Good Morning,
Eastern Region Professional Development: Eastern region is again offering a professional development this time focusing on Student Advocacy and Classroom Community Building when working with Violent Students and Violent Situations (Part 2*) Please see the attached flyer for more information.2-25-20 EA – violent and advocacy
PSEA Retirement Workshop: Whether retirement is right around the corner for you or several years away PSEA offers a great workshop on all you need to know! Please see the attached flyer for more information.ER pre-retirement materials 3-28-20
Lesson Plan Committee: Last week a committee of REA members met with a committee of members from Central Administration. Representing REA were an elementary, middle, special ed, and high school teacher. On Central administration’s side was Jen Murray, Siobhan Leavy, JuliAnne Kline, and Jesse Leisawitz. The purpose of this committee is not to change the lesson plan policy, but to provide clarification and fidelity across the district. In the new policy you will be required to have 3 full days and 2 skeletal days planned. If you currently use a template with this model and would be willing to share it with the Association to bring back to Administration, please email it to me at president@readingea.com. We would like to provide a few possible templates that “check the boxes” for the district but will NOT be required to use, just a resource if you so choose. We will be meeting again in April. Role out of the new lesson plan policy will begin with the 20-21 school year. We will meet as a committee again next school year. I will attach the lesson plan policy from the new CBA, but will also list the language.Lesson Plan Policy Lesson Plan Policy 2 In the meantime here are some key take aways from our first meeting:
1. “Procedures should include scaffolds, accommodations, modifications, and specially-designed instruction to ELs, students with IEPs, and/or at risk learns.” The expectation is NOT that you list all of your students with IEPs and their SDIs. The expectation is that you would list “best practices” of differentiating your lesson to best meet the needs of all of your students.
2. “Procedures/plans for a paraprofessional should be included if a paraprofessional is assigned to the class and/or students(s).” The expectation is NOT that you write a full lesson plan for a para that works in your classroom. If you have a para that pushes in to your classroom it may look something like: Mrs. Diaz will work with Jesus/Aryana/Anthony/Jasmin on level reader B from 9:15-9:45. If you are in a self contained classroom it may look more like a schedule of duties throughout the day.
3. It IS the expectation that every professional that has face time with students will have a lesson plan for that time. If you teach in a co-teaching classroom, it would be acceptable to have the same things listed for “bullets” 1-4, differentiate for “bullets” 5&6, and again have the same items listed for “bullets” 7&8.
Any questions about the new lesson plan policy, please let me know.
Quote of the Week: No matter how much pedagogy we know, no matter how many degrees we have, unless our students know that we care, they will not learn from us.
Have a great week!
Rebecca