IRT UPDATES Friday, August 19, 2011

INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES (CURRICULUM) WIKI Access via Blackboard (or Wikispaces account) IRT Updates Assessment Info Curriculum Info/Resources

 Science Kit Refill Items—Storage Closets  Living Organisms ◦ At least 1-2 week notice ◦ No deliveries on Mondays

SCIENCE UPDATES K-2—Transition to NC Essential Standards Science NC Essential Standards K-2 – Broken into strands Forces and Motion Matter, Properties, and Change Earth Systems, Structures, & Process Structures and Functions of Living Organisms C & I is asking K-2 teachers to begin the transition this year so that they may focus more on math and language arts transition to common core in the academic year.

SCIENCE UPDATES What are the major changes? – Kindergarten teachers will no longer teach the Comparing and Measuring Unit/Kit (will move to 1 st grade) Weather, Investigating Properties, Animals 2 x 2 – 1 st grade teachers will no longer teach the Solids & Liquids Unit/Kit (will move to 2 nd grade) Comparing & Measuring; Pebbles, Sand, & Silt; Organisms; Balance and Motion – 2 nd grade teachers will no longer teach the Changes unit/kit (will move to 3 rd grade next year) Solids and Liquids; Air and Weather; Life Cycle of a Butterfly; Sound

MATH UPDATES

K-2 ASSESSMENT UPDATES The Kindergarten Initial Assessment – starts August 25 – ends on September 23 Remains the same this year entering their data on a scan sheet provided by the Testing Office C & I once again is not providing KIA recording sheets for the academic year. All K-2 department chairs should have received 1 st quarter math assessments If need more IRT 2 nd grade teachers are still expected to administer 2 science formative assessments this year

3-5 ASSESSMENT UPDATES

Short Term Solution Assessments are posted on the Intranet at: /c-and-i/assessments.htmhttp://www2.wcpss.net/departments /c-and-i/assessments.htm Apperson Benchmark 3000 scanner and DataLink software program Students will use the Benchmark bubble-sheet to answer the assessments (if you still have an EZData forms from last year—recycle) It is required that only IRT scan bubble sheets and send assessment reports Teachers will receive assessment results electronically through a Biscom Delivery server

TESTING UPDATES CogAts and ITBS take place in Fall instead of Spring Sped. Ed.- 3 rd Grade IEPs/Testing Accomodations

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY UPDATES Study Island accounts will be setup—10 day count Prescriptive Instruction (will be available again) Blackboard Support IRT Instructional Technology Integration Support—Smartboard, Classroom Response System, Airslates, etc.

TEXTBOOK UPDATES Inventory—Aug count Distribution of MX activity/homework books Social Studies consumables

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UPDATES PD Calendar (under construction) Staff PD Survey E-schools – Search countywide trainings – Check teacher transcript

QUESTIONS?