PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2008

APRIL 3, 2008 - Principals' Biweekly Message

Today I had the pleasure of participating in the Wachovia Principal of the Year luncheon where we announced A.L. Brown High School Principal Debra Morris as the 2008 recipient. The Kannapolis City Schools' principal succeeds Craig Hill, who is currently an assistant superintendent with Wilson County Public Schools. It is a highlight of my year to participate in events that recognize the excellence and dedication of principals and teachers in North Carolina. Ms. Morris is a wonderful example of the creative people who lead our schools and teach our students. As principal, she has implemented a number of special projects that have had a positive effect on students. These include a school dress code that embraces uniforms, a Freshman Academy to help ninth graders acclimate to high school, an afterschool computer class that enables students to work toward credits or credit recovery and a book study with football players that has shown the community that athletes are more than just about sports. I hope you will join me in congratulating Ms. Morris as the new Principal of the Year. I know she will represent you well as an advisor to the State Board of Education in her new role.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

1. State Board Meeting Summary
2. NC NAEP Eighth Grade Writing Scores Released
3. Evaluation Tool Training for Principals and Supervisors
4. National Board Certification Applications Being Accepted
5. State School of Character Winner Announced
6. North Carolina's Top Youth Volunteers Named
7. New Social Studies' Podcast
8. Adolescent Literacy: Science Comprehension Strategies Course Reminder
9. African American History to 1950
10. National Science Education Summer Leadership Institute
11. Summer 2008 Biotechnology Workshops for Educators

State Board Meeting Summary

The State Board of Education today approved a change to the 2008 ABCs model in recognition of the challenges that occur in years when we have a new end-of-grade test. The Board approved including the new reading tests scores in the performance composite for schools in 2008, but not including them in the ABCs growth calculations this year. In 2009, reading would return to all aspects of the accountability model. The end-of-grade reading tests are new this year and the achievement level cut scores cannot be set until after the students take the tests, the results are analyzed and appropriate cut scores can be established. This situation occurs in years with a new test, and happened last in 2006 with mathematics. Other work of the Board this month included approval of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 Five Year Plan; the addition of elementary level (grades K-6) licensure areas in Reading, English-as-a-Second Language, Special Education: General Curriculum and Special Education: Adapted Curriculum; and various calendar waiver requests. Members also discussed a revision update to the Academically or Intellectually Gifted program, approval of Supplemental Education Service Providers for 2008-09, and approval/adoption of the School Executive: Principal Evaluation Instrument. Complete Board Highlights will be available online toward the end of next week at www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights by clicking on the appropriate link.

NC NAEP Eighth Grade Writing Scores Released

North Carolina 8th graders' writing scores were on par with the national average, and 87 percent of the students performed at the Basic level or better on the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress, according to results released today by the U.S. Department of Education and presented at the April State Board of Education's morning meeting. At the same time, students' writing scores decreased when compared with results from 2002, the last time the national test was given.

Because the test is given to a sample of students, district or school-level results are not available, with the exception of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. This district participates in the NAEP Trial Urban District Assessment, which in 2007 included 11 major urban school districts in the nation. Charlotte-Mecklenburg outperformed all of the TUDA districts and performed statistically the same as the nation and as North Carolina. To read more, please go to the NCDPI Web site at www.ncpublicschools.org and click on the appropriate link under "News."

Evaluation Tool Training for Principals and Supervisors

NCDPI's Office of Professional Development has been charged with creating an implementation plan for the new Executive Evaluation instrument. The goal is to educate every principal on the new tool this summer. The new Executive Evaluation tool has been aligned with the State Board of Education's goals (adopted in 2006) and will be used statewide during the upcoming academic year (2008-09). DPI staff will be deployed in each of the eight educational regions to provide training for principals and central office administrators (HR Directors, Superintendents, Assoc. and Asst. Superintendents) and other staff responsible for either operating under or administering the new evaluation tool. Regional training dates are as follows: June 23-24, June 25-26, July 7-8, July 9- 10, July 14-15, July 16-17, July 21-22, July 23-July 24. You are encouraged to register online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/profdev/conferences/executivetraining/ to attend these training sessions. Upon registering, you will receive an email confirmation indicating your registration has been received. You will have the opportunity to choose a first, second, and third option of training sites and locations. You will be registered for your first choice unless otherwise contacted by a member of DPI's Office of Professional Development.. Should you have any questions please contact the NCDPI's Office of Professional Development at 919.807.3312.

National Board Certification Applications Being Accepted

Principals, please pass along the following information to your teachers. Applications for 2008-09 National Board Candidates are being accepted until Oct. 31. The state of North Carolina will pay, up front, the candidate assessment fee for eligible teachers. Eligible teachers are those that have: - completed three full years in North Carolina public schools (this includes DOC, DHHS, Office of Juvenile Justice and public charter schools); - hold a valid, clear, continuing North Carolina teaching license; - have not previously received state funds for participating in the NBPTS assessment. (If a candidate received funding, withdrew from the process and fulfilled the repayment obligation, he/she can be funded again.); and - engage in direct classroom instruction, library/media work, or school counseling 70 percent of the time over the course of the academic year. Teachers do not have to repay the fee as long as they complete the full National Board Certification process and teach the year following completion. The deadline for requesting state funding is Oct. 31. No late requests will be accepted. Candidates must first apply for the National Board Certification process at www.nbpts.org and then apply for the North Carolina National Board Certification assessment fee funding at http://nbpts.dpi.state.nc.us.

State School of Character Winner Announced

Congratulations to Winter Park Elementary (New Hanover County Schools) for being named the 2008 State School of Character. The 2008 Honorable Mentions went to Baileywick Road Elementary (Wake County Public Schools) and D. F. Walker Elementary (Edenton-Chowan Public Schools). Modeled after the National Schools of Character, this program is designed to honor exemplars in the practice of character education, showcase their work, and help them inspire and lead others. To view other award recipients in addition to learning more about the program, please go online to www.ncpublicschools.org/charactereducation/awards.

North Carolina's Top Youth Volunteers Named

Congratulations to Nicholas Marriam, a student at West Johnston High (Johnston County Schools), and Garrie Brocato, a student at Southwest Middle (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools) for recently being named North Carolina's top two youth volunteers for 2008 by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Prudential Financial, in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, sponsors this nationwide program that honors young people for outstanding acts of volunteerism. Each student will receive $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense paid trip in early May to Washington, D.C., where they will compete with other state recipients for America's top youth volunteers for 2008.

New Social Studies' Podcast

Don't miss this quarter's 6-12 Social Studies Podcast, the PASS (Podcasts About Social Studies). To hear this informative podcast, simply go to www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/socialstudies/pass/. Also, stay on top of 6-12 social studies initiatives by visiting www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/socialstudies/. For more information on any of these programs, please contact Tracey Greggs at 919.807.3836, or by email, tgreggs@dpi.state.nc.us.

Adolescent Literacy: Science Comprehension Strategies Course Reminder

High school science teachers wanting to earn some literacy CEUs at no cost may want to consider taking "Adolescent Literacy: Science Comprehension Strategies." This course provides teachers with language literacy tactics to strengthen students' achievement in science as well as reading. The start date has been pushed back to April 9, so you've still got a few days to register. For more information or to enroll, please visit www.learnnc.org/courses.

African American History to 1950

Examine African American history in the contexts of United States, North Carolina and world history. Assignments draw from a wealth of classroom-oriented primary sources, including slave testimonies, photographs, oral histories, and more. This course is essential for all North Carolina history teachers, and participants will earn 3 CEUs. This course begins April 14. To register, please go online to www.learnnc.org/courses/current/afamhist_04_14_08.

National Science Education Summer Leadership Institute

North Carolina will be hosting the annual National Science Education Leadership Association's Summer Leadership Institute on July 7-10 at the Grove Park Inn, Asheville. This is a great opportunity for NC educators to learn effective strategies for professional development at all levels, from the department level to the district level. The early bird registration deadline is April 15. For more details, including registration, please go online to www.nsela.org/calendar/calendar.html.

Summer 2008 Biotechnology Workshops for Educators

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center has announced its 2008 Summer Biotechnology Workshops for educators. The workshops are designed for high school teachers but middle school teachers also may attend. For more information, including workshop dates and locations, please go to the Biotechnology Center's Web site at www.ncbiotech.org/summerworkshops. Space is limited so early register is recommended.

 

If you'd like to review past Principals' Biweekly Messages sent to the listserv group, just go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/principalsarchive/.