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The STEM Schools of Distinction program was developed to identify and recognize exemplary STEM schools and STEM programs. The application process rubric is built around five Overarching Principles which describe characteristics of a high-quality STEM school.
More Than a Recognition Program
The STEM Schools Progress Rubric is a strategic planning document that is valuable for any school or program within a school that wants to improve STEM teaching and learning.
To get the most out of the STEM rubric, consider the following:
- The rubric is an instrument to be used by the whole school rather than an individual. It requires the input and perspective of various stakeholders within the school as well as outside such as parents, business partners, and community members.
- Successful applicants for the School of Distinction have spent a minimum of six months gathering artifacts and data and soliciting input from stakeholders.
- After all the evidence has been gathered, it's usually best if no more than one or two people complete the application. At least one person inside the school and one person outside the school should review the final application before submission.
- There is no specific number of artifacts that should be submitted. The best guidance is to consider whether a reviewer will have enough information to determine that the school is meeting the metrics of the rubric.
Schools interested in the opportunity to submit an application providing narrative and artifactual evidence of their distinguished STEM approaches to leading and learning should obtain a copy of the STEM Schools Progress Rubric. Schools should self-assess their performance across the five Overarching Principles and the Key Elements within and engage purposefully within their school improvement process. Applications for the 2020-2021 school year will be available this Fall.
Global Educator Digital Badge
How prepared are you to foster global awareness in your students or support that in your classrooms or schools?The Global Educator Digital Badge provides an opportunity for educators to focus their professional development on developing their own global context and understanding of how to integrate global education throughout curricula. It also provides the opportunity to build global competency in students.The State Board of Education approved North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge (GEDB) is available for the following educator categories: Teacher, Teacher Leadership Specialist, Library Media Coordinator, Instructional Technology Facilitator, School Counselor, Career Development Coordinator, School Social Worker, School Psychologist, Speech-Language Pathologist, Instructional Central Office Staff, Principal/Assistant Principal, Superintendent. For more information on the Badge (SBE Policy, FAQs, Process Flyer, Implementation Guide, MOA), please visit our website or contact NCGlobalEducation@dpi.nc.gov.
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Behind-the-Scenes
#UniversalAtHome: Learn the Science Behind Universal Orlando Resort
Squinching, placemaking, Newton’s Laws of Motion, and vector paths. These are just a few of the tools and techniques the Universal Creative team uses to bring to life the many attractions and worlds you can experience at Universal Orlando Resort. Using a blend of math, science and artistic storytelling, these experiences are created through collaboration and hard work. And today, you can get a peak behind the curtain of how it’s done!
Enjoy these amazing "Science Of Universal Orlando Resort" videos and learn the science behind their attractions, and the different career paths and opportunities students can pursue in the theme park industry. Discover just what it takes to engineer these breathtaking attractions!
Greetings,
We hope you and your families are staying safe & healthy. As we strive to navigate current COVID-19 situations, we continue to evolve and bring constant innovation in our ways of learning and working. While restrictions and shelter-in-place orders left us with the difficult decision to postpone the NC Computer Science Standards process, we at NCDPI are strongly committed to laying a solid foundation for the NC Computer Science Initiative.
Per SBE policy SCOS-012, the standards revision process is feedback-based, research-informed, improvement-oriented, and process-driven. Our division is deeply committed to ensuring that the Revision Process includes the consideration of all concerns posed by educators in the schools and local districts. This would not be possible without your active participation and thoughtful feedback.
With this being said, the Public Review Survey for Draft 1 of the Proposed K-12 Computer Science Standards will re-open on June 1, 2020 and will close on June 12, 2020. Each grade band, kindergarten through high school, has its own individual feedback survey. The feedback provided from these surveys will be used in conjunction with input from teachers, school leaders, district leaders, external stakeholders, and Computer Science specialists from North Carolina Public Schools to create the finalized draft of the standards.
Please share this announcement with your professional & personal networks and encourage all interested parties to review the proposed standards and share their thoughts. The external writing and review teams will utilize survey data, focus group data, and other stakeholder feedback to make necessary changes to the final draft.
For more information, please contact:
Mary Hemphill, PhD
NC Department of Public Instruction Director,
K-12 Computer Science & Technology Education
984-236-2755 (Office)
Mary.Hemphill@dpi.nc.gov
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Launches Statewide K-12 Job Board
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has launched the TeachNC statewide K-12 job board in partnership with TeachNC, PowerSchool, and SchoolSpring.
This North Carolina-specific job board will increase the recruiting reach for all K-12 public schools. The job board will allow school districts and public charters across the state to find teachers, administrators, support staff, and any education role in between. The new statewide job board integrates with the applicant tracking systems in place at NC public schools so that as jobs are posted, they receive immediate nationwide exposure with SchoolSpring’s network of over 2 million education job seekers.
The job board is hosted in collaboration with TeachNC, a statewide initiative to attract and support future educators. Anyone interested in finding a teaching position in the state— even those who do not yet have their state teaching license— can access the job board and leverage TeachNC’s free tools and resources to help them secure a North Carolina teaching license and/or teaching role.
Support staff, administrators, and others can find open positions using the SchoolSpring NC jobs search page.
We are excited to provide this valuable platform to drive quality candidates to North Carolina educator job postings with greater visibility nationwide.
DPI Phone Numbers Have Changed
The Department of Public Instruction and all agency staff have new phone numbers, and starting today, previous phone numbers for individual staff members are being deactivated.
DPI’s new main number is 984-236-2100.
Only the department’s previous main number and those for divisions and sections within the department will continue to connect to the new numbers for the next six months.
To find new numbers for all agency divisions, sections, and individual staff members, please use the department directory. The K-12 Standards, Curriculum & Instruction Division information is under the Deputy State Superintendent of Innovation, and the agency directory can also be accessed from the homepage at dpi.nc.gov.
NC DPI STEM Consultant
Howard Ginsburg
howard.ginsburg@dpi.nc.gov
If you are currently not subscribed and would like to receive future releases of STEMtastic News, please visit the NCDPI Subscriptions webpage and register for the NCDPI STEM newsletter.
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