​Registration is open and limited for the Achieving Excellence Together (For RI Teachers, By RI Teachers) Conference. Tickets are $30 and this includes breakfast and lunch. This is a great opportunity to collaborate with other RI educators and earn PD/PLU credits. 

​Dear Teachers, 
Below is an opportunity that has been forwarded to me from the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington   . If you are interested, the application is open until February 3rd. See details below.
-Clare

Dear Teachers,
My department at Mount Vernon hosts 6 week-long summer PD institutes for K-12 teachers about George Washington and the world he lived in. Each week is a different theme (see attached flyer or www.mountvernon.org/summerresidentials for more details). We accept all teachers – not just history teachers – who can demonstrate that they use George Washington/the world he lived in in their curriculum. We’ve had history teachers, ELA teachers, reading specialists, art teachers, media specialists, science teachers, culinary arts teachers, etc. attend the program.

Our application deadline was January 13, but we have specific funding for Rhode Island teachers and are looking for a few more applicants. We’re leaving the application open until February 3 at midnight. We are not posting the application link publicly on the website but interested teachers can find the application here: https://mountvernon-teachers.embark.com/apply/summer2020.

Questions can be sent to GWTI@mountvernon.org or to me at zjakub@mountvernon.org.

Education frameworks are models for instruction that help instructors align standards with lesson activities, create positive attitudes and environments, and integrate assessment into learning. Frameworks serve as conceptual maps for implementation.

The foundation of North Smithfield Public Schools framework focus on Standards, Practices and Relationships.

Standards:

• Clear and deep understanding of what students have to know and be able to do
• Strategic focus on agreed upon learning targets
• Guides the planning, implementation, and assessment of student learning

Practices:

• Strategies, methods, techniques, procedures and processes that teachers use during instruction emphasizes engagement, students participating in the learning process
• Focus on the “formative assessment-feedback loop,” the in-the-
• moment process students and teachers engage 

Relationships:

• Creates positive attitudes and environment for learning
• Teaching is a reciprocal process
• Both teachers and students become more invested in the learning

Educator Certification Renewal Information

RIDE announced in the December 21, 2018 Field Memo that new renewal requirements will go into effect beginning January 2020. These educators will be the first who will be required to earn Professional Learning Units (PLUs) for recertification. To this end, the following information outlines the responsibilities and supports for navigating this new renewal process:

LEAs’ Responsibility

Noted in RIDE’s PLU guidance document, in order for educators to earn PLUs, LEAs will approve professional learning activities which meet one or more of the following categories, Subject matter/content knowledge and skills; Pedagogical knowledge or pedagogical content knowledge and skills; Curriculum implementation knowledge and skills; Enhance educator effectiveness.

To encourage cohesive systems of professional learning that support educators, the regulations also require that LEAs create professional learning plans (PL Plans). These plans will identify those local professional learning opportunities offered to educators, in addition to the LEA’s PLU approval process.

Educators’ Responsibility

While each LEA will support professional learning opportunities at their level, every educator is required to keep track of their own PLUs, both the activities offered within and outside of the LEA. RIDE has provided a sample PLU tracker, both in Word and Excel versions, for educators to use, if one has not already been provided by the LEA (e.g. the Frontline Professional Growth platform). This tracker, at a minimum, will provide a record of educators’ approved PLU activities for recertification, including information such as the professional learning provider, dates, description, and number of PLUs earned.

If, over the course of an educator’s renewal period, an individual separates from their LEA or switches to another LEA, RIDE has also provided a process for verifying PLUs earned during time worked in the former LEA. This process includes the PLU Verification Form, which will be initiated by the educator.

Overall Process

We encourage all educators in RI to review the YouTube video which RIDE has created to explain the process for all educators who are up for renewal in 2020. An email to all educators up for renewal in 2020 will be sent from the eCert system to notify them whether or not PLUs will be required based on the status of the individual’s work history. In addition, there is an updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document which addresses common questions we have received regarding these new certification regulations.

For questions regarding certification, please email eqac@ride.ri.gov. For specific questions regarding professional learning, please email pl@ride.ri.gov.

​On Thursday, October 24, 2019, our new teachers to the district conducted learning walkthroughs from 9:00am-2:00pm. Together we visited nine classrooms, collecting anecdotal notes related to standards, practices and relationships- the three pillars of our instructional platform. As a culmination of the learning walkthrough, the team met to debrief and discuss patterns of model teaching techniques across classrooms. The day was an extraordinary display of professionalism and model teaching. Throughout the nine classrooms, we observed a passion for teaching, environments that advance student learning, rigorous instruction, high expectations, and strong student-teacher relationships.

This day is another reminder of how lucky I am to work with such dedicated professionals. 

​North Smithfield Schools has partnered with NE Basecamp to implement a year-long Social Emotional Skills Series professional development. This professional learning series includes deepening educators understanding of social emotional learning, a review of the RI Standards for SEL, exploration of the SEL indicators and the sharing of practical instructional strategies to build SEL skills within current content. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Social and Emotional Learning, just like math and reading, is based on certain skills and, also like math and reading, SEL skills can and must be taught.