Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016
Nov. 9, 2016
Dear Educators,
 
Later this morning, we will be sharing an all-staff message about next steps for our kids, thanks to Denver voters' approval yesterday of our 2016 bond and mill levy measures. However, I wanted to highlight for you, as soon as possible, both my gratitude for your work and my excitement about what this will mean for you in the near future. 
 
The single largest mill levy investment is in support for the whole child. With these funds, schools will be able to hire additional social workers, psychologists, counselors and/or restorative justice coordinators to better meet the needs of all of our kids. And the second largest investment is to expand and deepen our highly successful teacher leadership program: Teacher Leadership and Collaboration.

Just as importantly, the passage of the mill levy means we will be able to provide you, our teachers and special service providers, with an additional 1.1% raise for the 2016-17 school-year. The increase will go into effect Dec. 1 and will be retroactive to the start of the 2016-17 school year. This means your Dec. 31 paycheck will show the increase and a retroactive lump sum payment from the start of the school year through Nov. 30.
 
I am deeply grateful to Denver's voters for their investment in our schools, our educators and our kids. And I am deeply grateful to you for the work you do every day to achieve our vision, Every Child Succeeds.
 
Best,
Tom
DPS Transitioning from Schoolnet to New Platforms

In order to provide you with superior products to use in your classrooms, DPS will begin gradually transitioning from Schoolnet to two new software platforms -- Schoology and Illuminate. These products will be fully available for the 2017-18 school year and can be accessed through the Teacher Portal. Schoolnet will continue to be used for certain functions and will slowly phase out over the next several years.  If you have questions, please contact dps_portalteam@dpsk12.org .

Learn more about this transition. 
Provide Feedback on the Colorado Academic Standards

The Colorado Department of Education is inviting educators, educational leaders, parents, students and the general public to share their perceptions of the Colorado Academic Standards through an online survey available through Sunday, Nov. 13. The survey results will inform the state department's planning for the upcoming review and revision of the standards as required by Senate Bill 08-212, known as Colorado's Achievement Plan for Kids. The law requires a review of the standards by July 1, 2018, and every six years after. In early 2017, CDE will provide comprehensive information about the timeline and phases of the standards review and revision process, as well as information about how to become involved. The survey and online standards' feedback system can be found on the CDE website.

Make Your Voice Heard! CollaboRATE is Coming Soon

On Nov. 29, make your voice heard and strengthen your team by participating in CollaboRATE. This survey is one of the most important tools you can use to help shape the future of your team and DPS. As a teacher, you will be able to share feedback about your principal, assistant principal, deans and, if applicable, Teacher Leadership & Collaboration team leads.

Strong leaders need constructive feedback; with your feedback, they can challenge existing processes to make positive changes that strengthen our efforts to ensure Every Child Succeeds.

For more information, check out these Frequently Asked Questions or visit celt.dpsk12.org/collaborate/.
Schools Can Print Their Own Standards-Based Progress Reports

Good news! Standards-based schools will now have the ability to print their own report cards directly from Infinite Campus without submitting a request. This means:
  • No more multiple-day turnaround times.
  • The ability to reprint report cards if you find errors.
  • More language options.
  • A report card that looks the same whether the school prints them or parents print them using Parent Portal.
For term one, the languages available for print include English, Spanish, French and Somali. For term two, we expect to add options for Russian, Arabic and Vietnamese.

View a sample of the report or check out this video for instructions on posting grades once the grading window is open.

Professional Learning and Resources

Illuminate Newsletter: Sign Up Today
If your school is using the Illuminate platform for assessments, we encourage teachers to sign up for the Illuminate newsletter. The newsletter provides useful information about time-saving tips, advice on how to best use the assessment platform and other frequently asked questions. The newsletter is emailed once or twice a month to support the training you already receive. You must opt-in to receive these e-mails. For more information, please contact standards@dpsk12.org.

Foundations of Early Literacy: Change to K-2 Benchmark Professional Development Strategy -- Some Sessions Canceled
We now offer curriculum-aligned options for the Foundations of Early Literacy professional learning. Given these changes, the previously-planned Benchmark professional learning sessions scheduled for Nov. 29, Jan. 31 and Apr. 4 will no longer be held. The content from these sessions will be embedded within the curriculum-aligned options for the monthly early literacy specialist training. This decision was made based on feedback received from teachers, leaders and network support personnel to streamline professional learning offerings. If you have questions, please contact Sara Wortinger.

Foundations of Early Literacy: Module 4 Update
In order to streamline required professional learning for Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers, the January Foundations of Early Literacy Module 4 for ECE teachers and paraprofessionals will be facilitated centrally by our early education partners. The session will be held on the Jan. 6 green day. The module topic, Infusing Targeted Literacy Instruction During Free Choice Time, will be integrated into the longer Raising the Bar: Rigor in Early Education module, which is required for all ECE teachers and paraprofessionals for compliance and quality ratings.
Faculty Meeting Q&A
A feature focused on sharing your top questions from recent faculty meetings

Q:
In regard to ProComp, has the district ever thought of going back to the step model? I have no incentive to raise my salary. I've been in the district for 15 years.
A:
In a step-based compensation system, because there are a finite number of steps, employees will still "top out" or reach their maximum salary within a specific number of years. DPS and the Denver Classroom Teachers Association (DCTA) are working closely to develop the next iteration of ProComp (please see the update that was shared this past September). Specifically, a group of teachers, school leaders and district and DCTA representatives are evaluating teacher feedback and researching compensation options to better understand the issues. The goal is to determine what elements of our current and former compensation systems have been effective and will be beneficial in retaining and attracting great teachers at all experience levels.

As a next step, we will host teacher engagement sessions to better understand the preferences and priorities teachers have when it comes to the compensation system structure. Please be on the lookout for information about how to participate in an engagement session in the coming months.
 
For more information on the current system, please visit the Teacher Compensation and Benefits website.

Have a question we can help answer? Email us at  newsletters@dpsk12.org.
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