2014 Informative/Explanatory Standard-Referenced Rubrics

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Attached are links to Standard-Referenced Rubrics for Explanatory/Narrative Writing.
The ELA Committee continues to revise these rubrics so feedback is appreciated and welcome. Our intent is to align our District Quarterly Benchmark Writing Assessments with Alaska State Standards. Common prompts will be available in late November.

The rubrics are meant to not only be used for assessment, but also instruction.

Note: The Rubrics for grades 8 and 11/12 will be ready at the end of the week and will be distributed as soon as possible.

2014 Informative/Explanatory Rubrics

 

 

 

9.24.14 Administrator Meeting Information

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The following information was shared by Christine Ermold during the 9.24.14 administrator meeting.  Please contact the office of Elementary Education with questions.

  • A copy of the PLC Collaboration Continuum was provided to all administrators.  After careful reflection on the evidence available at each site, administrators are asked to indicate where their school is practicing (overall) on each segment of the continuum and submit the information to Christine Ermold by 10/10/14.  Electronic copies of the continuum are available in the district’s ‘S’ drive < Collaboration Resources < Learning by Doing < PLC_Continuum.
  • Any goals or strategies assigned by site principals in On Strategy to the responsibility of the PD Department will be deleted.  To schedule support from the PD Department, principals or their PD Site Liaison should contact their site’s coach or Michelle Thomason.
  • An email will be coming requesting copies of all secondary course syllabi so that research regarding current grading practices in the district can be conducted.  Results of the analysis will be shared with administrators once available.
  • Coffee/Tea via Lync will be offered on 9/30/14 at 7:15 and 3:45.
  • Saturday School Support is available for teachers to receive whatever support they need on a drop-in basis between 9:00 a.m. and noon on Oct. 4, Nov. 1, and Dec. 6 in all three regional PD rooms.

Secondary Education & Student Activities Sept. Info.

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This information was shared with Principals at the Sept. 24, 2014 Administrator Meeting:

  • As of September 23rd the District Distance Learning Program has a total of 914 Semester class enrolments. This is our highest ever and if second semester enrollments follow the same trend we are on track to our highest enrollment year ever.
  • The Blended Learning Initiative Cohort for Year one of the grant has been selected.  We have a total of fifteen (15) teachers who are involved representing  upper elementary, middle school, and high school levels from across multiple content areas.  Two of the teachers are from our partner districts (Cordova and Bristol Bay).
  • Schools with 5th and 10th Graders in attendance will all be administering the Gallop Student Poll/survey as a means of establishing benchmark data for our KPBSD Key Performance Indicators on Emotional Well Being.  Tiffany Eck the Secondary Education Administrative Assistant is working with coordinators of the Gallop poll from each school.  Questions contact Tiffany.
  • CTE Department announcement:  Dan Bohrnsen our district’s CTE/WDC Coordinator is retiring at end of the 2014-2015 school year.  We will be working on a transition plan very soon.
  • High Schools should be focusing  on working with Juniors to make a decision on which College, Career Ready Assessment they will take and have the State of Alaska Pay for. Choices are the WorKeys, ACT, or SAT.  This decision needs to be made by October 15th and returned to Julie Williams in the Assessment Department.  Remember this is a graduation requirement replacing the HSGQE.

Kindergarten Developmental Profile

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Thank you to everyone who was able to participate in the Lync session regarding the state mandated reporting using the Kindergarten Developmental Profile.

  • The state website shared during the powerpoint is http://education.alaska.gov/tls/assessment/results/results2014.html
  • A copy of the training powerpoint, recording form, and implementation guide are all available at the website above.
  • There are no changes from previous years, although additional guidance regarding the 0-1-2 ratings has been provided by the state.
  • The data for reporting should be collected during the first four weeks of school.  Teachers generally find it easiest to record the information on a paper version of the form (downloadable from the website above) and then enter the information in the electronic database all at once.
  • The data cannot be entered until the electronic database opens on Sept. 15th.
  • Log in information for the electronic database will come via email around Sept. 15th from either Julie Williams or Tim Vlasak, and is based on your name as recorded on your teaching certificate and a password generated by the state (unless you’ve changed yours).
  • Remember to use the ‘save’ button in the database to prevent having to re-enter data.  Also, remember that partial records cannot be saved- but completed records can be edited.

PowerSchool II Lync Session

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The following link can be used to access a Lync recording of the PowerSchool II session held on 8/18/14 at 3:30 p.m.  Please note that the account used during the training was created with fictional information for the purpose of the training and does not contain actual student information.  Please contact your instructional coach, Christine Ermold, or David Henson with questions.

mms://mediastream.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/internal/

 

Elementary Administrivia and Start of Year Information

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The following is a summary of the information provided during the start of year administrator meeting from the Department of Elementary Education.  Please contact me if you have questions or need assistance.

Christine

  • The 2014-15 ElemEdCurricPD Org Chart of the departments and folks I work with is attached for reference.
  • Use of the district’s Standards Referenced Report Card is required for elementary schools.  View the 2014 Standards Referenced Reporting K-6 memo for important information and an action item (it’s also posted on the deadlines list).  Training tools and resources are available in the ‘S’ folder of your computer, and communication tools are available on the Elementary Education department website at http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/departments.aspx?id=28323.
  • The 2014-15 Calibration Visit Guide docs are posted on the Instructional Blog and in the Admin/Director file.
  • Contact me by 8/20 regarding which teacher you would like to involve in the Student Growth Map Pilot project.  Contact Natalie Kohler if you need information about which day (8/25 or 8/26) you should attend.
  • Early Entrance screening kits were provided to all principals with Kindergarteners at their site.  Please review the 2014 Early Entrance memo with information about the timelines for reporting on Early Entrance to this office (it’s also posted on the deadlines list).
  • AS 14.03.072 (enacted in 2013) requires parents be notified annually of their school’s grade retention standards and policies, and that parents also receive their child’s early literacy assessment information.  AS 14.03.072 Communication will meet the annual notification requirement and is also available online at http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/Workarea/Downloadasset.aspx?id=31270. You are absolutely welcome to provide parents with additional information, if you wish.  Your school must also provide parents/guardians with the early literacy assessment data- and you may either do this with the October/March/May report cards, or you may send the report home after each testing window.  Whichever you choose, please be consistent throughout the school so your parents know when to expect the information.
  • A PD series on Early Childhood has been scheduled for Sept. 23, Jan. 22, Apr. 30th in Soldotna.  This series of PD is targeted for elementary principals, Title I Pre-K teachers and Self-Contained Special Education Pre-K teachers, plus a kindergarten teacher-leader from each site and (if applicable) the school’s interventionist.  It is particularly important that the involved teachers be a positive leader in your school community who will be able to support your site’s effective practices related to early childhood education.  A willingness to learn and consider recent research, and contribute to an examination of school practices in a positive light is essential.  Subs and mileage will be provided.  Please register in Generation Ready by Sept. 5th and contact me if you have questions about who could/should participate.
  • Please make sure you have and wear your district ID badge to all PD activities, and help your staff remember to do the same.  The PD Department is no longer printing name tags for every event and the handwritten ones don’t reflect the professional image we seek to reinforce.
  • Avatar is now called Generation Ready.
  • Effective Instruction Coaches have been assigned as the primary point of contact for PD Site Facilitators and principals.  Sites are not limited to support from just that individual, the ‘assignment’ is meant to put a name and face on who can help gain access to the PD information or resources needed. The list of coaches and site assignments will be provided by Michelle Thomason.
  • I will continue to offer the quarterly “Coffee” or “Tea” sessions via Lync.  Watch for an electronic invitation in your email later this month or in early September.

Federal Programs Organizational Chart

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Fed Programs Flow Chart is being provided as an awareness of the “who does what” for Federal Programs, and to visualize the overlap that occurs. This team can provide support, or direct you to the correct support, for any of the activities listed on the page.

The mission of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Federal Programs Department is to provide quality, timely, and collaborative academic support to enhance the success of targeted students, schools and parents in an ethical manner and in compliance with KPBSD policies, federal regulations and state statutes.

Dollar figures are provided for the Federal funding sources. This should reinforce the importance of school staff efforts to have students/parents complete paperwork. The funds listed are generated through the completion of qualifying forms of students and families. These are federal dollars available to supplement district efforts to support qualifying students because a couple of forms were completed.

Funds are allocated to schools through prioritizing academic need according to specifics of the individual funding sources. KPBSD Federal funds are used in a variety of ways and a few are:

  •  10—Pre-K programs
  • Supplemental Teachers, Interventionists, & Tutors
  • Intervention Supplies and Materials
  • Professional Development
  • Family/Parent Involvement Activities
  • Extended School (before or after school tutoring)
  • Incorporating Native Culture and Language
  • Provide Native Youth Leadership opportunities
  • Support of Homeless students
  • Supports of incarcerated students
  • Support of Migrant students
  • Support of students who’s primary language is not English

Please help us maximize the Federal dollars the KPBSD receives. For more information, visit the district’s webpage http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/departments.aspx?id=44.