Curriculum updates are provided to inform educators and stakeholders of opportunities, updates and resources related to teaching and learning.
Mid year K-3 Literacy Guidance
Due to feedback from schools about the ATLAS K-2 assessment, DESE will be making updates to better align with Arkansas Standards and student experience and, as a result, K-2 Screening assessments have been paused for the remainder of the school year. However, K-2 ATLAS Summative assessments are required for use in spring of 2025. Districts should use the following guidelines to plan for K-2 student assessments to meet the requirements of individual reading plans, dyslexia screening and reporting home reading scores. Mid Year K-3 Literacy Guidance can be found here.
Contact: Sandy Shepard, Lead Regional R.I.S.E Specialist at Sandy.Shepard@ade.arkansas.gov.
National School Counseling Week in Arkansas
Arkansas will celebrate National School Counseling Week February 3-7, 2025. At this time, we would like to recognize the critical role school counselors play in supporting students' academic, career, and personal development. To help promote National School Counseling Week, the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) has developed materials and documents, many of which are free. The resources can be accessed at the ASCA website (https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Events-Professional-Development/Events/National-School-Counseling-Week). Consider utilizing these resources to celebrate school counselors in Arkansas!
Contact: Lindsay Ledgerwood, Program Coordinator for School Counseling at Lindsay.Ledgerwood@ade.arkansas.gov.
Science
Free professional learning opportunity for 6-12 science teachers! The Safer Science Summit is an immersive event that empowers 6-12 science teachers to enhance safety practices in their school by deepening their understanding of lab safety regulations and protocols in STEM education.
The Safer Science Summit 2025 will be held at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, AR from June 2-6, 2025. For additional details and registration information can be found here.
Contact: Katie Chacon, Science Program Manager at Katie.Chacon@ade.arkansas.gov.
STEM
STEMinar: Fostering Career Readiness with K-8 STEM Career Competencies is a virtual session designed for K-8 educators and school leaders. Participants will be introduced to the K-8 STEM Career Competencies: Developing Foundational Skills for the Future of Work framework. This framework identifies 10 foundational career competency areas correlated to characteristics of future work. It is meant as a guide for teachers interested in helping their students develop the foundations of skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to be successful in life when they exit formal schooling. Dr. Tina Moore launches the series by discussing the importance of developing 21st Century skills in students who are needed to fill Arkansas STEM jobs now and in the future. Join this session and learn how STEM career competencies support career exposure experiences for students.
STEMinar: Fostering Career Readiness through School Partnerships with Businesses and Community Members is a virtual STEM session for preK-12 educators and school leaders. Participants will be introduced to how schools can form strategic partnerships to support students' career exposure experiences. Effective ways to engage in school partnerships will be shared by designated model STEM schools. Join a new school partnership directory designed to connect schools with businesses, higher education institutions, and community organizations across the state.
Please join us for a virtual STEM session for PreK educators and school leaders. We will highlight why early childhood is an optimal level to implement STEM teaching and learning programs. Attendees will learn about the PreK STEM Model School designation and the benefits of being an AR STEM Model Program School. Early childhood STEM experts in Arkansas Romona Haney, Director BearKatz Academy, Melbourne School District, and Dr. Dennis Plyler, STEAM Consultant Hot Springs Head Start experiences as well as an overview of the Arkansas STEM Model Program PreK Rubric and early childhood STEM professional learning resources will be shared.
Contact: Michele Snyder, State STEM Integration Specialist at Michele.Snyder@ade.arkansas.gov.