Alaskan Resources
The Blueprint was created by the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development and a State Literacy Team of Alaskan educators, to focus on the development of children's literacy from birth to graduation. The Blueprint is intended to provide guidance to policymakers, districts, school and community leaders, educators and families about ways to support all children in becoming literate and prepared to fully participate in their chosen.....
Learning Environment Resources
New eLearning Module from EED: Alaska Steps Toward Educational Progress and Partnership (STEPP)
This course is for school and district staff participating in Alaska STEPP. The course is organized into 17 chapters. The first chapter is an overview of the purpose and process of Alaska STEPP. The remaining 16 chapters outline other specific details in navigating STEPP and applying it to the School and District Improvement process.
1. To access this course, you must first login as a user at www.eed.state.ak.us/ELearning/
2. After successfully logging in, you will see a Welcome page. On the right hand side of the page is a link for.....
Meaningful Exposure to Content Standards
"Content standards" are broad statements of what students should know and be able to do as a result of their public school experience. In addition to providing "meaningful opportunities" for students in state assessed reading, writing, mathematics, and science standards, districts are expected to provide "meaningful exposure" to content standards not tested by the state so that students receive a balanced education. The concept of meaningful exposure comes from a ruling by Judge Gleason in Moore v State of Alaska.
Alaska State System of Support (SSOS) Operations Manual 2010-11
Alaska State System of Support (SSOS) Operations Manual,
Building Local Capacity, 2010‐2011
The Alaska SSOS's mission is to support districts as they build their capacity to implement sustainable school improvement strategies with fidelity. Authority for developing and implementing a system of support for districts and schools comes from both State and Federal law. This document provides an overview of the SSOS program and resources that are available to districts and schools in Alaska.
Cooperative Learning Fits into the Calculation - How to Teach Math as a Social Activity
Master teacher Chris Opitz, from Anchorage, shares resources for integrating social and emotional learning into math class.
"Skills and understanding in social and emotional learning don't just happen. The ultimate hope is that children come to school with healthy hearts and minds and the skills to communicate and interact effectively. But we all know that this is often not the case. Children come from wildly different backgrounds and experiences, and they bring their diverse skills and struggles to school.
As social, emotional, and.....
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) - Link to Anchorage School District SEL Program
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process through which we learn to recognize and manage emotions, care about others, make good decisions, behave ethically and responsibly, develop positive relationships, and avoid negative behaviors . It is the process through which students enhance their ability to integrate thinking, feeling, and behaving in order to achieve important life tasks. Within the school setting, SEL can best be accomplished through a layered approach of skills lessons, infusion into the curricula and classroom.....
Continuum for Assessing Culturally Responsible School Traits - Anchorage School District
This ASD tool offers an example of how educator(s) can measure on a continuum a school's progress towards becoming culturally responsive.
In addition, one can link to the Anchorage School District Cultural Proficiency website.
Alaska Self-Study Tool
The Self-Study Tool (SST) was developed to help schools conduct an internal review as part of their school improvement effort. The SST materials are based on the Instructional Audit Tool that has been used throughout Alaska to conduct on-site school audits by external teams of educators. The SST process provides teams from a school community an opportunity to engage in discussion and evidence-based inquiry. It is not intended to be the basis for evaluation or for making comparisons across schools. The end product is not a score, but the.....
Alaska Parent Information and Resource Center (AKPIRC) Language and Cultural Liaison Program
AKPIRC’s Language and Cultural Liaison (LCL) program offers support to parents who are reluctant to partner with schools or who are limited English speakers, thereby overcoming significant barriers to parent involvement. The LCL program involves parents through home visits, workshops, and ongoing communication with teachers and administrators.
The LCL program is available in Anchorage and Yupiit School Districts.
"Fireweed Magazine" from Port Graham Students: Reading in a Cultural Context and Place-based Science Activities
"Fireweed" Magazine was developed in the early 80's at Port Graham and offers online offers examples of reading in a cultural context. The work of transcribing from the magazines was completed in 2001-2002 by students at Port Graham.
LitSite Alaska: a window to literacy, cultural diversity, and life in Alaska
LitSite Alaska is a gathering place for Alaskans of all ages. Here, story-telling is a window to literacy, cultural diversity, and life in Alaska with special features for educators, students, parents, and health professionals.
Publications for Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools
The following standards have been developed by Alaska Native educators to provide a way for schools and communities to examine the extent to which they are attending to the educational and cultural well being of the students in their care. These "cultural standards" are predicated on the belief that a firm grounding in the heritage language and culture indigenous to a particular place is a fundamental prerequisite for the development of culturally-healthy students and communities associated with that place, and thus is an essential ingredient.....
