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Action Bulletin Archive
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Welcome to the latest edition of the Action Bulletin.
There are some reminders and new information about Core Training and Assessments this week for your attention.
- Summer Core Training offerings were posted this week.
- Pre-assessments will be available beginning February 15.
- Registration for Summer Core Training will open on March 15.
- Actions have been taken to rectify an incorrect item in the POE Part A Assessment.
Also, as mentioned in the previous Action Bulletin, the 2012-13 Purchasing Manual is now online. Please review the manual carefully, as we have introduced some items that are more cost effective and eliminated a few items from the Biomedical Sciences (BMS) curriculum.
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Summer Core Training Sessions Posted
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Summer Core Training sessions have been posted to the Core Training Dates and Locations page of the PLTW website. More offerings will be added to this page as they become available.
Pre-Assessments
- A PLTW course Pre-Assessment is designed to prepare teachers for successful participation in the PLTW Core Training Institutes. Teachers must complete a Pre-Assessment for each course they plan to teach in the upcoming school year.
- More information on taking Pre-Assessments is available by downloading Core Training Pre-Assessment Procedures.
- Teachers will not be able to register for Core Training until they have scored a 75% or better on the Pre-Assessment.
- Pre-Assessments will be available through the Virtual Academy beginning February 15.
Registration
- Teachers who have successfully completed the Pre-Assessments for the courses they plan to teach in the upcoming school year will be able to register for Summer Core Training sessions beginning March 15.
- For a teacher to register for Core Training, the teacher's School District must have a completed and submitted a signed PLTW STEM Agreement.
- The teacher's School District Delegate must also register that teacher on the PLTW Extranet before the teacher can sign up for Core Training.
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Assessment Updates and Reminders
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POE Part A Assessment Update
- The PLTW Assessment Team is aware that there is an incorrect item on the Principals of Engineering (POE) Part A Assessment and actions have been taken to correct the item.
- The official student scores within the system will be altered to reflect the changes once they have been made.
- At that time, we will contact all PLTW POE teachers through email and the POE and Assessment forums on the Virtual Academy, letting them know that a scoring change has been implemented.
CIM Part C Assessment Update
- A new Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) Part C Assessment has been developed for those schools currently utilizing the VEX platform.
- All CIM teachers will receive an email from Jason Taylor in the near future with complete details on the CIM Part C assessments.
- In the meantime, schools using VEX equipment and testing in the Fall/Winter Assessment Cycle may contact Kristin Donlon or Jason Taylor for a copy of the new CIM Part C.
Accommodation Request Form Reminder
- The PLTW IEP/504 Accommodation Request form can be found on the PLTW Extranet in the Materials section.
- These forms need to be sent four weeks in advance in order to make the adjustments in the system.
Access to End of Course Assessments
- In order to maintain item security and to ensure fair testing for all students, teachers are not allowed access to PLTW's End of Course online assessments per the testing guidelines posted on the PLTW Extranet.
- It is our responsibility to notify school district personnel in the event that teachers have accessed the online assessments, and will ask that any users of the data (state departments of education, colleges and universities, etc.) be notified by the district.
- In the event that incorrect items are included on operational assessment forms, we will be able to detect the issues when the full item analysis takes place at the end of the testing cycle. Official student scores will be corrected at that time and teachers will be notified of the correction by email and through the Virtual Academy course forums.
Questions? Need more information?
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Purchasing Manual Available Online
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The 2012-13 Purchasing Manual is now available online.
Ordering
When ordering, please review the manual carefully, as we have introduced some items that are more cost effective and eliminated a few items from the Biomedical Sciences (BMS) curriculum.
Freight Estimates
To address concerns regarding freight estimates on purchase orders, pricing for most items ordered directly through PLTW (with the exception of equipment where the shipping cost varies significantly depending on volume) now includes shipping. We hope this change will allow for a more streamlined ordering process.
Questions?
To better serve our network, we've changed our email address to productsupport@pltw.org for product orders and questions. Please use this email address when you have questions or issues regarding the ordering of products.
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Program Reminders
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Counselor Conferences
A PLTW Counselor Conference is a professional development opportunity designed to inform school counselors, post-secondary advisors, principals, teachers and school administrators about PLTW's STEM Education program and provide information to help encourage students to enroll in PLTW courses.
Schools that have implemented a PLTW program are required to send at least one advisor/counselor to a Counselor Conference every year. We highly recommend that schools send all of their advisors/counselors to at least one conference.
Visit the Counselor Conference page for dates and locations. Registration is handled by the host institution.
Additional dates and locations will be added as they become available. For more information, contact the host institution or Laura Greenaway.
PLTW Extranet Updates
Your assistance in maintaining accurate school and district information in the PLTW Extranet is important and greatly appreciated.
Delegates
- Check your district's and schools' information in the PLTW Extranet.
- Make any necessary school deactivation requests, teacher removal requests and contact information updates for the district and all registered schools.
Teachers
- Update your email address and phone number (if necessary).
- Indicate the courses you will be instructing during the 2011-12 academic year.
If you have any questions or need assistance, contact the School Support Team.
New School and Program Registration
New school and program registration for the 2012-13 school year opened in September.
District Delegates
- District Delegates now may login to the Delegate Console of the PLTW Extranet to add new schools or new curricular programs (Pathway To Engineering, Biomedical Sciences, or Gateway To Technology) to their districts.
- The deadline for adding new schools and programs from within the PLTW Extranet is June 30, 2012.
- However, it is recommended that new schools and programs are added by March 15, 2012 when Core Training registration opens so that teachers may reserve seats at the training sessions of their choice.
Schools
- If you do not know your District Delegate, use the PLTW School Locator to obtain your delegate's contact information.
- If you know of districts or schools that wish to implement a PLTW program for the 2012-13 school year:
A New School Press Release Template is available for schools implementing a new PLTW program. By completing this template with school information, schools have a ready-made tool to promote their programs to local media outlets.
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