sent in bulk, a firewall may have blocked receipt.

Contact TEAM.Questions@tn.gov if you are unable to find your recertification invitation.

​**All TEAM Evaluator completion certificates should be forwarded to the Evaluation and Satisfaction Department 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 2025-2026.

- RETURNING NIE Evaluators that were previously NIE Certified during SY24-25, NIE Recertification is NOT REQUIRED

for SY2025-2026.

- NEW NIE Evaluators  

For SY2025-26, there are 2 options offered in attaining NIE Evaluator Certification.  

Self-Paced (Canvas)

Live/Virtual Session

UPDATE: Course numbers and date information can be found HERE.  

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

Principals: Please select and submit your New Teacher Mentors by August 21st, 2025

What is a New Teacher Mentor (NTM)?

• A New Teacher Mentor is an experienced educator who provides coaching, support, and guidance to newly hired teachers in Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS).
• Mentors are vital to improving instructional practices and supporting teacher retention.

What do New Teacher Mentors do?

• Offer professional support and real-time coaching to new teachers
• Help new teachers build confidence, navigate classroom challenges, and implement effective teaching strategies
• Foster connections through New Teacher networking events
• Contribute to increased teacher satisfaction and retention across the district

Who is eligible to be a mentor?
 To be considered for the stipend, a teacher must:

• Have 5 or more years of teaching experience 
• Have 3 consecutive years of satisfactory composite TEM observation scores of 4 or 5

Eligible positions only include:

• Classroom Teachers
• Instructional Facilitators/PLC Coaches
• Assistant Principals

Note: Only individuals in the above roles will be approved for the stipend.

What is the stipend amount?

• $1,000 per semester, for a total of $2,000 per year, for approved mentors who meet all program expectations
• Stipends are paid out twice—at the end of each semester

What are the required responsibilities to receive the stipend?
 Mentors must:

• Submit a Mentor Commitment/Agreement Form
• Complete and submit Monthly Collaborative Assessment Logs (1 per month)
• Complete two informal observations of their mentee per semester
• Attend all required meetings and events, including:
  • Monthly Mentor Meetings (virtual and/or in-person)
  • New Teacher Networking Events

 Principals: Please select and submit your New Teacher Mentors by August 21st, 2025

Please use this link to access all documents: New Teacher Mentor 25 26

 For questions, reach out to Sandy McGee at ahmedys1@scsk12.org

Principals: Please select your Instructional Leadership Team Members and submit the 2025-2026 Instructional Leadership Team Content Lead Stipend Guideline Agreement by August 21, 2025

What is an Instructional Leadership Team Member? (ILT)

• Collaborate with the administrative content leads at their school and instructional coaches to help advance the academic achievement at their school.
• ILT members design, facilitate, and assist with professional learning opportunities for teachers at the school and District level.

What do Instructional Leadership Team Member Mentors do? 

• Provide support to teachers by mentoring and modeling high impact strategies.
• Attend instructional leadership team meetings and after-school District professional learning and support sessions.
• Complete 22 hours of ILT work at the school level to improve academic outcomes.
• Analyze, disaggregate, and communicate school-level content data.

Who is eligible to serve as an ILT Member? 
To be considered for the stipend, a teacher must: 

• Have 3 or more years of teaching experience  
• Teacher that is appointed by the school
• Commit to attend monthly District support sessions 

Eligible positions only include: 

• Classroom Teachers 

Note: Only individuals in the above roles will be approved for the stipend. 

What is the stipend amount? 

• $500 per semester, for a total of $1,000 per year, for approved ILT Members who fulfill all requirements of the Instructional Leadership Content Lead Stipend Guideline Agreement.  
• Stipends are paid out twice—at the conclusion of each semester. 

What are the required responsibilities to receive the stipend? 
Mentors must: 

• Submit an Instructional Leadership Team Content Lead Stipend Guideline Agreement
• Complete and submit Semester Teacher Content Logs (1 per month) 
• Submit (1) ILT High Impact Coaching Video each semester 
• Attend all required meetings and professional learning events, including: 
  • District Monthly ILT Support Sessions
  • School-based ILT Meetings 

Reminder to submit your ILT Members Instructional Leadership Team Content Lead Stipend Guideline Agreement by August 21, 2025

Below is a link to the Principal ILT Resource Folder

Instructional Leadership Team 25 26

For questions, reach out to SCSILTStipends@scsk12.org

July 2025 District Learning Day follows a school-based and department led format, featuring sessions encompassing a whole group address, school-based professional learning, instructional planning, and deliberate practice.

July 30–31: Core teachers will remain at their school sites. See the non-downloadable guidebook for department-led professional learning guidance. July 2025 School-Based Professional Learning PLZ Course # 48418.

Guidebook: July 2025 DLD Guidebook.pdf​

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, July 25, 2025.
• Inform teachers to register to their appropriate content sessions in PLZ.

Link: School-based Agenda Submission

To ensure a consistent approach to the kindergarten staggered entry week (August 4th - August 8th), we have developed district-wide guidance. The Kindergarten Staggered Entry Guide includes:

- Parent-Facing Staggered Entry Guidance

- School-Facing Staggered Entry Guidance

- Staggered Entry Universal Screening Guidance and Supports

Kindergarten Kickoff Staggered Entry Guidance Packet: https://bit.ly/4eRE4lQ

If you have any questions about kindergarten staggered entry, please feel free to reach out to OfficeofLiteracy@scsk12.org or call 901-416-4552

The iReady platform will be unavailable to MSCS employees beginning July 14 as Curriculum Associates updates our accounts and archives student data from the 2024-25 school year.​

​There can be no admin accounts created during this time as well. Access will return the week of July 28.​

​Questions can be emailed to RTI2@scsk12.org​

The Curriculum Associates iReady contract is on the July Board Agenda awaiting approval on 7/29/25.​

​During the 2025-26SY please submit requests for school professional learning supports from Curriculum Associates using the Microsoft Form linked below: ​

https://forms.office.com/r/BbBXJAMAuD​

​All requests will be confirmed via email.​

​Questions can be emailed to RTI2@scsk12.org.

There are several Online Educator Learning options that principals can share with staff to get them started with the iReady Platform in a self-paced manner. Please encourage teachers to engage by logging into iReady.​ Principals can monitor from Help and the Reports option.  Credit will be awarded by Curriculum & Instruction in PLZ monthly in an ongoing manner for courses 45 minutes in length or longer using the completion report.​

Questions can be emailed to RTI2@scsk12.org.​

Fall Universal Screening Window August 11-29, 2025​

​*Grade KK only will complete Literacy Tasks and Written Expression during Staggered Entry beginning August 4, 2025​

​Students in K-6 will complete the following:​

• IReady Reading Diagnostic​
• IReady Math Diagnostic​
• Grade appropriate Fall Literacy Tasks ​
• Fall Written Expression​

​All students in K-8 should complete the iReady Reading and Math Diagnostic to capture baseline data and create personalized instruction pathways.​

​Questions can be emailed to RTI2@scsk12.org​