The District Spelling Bee is back! We’re encouraging all elementary and middle schools to host a school-level Spelling Bee and give students the chance to showcase their spelling skills and confidence on stage.

The MSCS Spelling Bee will highlight our spectacular spellers in grades 1-8. But first, they’ll need to win your school’s spelling bee by Friday, January 23, 2025. Now is the time to identify your Spelling Bee Coordinator and plan for e-x-c-e-l-l-e-n-c-e.

If you have questions about how to get started, join us for a virtual meeting on Monday, November 17, 2025 at 4:30p.m.

For more information about the Scripps National Spelling Bee, visit spellingbee.com/enrollment to learn more and register your school. Participation in the Scripps Bee is NOT required for participation in the MSCS Spelling Bee.

Thank you for all you do to create meaningful learning opportunities for our students and for helping them build confidence through friendly academic competition!

Should you have any questions, please contact Dr. Erin Y. Luster <lusterey@scsk12.org>.

On Friday, November 14th, schools from all over the US will honor Ruby Bridges with Walk to School Day. The initiative recognizes her historic steps and encourages students to take part of their own forms of activism to bring an end to racism and all forms of bullying. 

Here in Memphis, we’ll also take this as an opportunity to honor our own local Memphis 13, who integrated Memphis City Schools in 1961. 

How You Can Participate 

Each school will have freedom in how they would like to participate. We encourage activities such as hosting a school-wide walk and lessons centered around anti-racism and anti-bullying.  We need a champion at your school to make the event happen!

Together with our Partners, the Student Experience, Coordinated School Health, and Partnerships teams would like to share these Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day Resources, which include: 

• An Event Planning Guide that suggests activities to help you determine what would work best for your teachers and students
• Ideas for engaging middle and high school students
• Digital posters, banners, and social media graphics
• Take-Home and Educational Resources
• Interactive and Student Activities (e.g., Storywalk® Guide, Walk, Bike, and Roll Pledge cards)

We will also host virtual meetings on Monday, October 27 and Monday, November 3 at 4p.m. To share ideas and address any questions. Please register here if you would like to be your school’s champion and our team will contact you.

If you have additional questions, please contact Dr. Erin Y. Luster <lusterey@scsk12.org> or Marlon Johnson <JOHNSONM13@scsk12.org>.

We are excited to participate in this year's Do the Write Thing (DtWT) writing program. DtWT is a writing competition where middle school students share how violence has impacted them and propose solutions. We salute our 2025 National Ambassador from Hamilton K-8 School and our finalists from:

• A. Maceo Walker Middle School
• Colonial Middle School
• Grandview Heights Middle School
• John P. Freeman Optional School
• Hamilton K-8 School
• Mt. Pisgah Middle School

We are excited about this year's challenge and look forward to the submission of essays, poems, songs, plays and more! We are looking for submissions from every middle school this year.

Our students will have the opportunity to submit to the local competition and the winning essay will advance to the and national competition in Washington, D.C. This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our students' talent and there is no cap on the number of submissions per school. Please share this information with your school teams to encourage participation.

Local Entry Information (Deadline: 12/15/25)

• Any form of written expression (e.g. essays, poems, plays, songs)
• Must address the following questions:
  • How has violence affected my life?
  • What are the causes of youth violence?
  • What can I do to reduce youth violence?
• Positive and non-derogatory language
• Fictional writings must be identified as such
• Strong preference will be given to non-fiction writings
• Credit must be given to outside sources
• Writings based upon plagiarism will not be considered

Completed packets may be sent to our office via MSCS Board Mail. Please be sure to include a summary page with the packet noting the contact person for your school and the number of submissions. Also, each submission should contain its own cover sheet with the parent/guardian's signature.

In addition to information on https://www.dtwt.org/, please review the MSCS Do the Write Thing Resources Folder.

For more information about the local implementation of the national program, please contact:

Ernest Brooks, II

Associate Deputy District Attorney/Senior Policy Advisor

Office of District Attorney General Steve Mulroy

201 Poplar Ave., 11th Floor Ernest.Brooks@scdag.com

(901) 222-1547 – Office

(901) 222-1300 – Main Office/Reception

(731) 293-4187

Should you have any questions, please contact Dr. Erin Y. Luster <lusterey@scsk12.org>.

Urgent Guidance on Student Enrollment and McKinney-Vento Compliance

Memphis is currently facing a critical shortage of affordable housing, resulting in increased homelessness and a rise in the number of transient families across our district. As schools continue to welcome new students, it is imperative that we uphold the rights of children and youth experiencing housing instability. In accordance with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, all schools must immediately enroll students once a parent/guardian, caretaker, or youth discloses their current living situation, regardless of the availability of documentation. Schools and district staff are not permitted to request proof of homelessness, shared residence documents, or any other paperwork as a condition of enrollment for students experiencing homelessness.

Please ensure that all enrollment personnel have ready access to the Homeless Referral Forms and any other required enrollment or support forms related to McKinney-Vento services. Once a parent, guardian, caretaker, or youth completes these forms, they must be scanned and submitted promptly to the Office of Special Populations at jacksonc10@scsk12.org for review and to initiate any additional supports or services available to the family. Also, please remember the following:

• Unaccompanied youth and 18-year-old students may enroll without a parent, guardian, or caretaker.
• Kindergarten-aged youth may enroll after district and state deadlines.
• Homeless and unaccompanied youth may not be denied enrollment or withdrawn for lack of immunizations.

Your adherence to these guidelines ensures our compliance with federal law and, most importantly, guarantees that every child in Memphis-Shelby County Schools has immediate and uninterrupted access to education during this time of increased housing instability.

Homeless Student Referral Information

To ensure timely support, all McKinney-Vento referral forms have been uploaded to the Special Populations 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

Should you have any questions, please contact Dr. Karen Ball-Johnson <ballkf@scsk12.org> or Dr. Erin Y. Luster <lusterey@scsk12.org>.

Thank you for your active engagement during October Leadership Development Week. Your contributions helped make it a meaningful and impactful experience. 

As a follow-up, please find the shared resource folder linked below for your continued reference and support: October LDW Resources

If you would like to access previous LDW resources, please use this link: 2025-2026 LDW Resources

We look forward to seeing you at November’s Leadership Development Week, held November 17–20.

Contact Us: performanceandleadership@scsk12.org 

November District Learning Day (DLD) will take place on Monday, November 10, 2025. This DLD will be school-based, with a few designated department-led pullout sessions.​

• All K-12 teachers, teacher types, and assistants will attend school-based professional learning unless they are attending a DLD department-led session.​
• School-based lesson plan internalization sessions will occur for all teachers with lesson plans. All teachers without district created lesson plans will attend a virtual data-driven instruction content session. ​

Action Items: 

• All school-based agendas were to be submitted by Friday, October 31, 2025. Submissions after this deadline? Upload here.
• Agenda Items should include:​
  • Superintendent's Address: 8:00am - 8:10am​
  • AM School-based Lesson Plan Internalization or Data Driven Instruction: 8:10am - 11:00am​
  • Lunch: 11:00am - 12:00pm​
  • PM School-based Professional Learning: 12:00pm - 3:00pm​
  • Survey & Dismissal 3:00pm
• Inform teachers to register in PLZ for their appropriate sessions as outlined in the DLD guidebook. Teachers must register, complete the sign-in and survey to receive PLZ credit.

Guidebook: November 2025 DLD Guidebook.pdf​

We’re excited to launch our Regional Teacher Learning Labs, a dynamic opportunity for educators to collaborate, deepen their instructional practices, and engage in meaningful professional learning across content areas and grade bands.

Actions Required: 

Inform ELA, Math, and Science Teachers

• All ELA, Math, and Science teachers should have registered in PLZ, according to their geographical region and content area. Teachers must register and complete session requirements to receive credit in PLZ. Share this flyer with teachers.
  • Session Details:
    • Dates:
      • Southeast & Southwest Regions: November 3–5, 2025
    • Content Areas: ELA, Math, Science
    • Grade Bands: K–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12
    • Locations vary by region and appear in PLZ. 
      • Teachers should attend their geographical regional school in lieu of the weekly faculty meeting.

To ensure your teachers are registered and ready to participate, please have them sign up in PLZ using the appropriate session codes below:

• Southeast Regional Support Labs – October: PLZ Code 49393
• Southwest Regional Support Labs – October: PLZ Code 49394

Your leadership is key to making these sessions a success. Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting high-quality professional learning for our educators.

Leaders, November Flex Days are November 24-26, 2025. Please refer to the actions that should take place for reviewing teacher transcripts. 

• Eligibility
  • Who is eligible for the November 2025 Flex Days?
  • Teachers and teacher-types who have completed 18 hours of designated professional learning outside of their regular contracted workday by November 3, 2025, are eligible for the November Flex Days on November 24–26, 2025.
• Requirements
  • To qualify for the November 2025 Flex Days, educators must:
    • Complete 18 hours of professional learning
    • Ensure hours are earned outside the regular workday
    • Have hours reflected on their PLZ transcript
    • Complete Canvas courses outlined in the table below

Toolkit Links: November Flex Days Leader Toolkit.pdf & November Flex Days Teacher Toolkit.pdf

The extended deadline to complete all NIE Goal-Setting Conferences in PLZ is November 7.  NIE Employees will need to select their evaluator first, in order for the evaluator to have access to their NIE plan in PLZ. 

All fields should be completed in its entirety before finalizing.

Questions? Please reach out to eps@scsk12.org.

RETURNING NIE Evaluators that were previously NIE Certified during SY24-25, NIE Recertification is NOT REQUIRED for SY2025-2026. Team members can select you as their NIE evaluator in PLZ.

NEW NIE Evaluators - registration for NIE Evaluator Certification for New NIE Evaluators is open for SY25-26. The course number to register in PLZ is #48336.

Questions? Please reach out to eps@scsk12.org. 

The Fall Student Perception Survey window will run from October 27 – November 7.

Site Coordinators should use this link to access SPS resources.

For assistance during survey administration, please email Panorama Support, support+shelbycounty@panoramaed.com or the District SPS Lead, Chiquita Allen-Bradley, allenbradleyc@scsk12.org.

Professionalism accounts for 5% of the overall TEM rating for both tested and non-tested educators and must be completed and finalized by both the educator and the administrator to generate an LOE score.

Please encourage new MSCS educators or educators seeking a refresher on the process in your building to attend.  Participants may register for the Fall Professionalism Training in PLZ using Course #48775.

Date: November 13, 2025

Time: 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Platform: Microsoft Teams

For support, contact Employee Performance & Support by telephone: (901)-416-2475 or email: eps@scsk12.org.

Click here to view the details.

3 Session Spots Available – Secure yours now!

Your participation is essential. Let’s lead with knowledge and accountability.

Growth & Achievement containers will reopen on Monday, November 3, 2025, for educators who transferred schools or were hired after the containers closed. 

The containers will close Friday, November 21.  

Educators who did not make G & A selections during the initial window may also make selections during this time.    

If you have questions, please reach out to Employee Performance and Support by telephone: (901)-416-2475 or email: eps@scsk12.org.

The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) has released 2024–25 Educator Level of Overall Effectiveness (LOE) scores in TNCompass. To receive an LOE score, all required component scores (depending on the evaluation type) must be present in TNCompass. 

Components may include:  

1. Observation 
2. Achievement 
3. Growth 
4. Professionalism 
5. Student Perception Survey

Educators identified as Partial Year Exemption (PYE) will not receive an LOE score. 

**There are approximately 1,200 educators who have not generated LOE scores.  These educators selected achievement measures that have embargoed data.  Scores will be updated when the data is released.   

Best of All  - The “best of” option will apply to AGM-URS (K-2 ELA Teachers—IReady)  scores for the 2024-25 school year.    

• Educator level of overall effectiveness (LOE) scores based on TN-URS data, when available, will be used only if the scores are higher than LOE scores produced with the educator’s selected TVAAS composite growth score. 
• Both LOE scores will be displayed in the TNCompass platform, but only the higher of the two will be used.   

Due to challenges with CTE data submissions, a “best of” option is available for educators who have selected TVAAS CTE Concentrator or TVAAS CTE as their growth measures for the 2024-25 school year only.  

• The District will select another growth measure from available measures, as determined appropriate for that educator.  

All SY24-25 evaluations in TN Compass should be finalized and signed by Personal Identification Number (PIN) by the Educator and Administrator by December 10, 2025.   

• Administrators must sign first to initiate the process.  
• Administrators should refrain from selecting "Educator Unable to Sign" if the educator has transferred to a different building or no longer works for the District, the employee has access to TN Compass and can still sign. 

If you have questions about missing component scores or other evaluation-related questions, please submit an Ivanti ticket so the EPS team may research the issue. Employees may use this ​step sheet​​​ for information on how to submit a ticket. 

Colleagues,

We’re writing today to provide a critical update and a final push toward completing your required professional development. Your participation is essential for securing your eligibility for FLEX Days.

📢 Critical Deadline for All CANVAS Courses

Please note this specific time and date: All required CANVAS courses will close on Tuesday, November 3, 2025, at 11:59 a.m. (AM).

This is a firm cut-off, and the course content will become unavailable immediately after this time. We need everyone to be proactive and ensure all necessary modules are finished well before this final minute.

The Why: Securing Your FLEX Days Eligibility

We recognize the effort you’ve put into this training, and its completion is necessary to meet your requirements and secure your full eligibility for FLEX Days. 

This isn't just about compliance; it's about investing in the valuable time and opportunities that FLEX Days provide for our collective growth.

A Collaborative and Action-Oriented Finish

If you have already completed your course, thank you! You’re all set.

If you are still working toward completion, please treat this deadline with immediate priority.

• Action Item: Log into your CANVAS course today to review your progress and create a plan to finish any remaining modules.
• Support: If you run into any technical issues or need clarification on a module, please reach out to the Performance and Leadership Development Department @ perfromanceandleadership@scsk12.org. We are here to support you in getting this completed successfully.

Let's finish strong together and ensure everyone secures their eligibility!

Dear Principals,

I hope this correspondence finds you well. As we continue to strive for excellence in our educational practices, I am pleased to inform you about the upcoming Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) support sessions organized by Performance & Leadership Development. These sessions are Mandatory for ILT members to receive their stipend and are designed to provide ILT members with the necessary tools and strategies to enhance instructional leadership within your schools. Additionally, Fall 2025 ILT stipends will be distributed at the end of December 2025. 

Upcoming Support Sessions:

1. See It, Name It, Do It: Building Teacher Capacity 
   • Date: November 13, 2025
   • Time:
     • 3:00 pm-4:00pm (Audience High Schools, CCTE Schools)
     • 4:00pm-5:00 pm (Audience Middle Schools)
     • 4:30pm-5:30pm (Audience Elementary Schools, K-8 Schools)
   • Location: Teaching & Learning Academy Auditorium/Multipurpose Room
2. Save the Dates for Future ILT Support Sessions
   • December 4, 2025
   • February 19, 2026
   • March 12, 2026
   • April 2, 2026
   • May 7, 2026

Documentation Deadlines:

To ensure we are all aligned and prepared for Fall 2025/Spring 2026 ILT Stipend Disbursements, please be reminded of the following documentation deadlines:

• Fall 2025 Teacher Log dates should reflect: August 4-December 8, 2025
• Fall 2025 ILT Teacher Logs and ILT Stipend Bi-Weekly Excel Sheet: Due by December 8, 2025 (Any schools submitting documents after this deadline will waive their semester stipends.)
• Spring 2026 Teacher Log dates should reflect: January 6-May 8, 2026
• Spring 2026 ILT Teacher Logs and ILT Stipend Bi-Weekly Excel Sheet: Due by May 8, 2026  
  • (Any schools submitting documents after this deadline will waive their semester stipends.)

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

ILT Principal Information

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

All Textbook Coordinators should have received training held on October 21st and October 28th regarding inventory management within the textbook automation system.

As a result, our Fall Textbook Audit will conclude on Thursday, November 21st, 2025. This audit includes all instructional materials and inventories assigned to teachers, which must be logged and verified in the textbook automation system.

Please ensure all updates are completed by the deadline to maintain compliance. Thank you for your continued partnership and attention to detail as we close out our Fall Audit cycle.

For questions, please contact:

 Dr. Rahmod Traylor, traylorr@scsk12.org  

Tiara Oliver OLIVERT4@scsk12.org

All Health, Physical Education, and Lifetime Wellness (HPELW) teachers are required to participate in training for the new Physical Fitness Assessment. This session is mandatory for all HPELW teachers to ensure district compliance requirements are met. 

Teachers must register in PLZ Course # 89283. The training will be held virtually on Wednesday, November 5, 2025, from 4:30 to 5:30 PM. 

This session provides an in-depth overview of the Physical Fitness Assessment process, focusing on the implementation of key fitness components such as cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition. Participants will review the components used for student skill practice, explore pre- and post-test procedures, and discuss how to interpret and record student data in PowerSchool. 

For questions or additional information, please contact:

Jim Harbin at Harbinj1@scsk12.org, 

Jeremiah Bland at Blandj@scsk12.org,

Dr. Rahmod Traylor at Traylorr@scsk12.org

Please find the MTSS Lead Weekly Updates for the week of November 3, 2025.

Curriculum & Instruction met with all 3rd grade teachers throughout the week of October 20, 2025.  The list of teachers in attendance has been provided to Regional Superintendents to share with principals.  Any teacher unable to join is expected to review the materials and recording available within the following folder:  ​3rd Grade Teacher Materials​.

As a reminder, schools are required to facilitate a parent meeting with all 3rd grade parents by November 3, 2025.  The sign-in sheet and signed parent letters will serve as documentation that the parent meeting transpired. By Friday, November 14, 2025, these artifacts are to be uploaded to your school-specific folder within the following OneDrive: ​3rd Grade Parent Meetings Sign-in Sheets and Signed Parent Letters​.

Please continue to reach out to Dr. Amy Maples (maplesa@scsk12.org, 416-9284) with any questions.

Please ensure that all ESL students are correctly assigned an ESL and/or ELD course code in PowerSchool. Accurate course coding is required for compliance, as it provides evidence of the delivery model the ESL teacher is implementing. Additionally, assigning the correct course codes also allows teachers to receive monitoring forms in compliance with the TDOE. ​​​​K-5 ESL Course Codes​​​​. ​​​​6-8 ESL Course Codes​​​​. ​​​​9-12 ESL Course Codes​​​​. 

All high schools are encouraged to hold quarterly ESL data meetings in support of the ML Academic Success Assurance Protocol (ML ASAP). Recommended participants include the ESL Teacher(s), PLC Coach and/or Instructional Facilitator, and Content Area Leads. Counselors and Administrators are encouraged to participate as well. The Q2 ESL Data Meeting Template can be found ​​​​here.​​​​ For questions, reach out to Mr. Michael Cortez, cortezl@scsk12.org, or Ms. Melissa Basel, delahuntym@scsk12.org.  

In-Person PDs are offered at the Office of Multilingual Learners (OML) unless otherwise indicated - 3030 Jackson Ave, Memphis, TN 38122  

    
November 4 - ELLevation Webinar "Creating Shared Ownership and Collaboration for EL Success," 5-6PM CT. Participants will learn how to strengthen collaboration across roles to ensure equitable access to grade level concepts and language-rich learning for multilingual students.  Please click the link for registration details.  

November 10 – ESL District Learning Day: DLD will be fully virtual, and attendance will be mandatory for all ESL teachers. Please plan accordingly to allow your staff to attend remotely. Topics will include ELPA 21 Summative test administration, as well as a variety of sessions on instructional strategies and supplemental programs.  

November 12 - November ESL Monthly Meeting for all ESL Teachers, Virtual on Teams, 8:15 AM, 2:30 PM, 3:30 PM 

November 13-15 – TNTESOL Conference at the Sheraton Hotel and Renasant Convention Center, Memphis  

November 21 - MTSU ELL Collaborative; Hybrid. Registration will close November 17, 2025, at 9:00 am or when seats are filled.  Please see the website for registration details. 

December 2-4 – ELLevation IMPACT Conference, 11-5PM ET. Free, 3-day virtual conference celebrating the power of collaboration to help English learners thrive! Speakers include notable leaders in the field and sessions cover topics such as literacy, policy, and collaborative assessment. Please click the link to register.   

December 4 - Learning A-Z: A Professional Learning Community for K-8 ESL Teachers, 4:00-5:00p on Teams. 

December 9 - Lexia English PD for K-8 ESL Teachers, 3:30-5:00p on Teams.