State Board of Education June Meeting Highlights
Approval of Math I, II and III Draft Standards Revisions Among Action Items
At Thursday’s
State Board of Education meeting, members approved the Math I, II and III draft
standards revisions (see next item), requests for local flexibility in the
Analysis of Student Work, emergency licensure for core subjects, Career and
Technical Education licensure revisions, and NC Driver Education Advisory
Committee recommendations.
Among
the Board’s discussion items were results from the 2016 NC Teacher Working
Conditions Survey, applications for reform models, data privacy and security,
and an update on the Department’s Proof of Concept Study.
Board members also
recognized their outgoing advisors – Superintendent Advisor Rodney Shotwell,
Principal of the Year Advisor Steve Lassiter and Teacher of the Year Advisor
James Ford – and retiring RESA Directors Linda Lowe, Southeast RESA; Leon
Holleman, Northeast RESA; and Larry Coble, Piedmont-Triad Consortia.
The
complete list of this month’s Board actions is available on the Board’s website. The
Board’s June agenda as well as supporting executive summaries also are
available online by clicking on the SBE Meetings tab.
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Revisions to Math I, II and III Draft Standards Approved
Revisions Take Effect in 2016-17
State Board of
Education members unanimously approved revisions to the three high school math
courses – Math I, II and III – to go into effect in the 2016-17 school year renamed NC Math 1, NC Math 2 and NC Math 3.
The changes modify the sequence of standards covered
in these three integrated mathematics courses and improve the clarity of
standards where recommended by teachers. Staff will follow the same process in
the fall and engage mathematic teachers in reviewing K-8 math standards and fourth-level math courses Advanced Functions
and Modeling, Discrete Mathematics and Pre-Calculus.
NCDPI’s
mathematics team is working in conjunction with district math leaders and other
external stakeholders to develop an implementation pacing framework that will
provide the following supports for local mathematics leaders and high school
math teachers:
• 2016 Summer Information Sessions; • In-Person Regional Math Professional
Development; • Virtual Teacher Support (just-in-time); and • Curriculum Leader Implementation Support.
The outcomes of this work will
be to provide implementation support for local districts and schools;
continuous learning and direct support for classroom teachers; increase
district capacity to identify quality classroom resources; support teachers’
understanding of mathematical coherence and the “big ideas” in high school math
courses; and build a digital tool for math teachers that is dynamic,
sustainable and growth-oriented in years 2 and 3.
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Chalmers Succeeds Pactolus School (Pitt County Schools) Principal Steve Lassiter
Congratulations
to E.E. Smith High School Principal Melody Chalmers who was recently
named the 2016 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year.
State Superintendent June Atkinson commended Chalmers on her
selection. “Melody is known as an innovative problem solver who is committed to
the academic and personal growth of each of her students and teachers. Her
staff and students truly benefit from the nurturing learning environment she
promotes.”
In naming Melody
Chalmers the 2016 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year, Juan
Austin, Wells Fargo Carolinas Community Affairs senior vice president, said,
“Melody has a special ability to recruit and retain quality teachers in
her school, and student achievement is remarkable. Our education system
has never been at a more critical juncture than now and with administrators
like Melody we all see how dedication and effort connects with students, staff
and parents. I’m pleased that we have this opportunity to acknowledge the hard
work of outstanding North Carolina educators who work tirelessly to help our
children achieve academic success.”
As Wells Fargo Principal of the Year, she will receive
$3,000 for personal use and $3,000 for her school. She also receives
professional development and resources supporting global awareness in the
curriculum for her staff thanks to Education First Tours, and a
custom-made NC Principal of the Year signet ring and pendant from Jostens Inc.
She will continue to lead her school for the next
year; however, Wells Fargo will furnish her with a stipend to travel across
the state serving as an ambassador for education. She will serve as a
member of the State Superintendent’s Principals’ Advisory Committee, and as an
advisor to the State Board of Education and the Board of Directors for the NC
Public School Forum.
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State Board of Education Honors Seven STEM Schools of Distinction
Two Firsts Highlighted This Year's Recognition Program
The North Carolina State Board of
Education recently recognized the following seven public schools for exemplary
leadership and instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) education:
· Central Cabarrus High School STEM
Magnet Program, Cabarrus County Schools, Model Level of Achievement; · Coltrane-Webb STEM Elementary
School, Cabarrus County Schools, Model Level of Achievement; · Davie County High School STEM
Center, Davie County Schools, Prepared Level of Achievement; · Nesbitt Discovery Academy, Buncombe
County Schools, Prepared Level of Achievement; · North Carolina School of Science
and Mathematics, Durham County, Model Future Ready School of Achievement; · Patriots STEM Elementary School,
Cabarrus County Schools, Model Level of Achievement; and · JW York Elementary School, Wake
County Public Schools, Prepared Level of Achievement.
Schools are recognized as meeting
the Prepared or Model Level of Achievement, or as a Model Future Ready STEM
School of Achievement. Regardless of the status, schools exemplify outstanding
leadership and learning, which empower keen creative thinking, reasoning and teamwork
– the underpinnings of 21st century skills. Schools recognized under the Model
Level of Achievement go even further by systemically interweaving science,
technology, engineering and mathematics into complementary coursework in the
Arts, Career and Technical Education, English language arts, Healthful Living
and World History.
Two benchmark firsts highlighted
this year’s recognition program. The North Carolina School of Science and
Mathematics was recognized as the state’s first Model Future Ready STEM School
of Achievement. To achieve this, the
school had to have a graduation rate of 90 percent or higher or a College
Readiness/ACT with 90 percent of students having a composite score at 17 or
above. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics had a 99 percent
graduation rate and an average ACT composite score of 31.6.
Cabarrus County was the first
county to be recognized with a nucleus of neighborhood model STEM Schools of
Distinction K-12 that are vertically aligned. The schools forming this nucleus
are Coltrane Webb STEM Elementary School, Patriots STEM Elementary School,
Central Cabarrus High School STEM Magnet Program and JN Fries Middle School
(which was identified in a previous year).
The STEM Recognition Program was
developed by NCDPI in partnership with representatives from schools, business
and industry, and postsecondary institutions as a way to identify and recognize
exemplary STEM schools and STEM programs. These schools were the third set of
schools to be recognized under the North Carolina Department of Public
Instruction’s (NCDPI) STEM Recognition Program.
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Online Application Available in August
NCDPI is pleased to announce a new grant competition for the 21st
Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) program. The online application will
be available in August for an initial grant award in the 2017-18 school year.
In
order to support potential applicants, NCDPI staff will provide several technical
assistance sessions across the state in the coming months. Organizations
interested applying for a 21st CCLC grant are highly encouraged to
attend. Please note, space for some locations is limited; register early to ensure a slot.
Additional
information regarding the 21st CCLC program is available online.
Research and Non-Research Texts Available
Are you interested in the latest (and not so latest) research and non-research texts about the academic achievement gap and its attending issues (such as poverty) in North Carolina and elsewhere?
If so, then NCDPI's Division of Data, Research and Federal Policy can help. Just scroll through the summaries located on the Academic Education Research web page for relevant, interesting scholarly texts and articles.
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Share Your Success Stories
As the 2016 Give Five – Read Five book drives wind down and the donated books
are distributed to students, please share your success stories with us!
Send an email with what your
organization has done to promote summer reading to Diane Dulaney.
Visit the NCDPI Give Five – Read Five
website
to see stories about book drives and activities across the state to promote
literacy.
We appreciate and applaud your interest
in Give Five – Read Five. Your
support will help ensure that students across the state return to school this
fall better prepared to learn.
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