Edulink  Spring 2023 News & Updates

Welcome to Edulink’s Spring 2023 Newsletter! This quarter, we’re highlighting the biggest takeaways from this year about Act 13, as well as some important reminders about PAETEP. We’re also sharing some great best practices you can take advantage of when using Comply!

Edulink Welcomes Our Newest Clients!

 

PAETEP

Mount Pleasant SD

MIT Charter School

Lancaster SD

Elk Lake SD and Susquehanna CTC

Shanksville-Stoneycreek SD

Southmoreland SD

Eastern Lancaster SD

Fleetwood SD

Lower Dauphin SD

Universal Academy Charter School 

COMPLY

Milton Hershey School

Catherine Hershey School

Big Beaver Falls SD

Erie SD

Columbia-Montour AVTS

Bedford Area SD

Franklin County CTC

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Latest PAETEP News & Updates

Woman teacher in classroom with students working at their desks

How Well Do You Know PA Act 13?

Edulink surveyed clients to see how well they understood the Act 13 changes. There were only two questions that were not clearly understood by some respondents:

  1. How many Semi-Annual 13 Rating Forms need to be completed for non-tenured teachers and non-teaching professionals?

According to Act 13, non-tenured (Temporary Professional Employees) teachers and NTPEs should have two Semi-Annual 13 rating forms completed each year. NOTE: 100% of the final score on semi-annual forms comes from the Observation and Practice ratings.

Are teachers required to complete a LEA Selected Measure?

Under Act 13, all teachers are required to complete a LEA Selected Measure which is typically a Student Performance Measure (SPM). NOTE: The final score earned by the teacher on the SPM constitutes at least 10% of a teacher’s final score on the 13-1 form.

To see all the takeaways and insights we gathered from the quiz, including links to support articles for assistance in completing the Act 13 requirements, CLICK HERE.

Custom Forms New Templates

As we continue to assist clients with using the custom forms with support staff module, we have built NEW templates that we hope will make building forms for your staff easier! Provided below is a list of the NEW templates in PAETEP for support staff! As always, please reach out to our support team with any questions!

  • Administrative Assistant Evaluation Template
  • Maintenance Facilitator Evaluation Template
  • Information Technology Facilitator Evaluation Template
  • Paraprofessional Evaluation Template
  • Support Staff Evaluation Template
User at laptop taking PAETEP survey

Survey Results and Testimonials

The results are in! Based on those who responded to our annual survey, PAETEP received a 100% satisfaction rate! We are proud of our team and their continued effort to meet the needs of educators across Pennsylvania! We appreciate the constructive feedback and will work to incorporate your input to new upgrades to PAETEP in the future!

“I have NEVER worked with an educational product who had the responsiveness of PA-ETEP. Often when you submit a Support Ticket, you will get an email even before the automated system sends you an automated email telling you that your ticket has been received. The representatives are literally faster than the computer!”

Mark Pontzer

Portal Administrator / District Administrator, West Chester Area School District

“This is a wonderful platform, very user friendly! I personally cannot say enough wonderful things about customer support. There has not been a single time when we have requested assistance that they did not immediately drop what they were doing to answer the call/email. Not only does support provide impeccable assistance to our team, but they take the time to explain the process … the “hows” and the “whys.”

Tracy Mansell

Portal Administrator / District Administrator, Beaver Area School District

Remember to Use PAETEP’s Reports when Wrapping Up the School Year!

Under the Reporting tab in PAETEP, district administrators can view Observation Summary reports, Component reports, Growth/Strength reports and the Educator Effectiveness Annual Report (EEAR) that is due each year in Jan-Feb. These reports can be very insightful in guiding your professional development focus areas. To learn more about our dynamic reports, click HERE!

PAETEP Tutorials, Best Practices, and Timely Reminders

PAETEP Overview Tutorials web page image

Overview Tutorials

Remember to take advantage of our Overview Tutorials for new hires next school year! Everything they need to know about PAETEP is covered in our tutorials, and they are a great resource for current staff members who may need a refresher.

PAETEP Best Practices

Edulink is constantly looking for new ways for clients to take full advantage of PAETEP! We recently developed Best Practices articles that will help guide users in all aspects of PAETEP. Check out the links below to our NEW Best Practices!

Evaluating NTPEs

Evaluating Teachers

Evaluating Support Staff

Evaluating Principals

Using Reports to Inform Professional Development

Summer Maintenance

Start thinking about cleaning up your portal this summer in preparation for the next school year! It’s never too early to get ready. Visit our Summer Maintenance article found on our helpdesk dashboard.

Attachment Module

Remember to add the attachment module if you do not already have it! Attaching documents and artifacts can enhance your observations and provide more clarity by visually showing how something was taught and/or received by students. Contact us if need to add the module to your portal!

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Latest Comply News & Updates

Hand holding tablet with Requests Screen

Survey Results and Testimonials

The results are in! Edulink’s Comply software also got a 100% satisfaction rating based on those who responded to our annual survey! Again, we greatly appreciate the feedback as it helps us continue to make Comply even better for our clients!

“Edulink is a terrific company with which to work. When I made the transition from the old to the new system, I had to reach out a few times for help, and no one ever acted like it was an imposition. Comply itself became so easy to use once I fully understood how it worked. Having Edulink take care of Act 48 hours submissions takes a serious load off of my plate. My school has been with Edulink now for about 20 years or so, and never a glitch in all that time.”

David A Kennedy

Building Principal, New Hope Academy

“I find Comply very easy to navigate. I’ve worked with a few programs to submit Act 48 credits. Sometimes a new program is worse than the one I changed from. Comply is a definite improvement from my last system.”

Susan Bibeck

Administrative Assistant, Bensalem Township School District

Teacher with students using notepad and laughing

School Safety and Security Blog Post

We recently shared a blog post highlighting all the ways Edulink’s Comply software can help you track and manage school safety and security items. Required trainings and security measures are now a regular part of school life. Yet, they can be a huge burden to manage.

Below are some of the many ways Comply can help you manage PDE compliance requirements in one place:

  • Cyber Security Training
  • Security Awareness and Training (Level 1-4)
  • Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting
  • Suicide Awareness and Prevention
  • Bullying Prevention
  • ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) Training
  • Drug and Alcohol Awareness
  • Opioid Misuse Prevention
  • Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
  • Trauma-Informed Educational Awareness
  • Background Checks and Clearances
  • Emergency Drills
  • Training for Coaches
  • Annual Reporting of Arrests and Convictions
  • District Specific Items

For more details on these items, read our School Safety and Security post!

Comply Best Practices and Timely Reminders

Recent Comply Best Practices

Our recent Comply Best Practices have helped clients track new items, allowing them to manage even more in Comply. Some of our recent Best Practices are below with links to step-by-step instructions for setting these up on your portal.

Cyber Security

FBI Security Awareness

Act 55 Opioid Abuse Prevention

Fundraising Request

Request for New Course

Act 48 – Request Hours for Mentors of First-Year Teachers

Act 48 – Request Hours for Supervisors of Student Teachers

Requests

Remember to turn over your Request items for the 2023-2024 school year this summer so you are prepared to begin the year with field trip requests, flex hours requests, Act 48 hour requests, credit approval requests, and any and all requests you need to manage!

Summer Maintenance

Start thinking about cleaning up your portal this summer! There are many ways you may need to clean up your portal in preparation for the new school year! Review our Summer Maintenance article for tips on how to be best prepared for the new school year.

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Did You Know?

Edulink turns 25 this July! To help us celebrate our birthday, join us in supporting Beverly’s Birthdays. Beverly’s Birthdays is a Pittsburgh organization that provides birthday cheer and critical baby care items for families in need or experiencing homelessness.

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