Welcome back! My name is Kem Sivils, and I am thrilled to be a new Teacher Leader Advisor in addition to being an Instructional Coach at St. Amant Primary in Ascension Parish.
This will certainly be an exciting year! Higher standards and increased rigor in our classrooms mean that our students will come to us knowing more than ever before. We must challenge our students and ourselves by asking the question - "How can we continue to grow our students and sustain that change so that they can become independent thinkers and problem solvers?" To support us in that challenge, I'd like to highlight two high quality resources to kick off the school year.
First is the continuously updated Teacher Support Toolbox. In addition to a new Back-to-School package, there are a ton of quality resources within the toolbox such as the ELA and Math Guidebooks. I also encourage you to access the links to EAGLE, and the 2014-2015 practice tests. These assessments can indicate who has mastered certain standards and who has not, so we can immediately begin planning for remediation or enrichment.
Next, I invite you to attend the first Teacher Leader Collaboration Event of 2015-2016 which will take place the week of September 14 in four locations across the state. Sessions will focus on instructional strategies that are relevant and engaging. You'll have time to practice with other teachers, receive feedback, and plan for implementation in your own school. I hope to see you there!
Finally, make sure you take advantage of the opportunity to weigh in on the Louisiana Student Standards through the Standards Review Portal. If you like the standards as is, check that. If you feel a change should be made, comment! This is your chance to influence the future direction of education in Louisiana!