Principals' Messages 2007

MESSAGES 2007 :: AUGUST 2, 2007

AUGUST 2, 2007 - Principals' Biweekly Message

This week, the State Board of Education and I recognized seven teachers who had taught for 50 years. What struck me about these individuals was their total commitment to the students in their care. All of the teachers knew, of course, that they were well past the eligibility date for retirement, but at least one of them remarked that they wished "they could go on teaching forever." That type of commitment is remarkable and commendable. North Carolina is lucky to have teachers who have such a love of teaching and of students. I hope that as you plan your new school year, you will consider how your and your school improvement teams can work to foster an environment in which teachers want to work every day - maybe even for 50 years!

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

State Board Meeting Highlights
Future Information Release Dates
NCDPI Receives $6 Million Data System Grant
NC Mathematics Conference is Oct. 11-12 in Greensboro

State Board Meeting Highlights

The State Board of Education met this week in Raleigh and approved interim academic achievement cut scores for the NCEXTEND2 OCS assessments in English and mathematics effective with the 2006-07 school year, a request from several school systems for the flexible use of mentor funds, and proposed standards for the approval of pilot programs for the licensing of lateral entry teachers. Board members also discussed job descriptions and salary upgrades for occupational therapist assistants and physical therapist assistants and recognized seven teachers with 50 years of teaching service. Complete Board highlights will be available online next week at www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings by clicking on the appropriate link.

Future Information Release Dates

It's that time of year when a variety of key public information release dates are quickly approaching. Please note that preliminary AYP results are being released by LEAs between now and Aug. 17, the day when NCDPI will make its one-stop preliminary AYP results page live. The state and national ACT results for the graduating class of 2007 will be released by ACT on Aug. 15. The College Board will release 2007 SAT scores on Aug. 28. The 2007 ABCs/AYP results will be presented to the State Board of Education on Sept. 6 at its regular meeting. More details about each release will be provided in coming weeks.

NCDPI Receives $6 Million Data System Grant

NCDPI has received a $6 million grant from the US Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to create the NC Common Education Data Analysis and Reporting System (NC CEDARS), a longitudinal data system. NC CEDARS will complement NC WISE and will integrate previously incompatible educational databases into a single data repository. NC is one of 13 states receiving this grant, awarded to states based on their need for such a system, their design and management plans for it and the amount of other funding available. This grant will enable North Carolina to establish unique student identifiers and teacher identifiers for the first time.

Mathematics Conference is Oct. 11-12 in Greensboro

The North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics will hold its 2007 State Conference on Thursday, Oct. 11, and Friday, Oct. 12, at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. This annual event is for educators in elementary university instruction who want to advance teaching strategies through sessions and workshops taught by master teachers. Commercial exhibits will feature current mathematics education products. Pre-registration is $55 for NCCTM members, $65 for non-members and $5 for full-time students. Registration onsite is $75 for members, $85 for non-members and $5 for full-time students. The conference program and registration materials will be online appro ximately one month prior to the conference at www.ncctm.org. Contact Cyndy Davis at cdavis45@triad.rr.com for more information.