5. Help Finding Substitute Teachers:
In order to help districts finding substitute teachers during this challenging year, DESE plans to work with the Department of Career Services (DCS) to create a listserv that will reach thousands of job seekers who have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. Districts that are interested in increasing their pool of substitute teachers are asked to please email Brian Devine, director of educator licensure, at BrianJ.Devine@mass.gov by Friday, March 12. The email should include the name, phone number, and email address of the staff person who an interested job seeker could contact. Districts that have an online application for prospective employees should also include that link.
The listserv will send an email from DCS to job seekers alerting them of the opportunity to substitute teach and will include the district’s contact information. From there, districts would complete their normal screening process.
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6. Elementary Principals March Book Group:
In collaboration with the Massachusetts School Administrators’ Association (MSAA), DESE’s Early Learning Team is hosting a year-long professional development series on topics related to early learning, preschool to third grade. In March, DESE and MSAA will host a book group discussion about Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students by Zaretta Hammond. The discussions will take place at 3:00-4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 17. Registration is open online.
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7. Share-a-thon on Assessment Strategies:
The Department’s Center for Instructional Support will host a share-a-thon on formative and summative assessment strategies from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 16. This will be an opportunity for teachers of all grade levels and subject areas to learn and share strategies, resources, and best practices for remote/hybrid teaching, with a particular focus on assessing understanding in order to inform instruction. Participants will also have the chance to join content-alike colleagues for a broader discussion of strategies within their discipline. Participants are encouraged to come ready to share their resources and ideas! Registration is open online.
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8. Significant Disproportionality in Special Education (258) Grant:
Districts either identified with significant disproportionality in special education for the 2020-2021 school year or at risk of identification with significant disproportionality in special education for the 2021-2022 school year are eligible to apply for the Targeted Federal Special Education Program Improvement Grant, fund code 258. Applications are due by Friday, March 19. Anyone with questions about the grant is asked to please email specialeducation@doe.mass.edu.
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9. Kaleidoscope PD Opportunities:
The Department’s Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning is pleased to repeat three professional learning opportunities this spring: Designing for Equity (Wednesday, March 24 or Tuesday, June 8), Transforming Instruction through the Lens of Authentic Work (Thursday, April 15), and Engaging Students as Complex Thinkers (Tuesday, May 18). Each 90-minute session will also explore instructional practices that use authentic work to build and sustain student engagement in remote, hybrid, and in-person learning. Educators will engage with colleagues from across the Commonwealth to strategize how to apply these practices in their own classrooms.
Registration begins Monday, February 22 and will close on a rolling basis for each session. Please click HERE to learn about each session and to find the registration links.
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10. Apply to the Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning’s Community Council:
The Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning is seeking applications from Massachusetts public school students, family members, educators, and interested community members to serve on its new Community Council. The Community Council will meet on four Wednesdays this spring starting on April 7 and will advise Kaleidoscope on its developing work around Deeper Learning by examining the tools, resources, and strategies being developed by the pilot. Kaleidoscope is specifically seeking to center the voices of applicants from historically marginalized communities. Please apply online, and email kaleidoscope@mass.gov with any questions.
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- Massachusetts administrator recognized: Paul Andrews, director of professional development and government services for the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, was recently awarded a Distinguished Service Award at the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education. Congratulations, Mr. Andrews!
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