As districts get ready for schools to reopen, educators will be faced with the largest learning gaps they have experienced in years. Silverback Learning has worked to identify several solutions to help you meet these challenges head-on! Assessment edifyAssess is an assessment tool for educators to identify key learning gaps. During this time, edify is being used to leverage prior-year EOC assessments to level set the skills each student is entering the new school year with. Our partnership with Key Data Systems provides hundreds of assessments for ELA and Math in grades 3 through 11. Of particular interest in the Fall, are the EOC ELA and SBAC assessments. The end of course ELA assessments show where each student resides within the content correlated to standards they should have mastered the previous year; while SBAC shows where students are in terms of common core standards. Once the baseline is understood, strategic choices can be made around scaffolding prior-year content into the current year. Certainly, some students will require more intensive efforts like RTI/MTSS to ensure larger learning gaps are closed. edifyAssess can not only help with establishing the baseline, but it also contains interim assessments to help assess students throughout the year; helping drive instructional strategies and ensuring students are learning those core critical skills. For students struggling on certain concepts, mini strand-based assessments can be given to ensure skill gaps are adequately closed. District created and custom assessments based on Depth of Knowledge levels and standards can be disseminated too! Leveraging hundreds of prebuilt assessments in this way helps to turn gaps into gains! Equity is also addressed by having continuous knowledge of where each student resides academically. edifyAssess allows you to turn paper assessments into digital assessments that can be automatically scored and reported on by standard; providing a visual overview of standards-based performance for your entire class or classes. Powerful reporting capabilities at the student, class, building and district levels allow you to see gains and accomplishments. With the uncertainty of the new school year, and the potential for another online learning transition, edifyAssess can easily deliver digital assessments supporting your online learning strategies. edifyAssess can be a powerful and guiding platform, whether online or in person. Let us show you how to implement a comprehensive strategy to close the learning gaps, make gains on the new standards and help you address the inequity among your students by surfacing learning opportunities! Schedule a demo today to see how edifyAssess can help your district achieve positive gains!

Greetings! My name is Joe Wallace and I am the new CEO here at Silverback Learning Solutions. It is our mission to help all educators achieve extraordinary outcomes and measurable growth through the intuitively simple solutions we offer. We understand how important it is for you to have the ability to easily measure standards based competencies, so that instructional methodologies can be customized to help student achievement soar. Silverback’s platforms can serve as the ecosystem for any school or district to assess, diagnose, and track where students are academically; while helping educators evaluate pedagogical and professional development needs. edifyAssess is an intuitive and flexible assessment tool that streamlines instructional testing by delivering real-time analytics that quickly identify individualized learning needs. Mileposts is a revolutionary platform that provides a comprehensive view of every student. Collaborate and track progress on K-12 education plans and programs seamlessly. Teacher Vitae is designed to efficiently capture and organize feedback that can be tagged to frameworks through the use of personal portfolios and a customizable PD library Our team of dedicated professionals are passionate about achieving extraordinary student outcomes. Schedule a demo with us to understand how Silverback’s platforms can meet your needs and help you achieve your goals today! We look forward to helping you transform your educational system! Sincerely,

I was really happy to see billions of dollars allocated for K12 education budgets during December of 2020 and January of 2021. Here is the breakdown with some great resources if you follow this kind of thing! DECEMBER 2020 $54 billion were added to the (ESSER- Cares Act) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. This second round of funds are called ESSERII funds (CRRSA Act). The funds are available through September 30,2022 and can be RETROACTIVELY applied all the way back to March 13th 2020. Once the states (SEA) receive the funds, they must be awarded within one year. These funds need to be tracked separately and there are accountability measures with the funds including how the state is using the dollars to measure and address learning loss, including the amount of students affected by COVID and school closures. Did You Know? Funds can be used to address learning loss. Testing can be covered with these funds. JANUARY 2021 $4 billion were added to the (GEER) Governor's Emergency Education Relief Funds. These funds are to ensure continuous learning for students in all schools. $2.65 Billion of these dollars are earmarked for non public schools. The non public schools dollars are titled EANS funds (Emergency Assistance for Non Public Schools). EANS funds have to be applied for by the Governor. Did You Know? EANS funds can be used for: Professional Development Edtech Instructional Planning Supporting Remote and Hybrid Learning Remediating Learning Loss What is your State Doing? Use this tracker to find out how much your state has been awarded as well as how much has been spent and where. Check out this fact sheet to understand the differences between the ESSER Fund (CARES Act) and ESSER II Fund (CRRSA Act). Do you have additional questions? Send them on in to us at info@silverbacklearning.com and we will include the answers in our next blog!

Over the last year, Social Emotional Learning started to debut itself as an important topic to conquer with students. COVID broadened that definition to include teachers. One thing is for sure, and that is that social emotional learning is here to stay no matter what school situation we find our students and or teachers enduring. The main question that has been buzzing around the last few weeks has been; how do we help our teachers and students gain valuable techniques to incorporate social emotional learning to cope both inside and outside of the school building? According to CASEL, a national leader in SEL research and action, the most effective social and emotional learning (SEL) requires a strategic, systemic approach that involves everyone, from district and school leaders to community partners and family members, working together to ensure students receive the support they need. Successful SEL is not a standalone program or an add-on. It is central to how schools, communities, and families value and support the social, emotional, and academic development of their children. Although COVID has brought Equity and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to the forefront, prior to the pandemic, SEL was actually already present in all 50 states! So how are school districts going to adopt and implement social emotional learning components across schools and grade levels in the new educational world we face? Districts and Administrators especially feel that implementing key measurable components of SEL is essential. Because we are a company of educators, we started thinking about how we could assist schools with this new need; incorporating social emotional learning components into the daily activities of teachers. We found that the research suggests incorporating SEL into schools and or classrooms can have positive short and long term effects on students. These range from improved academic achievement and classroom behaviors to reduced psychological or behavioral issues in the future with overall improved lifespan outcomes as adults. To jump start the integration of SEL teaching and learning behaviors inside classrooms, Silverback felt integrating a SEL framework into Teacher Vitae was vital. Partnering with SEL expert Dr. Kristina Brinkerhoff of Brinkerhoff Consulting; National Equity Expert Dr. Donna Elam from The Elam Leadership Institute and Educational and Policy expert Dr Judy Warden- Fields; Silverback will very soon launch a brand new teacher evaluation framework called SEADES- The Social Emotional and Academic Development Evaluation System-our new revolutionary teacher evaluation framework that proudly incorporates social emotional learning components. This simplified and effective evaluation framework will help teachers build capacity; while providing guidance for teachers to actively incorporate SEL and Equity into their classrooms. If you are interested in helping us pilot this new framework via your Teacher Vitae subscription, please let us know!!!!!! Contact us here today!

Summer slide....it’s that time of year where schools are closing down for summer. With summer start, comes the inevitable question.... how do we keep students from adding to the slide we already took with COVID? Historically, statistics show that the summer slide contributes to over two thirds of the achievement gap. (1) The surprising part? It basically comes down to reading and the gap between opportunities for the advantaged vs. disadvantaged students. NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress collected data on the subject from 2009-2019. The data reflects, “a continuing decline in reading scores for the nations lowest performing students, at both the 4th and 8th grades. (2) Actively preparing for and considering ways to incorporate literacy will help reduce the reading gaps while promoting equitable practices in education. Summer is a time for fun, and it absolutely should be. No matter teacher, parent, sibling, or friend; incorporating reading should be a priority for us all. What are some ideas that don’t require a whole lot of effort? Here are my personal Top 10: 1. Six books. Do your students or children thrive off of competition? Studies show that reading six books in the summer can prevent the slide.(3) Parents, guardians, caretakers....have a competition with your kids on the same 6 books. Who can read them first? What were they about? Have some discussions. 2. There are so many fun, engaging summer reading ideas on Pinterest. Have you child pull together their own board of summer activities. Or...access hundreds of free printables and reading materials to print out and interact with. 3. Check out your local library. I know kids think this is kind of old school but hey...there is so much more going on at the library than checking out books! Reading circles for tweens, story time for younger kids, activities and free internet access and computer time! 4. Ask your child to research something for you personally. Give them a fun topic that you need “to know about”. 5. Look into your local food shop summer reading programs. You should be able to find these easily on your school districts web site. Nothing like a little free pizza for playing some online reading games! 6. Sit down and have journal time as a family. Create your own or make it a field trip to pick them out. Write 5-10 minutes together or in pairs for the whole summer. Keep a visible checklist on daily entries. 7. Don’t forget there are so many free books and resources to use! Great ones are: Audible Stories and Project Gutenberg. 8. Bake or Cook a meal! It takes reading, math and communication skills. Let your child choose what to make or have a few choices for them to choose from. Have then read the recipe and mix the ingredients. 9. GEOCATCHING!!!!!!!!!!! I have to say this was something I was a little leery about until I tried it! Grab you cell phone or a GPS and the family can be out on an instant scavenger hunt. Visit the link above and you can find one in your area. This activity is one that sticks with kids. They learn about nature, are challenged, and get outside!! 10. Since COVID, there are so many fantastic virtual options. Check out all the virtual field trips. Don’t have a computer? Contact your school district to see how they are addressing summer technology home use in your district! References: 1. Colorado Department of Education. Summer Slide and the Importance of Reading over the Summer. Retrieved from cde.state.co.us: https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/summerslide 2. READING SUMMIT IES- https://www.accelevents.com/e/IESReadingSummit 3. Scholastic Parents Staff. Three Ways to Prevent Summer Slide. Retrieved from scholastic.com: https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/reading-resources/developing-reading-skills/three-ways-to-prevent-summer-slide.html

From the Perspective of African American Middle School Boys School is one of the most influential systems in a child’s ecology and it is that ecology that almost irrevocably shapes a child’s subsequent disposition toward learning and the pursuit of new knowledge. So imagine this – a child eager to explore, willing to take risks, enthusiastic about engaging his/her peers, and earnestly willing to respond to prompts from teachers. Image this same eager beaver experiences schooling experiences constructed day after day, year after year by adults who have made a series uninformed judgments and decisions about this learner’s intellectual capacity based, even partially, on his/her race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, family structure, or residential zip code. Not one conscientious educator or policy maker reading this blog post would allow their offspring to be knowingly subjected to adults who would, even in the slightest, underserve their child for any of the aforementioned reasons. Yet every day, in America, children are too often met by adults who harbor low expectations for the same children whom they have taken a pledge to serve to the best of their ability. This assertions is far from true about the vast majority of educators in our nation, but if it is true about one of us, it is true about one too many. And you know what? Many of our children can sense the low expectations that adults have of them. They often know and can sometimes articulate how adults with low expectations make them feel, but are we listening? Equally disconcerting is the fact that many of our children do not have a mechanism for processing or confronting the intangible, low expectations to which they are subjected. So as a result, that same eager beaver can – over time – turn inward, disengage, refused to be available emotionally to receive the education that they deserve and inadvertently their subsequent behavior reinforces the stereotypes projected upon them by the adults who should have known better than to judge children by their covers. My scholarly research and experience as a teacher and school administrator (at the elementary, middle, and high school level) has shown me, without exception, that outside of expert-level knowledge of the content and effective delivery of instruction, the greatest catalysts of improvements in academic outcomes is a student-teacher relationship characterized by care, mutual respect, and high expectations. After all, the unit of change for student achievement and school improvement is not central office; it’s not a new textbook or basal; and it’s not even a new set of statewide curricular standards. The unit of change for student achievement and school improvement is the classroom. It’s where the real magic of school improvement takes transpires. Wanting to better understand the impact of student-teacher relationships and teacher expectations on student achievement, I extensively interviewed eight African American middle school boys in a high-poverty, urban middle school in the Northeast. Each pupil reported the existence of a strong relationship between respectful interactions, high expectations, and their demonstrated ability to achieve academically. Without reluctance, the boys explicitly stated that it was their teachers who had the greatest effect on their desire and subsequent ability to achieve academically. Note: [I have used aliases to protect the identity of the students who participated in the research]. Anthony and Andrew were specific about how their teachers motivated them to achieve academically. They described the motivating force as teachers’ concern for them as students. Anthony stated, “The teachers care about your learning. They want you to get it. I know the teachers and they know me. They make me pay attention. They get on me [when I don’t]. They tell me to stay focused and pay attention.” Andrew argued vehemently, “They give you a chance to do better...to hand in your work even if you are absent. They care. They make sure that you know what you need to know and need to have in your head. And even if the work is hard, they tell you that you can do it if you try.” When asked to identify and discuss that which has the greatest influence on his desire to achieve, Earnest said without hesitation, “It’s the teachers. They make you want to learn.” Harold responded similarly, “The teachers make me want to achieve. They care about your attendance.” When asked how the adults in their classrooms regarded them, the boys overwhelmingly described their teachers’ treatment of them with one phrase—“With respect.” The boys also argued that the respect they are shown held them accountable for their behaviors and academic performance and subsequently required them to interact with the teachers in a comparable fashion. Anthony said, “The teachers treat me with respect. That makes me want to allow them to teach what they have to teach. The respect that they show me requires me to do their work. It makes me want to hear what they have to say and teach. If I ruin the respectful relationship, the teacher will care less.” On the same accord, Keith said, “The teachers treat me with respect. If I am doing something wrong, they tell me. Then I will straighten up. They take me to the side to correct me. They don’t put me on the spot to embarrass me. That helps me to get back on track and keep on learning. It makes me want to show respect back by learning and not talking or interrupting.” Charles agreed saying, “The teachers are respectful. They don’t say bad stuff to me. They tell me ‘good job’ when I do well and if I am acting up, they correct me, which makes me want to learn from my mistakes and do well in school.” Daniel offered this quote to explain how a caring, respectful, teacher with high expectations translates into willingness to learn, “They treat me with respect and fairness… no difference in how boys and girls are treated. Since they don’t take sides, I can learn from them and participate in class.” When describing how his relationships with teachers influence his desire to achieve academically, Harold said, “They are nice and welcoming. They say good morning and good to see you. They even hug you. And because I look up to them, that makes me want to come to school every day and learn more.” Earnest responded similarly, saying, “They treat me well and it impacts my grades because they treat me so well that it makes me want to achieve.” Lastly, Andrew stated, “The teachers have manners. They don’t do bad things to students. When they [the teachers] treat you well and believe in you, it makes you think that you can do well on a test.” So here is the educational epiphany. In short, the middle school boys with whom I spoke, overwhelmingly linked student-teacher relationships and high teacher expectations to their willingness and capacity to achieve academically. They reported that because teachers were caring, respectful and believed in their intellectual capacity to achieve, it became incumbent upon them to: (a) respond in-kind by engaging in instruction authentically; (b) refrain from engaging in disruptive behaviors; and (c) demonstrate the acquisition of new knowledge and skills whether through classwork, homework, or performance on quizzes and tests. The boys also regarded the constant reminders to focus and remain focused as useful and reflective of their teachers’ concern for their wellbeing. Equally significant is the notion suggested by the boys that their teachers’ high classroom expectations transferred to expectations in non-classroom settings reinforcing the importance of exercising executive functioning to maximize access to instructional time. Lastly, the boys described a link between the quality and rigor of classwork and homework and high teacher expectations. The boys purported that their classwork and homework assignments supported their abilities to perform academically, think critically, and problem solve as opposed to regurgitate information in the same form it was presented by the teacher. They believed that access to this level of instruction was directly connected to their teachers’ belief in their intellectual capacity to do the work, which fueled their engagement and drive to achieve. For more on my research on the link between high expectations and student achievement, read chapter 1 of The Integrated Approach to Student Achievement – Second Edition. It is available exclusively on our website – www.educaitonalepiphany.com. Donyall D. Dickey, Ed.D.

What does it mean being comfortable in an uncomfortable situation? It means when you intentionally place yourself in situations of discomfort, in an effort to increase your comfort range. Embracing situations of speaking about unconscious biases we face each day and how to have authentic conversations regarding biases toward racism. It starts by having a “Brave” community in which individuals feel comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. Knowing no one is being judged or labeled a racist for trying to understand how words and body expressions impact our lives each day. The main question to answer is, how do we start and/or create the “Brave” community where everyone feels comfortable being uncomfortable. It starts with colleagues who know they are safe and will not be scrutinized for speaking about their biases and how these biases impact other people. I have been part of creating these communities in schools, communities, and higher education classes by helping individuals feel safe in their environment as well as helping them see how their words have impacted others, maybe unintentionally or intentionally; thus, creating a “Brave” community interwoven into the DNA fabric of what we do each day. This is only a start to a deeper conversation of how we can displace biases, no matter if unconscious (illicit) or explicit. One of the aspects I have noticed during my 26-year career, is the increasing focus on what’s next for students after high school, in other words their destination. Questions like, What do you want to be when you grow up? Where are you going after high school? Although these questions are not bad questions, I do wonder if we put too much pressure on students to have it figured out. With students facing so much pressure from school as well as dealing with the evolving landscape of matriculation to adulthood, have we determined how these pressure points are impacting the student’s social-emotional wellbeing? What are we doing to have systems in place to address the pressure students are feeling regarding the question of “What’s Next”? Are we creating systems that are interwoven into the fabric of our schools and curriculum to address this need? This is the question I continue to ask myself as well as my colleagues each day. Why? To find a solution on relieving the student’s pressure valve so they can function on what they can control as well as dealing with the social emotional draws, which impact their daily lives. Until the next time, be safe, healthy, and well!

Supplement not supplant law always has me asking that question...huh?! You can spend it there but not there? I can use the product for this child but not that one? My targeted assistance schools can use it for these few and schoolwide schools can use it for all? You almost need an air traffic controller to help you interpret the smoke signals! But….I have to say…Blue Skies Ahead! If you are not aware, this summer Betsy DeVos’ office issued non regulatory guidance on the NEW supplement not supplant requirement specifically regarding Title I Part A funds. So what does this mean? First,  let’s back up and take a look at the three questions school leaders would apply in determining if they were supplanting funds: Was the activity supported with Title I, Part A funds required by State or local law?Was the activity supported with Title I, Part A funds supported in a prior year with State or local funds?Was the activity supported with Title I, Part A funds in a Title I school supported with State or local funds in a non-Title I school? Are you as confused as I am? Even when I do answer those questions, can I be sure that I have clearly defined every single “activity” within my district or school to stay within compliance?  Well guess what, those questions no longer apply! Yep…It’s True! The Non-Regulatory guidance released on June 16, 2019, explains how local educational agencies (LEAs) will now be examined as a “whole” making sure funds supplement and not supplant state and local funds. Interpretation? This means that the Department of Education can no longer require any Title I school, regardless of designation, to specifically identify whether services or line item costs are supplemental. Hallelujah! Supplanting will now be determined by making sure the LEA’s methodology is “Title I neutral”. This means that LEAs must make sure that funds are allocated locally and by the state without regard for Title I designation. An example taken from the published regulatory guidance doc is as follows: Assume: a. Through its methodology, an LEA allocates to only non-Title I schools State and local funding to support after-school tutoring for any student who scores below proficient on the State’s mathematics assessment. b. In its Title I schools, the LEA uses Title I, Part A funds to support after-school tutoring for any student who scores below proficient on the State’s mathematics assessment. This example would not violate the supplement not supplant requirement. Although the LEA is taking into account Title I status when allocating State and local funds through its methodology by only allocating to its non-Title I schools the State and local funds for the tutoring program, tutoring is a supplemental program and it benefits students who, by virtue of being non proficient in mathematics, are failing to meet the State’s mathematics standards. Therefore, the State and local funds supporting tutoring qualify for the exclusion because the program is supplemental and meets the intent and purposes of Title I, Part A pursuant to 34 C.F.R. § 200.79(b). For more information on the latest regulatory guidance on Supplement not Supplant click here For support on how to utilize Silverback’s Amazing Platforms to stay in ESSA compliance click here And STAY TUNED to the Silverback Blog for more on ESSA and compliance.

ACCOUNTABILITY & SCHOOL IDENTIFICATION States can now apply for a new waiver request for the 2020-2021 school year in relation to the accountability and school identification requirements in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). A state receiving this waiver would not be required to implement and report the results of its accountability system, including calculating progress toward long-term goals and measurements of interim progress or indicators, or to annually meaningfully differentiate among its public schools using data from the 2020-2021 school year. This flexibility would explicitly include waiving the requirement that the Academic Achievement indicator be adjusted to account for a participation rate below 95 percent. The state would also not be required to identify schools for comprehensive support and improvement (CSI), targeted support and improvement (TSI), and additional targeted support and improvement (ATSI) based on data from the 2020-2021 school year. Each state receiving the accountability and school identification waivers would be required to continue to support previously identified schools in the 2021-2022 school year, resume school identification in the fall of 2022, and ensure transparency to parents and the public. ASSESSMENT The intent of both sets of flexibilities is to focus on assessments providing information to parents, educators, and the public about student performance and to help target resources and supports. For that reason, blanket waivers of assessments are not being implemented. A state should use the Assessment flexibility to consider: Administering a shortened version of its statewide assessments Offering remote administration, where feasible; and/or Extending the testing window to the greatest extent practicable. That could include offering multiple testing windows and/or extending the testing window into the summer or even the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. States that elect to extend testing windows should also consider how they can make results available to the public in a timely manner after assessments are administered. The American Rescue Plan, proposed by President Biden, calls for $130 billion in funding to help schools safely reopen and meet the unique needs students and educators are facing during the pandemic, including supporting the academic, social, and emotional needs of students. Please reach out for any additional questions you have and Ill write back with the answers!