PRINCIPALS' MESSAGES 2008

OCTOBER 2, 2008 - Principals' Biweekly Message

Change can seem slow, especially in education and especially when it affects schools statewide, but during the 2008-09 school year educators will notice six changes to the North Carolina testing and accountability program. These six items are part of the "immediate action" list in the Framework for Change document of the State Board of Education. This year, NCDPI will:

• Release one form of each test on an annual basis. This change will help take some of the mystery out of state testing. This will happen for the first time in late summer 2009.
• Enact a moratorium on the content standards revision/test development cycle. Putting "pause" in this cycle enables DPI to identify Essential Standards in each content area and stop the continual cycle of new test development.
• Make results from new tests comparable to prior tests. This gives you and others the chance to show the public how students would have performed on prior standards and helps make it easier to understand that test scores may drop as a result of higher standards - not because student learning dipped. These comparison scores will be provided at the school and district level.
• Count retest scores in performance composites. This item is on the "to-do" list, but details are being worked out in the next two months.
• Change the current approach to writing assessment. As you know, grade 4 and 7 students will participate in the Writing Assessment System Pilot this year, and online professional development is already underway for teachers and others.
• Revamp the current computer skills test to ensure it measures 21st century Information Communication Technology literacy. The current test has been aligned against the measures in the NC Computer/Technology Skills Standard Course of Study. It can be revised again when new standards are adopted later. In the meantime, the window for student testing has been expanded to allow select students to take the online computer skills test as early as the fall of the sixth grade year, at the local educators' discretion.

More changes are coming, but will take additional time to complete because of their complexity, but it is heartening and exciting to see changes in this school year.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Principals' Message:

1. North Carolina Summit on Youth and Families
2. Early Bird Registration for Exceptional Children Conference Draws Near
3. Understanding and Improving Working Conditions
4. Safe Schools and Character Education Conference Scheduled for February
5. NCSCA Offers Special Session for Principals
6. Web Sites with Grant Information
7. National Excellence in Urban Education Award
8. The Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education
9. Scholarship Opportunity for High School Seniors

North Carolina Summit on Youth and Families

For the second consecutive year, the Department of 4-H Youth Development and Family & Consumer Sciences will convene the North Carolina Summit on Youth and Families. This year's theme is "Creating the Future of North Carolina's Youth and Families: Advocacy, Leadership, and Collaboration for Positive Change." The Summit, which is scheduled for Nov. 19-20 at the Sheraton Raleigh Hotel, will convene leaders from education, government, business, and communities to examine the current status and future direction of our state's youth and families. For more information, please visit the Summit Web site at www.ncsummit.org.

Early Bird Registration for Exceptional Children Conference Draws Near

Early bird registration for the 58th Conference on Exceptional Children ends on Oct. 19. Conference information, including registration, is available online at www.ncpublicschools.org/ec/conference/2008/.

Understanding and Improving Working Conditions

The NCAE Principals/ Administrators Division invites principals to attend its workshop "Understanding and Improving Working Conditions," on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Wiley Accel/Enrichment School, 600 W. Terrell Street, Greensboro. Eric Hirsch from the New Teacher Center and Andrew Sioberg from the Durham Public Schools will share findings from the 2008 Teacher Working Conditions Survey and discuss its role in the North Carolina School Executive Standards and Evaluation process. Dr. Stan Hill of the Center of Excellence for Research, Teaching and Learning of Wake Forest School of Medicine will share a process that he has used with schools to improve communication and trust. The registration fee is $25 for members and $50 for non-members. Lunch is included. The deadline to register is Oct. 20. For more information, please contact Ron McKinney, NCAE, at 800.635.3386, or by email, ron.mckinney@ncae.org.

Safe Schools and Character Education Conference Scheduled for February

NCDPI's Safe Schools and Character Education Conference will be held Feb. 25-27 at the Raleigh Convention Center. Be sure and mark your calendars and plan to attend this annual event!

NCSCA Offers Special Session for Principals

The North Carolina School Counselors Association has designed a conference session specifically for school administrators on Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 1-4 p.m., during their annual conference. This three- hour session will include valuable information regarding ASCA's National Model, school counselor training and skills, and how school counselors affect student achievement. The session will conclude with a panel of administrators responding to questions. Principals can register online for Wednesday's session by going to the NCSCA Web site, http://www.ncschoolcounselor.org/conference.asp, and clicking on the link for the administration workshop registration form. There is no charge to attend this session. Administrators also are welcome to attend conference sessions on Thursday, also at no charge.

Web Sites with Grant Information

The following Web sites contain information on grants, scholarships, and other types of financial support:

• eSchool News online: http://www.eschoolnews.com/funding. This online version of a monthly magazine contains a grants section with regularly updated grant, scholarship, professional development, and other funding opportunities for both educators and students. Email: info@eschoolnews.com; phone: 800.394.0115.
• FastWEB: http://www.fastweb.com. The largest online scholarship search available, with 400,000 scholarships representing over one billion in scholarship dollars. Provides students with accurate, regularly updated information on scholarships, grants, and fellowships suited to their goals and qualifications at no cost. Email: webmaster@fastweb.com; phone: 847.785.8000.
• The Foundation Center: http://www.fdncenter.org. An independent nonprofit information clearinghouse on grants available throughout the United States with headquarters in New York, and additional libraries in Washington, DC, Atlanta, Cleveland, and San Francisco. The center offers publications, including directories of foundation and corporate grant makers, research advice, custom research, and database searching. The Web site includes online training in grant seeking, proposal writing, and funding research, as well as an online librarian. Email: library@fdncenter.org; phone: 800.424.9836 or 212.620.4230.
• GrantsAlert.com: http://www.GrantsAlert.com. This Web site's goal is to "make life a little easier for those who devote their time to searching for education grants and identifying new funding opportunities for their organizations, schools, districts, consortia, and state education agencies." Email: jmizereck@grantsalert.com; phone: 850.385.0488
• Grants.gov: http://grants.gov. Allows organizations to electronically find and apply for compe titive grant opportunities from all federal grant-making agencies, and encompasses over 900 grant programs offered by the twenty six Federal grant-making agencies. It streamlines the process of awarding over $350 billion annually to state and local governments, academia, not-for-profits, and other organizations. Email: support@grants.gov; phone: 800.518.4726.
• Grantsandfunding.com: http://www.grantsandfunding.com. Offers a complete listing of all Thompson Publishing Group publications that focus on grant and funding issues. Subscribers of the group's publications have access to a special section that provides resources such as grant deadlines, highlights of funding issues, and links to related Web sites. Email: service@thompson.com; phone: 800.964.5815 or 813.282.8807.
• SchoolGrants: http://www.schoolgrants.org. A collection of resources and tips to help K-12 educators apply for and obtain special grants for a variety of projects. The site offers fundraising ideas, sample proposals, grant writing tips, and scholarship information. Email: help@schoolgrants.org.

National Excellence in Urban Education Award

The National Center for Urban School Transformation is accepting applications for the National Excellence in Urban Education Award. The purpose of the award is to recognize the dedication and talent of urban school educators and students, provide a benchmark of excellence that motivates reform efforts, and deepen the knowledge base of best practices for promoting urban school transformation. Ten schools will be recognized with this award and receive travel costs to attend the Symposium in San Diego where they will present and be recognized, a check for $1,000, a large banner and a framed certificate acknowledging the school's distinction. Applications are due Nov. 14. Complete details are available online at http://www.ncust.org.

The Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education

The Goldman Sachs Foundation and Asia Society are seeking applications for the 2008 Goldman Sachs Foundation Prizes for Excellence in International Education. The prize program was created in 2003 to raise awareness of the growing importance of international knowledge and skills for U.S. students. Prizes totaling $150,000 in five different categories are awarded annually. Applications for elementary/middle school, high school, district/state, media/technology and youth are due by Dec. 1. For more information and to access the online application, please visit http://asiasociety.org/gsfprizes.

Scholarship Opportunity for High School Seniors

For the fifth consecutive year, the General Hugh Shelton Leadership Initiative is offering a major four-year college scholarship to students who plan to attend N.C. State University. The mission of this initiative is to "inspire, educate, and develop values-based leaders who are committed to personal integrity, professional ethics, and selfless service." The scholarship is valued at $10,000 per year (and renewable), plus an annual $2,000 stipend for external leadership experiences such as study abroad. The deadline to apply is Nov. 1. Scholarship details are available online at www.ncsu.edu/extension/sheltonleadership/leadership-scholarships/national-scholarships.php. Please make sure your high school seniors are aware of this opportunity.

 

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