TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2007
TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2007JULY 19, 2007 - Teachers' Biweekly Message
I hope that your summer so far has offered you the opportunity to "sharpen the saw" and take some time to relax and reconnect with family and friends. Later this summer at the start of school, we will continue to face a number of challenges: how to prepare students for the 21st century demands, the ongoing need for better technology tools, and the strong need for teachers to connect with each other in professional learning communities. I encourage you to seek out reading materials in this area.
Regards,
June Atkinson
In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:
State Board Meeting Highlights
The State Board of Education met Tuesday via conference call and approved recommendations from the State Evaluation Committee on Teacher Education and job descriptions for occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists. The Board will meet again on Aug.4-5.
Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability Meeting
Summary
The Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability met Monday to continue gathering perspectives on the state's assessment program and to create a list of issues to be addressed at future meetings. Members heard from parents from Durham and Wilson Counties who raised concerns about the amount of time schools devote to the testing program as well as the anxiety brought about by these assessments, the need for rigor in schools and concerns about whether today's students will be prepared for 21st century economic demands. Cathy Boshamer, the exceptional children director for Gaston County Schools and a Commission member herself, spoke on behalf of Exceptional Children (EC) program administrators about these students' special testing needs and the current state of EC testing in North Carolina. Members also heard from NC Advisory Commission on Raising Achievement and Closing Gaps member Joseph Johnson who discussed some of the Commission's ongoing work. Director of the NC Center for 21st Century Skills and State Board of Education member Melissa Bartlett briefed members on the capabilities employers look for in students in an increasingly global marketplace. Following public comments, members began creating a list of issues to be addressed including test length, frequency, and type (content- or skills-based). The commission will meet again on Monday, July 23.
NCVPS Update
The North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) has over 10,000 enrollments to date and staff want to thank all the superintendents and principals for their continued support. Fall registration is still open, so we encourage you to continue to promote the NCVPS as a quality academic resource for your students. Each school will need to have a registered NCVPS advisor to assure that students are approved for courses and are enrolled. Principals should contact NCVPS Advisor Coordinator Barbara Poole at barbara.poole@ncvps.org for more information about advisors and registration. Also, if you need marketing materials to help promote the NCVPS in your schools, please contact NCVPS Chief Marketing Officer David Edwards, at david.edwards@ncvps.org for brochures, schedules, and posters or visit http://www.ncvps.org/edcommunity.html.
Southeast Middle School Teaching Team Wins National Award
Congratulations to Don Fought and Jane Trace, teachers at Southeast Middle School (Winston-Salem/Forsyth Schools), for being one of four teaching teams nationally selected for the "2007 Teams That Make A Difference." Sponsored by Pearson Prentice Hall and the National Middle School Association, "Teams That Make A Difference" is an awards program that identifies people who work to improve the education and well-being of young adolescents. For 2007, "Teams That Make A Difference" focused on outstanding teams that created a program, activity, or strategy that focuses on student achievement or connects students with their communities. Fought's and Trace's team submission featured its cultural sister-school exchange program with schools in Germany and Romania. They will present their program at the national conference in Houston in November.
NASA Explorer Schools
Applications are now available for educators interested in joining NASA Explorer Schools (NES) during the 2008-09 school year. Teams composed of full-time teachers and a school administrator will develop and implement a three-year action plan to address local challenges in science, technology and mathematics education for grades 4-9. Selected schools are eligible to receive funding during the three-year partnership to purchase technology tools. The project also provides educators and students with content-specific activities that can be used within the curricula to excite students about science, technology, engineering and math. Applications are due Jan. 31, 2008. For more information, visit http://explorerschools.nasa.gov/portal/site/nes/menuitem.3a9dc5f6e0302a448258f708c41a5ea0/.
If you'd like to review past Teachers' Biweekly Messages sent to the listserv group, just go online to http://www.ncpublicschools.org/teachersarchive/ .