TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2004

JUNE 10, 2004

If House Bill 1464 passes as currently written, teachers will have 10 fewer workdays per year and the school year for students will begin late August. This action would turn the calendar back by 30 years to a time when teachers in our state were nine-month employees with few paid opportunities to collaborate with other teachers, participate in staff development or do all of the behind-the-scene work that is critical to providing students a strong instructional program. The instructional school year in North Carolina is already one of the shortest in the world and that is nothing to brag about. While the State Board and I support a comprehensive study of the calendar issue, we oppose reducing non-instructional teacher workdays. Eliminating workdays does not lessen the workload for teachers, and sends the message to our constituents that teaching is not the profession that we know it to be.

Regards,
Mike Ward

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. SBE Meeting Highlights
2. 2004-05 Teachers of the Year to Study Abroad
3. High School Exit Standards to be Discussed at July Board Meeting
4. SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Rigor
5. FREE Fire Safety Education Program for Pre-K and Kindergarten Teachers
6. Summer Institute to Address Performance Assessments
7. Middle and High School Summer Science Leadership Institutes
8. CMC Project Schedules 2004 Summer Institute and Conference
9. LEARN NC's June Update Online

State Board Meeting Highlights

At their June meeting. State Board members approved a position statement opposing potential reductions to teacher workdays. The Board approved this unanimously and stressed the need for further study of all issues related to the school calendar, needs for teacher staff development and workdays and the organization of the instructional year. To read the full position statement, please go to http://www.ncpublicschools.org and look under In the News. In other business, the Board approved recommendations for suspended and expelled students, and heard presentations from students in the first class of Occupational Course of Study graduates. Complete SBE Highlights can be accessed online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights/ by clicking on the appropriate link.

2004-05 Teachers of the Year to Study Abroad

Thanks to the State Board of Education and the Carolyn Hunt Endowment Fund, North Carolina's 2004-05 Teacher of the Year and regional Teachers of the Year will travel to Ghana in the summer of 2005 to study the country's history and culture and observe its K-12 schools. The Center for International Understanding is coordinating the trip, which in the past has only been available to the Teacher of the Year. Upon returning to North Carolina, the teachers will create lesson plans and other Ghana-related projects and presentations to share their experiences with their students and communities.

High School Exit Standards to be Discussed at July Board Meeting

The State Board of Education's July Issues Session will focus on High School Exit Standards. Potential session topics include using a composite of End of Course (EOC) test results, senior projects and/or service learning components. Issues related to the High School Comprehensive Test also will be discussed in light of discussions with the US Department of Education regarding use of Algebra I and Biology EOC tests. The State Superintendent's Advisory Committee members also will be asked for their input.

SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Rigor

The SBE Ad Hoc Committee on Academic Rigor met last Tuesday, June 1. The Committee heard presentations from Guilford County Schools' Superintendent Terry Grier, and Dr. Chris Osmond and Dr. Leslie Babkinsi of All Kinds of Minds. Grier's presentation focused on changes in Guilford County schools designed to promote academic rigor. Strategies include increasing and offering a uniform number of AP courses in the high schools, retraining every three years for AP teachers, requiring AP students to take AP exams with payment for the cost absorbed by the school system, and implementing an early college program. These strategies have resulted in a number of positive changes in the school system (fewer dropouts, higher scores, closing the achievement gap). Osmond shared information on how the Schools Attuned program reaches teachers with information on Dr. Mel Levine's research on neurodevelopmental constructs as it impacts teaching and learning for implementation in the classroom with the ultimate goal of positive outcomes for students, educators, and parents. He also shared information on the nine principles of Schools Attuned. Babinski provided the committee with a copy of her ideas and suggestions for shaping a policy/program of innovation on a topic such as academic rigor. She also stated that part of the impact of Schools Attuned training could be a decline in the number of students referred for special education as Schools Attuned programs result in an increase in teachers' abilities to understand children's learning differences and applying strategies in the classroom that help children with learning differences to be successful. She cautioned the committee that any impact of implementing innovations in classrooms takes three to five years to see results. The committee will meet again on Wednesday, June 16, to begin the final phase of its work on defining academic rigor.

FREE Fire Safety Education Program for Pre-K and Kindergarten Teachers

The Department of Insurance, Office of State Fire Marshal and NC Safe Kids are sponsoring a free Fire Safety Education workshop for pre-K and Kindergarten teachers on Aug. 11 in Mebane (near Burlington). Attendees will receive a multi-media resource kit and teacher's manual. For more information on the program, go to www.playsafebesafe.com. Workshop details and registration information are available online at http://www.ncdoi.com/OSFM/SafeKids/sk_home.asp by clicking on the appropriate link. The deadline to register is June 20. For more information, please contact Allison Cummings at 800.661.5880 ext. 314, or by email, acumming@ncdoi.net

Summer Institute to Address Performance Assessments

DPI and Technical Outreach for Public Schools (TOPS) are sponsoring a 2004 Summer Institute for all performance assessments (i.e., computer skills, NCAAAI, NCAAP and Writing). Sessions will provide information, updates, and materials for LEA Test Coordinators, LEA Curriculum Specialists, Exceptional Children Coordinators, and teachers. The institutes will be held June 7-10 (coastal area); June 14-17 (western area); July 12-15 (central area); and Aug. 2-4 and Aug. 6, (make-up session) at NC State University, Raleigh. Please contact your LEA test coordinator or regional accountability coordinator for additional information or registration.

Middle and High School Summer Science Leadership Institutes

There is still limited space available in both the July 11-14 High School Summer Science Leadership Institute and the July 14-16 Middle School Summer Science Leadership Institute. These institutes will be held at Trinity Center, Salter Path. The focus this year is on the revised Science Standard Course of Study and drafts of the new support documents. Further information can be found on the Web at http://www.learnnc.org/ by clicking on Announcements and Calendar. The late registration fee will not be charged until after June 15. If you have further questions, please call Eleanor Enthoven Hasse, Science Consultant, NC DPI, 919.807.3845, or by email, eehasse@dpi.state.nc.us.

CMC Project Schedules 2004 Summer Institute and Conference

The Curriculum, Music and Community (CMC) project invites all third, fourth and fifth grade teachers, principals and arts coordinators to its 2004 Summer Institute and Conference, scheduled for July 11-14, at the Carolina Center for Educational Excellence, Chapel Hill. The CMC project is designed to support teachers in their efforts to incorporate the music and musical traditions of their communities into their regular classroom instruction. Conference room and board are free and teachers can receive 3.5 CEUs upon completion. Teachers also receive a $100/day stipend. Conference registration is limited and must be received by 5 p.m., June 16. For more information, please contact Molly Parsons, CMC Summer Institute Coordinator, 919.542.1858, or by email, aparsons@intrex.net.

LEARN NC's June Update Online

LEARN NC's June update offers teachers an explanation of computer viruses and how you can protect yourself; interesting Web resources, and how to introduce "the competitive art of performance poetry" in your classroom. Check these articles out and more by going online to http://www.learnnc.org and clicking on the appropriate link.