July 2019

Toolkit helps kids and families get ready for kindergarten

The transition to kindergarten is not an event but a process. The Connecticut State Department of Education and the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood developed online tools to guide parents through a series of key transition activities. The new toolkit, Hello Kindergarten!, provides information, activities and resources to help parents and children feel confident when the big day comes. The toolkit includes multiple topics on transitioning into kindergarten such as:

how to use everyday activities to get ready for the kindergarten classroom;
how to give your child a healthy start; and
how to register for kindergarten.

Share Hello Kindergarten! with early childhood educators and families in your community.

Upcoming Holocaust and genocide workshops

Districts are required to teach about the Holocaust and genocide in social studies/history classes. To assist districts in teaching these topics, the CSDE continues to co-sponsor interactive workshops. The next round of workshops will occur in August 2019. For a complete schedule and registration information, contact state social studies consultant Stephen Armstrong.

Report cards present important data in user-friendly format

The Connecticut Report Cards are user-friendly, visual reports for all schools, districts, and the state. They are available on CSDE’s data portal, EdSight. Each report card provides essential information about students, educators, instruction/resources, and performance. The report cards use simple charts to visualize the data and make them accessible and understandable to a broad audience. Most charts offer trend data and encourage a longer-term perspective. District and/or state data are offered as comparisons in many cases.

Performance Matters Forum scheduled for October

The Performance Matters Forum will be a half-day conference held on Thursday, October 17, 2019, at the Red Lion in Cromwell. District/school leaders, data managers, data-entry staff, and informational technology (IT) staff are invited to attend. Sessions will highlight best practices focused on the following five topic areas: Data Collection, Assessment, EdSight, Accountability, and Research/Evaluation.

Creating a District Plan to Increase the Racial, Ethnic, and Linguistic Diversity of Your Educator Workforce: A Guidebook for Hiring and Selecting

New guide supports efforts to diversify educator workforce

All students benefit from the talents of teachers and leaders from a variety of races, cultures, and ethnic groups. The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) is committed to increasing the diversity of educators in our public schools and has developed Creating a District Plan to Increase the Racial, Ethnic, and Linguistic Diversity of Your Educator Workforce: A Guidebook for Hiring and Selecting. This guidebook, and its companion resources, will support plan development and address underlying racial, cultural, relational, and systems issues that must be addressed for successful implementation.

Panel discussion at Troops to Teachers event

Panelists at the Troops to Teachers event in May included, from left, Dr. Sam Galloway, Bristol Public Schools; Dr. Terrell Hill, Windsor Public Schools; Jay Robertson, Groton Public Schools; Melissa Michaud-Maltese, Bristol Public Schools; and Sal Escobales, Consolidated School District of New Britain.

Veterans describe journey from military to classroom

Service members and veterans had an opportunity to learn about the teaching profession, talk with veterans who are teachers, and network with district hiring officials at the Troops to Teachers event on May 30, 2019. The convening included a panel of educators and veterans sharing their pathways from the military to the classroom.

Commissioner Wentzell welcomes Higher Education Faculty and Pre-K-12 Administrators to an April 29th Convening focused on Equity-Driven Leadership

Commissioner of Education Dianna R. Wentzell welcomes higher education faculty and PK–12 administrators to an April 29 convening focused on equity-driven leadership.

Equity-driven leadership conference

The CSDE hosted a two-day conference on equity-driven leadership on April 29 and May 20, 2019. National experts engaged faculty from five of Connecticut’s administrator preparation programs, administrators from 15 school districts, and three teacher leadership fellows in exploring a comprehensive equity framework as a systematic and ongoing approach to achieve equity and excellence for all Connecticut students. Participants discussed how to incorporate the resources, tools, and strategies into administrator preparation programs and school and district practices. Representatives from several state education organizations also participated.

ReadConn continues for 2019-20

Register now! By popular demand, ReadConn will continue for the 2019-20 school year. ReadConn is designed to support K-3 special education teachers and their regular education partners with the implementation of the Connecticut Core Standards (CCS) in English Language Arts: Foundational Skills regardless of instructional approach. ReadConn was developed to increase teachers’ expertise in spotting student reading skills gaps, leading direct foundational skill instruction in reading, and monitoring student progress. School-based teams have their learning supported through free online modules, face-to-face events, virtual coaching, and webinars. For more information, email Joanne White.