Business, Information Technology, and Marketing Equivalency

Release from DPI with embedded links to extra materials:

New DPI equivalency processes make it easier for districts to award core credit for business and information technology and marketing education courses.

Task forces composed of Wisconsin teachers, administrators, higher education, and DPI staff updated the equivalency process for both subjects, recognizing they have evolved into courses involving social studies and economic concepts. In the case of Business and Information Technology, the courses also involve English Language Arts skills.

The DPI is working with the University of Wisconsin to establish an ongoing process for recognition of DPI-approved equivalent courses.

Districts interested in pursuing social studies or English Language Arts equivalency for Business and Information Technology or Marketing Education classes should:

1.    Form a committee to compare the courses in question to the district's core subjects curriculum. To help with this process, the DPI has created “crosswalks” of state standards for both areas.

2.    Obtain school board approval.

3.    Submit all documentation to the DPI using a form.

More information can be found in the materials on the DPI Business and Information Technology Equivalency website.

The new equivalency processes join others created since 2007 for agriculture, technology, engineering, and family and consumer science courses. 

MIT/Khan on-line content delivery

The video linked below is just an introduction to a start of what is coming as far as content that will available to students (everybody) worldwide. We need to start the discussions now as to how this ubiquitous content will change what we do. This has the potential to jump, way beyond flipped classrooms, directly to the people who write the books. In many ways schools, and textbook companies, are only the middleman of content delivery. We now are moving toward direct access to the content creators for little to no cost. There are many predicting that within just a couple of years the traditional textbooks will be only referenced in history.

We have to start to talk about how we will figure this out. The indication is that we need to do this relatively quickly - no 5 or 10 year plans will accommodate these changes. I certainly do not have the answers and I do not know if anyone else does either. However, it is fairly obvious that how we get and disseminate information/content, and the actual definition of what is tested/graded as valuable/relevant will change, especially at the high school level.

Click to go to YouTube on MIT/Khan

Joe Price; new CESA 3 Administrator

Information from CESA 3:

The CESA #3 Board of Control has offered a contract to Mr. Joe Price to be the new Agency Administrator. He accepted their offer pending the acceptance of his resignation from his current position as Superintendent at Iola-Scandinavia.

Mr. Price was a social sciences teacher for 14 years, before becoming an assistant principal at DeForest High School. He then became the Middle/High School Principal at Iola-Scandinavia in 1995. He later became the Superintendent at Iola-Scandinavia, and has served in that role for the past 12 years.

Mr. Price brings a passion for small schools, as well as significant professional development background. His talents and skills will serve CESA #3 very well.

Deb Delisle; Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education

On April 26, Deb Delisle, was confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education for the U.S. Department of Education. This is interesting and relevant (sorry for the small pun) to us as she was a Senior Fellow at the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE), which is the Bill Daggett group. As I have mentioned a number of times internally, the ICLE has become an important research and policy group on the federal level.

Deborah Delisle, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education
Deborah Delisle served as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Ohio Department of Education from 2008 to 2011. Previously, Ms. Delisle worked in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District in Ohio, first as Associate Superintendent from 2001 to 2003, then as Superintendent from 2003 to 2008. Since beginning her career as an elementary teacher in Connecticut in the 1970s, Ms. Delisle has served in a variety of roles at the school district level in Ohio, including as Director of Academic Services, Director of Curriculum and Professional Development, and Coordinator of Gifted and Talented Programs. Ms. Delisle has served on several education boards, including the Governing Board of the Minority Student Achievement Network, Executive Board of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, and the Council of Chief State School Officers Executive Board. Ms. Delisle is a recipient of the Betsy Cowles Women in Leadership Award and the Buckeye Association of School Administrators Distinguished Service Award. She holds a B.S. from Springfield College and an M.Ed. from Kent State University.

Click here to see the source of this bio

DPI reading resource portal

Read Wisconsin, is the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) reading resource portal and community of practice. Read Wisconsin is intended for use by parents and families, educators, and early childhood professionals to assist in ensuring high quality reading practices are part of every Wisconsin student’s education. There are several ways you can use Read Wisconsin:

• Use the left navigation bar to identify and use high quality reading resources organized by developmental level
• Create a login to receive updates and participate in interactive reading discussions
• Read the latest news and updates about reading in Wisconsin
• Sign in to comment on a particular resource so that others can learn from you
• Learn the answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about reading in Wisconsin
• Sign in to participate in a forum discussion on a reading topic of interest
• Suggest a resource or Frequently Asked question, or send a comment to the web developer

Click to go to Read Wisconsin page

Notice of Mandatory Trainings

The list of mandatory training for staff continues to grow. The following list of training topics will be required as either an on-line module (some of these we have already required) or it will be incorporated as part of pre-service. I think I have everything covered, but if not, the list will be updated.

1. blood borne pathogens
2. bullying
3. child abuse/neglect
4. common core
5. concussion 
6. confidentiality
7. copyright
8. curriculum updates (elementary math training starts in June)
9. homeless
10. medication administration
11. seclusion/restraint
12. suicide prevention

The Three New Pillars of 21st Century Learning

The author, of the article linked below, contends that "the textbook, the lecturer and the classroom are three pillars of modern-day schooling that date back hundreds of years", but are being replaced with connected classrooms, networks, and a student's ability to find and use information.

Click here to go article on 3 pillars