I am thrilled to welcome you to the latest edition of the CPRESA Newsletter. As this school year continues to unfold, our commitment to providing invaluable support and resources to our dedicated educators in our member districts is unwavering. This issue is filled with insights and updates that I believe will assist you in your educational endeavors. During these challenging times in public education it is crucial that we continue to adapt, innovate, and grow.

We are dedicated to providing the highest level of service and support to our educational community, and we welcome your input and feedback on how we can further enhance our offerings to meet your needs. In closing, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the teachers and administrators who make our CPRESA region an outstanding place for learning. Together we can create a brighter and more promising future for our students.

Thank you for your continued commitment to providing a quality education for our students, and I look forward to our continued collaboration.

Wes Taylor

Executive Director

This fall has been a busy one for Coastal Plains RESA with workshops, trainings, and job-alikes. It is not too late to participate in Professional Learning this fall. Please visit our website to see what is available. Dr. John Almarode will join us again on January 5, 2024. Dr. Almarode has worked with schools, classrooms, and teachers all over the world presenting on the application of the science of learning to schools and classrooms. His research includes classroom environments that promote student engagement and learning.

Regina Purvis

Professional Learning Director

Congratulations to Pine Grove Elementary for being recognized as Distinguished School for FY23. Congratulations also to Echols County High School for recognition as a Rewards School for FY23. The Distinguished Schools designation recognizes the highest-performing Title I schools in Georgia, while the Reward Schools designation recognizes Title I schools making the most significant improvements.

Professional learning continues as we implement Georgia’s K-12 Mathematics Standards. Teachers and leaders are using Inspire to cleanly navigate to the new units and instructional learning plans.

Videos are already being released for some of the standards and can be found through Georgia Public Broadcasting and are labeled as Mathematics Standards Support.

Assessment items similar to those found on the End-of-Grade/End-of-Course Georgia Milestones can be practiced and/or utilized as both students and teachers learn more about the structure and content associated with GMAS. In professional development sessions, we look at the assessment guide or study guide for assessment type questions and note any formatting surprises. Check out

http://www.gaexperienceonline.com/ to see sample questions and more.

Upcoming Math Classes at CPRESA

3- Act Tasks (Grades 3-5)

Monday, November 6th

9:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Number Talks and Other Number Sense Routines (Grades 3-5)

Monday, November 6th

12:30 PM – 3:00 PM

And, Coming Soon! Math Numeracy Development Grants. GaDOE is excited to announce the Math Numeracy Development Grants launching November 2023. Grant funds will be used to support student learning in mathematics classrooms. All grant proposals must:

• Focus on serving K-5 students;
• Align with the GaDOE K-12 Mathematics Standards; and
• Align with the Mathematics Quality Assurance Rubric

Priority points will be awarded for evidence-based interventions (i.e., (Evidence

for ESSA), and effective implementation (i.e. included professional learning/coaching). The total award amount to be allocated is $2,000,000 (Up to $25,000 per school and up to $100,000 per district) and these funds can be used to support activities that provide mathematics interventions and focus on foundational numeracy development and/or provide K-5 Mathematics endorsement opportunities for teachers. Additional information and next steps will be provided in November on the GaDOE Competitive Grants page.

As always, let us know if we can assist you further. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to us.

We are here for you!

Paulette Shoupe, K-5 Math Mentor, pauletteshoupe@cpresa.org

Amy Casper, 6-12 Math Mentor, acasper@swresa.org

The Science of Reading is a popular topic of discussion these days. There have been some important advances in research studies around the Science of Reading. The "Active View of Reading,"put forth by Duke and Cartwright in 2021 is firmly rooted in the principles of the "Simple View of Reading" and Scarborough's "Reading Rope". The Active View takes into account that a reader must be engaging and interactive in the reading experience. According to this model, proficient readers go beyond word recognition; they actively construct meaning, pose questions, establish connections, and draw upon their prior knowledge to fully engage with texts. What sets this model apart is its incorporation of other crucial factors that significantly impact a student's reading success, including self-regulation and executive function skills. Additionally, the Active View acknowledges the vital role of students' cultural and prior knowledge, enriching their reading experiences. Looking at this model, it becomes increasingly evident that reading is an intricate process. This paradigm shift calls upon educators to cultivate an environment that fosters curiosity, exploration, and deep critical thinking, ultimately empowering students to become more proficient and reflective readers. If you want to explore the full details of the model, you can access the article by clicking the following link (https://foundationforlearningandliteracy.info/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Science-of-Reading-Progresses.pdf).

Stephanie Butler

Growing Reader Specialist

The school year is now in full swing! What a great start that we have had with all of the awesome PBIS Kick Off events at our various schools. You have really set up the school year for success. We have enjoyed getting to visit schools and providing SWIS Data training for our systems, and we are looking forward to attending more meetings/walkthroughs in the weeks to come. We are looking forward to what the year has in store for our schools!

PBIS District Coordinators:

Our first “Job Alike for District Coordinators” will be held virtually on Wednesday, October 18th from 9:00-10:30. Please remember to sign up for this event on our CPRESA website through Learning Stream. A Google Meet link will be sent out closer to the meeting date.

December 7th and 8th is the GaPBS Conference in Duluth. Registration is open for this conference. We hope to see you there!

School Counselors and Social Workers:

Our “School Counselor Job Alike” will be held in person in Lenox, GA on Wednesday, October 25th from 9:00-11:30. Rachel Holmes will be here to present information on the following topics:

• Updates to our fee waiver program for eligible students
• Free student resources to support students in AP classes (this may be helpful for students in AP classes who need additional support and/or have extenuating circumstances related to class attendance
• New PSAT score reports and AP Potential
• Free college planning resources and scholarships through BigFuture

Jessie Russell will also share information from her Literacy and Wrap Around Services Program. She has many programs and resources to help in working with children and providing resources to aid in instruction.

We are looking forward to meeting with everyone at our October Job-Alikes.

Scott Haskins scotthaskins@cpresa.org

Shannon Voyles shannonvoyles@cpresa.org

For more information on ELA and Science, contact Jenni Anderson.

The Georgia Youth and Science Technology Center will be at CPRESA on November 16, 2023.

Participants will create, design, collaborate, and problem-solve as they engage in relevant hands-on explorations. Utilizing the 5E Instructional Model, these lessons are essential to any science classroom because they are engaging, affordable, and re-usable. Each lesson emphasizes the Georgia Standards of Excellence while also showing how to make 3D connections in ways that promote student passion for and understanding of STEM endeavors. Participants will also get an introduction to coding and receive an Edison robot (limit two free robots per school).

Registration ends October 18, 2023

CCRPI Season is upon us and dollops of data are beginning to drop as the state Accountability Team releases the all-important numbers that will build the Component and Indicator scores. Mark the dates below on your calendar in November for our second round of Administrator Academies. In addition to touching on important school leadership issues, data verification and calculation tips will be provided so administrators can stay ahead of the numbers.

• Primary/Elementary Principals November 8
• Middle/High School Principals November 9
• Assistant Principals November 15

All Academies start at 9 am at the Coastal Plains Auditorium in Lenox. Also, go to the RESA website and look under the “Services” tab for the following updated CCRPI Spreadsheets and Power Points:

• Calculators Fall 2023
• Instructions for 2023 Calculators
• Proposed Changes
• 2023 CCRPI Basics
• Weighted 2023 EOGs
• Weighted 2023 EOCs

Bobby Smith

School Improvement Specialist

Unfortunately, in the late fall a couple of hundred Georgia schools will be identified for the state lists for low performance during the 2022-23 school year. During previous years, when pressed by reporters from newspapers, radio, and television to explain the underperformance, more than a few district and school leaders really have struggled for the right words. Some have misspoken with comments like the following:

• “We are shocked and surprised!”
• “The Department of Education in Atlanta has been out to get us for years.”
• “Everyone knows the CCRPI is a terrible way to judge schools.”
• “Our Special Ed teachers really let us down last year.”
• “Our kids did not really try on the state tests.”
• “We had a lot of “trailer families” to move into the county over the last three years.”

These types of poorly chosen remarks should never come out of an educational leader’s mouth. The following comments are more effective:

• “We are certainly not happy with the test results, but we had been studying the data and saw this coming.”
• “We are already developing a plan to address these weaknesses, and we are expecting improved results this year.”

Bobby Smith

School Improvement Specialist

Stringfellow Elementary administrators, teachers and support staff participated in a Professional Learning opportunity with Solution Tree.

I wanted to take this opportunity to say a HUGE thank you to our District Liaison for GADOE, Belinda Tiller. Belinda has been our GADOE contact for going on 6 years and it has been a pleasure to work with her in this capacity for these years. She has been an invaluable resource to us at GLRS and to all our Special Education Departments in each district. We have found her knowledge of Special Education laws to have been invaluable to us and she will truly be missed as our contact person. Best of luck to Belinda with her new assignment, but we know you could never like anyone as much as the Directors of Region 17!

In other GLRS news, we are excited to have had our first session of our Teacher Provider Retention Program for the 3rd year. We have over 50 of the best new Special Education teachers in the state in the program and we look forward to getting to know them throughout the year, as well as providing training and coaching to them. We are fortunate to have been able to add two new coaches to the team this year, who are working with our teachers. Dr. Deborah Demps comes to us with a wealth of knowledge as a former Special Education Director and Mr. Kip McLeod brings his knowledge of education as a former administrator and instructional coach, and we are very excited to have them working with our new teachers.

We at GLRS hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!

Dane Heard, South GLRS Director

Amber Stevens, GLRS Specialist

• GaDOE STEM/STEAM Forum – October 23-24, 2023

It will be held at the Athens Classic Center and additional information can be found here. The STEM/STEAM Forum is always a great opportunity for quality PD, work sessions, and networking! New this year are grade band specific sessions, and each session will be a 75-minute workshop. Additional offerings will be available for administrators who are interested in exploring STEM/STEAM.

• National STEM Day – November 8, 2023

Happy Fall, technology lovers! Here are a few links to exciting things going on in the world of instructional technology:

Google is rolling out a new feature in Classroom assignments - teachers can create questions that go along with a YouTube video within Google Classroom. The feature is very similar to what many of us have used and loved for years in EdPuzzle - but without having to leave the Google platform and sign in to another site. Here's a how-to video from Flipped Classroom.

Among the changes coming to Google Workspace for Education, Google has announced that JamBoard is being retired from service. If you are a fan of JamBoard or other online interactive whiteboards, check this introductory video by Eric Curts for FigJam, which Google recommends as a JamBoard replacement.

Finally, the changes and improvements in artificial intelligence continue to come quickly. If you haven't seen the 60 Minutes interview with Geoffrey Hinton, known as the "Godfather of AI", it's worth watching. He believes in the incredible power for good AI provides but also shares his concerns and caution for the future (which is now).

Leanne NeSmith

Technology Specialist

Let’s face it, sometimes we’re so busy serving and supporting students that we miss opportunities to broaden our reach. Luckily, the GaDOE has organized various sources of information and funding in a couple of easy-to-navigate locations.

If you haven’t checked these out yet, pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee and take a minute to see what you might be missing using the links below:

Community Learning Center Grant

Safer Schools Grant

School-Based Health Center Grant

Also, if you have not yet joined the networking and collaboration platform called GaDOE Community, make sure to look into it. There are several groups that specifically address ideas and topics related to the Whole Child and Wraparound efforts. I’d love to see you there. Here are a few groups I’m a part of:

Whole Child Community Group

School-Based Health Centers Community Group

Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Group

Wraparound Community Group

Family-School Partnership Community Group

Hope to see you at our Coordinators Job-Alike on December 7th at Cook Middle School’s Wraparound Room…You won’t want to miss it!

Jessie Russell, Ed.D.

Wraparound Services Coordinator

jessierussell@cpresa.org

It's World Kindness Day on November 13th, a day devoted to promoting good deeds and kindness. It is a great opportunity to teach your students about kindness and thinking of others.