Welcome

Welcome to the premier website for all educators serving Alaska’s K-12 schools. Presented by the Alaska Comprehensive Center, this site brings together in one place current information about school improvement planning and strategies that you can use right now in meeting the provisions of No Child Left Behind and increasing student performance.


New information is regularly being added to these pages. We invite you to explore the resources provided here and to check back often for updates. We also encourage you to contact us with your feedback on this site’s quality, usefulness and relevance to your work.

 


 

Explore these quick links!


Components of Effective Schools





Content Areas & Subgroups





Stakeholder Resources

 

 


 

 

Archived WEBEX Events

WebEx:  Identifying and Implementing Key Components of Effective Writing Instruction
Results and the implications for selecting and implementing effective instructional methods for adolescent writing, especially for students who are struggling or have learning disabilities. The PowerPoint presentation and the synopsis of the Writing Next document are available for download below. Click HERE to view the archived WebEx.

These files are also available for this WebEx:

•  Identifying and Implementing Key Components of Effective Writing Instruction (2.21 MB)
•  Synopsis of Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle & High Schools (47.5 KB) 

Identifying and Implementing Key Components of Effective Writing Instruction
The Center on Instruction Special Education Strand hosted a WebEx on February 20, 2008, focused on writing as a critical aspect of literacy and one in which effective instructional techniques and models for intervention are needed. Presenter Dr. Steve Graham, co-author of Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle High Schools, described the results and the implications for selecting and implementing effective instructional methods for adolescent writing, especially for students who are struggling or have learning disabilities. The PowerPoint presentation and the synopsis of the Writing Next document are available for download below. Click HERE to view the archived WebEx is available at  
The following files are also available for this event:
Identifying and Implementing Key Components of Effective Writing Instruction
Synopsis of Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle High Schools  
http://centeroninstruction.org/pdevents.cfm#24

 

 

 

 

 

National Center on Response to Intervention 
The Center’s mission is to provide technical assistance to states and districts and building the capacity of states to assist districts in implementing proven models for RTI/EIS.

Polling Question

What content area(s) are of greatest interest/need to you?




Professional Development

Alaska’s Opportunities:


Developing a High Performing School Culture Where Failure is NOT an Option
June 9-10, Soldotna High School, Soldotna

Join Alan Blankstein, president of the Hope Foundation, internationally-recognized consultant, and author of the bestselling book, Failure is Not an Option; and a team of colleagues from the Hope Foundation for a scintillating two-day institute.  This is a great opportunity for school teams. Click the link below for additional information and/or to register:
https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=193584

Information on other 2008 Summer Institutes (May, June, and August) sponsored by Alaska Staff Development Network (ASDN) can be viewed by going to the link below:
http://www.asdn.org/summer_institutes.html

Did you know that ASDN offers distance education classes that meet the Alaska History and Multi-Cultural requirements for state education certification and they also offer 500-level courses that have been approved for certification renewal.  These courses are designed for working professionals and can be started anytime.  Each course has an instructor assigned.  To get more information on these opportunities, go to the link below:
http://www.asdn.org/distance_education.html


National Opportunities:
Online Events:
Using Formative Assessments to Accelerate the Academic Achievement of English Learners
Date:  April 17, 2008
Time:  9:30-11:00am (Alaska Standard Time)

This free webinar will present key ideas about the use of formative assessment with English Learners to increase their academic achievement. Robert Anderson, Senior Assessment Specialist at WestEd, will focus on the systemic use of formative assessment to enhance learning opportunities for English Learners. Margaret Heritage, Assistant Director for Professional Development at the National Center for Research Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at UCLA, will draw from her new book, Formative Assessment for Literacy: Building Reading and Academic Language Across the Curriculum, to discuss ways in which formative assessment can assist teachers working with English Learners to develop skills in academic language.  Click the link below for additional information and/or to register:
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/2801

A County Immersed in Vocabulary
Date:  April 22, 2008
Time:  9:30-11:00am (Alaska Standard Time)
Elfrieda H. Hiebert, Adjunct Professor at the University of California at Berkeley and facilitator of the California Vocabulary Forum (CVF), will lead this free webinar highlighting a county-wide effort emanating from the California Vocabulary Forum. She will be joined by Frank Smith, Director of Elementary Education at Stanislaus County Office of Education. Click the link below for additional information and/or to register:
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/2708

Online Chat Opportunity:
The National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality’s online discussion board will launch a new topic:  Critical Assessments Within a Response to Intervention (RtI) Model starting Monday, April 7 and continuing through April 14.  This discussion offers opportunities to interact and discuss RTI assessment strategies, methods for data collection and progress monitoring, and the required competencies for teachers and related services personnel within an RTI system.  There will be opportunities to chat live with Kimberly Gibbons, Ph.D., executive director of the St. Croix Education District (SCRED) located in Rush City, Minnesota.  For more information on this opportunity and information on other discussion topics, click on the link below:
http://www.tqsource.org/forum/




December 2007 (pdf)
January 2008 (pdf)
March 2008 (pdf) 
April 2008 (pdf)