TEACHERS' MESSAGES 2008

JANUARY 17, 2008 - Teachers' Biweekly Message

Power standards, tests that focus more on student needs and make better use of current technology, and a more transparent accountability model were key themes of the recommendations presented by the Dr. Sam Houston, chairman of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability, earlier this month at the Legislative Education Oversight Committee meeting. State Board of Education members attended this session to hear the report's recommendations as part of their January meeting. State Board of Education Chairman Howard Lee noted that members look forward to considering these recommendations to improve North Carolina's accountability system, and an ad hoc committee of the Board will begin that work soon. We will keep you updated as those meetings are set and work gets underway. To read the full report, please go to: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbe_meetings/0801/accountabilityfinalreport.pdf.

Regards,
June Atkinson

In this Biweekly Teachers' Message:

1. State Board Meeting Highlights
2. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools' Superintendent Receives Award on Behalf of District
3. 2007 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Named
4. Nomination Period for the Class of 2010 Kenan Fellows Now Open
5. Differentiated Instruction Professional Development Opportunity
6. Stock Market Game Workshops
7. Holocaust Teacher Workshops, Spring 2008
8. LEARN NC Announces Spring Professional Development Courses
9. Summer Residency Institute for Physical Science and Physics Teachers
10. American Star of Teaching Call for Nominations
11. Freida J. Riley Teacher Award Call for Nominations

State Board Meeting Highlights

The State Board of Education met last week and approved revising the Teacher Education Program approval process, a request to establish an additional regional Alternative Licensure Center, and the Annual Report on the Reasons Teachers Leave the Profession. Board member discussion included the Educational Value Added Assessment System Teacher Module, high school courses taken in middle school beyond mathematics and second languages, and clarification of lateral entry licensure policies. Complete Board Highlights will be available online next week at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/sbehighlights.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools' Superintendent Receives Award on Behalf of District

The American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages recently presented a prestigious award to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools' Superintendent Donald Martin for the district's exemplary elementary foreign language program. The presentation noted that the district's elementary language program "demonstrates excellence in curriculum, instruction, student achievement articulation and advocacy." Every student in each of the district's elementary schools learns either French or Spanish, and has the option to continue in a well-articulated language program throughout its middle and high schools. Congratulations!

2007 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Named

Congratulations to the following teachers who were recently named North Carolina finalists for the 2007 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science: Secondary Mathematics: Regina Allred, Asheboro High (Asheboro City Schools), Maria Hernandez, North Carolina School of Science & Mathematics (Durham), and Rachael Willingham, North Henderson High (Henderson County Schools). Secondary Science: Michael Bowman, Madison High (Madison County Schools), Patricia Ligon, Needham Broughton High (Wake County Schools), and Dorothea Sinclair, Saint Stephens High (Catawba County Schools). A state selection committee selected these teachers as finalists for the award. A national selection committee will review the applications of the state-level finalists and make recommendations to the National Science Foundation.

Nomination Period for the Class of 2010 Kenan Fellows to Close Soon

The Kenan Fellows Program is an innovative model that promotes teacher leadership, addresses teacher retention and advances K-12 science, technology and mathematics education. Kenan Fellows are public school teachers selected through a competitive process to participate in a prestigious two-year fellowship - all while remaining active in the classroom. During these two years, Kenan Fellows work in partnership with distinguished scientists, university faculty, and the NC Department of Public Instruction, developing curriculum and teaching resources that bring cutting-edge research into the hands of students. School administrators, community leaders, parents of students, and former Kenan Fellows may nominate candidates by visiting the Kenan Fellows Program Web site at http://www.ncsu.edu/kenanfellows/join/apply.htm and clicking on the nomination form link. Nominees will be notified by email and subsequently invited to complete an online application. Fellowships will be tied to regions of the state and, in some cases, only residents of certain counties may apply. Over the two-year fellowship period, Kenan Fellows will receive a $10,000 stipend, use of a laptop, and graduate credit for completing their research project. Applications are due Jan. 24.

Differentiated Instruction Professional Development Opportunity

As a reminder, NCDPI's middle and high school English Language Arts staff are sponsoring a Focus on Literacy Institute, "A Different Take - Improving Instruction Through Differentiated Instruction," on Feb. 14-15, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Pinehurst Inn, Pinehurst. Institute topics include: learning teaching theories and discovering what research says about differentiated instruction, learning how formative assessment can lead to and support differentiated instruction, and learning essential elements for implementing effective differentiated instruction with some attention given to reading and writing instruction. There is a $300 per person, non-refundable registration fee. The registration deadline is Jan. 20. For hotel reservations, contact the Pinehurst Inn at 910.295.6811. For more information, including a registration form, please go online to http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/ela and click on the download link.

Stock Market Game Workshops

The North Carolina Council on Economics Education will be conducting a series of Stock Market Game (SMG) workshops. The workshops, which are free-of-charge thanks to a grant from Merrill Lynch, will be presented by teachers currently using the program. Teachers wishing to learn more about the SMG program and its standards-correlated lessons, projects and assessments are welcome to attend. The SMG is an interactive, online, multidisciplinary stock market simulation that allows students in grades 4-12 and their teachers to compete against their peers across the state for portfolio growth. Students work in teams to decide how to invest $100,000 in a true portfolio trading format. The program is an excellent way to teach the personal financial literacy concepts of budgeting, saving and investing as recommended by the SBE. The grant from Merrill Lynch also provides for team fees for teachers and students where participation would otherwise be cost-prohibitive. No prior stock market knowledge is necessary. For more information on how to register for the free workshops and how to receive scholarships to enter the competition, visit www.nccee.org or contact Sandy Wheat at swheat@nccee.org.

Holocaust Teacher Workshops, Spring 2008

These one-day, multi-county workshops for public school teachers of social studies and English/Language Arts are presented by Dr. Karl Schleunes, historian and Holocaust scholar, and Gizella Abramson, a Holocaust survivor of the Majdanek death camp. This workshop is particularly useful for teachers of World History or American History as well as sixth-grade teachers who are teaching Eastern European history. It also is recommended for middle school language arts teachers teaching Anne Frank's Diary or high school English teachers studying Elie Wiesel's "Night" and other Holocaust literature at the upper grades. Participants will receive a copy of "The Holocaust: a North Carolina Teacher's Resource," a guide for teaching about the Holocaust at the middle and high school levels. Substitute pay is provided for teachers attending, but space is limited and teachers are encouraged to make early contact with Linda Scher, Holocaust Teacher Workshop Coordinator. There is no charge for these workshops. Workshop dates and locations are as follows: Jan. 28, Hamlet, Richmond County; Feb. 7, Kinston, Lenoir County; Feb. 29, Kenansville, Duplin County FULL AND CLOSED; March 5, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County; March 12, Warrenton, Warren County; and April 2, Wilmington, New Hanover County. For additional information, including registration, please email Linda Scher at Brisket234@aol.com.

LEARN NC Announces Spring Professional Development Courses

LEARN NC's online professional development courses allow educators to earn CEU credits at a time and place most convenient to them, whether that's during their planning period, or in their pajamas at one in the morning. Master teaching online with the courses in our Carolina Online Teacher Program. Or earn literacy credits with Content Area Reading Comprehension. For complete course descriptions, please visit www.learnnc.org/courses or contact Ross White at ross@learnnc.org for more information.

Summer Residency Institute for Physical Science and Physics Teachers

In cooperation with UNC Greensboro and UNC Pembroke, the Physics Teaching Resource Agents Project of the American Association of Physics Teachers is offering a residential, five-day summer institute specifically for physical science and physics teachers at no cost to teachers or their schools. Program costs will be absorbed through a grant from the NCDPI under No Child Left Behind. Teachers accepted for the program will be invited to fall and spring follow-up workshops as well as future summer programs pending funding. The summer institute will focus on content and strategies appropriate for preparing students for the North Carolina Standard Course of Study in Science with emphasis on middle school seventh grade competency goals 1 and 6, high school physical science competency goals 1 and 2 and high school physics competency goals 1, 2, 3 and 4. Dates for the institutes are: June 16-20 for UNC Pembroke; and July 28-Aug. 1 for UNC Greensboro. For more information, please contact Steve Danford, UNC Greensboro, (336.334.3308/danford@uncg.edu) or Jose d'Arruda at UNC Pembroke (910.521.6423/jose.darruda@uncp.edu). Information about the workshop topics, the invitation letter, and the application form are available online at http://www.uncg.edu/phy/workshops.

American Star of Teaching Call for Nominations

The U.S. Department of Education's Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative is now accepting nominations for its 2008 American Stars of Teaching. Parents, students, colleagues, school administrators and others can nominate an exemplary teacher who they believe has the qualities to be an American Star of Teaching. To nominate a teacher, please go online to www.ed.gov/teachers/how/tools/initiative/index.html. Nominations must be received by March 31.

Freida J. Riley Teacher Award Call for Nominations

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, in cooperation with the YWCA of Harrison County, Va., is now accepting nominations for the 2008 $10,000 Freida J. Riley Teacher Award. The award honors an American teacher who works with a physical disability, teachers in an especially challenging educational environment or has performed a heroic act by making an exceptional, personal or physical sacrifice on behalf of students. Additional information, including nomination forms and official rules and guidelines, is available online at www.columbusfdn.org/freidajriley/default.asp. All nomination materials must be received in the Foundation office at 110 Genesee Street, Suite 390, Auburn, New York 13021 no later than Monday, Feb. 4.

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