March 2022 Lighthouse

Welcome to the March edition of the PL Lighthouse!
This monthly email blast and webpage has been designed to serve much like a lighthouse, to serve as a way forward and help in navigating through the busy school year. Nothing else speaks of safety in the face of adversity and challenge quite like the lighthouse. ​

PL Team Update

As the work continues to evolve, new roles on the team emerge! Kristen is now the Executive Director of Personalized Learning and Innovation Sustainability. Lily is the Director of Personalized Learning. Congratulations to Kristen and Lily! 

PL Quarterback Virtual Huddle | March 30th, 12:30-1:30

We're looking forward to seeing all QBs together, virtually, Wednesday, March 30th from 12:30-2:30 PM! Please see the updated calendar invite for Zoom information. During our time, we'll be provide tools to help you prepare your team for April's Design studio as well as preparation time for the PL Defense in May.

Upcoming PL Educator Tours for March

If you haven't registered to attend a PL Educator Tour this month, don't miss your chance. The following campuses will be hosting:

• CityLab High School | Tuesday, March 10th, 1:00-2:30 PM [VIRTUAL]
• Dan D. Rogers | Wednesday, March 23rd, 9:00- 11:00 AM [IN- PERSON]
• Zaragoza | Thursday, March 31st, 8:30- 11:00 AM [IN-PERSON]

Canva Webinars | Open to District 

We are so excited to announce that Canva is now live for every 3rd-12th grade student and staff member in Dallas ISD! 
Over the next month we'll be hosting 4 webinars for teachers and school leaders to learn more about how to use Canva. To share webinar opportunities with your teams (and to register yourself) go to bit.ly/canvawebinars. You can access directions to share here.

It's Time to Celebrate our Fellows!

Join us for our 6th annual Innovation Showcase on Tuesday, March 8th from 5:00-6:30 PM. This virtual celebration is designed to recognize Dallas ISD's Innovation in Teaching, School Retool, and iDesign Central Fellows for the 2021-2022 school year. This event will elevate the voices of our fellows through three panels and a release of a virtual exhibition for attendees to explore their design projects over the year. Click here for the recognition rosters for all fellowships.

Learn more and register at www.thepltoolbox.com/showcase. Please feel free to pass this along to other colleagues and community members as you see fit. All attendees must register via Zoom to receive their own unique link to join on March 8th. 

Agenda 
5:00 | Welcome & Keynotes
5:20 | Fellow Recognitions
5:40 | Panel # 1, Leading Change with Empathy 
5:50 | Panel # 2, Bringing Ideas to Life with Prototyping and Hacking 
6:00 | Unveiling the Virtual Exhibition
6:15 | Panel # 3, Looking Ahead: Navigating Ambiguity and Hope for the Future
6:25 | Closing​

We are excited to announce the Innovation in Teaching Fellowship, a professional learning opportunity to expand personalized learning instructional practices across Dallas ISD, is beginning to recruit teachers for our seventh cohort of fellows, and since you work closely with teachers, we’re hoping you might be able to help with the recruitment process.

The Innovation in Teaching Fellowship equips Dallas ISD educators to grow in their understanding of and pilot Next Generation models in their classrooms. Over the 2022-2023 school year, fellows will draw from research, best practices, and their own ingenuity to design and test personalized learning in their classrooms. Fellows will have access to virtual workshops, pop-up (i.e., on-demand) professional development sessions,  and coaching from the Dallas ISD central personalized learning team. At the conclusion of the fellowship, fellows will have an opportunity to share their learnings and ideas with the education community through our Innovation Showcase.

Please feel free to pass along to other schools within your network or nominate 3-5 teachers on your campus who might be ready for the challenge. Please click here to access a quick nomination form or to share use, bit.ly/nominatefellows. Once a teacher has been nominated, he/she will receive an email regarding the opportunity, application, and deadline. 

For additional information about the Innovation in Teaching Fellowship and the application process, check out www.thepltoolbox.com/fellowship. Applications are due Monday, May 3rd by 11:59PM CST.  

NWEA Releases Updated Linking Study in Texas 

NWEA just released the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Spanish Reading linking study report. This study will support predicting performance on the STAAR Spanish Reading 3–5 assessments based on MAP Growth RIT scores. You can also use the data to help identify students who are at risk of failing to meet standards so they can receive the necessary resources and assistance to meet their goals.

As of February 18th, your MAP Growth reports include the newest predictions of your students’ STAAR Spanish Reading scores. These are reflected in your Class Breakdown by Proficiency report, Projected Proficiency Summary report, Comprehensive Data File, and Individual Student Profile reports. If you re-run any reports generated prior to February 18th, you’ll see the new predictions applied to ensure that the most accurate information is reflected for your students.