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May 2014 Vol. 21 No. 4
edNews is a quarterly publication of Metro ECSU (Metropolitan Educational Cooperative Service Unit)
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Metro ECSU Executive Director:
Quick links:
Metro ECSU event calendar
Metro ECSU 2 Pine Tree Drive Suite 101 Arden Hills, MN 55112 Main: 612-638-1500 Fax: 612-706-0811
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New format for MPA
2014-2015 begins with a summer session featuring Pedro Noguera
Pedro Noguera will present "Building the Capacity to Meet Student Needs and Close the Learning Gap for All" on July 31, 2014 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Shoreview Community Center. Register now!
Based on recommendations from the Metropolitan Principals' Academy (MPA) Advisory Board, this first session of the MPA Leadership In-Service Series will be a full-day workshop (rather than two identical half-day workshops) held in the summer rather than the fall.
Advantages of the full-day summer session:
- More time focused on great content
- Leadership teams can attend together rather than splitting up due to building/district coverage needs
- Full day allows time for teams to process implications and applications of content
- No worrying about what students might be doing while you are out of the building!
For program information, please contact Joy Blanchard at 612-638-1528. For registration assistance, please contact Cindy Bernier at 612-638-1512. |
| Additional changes to the MPA structure include an optional implications/applications lunch
Once you leave a workshop, it's hard to find time to process all of the information presented.
To address this, the MPA will begin offering an opportunity to explore implications and applications over lunch immediately following the 8:30-11:30 a.m. Leadership In-Service workshops scheduled throughout the year.
These "dig deeper" sessions will take place from 12:00-1:30 p.m. at the same location as the morning workshop. Attendees will meet in small groups to process the important take-aways from the morning workshop. A $30 registration fee for this opportunity includes lunch.
In addition to Pedro Noguera, our great slate of presenters for 2014-2015 includes: Michael Fullan, Eric Jensen, Anthony Muhammad, and Rick Wormelli.
For more information, please contact Joy Blanchard at 612-638-1528. |
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| | "21st Century Learning" Sharing Summit: June 19 & 20, 2014 @ TIES
Many districts are working on building 21st century learning, customized learning, and personalized learning into the lives of students and teachers on a daily basis. For example, Farmington has done so with its 1:1 initiative. Eastern Carver County has an in-district grant process for innovation in the classroom.
There isn’t a model of what works best or steps for implementation. This is new territory for all schools and districts. It’s not just about the use of a tool, it’s not just about online learning, it’s not just about one or two classrooms. The use of tight/loose leadership, the Concerns-Based Adoption Model, a culture that supports risk taking, and strategies for second order change are all pieces of the road map on this journey.
On June 19 and 20, 2014 Metro ECSU will bring together practitioners from Minnesota and Wisconsin who will share how they have implemented 21st Century Learning, what barriers they encountered, and what they would do differently in retrospect.
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| | | Save the dates for SBC's 2014-2015 fabulous student programs!
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| | March YAC report: rave reviews! |
| Over 800 students attended the Young Authors Conference on March 20, 2014. Students and adults describe their awesome experience below. |
| | | | Knowledge Bowl State Meet
The second week in April found the top 48 Senior High Knowledge Bowl teams from across the state battling for top honors at the MN Service Cooperatives State Knowledge Bowl Competition. Buffalo High School's team took home first place. Awards were presented to the top six teams in the small school division (A) and in the large school division (AA). In addition, two teams were awarded the Heritage Spirit Award for their competitive spirit, grace in winning or losing, and all around great attitudes. As always, metro teams did an outstanding job and four of our five teams finished in the medals.
Hats off to Knowledge Bowl metro teams from St. Thomas Academy, Chanhassen, Eastview (ISD 196), Prior Lake and Chaska high schools!
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| | | | 2014-2015 Essay Topic: Feeding Future Cities
The theme of the 2014-15 Future City Competition is urban agriculture. Students are asked to select one vegetable and one protein and design a way to grow enough of these in their future city to feed its citizens for one growing season.
In 1900, the global population was roughly 1.7 billion people. In 2050 it is expected to exceed 9.5 billion. That’s more than 450% increase in the total number of people over the last 150 years. With billions more mouths to feed, there are increasing pressures on our global food supplies. Among the challenges are: less farmable land, more water pollution, growing water scarcity, increased fuel costs (making importing and exporting foods more expensive), pesticide resistance, and the growth of megacities. In order to feed the world in the future, we will have to come up with smart new ways to grow our food much closer to where we live.
Dive into this challenge with your 6th, 7th, and 8th graders! Only $25/school to participate.
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| | 6th Annual Charting the Cs/Cross-Categorical Conference is a huge success!
The 6th Annual Charting the Cs/Cross-Categorical Conference, a statewide event hosted by the MN Low Incidence Projects (housed at Metro ECSU) in collaboration with the Lakes Country Service Cooperative, was recently held at the Arrowwood Conference Center in Alexandria, MN on April 14-15. Over 630 participants were on site!
The purpose of this annual event is to promote collaboration, communication, and cooperation (the Cs) among all team members. The goal is to provide a nurturing learning environment for all students, including those with low incidence disabilities.This year’s conference (and the Sunday Pre-Conference) focused on promoting a culture of high expectations for all students. This is a fundamental goal of the Common Core State Standards, as well as our charge to provide a free and appropriate education (FAPE) to all students.
Dr. Barb Troolin, Director of the Division of Special Education, and Dr. Beth Aune, Director of the Division of Academic Standards with the MN Department of Education, set the stage for the keynote speaker, Jon Mundorf, who spoke of the "UDL Real World" -- providing access for all learners in the classroom setting. This exciting three-day conference featured 50+ breakout sessions, 3 statewide network meetings, 25 exhibitors, and numerous poster sessions.
Prior to this remarkable annual event for educators, the 2nd Annual Student/Family Mini-Conference occurred on Saturday, April 12, bringing together 28 families from around the state who have a child with special needs. Families learned about emerging "family-friendly" technology including apps and communication options, secondary transition, and motor activities. Many families stayed overnight and enjoyed the Arrowwood Water Park.
These connected events were made possible with grant funding from the Minnesota Department of Education. To learn more about the 2015 Charting the Cs/Cross-Categorical Conference, contact Deb Williamson at 612-638-1532. |
| | | In-demand vision teachers are trained through the Minnesota Collaborative Teacher Preparation Program
There are more than 1,000 students in Minnesota with vision impairments served largely by approximately 100 vision teachers who are itinerant and travel from school to school, district to district on a daily basis. The teachers have caseloads that vary from 6 to 35, and they travel from 0 miles to 140 miles per day. The population of Teachers for the Visually Impaired has been an active and innovative group for many years. Unfortunately, service needs are increasing as this group of teachers reaches retirement. Today, 61% of the current teachers are age 50 or greater.
The availability of new Teachers for the Visually Impaired is limited on a national basis. There are only a few universities offering approved programs that will meet Minnesota licensure requirements, and other states have the same high needs for replacing retiring teachers as Minnesota.
The Minnesota Collaborative Teacher Preparation Program for Teachers for Children with Vision Impairments, in place since 2011, has worked in collaboration with Salus University to provide coursework by an accredited university. It offers a full program in teacher education to support children with vision impairments. Students receive partial tuition that is also matched by Salus University. A Minnesota-based facilitator, Barb Lhotka, is in place to help students progress through their programs of study. Student cohorts meet monthly with Lhotka to discuss course topics and learn about Minnesota best practices in vision impairment and due process.
The first cohort of 8 students started in July of 2011 and will complete their coursework and 350 hour internships this summer. They are having no difficulty finding positions in schools. Many of them have been working in the field on special variances prior to completing licensure. The second cohort started in January of 2013. This group of 6 will complete the program in the summer of 2015.
Teachers interested in the field of vision impairment can contact Barb Lhotka at 612-618-5718.The Minnesota Collaborative Teacher Preparation Program for Teachers for Children with Vision Impairments is made possible with a grant from the
Minnesota Department of Education to the Minnesota Low Incidence
Projects at Metro ECSU. The source of the funds is federal award Special ducation –
Program to States, CFDA 84.027A. |
| | INSPIRE ACTION update
Region 11 Centers of Excellence for Young Children with Disabilities is excited to have the following districts participating in the new INSPIRE ACTION Framework for leaders of Early Childhood Special Education Programs: Central Public Schools, Minneapolis Public Schools, Osseo Area Schools, and St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale Schools.
Through the use of a self-assessment tool, district teams will be supporting the MN Department of Education in refining the framework prior to general use across the entire state of Minnesota. The INSPIRE ACTION Framework is grounded in the tenants of implementation science and is designed to assist programs in building and maintaining quality by identifying and celebrating strong program components, while at the same time identifying program components in need of improvement. Please look for updates on this exciting project in the fall edNews issue.
This initiative is made possible with grants from the Minnesota Department of Education using federal funding CFDA #84.173 Special Education – Preschool Grants and CFDA #84.181 Special Education –Grants for Infants & Families. |
| | Metro ECSU Composite Calendar Available
Each year Metro ECSU publishes its “Composite Calendar” featuring a combined summary of school district calendars for the metro Twin Cities area. Many districts and organizations that work with schools value this compact look at school vacations, conference dates and other important dates during the school. You can view and download this calendar at http://www.metroecsu.org/programsServices/publications/index.html
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