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TEACH is an e-newsletter from the Learning and Teaching division of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
State Superintendent Chris Reykdal here. I am sworn in and loving every minute of the work. I
wanted to take the time to introduce myself and fill you in on my vision. I grew up in Snohomish, Washington, and I am a proud product of our public school system. My teachers and my community pushed me to reach higher and it was because of them that I was able to break the cycle of poverty.
I have dedicated my entire career to ensuring that every learner has the same opportunities to overcome whatever they face. I have served as a teacher, school board member, state representative, education foundation trustee, and as a budget and education executive for our state’s community and technical college system.
I have several goals, but I will share just a few with you now. First, it is essential that we get 100 percent of our students graduating with a high-quality diploma! Second, we absolutely must fully fund basic education in our state. It will be a challenging road that will require strong bipartisan support from the State Legislature, but I know we can get there. Third, it’s time to close the opportunity gaps that exist for our students who are low-income, of color, English Language Learners, with disabilities, and from other populations who have faced systemic barriers to their success. Fourth, we must open up multiple pathways to graduation for our students. Not every student will attend a four-year university after high school, and we must continue to build diverse pathways for those students. Finally, we must take steps to improve our statewide assessment system. Currently,
Washington is one of just four states that will require students to pass a
high-stakes comprehensive assessment in order to graduate. We should instead emphasize our rigorous high school diploma with multiple pathways that meet the unique needs of our students and communities.
My office is always here to help you with whatever you need. What gets accomplished in Washington D.C. and Olympia matters very little if we do not empower and support our educators. The magic of teaching and learning happens in classrooms!
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OSPI will provide approximately $900,000 in competitive
grants that will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis to school districts
for professional development opportunities provided to paraeducators. School
districts may apply for funds through OSPI’s iGrants
system (Form Package 797). Applications must be completed no later than
February 21. All funding must be spent on professional development
opportunities provided to paraeducators between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017.
For more information see OSPI
Bulletin 004-17.
There
is still time to apply!
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Washington
State is moving towards the adoption of the National Core Arts Standards (NCAS)
as our Washington State Arts K–12 Learning Standards. The Arts Cadre of
Educators representing Dance, Media Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts has
been working to carefully review these standards and provide additional content
with “Suggestions for Students” and examples that will support these standards.
To view the standards and provide input, please go to: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/3291634/The-Arts-Public-Comment-Survey.
The public comment survey will be open through
February 5.
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Computer
Science Teachers Are Needed! A recent article
on Crosscut.com addresses students’ need to
have computer science skills and the need for knowledgeable educators to
provide that learning. Crosscut is a Pacific Northwest independent,
reader-supported, nonprofit news site.
Computer Science Education Grants: OSPI, in partnership with
Washington STEM, awarded competitive grants to schools and districts to
expand computer science education opportunities across the state. OSPI is gathering
information from grant recipients to summarize opportunities and best practices. For more information about the grants visit: http://www.k12.wa.us/ComputerScience/Grants.aspx.
Visit OSPI’s Computer
Science K–12 Learning Standards webpage to access
Washington’s new computer science learning standards.
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The Big History Project is providing ten (10) fully funded pilot
programs for high schools in Washington that implement a Big History course
during the 2017–18 school year. For more information about Big History, please
visit: https://school.bighistoryproject.com/bhplive.
Schools that elect to participate in the 2017–18 pilot program will
receive the following free of charge:
- All course materials
- In-person and on-line professional development
- Stipends for participating teachers
- $500 classroom budget
- Essay scoring
School or districts
interested in participating must apply by January 31, 2017. Applications are
available online at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/3263439/2c25ca5d9e8e.
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National
Youth Science Camp applications are available at https://nysc.fluidreview.com/.
The application deadline is March 1, 2017. This program is for graduating high
school seniors in the United States (Two each from every state and Washington,
D.C.) and students 16–18 years of age in selected other countries. The National
Youth Science Camp 2017 dates are June 14–July 8.
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KNOW is a comprehensive HIV/STD prevention
education curriculum that has been adopted and widely used by Washington school
districts to fulfill the state's requirement for providing AIDS education to students.
KNOW was developed by OSPI and approved for use in all Washington schools.
This training is designed for educators using KNOW
for grades 5–8. Curricula will be provided accordingly.
Register for this event:
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FLASH (Family Life and
Sexual Health) is a widely used comprehensive sexual health education
curriculum developed by Public Health Seattle - King County. This
training, a highly interactive and research-based learning process that
supports educators with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully use the
FLASH program in the classroom, will focus on delivering the newly revised
middle school version. Educators who successfully complete the FLASH training walk away with knowledge and skills on:
- The foundations of sexual health and HIV instruction
- How to answer sensitive student questions
- Key concepts to use in teaching the FLASH curriculum
-
Best practices in methodology for teaching key sexuality education
topics, such as abstinence, puberty, sexual violence prevention, LGBT issues,
and more
Register for this event:
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Training
opportunities are now available in February and March. Explore the new Health and Physical Education K-12 Learning Standards and
participate in lessons using new learning outcomes. Participants will receive
an HPE Standards notebook with lesson plan templates. Free clock hours will be
provided.
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Ellensburg: Friday Feb 10th (6 clock-hours)
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Chelan: Monday Feb 13th (6 clock-hours)
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Spokane: Friday Feb 17th (6 clock-hours)
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Bellingham: Friday March 10th (3.5 clock-hours)
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Federal Way: Friday March 10th (6 clock-hours) - coming soon to PDenroller!
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It’s About Art – It’s About Time! “Embracing Creativity in the Classroom!”
This conference is collaborative effort by the arts organization
representing dance, music, theatre, and visual arts and is designed for K–8
educators who are interested in increasing arts integration into other content
areas. It will take place on March 11, 2017 at the Tukwila Community Center.
For more information, please go to: https://form.jotform.com/63368412076962.
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This
annual event is co-hosted by OSPI and the Washington Art Education Association
(WAEA). High school students from all nine of the state's educational service
districts (ESDs) participate in this artistic celebration each year. If you are
a high school art teacher, this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase student
artwork. For more information and to view past winning artwork, please go to: http://www.k12.wa.us/Arts/ArtShow/default.aspx.
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Washington will delay submission of the Consolidated Plan until
September 2017. See the full press
release at: http://www.k12.wa.us/Communications/PressReleases2017/ESSA-Submission.aspx.
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