Words from Grace
Two weeks of five-day in-person learning - done! So very proud of each of you and your staffs for this accomplishment.đź’• Thank you!
May 4 Region Meeting Recap
I was inspired by all of you during Tuesday's region meeting. You were insightful and vulnerable when you made connections to Jon Saphier's blog post The Courage to Lead.
Quotes from the text that you chose:
- It takes courage and skill to move a school forward because people are accustomed to being left alone; and progress means getting people to change their practices and behaviors.
- Another reality that demands courage is facing the fact that we will make mistakes along the way. We will experience confusion, uncertainty, and anxiety from time to time. And all of that could be avoided if we just went on with business as usual...
- Beliefs change when teacher start seeing results ...there is a certain forcefulness required from leaders to accelerate the pace of adopting these new practices.
- This forcefulness must be balanced with:
- Acknowledgement that the changes are difficult
- Humility about not knowing how to do them all
- Planning together for how to move
- Support for learning how to do the new practices
- And especially listening to the views and worries of the staff members we are working with.
- It takes courage to push through these fears...courage to face resistance and to cause the inevitable discomfort. But courage can be grown; it’s not inborn. Courage can be developed. Courage can be learned.
- Courage is not being fearless; it is recognizing one’s fears, pushing through them, and acting anyway.
- People who like the changes may be silent, letting us know in indirect ways that they are depending on us to keep going anyway and carry the ball against the opposition!
- We are collectively (not individually) responsible and collectively able to get all of our students to proficiency. That means our work has to be interdependent.
Important Dates
May 31 - Memorial Day - No School
June 18 - Last Day of School
August 16-18 - August Leadership Institute
September 9 - First Day of School - Grades 1-12
Division of Academics
Weekly Nearpod Tip: Co-teaching with Nearpod
Have you tried out Nearpod's new co-teaching feature? With Co-Teaching on Nearpod, you and your co-teacher or co-facilitator can both control the pace of the lesson and get real-time insights into student responses. Check out this link for a quick how-to! All BPS teachers have access to Nearpod this school year.
Spanish for School Leaders
The Office of World Languages together with Boston University is creating a Spanish Course for BPS School Leaders entitled, “Spanish for School Leaders at BPS.” This free course will be taught by a senior lecturer at Boston University and will run from September 2021 - December2021 (Part 1) and January 2022 - May 2022 (Part 2). The focus will be learning Spanish in order to communicate with BPS families with an emphasis on intercultural competency.
We will use Google Classroom as a platform to offer sessions both live (for interpersonal communicative practice) and asynchronously (for interpretive/presentational practice) on a weekly or bi-weekly basis depending on interest. To sign up, please fill out this Google Form by June 1. Questions? Contact: Julie Caldarone, Director of World Languages jcaldarone@bostonpublicschools.org
Updated World Languages Curriculum Framework
The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted unanimously on Tuesday, April 20 to adopt the 2021 World Languages Curriculum Framework (download). This framework replaces the 1999 Foreign Languages Framework and reflects the goal areas and proficiency levels provided by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. DESE is hosting a webinar to introduce the framework to teachers and administrators from 4p -6p on Thursday, May 6 and again on Thursday, May 20 from 1:30p -3:30p. Registration for the webinars is available here.
Library Services Strategic Plan Input
BPS Library Services is updating the 2017-21 Strategic Plan to be submitted to the MA Board of Library Commissioners. Plan approval brings LSTA Grant opportunities to BPS libraries. Please fill out a survey to inform the strategic planning process for SY22-26. Constituent survey links are here. Choose the most relevant, and share the others with those in your school communities. For more information, contact Deborah Lang Froggatt, Director of LIbrary Services at dfroggatt@bostonpublicschools.org
STEM Town Hall
BPS STEM & STE Departments want to hear and learn from families in order to better serve our students and their communities. Below are some questions we will be asking:
What do you want your student’s STEM experience to be like in BPS? What technology and equipment would you like to see in BPS classrooms?
What do you know about the Boston Public Schools Citywide Science Fair? If your student participated in the science fair, what kind of experience would you like them to have?" and add, "If you could change the Science Fair, what would you have it look like?
Hosted By: BPS STEM & Science(STE) Departments
When: May 20, 2021
Time: 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Audience: Families of BPS K-12 students (Translators will be available!)
Zoom Webinar Registration Link: bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xDE9pSutSyujx4C5qsjGcA
Morning Math Workshop
PROMYS is offering a 3.5-week exploration workshop called Morning Math. This online workshop runs weekdays beginning Wednesday, July 7 through Friday, July 30 from 10a – 12:30p (est). PfT Director Professor Caleb Shor (Western New England University) will facilitate the course. He is assisted by T^2s (teacher counselors, either graduate students in mathematics or PfT alumni) who will guide smaller groups in virtual breakout rooms. The curriculum is based on the Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI) Teacher Leadership Program materials designed in collaboration with PROMYS for Teachers. This summer’s course is Famous Functions in Number Theory. PDFs will be provided; purchasing the book is not required.
There is no fee to participate in the Morning Math exploration. Participants will have the opportunity to earn approximately 45 PDPs through the Education Development Center, a registered provider with the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Prospective participants are asked to fill out an application form no later than June 1 at https://promys.org/pft/applications.
Proposed Amendment to Regulations on Accountability
Commissioner Riley is proposing to the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary education that the state refrain from issuing new accountability determinations for districts and schools for SY20-21. DESE requested – and has since received – a waiver of certain federal accountability requirements for SY20-21 from the U.S. Department of Education. Instead of issuing new accountability determinations in fall 2021, the DESE will use each district’s and school’s most recent accountability determinations (from 2019), to ensure that they continue to receive support as needed. DESE will resume its regular annual accountability reporting practices following SY21-22.
NEW! MAP Updates and Announcements for Spring Testing
To prepare for Spring MAP testing, please refer to this MAP FAQs document for updates, announcements, and links to testing guides and resources. The MAP Spring testing window is 5/24-6/11. If you wish to administer earlier, please email Dana Pulda-Acone at formatives@bostonpublicschools.org.
Reminder! Spring Administration Refresher Sessions: May 2021 (Register here)
Dates: 5/12, 9-10:15 am; 5/17, 3-4:15 pm; 5/19, 4-5:15 pm; 5/24, 4-5:15 pm; 5/26, 8:30-9:45 am
Want a quick refresher of how to administer MAP prior to Spring testing? Attend one of these virtual sessions to review how to prepare for and administer MAP Growth and MAP Fluency.
Panorama Weekly Update - Current Year BIMAS-2 SEL Scales Now Available!
The SY20-21 BIMAS-2 SEL Scales are now available in Panorama Student Success! ODA will update results in Panorama in the first week of June and again at the end of the school year. Find details below and in the data guide here.
The BIMAS-2 can be completed by teachers, students (self) and/or parents: data in panorama will reflect the methods used by each school to collect ratings. (For more information on BIMAS-2 see the Scale Descriptions and CBHM Resources: Assessment Page)
Pipeline Development Programs
Whose Greatness Do You See? Whose Growth Do You Want to Facilitate?
PSI/BPS Cohort, Pipeline Program
In partnership with the Perrone Sizer Institute (PSI), the BPS-PSI fellowship is now accepting applications for SY21-22! This is a pipeline designed to prepare teacher leaders to become Assistant Principals. The application deadline is May 17th, 2021 and can be found here. Please feel free to share this information with your networks. Any questions about this opportunity, please contact Monica Hall, mhall4@bostonpublicschools.org.
Latinos for Education/BPS Cohort
Boston Public Schools is excited to be in a potential partnership with Latinos for Education to offer our Latinx district and school based leaders an opportunity to be a part of the fellowship program. Upon confirmation of the partnership, we will seek 10-12 fellows from BPS to come together in community to deepen our ability to understand and leverage Latino identity to develop professionally and increase influence in education. Please find more information here.
New Leaders - Foundations of Breakthrough Leadership
The application deadline has been extended to May 10th. This program is designed for assistant principals and teacher leaders who seek to deepen their instructional practices and strengthen their work with teacher teams. To apply, please use this link to create an account and complete the application using code BFAP2021. Each individual part will need to be completed in one sitting. Once you have completed the BIF (using your BPS email), you will be directed to the selection activities under the My Application tab. Your responses will not Auto Save; therefore, please reserve 1-3 hours for each selection activity. Please contact Monica Hall with any questions at mhall4@bostonpublicschools.
Leadership Team Positions
Do you need talent for leadership positions in your schools? Have an opening in the Assistant Principal role? Director role? Other Administrative Team Member Roles?
We have a deep pool of diverse talent waiting for you! If you are interested in hearing more about candidates, please reach out to Monica at mhall4@bostonpublicschools.org and Megan at mreed@bostonpublicschools.org with information about your position and your needs. We will customize lists of candidates to meet your needs!
Professional Learning
Thank you to our second year cohort for their deep engagement in our recent Principal Induction Professional Learning! You are always Brand New!
Looking forward to seeing the first year cohort for our Principal Induction Professional learning on May 19th! Agenda forthcoming..
We are excited to have assembled a team that has started initial ALI and all leader professional learning planning - introductions to come.
Division of Equity, Strategy, & Opportunity Gaps
School-Based Equity Roundtable PD for School Teams
Equity Roundtables are conversations amongst a group of stakeholders that reflect the racial, ethnic, linguistic and socio-economic diversity of the school community to push our thinking about who we are as a school. The goal of the School-based Equity Roundtable is to eliminate opportunity, achievement gaps, and barriers for BPS students as we work to expand opportunities for the most marginalized. The roundtables also serve as a project monitoring tool for the Whole School Improvement Plan to expand opportunities for the most marginalized population of students at the school.
The School Based Equity Roundtable Handbook is a helpful tool however, the ESOG Team will offer support every Wednesday starting February 10 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. If you need more information or have questions, please contact Velecia Saunders at VSaunders@bostonpublicschools.org.
Office of Recruitment, Cultivation and Diversity Programs (RCD)
NEW! The BPS Asian Affinity Recruitment Advisory Council is planning an event called Asians in BPS Forum on Tuesday, May 25 from 5p - 6:30p to connect Asian candidates to learn more about working in BPS. RSVP for candidates will be in Around BPS. Asian School Leaders or their nominees who are interested in representing BPS can contact Kim Connolly at kngo@bostonpublicschools.org.
NEW! High Priority Candidates: There are just 46 Highly Recommended candidates of color remaining in our Priority Pool. These candidates have been vetted and assessed as the most talented candidates available. Please be sure to scan the list for potential candidates for your positions. Link to High Priority Candidates of Color. View Resumes in Column AD. You can find all of these candidates in Talent Ed (go to Closed jobs, and click on Early Hiring Pool 21-22)
Support to Meet Your Diversity Hiring Goals: We are very excited to see the results of your commitment to diverse hiring thus far. Preliminary numbers are showing a significant increase over last year! Many of you committed to using available RCD supports to help you reach your goals. As a reminder, here they are. If you have not yet been able to meet your goals, please be sure to refer back to this sheet to access the tools and supports available to help you to find diverse candidates (see row 3 for links).
BPS Teaching Fellowship (BPSTF) Candidates: This is an incredible opportunity to hire highly vetted candidates who will be fellows in our BPSTF and will receive coaching and professional development throughout the whole school year next year. Please see these candidates who are graduates of our ACTT and MTEL programs! View BPSTF Candidates and the benefits of hiring these candidates.
Promising Candidates of Color: Do you have a great teacher of color you can’t retain? Met a great candidate you didn’t hire, but think someone else should? Share their info using this form. See your colleagues’ recommendations on this sheet.
Reminder - Signing Bonuses for Latinx (new to BPS) Teachers: Through a grant with DESE, there are fifty $1,000 Hiring Bonuses available for the hiring of new to BPS Latinx teacher candidates and BPS MTEL prep program completers. Complete this referral form for candidates you want to recommend to receive the bonus. Priority given to Latinx candidates (to close our largest teacher/student diversity gap), and our BPS MTEL prep completers.
Reminder - Searching for Diverse Teacher Candidates?: Please complete this request form for leads to candidates for your open and difficult to fill positions. We will respond within 48 hours! You can also search the Early Hiring Pool accessible through TalentEd or this spreadsheet: Early Hiring Pool.
Reminder - Emergency Licenses: DESE has extended Emergency licenses validity from June 30, 2021 to June 30, 2022. Any teachers you would like to retain on Emergency Licenses should apply in the Educator Licensure and Renewal (ELAR) system. Additionally teachers who do not have a current license, may apply for the Emergency License. See: Update on DESE Emergency Licensure - February 12, 2021 for additional information.
BPS Teacher Pipeline Programs
New deadline to apply to the Accelerated Community to Teacher (ACTT) Program: The Accelerated Community to Teacher (ACTT) program application deadline is now extended to June 1, 2021. This is our exciting and transformational community-based teacher preparation program (97% candidates of color during SY20-21) for paraprofessionals, career-changers and community workers who are seeking a no-cost MTEL prep support for Provisional Licenses, bilingual educator preparation, and coaching to become a critically conscious teacher in the Boston Public Schools. Impassioned and expert BPS teachers coach and mentor our ACTT candidates. ACTT's pre-practicum is a requirement for selection into the BPS Teaching Fellowship (BPSTF). Upon successfully completing the ACTT program, candidates are recommended for the BPS Teaching Fellowship for Initial Licensure. In 2022, BE ACTT, our bilingual educators’ program will be launched. BE ACTT has been awarded a DESE grant to launch in July 2021. Applicants must have a Bachelor’s degree by June 2021; see flyer and apply now. Extended deadline for ACTT is now June 1, 2021. TalentEd link to the application is here.
Retired BP teacher and a friend to ACTT, Dr. Amika Kemmler-Ernst writes about one of our current candidates, Ayesha James, who is realizing a life-long dream of becoming a teacher. Here's the ACTT - Recommend a Candidate Form.
Questions and requests for additional information, please email: diversity-ACTT@bostonpublicschools.org.
Retention Services
Northeastern’s MacFarland Fellows Scholarships: Becoming an elementary or secondary school teacher requires passion, energy, and drive to positively impact Boston schools. We see those qualities in teachers across BPS, especially as educators step up to the challenges of today’s ever-changing educational landscape. Dedicated educators are invaluable, and Northeastern wants to help you achieve your educational goals. If you want to earn your initial teaching license—and are committed to teaching in urban areas—you may be eligible for Northeastern’s MacFarland Fellows Scholarship and receive up to $20,000 to help you earn your graduate degree and endorsement for a Massachusetts' Initial Teaching license. For more information, click here.
Regis College is pleased to offer two unique opportunities exclusively for Boston Public School employees who are seeking to complete their bachelor’s degree. Through an exclusive partnership between BPS and Regis College, employees like you are eligible for substantial discounts toward the following degree completion programs:
Bachelor of Arts in Education (non-licensure) and Bachelor of Arts in Humanities
MEd in Teaching Special Education and MEd in Student Success
Master of Science in Social Work and Master of Arts in Counseling
EdD in Higher Education Leadership
To register for the BA Information Session on May 12th at 5:30pm, click here.
To register for the Graduate Degree Information Session on May 12th at 5:30pm, click here.
To set up a one-on-one session to learn more about BA programs, please contact Laura Bertonazzi, Dean of Undergraduate Enrollment at Regis College.
To set up a one-on-one session to learn more about Graduate programs, please contact Kathi Jenkins at Kathi.jenkins@regiscollege.ed
PSi's application deadline has been extended to May 17th
Now more than ever after this year of turbulence and uncertainty, we need innovative leaders to influence the direction of education. We won’t go back to business as usual. Our young people, families, and communities need school leaders to guide us forward.
Learn more at PSi's website and find the application here.
We are hosting a final one-hour Info Session, May 11th, 7:30-8:30pm, to learn more about the PSi. Sign up here to receive the Zoom link.
EdWeek Leadership Symposium - K-12 Education's Premier Leadership Event May 10-12: This event is FREE for school and district leaders, in part from the support of our sponsors. It will provide you with the opportunity to tackle the upcoming school year with confidence.
You’re invited to participate in K-12’s premiere leadership event taking place May 10-12, virtually. We wanted you to be the first to know that the full schedule has been released and seats are filling up FAST!
In this unique 3-day event, school and district leaders are invited to join Education Week as they convene experts, practitioners, and researchers — and tap into the deep reporting knowledge of EdWeek’s editorial staff and research team — to discuss the top issues and challenges confronting leaders today.
NewSchools Venture Fund Summit 2021 - May 26, 2021 - This Event is Free: We look forward to gathering virtually with our community and re-connecting. Collectively, we have learned so much from the experiences of the past year and there is a lot of opportunity as we explore how we can redesign education to work better for all students in the future. This year’s Summit will look different, but the conversations are more urgent than they’ve ever been. And so, we are excited to make this Summit open to more innovators, leaders, educators and parents than ever before.
Our Summit sessions will tackle a range of questions:
- What will the future of learning look like in the wake of so much change?
- How are funders approaching racial equity to meet this moment?
- How are parents and community leaders using their voices in new ways?
We will hear from students, parents, practitioners and leaders as we focus not on broad theory, but on plans and specifics that can inform practice in the months and years ahead. Join us!
Division of Human Capital
Social Worker Hiring Process
Reminder! The hiring process for new investment Social Workers is being run by the Behavioral Health Team led by Carmen CalderĂłn O'Hara. Each candidate must participate in an initial interview screening to ensure that they are ready for not just the direct student support work, but also the systems work needed to be successful. The team is interviewing up to 8 applicants per day and moving forward with the vetting process very quickly! The list of approved candidates is here.
If you have a candidate who applied to your position, but is not on the approved list, first make sure they have applied to the Social Worker Pool Posting. If your candidate has applied, but is not on the approved list, you can reach out to Carmen to see where they are in the process (ex. not interview yet, interview scheduled, or interviewed and not moved forward). Or click into the Sign-Up Sheet, then choose the specific interview dates to see who has already been interviewed.
Family Liaison Hiring Process
Reminder! The process for hiring new Family Liaisons is being run by the Engagement team led by Cyntoria Grant. They are requiring an initial interview screening to ensure that the candidates have the skill set needed to be successful. The interview process for those positions has not yet started, but the list of approved candidates will be here.
If you have a candidate who applied to your position, but is not on the approved list, first make sure they have applied to the Family Liaison Pool Posting, so that they can be added to the central office interview list. Please hold off on submitting candidates until they have been screened centrally.
Diversity Hiring Commitment Form
The district is piloting a new BPS Diversity Hiring Commitment Form to help us learn about barriers to increasing the number of educators of color. School Leaders will now be required to complete a form for each selected teacher or guidance counselor candidate submitted for hire who identifies as White or declines to identify ethnicity. When you submit a candidate for a teacher or guidance counselor position who identifies as white, or who declines to identify ethnicity in TalentEd, please submit this form along with your hire submission.
SubCentral
If you have any questions regarding substitute hiring, please email: bpssubcentral@bostonpublicschools.org
Division of Operations
Fire Drill/Evacuation Requirements (updated 4/6/21)
During these challenging times, we are still required to conduct mandatory drills. As we return to school buildings, all occupants will need to familiarize themselves with their evacuation plans. Please review the document linked HERE.
Clarification on the Use of Tents
Tents were procured by the district for the sole purpose of allowing for 6ft of distancing during meals and mask breaks as directed by the CDC and DESE. The purpose was never to use the tents as educational space. The agreement from city departments (Fire and ISD) to allow BPS to put up the tents included a clear directive that no furniture of any kind would be placed under the tents. The district procured outdoor seating cushions as an option for students to sit on during meals and mask breaks.
As the installation of tents are completed ISD and the Fire Department will be inspecting sites.
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