Week 31: Verifying What Matters

Happy Friday!As we move deeper into the spring stretch, I remain grateful for the steady, professional way you support students and one another. Our performance targets in attendance, discipline, and academic growth remain in clear view, and the habits you bring to classrooms, hallways, buses, and cafeterias each day are what keep us moving toward those goals. This week’s Wrap-up focuses on a behind-the-scenes task that has real implications for how our work is measured and recognized, an update on summer professional learning from our Teacher Center Committee meeting, and several celebrations that show how our students are growing in academics, the arts, and athletics across the district.Getting Credit For Your WorkThe state Roster Verification System window is now open in LEA Insights, and this step is essential to ensuring Merit Teacher Incentive Fund rewards are based on accurate and fair data. Roster verification is how we confirm that every student is correctly linked to the teacher who actually provided instruction, so that growth scores and future merit pay decisions reflect your work with students.This year, roster verification includes both our traditional ATLAS-tested areas and our earliest grades. That means teachers who serve students in grades K through 2, as well as teachers in grades 3 through 10 English language arts, grades 3 through 8 mathematics, algebra, geometry, and tested science courses, will verify that their rosters are correct. For K through 2 teachers, this is a forward-looking step. The state is beginning to collect and link K through 2 scores now so that, after three years of data, those grade levels can also be included in merit pay calculations. Careful roster verification this spring is what will make it possible for early elementary growth to count in future years.Our local deadline for completing teacher-level roster verification will be ten days before the state final due date. We build in that time so principals and I can review and certify everything before it goes to the state. Please do not wait until the last week of the window to begin. The earlier you log in and review your rosters, the more time we have to correct any issues and ensure that you receive full credit for the students you serve.The state has provided a helpful set of slide decks and short videos to walk teachers and administrators through the Roster Verification System. These resources are available on the state department Roster Verification System page and are organized by role, including Primary and Secondary Teachers of Record, Potential Collaborators, Building Administrators, and District Administrators. I encourage you to use the slide deck and video that match your role as you complete your verification. If you need assistance after reviewing those materials, please reach out at the building level first so we can support you quickly.Our goal is simple and important. Every student correctly linked to the right teacher, every time. When the state calculates growth and merit incentives, we want those numbers to reflect the real work that you do with students each day.Teacher Center Committee Meeting at DMESCThis week, our spring Teacher Center Committee for the DeQueen-Mena Educational Service Cooperative (DMESC) met to complete one of our three required annual meetings and to provide feedback on school needs while previewing summer professional development. The Teacher Center Committee continues to play an important role for us by serving as a direct line between schools and the co op. Their input helps shape the kinds of support and training that are offered, and it keeps the focus on what our teachers and students actually need.The co op team shared a wide range of summer professional development offerings that touch nearly every content area. There will be math sessions focused on fluency and foundational number sense, literacy sessions from state specialists that support writing, comprehension, and planning an effective literacy block, and science sessions that use high-quality instructional materials and ATLAS data to guide instruction. In addition, there are opportunities in CTE, early career exploration, dyslexia, mentoring and coaching, classroom behavior, and ESL support. In short, there is something here for almost every teacher, and the challenge will be making sure you know what is available.One key update for us involves RISE training. The K–2 and 3–6 RISE