A: When we begin to rewrite middle school curricula in the 2015-16 school year, we will strive to integrate the humanities curricular themes, topics, and elements wherever and whenever possible.

A: The PARCC testing window begins March 9, 2015 and extends through to May 29, 2015. Click HERE to see the details of the testing window by grade level and subject area.

A: Yes. Elementary schools received 16 substitute days, middle schools received 18 substitute days, and high schools received 9 days. Additionally, schools received support in the form of resource teachers and other certificated staff administering and proctoring assessments.

A: Yes. Principals will make that request to their Regional Assistant Superintendent (RAS). If the RAS in unable to fulfill the substitute request, the request will be forwarded to the Testing Office for approval.

A: The Principal and School Test Coordinator will decide the most appropriate use of substitutes and Central Office staff depending on the testing schedule and needs of the school. Most of these support personnel serve as proctors or accommodators.

A: Yes. Central Office staff members that have a current MSDE teaching certificate will be assigned up to 8 days in a school. Elementary schools will be assigned 1 staff member, middle schools will receive 2 staff members, and high schools can request a staff member. The dates of support for PARCC testing are mutually agreed upon between the school and staff member. Schools can request additional support from Shannon Pugh, Manager of Assessment, in the Curriculum & Instruction Division.

A: Yes. Central Office staff members, with current MSDE certificates, were given test administration training by the Testing Office.

A: Yes. Principals received a limited amount of stipend money ($25/hour) to support PARCC testing and the School Test Coordinator. Elementary and middle schools received 18 hours of stipend money and high schools received 12 hours. Moreover, the Testing Office will support any school needing additional assistance and/or training.

A: In general, no. If the substitute has a current MSDE teaching certificate and has received the official Test Administration training at the school, they would be allowed to administer PARCC.

A: Yes, a retired teacher may administer the PARCC assessment if a) their MSDE certificate is current and not expired and b) only after the School Testing Coordinator (STC) properly trains them on the PARCC administration.

A: In general, yes. Only staff members with a current MSDE certificate and proper training can administer the PARCC assessment to students. Staff members without a MSDE certificate can help a Test Administrator proctor a testing session, but can never be left alone with students.

A: Yes. See the Question #2 above.

A: The Departments of Curriculum & Instruction and Advanced Studies & Programs will continue to work on assessment writing and they will continue to recruit teachers to work on these new assessments as new curricula are written. Some of the new assessments will have online assessment options available for the teachers and schools that would like to use them. C&I; will also be producing some webinars and providing some PD opportunities to help teachers create new assessments. These new assessments might be in a traditional pencil and paper format, online, or a completed product or portfolio from a project, investigation, performance, paper, presentation, or other creation. We want our students to have a variety of authentic assessment experiences to allow them to demonstrate their learning in the multitude of ways that they might be assessed in college and throughout their careers. In addition to new district assessments, the new curriculum guides provide a list of possible assessment opportunities in the right hand column of each page. We are also in a multi-year process of creating an assessment bank of items, tasks, rubrics, projects, questions, and other assessment opportunities that teachers can select from for classroom formative assessments – ready in the near future. We apologize that you may currently find the Special Education DI Blackboard site confusing. We are working on streamlining the site to provide more user-friendly navigation tools.

A: District assessments that are listed on the AACPS District Assessment Calendar are the only district –wide assessments slated to be administered (see https://intranet.aacps.org/Dept/Instruction/Pages/Assessments.aspx for the calendars). The AACPS curriculum guides and other resources do have quizzes and other formative assessments embedded in the documents for schools, teams, and teachers to use, but whether teachers are mandated to use these or other school-created assessments are a school based decision. We support common formative assessments that help collaborative planning teams in their work to improve student success but which assessments are chosen and how often they are administered are school-based decisions.

A: The social studies portion of the Quarter 1 assessment was written by the same teachers and staff who wrote the social studies curriculum. The Grade 4 content assessed represented the sixth lesson in the social studies curriculum and the Grade 5 content assessed the fourth lesson in the social studies curriculum. With the unique approaches that some schools take in scheduling and teaching social studies [and science] we realize that in some schools teachers did not have an opportunity to teach these lessons prior to the assessment. We are making changes for the 2016-2017 school year so that the social studies standards are addressed in a separate assessment, not within an integrated assessment.

A: Classroom teachers work with our content coordinators and resource staff to create, vet, and revise district assessments. This year, we built in multiple opportunities for teacher feedback on quarterly assessments including DC meetings, reading teacher meetings, content team planning, professional development sessions, and early-release professional development days. In addition, some content offices have afterschool focus groups to contribute to this on-going process. Please check with your content coordinator or Shannon Pugh (spugh@aacps.org) about any additional opportunities that may be available.

A: The 5th grade reading quarterly assessment #3, like all of the district assessments, are created collaboratively with the Reading Office, Reading Teachers, and classroom teachers. The 5th grade reading assessment was one that was used last year. Current classroom teachers participated in the revision and vetting process earlier this year. Also, during the February early release professional development day, time was built into the district PD calendar to allow all 5th grade teachers to review the assessment and provide feedback to the Reading Office. The Reading Office compiled the feedback to make final revisions to the assessment. The readings on the assessment are from Treasures 5th grade ancillary materials. Many students do struggle with poetry, but starting in 3rd grade, poetry is a genre that is included in the MCCR reading standards. The Elementary Reading Office welcomes recommendations to specific questions and teachers are encouraged to contact them directly.

A: Specific feedback concerning deadlines is greatly appreciated. Adjustments to scanning deadlines will be reevaluated for Quarter 2. A survey will be going out in the next week for additional feedback. Please include specific content area needs.

A: As we work our way through the first year with quarterly assessments, including assessment administration and grading schedule, we are taking note of the various concerns and possible solutions. As we schedule 2017-2018 quarterly assessments, we will consider your suggestions to develop the best schedule for our students and teachers. Please continue to reflect upon this first year of implementation and continue to share your concerns and recommendations.

A: Thank you for your questions and the possible solutions provided. We are currently in the process of examining the quarterly assessment schedule and are searching for the best possible schedule for our students and teachers. The solutions you provided, specifically giving a window and allowing assessments to begin earlier in the quarter, are all being considered.

A: Yes. In an effort to accurately capture students’ current reading abilities, teachers should enter the most recent data points.

A: The Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment provides a variety of data points, which support teachers in planning instruction. Beyond providing a level to support teachers with material selection, the assessment provides qualitative and quantitative data points for individual readers such as accuracy, fluency, reading rate as well as their ability to comprehend within, beyond and about the text. These data points allow teachers to target their instruction to meet the needs of individual students.

A: Thank you very much for taking the time to share your concerns about the biology quarter one assessment. Over the summer, teachers developed the assessment and we posted it as a draft on Blackboard for review. Biology teachers reviewed the assessment during the August 30 professional development session. Teacher feedback was collected and the quarterly was revised to reflect this feedback. Currently, the quarter three assessment is out for review and vetting. We chose to model our district assessments on the MISA (Maryland Integrated Science Assessment) that students will now take in place of the Biology HSA. Although the MISA format is different than what we have used in the past for HSA and MSA, the format is similar to other online assessments, specifically PARCC. On these assessments, students are required to navigate various sources of information and on all of these assessments the different texts and information are found by students clicking on different “tabs.” On MISA students will use the information found in each tab as well as the content knowledge and skills that students develop in classroom learning activities such as labs to answer each question. This synthesis of new information found in the tabs as well as what students bring to the test in the way of content knowledge and skills, makes the assessment more rigorous but more authentic as the assessment is much more than a recall of information or a reading test of science material. In addition, students have already been taking assessments that require them to choose more than one answer. These questions are common in English and Math classrooms and on the corresponding assessments so although students might not have mastered these types of questions, they are not new to students. Modeling the online test was problematic. For the quarter three assessment, we will activate the sketching feature so students will be able to draw their model or teachers may provide paper instead. We know that navigating through the tabs and constructing written responses is difficult, but it is expected of students on MISA, so it is important for students to have exposure to the format before May.

A: The new elementary level curriculum spans Pre-K to 5. The standards that are being used and the instructional progressions that the writers are creating are based on the National Standards. For mathematics, we follow the standards progression as crafted by the Dana Center and mirror MCCRS. For literacy, the standards come directly from MCCRS. The newly released NGSS standards drive the creation of our science pathway along with the newly released C3 social studies standards. Writers have gone to great lengths to organize and develop learning experiences that are relative, meaningful and age appropriate. If you find a specific area that you believe is not following either of those governing tenants to curriculum development, we highly recommend using the Feedback Tab on the Blackboard site to bring those concerns to the attention of the writers responsible for that portion of the curriculum. Writers, coordinators, and administrative staff studied multiple curriculum models prior to even beginning the writing process to ensure what was being created had both foundational support from research-based practices in curriculum writing, as well as futuristic elements that are required in affording children with experiences that prepare them for tomorrow and not yesterday. We continue to address improvements required of the early grades and are scheduled to address them this year through the Assessment Writing and Curriculum Innovation Academy.

A: AACPS has participated in many professional opportunities with Fountas and Pinnell (F&P;), including visits to our school system by one of the authors. Our approach to F&P; aligns with their philosophy and intent. As shared by F&P;, the purpose of the Benchmark Assessment System is to provide the teacher with a tool to "strengthen instructional decision making" and ensure teachers can "meet students where they are and lead them forward with intention and precision." In their overview for literacy leaders, F&P; describes how “The Benchmark Assessment System” conferences give teachers a chance to spend meaningful time with each student. Teachers will get to know students and begin to develop relationships while gathering critical information.” Our F&P; administrations (conferences) allows teachers to do just this – spend meaningful time with each student and strengthen instructional decision making.

Since the purpose of F&P; is to inform instruction and not to provide a reporting mechanism to parents, our selection of the assessment windows does not align with report cards. Considerations such as school breaks and testing windows for district assessments factored into the decision. The winter assessment window allows for the F & P assessment to be used as a formal tool to support teachers with progress monitoring efforts. It is also a time to reflect on practices to confirm what instructional methods are working and what needs to change between now and the end of the year. The winter window affords teachers this opportunity to progress monitor student growth and reflect on instruction.

A: Thank you for your comments. Both the texts used for the Quarter 2 Grade 4 assessment were from publishers (Including Highlights for Children) that recommend the readings for intermediate grades. We ran the text through the Professional Version of the Lexile Analyzer and found that the Lexile scores were within the high end of Grade 4. As a team, we work with our psychometrician on assessment data after each assessment administration and if an item is flagged as statistically problematic, we revisit the items. We have made slight adjustments to the Grade 4 assessment over the past couple of years to reflect any statistical problems and to address teachers concerns submitted with the quarterly assessment surveys. With that said, the Grade 4 readings and assessments are up for revision this summer and we will take your concerns into consideration as the teachers on the team choose to either keep one or more of these texts or to choose another one. If you are interested in working on the team this summer, please reach out to Coordinator for Elementary Reading, Jane Friend (jfriend@aacps.org) or Manager of Assessment, Shannon Pugh (spugh@aacps.org).

A: As the current middle school curricula are adjusted and aligned to the new assessments, the writers will strive to provide additional cross-curricular alignment of topics between Language Arts and Social Studies, including offering cross-curricular instructional supports and project ideas. Eventually, when we delve into a full rewrite of these two middle school curricular areas, topics and standards will be aligned more strongly.

A: We are considering the natural integration of keyboarding into each new curricula as each is written. In addition, as we begin to include significantly more technology use within the school day, we will offer additional teacher PD designed to support students informally and formally to gain keyboarding skills as the years progress. We will take your idea regarding the build of a middle school encore keyboarding module under consideration.

A: Across middle school SS and LA curriculum areas, the alignment of curriculum topics has been completed. Middle school teachers were offered and will continued to be offered professional development to support their understanding of this cross-curricular alignment to better meet students’ needs.

A: There are many things that can be done to address this. Regarding the pairing, conversations should be occurring between all Department Chairs / Lead Teachers and each school’s administration to ensure the best possible relationship is established. Regarding the role the regular educator and special educator may play, the TEAM Teaching guide is an excellent resource that is helpful in solidifying roles and responsibilities. It includes modules and a DVD that depicts seamless and effective co-teaching. All teachers were trained using this tool over the past several years, but there may be additional need for a refresher or in come case and initial offering of this material for some teachers. Special Education Resource Teachers are happy to work with teachers on these strategies any time. If a team is having difficulties, the Special Education Resource Teacher, in concert with school administration, should be utilized to assist in working through any difficulties or challenges a department or group of teachers may be encountering. In any co-taught classroom, the expectation is that both teachers play an equal and active role in the instruction. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Special Education Resource Teacher or the District’s Special Education Office if you have questions or concerns.

A: TAs should not be expected to do the work of a teacher or substitute teacher on a regular basis. Certainly on occasion, in urgent situations, this may be necessary, but if we are short substitutes, there are some things that we can try. We will reach out to HR to let them know that there is a greater need for substitutes for our Center Schools. If you have names of possible subs, please give them to the principal of the Center and ask that they be passed on to the Human Resources Department.

A: The Kindergarten curriculum was designed to capture the intersection and commonalities within and between multiple content areas (social studies, science, health, etc.), which generate student inquiry. PYP Units of Inquiry were a model. At this time a scope and sequence of ELA/reading and math standards (showing progressions) is posted on Blackboard. In addition to the SMART lesson alignment, the IB Office is currently working on developing additional professional development, networking opportunities, and planning support for PYP schools. AACPS recognizes that PYP schools need time to identify areas of alignment between their existing units of inquiry and the new K/1 curriculum and some flexibility in implementing the curriculum.

A: The recommended range of time for Interactive Read Aloud is 10-30 minutes per day. Teachers are encouraged to consider the following when planning for how long to spend on a text each day:

• When does the book lend itself to an appropriate stopping point?
• What is the best way to chunk the text to meet the primary standard?
• What are some other scheduling implications? For example, perhaps Interactive Read Aloud is shorter one day due to a lengthy science experiment.
• How much stamina do my students have at this point in the year?.
  
  
  

A: Teachers can use the Treasures texts and the e-curriculum for the whole-group lesson. As Interactive Read Aloud supports oral language development, vocabulary acquisition, and the Speaking and Listening Standards, the Interactive Read Aloud block may replace the “Oral Language” portion of Treasures, otherwise known as the green band.

A: Yes! Great suggestion. Throughout the year, the Office of Elementary Reading and Integrated Literacy will add more sample lesson plans to the curriculum. Additionally, a “Sharing/Collaboration” tab was added to each Blackboard site in grades 3-5. We encourage teachers to upload plans they create during collaborative planning or on their own. Sample plans are currently provided for the following titles:

Grade 3:

• Ants
• Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel
• The Lemonade Club
• Amelia Bedelia
• One Plastic Bag
• The Junkyard Wonders
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
• I Could Do That
• Tsunamis and Other Natural Disasters
• Jack
• The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle
• Why Mosquitos

Grade 4:

• Bud, Not Buddy
• Martina the Beautiful Cockroach
• Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea
• Rush Revere and the Star Spangled Banner
• Light in the Darkness
• Fredrick's Journey
• The One and Only Ivan
• Owen & Mzee
• The Other Side
• Dear Hank Williams
• Junk Sculpture
• My Story, My Dance

Grade 5:

• Cesar Chavez
• About Average
• Bully
• Book Scavenger
• Energy Island
• Mesmerized
• George vs George
• The Butter Battle Book
• Crossover
• Chasing Vermeer
• Navajo Code Talkers
• The Most Magnificent Thing

A: Thank you. These concerns will be reviewed and addressed by the Elementary Reading office. Please know you can also submit specific details via the Blackboard Teacher Feedback links or via the ASI-TAAAC website under Provide Your Input.

A: Thank you for bringing your concerns with the F&P; leveling systems and sharing the Fountas and Pinnell blog post. We will continue to work with various AACPS offices with parent communication and appropriate use of F&P; levels with our families. Our intentions to keep parents informed of student progress must be balanced with knowledge that each child's rate of growth varies from year to year.

A: The updated 2017-2018 curriculum provides opportunity at the beginning of the year to build mathematic culture and environment. The amounts of content expected to be delivered in the first 40 days is pared down. Also, there are four flex days and one assessment day built into each marking period.

A: Efforts in the 2017-2018 curriculum will reflect exactly that request. In 2016-2017, the math curriculum was actually scaled back to meet the MP4 need. The need to back map from the end of the school year will be paramount in planning for May/June of 2018.

A: Curriculum writers are exploring options to include a materials/resources section.

A: Teachers should consistently check for learning and then provide appropriate learning opportunities for students all year long, not just with F&P.; Student’s instructional level on F&P; should not be the only consideration a teacher makes when planning instruction. Students should not stay on one level until the next F&P; administration and adjustments should be made to guided reading groups. Reading teachers, resource teachers, and the Coordinator of Elementary Reading continue to provide training to support F&P; administration. Please feel free to contact the Reading Office for clarification at 410-222-5455.

A: There are a wealth of resources for our teachers to use to teach their students. Learning the resources does take time. Once teachers become more familiar with the curriculum and the available resources, they will see that it was developed in such a way that teachers have the ability to make professional decisions daily.

A: We recognize that there is a lot for teachers to teach daily. As we provide professional development to our teachers and principals, we try to remind everyone that everything won’t be perfect this year.

A: AACPS assessments are aligned with the standards and are designed to provide feedback to teachers and schools on how students are progressing. In addition, the assessments mirror the rigor and expectations of the state literacy assessment (PARCC). Our data shows that student performance on district assessments aligns with their performance on the state assessment and as such, the district assessments should be used by teachers as one piece of data when designing lessons and re-teaching. Each quarter we bring in representatives from different elementary schools to help create and revise district assessments and curriculum learning opportunities. We urge teachers to reach out to the Reading Office or to their principal and request to be part of these district teams. Classroom teachers insight and suggestions/solutions will be greatly appreciated.

A: Classroom teachers should have no more than three reading groups. Please reach out to the Reading Office if you need assistance narrowing the number of reading groups to three in your elementary classrooms. The Reading Team will be including part A and part B questions in the second grade curriculum to support the new assessment format.

A: Classroom Each of the teams has dedicated time in a month to not only be responsive to the needs of our schools but to also concentrate on developing age-appropriate and standards-based curriculum. Grade level teams maintain a 4-5 week lead on when the curriculum is scheduled to be taught. Each of the first units for the fourth marking period are complete and are either posted or being posted. We appreciate your patience with our writing progress, as we are producing a world class curriculum. The writing teams are working as responsibly as they can, making sure the needs of our teachers are met in a timely manner.

A: The SLO process is outlined in the TPE manual posted on the AACPS intranet. The process does include a pre-conference, an optional mid-conference and a post-conference.

A: The SLO process is closely aligned to the school improvement process at each school. It allows flexibility as appropriate by school and by grade. Each school has different needs in terms of student learning, therefore SLOs will look different from school to school. Every SLO is based on an identified standard and the measurement of student progress can be monitored through varying formative and summative assessments. Continued collaboration occurs among offices from School Performance, Academic and Strategic Initiatives, and Instructional Data to allow for more teacher choice for one of the two SLOs.

The format of the target must follow one of five templates. Teachers may focus on a common standard and administer the same assessments, but may feature different student populations and varying ranges of performance. Specific questions and clarifications of the target and evidence of growth are resolved through work with the SLO Reviewer and the Principal.

A: It is recommended Schoolwide SLOs using F&P; write a target using an individual student target. Example: Of the ____students in the identified SLO group__-___students will increase their level as indicated on the F&P; data chart. If one of the schoolwide SLOs is F&P;, the second SLO should be teacher choice. We do not feel F&P; assessments should be used as a sole indicator of student growth for an SLO.

A: What considerations are given for system-wide and school-based professional development? AACPS does plan and require systemic professional development sessions which are aligned to, and support system priorities. This year a school system priority is building teacher capacity in the area of Guided Reading instruction. Four professional development modules have been created for teachers in kindergarten, second grade and third grade. Reading Teachers are expected to share these modules with his or her principal in order to ensure that modules address both school system priorities and school-based needs. These modules are delivered on the four early dismissal days that are designated on the AACPS calendar. All other professional development is at the discretion of the principal and driven by the School Improvement Plan.

The decision to apply for EGATE is a school-based decision. The Regional Assistant Superintendent has not directed any of the feeder schools to apply for this distinguished recognition, but will support schools choosing to engage in this process.

A: The Office of Instruction is exploring possible options for accruing possible credits toward certification renewal.

A: We will look into this question and post an answer as soon as we have one.

A: We are working with the WCL office on this issue, but at this time we do not have an immediate solution to this problem. We will post a new “answer” as soon as we have a workable solution.

A: Unfortunately, we are not able to bring back the option you discussed in your question. We are working with Performance Matters on an easier way to identify scanning issues and will post this solution when available.

A: Due to recent upgrades, AACPS should not experience long ‘wait times’ this year.

A: SMS Grade Book Access Options – This document gives options and directions for special educators (or really any educator providing student services) to access gradebook data in a read only mode.
SMS and PowerTeacher Help site

A: Creating an Interim Report guide

A: Entering Grades and Comments guide

A: Collaboration among schools is encouraged to create shared common assessments in order to address the needs of similar learners. School-based teams can then evaluate the data and are able to immediately respond to student needs (intervention/extension/etc.) This can be very helpful in progress monitoring; allowing for true data tracking.

A: Please reference the TAAAC Negotiated Agreement regarding Article 11 Required Work Hours, page 27. Regular daily work hours totaling 37 ½ hours per week, exclusive of time for lunch, shall be established for … teachers in non-classroom positions working a 12-month work year. It is recognized; however, that the job requirements of these professionals are of such a nature that they often cannot be adequately met within a structured timeframe. A normal workload for these persons may include such activities as late afternoon and evening meetings, home visitations, independent and group planning, and emergencies. The provisions of this paragraph may be subject to change… Managers should be respectful of the standard work week whenever possible and provide ample notice for any evening or weekend required work hours.

A: Schools will continue to have the option to departmentalize with new curriculum in grades three, four and five.

A: The collection of information for SLOs, CDM and vertical planning is a school-based decision. Report Card distribution and the F&P; assessment window is set by Central Office. The concern will be shared with Regional Assistant Superintendents to support requirements of the school calendar and honor time for planning.

A: An additional professional development session for Interactive Read Alouds will be scheduled in January.

A: Triple E was designed to provide a PBL theme-based experience for county elementary students as cultural arts rotation. Although direct instruction involves full day Pre-K through 5th grade, the assignment allocation was purposeful to support school-wide engagement of the Program tenets and/or theme. This includes supporting collaborative planning of grade level teams, creating a school experience, and/or designing school/community outreach efforts in celebration of student voice. Triple E teachers are not exempt from duties. Cultural Arts teachers are highly valued and respected in their craft. The inclusion of Triple E teachers in cultural arts planning is important as together student strengths and potential can be seen collectively though a unique lens. If a personal connection can be made to further address a school concern, please contact Mary Tillar at mtillar@aacps.org.

A: During this year’s Summer Academy, teachers are writing additional Interactive Read Aloud plans to add to the bank of samples. We will continue to encourage and promote the use of the “Sharing/Collaboration” tab on Blackboard, at Reading Teacher Symposiums and at other face-to-face sessions with teachers. The “GR Scholastic Teaching Cards” provide resources to support each component of Guided Reading. One is available for every title in the book room and are located in the “Teacher Planning” tab on Blackboard. Please confirm you are enrolled in the curriculum, as some documents (such as Explicit Comprehension plans) are only visible to teachers who are enrolled. Enrollment will also ensure receipt of upcoming opportunities such as Guided Reading planning events.

A: The 2018-2019 school calendar has a total of 12 early dismissal days; 8 of the 12 early dismissals dates are designated as teacher workdays. The remaining 4 early dismissals have been devoted to professional learning to “Elevating All Students and Eliminating All Gaps”. The professional learning planned for October 17, December 6, February 6 and March 26, is being developed by the Office of Equity and Accelerated Student Achievement. The professional development modules will focus on relationships, implicit bias, culturally responsive teaching and the Teaching & Learning framework. We are seeking to support the building of strong healthy relationships between students and students, staff and staff, and staff and students across the county. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Maisha Gillins at mgillins@aacps.org or 410-222-5354.

A: There are a variety of high quality instructional activities aligned to meet the grade level standards that allow for teacher choice to best meet the needs of the students in your classroom.

A: As shared by Fountas and Pinnell, the purpose of the Benchmark Assessment System is to provide the teacher with a tool to "strengthen instructional decision making" and ensure teachers can "meet students where they are and lead them forward with intention and precision." It is also a time to reflect on practices to confirm what instructional methods are working and what needs to change between now and the end of the year, for all students. In their overview for literacy leaders, Fountas and Pinnell describe how “The Benchmark Assessment System conferences give teachers a chance to spend meaningful time with each student. Teachers will get to know students and begin to develop relationships while gathering critical information.” The winter window affords teachers this opportunity to progress monitor student growth and reflect on instruction. Please reach out to your school-based Reading Teacher or Office of Elementary Reading Office for additional support regarding ways to cut down on the time of the administration. Coordinator of Elementary Reading, Jane Friend, can assist with requests for additional substitute days and answer specific questions jfriend@aacps.org.

A: AACPS recommends that teachers work as teams rather than individuals to analyze student work, analyze assessment data, develop common formative assessments and summative assessments, share lesson ideas, and support each other in their work in increasing student achievement.

Professional learning communities are based on a group of teachers who share a common subject or grade level to focus on three questions:

• What do all students need to know and be able to do?(Common Core Standards; identified in curriculum documents)
• How will we know when the students learn targeted information? (Develop formative and summative assessments, group score student work to insure fidelity in grading of students)
• What will we do when students do not learn? (Reteach)
• What do we do when students have learned? (Extend)

The Teaching Learning Cycle provides a variety of documents to support teachers in planning from the lesson plan template to teacher/teacher and collaborative planning documents. You will find the collaborative planning document at:

Teacher to Teacher Collaborative Lesson Planning Guide

Most schools have modified the document for ease of use. However, any modification should keep the essence of the document so that the teachers are focusing on the questions identified for a professional learning community.

A: You may enter your AACPS or personal email (non-AACPS) address when you use this website.

A: Gender identity is included as a non-discriminator in the 2015-2016 Student Handbook.

A: We do not have a district license for LearnZillion. It would have to go through an MOI review if a teacher wanted to use it. If you are a teacher who would like to participate in a review of LearnZillion, please e-mail Cathy Gillette (cgillette@aacps.org). NOTE: The privacy and terms of use states that students under 13 are not allowed to use it.

A: Please contact the Division of Curriculum and Instruction at 410-222-5401.

A: Faculty Advisory Council works according to the TAAAC negotiated agreement that can be found here. Once you open the document, please visit Article 20 on page 43.

A: In order to build teacher capacity, we as professionals, must engage in professional learning. Please refer to Learning Forward, a national professional learning association, on why professional learning is critical to student achievement (https://learningforward.org/). In 2014, the 2-hour early dismissal days were instated and agreed upon by the Board of Education. These days are intended for professional learning, specifically in the area of closing the achievement gaps. Therefore, the district values these early dismissal days for continued professional growth and learning. With that being said, it is important for central office to hear feedback regarding the delivery and content of the professional learning. We encourage you to provide specific information on how we can strengthen the professional learning opportunity in order to achieve the district’s goal of Elevating all Students and Eliminating All Gaps.