PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2004

NOVEMBER 4, 2004

The 2004 NC School Report Cards will be released on Nov. 16, and I encourage you to observe the day by sending copies of your school's report card home with your students on or shortly after the release date. The Report Cards are now a requirement of No Child Left Behind, but North Carolina actually had the report card process in place before it became a federal requirement. In addition, you may want to remind your school community that the report cards for every school are available to all at www.ncschoolreportcards.org. This service, a joint project of the Governor's Office and NC DPI, provides important information to help parents and others see where their schools are excelling and where they need additional support. The Report Cards can be a great tool for building advocacy for schools.

Regards,
Tricia Willoughby

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

1. November State Board Meeting Highlights
2. Gov. Easley Proclaims November American Indian Heritage Month
3. SBE Teacher Retention Task Force Meeting Summary
4. SBE Ad Hoc Committee for Academic Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships Meeting Summary
5. Nov. 15 is the Deadline to Apply to be an Assistance Team Member
6. NC WISE Update
7. Arts Education Teacher Survey
8. Certified Teachers Being Sought to Develop Online Courses
9. School-Based Management and Accountability Procedures Manual Available Online
10. Credit Card Education Targets High School Seniors
11. Elementary Schools Needed to Host Uruguayan Educators
12. LEARN NC's October Update Online
13. Dual Language Conference Set for January 2005
14. 2005 Accountability Conference Scheduled
15. NC Action Plan for High School Innovation Conference
16. Register Now for NC 2005 College Access Conference
17. Grant Opportunity

November State Board Meeting Highlights

The State Board of Education today approved its biennial budget request for 2005-07 in addition to including writing assessment results at grades 4, 7 and 10 in the ABCs performance composite for 2005-06 using a statistically generated confidence interval. The Board also approved the 2003-04 Annual Report on School Crime and Violence. (A news release on the Annual Report on School Crime and Violence is available online at www.ncpublicschools.org under "In the News.") More information on these and other items on the Board's agenda will be posted online by Tuesday afternoon at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights/

Gov. Easley Proclaims November American Indian Heritage Month

Gov. Mike Easley signed a proclamation designating the month of November as American Indian Heritage Month and urged the state's citizens to recognize and celebrate the many achievements and contributions made by native inhabitants. According to Census 2000, almost 100,000 American Indians live in North Carolina, which gives our state the largest American Indian population east of the Mississippi River and the eighth largest American Indian population in the nation. The state is home to the following eight American Indian tribes: the Coharie, the Eastern Band of Cherokee, the Haliwa-Saponi, the Lumbee, the Meherrin, the Occaneechi Band of Saponi, the Sappony and the Waccamaw-Siouan. For additional information, please contact the N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs at 919.733.5998 or visit their Web site at http://www.doa.state.nc.us/doa/cia/indian.htm

SBE Teacher Retention Task Force Meeting Summary

The State Board of Education's (SBE) Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force met on Monday, Oct. 25, to continue its discussion of issues surrounding the recruitment and retention of teachers. Harry Wilson, the SBE's Legal Advisor, summarized selected statutes pertaining to teacher recruitment and retention. The issues discussed included teachers' planning time, duty free time, extra duties, the school improvement team/selection of team members, parental responsibilities and the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. In-depth discussions centered on enhancing the teaching profession/barriers to entering the profession; teacher preparation; teacher induction, beginning teacher support and mentoring. Also, Gaynell Gull, DPI Teacher Education Division, provided a presentation on the 2004 Review of Interim Licensure Requirements. The next meeting of the task force is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 17, in the 7th Floor Board Room, Education Building.

SBE Ad Hoc Committee for Academic Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships

The SBE's Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships met on Thursday, Oct. 28. Committee Chair Kathy Taft reviewed the committee's work and progress, stressing the importance of the committee's work in defining academic rigor and indicating that the committee's work will be extended to include participation in the process of selecting an implementation proposal on the new high school exit measures (using EOC scores and successfully completing a senior project) adopted by the SBE, effective with the freshman class of 2006-07. DPI Accountability Director Lou Fabrizio presented several proposals for implementing the exit standards, including a pass/fail approach, a weighting approach, and a compensatory approach. He also reported on input received from local superintendents during their recently quarterly meeting. The Ad Hoc committee members expressed their preference for the pass/fail proposal noting that it would be more easily implemented and communicated to the public. DPI's Testing and Accountability staff will now fully develop some options for implementing the pass/fail proposal, along with developing details on the options for retesting and related issues. SBE members and DPI staff will then host a series of six public input sessions to be held across the state. Dates and locations for these public input sessions will be announced soon. The Ad Hoc Committee will expand its membership to include high school educators (principal, teachers, guidance counselor), a superintendent, a school board member, an LEA testing and accountability coordinator, and a parent as it proceeds into developing a recommendation for a high school exit measure implementation method for the full SBE's consideration. The next meeting for the Ad Hoc Committee has been set tentatively for Tuesday, Nov. 16, from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m., in the SBE Lounge, Education Building, Raleigh.

Nov. 15 is the Deadline to Apply to be an Assistance Team Member

The DPI Division of School Improvement is currently recruiting assistance team members for the 2005-06 school year. There is a high need for secondary educators in the four core content areas and for K-12 exceptional children teachers. Interested applicants should check with their LEA on loan policies before applying. All general and application information, which can be found online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/assistanceteams/ must be returned to the DPI by Nov. 15. Questions may be directed to the Division of School Improvement at 919.807-3911.

NC WISE Update

The ambitious three-year project of converting LEAs and charters schools to NC WISE has officially begun with the Wave 1 Deployment. Graham County, Haywood County, Polk County, Transylvania County, The Learning Center, and Mountain Community School are the first LEAs and charter schools in Wave 1 to convert their student information. The NC WISE team will continue to convert 40 schools a week through Waves 1, 2 and 3 until all 115 LEAs and 98 charter schools are converted by 2007. Administrators and educators looking for more information on NC WISE can go online and download and print informational pieces that answer general questions about NC WISE. To see what's available please go online to www.ncwise.org and click on the library section, select the link for NC WISE Communications, then click on the link for the Communications Packet.

Arts Education Teacher Survey

Principals are asked to tell their dance, music, theatre arts and visual arts teachers about NC DPI's North Carolina Arts Education Teacher Survey. The purpose of this survey is to obtain information regarding the current status of arts education programs in our state. Teachers are requested to complete the survey, which is available online at http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB223UJB6FZL8. Although the survey is anonymous, participants have the option to provide contact information. Completion of the survey should only take a few minutes. For more information, please contact Christie Howell, NCDPI, 919.807.3856, or by email, cmhowell@dpi.state.nc.us.

Certified Teachers Being Sought to Develop Online Courses

LEARN NC is seeking certified teachers to develop online courses in the following areas: AP Art History, AP Computer Science, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, AP Spanish Literature, Honors Contemporary Law&Justice, Honors Earth Science, Honors World Civilizations, and Honors World History. Qualified teachers will have at least two years' experience teaching the course face-to-face, and will have attended the AP Summer Institute where applicable. No previous online course is required, though it is helpful. Course developers will be compensated for completing the course, and will be offered the opportunity to teach the course online in 2005-06 for additional compensation. Additionally, CEU credit is offered for the training involved in learning how to become an online instructor. Developers will be asked to participate in a nine-week online course during the fall semester that will introduce them to and model effective online pedagogy, and will receive two days of technical training and support in the spring. Target completion date for course development is July 15, 2005. Teachers interested in participating need to respond by Jan. 15 to Ross White, LEARN NC, ross@learnnc.org or 919.962.8888.

School-Based Management and Accountability Procedures Manual Available Online

The revised edition of the School-Based Management and Accountability Procedures Manual (the ABCs Procedures Manual) is now available online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/schoolimprovement/2004abcmanual.pdf

Credit Card Education Targets High School Seniors

State Treasurer Richard Moore has partnered with the Center for Student Credit Card Education to offer free supplemental classroom materials that teach high school seniors how to responsibly use a credit card before they go to college or out into the workforce. High school teachers interested in taking part in this program should contact Ellen Richardson, Office of the State Treasurer, 919.508.5164, or by email, ellen.richardson@treasurer.state.nc.us, by Friday, Nov. 12, and let her know the number of students you will be teaching, your contact information, and the mailing address to send the program materials.

Elementary Schools Needed to Host Uruguayan Educators

The Fulbright Teacher and Administrator Exchange program is seeking elementary schools with language immersion or bilingual programs to host Uruguayan educators in February 2005. U.S. schools will assist Uruguayan educators in strengthening their local school systems by providing observation/learning opportunities in a U.S. school/community. More specific details about the program and the hosting application form can be found online at http://www.fulbrightexchanges.org/View/ViewOtherOpps.asp. The response deadline is Nov. 15.

LEARN NC's October Update Online

LEARN NC's October update offers educators information on alternative discussion formats, the use of comics in the classroom, professional development by email, and an introduction to North Carolina mammals. Check out these articles and more by going online to http://www.learnnc.org and clicking on the appropriate link.

NC Action Plan for High School Innovation Conference

The Public Schools of North Carolina and other key partners invite you to participate in the North Carolina Action Plan for High School Innovation Conference, scheduled to take place Dec. 2 at the North Raleigh Hilton (Raleigh) and Dec. 3 at the Adams Mark Hotel (Charlotte). The North Carolina Action Plan for High School Innovation will provide short and long-term strategies for high school reform in addition to a call to action for every North Carolina community. For more information, including registration, please go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/newschoolproject/

Dual Language Conference Set for January 2005

In response to the increased demand from the field for information regarding dual language programs, the DPI is pleased to announce the "Dual Language Conference" to be held in Charlotte on Jan. 10. The conference will feature strategies for successful dual language program implementation and programming at the elementary level. The conference also will deal with the issue of where students go after a successful elementary experience. In addition, there is an opportunity for school visitations on Jan. 11. For more information on the conference, registration and hotels, please visit the DPI's Second Language Web site at http://www.learnnc.org/ and scroll to "Dual Language Conference/January 2005," or contact Helga Fasciano at 919.807.3865, or by email, hfascian@dpi.state.nc.us.

2005 Accountability Conference Scheduled

The 2005 Accountability Conference has been scheduled for Jan. 31 - Feb. 2, at the Sheraton Four Seasons/Koury Convention Center, Greensboro. The conference registration fee of $120 covers all conference materials, breaks and three meals. To qualify for this registration fee, you must register in advance by going online to http://www10.ncschoolcats.com/conference/conferencereg.html. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Sheraton Hotel at a rate of $116 per night. When making your reservation, please indicate that you are with the 2005 Accountability Conference. The cut-off date to reserve from the block of rooms is Dec. 31. You can contact the hotel by calling 800.242.6556.

Register Now for 2005 NC College Access Conference

"Building the Foundation," is the theme for the 2005 College Access Conference, which has been scheduled for Feb. 16-18 in Wilmington. Focus areas of this year's conference include "Sustaining Your College Access Initiative" and "Promoting Positive Transitions in Education." For more information, including registration, please go online to http://www.cfnc.org and click on CFNC Events then 2005 NC College Access Conference.

Grant Opportunity

Public schools located in communities served by Barnes&Noble are eligible to apply for grants to programs that support the arts, literacy, and K-12 education. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. For more information on this and other grants and contests, please visit TechLearning's Grants column at http://news.techlearning.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/ekGm0FKgZD0E2V0Cr3U0Ag