 |
|
A Welcome & Farewell
This month, we are excited to welcome two new staff to the SEEC team.
Briana Miller
is the new Student Services Coordinator and is already on board focusing on ND Reading Corps tutor recruitment and will also be involved in SEEC's 21st Century Community Learning Centers out-of-school-time programs. Briana comes to us with experience as a past Reading Corps tutor and has also worked in 21CCLC afterschool programming in Fargo.
Courtney Seiler
will come on board in the new school year as a Professional Learning Coordinator. Her family is relocating here from Wilton, ND, where she has been the K-12 principal for the past two years.
SEEC is also preparing to say some goodbyes to a couple of great staff who are moving onto new, exciting positions.
Sandy Zahn
will be transitioning to a full-time employee of Edgeley School District where she will continue IT services but also manage their STEM program and SmartLab. Sandy has been instrumental in the growth of the SEEC and has brought leadership since the organization began in 2005.
Lana Meissner
has accepted a position with Jamestown Public Schools as their literacy grant coordinator for its Striving Readers Grant. She will remain on board to wrap up her out-of-school-time programs over the summer. Lana has done a wonderful job as the Jamestown Program Coordinator for 21CCLC programs.
|
In this issue:
- Out-of-School Time Conference
- NDMTSS Conference
- Using Proficiency Scales
|
|
North Dakota Afterschool Network:
Afterschool Map & Database Coming to ND
The ND Afterschool Network received grant funding from the National Conference of State Legislators to build a database and map of out-of-school time programs throughout North Dakota!
Over the next few months, the Network will collect information from afterschool and summer learning programs and compile the information into a free, online, searchable map on our website.
The map will provide a complete picture of afterschool across North Dakota, be a tool for programs, educators, parents, policymakers, and the community. Along with the map, the Network will publish a "State of Afterschool in ND" report. The publication will have data, infographics, and legislative district profiles that you can use to share the benefits and needs of afterschool to your legislators, policymakers, and funders.
The map will be unveiled at a Lights on Afterschool event around October 24, 2019. For more information or an invite to participate, contact ND Afterschool Network Lead, Kristin Knorr at (
701-446-3195) or (
[email protected])
Afterschool Day on the Hill Recap
North Dakota Afterschool Day on the Hill was held April 3, 2019.
Students & staff from
afterschool programs across North Dakota joined the ND Afterschool Network for a day of networking and engaging with state legislators & policymakers.
Students showcased their afterschool programs through interactive activities, participated in a scavenger hunt at the ND State Library, and shared the importance of afterschool programming with policymakers.
Watch for the next Afterschool Day on the Hill during the 2021 ND Legislative Session.
Thank you to the following groups for participating:
- Boys & Girls Club of the Red River Valley
- Gateway to Science
- Jamestown MOST
- Minto Afterschool Program
- MREC - ESP
- ND State Library
- Valley Cit MOST
- YMCA Bismarck
- YMCA Cass Clay
|
|
Tier 2 Intervention Opportunity
ND Reading Corps K-3 Program Expansion with Funding Support
|
|
During the 2019 Legislative session, ND Reading Corps received funding over the biennium to support the expansion of its
K-3 program into new schools.
Reading Corps is a Tier 2 intervention which places a trained AmeriCorps member in a school to deliver research-based literacy interventions to students in Kindergarten through third grade. Tutors serve part-time, providing one-on-one interventions to students 20 minutes a day, 3 or 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. Tutors use research-based interventions tailored to student need based on assessment data to boost early literacy skills such as letter names, letter sounds, phoneme blending, letter sound correspondence, and connected text skills like fluency and comprehension. Students are benchmarked and progress monitored using FastBridge assessments.
To participate, South East Education Cooperative (SEEC) and host schools jointly recruit the tutor, SEEC provides all training, monthly site visits that include data meetings and fidelity checks. Host schools commit to having a staff member spend 6-9 hours per month supporting each tutor. This time includes completing two monthly intervention fidelity checklists.
During the 2017-18 school year, ND Reading Corps
served 753 students with
77% of students who completed service exceeding the target rate of growth, meaning they made more than a year's worth of growth to close the gap with their peers.
Through this opportunity, there will be no cost for new schools the first year of participation. The commitment to participate is outlined in the
Guide to Becoming a K-3 Reading Corps site.
SEEC provides all training for the program. The link to apply to participate is located within the guide. Please contact Jolene Garty, Director of Student Services at
at
[email protected] for more information.
|
Improving Academic Literacy
Increasing Student Achievement for Learners in grades K-12
|
|
This April the South East Education Cooperative (SEEC), in collaboration with Dr. Kevin Feldman, completed their fifth year of the Improving Academic Literacy Project (IAL). Over
80 participants came to 5 sessions to learn about how to improve engagement, vocabulary instruction, critical thinking, and comprehension strategies in their classroom settings.
IAL is a five-day team professional learning opportunity sponsored by SEEC, that is spread over the course of the school year.
The project's goals are to familiarize with and implement research-based literacy strategies that will increase student achievement for learners in grades K-6 (elementary cohort) and grades 6-12 (secondary cohort). The project focuses on working with a team of "master teachers" from each school to combine research-based strategies ( IES Practice Guide ) with implementation, feedback and coaching.
Building administrators invite master teachers based on their expertise, leadership abilities and their willingness to be observed and give/receive feedback. This year, participants included K-12 teachers from 14 schools in 6 school districts (Fargo, Jamestown, LaMoure, Milnor, Richland, and West Fargo). In addition the the 5 sessions with Dr. Feldman, each participant completed four learning walks. Three were live, while the fourth was conducted virtually using Skype and Swivl.
At the end of the year, SEEC issued an Implementation & Impact Survey that 36 participants responded to. 100% of respondents reported that their instructional practice and student engagement had changed as a result of participating in this series. One teacher noted,
"Beginning this class at the start of school was very beneficial to me and my students. The changes I made to my instruction are quite significant and have benefited my students. I think they've increased students' math vocabulary knowledge, which in turn, increases their understanding of the concepts and lessons."
Another commented,
"To be a part of IAL has been a privilege and I am extremely thankful that my principal realized the impact this project will have on our school. I foresee some wonderful changes in our school - full of collaboration, engagement, and student growth."
Looking toward next year, the project will be adjusted to allow more time for observing strategies in action in schools, as well as more time to practice and record lessons using Swivl. SEEC will also be offering an IAL 2.0 series - Engaging Students in High Quality Instruction.
If you're interested in learning more about IAL or have any related questions, please contact Professional Learning Coordinator, Kerri Whipple at
(701-446-3192) or
|
Out-of-School Time Summer Conference
July 30-31, 2019 | Register Today!
|
NDMTSS Conference: June 10-12, 2019
Registration Ending May 31st | Click the Flyer to Register!
|
Using Proficiency Scales in the Classroom
Click the Flyer to Register for Preferred Date and Location!
|
SEEC Upcoming Events
Click an event title below to view more information and/or register.
|
|
Outside Opportunities
Conferences, REA statewide opportunities, and more
2019 Biotechnology/AP Prep Workshops
- high school and middle school science teachers
6 + 1 Trait Writing Institute - K-12 Educators | July 31-Aug 1, (Minot)
|
|
|
South East Education Cooperative
1305 9th Ave S Fargo, ND 58103
|
|
|
|
|
|
