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Mascoma Curriculum Newsletter

May 2025

Mascoma CurriculumNewsletterMay 2025

Updated Assessment Schedule Updated Assessment Schedule

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New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System (NHSAS) testing window opens April 1st and ends May 30th. This is slightly earlier than years past. NHSAS tests students in grades 3-8 on English Language Arts and Mathematics. Students in grades 5, 8 & 11 are also tested in Science (*indicates 5th & 8th grade science testing). Testing Dates are as follows:

  • IRS - Week of April 28th*, May 5th, May 12th*, May 19th
  • CES - May 5th-9th
  • EVS - May 12th-16th

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams are subject specific standardized tests that measure how well students have mastered course content.

Students will be taking the following AP Exams:

  • Biology on May 5, 2025 at 8 am
  • European History on May 5, 2025 at 12 pm
  • English Lit and Comp on May 7, 2025 at 8 am
  • Statistics on May 8, 2025 at 8 am
  • Calculus AB/BC on May 12, 2025 at 8 am
  • Precalculus on May 13, 2025 at 8 am

As a reminder, NWEA and Aimsweb testing will also occur throughout May and June.

Summer Professional Development Opportunities Summer Professional Development Opportunities

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Engaging Students Through Project-Based Learning

Benefits of Attending This Workshop

• Develop units using project–based instructional models

• Develop project-based and career connected management tools for students

• Learn Agile Scrum for projects

• Embed interdisciplinary practices in project design

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NHLI - Competency-Based Learning Summer Conference

Revolutionizing Learning: Creating Engaging Classrooms for Competency-Based Teaching and Learning Success

Join educators, leaders, and innovators from across New Hampshire and beyond for this dynamic two-day summer conference focused on reimagining classroom instruction through the lens of competency-based education. NHLI offers practical strategies and collaborative sessions designed to empower educators to make meaningful instructional shifts that put students at the center of learning.


One Day Rate: $275/person

Two Day Rate: $450/person


Conference Topics:

  • Student Agency
  • AI (Artificial Intelligence)
  • Critical Thinking, Collaboration, and Problem-Solving in
  • Mathematics
  • Phenomena and Sense-Making in Science
  • Competency-Based Assessments
  • Collaborative Learning Communities
  • Grading for Learning and Equity
  • Interdisciplinary Connections
  • Data Science
  • PBL (Project-Based Learning)
  • Grading for Learning and Equity
  • Digital Literacy
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OGAP

OGAP is an evidence-based formative assessment system that includes professional development, resources, and routines for teachers and leaders to continually adjust instruction to meet the diverse needs of students in grades K-8 mathematics.


The discounted cost of each training is $650/participant

All trainings begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. with a 1-hour lunch break.

Please bring or buy your own lunch, lunch will not be provided.


K-2 Additive Reasoning

  • Number Sense
  • Counting & Subitizing
  • Number Composition
  • Number Lines & Magnitude
  • Addition & Subtraction
  • Basic Fact Fluency


3-6 Multiplicative

  • Properties of Multiplication
  • Problem Structures
  • Meaning of the Quantities
  • Algorithms & the Open Area Model
  • Division
  • Fact Fluency


6-8 Proportional

  • Proportional Relationships
  • Ratios
  • Percents
  • Similar Rectangles
  • Problem Contexts, Structures, & Types
  • Understanding Cross-Products


3-5 Fractions

  • Visual Models
  • Equivalence
  • Comparing & Ordering
  • Equipartitioning
  • Number Lines
  • Problem Solving

Aimsweb Training - Final Aimsweb Training - Final

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Don't miss the last Aimsweb Work Session of the school year on Thursday, May 8th 3:30 - 4:30 in the EVS Library. Bring your laptop and questions!

Upcoming PD Opportunities - Tech Upcoming PD Opportunities - Tech

AI Bootcamp - Teacher Fellowship

For more information check out: https://www.markcubanai.org/teacherfellowship


The Mark Cuban Foundation Teacher Fellowship is a yearlong professional development program designed to empower high school educators—regardless of subject area—to learn about AI and thoughtfully introduce it into their teaching. This paid national fellowship offers training, mentorship, and a network of like-minded peers, providing educators new to AI with the resources they need to integrate this technology thoughtfully.‍‍‍The fellowship runs from June 2025-May 2026.

  • Summer 2025: Classroom policies for AI use
  • Fall 2025: AI foundational skills and student bootcamps
  • Winter 2025: Incorporating AI into your curricula and teacher-led projects
  • Spring 2025: Sharing projects and conference preparation


Fellows will develop classroom policies, explore AI ethics, machine learning, computer vision, and navigate AI-generated content, all while gaining hands-on experience as facilitators for MCF AI Bootcamps in November 2025.


Don't Wait - Apply Today!

If you’re passionate about expanding your knowledge in AI and supporting your students’ growth, apply today.


Application deadline: May 15, 2025

UNH Tech for Teachers Institute

UNH Tech for Teachers Institute, July 14-25 – Applications Now Being Accepted!

The UNH Tech for Teachers Institute is a dynamic, paid professional development program open to middle and high school teachers from across all STEM subject areas. The focus of the program is two-fold: Building knowledge of an emerging technology—this year regenerative medicine and biofabrication—and the transformation of instructional practice through project-based learning.

The Institute will take place July 14-25 on the UNH Durham campus. Upon completion, participants will receive:


  • a $1,500 award,
  • CEUs,
  • classroom supplies and
  • ongoing support from UNH faculty and graduate students.



Click here for more information or to apply.

PD Opportunities - Webinars PD Opportunities - Webinars

Plymouth State University Educator Webinars

My Students, Your Students, Our Students: The Promise of Inclusive Special Education (1 hr) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGGN4hUhss0

Don’t Stop Believin’: How AI Can Help You Thrive as an Educator (1 hr)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlvZKLDpNt8

Trauma in the Classroom: How to Support Students (1 hr)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nksSQPVf68

Managing Student Mental Health While Navigating Social Media (55 min)

https://mediaspace.plymouth.edu/media/Managing+Student+Mental+Health+While+Navigating+Social+Media/1_z3xodrxf

Frontline Frontline

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Recertification?

If you are up for recertification, make sure you have all of your activities completed and you have been awarded the hours for them. Once you have all of your hours, make a copy of the Frontline Recertification Hours Template and follow the directions at the top of the page. See your building PD rep for help with this. Remember, they can help you with it but they cannot do it for you!

Don't Forget to Log Your PD Hours in Frontline!

Keeping your PD records updated is essential. Taking a few minutes now to update your hours will save time later and ensure your hard work is accurately reflected.


Log into your Frontline account and check on the status of your PD activities under your Learning Plan. Do you have outstanding activities waiting for approval? Have you submitted the appropriate documentation? Did you remember to mark it as complete?


It's also important to sign up for professional development activities when they are available. Activities do not stay in the catalog forever, and we are unable to reopen them if you didn't sign up for them before they closed.


As always if you need help with Frontline, attend your school's after-school help sessions for support! Check with your PD building reps for more information. Remember, your PD reps are happy to assist, but please be mindful of their time and attend designated help sessions.

Tutor.com Tutor.com

Tutor.com is a free resource available to New Hampshire students in grades 4-12, providing one-on-one academic support. This platform connects students with tutors who assist with homework, test preparation, and varies subjects. It's also a valuable tool for preparing for SAT and AP exams. Students can easily access Tutor.com through their Chromebooks by clicking on the waffle icon in the top right corner of the page. More details about Tutor.com can be found below.

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The instructions on how to log in. Students will need to be logged into their MVRSD Google Account.

App Vetting App Vetting

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Planning to use a website, web app, or educational software for your next lesson or project? Make sure it's approved before you start! All resources must go through the App Vetting Process to ensure compliance and accessibility.


Here's how it works:

1. Submit a request: Complete the Google Form to begin,

2. Principal Review: Your building principal reviews and approves (or denies) the request.

3. CIA and IT Review: Our Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Director along with the IT Director conduct the next round of reviews.

4. SDPC Approval: If the app isn't pre-approved by the Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC), additional steps may be required. This can take months, so plan ahead.

5. Denied by SDPC? Unfortunately, the app cannot be used.


❗❗Reminder: This process takes time, so submit your requests early to avoid delays. For more details, check out the mandatory training video. ❗❗

Teacher Curriculum Resources Teacher Curriculum Resources

ELA Resources ELA Resources

What is the Science of Reading

What is the Science of Reading

The Science of Reading: Defining Guide provides a firm definition of what the science of reading is, what it is not, and how all stakeholders can understand its potential to transform reading instruction.

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Lexia Science of Reading Week | Lexia

Lexia Science of Reading Week | Lexia

Science of Reading Week 2023 featured renowned experts in literacy education, advocacy and instruction. Learn more with on-demand webinars.

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Science of Reading the Podcast

Science of Reading the Podcast

Science of Reading: The Podcast, hosted by Susan Lambert, delivers the latest insights from researchers and practitioners in early reading. Listen today!

launch amplify.com

Social Studies Resources Social Studies Resources

Inspiring New Hampshire citizens to make a difference | Citizens Count

Inspiring New Hampshire citizens to make a difference | Citizens Count

Citizens Count is a nonpartisan nonprofit with a mission of making citizen engagement easier in New Hampshire. Explore important policy issues, check the status of related legislation, or learn where elected officials and candidates stand on the issues.

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  • NH CIVICS has partnered with NHED to share resources with educators via NHED’s Canvas platform. Using the public NH Civics course on Canvas, educators can stay updated on upcoming professional development, public events, in-class programs for students, the NH Civic Learning Coalition and more.
  • Keene State College, Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies: We believe that Holocaust and Genocide Education has much to contribute to civics education. Although this is difficult and traumatic material, we teach to ensure consistent engagement with the pressing questions of individual and group responsibility towards the other. By exploring values, attitudes, skills, knowledge, and critical understanding of these complex issues and forces, we enable responsible civic engagement. As we remember, we seek to prevent genocide and crimes of mass atrocity by finding points of leverage, intervention, and empowerment.
  • “Moose on the Loose” is a social studies curriculum for the State of New Hampshire. Created by the New Hampshire Historical Society, it explores the Granite State’s history, economics, geography, and civic life, introducing students to the state’s rich cultural heritage. The site was designed for kids in the upper elementary grades (Grades 3-6), but much of the material is adaptable for students in other grades. "Moose on the Loose" provides many ways for kids to connect what they learn about the past to current, statewide issues. It also provides a foundation for lifelong learning about New Hampshire, America, and the democratic traditions that unite us all. So dive in and find out more about the state we all love!
  • Civics Fundamentals takes the one hundred questions asked by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on the naturalization test for U.S. citizenship and explores the “WHY?” to help the student discover their meaning and importance. We have created a two-minute video for each of the one hundred questions that can be turnkey lessons in civics education classes nationwide. Our goal is to move beyond the rote memorization of facts that dominates the current civics curriculum toward “inquiry-based instruction” that engages learners and is becoming more prevalent in education today. This video based product is available – at no cost to any educator or student – via online streaming.

Mathematics Resources Mathematics Resources

The Right Question Technique in math The Right Question Technique in math

This video shows how the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) may be used as a formative assessment — to determine students’ understanding of a concept or their knowledge of a topic. Educators can use the QFT to assess their students at the beginning of a unit, as seen in this video, in the middle of the unit, and toward the end of the unit.

There are other creative ways to use the QFT, including as a summative assessment (see: “Making Questions Flow” to read more about how to use student questions).

In this video, Lucy Canotas, a fourth-grade teacher in Manchester, New Hampshire, uses the QFT for formative assessment purposes. “I’m interested to see what they can bring as questions to make me understand where they’re still stuck or what they still don’t know,” she explains. To elicit students’ questions about fractions, she designed a visual Question Focus (QFocus). She found that using the students’ questions and work helped her better understand what they knew about this mathematical concept. This video shows each step of the QFT in an elementary-school classroom, and it shows how Canotas uses the QFT to collect information that helps her fine-tune lessons.

Using the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) for Formative Assessment
The Math Expertise of Peter Liljedahl by NHASCD Spotlight: A Podcast

The Math Expertise of Peter Liljedahl by NHASCD Spotlight: A Podcast

Episode description** Dr. Peter Liljedahl is one of the most sought-after math educators in the world, and we are blessed to host him on NHASCD Spotlight. In this episode, Peter provides an overview of his research around "Building Thinking Classrooms" as a prelude to his NHASCD/NHTM webinar on November 21 and 22.

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Ann Elise Record - Math Professional Development Videos

Math Running Record videos - There is an introduction video and then one for each operation where I interview students and explain how I coded the running record. Teachers can download the recording sheets from the site www.mathrunningrecords.com for free and practice while watching the videos.


Daily Routine Videos - There are separate videos for Kinder through 4th grade. All links to the daily routines shared are on my padlet: https://tinyurl.com/RecordElementaryMath


Teachable Courses - Teachers will go to the link and click in the upper right hand side of the site where it says "All products". They will then see all the courses I currently offer on the Teachable site- Cuisenaire Rods, Problem Solving K2, Fraction Essentials, and Place Value.

Please see the Mascoma Curriculum Google Classroom for the code.

IM Pacing Guides

  • 🖍️ Kindergarten
  • 📏 First Grade
  • 🎲 Second Grade
  • ⏲️ Third Grade
  • 🧮 Fourth Grade
  • ✏️ Fifth Grade
  • 📐Sixth Grade
  • 📊 Seventh Grade
  • 📉 Eighth Grade


IM Professional Development slides by Jess Jacques

Working with Jess Jacques, the Merrimack Valley School District Math Coach, we have developed pacing guides based on Mascoma I Can Statements laying out the quarter by quarter plan for teaching the IM curriculum. Each document includes helpful suggestions and links.

Check out our Mascoma Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Google Classroom for professional development materials, Grit materials & new videos, K-8 math pacing guides, scope and sequence documents, and more. 📚 📏 📖

Course Code: cshmptt

Join Google Classroom

Important Links Important Links

Assessment Calendar
Professional Development Calendar

NHED NHED

Recent Technical Advisories

Recent Technical Advisories

These technical advisories are issued in order to provide support to school boards, districts, schools, educators, and communities as they work to build learning communities that engage learners and support depth of knowledge.

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April Guinness
DIRECTOR OF CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT

547 U.S. 4, Enfield, NH, USA 603-632-5563

aguinness@mvrsd.org

https://www.mascomaschools.org/

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