Wednesday, August 14, 2024
Welcome to the ConnectEd Bulletin Board!
This is the place to find opportunities for further professional development, grant and awards opportunities, and much more!
- We've Moved! Update Your DPI Contacts
- Forward Exam Results Available for Districts
- Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Practices and Needs Survey
- 21st Century CCLC Funding Unlikely for 2025-26 School Year
- Registration is Open for DPI’s Emerging School Counselor Cohort (ESCC) - Living It is Different Than Learning It
- Division for Learning Support Leadership Conference
- Adaptive Organizations Foundation Seminar
- Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted Education Annual Conference
- DPI Focuses on Growth-Based Mindset in Updated Student Performance Level Descriptors for Standardized Assessments
- Wisconsin Special Educator Induction Program Celebrates First Year Success
We've Moved! Update Your DPI Contacts
As of August 5th, the DPI is now located within the Tommy G. Thompson Building, a few short blocks away from our previous location at GEF-3. Our new address is:
201 West Washington Ave.
Madison, WI 53703
Phone numbers and email addresses for DPI colleagues will remain the same.
Forward Exam Results Available for Districts
School District administrators should have already received access to the 2023-24 Forward Exam results through the DRC INSIGHT Portal. We’ve prepared resources for you and your teams to communicate these changes to your staff and the communities you serve on our Forward Exam Data and Results. Paper ISRs will be mailed to districts in late August. Schools and districts should share ISRs with families and can use the vendor reports for planning purposes. Assessment results will be available later this summer in the secure DPI WISEdash for Districts portal, and publicly available in the WISEdash Public Portal in early fall. WISEdash provides comprehensive, quality assured, and official reporting used for report cards, school and district improvement planning, and public information.
One important result of these improvements is that current Forward assessment results in ELA and mathematics are not comparable to previous year results. This is similar to what happened when assessment or standards changes were made in 2012-13 with the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exams, 2014-15 with the Badger Exam, and in 2015-16 with the Forward Exam (as well as in 2018-19 and 2021-22 in science and social studies, respectively, to reflect updated standards in those disciplines).
We have developed a few resources to help communicate these changes and make them understandable. Several resources are available on the Forward Exam Data and Results webpage. These resources may be helpful for your planning and can assist in answering questions you may receive regarding recent updates to the Forward Exam English language arts and mathematics test designs, as well as the standard setting conducted in June.
Click here to read more about the standard-setting process and Forward Exam improvements.
For more information, please contact Phil Olsen, Assistant Director, Office of Educational Accountability at DPIOSAmail@dpi.wi.gov.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Practices and Needs Survey
The Student Services, Prevention and Wellness Team at the DPI is seeking input to learn about the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) efforts and needs in Wisconsin schools and districts. Your input is crucial in helping inform and direct the focus of DPI’s resource development and technical assistance. Please consider completing this survey or forwarding it to colleagues leading SEL, with a preferred response date of September 11, 2024.
Questions can be directed to dpisspw@dpi.wi.gov or (608) 266-8960.
21st Century CCLC Funding Unlikely for 2025-26 School Year
DPI recognizes that many communities and schools rely on the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) grant to support out-school time (OST) programs to serve their students and families. We are proud of the services and activities that the 21st CCLC funded programs across Wisconsin are able to provide. We also recognize that there are many more communities and schools that go without access to these resources due to the limited funds available. It is with this knowledge, that DPI announces that we do not anticipate at this time being able to host a 21st CCLC competition for the 2025-26 program period due to limited projected available funding. Should this opportunity become available, the announcement will be posted on the DPI 21st CCLC website. Those seeking resources for OST programs are encouraged to reach out to the Wisconsin Out of School Time Alliance (WOSTA) for additional resources and support.
Registration is Open for DPI’s Emerging School Counselor Cohort (ESCC) - Living It is Different Than Learning It
The Emerging School Counselor Cohort is an opportunity for school counselor professionals in the first three years of practice or practicing under a One Year License with Stipulations. The primary goals of the cohort are to: provide just in time information and resources; delve into school counseling and education related content to inform and enhance the school counselor’s practice; create a network of professional support, dialogue, and consultation; learn best practices and ethical considerations; Utilize peer consultancy and tackle problems of practice; and foster relationships and connections with the supports, services, and resources at the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and through other statewide and regional agencies. Content will be provided by the school counseling consultant, DPI education consultants, and professional guests covering topic such as the ASCA National Model Implementation, suicide prevention, legal and ethical considerations, the continuum of career readiness, social emotional learning (SEL), compassion resilience, LGBTQ+ support, classroom instruction and management, compassion resilience, and additional topics to be determined by the cohort.
See the ESCC flyer for additional information and to register. Please determine with your business office if the fee will be paid by ACH or direct deposit prior to registering.
Please contact Andréa Donegan at andrea.donegan@dpi.wi.gov or (608) 224-6175 if you have any questions.
Division for Learning Support Leadership Conference
This year, the 40th Annual State Superintendent's Conference on Special Education and Pupil Services Leadership will be an in-person event. It will be a one-day conference on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at the Glacier Canyon Lodge at the Wilderness Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. Our keynote speakers will be Julie Weatherly and Rebecka Peterson. View the Registration Flyer here. Registration is now available here. The cost is $110 per person. Unfortunately, payments will need to be made by check or ACH this year. No credit card payments are accepted. Please determine with your business office if the fee will be paid by ACH or direct deposit prior to registering. Registration will close on Sunday, October 6, 2024. Lodging information is available on our website. Please note the cut-off date for the room block is Sunday, September 15, 2024.
This year we are coordinating our conference with the WCASS fall conference. The WCASS conference will be held on October 17-18, 2024, at the Glacier Canyon Lodge at the Wilderness Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. You will need to register separately for both conferences. Please contact Brianna Scott at brianna.scott@dpi.wi.gov with any questions.
Adaptive Organizations Four Day Foundation Seminar
September 17-18; October 15-16, 2024
CESA 1, N25W23131 Paul Rd, Pewaukee, WI
The Adaptive Organizations Foundation Seminar presents a practical set of ideas and tools for developing collaborative groups to be better equipped to resolve complex issues. We encourage early childcare professionals to join us as we grow our capacity to best meet the needs of our youngest learners. Participants will include state agencies staff and partners as well as school district and community provider staff.
For more information, view the flyer.
Click here to register.
Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted Education Annual Conference
October 7-8, 2024
Wisconsin Dells
Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted’s annual conference is for teachers, parents, administrators, counselors, coordinators, college students and more! WATG’s Annual Conference is a great opportunity to expand your connections and to find the information you need to help meet the needs of gifted and talented youth. Classroom teachers, administrators, G/T coordinators and resource teachers, college professors, parents, and college students can all benefit from the sessions and learning at this event.
For more information or to register, visit the WATG web site.
DPI Focuses on Growth-Based Mindset in Updated Student Performance Level Descriptors for Standardized Assessments
Following months of extensive engagement with internal and external education partners, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is updating terminology used to describe performance levels on required statewide standardized assessments. The updated terms are intended to foster conversations promoting student potential and growth at every level. Read the press release.
A handout with more detail regarding the update can be found on the DPI’s website. Information on the Wisconsin Student Assessment System can also be found on the DPI’s website.
Wisconsin Special Educator Induction Program Celebrates First Year Success
Following its initial year of implementation, the Wisconsin Special Educator Induction Program’s preliminary results are promising! 250 new special educators across the state received professional learning, coaching, and support during the 2023-24 school year. Almost 95% of new special educators who completed the induction program indicated a likelihood to remain in their current position or in the field of special education, while 100% of districts involved in the induction program indicated they are likely to participate again in the future.
For more information, please see the Infographics on the DPI's Resources to Attract, Prepare, and Retain Special Educators webpage. In addition, a brief video clip outlining the components of Wisconsin’s Special Educator Induction Program has been added to the DPI’s Support for Educating Students with IEPs webpage. If you are interested in more information or would like to nominate a new special educator to participate in the 2024-25 Induction Program cohort, please contact your local CESA.
What the new federal bill regulating youth social media means for Wisconsin kids via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Last month, the U.S. Senate passed the first major piece of legislation to protect kids and teens online in nearly three decades — and experts say it's long overdue.
Linda Hall on the mental health of Wisconsin high schoolers via PBS Wisconsin
Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health Director Linda Hall describes the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey's findings on anxiety, depression and effects of screen time among high school students.
Step into safety: The La Crosse Police Department stresses crosswalk awareness via WEAU (Eau Claire)
With students returning to both college campuses and K-12 schools, both students and drivers need to be aware of their surroundings. In Wisconsin, drivers must yield to pedestrians at crosswalks, giving them the right of way. It is also the law to stop for school buses when the operator establishes the red warning lights.
Wis. DPI: Standard-setting process, Forward Exam improvements complete via The Monroe Times
Following an extensive process involving input and guidance from hundreds of educators across the state, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) recently announced it has completed the standard-setting and benchmarking process for the Forward Exam. Student achievement results on the standardized assessment, released this fall, will reflect these updates.