News from the Alaska Department of Education

February 2023

Alaska Reads Act Implementation Webinars

Through May, DEED is hosting weekly hour-long webinars to take a deeper dive into the Alaska Reads Act. The webinars will focus on each of the four programmatic parts of the Alaska Reads Act, as well teacher certification, data collections, and application to world and Alaska Language programs. Multiple webinars are also scheduled which will be dedicated entirely for Q&A and clarification. These webinars are open to the public but will be tailored to educators leading implementation efforts in each district or school. Each webinar is scheduled for 3:15-4:15 PM. Click here to view the weekly topic and to register.

Science of Reading Leadership Course (NWEA)

In partnership with NWEA® and Consortium on Reaching Excellence in Education® (CORE®), the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) will offer a joint learning, collaboration, and coaching opportunity that will empower 50 Alaska education leaders to understand effective literacy instruction. The leadership course will provide participants with fundamental knowledge in effective standards-aligned and research-based reading instruction and assessment practices for all learners to support their school and district plans in the science of reading, as required by the Alaska Reads Act. Apply here.

Keys to Literacy

Keys to Literacy is an approved provider by the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development to provide a free professional development course that meets the requirements of the Alaska Reads Act.

Between February and May, 2023, Alaska PreK-Grade 3 educators can participate in a hybrid-online course titled Keys to Beginning Reading that totals 48.5 hours. Participants spend approximately 36 hours completing modules in an asynchronous online course and attend five, half-day, virtual-live meetings facilitated by Keys to Literacy trainers (totaling 12.5 hours). The course is organized into five sections — participants complete a 6 to 8 hour section of the online course prior to attending a half-day, virtual-live meeting that addresses the content of that part of the course. The meetings are scheduled between February and May, 2023 with 2 to 3 weeks between each meeting. Participants access the self-paced online course content via readings, videos, quizzes, and reflection activities. They share some of their reflection activities during the virtual-live facilitated meetings. Click here to learn more about Keys to Beginning Reading, including a course outline. Register here.

K-12 Math Professional Learning Catalog

This semester DEED is hosting several professional learning opportunities which are available to Alaska educators at no cost to the educator. If you missed the webinar providing an overview of the opportunities, click here to view the recording. A complete list of opportunities is available in the Professional Learning Opportunities Catalog. Questions? Please contact Joy Abbott at 907-269-6578 or email  joy.abbott@alaska.gov

Assessment Literacy Professional Development

Want to improve your understanding of assessment? Want to learn more about how you can make assessment a better tool for improving classroom learning outcomes? The DEED Assessment Literacy courses begin this week week and are targeted at deepening educator understanding of Assessment data. Courses are offered remotely during after school hours. Attend a series of courses and work with the Professional Learning Coordinator to earn UA credit for your commitment. If you attended sessions in the fall, you can still earn credit.  Reach out to Athena Hill at Athena.hill@nwea.org for more information on credit. Click here to view the course catalog.

Contact Kelly Manning at Kelly.manning@alaska.gov for more information about these Professional Learning opportunities.

New Content Available for Safe Children’s Act Curriculum

The Alaska Safe Children’s Act (informally known as Erin’s and Bree’s Law) requires schools to cover the topics of child sexual abuse and teen dating violence.  DEED created a curriculum in response to legislative action.  This curriculum is for students in grades 7 through 12 and is called Bree’s Law Education. It meets the full requirements for student training under the Alaska Safe Children’s Act, including requirements for Bree’s Law and Erin’s Law. There are now two versions of the curriculum (A and B) for each grade band. The two versions allow the curricula to be used in consecutive years providing variety in the lessons and scenarios while covering the same content. If you have questions about the Safe Children’s Act, please contact us at EED.AlaskaSafeChildrensAct@alaska.gov.

Alaska Developmental Profile Results Available

Late last month, DEED released results for the Alaska Developmental Profile (ADP), the assessment used to provide a snapshot of each child’s development when they enter school.

The ADP assess 13 goals across five domains of development.

Statewide in 2022, just under 32% of kindergartners consistently demonstrated 11 of 13 goals, while just under 19% of kindergartners consistently demonstrated all 13 goals.

Demonstrating phonological awareness is the goal which the fewest kindergartners met, with only 39% consistently demonstrating that skill.

The Alaska Developmental Profile is required as part of the statewide comprehensive system of student assessments, 4 AAC 06.712. The ADP documents what students know and do which is used to inform practice and instruction as well as statewide policy.

District and school level results for the Alaska Developmental Profile are available here.

Click here for a FAQ for the ADP.

School Health Echo Series Underway

School Health ECHO is a statewide virtual learning network intended for professionals in the education setting to interface with a team of medical and education experts in Alaska. The School Health series is focused on health considerations, answering questions related to educational and school settings, and establishing a safe school environment. Each session will include public health announcements and updates, a brief presentation followed by Q&A, and guided discussion or case presentation as an integral part of the learning experience. If you were registered for previous School Health ECHO series, you must register again for this new series to obtain Zoom access to the sessions. Click here to register.

2022 PTPC Newsletter Available

The Professional Teaching Practices Commission’s intent is to serve as a preventative and positive force in helping to enhance the professional performance of all educators so that the public’s right to the best education possible for all of Alaska’s students is adequately protected. The PTPC 2022 Newsletter is now available at this link.