Educators' Advantage - Regional Office of Education #13

Volume 3, Issue 3 

March 2008 

CLINTON COUNTY 

OFFICE STAFF 

Mary Ellen Hughes 

Bookkeeper 

Susanne Brand 

Secretary 

Sandy Martin 

Curriculum 

Technology Specialist 

MARION COUNTY 

OFFICE STAFF 

Tricia See 

Secretary 

Lynette Baity 

Special Projects Coordinator 

Bonnie Heinzmann 

Secretary 

Ashley Brasel 

Secretary 

David I. Wilson 

Fiscal Agent 

Deborah Kincaid 

Curriculum Coordinator 

Don Griffin 

Network Specialist 

Alan Wilson 

Database Specialist 

Dennis Fancher 

Administrative Assistant 

WASHINGTON 

COUNTY 

OFFICE STAFF 

Heather Dunmyer 

Secretary 

Regional Office of Education #13 

930-B Fairfax Street 

Carlyle, IL 62231 

618-594-2432 

Educators’ Advantage 

Resources for Professional Educators 

REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION #13 

Clinton ~ Marion ~ Washington 

Keri J. Garrett, Regional Superintendent of Schools 

Brian P. Guthrie, Assistant Regional Superintendent of Schools 

“Phenomenal Educators” Tri-County Institute 

Educators from Clinton, Marion, 

and Washington counties met 

Friday, February 15, 2008 for the 

Tri-County Institute. Centralia 

High School District #200 served 

as host for the event and the 

institute was sponsored by the 

Kaskaskia Special Education 

District #801 and the Regional 

Office of Education #13. 

The institute was designed to 

help teachers and administrators 

increase their knowledge and 

skills when working with both 

special and regular education 

students. Participants attending 

the institute could choose from 

over 100 different presenters 

on varied topics. The institute 

began with keynote speaker Ron 

Clark, Disney’s 2000 American 

Teacher of the Year, and New 

York Times best selling author. 

Mr. Clark has recently opened 

The Ron Clark Academy, a new 

school serving low income students 

from inner-city Atlanta. 

Teachers from around the world 

are invited to visit the Academy 

to learn more about the innovative 

and “out-of-the-box” methods 

for achieving student success. 

Keynote speaker, Ron Clark, shares his teaching experiences with the Tri County 

Institute crowd. 


200 East Schwartz Street 

Salem, IL 62881 

618-548-3885 


230 East St. Louis Street, Suite A 

Nashville, IL 62263 

618-327-8322

Certification Update/Keri Garrett 

Regional Superintendent of Schools 

Attention Type 73 

Certificate Holders 

Public Act #95- 

592, effective July 1, 

2008, requires persons 

employed by an Illinois 

Public school entity on a 

School Service Personnel 

(SSP), Type 73, certificate to 

complete 80 hours of professional 

development or hold an active 

state license one of several specified 

professions or be nationally 

certified by several specified 

national boards in order to 

renew their certificate. The law 

requires SSP certificate holders 

to utilize ECS to record and submit 

a Statement of Assurance 

(listing the professional development) 

to the ROE and State 

Teacher Certification Board. 

kgarrett@roe13.k12.il.us 

Educators’ Advantage • Volume 3, Issue 3 • Page 2 

Administrative 

rules have been drafted 

and will be on the State 

Teacher Certification 

Board agenda on 

February 29, 2008. The 

plan is to take those 

rules to the Illinois State 

Board of Education’s meeting for 

initial review in March and then 

move forward with the rulemaking 

from there. 

Also, it is the understanding 

of my office that administrative 

rules have also been adopted 

for Provisional Vocational 

Certificates! They will be 

included in the same packet of 

information that will be presented 

to both boards. We will 

keep you posted! 

It’s Certificate 

Renewal Season! 

The registration and renewal season is upon us and my office 

recently mailed out approximately 400 registration packets to 

area educators whose certificates are up for renewal June 30, 

2008. You do not have to wait until summer to renew! You may 

do so now. Please refer to our ROE web site (www.roe13.k12. 

il.us), click on Certification and scroll down to Registration and 

Renewal Procedures. It will be the same information that is 

contained in your packet you received in the mail. 

2008 GED Testing Dates 

The GED test is offered the 

second Saturday of every month 

at the Harry Crisp Center in 

Centralia. For more information, 

please contact Ashley Brasel in 

the Salem office at 548-3885. 

• Saturday, March 8, 2008 

• Saturday, April 12, 2008 

• Saturday, May 10, 2008 

• Saturday, June 7, 2008 

• Saturday, July 12, 2008 

• Saturday, August 9, 2008 

ROE NEWS 

Dr. Alan Coulter presents RtI practices to Administrators Academy group. 

Alan Coulter addresses 

Administrators Academy 

W. Alan Coulter, Ph.D., director 

of the National Center for 

Special Education Accountability 

Monitoring (NCSEAM) LSU Health 

Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, 

served as the presenter for the 

January 16, 2008 Administrators 

Academy held at the Carlyle 

Microtel. Dr. Coulter led discussion 

on Impacting Annual Yearly 

Progress through Response to 

Intervention practices. Dr. Coulter 

ODIN TEAM QUEST SMILES 

chronicles an extensive background 

in school psychology, special education 

and intervention principles. 


engaged Dr. Coulter’s expertise in 

an effort to assist our districts in 

meeting the January 1, 2009 deadline 

for submission of district wide 

RtI plans to government agencies. 

The mandated plans are slated for 

implementation in the 2009-2010 

school year.


ROE NEWS 

anuary ROE Principal’s Meeting 

ocuses on curriculum networking 

Area principals met on 

uesday, January 15, 2008 to 

iscuss curriculum networkng, 

and other topics pertainng 

to curriculum. Principals 

ave attended three other 

OE 13 sponsored meetings 

his school year on a varity 

of topics including school 

mprovement plans and testng 

strategies. There are two 

ore meetings scheduled; 

arch 27, 2008 principals will 

e meeting to discuss staff 

valuation plans and tools, 

nd April 15, 2008 the topic of 

iscussion will be handbooks 

nd policies. 

Principals discuss the curriculum networking concept during lunch. 

nnual school board dinner meeting 

Regional Superintendent 

eri Garrett hosted the 

welfth Annual Regional Office 

f Education School Board 

inner. Guest speaker, Deanna 

ullivan, lobbyist for the Illinois 

ssociation of School Boards, 

poke on school board adminstration, 

policies and current 

legislation and funding. There 

were approximately 150 school 

board members from Clinton, 

Marion and Washington counties 

in attendance. Also attending 

were Senator David Luechtefeld 

and Representative Mike Bost 

who presented comments and 

concerns to the group. 

“TEAMING UP” FOR A CENTRALIA JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL 

TEAM QUEST CHALLENGE! 

Left to right: State Representative Mike Bost; Keri Garrett, Regional Superintendent of 

Schools; Deanna Sullivan, Lobbyist from the Illinois Association of School Boards; and Illinois 

Senator Dave Luechtefeld.

5TH AND 6TH GRADE 

“TEAM QUEST” RESULTS 

The 5th and 6th grade “Team Quest” competition 

was held on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 


ROE NEWS 

Area Team Quest Winners 

7TH AND 8TH GRADE 


The 7th and 8th grade “Team Quest” competition 

was held on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at Calumet 

Street Christian Church, Centralia. Thirty-two 

teams participated in this year’s competition. 

ROE 13 would like to congratulate all participants 

for their efforts, and give a special thanks 

to the church for the use of their facility. The final 

results are as follows: 

1ST PLACE: Salem: Josh Zinzilieta, Kaitlynn 

Ruscher, Breanna Goostree, and Kaitlin 

Morkassel. 

2ND PLACE: Germantown: Drew Foppe, Anna 

Lampe, Kyle Novy, and Brooke Schulte 

3RD PLACE: Centralia City: Christopher Smith, 

Paige Bauer, Rachel Tockstein, and Rebekah 

Brooks 

4TH PLACE: West Washington: Lyndsay 

Fuhrhop, Ryan Burrough, Amy Klasing, and Austin 

Schwankhaus 

5TH PLACE: Wesclin: Courtney Patton, Michele 

Thole, Chris Isenhower, and Justin Groennert 

6TH PLACE: Immanuel Lutheran, Okawville: 

Connor Obermeier, Lauren Unverfehrt, Taylor 

Walton, and Whitney Weeke 

7TH PLACE: West Washington: Janel Lake, Emily 

Norton, Alyssa Brammeier, and Alexis Lintker 

8TH PLACE: St. Theresa, Salem: Samantha 

Eblin, Riley Diss, Heather Iffert, and Vince Lentini 

9TH PLACE: Selmaville: Miranda Haeuber, 

Rachel Williams, Johnny Tolliver, and Matt Webb 

at Calumet Street Christian Church, Centralia. 

Thirty-two teams participated in this year’s competition. 

The final results are as follows: 

1ST PLACE: Germantown: Ben Lampe, Claire 

5th and 6th Grade Team Quest Team Winners, Germantown Elementary District #60; Left to right: Tina Altenbaumer, 

sponsor, Claire Langenhorst, Hannah Albers, Hayley Heimann, Ben Lampe, and Assistant Regional 

Superintendent Brian Guthrie. 

7rd & 8th Grade Team Quest Team winners, Salem Elementary District #111; Left to right: Kaitlynn Ruscher, 

Breanna Goostree, Ria Duncan, sponsor, Josh Zinzilieta and Kaitlin Morkassel. 

10TH PLACE: Centralia City: Callie Jackson, 

Tasha Aarons, Emily Cole, and Kelsey Crabtree 

Langenhorst, Hannah Albers, and Hayley 

Heimann 

2ND PLACE: Wesclin: Zoe Christopher, Justin 

Goff, Joshua Nielsen, and Courtney Litteken 

3RD PLACE: Nashville: Madison Frerker, 

Kelsie Klingenberg, Shawn Rennegarbe, and 

Garrett Guest 

4TH PLACE: Wesclin: Rachel Ford, Megan 

Washburn, Austin Brandmeyer, and Dustin 

Jacober 

5TH PLACE: Salem: Allyssa Wood, Taylor 

Schisler, Alexa Garden, and Jaqueline Corum 

6TH PLACE: St. Theresa, Salem: Caleb 

Shetley, Emily Wilzbach, Brianna Ashby, and 

Taylor Cavaletto 

7TH PLACE: Wesclin: Makenzie Kunz, Cecil 

Burchett, Hunter Evans, and Matthew Trimble 

8TH PLACE: Centralia City: Abby Hoyt, 

Malaya Downey, Emily Simons, and Megan 

Wanzo 

9TH PLACE: Carlyle: Morgan Siever, Ashley 

Huels, Jake Cotton, and John Hediger 

10TH PLACE: Selmaville: Megan Ross, Alexa 

Smith, Zephrem Conrad, and Brooklyn Penn 

11TH PLACE: Salem: Brock Meigs, Aaron 

Ramos,Jared Banning, and Samuel Beavin


ROE NEWS 

Area Team Quest Winners 

3rd AND 4TH GRADE 


The 3rd and 4th grade “Team Quest” competition 

was held on Monday, January 28, 2008 at 

Calumet Street Christian Church, Centralia. 

Twenty-seven teams participated in this year’s 

competition. The final results are as follows: 

1ST PLACE: West Washington: Jordan Oakley, 

Chase Hachstede, Nealey Ritzel, and Parker 

Lester. 

2ND PLACE: Selmaville: Isabelle Marshall, 

Isaiah Penn, Madison Hood, and Ryan Byars. 

3RD PLACE: Centralia City: Ashton Bauer, 

Devin Merrell, Clare Kessler, and D’Aaron 

Owens. 

4TH PLACE: Iuka: Sophia Hofelich, Clay 

Webster, Tiffany Williams, and Dakota 

Baithelemy. 

5TH PLACE: St. Theresa: Christian Daniels, 

Keagan Johnson, Chloe Austin, and Parker 

Reincke. 

6TH PLACE: St. Michael: Johnna Tomaszewski, 

Taryn Chesnek, John Kwiatkowski, and Peyton 

Novak. 

7TH PLACE: Odin: Caitlyn Huge, Kennedy 

Laffoon, Raiden Hofstetter, and Dylan Henson. 

8TH PLACE (2 way tie): Central City: Kaitlin 

Johnston, Justin Hardesty, Lauren Branon, and 

Seth Edmonson. 

Raccoon: Michael Allison, Makenzie Hocking, 

Destiny Arriaga, and Kloie Biagi. 

9TH PLACE (3 way tie): West Washington: 

Stephanie Friederich, Meg Schnoeker, Jessica 

✓ 

Teacher Tools includes . . . 

• Grade level check lists for 

each of the eight core areas Pre- 

K -12 

• If the area/grade level is 

tested by the ISAT or PSAE, 

the list is labeled Assessment 

Framework. 

• If the area/grade level is 

NOT tested by the ISAT/PSAE 

such as the Social Sciences, the 

3rd & 4th Grade Team Quest Team Winners, West Washington School District #10 Okawville Elementary; Left 

to right: Jennifer Hagarty, sponsor, Nealey Ritzel, Parker Lester, Chase Hachstede, Jordan Oakley, and Brian 

Guthrie, Assistant Regional Superintendent of Schools. 

Klasing, and Katy Hansen. 

Germantown: Zachary Honer, Connor Huegen, 

Kaitlyn Albers, and Austin Winters. 

It Out... Teacher Tools 

www.roe13.k12.il.us 

What We Want Our Students to Know and Be Able to Do! 

Teacher Tools Checklist 

list is Performance Descriptors. 

• The eight core areas are: 

1. English/Language Arts 

2. Math 

3. Science 

4. Social Science 

5. Physical Development/ 

Health 

6. Fine Arts 

7. Foreign Language 

8. Social and Emotional 

The teacher tools checklists are 

NOT a curriculum, BUT your 

curriculum should include the 

items in the checklist – somewhere 

in your curriculum. The 

“checklists” in Teacher Tools are 

designed as a tool to help create 

your curriculum for the school 

year. This system is designed 

to “self-check” what you teach. 

Centralia City: Jonathan Reynolds, 

Chelsea Marek, Allison Gansauer, and Erika 

Wrzensinski. 

New! 

New! 

Social Sciences Checklist 

Grades 5, 8, 11 

Writing Checklist 2006-2007!


THIS AND THAT 

March into Poison 

Prevention Month Prepared 

Join the Illinois Poison Center in 

elebrating Illinois Poison Prevention 

onth throughout March! 

All poison prevention/education mateials 

are FREE (except videos/DVDs); 

ost are available in English and 

panish. To order and/or download, go 

o the Illinois Poison Center’s Poison 

revention Education Resource Center 

PPERC) at www.IllinoisPoisonCenter. 

rg/outreach and first complete the 

REE online Poison Prevention Educator 

raining Course, if you haven’t already 

one so, then select “Resources” from 

he top, red tool bar. 

LIMITED OFFER: 

FREE Promotional Items for 

IPPM Activities 

New! CD of Poison Prevention 

Computer Games (for activities involv- 

ing kids ages 6- 13) 

New! Children’s Activity Books (for 

activities involving kids ages 2-8) 

New! Jar Grippers (for activities 

involving seniors) Handouts/Brochures 

Winter Poison Prevention Brochure: 

Colorful and informative! (“Educational 

Materials”) 

Your Guide to Poison Prevention 

(“Online Order Form”) 

Your Guide to Medicine Safety (“Online 

Order Form”) 

Carbon Monoxide Fact Card - (“Online 

Order Form”) 

Your Guide to Preventing Cough 

Medicine Abuse: Colorful and informative! 

“Educational Materials” 

Activity Book/Sheets: Offers children 

K-4 fun educational games and safety 

tips on how to be “poison smart”. 

(“Educational Materials”) Tool Kits/ 

Guides 

NEW! Poison Prevention Month Tool 

Kit: Fact sheet, flyer, newsletter article 

template, etc. (“Resources”) 

• Inhalant Abuse Prevention Tool Kit: 

Facilitator’s Guide, FAQ sheet, interactive 

PowerPoint presentation, posters 

and a “What Every Parent Needs 

to Know about 

• Inhalant Abuse” brochure. 

(“Presentation Tools”) 

• Story Time Tool Kit: Flannel board 

instructions, discussion points and 

templates, finger play activity and 

craft project centered around the book 

“Five Little Monkeys With Nothing To 

Do” (“Presentation Tools”). 

• Presentation Guide: Ready-to-use 

presentations with tips, activities 

and stories appropriate for different 

audiences: children (preschool, K-3, 

4-8), adults, older adults and caregivers. 

(“Presentation Tools”) 

Videos/DVDs 

• Spike’s Poison Prevention Adventure 

(video/DVD - $15 .00) - for children up 

to 10 years of age (“Presentation 

Tools”) 

• Poison Control In Action (video/DVD 

- English/Spanish, $15.00) – for adults 

“Presentation Tools” 

Don’t forget to order FREE magnets, 

stickers, poison prevention tip/fact cards 

for all your educational events! Use 

these resources for: report card meetings 

w/caregivers, parent/teacher meetings, 

welcome/discharge packets, health/safety 

fairs, reception areas, home visits, 

etc. 

To Order 

1. Log on to the IPC’s Poison Prevention 

Education Resource Center (PPERC ) at 

IllinoisPoisonCenter.org/outreach 

2. At the HOME page, select “Resources” 

from the bullets or top, red tool bar 

3. Select “Online Ordering System” 

4. Complete one order form for each 

education/outreach event (allow 2-3 

weeks for delivery) 

ISBE NEWS 

• ISBE brings national figure in to call 

attention to education of homeless teens. 

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) 

highlighted the issue of homeless youth during 

the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Annual 

Statewide Conference in Chicago. 

• ISBE announces $7.5 million to assist fastgrowing 

districts. 

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) 

announced $7.5 million in fast growth grants 

that will be distributed to 43 districts around the 

state for the 2007-2008 school year. 

• Gov. Blagojevich announces free college 

prep testing program for high school freshmen 

and sophomores. 

Governor Rod R. Blagojevich announced the 

launch of a new voluntary testing program aimed 

at improving student achievement at the high 

school level. 

• Gov. Blagojevich takes action to give 

schools a $560 million state funding 

increase. 

Governor Rod R. Blagojevich took action on a 

Budget Implementation Bill (BIMP) that will 

give Illinois schools a $560 million increase in 

state funding. 

• Illinois recognized as a leader for National 

Board Certified Teachers. 

The Illinois State Board of Education announced 

that Illinois ranks fourth in the nation for having 

the highest number of teachers achieving National 

Board Certification in 2007. 

HAVE YOU HEARD? 

The Regional Office of Education #13 will once 

again be offering summer school classes to area high 

school students. This will be the tenth year that the 

office has funded this opportunity for high school students 

in need of additional course work to complete 

graduation requirements. The courses rotate each 

year to different hosting high school campuses. This 

year the courses to be offered are yet to be determined. 

The courses will be offered in Marion County 

at Salem Community High School and the Clinton 

and Washington county courses will be hosted by 

Mater Dei High School. For more information contact 

David Wilson at the Salem ROE office at 548-3885.

SEX OFFENDER VOTING 

RESTRICTIONS 

Public Act 95-0440 (HB 263) 

• Amends the Election Code. 

Provides that when a qualified 

elector’s precinct polling place 

is a school and the elector will 

be unable to enter the school 

to vote because the elector is 

a child sex offender, the elector 

may vote early or by absentee 

ballot. Requires that an election 

authority that designates 

permanent or temporary early 

voting polling places must 

designate at least one that a 

child sex offender may lawfully 

enter. Amends the Criminal 

Code of 1961. In the provision 

prohibiting a child sex offender 

from entering a school, removes 

language providing that a 

child sex offender has the 

right to be present in a school 

building to vote. Provides that 

it is a Class 4 felony for a 

child sex offender to knowingly 

be present within 100 

feet of a site posted as a pickup 

or discharge stop for a conveyance 

owned, leased, or contracted 

by a school to transport 

students to or from 

school or a school related 

activity when one or more 

persons under the age of 18 

are present at the site. 

Effective immediately. 

PASSING A STOPPED 

SCHOOL BUS PENALTY 

Public Act 95-0105 (HB 1475) 

• Amends the Illinois Vehicle 

Code. Provides that if the 

owner of a vehicle that illegally 

passed a stopped school bus 

contends that another person 

was driving the vehicle at the 

time of the alleged violation, 

the State’s Attorney or other 

designated person (rather 

than the State’s Attorney or 

other authorized prosecutor), 

acting in response to a signed 

complaint, may require the 

owner to identify the driver in 

a written statement or deposition. 

Provides that failure to 


Legislative Did Ya Know? 

provide the required information 

shall result in a 3-month 

suspension of the owner’s 

vehicle registration. Effective 

date January 1, 2008. 

CELL PHONE 

USE PROHIBITED 

Public Act 95-033895 (SB 140) 

• Amends the Illinois Vehicle 

Code. Prohibits a person 

under the age of 19 years 

(instead of 18 years) who 

holds an instruction permit or 

a graduated license from driving 

on a roadway while using 

a wireless phone, except for 

emergency purposes. 

Effective date January 1, 

2008. 

COMMUNITY USE OF 

SCHOOL FACILITIES 

Public Act 95-0308 (SB 538) 

• Amends the School Code. 

Encourages school boards to 

allow community organizations 

to use school facilities 

during non-school hours. 

Provides that if a school board 

allows a community organization 

to use school facilities 

during non-school hours, the 

board must adopt a formal 

policy governing the use of 

school facilities by community 

organizations during nonschool 

hours. Provides that 

the policy shall prohibit such 

use if it interferes with any 

school functions or the safety 

of students or school personnel 

or affects the property or 

liability of the school district. 

Effective August 20, 2007. 

GED TESTING 

REQUIREMENTS CHANGE 

Public Act 95-0609 (SB 853) 

• Amends the School Code. 

Makes a technical change in 

a Section concerning a high 

school equivalency testing 

program. With respect to the 

high school equivalency testing 

program, provides that an 

individual is eligible to apply 

if he or she is a person who is 

17 (instead of 18) years of age 

or older and is not a high 

school graduate (instead of 

is not a high school graduate, 

but whose high school 

class has graduated); makes 

related changes. Provides 

that applicants may provide 

as sufficient proof of residence 

and as an acceptable 

form of identification, a driver’s 

license, valid passport, 

military ID, or other form of 

government-issued national 

or foreign identification that 

shows the applicant’s name, 

address, date of birth, signature, 

and photograph (instead 

of providing as sufficient 

proof of residence a picture 

identification card and 2 

pieces of correctly addressed 

and postmarked mail). Makes 

a change concerning who 

is eligible to apply for a high 

school equivalency certificate 

upon showing evidence 

that he or she has successfully 

completed the 

high school level General 

Educational Development 

Tests Effective date June 1, 2008. 

“ALCOPOP” ADVERTISING 

PROHIBITED 

Public Act 95-0618 (SB 1625) 

• Amends the Liquor Control 

Act of 1934. Prohibits the 

advertising, promotion, or 

marketing of alcopop beverages 

to children (Alcopop 

beverages are flavored alcoholic 

beverages or flavored 

malt beverages that include 

natural or artificial fruit juices 

or flavors added to beer, 

wine or distilled alcohol). 

Provides that to advertise, 

promote, or market alcopop 

beverages to children 

includes, but is not limited 

to, billboards advertising alcopops 

placed within 500 feet of 

schools, public parks, 

amusement parks, and places 

of worship. Provides that any 

person who violates the 

Section is guilty of a business 

offense and shall be fined 

$500 for a first offense and 

$1,000 for a second or subse 

quent offense. Effective date 

June 1, 2008. 

TAKE NOTE 

ANNUAL SECRETARY/BOOKKEEPER 

LUNCHEON, JUNE 18, 2008 

The staff at ROE 13 is pleased 

to announce the eighth annual 

Secretary/Bookkeeper Luncheon 

will be held on Wednesday, June 

18, 2008, at 

Governor’s Run 

Golf Course 

in Carlyle. 

All public and 

private school 

secretarial and 

bookkeeper 

staff will be 

invited to 

attend. This 

year, we are 

honored to 

have Mr. Brian 

Schwartz, 

Associate Director and General 

Counsel for the Illinois Principal’s 

Association (IPA), as our speaker. 

Mr. Schwartz will address a number 

of schoolrelated 

topics, 

including student 

records, 

the administration 

of medications, 

and 

much more. 

Invitations for 

the luncheon 

will be sent out 

to all districts 

in April. Mark 

your calendar!


Tri-County Institute 

Teachers from Selmaville Elementary arrive early at the Tri-County Institute. 

Left to right: Julie Jones, Laura Crain, Nicole Boatright, and Amy Foutch. 

Ron Clark autographs books for Tri-County participants. 

Kaskaskia Special Education District #801 Director Kevin Rench (Pepsi Man) assists Nancy Bond (left) of KSED in crowning Kathy Finney the 

“Queen of Tri-County.” Kathy Finney will be retiring at the end of the school year and her contributions to the Tri-County are greatly appreciated!


Photo Highlights 

Tri-County crowd enjoys good food and fellowship. 

Carlyle staff members Andy Palmer, Samantha Reynolds and Karen Gherardini enjoy a snack 

before the Tri-County Institute activities begin. 

Ron Clark addresses a packed house at the Tri- County Institute.

ake writing a team effort with 

hese new online resources 

ttp://www.google.com/educators. 

eeklyreader.html 

Google Inc. and Weekly Reader 

ave teamed up to offer free tools 

nd materials to help educators teach 

digital buddy writing,” which is 

here two or more students work 

ogether from different computers to 

rite and revise the same paper at 

he same time. “Revision writing is 

critical piece of the writing process, 

nd more and more, teachers are 

sing the concept of working with a 

writing buddy’ to help make writing 

ore fun and collaborative, and to 

each students the importance of havng 

support throughout the creative 

rocess,” explained Cristin Frodella, 

roduct manager of Google’s educaion 

initiatives, in a recent blog post 

escribing the partnership. The free 

esson plan, available on Good for 

ducators, contains tips and checkists—culled 

from teachers all over 

he country—for incorporating digital 

uddy writing into the classroom, 

sing Google’s free Google Docs online 

ord processor. With this new curiculum, 

students can work together 

nline to review each others’ work 

imultaneously and watch as their 

eers’ comments and edits appear 

ew federal web site aims to link 

esearch with practice 

ttp://dww.ed.gov 

The U.S. Department of Education has 

aunched a new web site aimed at giving 

ducators advice about effective teachng 

practices and examples of ways to 

mplement these practices to improve stuent 

achievement. Called “Doing What 

orks,” the new site offers a user-friendy 

interface to help users quickly locate 

eaching practices that have been found 

ffective by the department’s research 

rm, the Institute of Education Sciences, 

nd similar organizations. In addition, it 

rovides examples of possible ways this 

esearch can be used to help students 

each their full potential. Teachers intersted 

in successful strategies for helping 

nglish-language learners, for example, 

an watch a video of eight strategies that 

eachers at one school use to teach vocabuary. 

Coming soon, the department says, 

ill be similar resources in such areas 

s early childhood education, high school 

eform, literacy, school restructuring, cog- 


EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES 

instantly and legibly across multiple 

computers, Google says—whether 

they are in the same lab or in completely 

different locations anywhere 

around the world. 

Watch science in action at the South 

Pole through archived webcasts 

http://www.exploartorium.edu/icestories 

In a series of webcasts held in celebration 

of the International Polar 

Year (2207-2008), educators at the 

Exploratorium in San Francisco will 

be talking with scientists at McMurdo 

Station near the South Pole about 

the many research projects they’re 

conducting. For instance, this season 

three giant helium balloons will 

launch near McMurdo Station and 

circulate in circumpolar air currants 

above Antarctica, collecting data 

about cosmic rays—very high-energy 

particles that zip through the galaxy 

at nearly the speed of light. If conditions 

permit, Exploatorium educators 

will be talking with the balloon 

scientists from their ice facility 

at Williams Field, where the giant 

balloons are inflated and launched 

and their flights are tracked. The 

museum makes these webcasts available 

and educators also can explore 

its archive of previous South Pole 

webcasts, which feature research on 

nitive learning, and math and science. 

“Educators need to know what works, and 

this online library of resources will build a 

bridge from research to action,” said U.S. 

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings 

in announcing the site. “Its translates 

research-based practices into examples of 

tools that support and improve classroom 

instruction.” 

CoSN launches technology leadership 

wiki for small school districts 

http://www.cosn.org/wiki 

The Consortium for School Networking 

(CoSN) has created a new online resource 

designed to help technology leaders in 

small school districts. Called the Small 

School District Technology Leadership 

wiki, the site allows users not only to learn 

from the resources provided by CoSN and 

other sources, but also to contribute to the 

site by adding their own best practices, 

tips, strategies, case studies, and resources. 

“CoSN recognizes that technology 

leadership concerns and needs of small 

districts are typically impacted by a dif- 

CURRICULUM 

LEADERSHIP 

penguins, ice cores taken from miles 

beneath the earth’s surface, and construction 

of a new 10-meter telescope 

at the South Pole. 

New podcasts aim to make science 

more accessible 

http://feeds.feedburner.com/bytesizescience 

Seeking to make science more 

fun and easily accessible for today’s 

students, the American Chemical 

Society (ACS) has launched Bytesize 

Science, an educational, entertaining 

new podcast for young listeners. 

Bytesize Science translates cuttingedge 

scientific discoveries from ACS’s 

36 peer-reviewed journals into stories 

for young listeners about science, 

health, medicine, energy, food, and 

other topics. New installments are 

posted every Monday and are available 

free of charge. The program’s 

archive includes items on environmental 

threats to killer whales, a scientific 

explanation for why some people 

love chocolate, and some unlikely 

new uses for compact discs. The podcaster 

for Bytesize Science is Adam 

Dylewski, an ACS science writer and 

recent graduate of the University 

of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees 

in genetics and science communication. 

Dylewski spent his college 

career immersed in science and jour- 

ferent set of resource, personnel, and even 

expertise constraints that are experienced 

in larger or medium-sized districts,” said 

Keith Krueger, CoSN’s chief executive. 

“The content found on the CoSN wiki may 

prove useful for any district but is particularly 

focused on the specific needs and 

challenges of small school districts.” The 

wiki aims to help with systematic technology 

planning for school districts with 

student populations of 2,500 or less in particular. 

Of the more than 14,000 school 

districts in the United States, nearly 75 

percent have student populations of less 

than 2,500, CoSN says. 

Let “Route 21” help steer your efforts 

to implement 21st-century teaching 

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21 

Numerous polls suggest that stakeholders 

increasingly believe U.S. schools 

should do more to prepare students to 

succeed in today’s rapidly evolving world 

by teaching so-called “21st-century skills,” 

such as global literacy, problem solving, 

critical thinking, innovation, and creativ- 

nalism, writing down-to-earth explanations 

of important discoveries as 

a weekly science columnist for The 

Daily Cardinal, UW-Madison’s student 

newspaper. Later, he continued 

to translate science news as a reporter 

for UW-Madison’s communications 

office and for The Why Files, an 

award-winning science news site with 

a witty, fun edge. 

Health Education Curriculum 

Analysis Tool (HECAT) 

CDC announces the initial release 

of the Health Education Curriculum 

Analysis Tool (HECAT) 

www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth 

The Health Education Curriculum 

Analysis Tool (HECAT) can help 

school districts, schools, and others 

conduct a clear, complete, and consistent 

analysis of health education curricula 

based on the National Health 

Education Standards and CDC’s 

Characteristics of Effective Health 

Education Curricula. The HECAT 

results can help schools select or 

develop appropriate and effective 

health education curricula and 

improve the delivery of health education. 

The HECAT can be customized 

to meet local community needs and 

conform to the curriculum requirements 

of the state or school district. 

ity. To help schools implement such 21stcentury 

teaching and learning practices, 

the Partnership for 21st Century Skills 

has launched a new online resource called 

Route 21, a one-stop shop for related tools 

and information. Route 21 showcases how 

21st-century skills can be taught through 

changes in standards, assessments, professional 

development, curriculum and 

instruction, and learning environments. 

It harnesses Web 2.0 features to allow 

users to tag, rank, organize, collect, and 

share Route 21 content based on their 

personal interests. Users can contribute 

to the site’s resources by uploading relevant 

examples, as well as sharing their 

reactions and insights on implementing 

21st-century skills in their state, district, 

or school. The site represents the first 

comprehensive online resource for highquality 

content, best practices, relevant 

reports, articles, and research to help educators 

implement 21st-century teaching 

practices and learning outcomes, according 

to the Partnership.

sperger Syndrome and 

ensory Issues: Practical 

olutions for Making Sense of 

he World 

y Brenda Smith Myles, Nancy E. 

iller, C, Katherine Tapscott Cook 

rades: All Educators 

This exciting book uncovers the 

uzzling behaviors of children and 

outh with Asperger Syndrome 

AS) that have a sensory base and, 

herefore, are often difficult to pinoint. 

mart Moves: Why Learning is 

ot All in Your Head 

y Carla Hannaford, Candace B. 

ert 


Physical activity is crucial. A 

euroscientist explains why and 

ives simple physical exercises 

hat can increase anyone’s learnng 

power immediately. 

he Out-of Sync Child Has 

un: Activities for Kids with 

ensory Processing Disorder 

y Carol Stock Pranowitz, T. J. 

ylie 


The revised and updated edition 

f a groundbreaking special-needs 

ctivity guide. This revised edition 

f the companion volume to The 

ut-of-Sync Child includes new 

ctivities. 

he Morning Meeting Book 

y Roxann Kriete, Lynn Bechtel 


Since its original publication in 

999, The Morning Meeting Book 

as introduced thousands of eleentary 

school teachers to this 

owerful teaching tool that builds 

ommunity. 

imple Strategies That Work: 

elpful Hints for All Educators 

f Students with Asperger 

yndrome, High-Functioning 

utism, and Related 

isabilities 

y Brenda Smith Myles, Dena Gitlitz 


Children and youth with 

sperger Syndrome, high-function- 



ing autism (HFA), and pervasive 

developmental disorders-not otherwise 

specified (PDD-NOS), and 

related exceptionalities. 

Purplicious 

By Elizabeth Kann, Victoria Kann 

Grades: Pre K-2 

It’s purple Pinkalicious! 

Pinkalicious loves the color pink, 

but all the girls at school like 

black. They tease her, saying that 

pink stinks and pink is for babies. 

But Pinkalicious doesn’t think so… 

that is, until her friends stop playing 

with her. Now Pinkalicious has 

a case of the blues. But could she 

ever turn her back on her favorite 

color? 

Rodrick Rules (Diary of a 

Wimpy Kid Series #2) 

By Jeff Kinney 

Grades: 3-6 

Whatever you do, don’t ask Greg 

Heffley how he spent his summer 

vacation, because he definitely 

doesn’t want to talk about it. As 

Greg enters the new school year, 

he’s eager to put the past three 

months behind him…and one event 

in particular. Unfortunately for 

Greg, his older brother, Rodrick, 

knows all about the incident Greg 

wants to keep under wraps. But 

secrets have a way of getting out… 

especially when a diary is involved. 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick 

Rules chronicles Greg’s attempts 

to navigate the hazards of middle 

IN PRINT 

school, impress the girls, steer clear 

of the school talent show, and most 

important, keep his secret safe. 

Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, 

Butterfly 

By Jane O’Connor, Robin Preiss 

Glasser 


Nancy thinks butterflies are simply 

exquisite. And that is why she 

can’t wait for her friend Bree’s 

Butterfly Birthday. It’s going to be 

the fanciest birthday party ever! 

But when Nancy finds out she 

can’t go because her grandparents’ 

fiftieth anniversary party is the 

same day, she is furious. (Mad is 

way too plain for how she feels.) 

Will Nancy be able to overcome her 

disappointment? 

A Kitten Tale 

By Eric Rohmann 


Once there were four kittens who 

had never seen snow. The first 

three kittens are wary—snow is 

cold, it’s wet, it covers everything. 

As the seasons pass and winter 

begins to loom, the three skittish 

kittens worry. But the fourth kitten 

is getting excited. Snow will 

cover everything! “I can’t wait!” 

Dinomummy 

By Phillip Lars Manning, Tyler Lyson 

Grades: 3-5 

In 2000, teenage dino-hunter 

Tyler Lyson stumbled across the 

fossil remains of a hadrosaur in 

the remote hills of the Hell Creek 

Formation in North Dakota. More 

than a collection of fossilized bones, 

Tyler discovered a three dimensional 

mummified dinosaur—a dinomummy. 

He and a paleontologist 

from the University of Manchester 

in England, Dr. Phil Manning, led 

an excavation that would change 

the way we think about dinosaurs. 

Named for its place of discovery, 

“Dakota” was gradually uncovered 

and moved to a lab for further 

excavation and analysis. Tyler and 

Phil’s enthusiasm, expertise, and 

years of work, blend as this paleontological 

detective story unfolds. 

Ripley’s Special Edition 2008 

By Ripley’s Believe It or Not Editors, 

Ripleys Inc 

Grades: 3-6 

It Can’t Be…Can It? Turn the 

pages---if you dare. But watch out 

for…gruesome ghosts that haunt 

your favorite hangout!…creepy spiders 

that can crawl all over you!…a 

troll so huge, it can crush a car with 

one hand!…and more mummies, 

crazy collections, and peculiar people 

than ever! It’s all weird, and it’s 

all inside---Believe It or Not! 

Small Steps 

By Louis Sachar 

Grades: 6 and up 

Two years after being released 

from Camp Green Lake, Armpit 

is home in Austin, Texas, trying 

to turn his life around. But it’s 

hard when you have a record, and 

everyone expects the worst from 

you. The only person who believes 

in him is Ginny, his 10-year old disabled 

neighbor. Together, they are 

learning to take small steps. And, 

he seems to be on the right path, 

until X-Ray, a buddy from Camp 

Green Lake, comes up with a getrich-quick 

scheme. This leads to 

a chance encounter with teen pop 

sensation, Kaira DeLeon, and suddenly 

his life spins out of control, 

with only one thing for certain. 

He’ll never be the same again.

yberbullying.us 

ttp://www.cyberbullying.us/index.php 

Description: This site helps to 

dentify the causes and consequencs 

of online harassment. 

Source: Cyberbullying.us 

yberbullying Statistics and Tips 

ttp://www.isafe.org/channels/ 

ub.php?ch=op&sub_id=media_ 

iber_bullying 

Description: i-SAFE works to proote 

awareness and action about interet 

safety, including cyberbullying. 

Source: i-Safe 

top Bullying Now 

ttp://stopbullyingnow. 

rse.gov/adult/indesAdult. 

sp?Area=cyberbullying 

Description: This page gives parnts, 

students, and teachers statisics 

and information on cyber bullyng, 

as well as ways to prevent it. 

Source: U.S. Department of 

ealth and Human Services’ 

ealth Resources and Services 

dministration 



Cyberbullying and Internet 

Safety 

http://teachdigital.pbwiki.com/ 

cyberbullying 

Description: This wiki page gives 

teachers many links to cyber bullying 

resources and how educators 

can help to stop online bullying. 

Source: Teach Digital: 

Curriculum by Wes Fryer 

Amen Clinics Inc 

http://www.amenclinics.com 

Description: Amen Clinics Inc 

was founded in 1989 by Dr. Daniel 

Amen and now has the world’s most 

comprehensive database of Brain 

SPECT Imaging Scans related to 

behavioral and psychiatric problems. 

Dr. Amen and his team of 

psychiatrists utilize SPECT Brain 

Imaging Scans, in conjunction with: 

specialized tests, psychiatric evaluations, 

expert consultations and 

assessments of symptoms. These 

procedures facilitate the accurate 

diagnosis and treatments of: 

ADD, ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, 

ON THE WEB 

GRANT OPPORTUNITIES 

Five “21st-century classrooms” 

valued at more than $50,000 

each 

Each year, CDW-G and Discovery Education give 

ducators the chance to win technology for their 

chools through the companies’ Win a Wireless Lab 

weepstakes. This year, in honor of the program’s 

ixth anniversary, CDW-G and Discovery Education 

ill provide five winning K-12 schools with a 21stentury 

classroom solution valued at more than 

50,000. Each solution includes 20 laptop or tabet 

computers, a mobile cart and three wireless 

ccess points, a video projector and printer, a docuent 

camera, an interactive whiteboard, a personal 

esponse system, educational software, and trainng. 

In addition to the five grand-prize winners, the 

ompanies will award five first prizes, consisting of 

ither an interactive whiteboard or a video projecor; 

10 second prizes of a notebook computer; and 5 

hird prizes of a digital camcorder. 

Deadline: May 1, 2008 

http://cdwg.discoveryeducation.com 

Autism, Aggression, Alzheimer’s 

Disease, Brain Trauma, Substance 

Abuse, Marital Problems, Learning 

Disabilities, Dyslexia, Aspergers 

Syndrome, Dementia, Addiction, 

Suicidal Behavior, Schizophrenia, 

Bipolar disorders, work problems, 

as well as other types of mental illnesses 

in children, adolescents and 

adults. This web site provides comprehensive 

information about the 

SPECT Brain Imaging Scan procedures, 

consultations and treatments 

available through the Amen Clinics 

as well as the latest developments, 

news and articles in; Psychiatry, 

Brain Research and Neuroscience. 

Illinois Association of Regional 

Superintendents of Schools 

http://www.wmenclinics.com 

Description: Resources and information 

for educators statewide! 

Interactive Illinois Report Card 

http://iirc.niu.edu 

Description: The premier web 

site for test results and other school 

Up to $250,000 per award 

to spark an interest in 

STEM-related fields 

The Motorola Foundation’s Innovation 

Generation Grants support breakthrough 

programs that use innovative 

approaches to develop students’ interest 

in science and technology related fields, 

while strengthening their leadership 

and problem solving skills. In 2007, 

the Motorola Foundation provided $3.5 

million in grants through the program, 

which targets girls and minorities in 

particular. Projects range from afterschool 

and summer science enrichment 

programs to activities that promote 

innovative technology use and teachertraining 

initiatives. Awards range from 

$5,000 to $250,000. 

Deadline: June 15, 2008 

http://www.motorola.com/contest/ 

jsp?globalObjectld=8153 

accountability 

information for Illinois Schools. 

Secondary Literacy Program 

http://curriculum.dpsk12.org/slp_ 

sec_lit_prog.htm 

Description: This site offers support 

and resources for teachers, 

coaches, and administrators on 

instructional practices for reading 

and writing, literacy assessments, 

professional development opportunities, 

and general information 

and resources for the Secondary 

Literacy Program. 

Elementary Literacy Program 

http://curriculum.dpsk12.org/elp_ 

elem_lit_prog.htm 

Description: This site offers support 

and resources for teachers, 

coaches, and administrators on 

instructional practices for reading 

and writing, literacy assessments, 

professional development opportunities, 

and general information 

and resources for the Elementary 

Literacy Program. 

ParaProfessional 

Testing Offered 

All paraprofessionals newly hired 

after Janary 8, 2002, for programs supported 

by Title I funds must be “Highly 

Qualified.” Those paraprofessionals who 

were hired prior to January 2002 must 

be “Highly Qualified” by July 1, 2006. 

Special Education paraprofessionals 

employed before June 30, 2005 have 

until July 1, 2007 to meet the state 

requirement and have a letter of approval. 

Passing the ETC ParaPro Assessment 

test is one way to become “Highly 

Qualified.” If you have any questions, 

please contact Susanne Brand in the 

Carlyle office at 594-2432. 

Upcoming 2008 Testing Dates 

April 18, 2008 

May 9, 2008 

June 13, 2008


IN THE SPOTLIGHT 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT 

Response to Intervention (RtI) 

Nearly thirty five years ago, the 

S Congress passed the Education 

f All Handicapped Children Act of 

975 as part of the nation’s evolvng 

commitment to accommodate 

he needs of all children in public 

chools. After this, the number of 

tudents with learning disabilities 

rew very quickly... too quickly, and 

t became evident that we needed 

lternative methods of determining 

tudent’s eligibility for special eduation 

services. 

Enter... RtI – Response to 

ntervention. The 2004 Individuals 

ith Disabilities Act states that 

chools will no longer be required to 

etermine whether a student has a 

evere discrepancy between achieveent 

and intellectual ability, (what 

s traditionally done). Instead, 

chools are allowed to use evidence 

f a student’s failure to respond in 

nstructional interventions as part 

of the data documenting the presence 

of a specific learning disability. 

Under RtI, if a student is found to 

be performing well below peers, the 

school will: 

1. Estimate the academic skill gap 

between the student and typically 

performing peers. 

2. Determine the likely reason(s) 

for the student’s depressed academic 

performance. 

3. Select a scientifically-based 

intervention likely to improve the 

student’s academic functioning. 

4. Monitor academic progress frequently 

to evaluate the impact of 

the intervention. 

5. If the student fails to respond to 

several well-implemented interventions, 

then, and only then, should 

a referral to Special Education be 

considered. 

A school can organize its intervention 

efforts into three levels, or 

COMING 

SOON! 

DON’T MISS OUT! 

Registration available online 

April 1, 2008 

www.roe13.il.us.edu 

tiers, that represent a continuum of 

increasing intensity of support. 

TIER 1 – Universal instruction 

and assessment of ALL students 

– this is the general education curriculum. 

TIER 2 – Selected instructional 

activities and assessment for students 

who have not achieved at the 

expected level while participating in 

Tier 1. 

TIER 3- Only at this tier does 

the school take steps to determine 

whether a student has a disability 

that requires special education. 

To implement RtI effectively, 

schools must develop a specialized 

set of tools and competencies including: 

• A structured format for problem-solving. 

• Knowledge of a range of scientifically 

based interventions that 

address common reasons for school 

failure. 

• The ability to use various 

methods of assessment to monitor 

student progress in academic and 

behavioral areas. 

BASIC STEPS FOR YOUR SCHOOL 

• Adopt evidence-based intervention 

strategies. 

• Train staff to collect frequent 

progress-monitoring data. 

• Build building-level intervention 

programs to address academic 

concerns. 

• Establish a building intervention 

team. 

• Align current intervention 

efforts with a 3-Tier model. 

NOTE!! 

Every public school district 

must have a RtI plan in place by 

January 1, 2009, with implementation 

in the 2009-2010 school year. 

Summer ROE#13 

Workshops! 

Presenters Include: 

• Don Reid 

• Jennifer Wise 

• Cindy Arkebauer 

• Sandy Martin 

• Kathi Rhodus 

• Elizabeth Sherwood 

• Amy Benjamin 

• Kelly Gallagher 

• Susan Goodale

The following is an 

excerpt from a January 

12, 2008 Belleville News 

Democrat article. 

Bill Bond is former 

principal of Heath High 

School in Paducah, KY, 

where, in 1997, he witnessed 

a student shoot 

eight students outside 

his school office. He now 

shares the following ten 

myths of school shooter 

profiles: 

Myth No. 1 

“He didn’t fit the profile.” 

Experts say there is no 

profile, other than being 

a teenage boy. 

Myth No. 2 

“No one knew.” 

In more than 90 percent 

of cases, at least one 

person had suspicions, 88 

percent of the time it was 

an adult. 

Myth No. 3 

“He just snapped.” 

Most school shootings 

come from a planned 

attack, not a sudden 

break with reality. 

Myth No. 4 

“He hadn’t threatened 

anyone.” 

Most attackers do not 

threaten, and most that 

threaten do not attack. 

Still, schools are advised 

to take all threats seriously. 


Myths about high school shooter profiles 

Myth No. 5 

“He was a loner.” 

Only one-quarter of 

shooters were part of a 

“fringe group,” and in 

many cases were considered 

“mainstream” and 

involved in school activities. 

Myth No. 6 

“He was crazy.” 

Only one-third had been 

seen by a mental health 

professional, only onefifth 

diagnosed with a 

disorder. 

Myth No. 7 

“If only we’d had a SWAT 

team or metal detectors.” 

Most shootings end within 

15 minutes, long before 

a tactical team could even 

assemble. Most shooters 

surrender to administrators 

or staff, or stop on 

their own. 

Myth No. 8 

“He’d never touched a 

gun.” 

Most shooters had 

access to weapons and 

used them prior to the 

attack. 

2008 Illinois State Assessments 

ISAT 

(Illinois Standards Achievement Test) 

Test Dates March 3-14, 2008 

2008 Illinois State Assessments 

Myth No. 9 

“We did everything we 

could to help him.” 

Bullying and perceived 

persecution was often a 

trigger, and administrators 

and teachers were 

primary targets. 

Myth No. 10 

“School violence is rampant.” 

Only 12-20 homicides a 

year occur in U.S. schools, 

including gang-or disputerelated 

violence. School 

violence has dropped by 

PSAE 

half in the last decade. 

IAA 

ISAT 

PSAE 

Test Dates 

(Illinois Standards Achievement Test) (Prairie State Achievement Examination) 

April 23-24, 2008 October 25 & 28, 

March 3-14, 2008 

Makeup May 7-8, 2008 2008 

2 

(Illinois Alternate Assessment) 

Test Dates 

Grade 

March 10-April 11, 2008 

3 4 5 6 7 8 11� 

Grade 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 1 

Reading 

Mathematics 

Reading 

Science 

Mathematics 

Writing 

Science 

� 

�� 

� 

� 

� 

� 

�� 

� 

� 

�� 

�� 

� � 

� 

� 

� 

�� 

� 

� 

� 

� 

�� 

�� 

�� 

Writing � � �� 

IAA2 (For English Language Learners Only) 

Speaking and Kindergarten: January 14 – February 22, 2008 

(Illinois Alternate Assessment) 

Reading, Writing, and Listening: January 14 – February 1, 2008 

Test Dates 

Grade 

Grade K 

3 

1 2 

4 

March 10-April 11, 2008 

3 

5 

4 5 

6 

6 7 

7 

8 9 

8 

10 11 

11�12 

Speaking Reading �� 

Mathematics Listening �� 

Reading Science � � �� 

Writing � � � � �� 

ACCESS for ELLs 

(Prairie State Achievement Examination) 

April 23-24, 2008 

Makeup May 7-8, 2008 

(For English Language Learners Only) 

Important Speaking and Kindergarten: January 14 – February 22, 2008 

Test Dates News About Writing Assessment 

Writing will be assessed Reading, at the following Writing, grades and in Listening: spring 2008 January and spring 2009: 14 – February 1, 2008 

Grade K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 

Speaking 

� Spring 2009: Grades 3, 5, 6, 8, and 11 

� � � � � � � � � � � � � 

Listening � � � � � � � � � � � � � 

Reading � � � � � � � � � � � � � 

Writing � � � � � � � � � � � � � 

1 

Voluntary PSAE retake for grade 12 students. 

2 � indicates that an assessment will be given 

IAA is given to students with severe cognitive disabilities in place of ISAT, IMAGE, or PSAE, if appropriate. 

October 25 & 28, 

2008 

Grade 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 1 

Reading � � � � � � � � 

Mathematics � � � � � � � � 

Science � � � � 

Writing � � �� 

Test Dates 

� Spring 2008: Grades 5, 6, 8, and 11 

ACCESS for ELLs 

� indicates that an assessment will be given 

Information about test format and rubrics is posted on www.isbe.net/assessment/writing.htm.


TECHNICALLY SPEAKING 

SANDY MARTIN, REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY CURRICULUM SPECALIST 

Photo Story 3 Users Read This! 

Burning Stories to DVD Made Easy – Finally!! 

During the Photo Story 3 trainings, the question about burning the 

reated stories to a DVD often comes up. I promised that once I found 

hat solution I would let you know. Well I finally found it for only 

20.00! 

As I was surfing the net, I found a Photo Story 3 plug-in (a plug-in is 

ust a term meaning it will make it work with Photo Story3) that gives 

DVD burning option. It is very user friendly. 

Once the software is installed it will add an option in the last window 

f the Photo Story 3 process. Remember the window that asks how do 

ou want to save this movie? Some of the options are: save your story 

or playback on your computer, send the story in an e-mail message, 

tc. This program adds the option “save story to a DVD for playback on 

our home DVD player.” 

Remember your computer has to have a DVD burner for this proram 

to work! To find out more about this product go to: http://www. 

onic.com/go/photostory3/ 

ictured left to right: Joe Lukasik and Shirley Kern of Ashley Elementary District #15 

ry their hand at powerpoint functions. 

owerPoint Training at Ashley 

The Ashley Grade School 

eachers recently participated in 

owerPoint training. PowerPoint 

s considered a valuable tool in 

he classroom, and the key to 

his program is using it as an 

engaging teaching tool not a 

lecture screen. The teachers at 

Ashley Grade School embraced 

this concept and learned to create 

dynamic lessons using the 

PowerPoint program. 

Pictured left to right: Jean Loyd, Justin Joiner, Elizabeth Robb, Becky Williams, 

Director Lillian Phillips, Josh Cox, and Lori Williams. 

Safe School SMARTBoard training 

The Centralia Safe School 

recently acquired several 

SMARTBoards. The boards 

will be used by teachers and 

students. The SMARTBoards 

come with software that has 

approximately 2000 pictures, 

Pre K and Kindergarten 

teachers from our region 

attended the Kaleidoscope 

Conference in January. The 

theme of this year’s conference 

was Looking Through Multiple 

Lenses of Early Childhood. 

The Kaleidoscope conference is 

designed to provide teachers, 

day care providers, day care 

centers, and administrators 

with developmentally appropriate 

information/activities to 

use with children. This twoday 

conference offered numerous 

opportunities for professional 

development. Session 

highlights included: Brain- 

Compatible Movement, Moving 

to Enhance the Mind, Reducing 

clip art, video clips, interactive 

flash teaching tools and 

many other features. Staff participated 

in hands-on training 

sessions using the interactive 

white board in the classroom 

and classroom application. 

Kaleidoscope Conference 

Challenging Behaviors by 

Increasing Social Skills, 

Motivational Movements 

Across the Curriculum, 

Phonemic Awareness, Picture 

Perfect, Using SMART Board 

with Young Children, Boys 

and Girls Do Learn Differently 

- Understanding Behaviors, 

Learning Styles, and Classroom 

Needs just to name a few. This 

conference was sponsored by 

the Southern Illinois Regional 

Superintendents. Deb Kincaid, 

Pre-K Director for Clinton, 

Marion and Washington 

County Regional Office, served 

on the planning committee for 

this conference. Kudos to all 

for a fantastic conference.


TECHNICALLY SPEAKING 

SANDY MARTIN, REGIONAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY CURRICULUM SPECALIST 

4th Annual Illinois Education Technology Conference (IETC) 

Technology coordinators 

nd technology teachers 

rom ROE #13 attended 

he Illinois Education and 

echnology Conference in 

ovember. This conference 

raws teachers, administraors 

and technology coordiators 

from across the state. 

ETC is an exciting opporunity 

that offers educators, 

echnology coordinators, and 

thers interested in improvng 

the quality of educaion, 

an opportunity to gain 

nformation and exchange 

deas on the application of 

ducational technology in 

ur schools. Each session 

ocused on educational techologies 

and strategies for 

mplementation. 

outh Central District #401staff: Left to right, Cindy Westendorf, Kathy Byers, Steve Eischens. 

Centralia High School District #200 staff: Left to right, Sarah Gordon, Kathi See, Pat Hodges, Eric Coalson, Mark 

Beckmeyer, Peggy Strothmann, center. 

Tech Conference Participants: Left to right, Cindy Spenner of Trinity 

Lutheran Hoffman, Sandy Martin from ROE #13, Beth Boester of Trinity 

Lutheran Hoffman.

Educators' Advantage - Regional Office of Education #13

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