Contents:

1. EWIS and VOCAL Data Release
2. Picture of the Week: Canton Public Schools Prepares for STEM Week
3. Openings on Parent and Community Education and Involvement Advisory Council
4. Applications for the InSPIRED* Fellowship Are Now Open
5. Center for Instructional Support Professional Development Opportunities
6. For Your Info:
   • STEM Week Challenge
   • Mitigating lead in drinking water
   • Equine encephalitis (EEE) disease

1. EWIS and VOCAL Data Release:

• Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS) Data Release: Educators can review EWIS data in Edwin to understand which students are at risk of missing important academic milestones and to develop additional supports tailored to their students’ strengths and needs. Student claiming must be complete to see EWIS information for the 2020 school year. See the Student Claiming User Guide for details.
• Views of Climate and Learning (VOCAL) Data Release: The data are in the Office of Planning and Research’s folder within Drop Box Central in the Security Portal. The data are provided in an Excel workbook for each district and school. The 2019 data are located at the end of your list of files. The VOCAL data include index scores (overall school climate score and three-dimension scores) and item response data based upon all students within participating districts and schools. Full graphical reports that provide trend and subgroup data will be available in the fall; these reports will be found in a separate 2019 VOCAL Dropbox. For more information, please read the welcoming letter for principals and superintendents from Matthew Deninger, DESE’s Acting Chief Strategy and Research Officer.

3. Openings on Parent and Community Education and Involvement Advisory Council:

4. Applications for the InSPIRED* Fellowship Are Now Open:

5. Center for Instructional Support Professional Development Opportunities:

• district leaders, school leaders, and teachers
• locations around the state as well as virtual/online learning
• ELA/Literacy, Science/Technology/Engineering, Math, History Social Science, Language Acquisition, Educator Effectiveness, and Digital Literacy/Computer Science.

6. For your info:

• STEM Week Challenge: STEM Week Challenge is a new zero-waste themed design challenge for all grade levels based on real-world problems from TD Garden and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, brought to you by Project Lead The Way and Mass STEM Hub. Registration will open online after Labor Day, and interested educators should sign up by September 18. In order to participate, teachers must complete three hours of training (Sept. 24, 25 or 26) and carve out 10 hours of instructional time for students to work on the challenge between the end of training in September and the end of STEM week (Oct. 21-25). Afterward, teachers will be able to submit student work for review by industry professionals and participate in a showcase on Oct. 25. Curriculum and training are provided at no cost by PLTW and The One8 Foundation.
• Mitigating lead in drinking water: New federal and state guidance for schools and early education and childcare facilities recommends that they identify and address all taps and water fountains used for drinking, cooking, and medical purposes that have levels of lead over the recommended laboratory detection limit of 1 part per billion or copper over 1.3 parts per million. Please find more information and additional resources in this MassDEP reminder brochure.

• Equine encephalitis (EEE) disease: The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is currently monitoring equine encephalitis (EEE), a mosquito-borne disease, throughout the state. EEE is a rare but serious and potentially fatal disease that can affect people of all ages; two human cases have been confirmed in Massachusetts to date in 2019. The mosquitoes most likely to spread EEE are most active between dusk and dawn and human risk of infection is greatest during that time of day. DPH recommends schools, in consultation with their local public health partners, take precautions as necessary and determine if outdoor evening activities should be rescheduled to pre-dusk hours. Student athletes and their supporters should be encouraged to wear insect repellant and long sleeves and pants (weather permitting) if they are going to be outside between dusk and dawn. For questions about mosquito control in your city or town, contact your local board of health (listed online or in the telephone directory under “government”). For the most updated information on EEE risk and FAQs, contact the DPH Division of Epidemiology at (617) 983-6800 or visit the DPH website. For general information about mosquito control, go to Mosquito Control Projects and Districts.