Category Archives: Uncategorized

5/24/18 Notes

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As a result of several retirements, the Effective Instruction (EI) Committee anticipates several vacancies in the year ahead. Interested educators may express their interest by emailing the committee’s facilitator, Dr. Christine Ermold with a brief explanation of why they are interested and prepared to serve on the committee.

Following administration of the annual EI Process survey, the members reviewed the results and discussed their observations via email with one another. In summary, it was determined that changes to the EI Process are not warranted at this time, and that the focus in FY19 should remain on exploring how the district’s focus on personalized learning manifests in the evaluation tools in use.

Assessment Literacy Course Opportunity

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The KPBSD Curriculum and Assessment Department is offering certified teachers the opportunity to participate in a 3 credit graduate course to enhance professional practice in the area of assessment design.  Teachers will learn how the assessment experts from AAI (our AMP developers) create high-quality, standards-based, common assessments.  Teachers are encouraged to work in teams to build our bank of common assessments.  All content areas are invited and teachers should seek approval from their school administrator before applying.

Click HERE for more information or contact Melissa Linton at extension x8861 or email mlinton@kpbsd.org

 

Think Central – Journey’s Update

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Think Central

Think Central ran a content update to their online materials recently, and as a result, some online resources have been moved. For example, the Critical Thinking and Thinking Beyond resources have been moved to the Leveled Reader Teachers Guide.

If you find other variances in the online material, please notify Melissa Linton at mlinton@kpbsd.org.

Thank you!

 

 

 

NEW Middle School Science Units and Resources

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This summer, a cadre of dedicated KPBSD Middle School Science Teachers collaborated to design coherent units of instruction to support our middle school science curriculum.  This is the District’s first attempt to create and purposefully share teacher made materials that will be utilized as the core material for our curriculum. EXCITING!!!

Below are draft unit resources we have developed and we invite you to use them. The science teachers will continue to add and revise these units, so please send feedback and suggestions to Melissa Linton.  Finally, we hope to add formative and summative assessments starting this fall.

GRADE 6 MS Science Units

GRADE 7 MS Science Units

GRADE 8 MS Science Units

Additional resources can be found in the KPBSD Shared (S:) – District-wide staff shared – Middle School Science Folder

We hope these materials and resources are helpful! Have a wondering school year.

 

 

Mathematics Compacted Sequence

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The following Mathematics Sequences have been drafted assist schools who offer accelerated math courses in grades 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.   We hope they are helpful to your planning.  This is a pilot project, so if you do use these sequences, please send feedback and recommendations to Melissa Linton, mlinton@kpbsd.org.

Grade 4/5 compacting Priority and Mymath Pacing Guide

 

Gr7/8 Course 2 and Course 3 Priority and Holt McDougal Pacing Guide

 

Elementary Administrivia

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Please note the following items apply to all levels, K-12.

These items apply only elementary levels:

  • 2015 Enrollment of Accelerated Elementary Students provides guidance on the appropriate course enrollments for elementary students who are academically accelerated.
  • 2015 Early Entrance reminds principals of the required deadlines to notify the Elementary Education Office of any children screened, or scheduled for screening for admission under the Early Entrance policy.
  • The training for the Kindergarten Developmental Profile is now available online at https://mix.office.com/watch/suamma467bqs and will no longer be delivered through a webinar or Lync session.

 

Effective Instruction Committee Information

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The E.I. Committee met to finalize details for the 2015-16 school year.  The committee finalized the following items:

  • The KPBSD EI Handbook 15-16.
  • The procedure for determining an educator’s overall rating for the purpose of meeting state reporting requirements.
  • The training modules that will be used to train all KPBSD educators in what SGMs are, how to create and review them, and where to find supportive resources.

As always, other notes and documents from the work of the committee can be found online at http://effectiveinstruction.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/.

Elementary Administrivia

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The following information was shared during Administrivia at the 3.25.15 Administrator’s Meeting.

  • The current secretary for Curriculum and Elementary Education is retiring.  Please note that as of 4.1.15, Krissy Mahan will be the contact for these departments.
  • The Year-End Checklist promotion/acceleration information should be submitted to the attention of Krissy Mahan.  A memo indicating the final decision for each considered student must accompany a copy of E 5123. Additional guidance is available by reviewing BP and AR 5123 or contacting Dr. Ermold.
  • The annual KPBSD Leadership Academy will be held on May 27 & 28 at Soldotna High School.  Schools with ten or fewer teachers may register one teacher along with the site’s administrator, while schools with more than ten teachers may register two teachers to attend, along with the site’s administrator(s).  Although fewer participants will be funded to participate, those off contract will receive their per diem rate for these days because the District Instructional Team strongly believes the learning, decision making, and subsequent leadership provided by participants in the Leadership Academy constitutes a higher level of engagement and follow up expectation of shared leadership than participation in a sit-and-get training or materials orientation. Names must be sent to Cindy Cornett for registration.  Travel requests must be entered in Generation Ready.
  • When planning for 2015-16, principals need to ensure there is time allocated during Parent/Teacher conference days for professional development.  Any principal who is concerned or who needs help planning to provide adequate time for conferences should contact his/her director for guidance.

 

Math Priority Standards and Assessment Committee

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Math Priority Standards and Assessment Committee Membership

Meeting Dates:

9/11/2014 – Develop pacing guides and align standards for Algebra 1 Course.

Members of this Committee work throughout the year on revising and updating assessments.

Grade 6 teachers will be revising the common chapter and semester assessments on February 26 at Tustumena Elementary School.

The next meeting will take place on April 9, 2015 at the Kenai Library Conference Room to discuss sequence and pacing for students who accelerate to Algebra 1 in 8th grade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Secondary Education & Student Activities “Administrivia” (1.21.15)

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Secondary Education “Administrivia” (1.21.15)

  • Digital Technology Initiative Mid-Year Update:
    • We are half way through year 1 of our three year grant from the DEED.  Our mid-year report was submitted January 15th to the independent evaluator (Dr. Dale Cope)
    • The 15 teacher cohort is in the middle of their formalized training/PD sessions.
    • Most cohort members have completed the Quality Matters online course training curriculum.
    • Several Blended Learning topic Lync session trainings have/will also take place throughout this school year.
    • 19 Educators attended the iNACOL conference in Palm Springs, CA funded by the grant
    • 20+/- Educators will also attend ASTE this February in Anchorage funded by the grant
  • Activity/Field Trip Travel Possible Technology Assistance:  
    • David Henson and Jim White are working on a prototype activity trip tracking system that will preload trips, participants, emergency paperwork, and the ability to add/subtract trip participants and add notes/details using a smartphone and a QPC code reader application.
    • We are going to be working with some schools to pilot this  year and hope to go live district-wide next Fall for all activity and fieldtrips (K-12).
    • A new Travel regulations memo will be formalized by the end of this year to reflect all current and any new activity travel expectations for schools (i.e. travel range restrictions, when use of ALMR radio is expected, private vehicle transport restrictions, coaches driving restrictions, and driver on duty/driving time restrictions, etc…).
  • Distance Learning Program:
  • Our second semester course enrollment numbers are at 1010 as of this morning (1.21.15).  This is early for numbers to be this large and our teachers are near capacity on their individual teacher loads.
  • Some changes planned include allowing students to enroll in distance classes during the course enrollment period directly from Powerschool (DP/Counselors working on this now)
  • Next year Credit Recovery Courses for Connections and our K-12 program will no longer be supervised/Teacher of Record by the Distance Learning Program.  Like our larger high schools have for years, these schools will now need to oversee Credit Recovery with their own teaching staff.
  • As the program grows we are hearing concerns/worries from teachers about whether they will eventually be replaced by distance education.  This is absolutely not the case and I would be happy to discuss these concerns with anyone.  Please refer questions on this matter to me (John O’Brien)

 

 

  • Summer School Credit Recovery Session:  
  • The session will be run just as it has in the past.
  • Our large high schools provide the program (SoHi, Nikiski, Homer, KCHS, Seward)
  • All CORE areas are provided (Math, Lang. Arts, Social Studies, and Science)
  • The program is an “on-line prescriptive” web based program through Pearson called “GRADPOINT”
  • The Session runs for three weeks in June. Half days (8:00-noon) June 1-19
  • Principals do their own hiring by emailing internal certified staff to solicit interest
  • Staff need to be certified and HQ in one of the four CORE areas (preference)

 

 

  • Policy Change TAKE NOTE: 
  • AR 6146.1 High School Graduation Requirements: Additional quality points will be assigned for College Board Advanced Placement (AP) courses for the purpose of calculating grade point average (GPA). For each passing semester grade in an Advanced Placement course, 0.021 will be added to the student’s cumulative GPA. Effective for SY 2015, the fall semester weighted quality points will be added at the conclusion of the fall semester (like before).  In order to receive the spring semester weighted quality points, students must also complete the National Advanced Placement course examination.