Curriculum News - June 7

Dear Principals,

ARCHDIOCESAN DESTINY/Follett LIBRARY CONSORTIUM: Five schools are preparing for Follett library implementation this next week. We welcome:



Archdiocesan DESTINY Consortium Schools: The five new schools will have their one-day Follett Library Software Training on Wednesday, June 16^th from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Holy Names Academy Computer Lab thanks to the generosity of Sister Ann Cornelia Sullivan and the HNA Leadership. If any DESTINY school would like to send new employees to this training, there is a registration cost of $50.00 per school. We will be sending out a formal registration once the Follett starting time is confirmed. Welcome!

ARCHDIOCESAN POWERSCHOOL CONSORTIUM: Six schools are preparing for PowerSchool implementation this summer. We welcome:


As we move to bring these six new schools into the consortium, we will be offering admin training on three different occasions through the summer. This is also a chance for our 14 consortium schools to register any new faculty or office staff that may need an overview or refresher course of PowerSchool.

The PowerSchool Administrative Training sessions will be:
August 9-11 - Admin training at Visitation School, Tacoma. This would be all day on the 9th and 10, and morning on the 11th.
August 11-12 - Admin training at St. Thomas More, Lynnwood. This would be the afternoon of the 11th, and all day on the 12th and 13th.
August 18-20 - Admin training, downtown at the Chancery- Isaac Orr Conference Room. This would be all day on the 18th and 19th, and morning on the 20th. For further information, please contact Steve Deibert at stevedeibert@gmail.com

ARCHDIOCESAN ITBS/iRM CONSORTIUM: The Catholic Schools Department working with Riverside Publishing is pleased to announce our first data/assessment consortium supporting student growth and improvement for Grades 3-8 using the ITBS/iRM assessment tool. In order to gather Archdiocesan data relevant to support the new Improving Student Learning (ISL) Instrument and to uplift Archdiocesan policies in the area of assessment and reporting student learning, the ITBS/iRM assessment tool will be a quality common measure to help track longitudinal data of our students.

Catholic Schools: Policies and Procedures Binder for the Archdiocese of Seattle
2.7 ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING STUDENT PROGRESS
http://www.seecelebrateandlive.org/s...cedures-Manual

2.7 (A) Under the guidance and direction of the principal, each school shall determine a plan for regular student assessment.
2.7 (B) Student assessment programs shall be identified and used each year at selected grade levels to ensure that students are mastering the skills appropriate to their age group.
2.7 (C) Schools shall submit the results of student assessment results to the Superintendent upon request.
2.7 (D) Test results shall not be released to the public except with the permission of the school principal.
2.7 (E) To ensure that parents are informed of the progress of their child(ren),
schools shall issue report cards and provide opportunities for parent-
teacher conferences.

The full ARCHDIOCESAN ITBS/iRM CONSORTIUM OVERVIEW will be sent later this week to the K-8 principals for their consideration.

Two clarifications:

1. The Office of Catholic Faith Formation, under the direction of Dr. Anne Frederick, Director of Religious Education, has decided not to pursue developing a customized K-8 religion assessment tied to the ITBS battery. The Office of Catholic Faith Formation is now pursuing other religion assessment options to explore at this time.
2. MAP Adaptive Tests- Some of our deaneries are also interested in MAP Adaptive Tests from NWEA. Please know that the CSD is very aware that each school is developing their own assessment toolkit based on formative and summative needs of the local school community using a variety of assessment tools. The CSD has selected the ITBS/iRM assessment tool as the first summative and normative data collection tool to gather Archdiocesan-wide data relevant and parallel to the new ISL protocol. It’s a good common starting point for many of our schools.

Fall 2010 Testing Program Parameters:
*The Archdiocesan ITBS/iRM Consortium will use the Iowa tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), Form A, beginning fall 2010.

*Testing Dates: Monday, November 1 through Friday, November 12, 2010. All final paperwork will be sent to Riverside Publishing by Wednesday, November 17^th.

*Testing: Grades 3- 8

*Each school is responsible for their local building costs. The Catholic Schools Department will be responsible for costs associated with rolling-up test scores of participating schools at the Archdiocesan level.

*Interested schools can communicate to Rob Lauron or Sandy Smith by Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Optional Local Choices and Materials:
Riverside will honor the archdiocesan parameters and then optional testing materials are also available for your school’s consideration. Ie: Some schools might choose to test at a Grade 2 level and that can occur with the school communicating this request to Riverside directly at time of registering with Riverside. Our local Riverside Representative is Rob Lauron and he is happy to assist each school in setting up their Local ITBS/iRM account. More information will be out later this week.

Rob Lauron
Assessment Consultant
Riverside Publishing
Phone 206.295.7842
www.riverside.publishing
Robert.Lauron@hmhpub.com

SUMMER WORKSHOP: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center bring you:Perspectives on the Holocaust: A Seminar for Educators: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at Seattle University. Free! Space is limited! Clock hours available. Register Now!



Sessions include:

• Special Guest: Carl Wilkens, one of only a handful of Americans to remain in Rwanda once the genocide started, will speak on "Contemporary Genocide"
• Nazi Racial Ideology and the Holocaust
• Nazi Propaganda
• Breakout sessions by grade and subject
• Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust
• Stories from a Holocaust Survivor (evening program - part of the seminar and also open to the public)

Special thanks to Dr. Michael Silver and Seattle University for hosting this program. More information, flyer, registration –www.wsherc.org/programs SURPLUS TEXTBOOKS: We have Sadlier Faith and Witness 7^th grade religion textbooks for surplus, 30 New Testament and 30 Creed. They are in good condition.
Please contact: Bob Rutledge, Principal
St. Bernadette School 206-244-4934

SeeCelebrateAndLive.org: Thank you to all of the principals for their willingness to try new tech skills and participate fully in the online tools. As of today, 69 of 73 schools have completed their online 2010-2011 Academic calendar plus participated in multiple online surveys and online forums. Thank you!

THE WEEKLY PRINCIPAL/PASTOR MAILING: The CSD will be sending the weekly mailing to core school/parish leadership through Monday, June 28^th and will then move to summer schedule. The Weekly Principal/Pastor Mailing will formally resume on Monday, August 2^nd.

Respectfully submitted,
Sandra Barton Smith