On Thursday, February 1, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine visited East Elementary School in Athens to learn about the school district’s literacy initiatives, which was a teacher-led movement to embrace the science of reading. During his visit, DeWine visited classrooms, toured the school in Athens and talked with Athens City School District administrators and Board of Education members. His visit was part of a “comprehensive examination of educational initiatives,” according to a press release... “The students within the Athens City School District, and specifically at East Elementary, have shown higher than typical growth in early literacy performance on our benchmark assessments so far this year,” Superintendent Tom Gibbs said in a statement. The district attributes the improvement to a “more comprehensive move to approaches commonly referred to as the ‘Science of Reading,” Gibbs said. Congratulations to the East Elementary School Staff and Administration!

Fort Frye Superintendent Stephanie Starcher recently posted on Facebook about the success of a very special student at Fort Frye High School. Below is the post made by Supt. Starcher and a photo of this very important moment for this student!

Last year, we provided a Better Data in 5 video series covering several different components of the Report Card. These videos are still available to view on YouTube. Please search SST16 Better Data in 5 videos.

This year our focus is Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Please check out the fifth video of the MTSS series by Katie Novak, called Implementation Science.

To view the video, please click on "Watch on YouTube" and it will take you straight to the correct place!

Link to Video: Watch on YouTube.

The following is available through YouTube, but is a recording of a Podcast we think will be of great interest to Leaders in our Districts! Link to podcast.

This is Season 4, Episode 12 of FocusED, and it features our guest, Dr. Douglas Reeves. It was originally recorded live for a virtual audience in Delaware, provided as a professional development experience in collaboration with the Delaware Department of Education, the Delaware Academy for School Leadership, and The School House 302. Don’t miss what Dr. Reeves says about leading in fear and how to avoid it, changing old practices (like grading)…and so much more.

Did you know that OLI-4 started way back in 2015 with their first two-year cohort? It has become one of the best models for outstanding principal leadership training. The 2024 Team leading Ohio's Leadership for Inclusion, Implementation & Instructional Improvement Team has announced that OLI-4 will continue with Cohort #11 for FY25 and FY26. If you are a Principal or Assistant Principal and would like to investigate what this program offers, please download and read the flyer below. You can also contact your district's OIP Consultant for further information. If you are interested in joining this program, the registration link is found on the OLI-4 Homepage.

The state recently released a guide to help schools and parents navigate generative artificial intelligence in an ethical manner. But AI is the wave of the future, and Husted said it’s important that students are exposed to it. The AI toolkit is not mandatory but can be used as a resource for educators and families. It doesn’t include many prescriptive actions for how to begin teaching and using AI. Rather, it contains sections for parents, teachers and school districts where they can find dozens of sample lessons and discussions about ethics, how to develop policies to keep students safe, and other topics. https://innovateohio.gov/aitoolkit/ai-toolkit

Last school year, nearly 45% of students at Middletown City Schools were chronically absent, meaning they missed at least 10% of school hours during the year. That number is higher than the state rate of 27%, according to data. In an attempt to lower the rate, the district launched a new campaign called "Middie Minutes Matter" in the last week. "What are the reasons that students are missing school? Are there some simple things that we can do as a school district that would alleviate things right off the bat?" said Middletown City Schools Superintendent Deborah Houser. Houser said the district has staff whose job is to work with families to break down barriers to getting students to school... Houser said it's working with community churches, businesses and other organizations, encouraging community members to ask kids about school and encourage them to go to school. Plus, the district is giving students a reason to come to school. "Each day they have perfect attendance in a classroom, they color in a letter in the word "Middies" and when they get to the end of Middies there's a donut party," Houser said.

Information on High Quality Instructional Materials, Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant, Dyslexia and Much More!

February State Literacy Network Newsletter

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/OHED/bulletins/38aad0a

The State Support Teams in partnership with Ohio College Tech Prep will be hosting a virtual learning series between the months of January - May 2024.

• These sessions are FREE!
• You may attend 1 session or all 4!
• Registration information and Flyer are linked!
• Please share with others in your organization who may be interested!

Session Titles:

Dive into Industry Recognized credentials by Career Field

Middle School CTE as a Career Advising Strategy

Empowering Futures: Showcasing the Promising Practices of Ohio's Schools

Unlocking Success: The Nuts and Bolts of Industry-Recognized Credentials

Click HERE to register!