August 12, 2022
CAPSS Welcomes Business Partner
CAPSS Welcomes Digital BackOffice as Business Partner
Digital BackOffice offers managed network services with Service Level Guarantees and 24x7 support from our in-state network ops center. Procurement, configuration, installation and support services are available for cybersecurity, private fiber wide area and local networks, hosted Voice Over IP, and integration with CEN and PSDN. Cybersecurity options include perimeter firewall, XDR endpoint protection, phishing mitigation and multi-factor authentication. DBO can supplement your internal IT staff with a team of experienced network engineers at a fixed cost. Many of our services are eligible for E-Rate discounts!
Contact:
Dale Bruckhart
Vice President
Public Sector Sales & Marketing
Digital BackOffice
CAPSS Welcomes Defined Learning Back as Business Partner
Defined Learning is a K-12 online project-based learning platform that provides teachers with the educational and assessment tools needed to implement high-quality PBL. Our hands-on projects are based on real-world situations in careers to help learners discover their passions and choose a pathway to a promising future.
Contact
Brannan Kenny
Vice President of Partnerships
brannan_kenny@definedlearning.com
General News & Announcements
Evaluation Training
Teacher Evaluation: Foundational Skills for Evaluators of Teachers
Audience: New evaluators of teachers/service providers. The RESC Alliance has updated this professional learning, increasing the focus on high-impact components of the process. The interactive session concentrates on the evaluator’s capacity to observe and analyze teacher performance through the lens of the CT Common Core of Teaching (CCT) and to provide supportive, high-quality feedback to teachers. Participants will learn how to use a feedback cycle to collect evidence, analyze the connection to CCT indicators, and help teachers plan for appropriate instructional improvements. They will have opportunities to apply their learning and receive personalized feedback to improve in the effective evaluation of teachers.
Build Capacity for Universal Dyslexia Screening and 1:1 Tutoring
Help your schools meet Connecticut requirements for universal dyslexia screening and extend teacher capacity to provide 1:1 tutoring for striving readers with Amira, a CSDE-approved provider for dyslexia screening. This powerful teacher’s reading assistant integrates AI to revolutionize assessment and dyslexia screening, provide students with effective micro-interventions rooted in the Science of Reading, and reclaim valuable instruction time.
Premier of Season 5, The EmpowerED Superintendent Series and release of the CoSN 2022 Student Home Connectivity Report
The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and its Connecticut State Chapter, Connecticut Education Technology Leaders Association (CTETL), are pleased to collaborate with the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) to support the work of current and aspiring superintendents and district leadership teams in leading all aspects of digital learning transformations.
Premier of Season 5, EmpowerED Superintendent Series
The EmpowerED Superintendent Series, which is co-hosted by AASA, CoSN and edWeb.net and sponsored by ClassLink, launches Season 5 on Monday, August 8, 2022, at 5:00 pm Eastern Time with Leading Learning in the 2022-2023 School Year: Ready, Set, Go. Superintendent Panelists Dr. David Schuler, Dr. Carol Kelley, and Mr. Matthew J. Miller, join host/moderator Ann McMullan in looking at the new school year through the lens of strategies and innovations that engage all learners, teachers, administrators and families in their districts. The Superintendents will also review how they are maximizing new funding resources and their plans to sustain the projects that have been funded by access to new financial aid. For additional information and the link to register free for the live broadcast (or the recording or podcast version after the August 8 broadcast) please go to https://home.edweb.net/webinar/supers20220808/.
CoSN 2022 Student Home Internet Connectivity Study
CoSN recently released its report on the second year of the association’s breakthrough study on student at-home connectivity and the impact on students’ home-to-school experiences. The study involved seven K-12 urban suburban and rural school districts serving a combined total of nearly 300,000 students. The findings in the study provide school leaders with a guide to learn their own next steps in solving the inequities that still exist around school to home connectivity which has a great impact on the work students are able to access and complete when doing schoolwork from home or other locations outside of their school settings. You are invited to access the complete CoSN 2022 Student Home Internet Connectivity Study at: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/jennifer.boronyak/viz/CoSNHomeInternetConnectivityFindingsJuly2022/DataStory
In addition to the CoSN 2022 Student Home Internet Connectivity Study, CoSN provides a wide variety of resources for school leaders who are working to solve the challenges of digital equity at: https://www.cosn.org/digital-equity/
CoSN Membership: If you, your school or district would like more information about joining CoSN or getting more involved with CoSN, please contact Me’Shell Sheffield, CoSN Director of Membership and State Chapters, at MSheffield@cosn.org.
204th NEASS Fall Conference, September 28-30, 2022
Dear Colleagues,
The New England Association of School Superintendents Board of Directors, representing school leaders from across New England, is pleased to invite you to attend the 204th NEASS Fall Conference, September 28-30, 2022.
The robust program includes three keynote speakers, as well as practical presentations from colleagues. You may be interested in the sponsored networking and entertainment events, too.
For additional information, the At-a-Glance program and registration information may be found on the NEASS website (and attached):
We hope you join colleagues and friends this Fall in scenic Northampton, Massachusetts.
Take care,
Linc
Lincoln D. Lynch III, Ed.D., Executive Director
Phone: (508) 298-2237 (call or text)
The New England Association of School Superintendents, Inc.
28 Lord Road, Suite 210, Marlborough, MA 01752
Registering Now at UNH: Public School Financial Management & Public School Operations
Two courses, each running in a 7-week mini-term in the fall. Our courses are geared to individuals interested in becoming School Business Officials, or people just interested in increasing their knowledge of school business operations. This latter group could include Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, people working on their 092 or 093 certifications, newly appointed SBOs, individual working in the school business office, and people working in finance either in the municipal side or the private side.
Each course earns a badge, which you can display on your social media. In addition, complete both courses and you will be awarded a micro-credential certificate.
Recording & Materials from PSLF Webinar with Congressman Courtney
Last week, Congressman Courtney hosted a webinar with the CT Community Nonprofit Alliance on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. This program is an opportunity for public service employees to have their federal student loans forgiven if they meet certain requirements. The webinar included an overview of the PSLF program, directions on how to apply, and an explanation of how to benefit from the limited-time waiver. Participants heard from Heather Jarvis, a student loan expert from the PSLF Coalition, and Ashley Harrington, Senior Advisor at U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid. You may view the slides from the presentation in the attachment to this email and watch a recording of the webinar here: https://youtu.be/EAJXv38-cl0.
Please share this information with your members, colleagues, and others who might benefit from the PSLF program. You may use the Department of Education’s PSLF Help Tool to determine if you qualify and/or to apply. Please call Congressman Courtney’s office at (860) 886-0139 if you have questions.
As you may know, if you work in public service and have federal student loans, you might be able to get additional debt relief through recent, time-limited changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. The PSLF program offers complete federal student loan forgiveness after making 120 qualifying payments while working in public service. PSLF-eligible employers include federal, state, local, or tribal governments, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, and other nonprofit organizations that provide certain qualifying services.
On October 6, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education announced a set of improvements to the PSLF Program. These improvements include waivers of certain program requirements, which will be available to borrowers until October 31, 2022. Here are some of the key improvements available under the Limited PSLF Waiver:
- Borrowers can receive credit for past periods of repayment on loans that would otherwise not qualify for PSLF.
- Past periods of repayment will now count whether or not you made a payment, made that payment on time, for the full amount due, on a qualifying repayment plan.
- Suspended payments count toward PSLF during the COVID-19 forbearance period.
Remember: this opportunity is time sensitive. Some borrowers will need to consolidate their loans and/or submit a PSLF form. It’s important for you to take the steps necessary to qualify for the Limited PSLF Waiver before October 31, 2022.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program provides debt relief to support the teachers, nurses, firefighters, and others serving their communities. By cancelling loans after 10 years of public service, PSLF removes the burden of student debt on public servants, helps many borrowers stay in their public service jobs, and incentives others to work in high-need fields. Congressman Courtney has heard from public servants across Connecticut who have benefited from PSLF and the limited-time PSLF waiver and he wants to make sure others are aware of this benefit. For more information, please visit the Department of Education’s PSLF website or reach out to Congressman Courtney’s office.
Samantha DeVito | Legislative Assistant
Representative Joe Courtney (CT-02)
Office: (202) 225-2076 | http://courtney.house.gov
Support Funding for After-School Programs
The following message was sent to CAPSS by Carmen Milagros Saez. Carmen has spent many years as a state advocate for education. Carmen is preparing testimony to bring to the Appropriations Committee to strongly encourage funding for after school programs. She has already received several letters from superintendents. She is asking that each of you send a letter of support to her at:
Carmen Milagros Saez
49 Main Street
Wethersfield,CT 06109
If you have questions, Carmen’s email is carmenlove2011@live.com and her cell 860-897-3615.
This is Carmen’s message:
Advocating for a pool of grant funds to be made available by the state for schools and organizations of ALL types who offer this important service to increase their offerings. Funding must be available to cover all types of programming, be it learning based, arts based, sports, etc.
After school programming is so important for children's development. Leisure activities have been shown to have a positive effect on youth, and in this moment, with the youth mental health crisis we are facing, and with children witnessing so much violence- this type of programming is more important than ever. . After school programming also provides support for working parents. Vitally important that all children (public school students, private school, homeschool, etc.) have a safe place with engaging activities.
NOTICES
We are grateful for the support of our partners:
