WSESU CIA News

The WSESU Strategic Plan outlines objectives and strategies that lead to improved student success and engagement. In addition to the Learning Framework, extended learning opportunities and student voice and choice appear in the plan.

Our Learning Framework mentions 4 concepts related to the what of learning. These are practices that influence the content and curriculum made available to students.

Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs):

• Definition: Extended Learning Opportunities are educational experiences outside of traditional classroom settings that allow students to explore their interests and skills
  
• Example: A high school student participates in an internship at a local technology company to gain real-world experience in software development.
  

• Definition: Flexible Pathways refer to customized learning routes that enable students to choose courses, programs, or approaches that align with their individual learning goals and preferences
  
• Example: A student interested in environmental science can take online courses, attend seminars, or engage in project-based learning to explore this field, rather than following a strictly preset curriculum.
  

Portrait of a Graduate:

• Definition: A Portrait of a Graduate is a vision or set of competencies that a school or community aims to develop in its students to prepare them for success in life and work.
• Example: A school's Portrait of a Graduate, like ours, might include attributes like critical thinking, empathy, integrity, and communication as essential outcomes for all students.

• Definition: Proficiency-based Instruction is an approach to teaching and learning that focuses on students demonstrating mastery of specific skills or knowledge before advancing to the next level or topic.
• Example: In a proficiency-based math class, students must show proficiency in basic arithmetic operations before moving on to more advanced topics like algebra or geometry.

For more information about how members of our staff interpreted the meanings of these terms, please see the Learning Framework pdf on page 3 where the WHAT of learning is further explained through what it Looks like, Sounds like, and Feels like.

You can also see the entire Framework and the series from this newsletter on the internal website here.

📚We are interested in your feedback. Please click this link to provide your thoughts on the Learning Framework.🎯📝

VTCAP Update

The VTCAP testing window (Vermont State Assessment) for grades 3-9 and 11 is March 11- May 1st. We will stagger when each school will be testing in order to ensure we have tech support in each building. When that schedule is set, we will send it out. We hope to have the VTCAP state issued training for staff available by Feb. 1st.

VTCAP Formative Assessments

The state has developed formative assessments for the standards being assessed. I have linked them below. Feel free to use them as practice or exit tickets within your units as you teach particular standards as they will give students an idea of how questions are worded as well as some of the content. Scoring guides are included. Over the next several weeks, we will be working on aligning these formative assessments with the 3-5 CKLA curriculum and the 3-8 Eureka curriculum so you can see where each standard is taught and where the formative assessments will fit. We will share this out as soon as we have it ready.

VTCAP Formative Assessment Folder

You can also access computer based practice tests here. These assessments will help students learn to navigate the computer and access a variety of features.

Dec. 6th Early Release Information

Dec. 6th will be here before we know it. All activities being offered are listed in FrontLine. We will do our best to assign you to an activity based on your role but please check to make sure we got it correct. Here are the details for the afternoon:

For Faculty: Dec. 6th Information

For Support Staff: Dec. 6th Information

Software purchases for SU-wide software are made through the Curriculum Office. As we have increased our efforts to create an aligned and coordinated curriculum across the SU, it has been our practice that software purchase requests be run by Angie Ladeau. Sometimes there is enough interest in a certain software that we are able to pursue district pricing and make useful tools available to more students. If you are using software/subscriptions that you have purchased with your own funds, please let Angie know. aladeau@wsesu.net

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Announcements

If you're not sure what or how to teach about the holidays, check out some of the links below and consider reflecting on the following:

What is your "why" in teaching about the holidays?

What do the students in your classroom observe?

Who will be impacted most by what you explore?

Who will be left out?

How can you teach about holidays in a way that cultivates community, awareness & understanding?

Check-out TEACHING TOLERANCE: This webinar recording (60-min) will help you create deeper understandings of religious and secular holidays, facilitate classroom discussions surrounding inclusion and respect for religious and non-religious differences, and evaluate existing classroom resources and strategies for equity and inclusivity.

The activities and lessons included in the December Dilemma Student Unit Packet can be used following the Addressing the December Dilemma in Schools webinar or as a stand-alone series of units. They address many of the key skills listed in the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. These activities ask students to interpret and analyze new information, to conduct research and present their findings, to be conscientious speakers and attentive listeners and to think critically about the world around them. This pack also includes several resources for educators, including assessments related to holiday inclusion and incorporation of religious diversity in curricula. Additional articles, lesson plans and guides from Learning for Justice and the First Amendment Center are included.

Check-out these links for more:

https://www.edutopia.org/article/teaching-holidays-public-schools-peter-siegel

https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/culturally-responsive-instruction-holiday-and-religious-celebrations

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/december-dilemma-religious-holidays-anne-obrien

https://dueeast.org/its-that-time-of-year-again-focusing-equity-within-holiday-celebrations-at-school/

Who: Hosted by Jewish Voice for Peace VT/NH

When: Sunday, December 3rd, 2023 10AM to 3PM (lunch provided)

Where: It will be in the Montpelier-Barre area. The location given after sign up.

Cost: Free

We know Teaching Palestine takes a lot of courage. In this historic moment, Jewish Voice for Peace wants to help you learn and grow as an educator. During our event, we will be reviewing history, current events, and connections to struggles across the globe. Educators will be provided context, history, and tools to teach about Palestine in their classrooms while simultaneously addressing fears and concerns regarding teaching this topic in K-12 public and private schools.

Register here before November 29th

Series Overview:
People appropriately critique traditional school discipline because it can result in devaluing and excluding marginalized students. Restorative justice is often framed as the opposing alternative. But these two systems of responding to harm or infractions of norms don’t need to be seen in opposition. This series will combine theory, practice, and reflection among peers with common visions for how restorative practice can inform both our daily work and our intensive responses to harm.

Part 1: Keeping Order While Creating Belonging (Jan 18 & Feb 15, 2024)
This 2-day series is for educators with beginning understanding in how restorative values can intertwine with traditional school practices to help reduce and repair harm, contributing to school cultures characterized by mutual understanding and belonging. Participants will learn how to bring restorative values into traditional disciplinary interventions, such as suspensions, and how such values can live in our classrooms.

8:30-3:30 all days & can be attended virtually or in-person at Delta Hotel in S. Burlington

$410 - 12 Professional Credits

Register HERE.