Professional Development Opportunities

2023-2024 K-12 Science Office Hours

The K-12 Science Section will offer office hours during the 2023-24 School Year. Each session will focus on a particular topic and target a specific audience.  Participants will receive a certificate of attendance for attending the full hour.  A registration link and information about each session is found in the table below.  Information and registration can also be found on the NCDPI K-12 Science Section Professional Development Google Doc.

Item Writing Workshops—EOG, EOC, and NCEXTEND1

This June and July, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction will host item writing workshops for the state’s mathematics, reading, and science end-of-grade (EOG), end-of-course (EOC), and NCEXTEND1 assessments. 

As part of the test development process, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is recruiting educators to participate in an item writing workshop for mathematics and reading grades 3–8, science grades 5 and 8, Biology, NC Math 1, NC Math 3, and English II.  During item writing workshops, participants will learn how to write and review assessment items aligned to the Standard Course of Study or North Carolina Extended Content Standards for the end-of-grade, end-of-course, and(or) NCEXTEND1 assessments.  

The following are invited to apply for the workshop: 

• general education mathematics, reading, and science teachers (grades 3-8, NC Math 1, NC Math 3, and English II) 
• special education teachers specializing in North Carolina Extended Content Standards for grades 3-8 and 10.
• English Learner teachers
• mathematics, reading, and science content specialists 
• mathematics, reading, and science content specialists who work with special education teachers
• district level personnel with mathematics, reading, and science credentials 

In-person workshops will be held in Raleigh:

• June 20 for EOG and EOC reading, mathematics, and science
• July 8-9 for NCEXTEND1 reading, mathematics, and science

Participants will be compensated $180 per day, reimbursed for travel, and awarded 0.7 continuing education units per day. 

Complete this form by March 22, if you would like to be considered. Space at these workshops is limited and statewide representation is needed. Selected participants will be contacted by April 15, 2024, with additional information. Completing this form does not guarantee participation in the training.

Information about NC's test development process is available at https://www.dpi.nc.gov/test-development-process-eog-eoc-and-ncextend1

Teaching Positions Open for the 2024 Session of NC Governor’s School!

Are you looking for a unique opportunity for this summer?

Teaching Positions open for the 2024 session of NC Governor’s School!

Come and work with talented and intellectually engaged high school students in a thriving learning community this summer – without grades! 

NCDPI is specifically seeking creative, engaging science and math teachers. This is an opportunity to play a role in shaping a life-changing summer for these amazing students. More information can be found on the employment page of our Governor’s School Website. Teachers are needed for both Governor’s School campuses, hosted by Greensboro College and Meredith College. GS is also currently seeking instructors for English, Spanish, Area II/Philosophy, and Instrumental Music classes.

Governor’s School will take place June 23-July 20, with faculty arriving on June 17 to begin orientation. We will be reviewing applications and conducting interviews in the coming weeks. If you have questions regarding any openings, reach out to us at ncgovschool@dpi.nc.gov. We look forward to hearing from you!

Student Opportunities

Air Quality AQ-IQ Contest for 7th Grade Students

AQ-IQ CONTEST SUBMISSION DATE APPROACHING!!!

The final date for students to submit their projects is Monday, MARCH 11, 2024, by midnight. 

The AQ-IQ Contest is open to all seventh-grade students in North Carolina, and students have an opportunity to learn about air quality and think about solutions to air pollution. It puts the students in charge of creating a project to educate others about an air quality problem. 

Past projects have been posters, videos, Minecraft creations, games, books, and artistic projects off all sorts.  

Each year the AQ-IQ contest gives out special awards for projects that meet one of the special categories. This year, the special categories are as follows: 

·         Wildfires and Planned Burns 

·         Electrify Everything 

·         The Air Quality Forecast  

Depending on the number of statewide entries, a larger statewide AQ-IQ award ceremony may be held in June or July.  Location and specific date to be announced.  In general, entries will compete against other entries from their regions.  However, the best regional projects may then be evaluated in the statewide AQ-IQ Contest for a statewide award. 

Students will need to follow the step-by-step Student Worksheet guide (see below) to develop an AQ-IQ project. Once completed, students submit their projects using the online form linked below, which can also be found in the Student Worksheet guide. We ask students to include both their teacher’s and parent’s emails, as well as their project’s bibliography, when submitting. 

If students are creating a physical project (sculpture, board game, artistic drawing, poster, etc.), we ask students to submit multiple pictures of their creations. The more judges can see and read, the better a student’s score will be (and we want to see all of their hard work)!  

For more information on the AQ-IQ contest, you can also visit the NC Environmental Education webpage.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Keith Bamberger at keith.bamberger@deq.nc.gov or Janina Millis at janina.millis@deq.nc.gov, or through our NC Air Awareness email (air.awarness@deq.nc.gov). 

Student Worksheet Guide: : https://web.eenorthcarolina.org/Files/ncee/2023/20232024aqiqstudentworksheet.pdf or https://web.eenorthcarolina.org/Files/ncee/2023/20232024StudentWorksheetword.docx 

Student Project Submittal Form:  

https://ncdaq.wufoo.com/forms/z1f26nga0d7yioc/

North Carolina Youth Institute 2024 - Let's Grow Global Food Resiliency Together!

We are excited to share an exceptional opportunity for your students that ignites a passion for solving global hunger through an engaging exploration of agriculture and food systems. The North Carolina Youth Institute is an educational initiative of the World Food Prize Foundation and is designed to spark young minds in developing innovative solutions to our world’s most pressing grand challenges surrounding feeding a growing population.

Dr. Norman Borlaug, the world’s greatest scientist and humanitarian hero developed a disease resistant hybrid of wheat that critically increased food production levels and is credited for saving the lives of one billion people. For this accomplishment, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and subsequently founded the World Food Prize to honor those who dedicate their lives to building food resiliency across the world. Dr. Borlaug’s life is a remarkable example of what your students can accomplish through scientific and humanitarian efforts.

The North Carolina Youth Institute is on Friday, April 5th, 2024 at North Carolina State University and provides a platform for students to research and write a 3-4 page paper that provides community based recommendations towards building a more resilient global food system. In short, as part of this program, students will:

1. Write a paper: Youth select a country besides their own and research the challenges families face around food and write a paper with proposed community-based solutions.

2. Youth present their paper in a round-table with their peers and experts at the in-person NCYI at NC State and have engaging and complex conversations and work collectively to find common themes around global hunger.

3. Engage in hands-on workshops. Youth will have a chance to explore hands-on sessions led by faculty across the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to learn more about NC agriculture and food systems and careers in these fields.

4. Become a Borlaug Scholar. After participating in the NCYI, youth will be named a Borlaug Scholar by the World Food Prize and have access to research internships domestically and across the globe.

5. A select number of students will be nominated to serve as a delegate from North Carolina to the Global Youth Institute, held annually during the Borlaug Dialogue and hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation.

This program is open to every high school student, all they need to do is register and submit their paper. As part of the experience they will deepen their understanding of sustainable agriculture, community food systems, global food policy, grow life skills of collaboration, leadership, critical thinking and communication, and have the opportunity to explore career pathways related to global food systems (agriculture, food science, policy, healthcare, economics, environment, and more). If students need help getting started, we have program alumni, current undergraduate and graduate students and faculty ready to support students in their paper development.

We would be delighted if you would recommend this program to your students or consider incorporating it into your classroom. For teachers, we have started this spreadsheet that gives you an idea of how it aligns with your curriculum and will continue to add courses over time.

Program Details:

• Registration Deadline: March 8th, 2024

• Program Date: Friday, April 5th, 2024 

• Location: Plant Sciences Building, Centennial Campus, NC State University

Clean Classrooms for Carolina Kids™ Program

Why teach about lead in water in the classroom?  

Exposure to lead can have lifelong health impacts, and children are particularly susceptible to these harmful effects. Schools across the state are checking for lead hazards through the Clean Classrooms for Carolina Kids™ program, a legislatively mandated effort to address lead and asbestos hazards in North Carolina public schools, licensed childcare centers, and licensed family childcare homes. This presents a timely opportunity to educate children and families about lead in water, how it gets there, and what we can do about it. If lead hazards are identified in a building, actions can be taken to reduce or eliminate the hazard.  

A new set of K-12 curricular activities support state standards across disciplines, in social studies, ELA, math, and science.

These curriculum support materials are designed to engage students, teachers, parents, and the school community in the lead exposure prevention work that has been ongoing in North Carolina schools through the Clean Classrooms for Carolina Kids™ program. These materials will be piloted with educators across North Carolina during the Spring of 2024, and fully available in the Fall of 2024.  

Access the materials and join the pilot here! bit.ly/3CK-curriculum For more information please contact Ashley Allen with RTI International at aallen@rti.org.

The Great American Solar Eclipse!

The National Science Teacher's Association (NSTA) has free resources to share for teachers, students, and parents about the total solar eclipse that will occur in the United States on April 8, 2024.  

NSTA Eclipse Resources

NC DPI Science Consultants

Dr. Debra Hall

K-5 Science

debra.hall@dpi.nc.gov

Gavin Fradel 

6-8 Science

gavin.fradel@dpi.nc.gov

Benita Tipton 

9-12 Science

 benita.tipton@dpi.nc.gov

Alexis Wood

9-12 Science

kathryn.wood@dpi.nc.gov

Additional Contacts:

Dr. Charles Aiken

Section Chief K-12 Mathematics, Science and STEM

charles.aiken@dpi.nc.gov

Howard Ginsburg

K-12 STEM Consultant

howard.ginsburg@dpi.nc.gov

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