Parent/Caregiver Guides Spanish Translations
Professional Development Opportunities
2025-2026 NCDPI K-12 Science Office Hours
The K-12 Science Section will offer office hours during the 2025-26 School Year. Each session will focus on a particular topic and target a specific audience. A certificate of attendance will be issued for participants attending the full hour. Information about upcoming sessions and registration can also be found on the DPI website as well as on the Professional Development Button found on the NC K-12 Science Standards Resource Hub. You can view the session descriptions, intended audience, as well as register for the upcoming Office Hours on the Registration button below.
NCSciTeach Free Workshops for Elementary and Middle School Science Educators
 Spots are still available for FREE Foldscope workshops on September 16th and October 7th from 4:00 - 6:30 at the Foothills Higher Education Center in Morganton. (It is a single afternoon workshop, participants only need to choose one date to attend)
Foldscopes are portable, durable, waterproof paper microscopes that are a wonderful tool for students of all ages to explore their world and learn at the microscopic level. Participants will receive CEU credit and a set of teaching materials valued at over $100 that includes a Foldscope Mini Classroom Kit and an Explorer Kit! Learn more about Foldscope products at foldscope.com
This is a great opportunity for 5th grade science teachers introducing cells and tissues (LS.5.1.1), but registration is now open to science educators that work with elementary or middle school students. Spend an afternoon igniting your own curiosity and leave with the supplies to inspire your students for years to come!
The North Carolina Outdoor Classroom Symposium
We have opened registration for the Outdoor Classroom Symposium. Please invite teachers you work with to attend!
Registration is open for the 2025 Outdoor Classroom Symposium which will be hosted by the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill on October 13th, 2025. If you are a teacher in North Carolina, we hope you will join us for this unique learning opportunity. Registration begins at 8:45 am. The program will start at 9:15 am and will end at 4:30 pm. This is a free professional development experience but registration is required. Space is limited, so please ensure you are able to attend before you register. *We can provide this event at no cost based on partnerships with the NC Botanical Garden, the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the Department of Public Instruction, and the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership. Spaces are limited and our ability to provide it for FREE relies on your commitment to attend. If you register and then find unable to attend, please contact us as soon as possible and no later than five days prior to the event so we can notify others on our waitlist. Last-minute cancellations and no-shows limit access for others on the waitlist and result in unnecessary waste of food and materials. Below are drafts of the agenda and program to give you a sneak peek at the symposium sessions. These are subject to change.
North Carolina Association of Elementary Educators Fall PD Conference
Celebrate the 20th birthday of the NC Association of Elementary Educators (NCAEE) at the statewide conference on Saturday, October 11, 2025 from 9:00 am-4:00 pm at The Arts Based School in Winston-Salem.
Our keynote, award-winning educator, Lindsay Phillips, will start the day with an engaging and motivation message. Choose from four dynamic breakout sessions featuring hands-on learning in content areas, leadership development, and social-emotional learning.
Lunch is on your own with many options within a short walk. We will conclude our conference with an exciting door prize drawing and NCAEE birthday cake. The cost of the conference is only $10 plus a minimal processing fee. Space is limited—register today at .
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Unlock the Power of Writing for Multilingual Learners
Two 2-Day Workshops | Elementary & Secondary Tracks
Join us for this dynamic 2-day workshop designed to spark powerful writing growth for multilingual learners! Using the Teaching and Learning Cycle, we’ll explore how writing instruction can do more than prepare students for academic success—it can empower them to share their voices, connect with others, and advocate for what matters most to them.
Designed for both elementary and secondary contexts, the workshops focus on how intentional, language-rich instruction empowers multilingual learners—not just to succeed in academic writing, but to use writing as a powerful tool to understand the world, express themselves, learn from one another, and advocate for what matters most.
Both workshops guide participants through a pedagogical approach that apprentices students into academic genres, showing how authentic, content-based writing tasks foster deep understanding of how language works in written form. Educators will leave with ready-to-use strategies that support multilingual learners in becoming confident, capable writers across disciplines.
Elementary Track: September 29th and 30th in Winston Salem:
- Explore writing instruction grounded in science content with applications across subjects.
- Learn how to build knowledge, analyze mentor texts, co-construct writing, and guide students’ independent practice.
- Engage students in reflection and revision cycles to strengthen writing skills and voice.
Secondary Track: October 2nd and 3rd in Bladen County:
- Centered on social studies writing, with connections to ELA and science.
- Focus on disciplinary genres that prepare students for secondary-level academic demands.
- Emphasis on building background knowledge, unpacking mentor texts, co-writing with students, and supporting independent application.
- Includes cycles of review and revision to refine student writing.
- Note: This workshop focuses on disciplinary writing and does not address foundational literacy for SIFE/SLIFE students.
Key Outcomes for All Participants:
- Build background knowledge so students can write with confidence.
- Use mentor texts to uncover the language of specific genres.
- Co-create writing with students as a scaffold for success.
- Guide students in applying language strategies independently.
- Foster reflection and revision to grow student voice and effectiveness.
Register to attend one of these sessions by completing this form. The ML/Title III team will contact you via email to confirm your reservation or inform you that you are on a waitlist. Please email ESLTitleIII@dpi.nc.gov with any questions.
Student and Classroom Opportunities
Duke Energy Science Night!
Our Duke Energy Science Night program for Elementary Schools is in its 15th year! This program, produced by Morehead Planetarium & Science Center, includes a STEM kit and our support throughout the school year as you create a science night to be held for your school community during the NC Science Festival in April 2026.
The Duke Energy Foundation sponsorship funds a number of program kits to award at no charge to schools across NC. Recipients are selected via an application process that includes a detailed review of the school's written statement, need, geography, and past participation. Schools also have the option to purchase kits.
The application period for sponsored kits will end September 23, 2025. Please visit our website www.ncsciencefestival.org/DESN to learn more detailed information about the program, timings, what is included with the kit, and for the link to the application and preorder forms. Feel free to email us at ncscifestschools@mpsc.unc.edu if you have questions after reviewing the details found on the website.
Thank you for all you do for your students - and for STEM education in NC!
Kind regards,
Kim Moore
Duke Energy Science Nights Coordinator
Morehead Planetarium + Science Center
Apples for Schools Program
Join the "Apples for Schools" Program from Horne Creek Farm!Help preserve the South’s agricultural heritage and create a “living classroom” for your students. Apply for an "Apples for Schools" grant and receive four heirloom apple trees for your school.
Why Participate?
- Connect students with agriculture and healthy eating.
- Hands-on learning in history, science, language arts, and math.
- Minimal maintenance with long-term benefits.
Educational Benefits:
- Learn apple cultivation history and science.
- Engage in STEAM activities like mapping and studying pollination.
- Foster a connection to nature and sustainability.
For more details, contact lisa.turney@dncr.nc.gov
Applications due by October 21, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
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2025-2026 Air Quality AQ-IQ Contest
Each year the North Carolina Division of Air Quality invites 7th grade students to participate in the AQ-IQ Contest which combines S.T.E.A.M. education and project-based learning with student creativity to teach air pollution science to students across the state. The contest gives these students an opportunity to learn about air quality and think about solutions to air pollution and put THEM in charge of creating a project to educate others about an air quality problem.
The AQ-IQ contest allows students to explore their interests and strengths while engaging with the material and learning about air quality. Students are asked to think creatively while designing their projects. Past projects have been posters, videos, Minecraft creations, games, and artistic projects off all sorts!
Each year the AQ-IQ Contest highlights special topic areas with additional recognition because they highlight current air quality challenges, successes, and educational goals. The topics for 2025-2026 contest are:
From the Directors Office: Open Burning – Open burning refers to different types of controlled outdoor fires, such as small residential fires to burn yard waste or commercial land-clearing fires. In North Carolina, state law limits what can be burned outdoors, and when. Investigate some of the open burning challenges like storm debris, man-made material, safety, and health.
Celebrating Ten Years of Success: North Carolina has been in attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ten years. Investigate: What does this mean? How does North Carolina’s Air Compare? How did we get here? And other questions and challenges we faced and might face in the future.
Adventures of the Air Avenger: July 19, 2025, The Air Expo, NC Transportation Museum, AP (Air Press) “During the Annual Recognition Program of the AQ-IQ contest the Smog Queen attacked the room of student and their family with the goal of making them cough and wheeze. A superhero. The Air Avenger appeared, and a battle of wits followed. The Air Avenger caused the Smog Queen to flee – saving the day.” We’re looking for projects that bring to life thrilling untold stories and new adventures of the Air Avenger, showing how courage, creativity, and work help keep the air clean air for all.
Winners will be recognized at a REGIONAL and STATEWIDE level and will receive AWESOME prizes!
This year, projects are due to the NC Division of Air Quality by March 9, 2026! So, PLENTY of time for students to make the most amazing project!
For details about how to enter, general information and past project examples, please visit the NC Environmental Education webpage. This is a great resource to utilize as your students are starting to work on their projects (“How To” Guide for Teachers and Students, examples of past projects, Submission link, AND SO MUCH MORE!)
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.
We are excited to share this opportunity with 7th grade students again this year and we look forward to seeing what they create!
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NASA TechRise Student Challenge
The NASA TechRise Student Challenge is a FREE NASA challenge for middle and high schools. Last there were 60 winning teams comprised of 530 students from 50 states and territories build experiments that flew this summer on a commercially operated high-altitude balloon. You can see their experiment presentations and the winner(s) from North Carolina HERE. This is a tremendous achievement for these teams!
The 2025-26 NASA TechRise Student Challenge opens this September and invites student teams in 6th-12th grade to submit experiment ideas to fly on a commercial space industry suborbital flight (e.g., rocket, high-altitude balloon). Similar to previous years, the challenge includes: information sessions for your department or organization upon request, free educational resources to foster classroom learning and an exciting student virtual field trip in the fall. Sixty winning teams will also receive $1500 to build their experiment, a spot to test it on a NASA-sponsored flight, and technical support from our awesome NASA TechRise advisors. The challenge is a great way to get hands-on with a NASA project this school year, and we encourage teams of all skill levels to apply. Updated challenge resources (including videos, slide decks, and educator pacing guides) can all be found on the challenge website HERE when the challenge opens in September.
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Do you deserve to be the next NC STEM School of Distinction?
Intent to Apply due by Friday, October 3rd. Takes only minutes to complete!
Many schools across our state facilitate quality STEM instruction; maximizing community partnerships and driving opportunities for students, developing the skills necessary for future success. NC DPI and the NC State Board of Education want to recognize each and every school that exemplifies the qualities associated with STEM success.
The STEM School Progress Rubric serves as an incredible tool for self-assessment and school improvement and is the key to achievement for STEM schools in North Carolina.
Schools who self-assess at the Prepared or Model level of achievement, based on the Rubric, are encouraged to complete an Intent to Apply with NC DPI. This intent does not obligate the school, but instead, allows the opportunity for receiving additional information and resources toward becoming recognized as one of North Carolina's finest in STEM education.
Interested schools should complete their Intent to Apply no later than COB Friday, October 3, 2025. Please contact Howard Ginsburg at howard.ginsburg@dpi.nc.gov should you have further questions.
Draft 3 of the Proposed 2025 ELA SCOS Standard-by-Standard Survey Closes October 1, 2025
State Board of Education policy specifies that the NC Department of Public Instruction will formally collect feedback on the draft revised standards from educators, administrators, parents, students, institutions of higher education, business/industry representatives, and other education agencies.
The purpose of the Draft 3 Standard-by-Standard Survey (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12) is to obtain input from educators and stakeholders familiar with the English Language Arts (ELA) Standard Course of Study in order to inform further revision decisions. As such, the ELA team requests your thoughtful input and comments on the draft revised academic standards for ELA to inform the revision process.
To support completion of the standard-by-standard survey, view this previous listserv regarding the ELA Standards Timeline. This listserv explains key reasons for the delay in the revision timeline for the Proposed 2025 ELA Standard Course of Study. Also, this Survey Companion Document provides context for revisions made to Drafts 1-3 of the Proposed 2025 ELA SCOS.
PDF versions of the Draft 3 surveys are available to view, if needed. NCDPI thanks you for your time and input. Your feedback is extremely valuable to the ELA standards revision process.
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 Integrative STEM Specialist
howard.ginsburg@dpi.nc.gov
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