The Jackson County ISD Learning Services & Instruction Department services many areas of education and our community. Our areas of service include, but are not limited to: Leadership, Continuous Improvement, Early Childhood, Whole Child, Attendance/Truancy, Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Literacy, Math, and Science. (See LS General Org Chart).

If you have a new request for services/support or any feedback for improvement of our team... well, we want to hear from you! Click here to complete the form and we will get back to you!

In this issue of our Learning Services Newsletter, we are taking a special look at our Literacy Team. Also, you will find upcoming PD opportunities, ways we are putting into action your suggestions, and ways to contact us!

The literacy team is comprised of Literacy Consultants Maeghan McCormick and Sandy White and Early Literacy Coaches Darcy Heselschwerdt, Holly Nelson, and Amy Reynolds.

In this article from the Washington Post, The Straw Man in the New Round of Reading Wars, Rachael Gabriel cautions about raising the alarm about current practices and running in the other direction.

• High Leverage Reading Strategies in the Secondary ELA Classroom
• Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System Training
• Supporting the Essentials through Literacy Coaching
• Using Small Group Instruction and Conferring to Support all Students in the Secondary ELA Classroom
• Small Group Instruction in the Early Literacy Classroom
• Interactive Read Aloud, Grades K-3
• Interactive Read Aloud, Grades 4-5
• Interactive Read Aloud, Grades 6-8

This spring, we are pleased to announce a new professional learning opportunity for school literacy teams, the Leadership Series for the School-wide and Center-wide Essential Practices in Literacy. This 2-day series explores systematic and effective practices for implementation at the organizational level in education settings to support children in becoming proficient in literacy acquisition.

The Learning Services and Instruction Department has been working on measuring the impact of the services and supports we provide to our local school districts, community partners, and community based organizations. This impact survey helps us better understand which services and supports are making a positive impact in each of your roles and in our county. We use the data from this survey to drive decisions and set goals within the department in order to serve our educators, community partners, and CBO's in the most impactful way possible. We are asking you to take approximately 5-7 minutes to complete our impact survey. Your voice matters to us!

Click here to complete the survey

The survey is open. We want EVERYBODY to take this survey, even if you haven't utilized any services in the past year, we need to know and better understand why.

**everyone that completes the survey will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a Bluetooth speaker or $50 in educational resources from Amazon.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Kara Klotz (kara.klotz1@jcisd.org) or Dr. Tovah Sheldon (tovah.sheldon@jcisd.org). Thank you in advance for your time and efforts. We value your input, experiences, and perspectives.

Based on your suggestions, we are happy to offer virtual professional learning where you are able to earn SCECHs. Check out our October Day of Discovery Recordings!

• Day of Discovery Recordings for SCECHs

The next Day of Discovery is March 13. Please consider presenting and/or collaborating.

Working towards and leveraging high-quality instruction, resources and practice is at the core of what Learning Services does. Check out the JCISD PD Website and click here to register for the amazing professional learning opportunities.

Free and Low-Cost Online Professional Learning Options Approved for Certificate Renewal and Progression

Online offerings for Literacy Essentials

Online resources and offerings for Math Essentials