Students at Trevista Horace Mann in Northwest Denver

Feb. 12, 2020

Dear Educators,

As you know, we are committed to ensuring that we are leading alongside teachers and school leaders to be an equity district. In service of that commitment, we wanted to share with you some of the ongoing work we are doing to fulfill that commitment, particularly as it relates to culturally and linguistically responsive instruction. Within this identified area of focus for Instructional Excellence, we have set proactive measures in place to ensure our districtwide curricular choices align with this commitment. 

 

The Academics Division has four key identified areas to continue to build a more culturally responsive set of curricula in our district. The four key areas are:  

 

1. We are committed to handling immediate and urgent equity issues within curriculum that have been brought to our attention through an internal audit of curriculum flagged by community. The need for important changes have been brought to our attention this year, and we want to encourage all our leaders to continue expressing your concerns so that we are able to address issues of equity with urgency. Please email the Department of Curriculum and Instruction with any such concerns. 

 

2. We have begun an internal process to do continuous, ongoing curricula reviews. This work involves relying on our internal stakeholders, such as our teachers, leaders and central office staff, and simultaneously working with external consultants whose background in culturally responsive curriculum reviews will help strengthen the way we make this work a part of our district DNA. This also involves the equity professional learning experience all central office employees are engaging in this year, and specifically our Curriculum and Instruction and Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) departments that are working to develop an internal framework for CRE curricula reviews in DPS.

 

3. We are then working to conduct external reviews of curricula by a neutral third party in order to mitigate any blind spots we may have missed internally. We are partnering with Facing History and Ourselves -- a nationally recognized organization that believes in using history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. 

 

4. Finally, we will always be looking at the work that's coming out nationally to determine the best approach, including adoption of curriculum that aligns with our commitment to culturally and linguistically responsive instruction.  

 

Thank you for helping us realize our vision to become an equity district where every student thrives -- not by accident, but by design.  

Many thanks,

Tamara and Mike

This Week's Top Things to Know

DPS is seeking about 40 individuals to serve on the Denver Plan Advisory Committee. This committee is intended to reflect the diversity of our students and will ensure that our district’s next strategic plan is grounded in the experiences and expertise of the communities we serve.

Please encourage all members of your school community -- whether parents/guardians, educators, students, staff, leaders, neighbors and more -- to apply by Feb. 21. This group will draw on community insights to make recommendations to the DPS Board of Education on key components of the Denver Plan, namely the shared definition of equity, the vision of a DPS graduate, and the Denver Plan goals.

The application is available in English and Spanish. To learn more, visit dpsk12.org/next-denver-plan or email denverplan@dpsk12.org.

Registration for spring PDUs is now open in Learning Space. Educators can find current PDUs with direct links to register in the Learning Space Course Catalog Report (click on PDU filter at the top menu bar, and select 'Yes' to view PDUs). A current PDU course list is also available here and on the Professional Learning website. Please contact the instructor listed for questions about specific PDUs. 

Updated Renewal Process for Credentials

There is a new process for renewing your teaching license or advanced license/National Board Certification. Beginning Feb. 28, the HR licensing inbox will no longer be active. Instead, follow the instructions in this user guide to complete the renewal process in Employee Space (which is accessible from the Employee Action Center on The Commons). Before you get started, make sure to have a PDF of the credential ready to upload.

As a reminder, if your salary includes a grade for an advanced license/national board, an unexpired credential must be on record.

To request a grade change after obtaining a new credential, follow these instructions.

Secondary English-Language Curriculum Pilots Now Available

The ELA Department is looking for five to 12 schools to participate in new secondary English Language Development curriculum pilots for the 2020-21 school year: 

ELA would like interested schools to be early adopters of these curriculum pilots, prior to their inclusion in the 2021-22 Universal Flexibilities Menu. For more information and to complete the interest form, click here. 

Access Prevention Programs in Time for Spring

Spring can be a high-risk time for our students as they go through spring break, prom and graduation. A popular approach to prevention is using EVERFI's Prescription Drug Safety and AlcoholEDU programs to reinforce discussions around safe and smart choices. 

These fully funded resources are a great tool to reinforce lessons on refusal skills, handling peer pressure and helping a friend in need. Contact Caitlin Gayles if you have questions. 

Interviews and Hiring Happening Now for Summer Academy 2020

Even in all this snow, we’re already planning for Summer Academy! Students will receive invitation letters for their current schools Feb. 11-21 and registration is open March 13-April 13. As a reminder, we are hiring for the following positions:

 

 

Summer Academy will focus on developing critical early literacy skills and will be held June 9-July 2 at 10 school sites across the district. The program is available to kindergarten through third-grade students who are below or significantly below grade level on their fall and mid-year READ Act assessment. Please note, this extends to English Learners, who are only eligible if they are on a READ Plan.

Visit our website for more information. Please email questions to Summer Academy or call 720-423-3629.

LAST CHANCE: Register for Spring ELA Teacher Qualification Hybrid Courses

The final ELA Teacher Qualification spring hybrid courses will begin Feb. 20. Teachers with a May 1 training deadline must register for spring courses immediately. 

Past editions of Teacher Weekly

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