Teacher Weekly
March 22, 2023
Highlights and Celebrations from Mid-Year READ
Dear classroom teachers,

We want to start by thanking everyone for all of their hard work to support our students. We know that you are working tremendously hard every day so that our students can thrive. We are seeing the fruits of your hard work starting to bloom. 

We know that being a fluent and proficient reader is key to our students' success. I (Kevin) can still remember unlocking the key to reading in Ms. Collins' first-grade class and how my confidence soared. This led to a lifelong love of literature that has helped shape the person I am today. 

The great news is that our winter READ Act Data shows that we are making positive gains for our students in grades K-3. As a district, we have increased the percentage of students scoring in Tier 1 and decreased the percentage scoring in Tier 3 from fall to mid-year. We are especially proud of these districtwide accomplishments: 
  • Overall Reading At Grade Level/Tier 1: 7% increase from fall to mid-year. 
  • Kindergarten Reading at Grade Level/Tier 1: 10% increase. 
  • Kindergarten Reading Significantly Below Grade Level/Tier 3: 5% decrease.

Our collective work in implementing new curricula and tightening our assessment practices have led to these great successes.  

As we look forward, we also have important areas to strengthen. These include:   
  • Our second-and third-grade data is relatively flat.
  • Our historically marginalized students are not experiencing the same gains as our white students. 

We have a few months until our last READ Act assessment. We are on track to meet our goal of 62% of students reading at Tier 1. We want to encourage everyone to continue the great work you are doing and double down in the following two areas:
  1. Ensuring great Tier 1 instruction for our students in our skills and knowledge reading blocks.
  2. Using data from your curricular resources to embed supports in Tier 1 instruction and plan interventions that address specific skills gaps. 

Lastly, let's finish with one more celebration. As Team DPS, we are all in this together, and it is important to remember that one school's success is everyone's success. We want to celebrate the following schools for moving 10% or more of their students out of Tier 3 from fall to mid-year: CMS, DCIS at Ford, Dora Moore, Ellis, Greenwood, Goldrick, Knapp, MSLA, and Samuels.

As we continually collaborate together, we can all take pride in their accomplishment and continue to work together to help each of us get a little better every day. 

To that end, we want to share a new Spring Reading Campaign.  
Reading should be a critical part of every student’s educational experience with DPS. To create a renewed culture around reading for DPS students and teachers, we are launching a multi-year campaign focusing on reading engagement. We’re excited to launch the first stage of this initiative this spring!

We ask that you have your classes submit their 23 favorite books they have read for 2023. We will be looking for books and stories that center diverse perspectives and ideas, in alignment with practices highlighted in our Elementary Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) text sets. 

Schools with the most unique submissions will be entered into a raffle to have Superintendent Dr. Marrero lead a read-aloud (elementary) or book discussion (secondary) that celebrates and centers a featured community. All schools are eligible and welcome to participate -- one class will be announced as the raffle winner for each month. 

Respectfully,

Drew Coleman, Associate Chief of Schools
Heather Haines-Koehler, Associate Chief of Academics
Kevin Greeley, Executive Director, Elementary
Supporting Our Muslim Community During Ramadan
To support staff and students who observe Ramadan, please consider:

  • Muslim students and staff may be hungry, tired and dehydrated, especially if they are in class late in the afternoon. Recognize students may be low energy and make alternative activities available in gym class and recess for students who are fasting.
  • Staff and students may be hungry, so give them support by using encouraging language more than language emphasizing worry. Cheer them on!
  • If you have a place where Muslim students and staff can share space together, especially during lunch time, encourage use of these spaces. Shared space can help bring connectedness and help them feel better during a time when others eat.
  • Increase awareness about Ramadan within our community.
This Week's Top 5 Things to Know
April Teal Day Registration Open Now Through April 2
Registration for April Teal Day is open now through April 2. View all session offerings in the April Teal Day session guide. Advance registration is required so please advise your staff accordingly. Contact professional_learning@dpsk12.org if you have questions.
Nominate an Educator for Touchdowns for Teachers by March 31
DPS’ partner Delta Dental of Colorado has partnered with the Denver Broncos to launch Touchdowns for Teachers, a program that recognizes local MVTs (Most Valuable Teachers) for outstanding service to their schools and communities.
 
Do you know a game-changing teacher who goes the extra yard to educate and inspire? All members of Team DPS are invited to nominate an educator (K-12) to be considered for this recognition.

Ten honorees will be selected each semester by a panel of community members, the Denver Broncos and Delta Dental of Colorado. Click here to learn more and nominate a teacher by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 31.
Participate in DPS Assessment Strategy Focus Group
The DPS Assessment team and Academics department are partnering with the Achievement Network to facilitate focus groups that will gauge assessment strengths, challenges, and uses across the district. These focus groups will help strengthen our overall assessment strategy. Teachers are important stakeholders in this work, as your firsthand experience with classroom assessment tools makes your feedback and insights critical to our understanding of our assessment strategy. 

Focus groups will be conducted virtually outside of school hours, and will last approximately 75 minutes. Your participation is voluntary, and we are committed to ensuring that your feedback is used in a way that respects your time and contributions. Fill out this form if you are interested in participating. For more information about the focus groups, visit this link.
Apply for Whole Child 'Distinguished' Status to Earn $750 Incentive by April 30
The ProComp agreement incentivizes schools to reach "Distinguished" status for Whole Child supports to achieve DPS' goal of supporting the whole child, and honors schools demonstrating outstanding work.

Schools are eligible to receive the award once every three years, and up to ten schools may be awarded with the Whole Child “Distinguished” Status each year. Employees actively assigned to a whole child “Distinguished” school, including non-DCTA, receive a $750 non-base building incentive, prorated by FTE. A minimum of 0.2 FTE is required to qualify.

The application is now available here. Take advantage of this opportunity to showcase your school's important work. Find additional information and prepare for your application here. Applications are due by April 30.

If you have any questions, email compensation@dpsk12.org.
Provide Feedback on the New DPS Math Instructional Vision
The Math Team is gathering feedback on how to best support your work in alignment with the DPS Math Instructional Vision. Student assessment data suggests that we need to make continuous improvements in how we approach math across the district, especially for Black and Latinx students, students with disabilities, and our multilingual learners. To accelerate the growth trajectory of historically marginalized students, the important first step of creating a shared vision for math instruction within Denver Public Schools is being taken. As the key stakeholders who work closely with our students on a daily basis, your input and perspective are essential. Please click here to access and respond to the short survey by April 4.
Additional Resources and Opportunities
Click here to learn more about these resources and opportunities: 

  • Reminder: Encourage Students to Sign Up for 2023 FinLit Student Conference on April 26

  • Schools and Families of Multilingual Learners Invited to MLE DAC Meeting on March 22

  • Pursue a University of Colorado Denver Graduate Certificate

  • Register for April 29 DPS STEAM and Sustainability Expo

  • Register to Attend the Student-Led DPS Climate Action Summit on April 22
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