HISD | Employee News: HISD’s news for district employees

Deadline to complete compliance courses extended to Oct. 31

The deadline for all district employees to complete mandatory courses for compliance purposes has been extended to Tuesday, Oct. 31, in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Teachers and school-based employees who attended August pre-service training on their individual campus may have already completed one of more of the courses listed below. Employees can view their compliance course completions in their OneSourceMe “Learning History” tile.

Courses that have yet to be completed will appear on an employee’s OneSourceMe Learning ‘”My Learning Assignments” list. All employees must successfully complete the quiz for each online course to receive completion credit. Department Managers and principals are strongly encouraged to allocate time for employees to complete all HISD required  compliance courses each year and/or within the 30-day onboarding period for new hires.

In addition to the courses above, several other mandatory all-employee compliance course will be launching in the coming months. They include: Student Bullying Awareness, Ethics, and Social Media Guidelines. Like the others, these on-line course will be pre-populated in an employee’s OneSourceMe Learning ‘”My Learning Assignments” list. Look for more details and information on myHISDin the coming months.

One-day teacher training offered several times this fall

The HISD Department of Social and Emotional Learning is hosting classroom management training for all classroom teachers. The CHAMPS classroom management system is tailored to K-8 teachers while Discipline in Secondary Classrooms (DSC) is tailored to 9-12 grade teachers.

The trainings are designed to help teachers manage student behavior more positively, with the end result of engaging students in the learning process. This one-day training will be offered several times this fall.  See below for dates. All sessions are from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Full campus trainings are also available. Interested principals can call Danette Maldonado,
at 713-556-3814 or email her at DMALDONA@houstonisd.org

 K-12 teachers encouraged to sign up for learning opportunities

The HISD Elementary and Secondary Curriculum and Development departments are offering a wide menu of professional development opportunities for all HISD teachers this fall. The sessions align to and support the district’s literacy programs for elementary, middle, and high school as well as other core content areas including math and social studies.

Click here to review October professional development opportunities for K-5 teachers.

Secondary teachers can click here to review fall professional development opportunities.

K-5 teachers are also encouraged to sign up for the Fall Elementary Literacy Summit. The conference-style event on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Kingdom Builders’ Center from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. will feature keynote speaker Kelly Gallagher, author and literacy expert. Sessions will be facilitated by teacher development specialists, classroom practitioners, and district vendors. This year’s summit will feature sessions designed to support the five components of HISD’s balance literacy block. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with colleagues, expand their learning, and visit the Barnes and Noble Pop-Up Shop. Sign up on OneSource using course #715001

The EdTech department has also launched their 2017-2018 Professional Development Catalog to promote and support teachers utilizing technology with students.  Topics include Adobe software, Apple and iPad apps, audio and video creation, tools for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), Discovery Education, district tools, Google, SMART, social media, Windows/Office, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).  Staff can register for courses through OneSource or EdTech can deliver campus-based training at the principal’s request. Visit www.houstonisd.org/edtechpd to learn more about the course offerings.

School counselors, psychologists, social workers, and nurses invited

Baylor College of Medicine is offering a free training for members of Team HISD to help them recognize post-Harvey trauma symptoms in both students and adults.  School counselors, psychologists, social workers, and nurses invited to the symposium at the McMillian Auditorium at the Baylor College of Medicine on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Breakfast in included and begins at 9 a.m.

Click here to register.

All school-based staff encouraged to provide input on services for SPED and at-risk students

The window for employees to take a confidential survey to capture information on policies and practices related to students with disabilities and students identified as at-risk has been extended until Wednesday, Oct. 31 in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

The survey, conducted by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), is part of a larger review by the third-party consultant. All school-based employees who have not taken the survey are encouraged to do so by clicking here.

The data collected will be analyzed and reported alongside analyses of several other data sources, including a parent survey and interviews and focus groups with district and school staff over the coming months.

Participation in the survey is voluntary, but all school-based staff are encouraged to take 15-20 minutes of their time to share their views and experiences. The effectiveness of the survey depends upon the candid and honest responses of employees, which will remain confidential. Names of respondents are not collected, and all data are aggregated to the district level. Therefore, schools will not be identified in the analysis or the report.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact AIR representative Allison Gandhi by telephone (781-373-7003) or e-mail (agandhi@air.org).

New employee appraisal and TADS deadlines

As a result of Hurricane Harvey, many employee appraisal deadlines for the 2017-2018 have been adjusted.

Non-Teacher Appraisal System

Department goals for 12-month employees were due on Sept. 15. Department goals for all other duty schedules are due by Oct. 6.  Click here for more information.

Development goals are contained in the employee’s Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP).  These plans are to be completed by Oct. 20. See the 2017-2018 IPDP Guidelines and 2017-2018 Quick Reference Guide – IPDP for more information.

Once the IPDP has been completed, managers can begin conducting Goal Setting Conferences. Goal Setting Conferences must be completed for 12 month employees by Oct. 31; the deadline for all other duty schedules is Nov. 3.

Managers in need of non-teacher appraisal system training should register for course 504007 (instructor-led) or 485001 (online) in OneSourceMe Learning. Employees being appraised with the Non-Teacher Appraisal System who are in need of training should register for course 504009 (instructor-led) or 485002 (online) in OneSourceMe Learning.

Teacher Appraisal and Development System (TADS)

Teachers must have submitted Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDPs) to their appraiser by Sept. 29. Once the IPDP has been completed, appraisers can begin conducting Goal Setting Conferences.  Goal Setting Conference must be completed by Nov. 10. See the 2017-2018 TADS Goal Setting Conference Guide for more information.

Student Performance measures must have been submitted to teachers by Sept. 29, and teachers must acknowledge the measures by Oct 6. PCIMs will be working on Measure Assignments the weeks of Sept. 18 and Sept. 25.

Once assigned, appraisers will be able to make modifications as needed. For more information see the 2017-2018 TADS Student Performance Guidebook.

For additional support on any of HISD’s appraisal systems, please contact your assigned PCIM or email OSL_AppraisalSystems@houstonsid.org.

Applications for ‘Every Community Every School’ cohort due Oct. 6

HISD has extended the deadline for schools to apply for cohort one of Every Community Every School, a comprehensive district initiative to connect schools to non-academic supports needed to improve the well-being and academic achievement of all students. Often called wraparound services, these non-academic supports address critical issues such as mental health and physical health needs, food insecurity, lack of stable housing, violence, incarceration of a parent, and many other challenges that can have adverse effects on a student’s readiness and ability to learn.

During the 2017-2018 school year, HISD will launch cohort one of Every Community, Every School at nearly two dozen campuses throughout the district. School leaders interested in having their campus in cohort one, can click here for an application. All applications are due October 6, 2017.  Schools applying for the first cohort are encouraged to complete the wraparound services survey that was distributed to all campuses in May 2017. In addition, schools applying must have a leadership team with a deep understanding that wraparound services must work together with strong academics, quality and data driven teachers, safe and well-maintained facilities, and personalized learning to address the needs of the whole child.

Schools in cohort one will be provided with funding to employ a resource specialist which will be dedicated full time to the following

Building relationships within their school and community

• Establishing a strong working relationship with school leadership
• Developing and nurturing relationships with students, families, and community members and organizations

Engaging stakeholders throughout needs assessment and provider selection

• Supporting school leadership in making data-driven program decisions
• Gathering input from community leaders during decision-making process

Effectively connecting students to needed services

• Working with Wraparound Director to perform campus and community needs assessment, find service providers, and troubleshoot challenges
• Engaging families and school staff to better understand student needs
• Developing and managing partnerships with local service providers
• Participating in and learning from resource coordinator community