TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2005

APRIL 29, 2005

I hope that you are keeping up with the activities underway in the General Assembly this year through the legislative update Web page at http://149.168.35.203/legislative_report/ and by following news accounts. If you look at the April 18 report, you can see the proposed education budget. The cuts that were proposed would have a significant impact on schools and classrooms. If you have the opportunity to talk to your legislators regarding the difference that state resources make for your students and their learning, please do so. Your stories are much more powerful than any number of statistics and other information that we are able to provide at the state level. On another note, you were well represented by the Teachers Advisory group that met last week. Members gave me and DPI staff valuable feedback on a number of important issues, including the new Healthy Active Children Policy, parent involvement and the proposed ABCs formula.

Regards,
Tricia Willoughby

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. State Board to Meet
2. Healthy Active Children Policy
3. Governor Announces Nation's First Center for 21st Century Skills
4. New Identification System
5. 2004 NC Mathematics Presidential Awards Winners Named
6. "Words to the Wise" Newsletter Online
7. 2005 Performance Assessments Summer Institutes
8. NC Success in Algebra Workshop
9. Inaugural Professional Development Week Scheduled
10. North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics State Conference
11. Shakespeare Festival Plans Raleigh Residency

State Board to Meet

The State Board of Education has scheduled its next monthly meeting for May 4-5 in Raleigh. Agenda items include an Issues Session on per pupil expenditures at the local level and trends over time, as well as action on High School Exit Standards, the evaluation of the validity of the ABCs accountability system based on House Bill 1414, the proposed revision of lateral entry licensure policies, and NCLB Highly Qualified requirements for Exceptional Children and ESL teachers. Discussion items include standards for AP social studies courses, a proposed parent/family involvement policy, and No Child Left Behind HOUSSE components for Exceptional Children teachers and teachers of multiple subjects. The complete agenda is available online at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings/index.html by clicking on the appropriate link. As a reminder, the monthly State Board of Education meetings are now being audio streamed for those who can't attend. To listen to the sessions, please go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/SBE_meetings/ and scroll to the Live Audio Stream links.

Healthy Active Children Policy Update

At its April meeting earlier this month, State Board members approved a revision of its Healthy Active Children Policy to include a requirement for a minimum of 30 minutes of daily physical activity in grades K-8 beginning in the 2006-07 school year. While this activity time can be received through physical education, it is not a physical education mandate. The physical activity can be achieved through physical activity based curriculum such as Energizers, developed by NCDPI and available on the NC Healthy Schools Web site (http://www.nchealthyschools.org/), as well as recess, intramurals, or sessions led by the physical education teacher on closed-circuit TV. In addition, physical activity can be received in increments of 10 minutes at a time, three times per day. The time is cumulative, and while it is best to receive it at one setting, it is not mandatory. Most schools already have been working on this through the Local School Health Advisory Councils. In addition, the State Board is setting up a study committee to implement 150 minutes of elementary PE and 225 minutes of Health/PE (which is one curriculum in NC) at middle school. The State Board is continuing its mandate that physical activity should not be taken away as a punishment and adding that inappropriate and severe physical activity cannot be used as punishment. For more information, please contact Kymm Ballard, Instructional Services, NCDPI, 919.807.3858, or by email, kballard@dpi.state.nc.us.

Governor Announces Nation's First Center for 21st Century Skills

Gov. Easley recently announced the creation of the nation's first Center for 21st Century Skills to "help students acquire the knowledge and ability needed for success in the global economy." Easley said the Center will be a public-private partnership supported by the North Carolina Business Committee for Education and other corporations and will work with public school systems, community colleges, university teacher educational institutions to redesign school curriculum, update teacher training programs and provide improved assessments of student skills. The Center will focus on changes to teaching and education practices with an initial emphasis on high schools. For more information about the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, please go online to www.21stcenturyskills.org.

New Identification System

Earlier this month, a new visitor ID system was installed in the lobby of the Education building in Raleigh. All visitors are now expected to show a valid driver's license or picture ID to enter the building. Visitors will then electronically sign in and receive a picture ID sticker to wear while in the building. Please be prepared for this new security measure when visiting the Education building.

2004 NC Mathematics Presidential Awards Winners Named

Congratulations to Marta Johnson, a fifth grade mathematics teacher at Haw Creek Elementary School (Buncombe County Schools), and Andrew Gatt, a science teacher at Ravenscroft School in Raleigh, for being selected as North Carolina's recipients of the 2004 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science. The recipients will receive a special citation signed by President Bush, a $10,000 cash award from the National Science Foundation to improve science and mathematics instruction, gifts from donors, and a trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the award ceremony and participate in various educational and celebratory functions. Applications for the 2005 nominees are due May 2 to Clara Stallings for science (cstallings@dpi.state.nc.us) or Bill Scott for mathematics (bscott@dpi.state.nc.us), NCDPI's Instructional Services Division. For more information about the Presidential Awards' Program, please go to www.learnnc.org/dpi/listserv.nsf/Category7 (click on Announcements/Calendar then Presidential Awards).

"Words to the Wise" Newsletter Online

The "Words to the Wise" newsletter is back and online with all the latest information about NC WISE. In this issue are articles on the completion of the Wave 1 Deployment, NC WISE Wave 1 converts, list of schools scheduled for conversion in Wave 2, and photos from the NC WISE Symposium. To read or download the newsletter, please go online to http://www.ncwise.org/newsletter/wise_newsletter_041505.pdf

2005 Performance Assessments Summer Institutes

Online registration for the 2005 Performance Assessments Summer Institutes (scheduled for June-August) can now be accessed online at https://cuacs8.mck.ncsu.edu/pasi by clicking on the appropriate link. Although teachers will benefit most from the Institutes, administrators, test coordinators and others also are invited to attend. Participants may choose from the following sessions: Writing Scoring: Grades 4, 7, and 10, North Carolina Alternate Assessment Academic Inventory, North Carolina Alternate Assessment Portfolio, Computer Skills, Item Development, and Rubric Writing. Session abstracts are available online. Sessions are repeated throughout the four-day institute. Participants are not required to attend every session to receive credit for attendance. Credit for participation will be awarded based on the total number of sessions attended over the four-day time period. Participants will receive .3 CEUs for each half-day session and .6 CEUs for each full-day session. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis and will remain open until all sessions and locations are filled. There is no fee to participate. Please contact Sheila Brown at 919.515.1431, or by email at shield_brown@ncsu.edu should you have further questions.

NC Success in Algebra Workshop

The NC Success in Algebra Workshop is designed to provide algebra teachers with methods and materials for fostering concept development, reasoning and problem solving with students with special learning needs in algebra. Teachers will explore strategies for students with learning disabilities, technology to create multiple representations, and integration of concepts through applications. The project will focus on developing model classrooms to create success in algebra for all students. The workshop will be held June 14-17, from 8:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., at Hawfields Middle School, Mebane. Participants apply in teams with 2-4 teachers, if possible. Each team may have two algebra teachers from the same high school, one middle grade 8th grade math teacher and/or a special education teacher. Complete information, including registration materials, is available online at www.learnnc.org/dpi/instserv.nsf/Category7 (click on Announcements/Calendar then on NC Success in Algebra Workshop). Applications are DUE May 1. The workshop maximum is 40 participants. For further questions, please contact Ann Crawford, Project Director, 919.967.2683, or by email, jjcra@earthlink.net.

Inaugural Professional Development Week Scheduled

A number of educator associations are sponsoring an inaugural Professional Development Week from Aug. 9-11. Teachers can earn 2.5 renewal credits by participating in one of four sessions that help educators reach and teach all learners. Sessions will be held in Boone, Rocky Mount and Greenville. The registration fee is $50 and includes lunch, break and materials. The registration deadline is June 15. For more information on the sessions and registration, please go online to http://www.ncae.org/pod/profdevelop05.shtml or call Angela Farthing, NCAE Center for Teaching and Learning, 800.662.7924, ext. 230, or by email, Angela.Farthing@ncae.org

North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics State Conference

The North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics will hold its 2005 State Conference, "Building Student Success Through Rich Mathematics," Oct. 13-14 at the Sheraton Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, Greensboro. If you would like to present a session or workshop at the conference, speaker registration forms are available at www.ncctm.org by clicking on Conference Information. Registration for the conference is available on site. Fees are $45 for NCCTM members, $55 for non-members, and $5 for full-time students. The conference agenda will be available online in September at www.ncctm.org. For more information, please contact Cyndy Davis at 336.288.7081, or by email, davisc@guilford.k12.nc.us.

Shakespeare Festival Plans Raleigh Residency

The North Carolina Shakespeare Festival (NCSF) will spend a week in residence at The BTI Center for the Performing Arts Fletcher Theater in Raleigh this October to perform three school matinees and five public performances of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" and "As You Like It." NCDPI's SchoolFest program of 10 am weekday matinee performances in Raleigh will feature "Julius Caesar" on Oct. 5 and “As You Like It” on Oct. 6,7. Reservations by teachers for SchoolFest matinees and for all groups (of 10 or more) to public performances may be made now through the NCSF Sales Office by contacting Paul Siceloff, Sales and Marketing Director, 336.841.2273, ext. 226 or sales@ncshakes.org.