FRIDAY FAST FACTS for Friday, February 12, 2016
In this edition of Friday Fast Facts, you will find the following:
- Legislative updates for the week of February 8-12
- AdvancED/KDE Diagnostic Review postponed
- Upcoming assessments and deadlines
- Operation Snow School update (Non-Traditional Instruction)
- Student Voice Survey begins next week
- New Teacher Academy dates
- Representation on SESC Education Co-Op Board
- Legislative updates for the week of February 8-12 – Several legislative proposals related to public education moved forward this week in committee and on the floor of the House and Senate. I am attaching a completeLegislative Updates Feb. 8-12, 2016 for you to review. It is vital that we stay up to date (and vocal) about matters relating to public education.
- AdvancED/KDE Diagnostic Review postponed – Last week I shared with you that the school district was scheduled for a review from AdvancED/KDE. Due to the weather this week, the team was forced to postpone their visit to Knox County. The new dates are April 3-6. We look forward to sharing all of the good things happening in the Knox County Public Schools with them.
- Upcoming assessments and deadlines – The ACCESS for ELL testing window closed today, Friday, February 12. All materials must be returned to the DAC at central office by Thursday, February 18th for return shipping. Please contact Ms. Bays for additional details. Also, across the Commonwealth high school juniors will be taking the ACT test on March 1. Join our high school teachers in showing encouragement and urgency to 11th grade students as they prepare to take this college-readiness assessment.
- Operation Snow School update (Non-Traditional Instruction) – I want to again thank everyone for your outstanding work on making non-traditional instruction successful in Knox County. We are up to five (5) NTI days being used, with day six (6) probably going to occur early next week. We will be communicating to teachers once we return to school the steps needed to submit evidence. I encourage our support staff to continue to work with your supervisor in making plans for your work on NTI days.
- Student Voice Survey begins next week – The Student Voice Survey window will open on Monday, February 15th for students in grades 3-12. Students will log in to IC portal to access the survey once the window opens. Schools will determine the schedule for the survey and students should log in prior to survey date to make sure their username and password is correct. Please contact Mr. Parsons with any technical difficulties with accessing the survey.
- New Teacher Academy dates – Our new teaching staff participates in a New Teacher Academy where they learn and share best practices. Due to the weather and forecasts, the academy for the month of February has been cancelled. New teachers will meet again on their originally scheduled day in March, which is Tuesday, March 8, 3:30-5:50pm. Mrs. Imel will be sharing additional details via e-mail.
- Representation on SESC Education Co-Op Board – I have been given the privilege of representing the students and staff of Knox County, and the superintendents of surrounding districts, on the SESC (Southeast / Southcentral) Educational Cooperative Board of Directors. In the position of Vice-Chairperson of the Board, I look forward to sharing our success stories while making recommendations on valuable trainings and resources that the Co-Op can provide to our schools. If you have any recommendations on how SESC can better serve educators, please let me know and I will share it with the Board.
Have a warm and safe weekend.