As we close out the 2024-2025 school year, this final issue of the Learning Leader Digest invites us to shift our focus forward. Summer is not just a time for rest – it's a window for reflection, recalibration, and readiness. Whether you're exploring professional learning opportunities, strengthening your understanding of the DTGSS framework, or planning support for teacher development, the work we do now shapes the experiences educators and students will have next year.
In this issue, you’ll find:
• Key summer learning opportunities for educators and leaders
• Resources to support teacher development and coaching
• A spotlight on the incredible Educator Excellence team – whose partnership fuels this work
• Tools for preparing to lead with clarity and intention in 2025-2026
Thank you for your commitment to creating meaningful learning environments. We’ll be back in August with new insights, updates, and support to guide another powerful year
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Congratulations to our outstanding Para-to-Teacher graduates! Your achievement is nothing short of remarkable. You’ve balanced full-time responsibilities in your LEA with the demands of full-time coursework at Wilmington University - and you did it with resilience, determination, and heart.
This program exemplifies what it means to grow our own educators, and you are leading that charge. As you step into your new roles as teachers of record, know this: you are exactly the kind of educators Delaware students deserve.
We are incredibly proud of your hard work and commitment. The future is brighter because of you.
Thank you for your continued dedication to educator effectiveness and growth!
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- Left to right: Carissa Lehman, Courtney Sisofo, Nicole Fleetwood, Jamie Bartoski, Mari Biscieglia, Karen Burgess & Alexis Cressman.
Not all participants are pictured, but we’re celebrating EVERYONE who took part!
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DTGSS in Action: Turning the Framework into Instructional Moves |
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Why This Matters
The DTGSS Framework isn’t abstract—it’s a clear, practical guide for effective teaching. Each descriptor paints a picture of what high-quality instruction looks like in the classroom. When teachers know what they’re aiming for, they can plan lessons that align directly with those outcomes.
Indicator 3.2, Questioning and Discussion, offers a perfect example. It doesn’t just say “engage students”—it shows what robust student talk looks like and how that evolves across performance levels. With this clarity, planning becomes purposeful, observations become focused, and feedback becomes actionable
The DTGSS Framework is designed to be read horizontally across the performance levels (1 to 4). This horizontal view shows how instructional practice evolves—what it looks like at its earliest stages, how it develops, and what excellence looks like in action.
For Indicator 3.2: Questioning and Discussion, you can trace how teaching moves from:
• Teacher-centered talk with little engagement (Level 1),
• to partial engagement with teacher-student interaction (Level 2),
• to robust student dialogue and teacher-facilitated questioning (Level 3),
• and finally, to student-initiated discussions and peer collaboration (Level 4).
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Back-to-School or Faculty Meeting Activity: “Instructional Moves Across the Levels” |
Purpose: To support teachers in using Indicator 3.2—or any selected indicator—as a practical tool for lesson planning and classroom observation by identifying what specific instructional moves look like across each performance level.
Activity directions
Interested in learning more or bringing this activity to your teachers? Contact Angela Socorso for support.
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Summer Spark Series
PDMS #42563. View the Summer Spark flyer for more information.
Objective: Deepen DTGSS implementation through feedback analysis, calibration of look-fors, and UDL integration.
Leading Change through the DTGSS Framework
PDMS #43458. View the Leading Change flyer for more information.
Objective: Strengthen coaching and feedback using strategy continuums and build a school culture that supports growth and accountability.
Planning professional learning for your teachers as school reopens?
Reach out to Angela Socorso – she’s available to visit your school and provide targeted training or recalibration sessions to support strong instructional practice using the DTGSS framework.
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Credentialing and Re-Credentialing Trainings |
DTGSS Credentialing Training
PDMS #43527. View the Credentialing Training flyer for more information.
Objective: Practice writing CEI statements and action steps through live coaching or recorded session follow-up.
DPAS II Specialist Initial Credentialing
PDMS #43537. View the Specialist Initial Credentialing flyer for more information.
Objective: Build foundational knowledge in evaluating specialists using the DPAS II for Specialists framework.
DPAS II Specialist Re-Credentialing
PDMS #43538. View the Specialist Re-Credentialing flyer for more information.
Objective: Receive streamlined updates, reinforce evaluation expectations, and best practices.
DPAS II for Administrators: Credentialing Series
Whether you're new to the role or seeking a refresher, the Delaware Department of Education is here to support you through every stage of the DPAS II for Administrators process.
Initial Credentialing Course (PDMS #27795)
This one-day, in-person training is required for all administrators who are newly assigned to evaluate assistant principals, principals, or district administrators.
Re-Credentialing Course (PDMS #27796)
This virtual, half-day session meets the Regulation 108A requirement for re-credentialing every five years for administrators who evaluate other administrators.
Contact: Angela Socorso
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