TLE staff explain forecasting, SchoolLinks rollout and professional development coordination
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Summary
Teaching, Learning and Equity staff briefed the board on district forecasting for course scheduling, the statewide SchoolLinks rollout and a coordinated professional-development calendar intended to reduce conflicts and strengthen equity-aligned training.
Teaching, Learning and Equity (TLE) leaders told the Evergreen board on Sept. 23 how the district plans course offerings and the tools it is using to align forecasting and professional development.
TLE Executive Director Heather Fowler described a “One district, One direction” professional-development approach that narrows district focus, coordinates a year-long PD calendar and imposes technical limits (no more than 35 substitutes on a given day; no substitutes on Mondays or Fridays) to reduce scheduling conflicts. The plan asks PD designers to thread equity-focused principles such as culturally responsive practices and multilingual supports through learning experiences.
Chief Academic Officer Dr. Brian Fox and Kim Berhau, director of College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE), explained the forecasting process that shapes high-school master schedules: student demand in the School Links platform determines which of the district’s approved high-school courses will run; staffing, FTE and district priorities then shape the master schedule. Berhau said, “Master schedule and course offerings are ultimately shaped through student choice through our student-centered scheduling process.”
Kim Berhau described practical steps and timeline: district forecasting work begins in the fall; the high-school forecasting window opens Feb. 9 and runs through March 20; students submit a full-year course plan plus four alternatives in School Links; after forecasting closes the district balances schedules in Skyward, collapsing classes that do not meet minimum enrollments and placing students into alternatives. TLE staff said the district manages forecasting for more than 12,000 secondary students and maintains a course catalog of roughly 300–356 approved high-school courses and that students must earn 24 credits to graduate.
Berhau and TLE staff said the district is piloting the statewide School Links platform (which OSPI selected for statewide rollout) and noted that about half the state is using School Links this year; the full statewide implementation is expected in later phases. The board and staff discussed why not every high school offers every course — staff said the combination of staffing expertise, facilities and student interest determines local offerings.
TLE leaders said they will provide continued updates at future board meetings, will post more detailed materials on the district TLE landing page and will present an inclusive-schools update at the board’s Oct. 14 meeting.
