TO:
NC Public School Teachers
FROM: State Superintendent June Atkinson
DATE: Sept. 26, 2013
One of my favorite events every year is the annual graduation rate celebration where
NCDPI leaders and I have the opportunity to celebrate school districts and high schools
with the highest graduation rates in North Carolina. On Monday, we recognized 36
schools for 100 percent graduation rates, the 10 top districts in terms of graduation
rates and the top graduation rate schools by cohort size. Congratulations to Elkin City,
Mooresville Graded School District, Pamlico, Chapel Hill-Carrboro, Cherokee, Mount
Airy, Dare, Gates, Catawba and Union school districts for having the top graduation
rates in our state – all above 90 percent (to access the list of all award winners, please
visit www.ncpublicschools.org and click on the appropriate link under “News”).
Another bright spot this week was today’s release of the 2013 SAT scores and AP data
for North Carolina and our high schools and districts. Seniors increased their combined
SAT score 10 points to 1,479 while the nation’s remained flat at 1,498. I’m particularly
pleased that high school seniors increased their average Critical Reading score. I fully
expect to see this score continue to improve as students benefit from the Common Core
State Standards. The College Board also released summary results for the state’s
Advanced Placement program where there were healthy increases in the number of test
takers, numbers of exams taken and the number of exams scoring in the 3-5 range.
Even better is the fact that all ethnic groups showed similar increases with the Hispanic
population overall showing the best. If you would like to read more on this, just go to our
website at www.ncpublicschools.org and look under “News.”
Regards,
June Atkinson
In this Biweekly Teachers’ Message:
1. State Board of Education Meets Next Week
2. Public Hearings Scheduled to Receive Feedback on High School Accreditation
Framework and Read to Achieve Program
3. NC Schools and You UNC-TV Program Now Available Online
4. Sept. 15 – Oct. 15 Proclaimed Hispanic Heritage Month
5. Reading 3D Tutorials
6. Educator Effectiveness Offers Professional Development Opportunities
7. NC Department of Public Instruction Partners with Capitol Broadcasting on
Character Matters Campaign
8. 63rd Conference on Exceptional Children Set for November
9. Grant/Travel/Recognition Opportunities
10. Search Underway for Nation’s Top Youth Volunteers
1. State Board of Education Meets Next Week – The State Board of Education will
hold a Planning/Work session as well as its monthly meeting at the North Carolina
Center for the Advancement of Teaching in Cullowhee on Sept. 30-Oct. 3. Sunday night
through Wednesday evening, the Board will discuss establishing goals, identifying
potential objectives and measures, and next steps among other topics. On Thursday,
the Board will take action on a number of reports to the NC General Assembly, the
timeline for implementation of Academic Achievement Standards (cut scores) and
Achievement Level Descriptors, implementation of the General Assembly’s Read to
Achieve Portfolio process and duties of school counselors as referenced in GS115C316.1. Discussion items include the policy delineating the use of state-designated
assessments for the North Carolina teacher evaluation process and career and
technical education credential allotments. The complete agenda as well as supporting
executive summaries for the Board’s Thursday meeting are available online at
http://stateboard.ncpublicschools.gov/ (click on SBE Meetings then Meetings). The
Thursday meeting is audio streamed for those who cannot attend. To listen in, please
visit the above link and click on the live audio streams link to the right.
2. Public Hearings Scheduled to Receive Feedback on High School Accreditation
Framework and Read to Achieve Program - State Board of Education staff have
scheduled two public hearings to receive feedback on the High School Accreditation
Framework and the NC General Assembly’s Read to Achieve Program. The High
School Accreditation Framework public hearing will be held Wednesday, Oct. 9, and
The NC General Assembly’s Read to Achieve Program public hearing will be held
Tuesday, Oct. 15. Both are scheduled from 1-3 p.m., in the 7th Floor State Board
Lounge, Education Building, Raleigh. To read more about these public hearings as well
as how to provide comment if you cannot attend in person, please visit the
Department’s website at www.ncpublicschools.org and click on the appropriate link
under “News.”
3. NC Schools and You UNC-TV Program Now Available Online - A second
broadcast of North Carolina Schools and You: What Changes in Our Schools Mean for
Parents and Students will air on Friday, Sept. 27, at 4:30 p.m. on UNC-TV. In addition,
the program, which originally aired last week, is now available online, at
http://video.unctv.org/video/2365082029. As a reminder, North Carolina Schools and
You is an hour-long show set in a town hall meeting format. It offers information and
discussion around recent important changes in public schools and how parents can be
more productively engaged in their children’s success. Topics include Teaching and
Learning: What Students Are Learning and How; Measuring Performance: New
Assessments and Accountability Model; and Parent Engagement: How Parents Can
Support Learning.
4. Sept. 15 – Oct. 15 Proclaimed Hispanic Heritage Month – Gov. Pat McCrory has
declared Sept. 15-Oct. 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month in recognition of the positive
impact that our Hispanic communities have on the social, cultural and economic
development of North Carolina and the United States. Educators are encouraged to
recognize the rich culture, tradition and numerous contributions made by Hispanics in
our school communities.
5. Reading 3D Tutorials - The K-3 Literacy division has developed interactive tutorials
around mClass Reading 3D. These tutorials can be used as a refresher for experienced
users of the assessment system or for training purposes for teachers just beginning to
understand and learn about the program. Please visit the K-3 Literacy division livebinder
website at http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/850102 to access the tutorials.
6. Educator Effectiveness Offers Professional Development Opportunities NCDPI’s Educator Effectiveness offers a variety of online professional development
opportunities to keep teachers on top of issues impacting their profession. Current
offerings include Building and Sustaining Professional Development, Data Literacy in
Action and Measures of Student Learning, Grades 9-12. To learn more about these
opportunities, please visit https://rt3nc.org.
7. NC Department of Public Instruction Partners with Capitol Broadcasting on
Character Matters Campaign - The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, in
partnership with Capitol Broadcasting (WRAL/FOX 50), on Tuesday launched a new
statewide character development campaign, Character Matters, in conjunction with
Constitution Day (Sept. 17). The program’s goal is to promote the development of
character and leadership in youth through service learning and an emphasis on positive
character traits. To read more, please visit www.ncpublicschools.org and click on the
appropriate link under “News.”
8. 63rd Conference on Exceptional Children Set for November - The NCDPI
Exception Children Division will host its 63rd Conference on Exceptional Children,
Believing is Achieving, Nov. 20-22 at the Koury Convention Center/Sheraton
Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons, Greensboro. Division staff invite colleagues from
across the state to attend this annual collaborative event to share and learn about
innovations and exciting practices to help exceptional children achieve. Conference
offerings include more than 90 informative instructional sessions, the annual Teachers
of Excellence reception, a poster display of innovative programs and practices, the
school-based Enterprise Bazaar showcasing products being created and marketed by
North Carolina public school students with disabilities, and an exhibitor/vendor area.
Conference details, including registration, are available online at
http://ec.ncpublicschools.gov/conferences-profdev/annual-conference.
9. Grant/Travel/Recognition Opportunities –
- Educational Seminars, Exchanges for Teachers and Administrators. K-12 teachers
and administrators have a chance to attend summer seminars in Brazil, Portugal, India
and China from the ECA and the U.S. Department of State. Visit
http://www.americancouncils.org/program/4a/EDSPO/ for more information. The
deadline to apply is Oct. 31.
- Teachers at Sea. NOAA gives K-12 teachers the opportunity to work alongside
scientists and crew at sea. The program lasts anywhere from a week to a month aboard
NOAA research or survey ships. All travel and program fees are paid. Visit
http://teacheratsea.noaa.gov/index.html for more information. The deadline to apply is
Oct. 31.
- The Fulbright Commission in Argentina and the Government of the City of Buenos
Aires offer two-four scholarships to U.S. elementary school teachers to teach English at
elementary schools in Buenos Aires for four months (March-June 2014). Applicants who
have experience teaching English as a second or foreign language and who speak
Spanish are preferred. The grantee will receive round trip travel, visa fee, health
insurance, and a stipend of $3,100 dollars per month. If you are interested, send your
CV to Dr. Norma Gonzalez, Executive Director, Fulbright Commission, at
ngonzalez@fulbright.com.ar. The deadline to apply is Nov. 1.
- The International Reading Association will honor an outstanding mainstream,
elementary classroom teacher dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of
reading and writing, across the curriculum in real world contexts in grades K–6 (ages 5–
12). Visit http://www.reading.org/Resources/AwardsandGrants/teachers_routman.aspx
for more information. The deadline to apply is Nov. 15.
- Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program. K-12 teachers, curriculum
specialists, media specialists, gifted and talented, or special education coordinators may
be eligible for a unique international professional development opportunity for three-four
months through the Fulbright Program. By conducting educational research abroad,
U.S. teachers gain new skills, learn new instructional methods and assessment
methodologies and share best practices with international colleagues and students.
Teachers also have the opportunity to expand their understanding of other cultures and
international education systems that will enrich their U.S. schools and local communities
with global perspectives. The application is available online at
https://dafulbrightteachers.org. The deadline to apply is Dec. 15.
10. Search Underway for Nation's Top Youth Volunteers - Prudential Financial, in
partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals, is sponsoring
its 19th annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Students in grades 5-12 are
invited to apply for the awards if they have made meaningful contributions to their
communities through volunteer service within the past 12 months. Students must
complete the application, which is available online at http://spirit.prudential.com, by Nov.
5 and then submit it for certification to a middle or high school principal. Schools will
then select the top recipients in early November and submit those names for state-level
judging. The middle and high school recipients for each state will be named on Feb. 11.
The top middle and high school candidates in each state receive $1,000 and a trip to
Washington, D.C. State honorees will travel with a parent to Washington, D.C. May 3-6
for national recognition events. Ten national honorees will be named and among other
things, will receive an additional $5,000 in awards.
North Carolina’s top youth volunteers for 2013 were Emma Astrike-Davis of Durham
(high school) and Madison Bechtel of Wake Forest (middle school). Astrike-Davis also
was named one of America’s Top 10 youth volunteers for 2013.
If you'd like to review past Teachers’ Biweekly Messages, please visit
www.ncpublicschools.org/teachersarchive/ .