UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center

October 2019

October Announcements

October is already upon us, and I know that for each of you, fall 2019 is off to a busy start! Congratulations on all of the hard work, intentional planning, and successful implementation that has already occurred in your districts!


Thank you for participating in our recent needs assessment! The information provided was invaluable to regional planning, and the results were recently shared at our September 24 Governing Board meeting.


Please be sure to check out the updates below regarding PowerSchool; we have received several inquiries and want you to have the latest updates. Dr. Robert Mayben and I will be happy to assist you in training teachers to access the site; this could be easily be accomplished during planning periods or school faculty meetings.


As a reminder, you may find any of our newsletters at: http://inservice.ua.edu/newsletter. Also, continue to check out our social media pages on Facebook (@uainservice) and Twitter (@UofARIC). If you need additional information or would like to discuss specific plans for support for your school or district, I am happy to assist you at 205-348-6951 or via e-mail at hgmorgan@ua.edu.


Happy learning!

Dr. Holly Morgan

Director, UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center

Fall 2019 Professional Learning Opportunities

PowerSchool Learning Platform Updates

  • Dr. Robert Mayben (UA/UWA Alabama Technology in Motion specialist) and Dr. Holly Morgan (UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center Director) will be happy to assist you in providing PowerSchool Platform user training for teachers within your district. Please contact us with your requests at rmayben@ua.edu or hgmorgan@ua.edu. Faculty meetings and/or planning periods would make for an ideal setting/time if possible.
  • If you would like to review the help information for how to find a course, you may access training: https://alsde.truenorthlogic.com/ia/empari/help/Content/pd/B_Topics/courseparticipant/searchcourses.htm
  • PowerSchool (the PD portion that is replacing Chalkable PD) will go live during the week of October 1.
  • The ALSDE will be sending out emails on October 1, to all Superintendents and Technology coordinators which will include instructions for all educators on how to log into the new system. There will also be instructions on how to assign roles at both the District and School level. Right now, only the Superintendent of each district is assigned the Office Administrator for their district and Principals are assigned the Office Administrator of their school. The instructions we will send on October 1 will show them how to hand that responsibility over to whomever they wish at district and school level.
    • In addition, watch for emails that will go out to all educators in the PowerSchool platform to inform them about the new site and how to log in.

  • As a reminder, current Chalkable PD data is being migrated over to the new system. This means:
    • Training histories for the past 6 years will be migrated over to PowerSchool.
    • As a suggestion, educators may want to print their personal training histories in case of any issue with the migration so that they have personal record of their training histories. In order to assist you with how to download and print your training histories, Dr. Robert Mayben (Technology in Motion) has provided this brief how-to clip: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1A_Ut4vr3mVaw0eyq-VgFxtQ9x-fkyD8b/view

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

  • Teens in grades 7-12 can apply in 29 categories of art and writing for a chance to win scholarships and have their work exhibited and published.
  • The submission portal is open from September 12, 2019-December 12, 2019.
  • For more information, visit http://inservice.ua.edu/announcements

ACAP Regional Training Dates

  • ACAP Summative and Alternative Assessment Training will be held throughout the state during October 7-11, 2019.
  • Please review the following memo in order to learn more about the training opportunity and available dates at http://inservice.ua.edu/announcements

National Board Candidate Support from the UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center

  • Our next candidate support session will be on Thursday, October 10 beginning at 5:00 pm.
  • The focus of this session will be an overview of Component 3.
  • To view the 2019-2020 support schedule, visit http://inservice.ua.edu/announcements
  • For more information, please contact Dr. Holly Morgan at hgmorgan@ua.edu

AdvancED Connect Conference: October 1-2, 2019

  • In partnership with the Alabama State Department of Education, the AdvancEd Connect Conference will be held on October 1-2, 2019, at Frazer Memorial Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
  • The AdvancED Connect Conference will provide you with detailed information and best practices on the following topics:
  • New eProve platform including eleot®, Surveys, Diagnostics, Strategies (Phases 1-4), Workspace
  • You will also learn more about Continuous Accreditation Model, Alabama Continuous Improvement Planning (ACIP), Compliance Monitoring, Student Assessment and best practices, and STEM-based learning and the NEW AdvancED Certification Process Framework.
  • For more information regarding registration, visit http://inservice.ua.edu/announcements

Alabama Conference on Grading and Assessment for Learning

  • Registration is still open! Our Governing Board has elected to pay for one registration per school district. If you would like to participate, please contact Dr. Holly Morgan at hgmorgan@ua.edu by Wednesday, October 2!
  • October 5, 2019
  • Paul W. Bryant High School, Tuscaloosa
  • Featured Speaker: Tom Guskey
  • ACLD-PLU opportunity included for those who hold administrative certification
  • Registration $75 (includes book), Groups of 5+ are $65 each
  • For more information, visit https://acgal.org/

TregoEd: Collaborative Decision Making for School Leaders

  • Space is still available! Confirm your spot by contacting Angela Lewis at 348-3319 or allewis6@ua.edu by Wednesday, October 2.
  • October 9, 2019
  • 9:00 am-3:30 pm
  • UA/UWA In-Service Center
  • Complimentary session--Learn about TregoEd's research-based tools for collaborative decision making.
  • Lunch is provided at no charge
  • For more information, visit http://inservice.ua.edu/announcements

UA/UWA In-Service Center: Curriculum Director/Professional Learning Director PLC

  • October 15, 2019
  • 9:00 am-12:00 pm
  • This year, we will host 3 meetings with the curriculum directors/professional learning directors who serve as direct liaisons to the In-Service Center.
  • Each of these regional meetings, beginning with October 15, will occur 2-3 weeks after the ALSDE's Curriculum and Instruction meetings. The purpose of this timing is so that we may discuss specific items, updates, data, and requests for support based upon the information shared at the ALSDE meetings.
  • In addition, we will study a professional text together as a part of this PLC.

LETRS Training: Cohort 2

  • The UA/UWA In-Service Center will host several LETRS training opportunities for Cohort 2 participants. These dates include October 1, 22, and 24.
  • Information to Cohort 2 participants was shared this week regarding the dates of training and registration via Sign-up Genius.

2019 Alabama Literacy Association Conference

  • October 23-24, 2019
  • Birmingham Marriott at Grandview, Birmingham, Alabama
  • Keynote speakers include Stephanie Harvey, Whitney LaRocca, and Lynne Dorfman
  • For more information, visit http://www.alabamareading.org

Alabama Environmental Youth Council

  • Student applications due by October 25, 2019
  • Apply at aeconline.org
  • Seeking high school student ambassadors that promote environmental sustainability through volunteerism and education

October 28-November 1: Brainspring Training

Only a few spaces remain for this course! The UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center will host a Brainspring Phonics First Orton-Gillingham Course in October. Brainspring Phonics First Level I training will be held the week of October 28-November 1 at the UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center. This 5 day/30 hour training qualifies teachers to bring Orton-Gillingham multi-sensory instruction to their K-5 classrooms. The cost of this week-long training is $1,295 per person (classroom materials set included).


November 18-22: Brainspring Structures Course for Grades 6-12

The UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center will host a Brainspring Structures Orton-Gillingham Course on November 18-22. This 5 day/30 hour training is designed for 6-12 teachers, instructional coaches, intervention, and resource. The cost of this week-long training is $1,225 per person (classroom materials set included). Group discounts are available.


2019 Learning Forward Alabama Conference

Final Meeting: Engage Every Family ACLD PLU

  • December 10, 2019
  • 3:30-5:00 pm, UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center
  • Final meeting and project presentations for this online PLU opportunity--look for more PLU opportunities in spring/summer 2020!

UA/UWA Regional In-Service Center Fall Governing Board Meeting

Tuesday, Jan. 21st 2020 at 3:30-5pm

105 Tom Orr Avenue

Butler, AL

Please join us for the Winter Governing Board Meeting on January 21 in Choctaw County. All teachers, administrators, counselors, and librarians are invited to attend. A list of current board members can be found at http://inservice.ua.edu/governing-board.html. For the 2019-2020 school year, Governing Board meetings will be held in various locations throughout the region so that we may view and share the great things that are happening in our region.

UA/UWA Alabama Science in Motion

  • ASIM Biology Training: October 16 and December 4, Interested participants may register via the Google Form link and choosing either or both Day(s) 7 and/or 8. https://forms.gle/JsjPzCgs1NxWEqmU8

  • October 16th is open for sign-up. It is Day 7 of ASIM Bio Year 1 training which involves the following labs that have a heavy environmental science concentration: S9TreeCarbon, S6EcoChanges, S5CleanH2O, S7Climate
  • December 4th is open for sign-up. It is Day 8 of ASIM Bio year 1 training which involves the following labs that also have a heavy environmental science concentration: Watershed Pilot Lab, S8AquaEcosystems, S4GlobalCarbon, S10EcologicalSuccession

Technology in Motion with Dr. Robert Mayben

Professional Learning Groups for 2019-2020


Applications are still be accepted for the following Professional Learning Groups for 2019-2020:

Elementary Digital Literacy & Computer Science Professional Learning Group – The Elementary DLCS PLG is an opportunity for K-5 teachers to learn how to integrate the new DLCS into their instruction. In the PLG, teachers will discover strategies for teaching digital literacy and computer science concepts such as computational thinking, coding, robotics, and other innovative design practices. There will be three meetings for this group (1 fall, 2 spring). There are a few seats remaining, and the deadline to register is Friday, October 11, 2019.

Secondary Digital Literacy & Computer Science Professional Learning Group – The Secondary DLCS PLG is designed for teachers of grades 6-12 who are teaching computer science and/or digital literacy classes. This PLG was popular with career tech teachers last year who taught computer science, coding, and robotics classes. There will be three meetings for this group (1 fall, 2 spring). There are a few seats remaining, and the deadline to register is Friday, October 11, 2019.

If you would like more information about the Alabama Technology in Motion program, you can visit the UATiM site at www.uatim.org or the ALSDE site at atim.us. Please contact Dr. Robert Mayben at rmayben@ua.edu for more information and specific requests.


Spring 2020 ACLD PLU – There will be a new PLU offered in the spring. Look for more information on this learning opportunity later in the fall semester.

AMSTI UA/UWA

  • Math training K-12
  • Science training K-8
  • For more information, contact Sara McGee, AMSTI Director at smcgee@ua.edu

UA/UWA Regional In-Service Education Center

Dr. Holly Morgan, Director

Mrs. Tami Barron, Administrative Assistant

Ms. Angela Lewis, Office Associate