ADE Briefs

Congratulations to Little Rock School District’s Monica Norwood, the state’s only 2009 winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Norwood, now an assistant principal at Cloverdale Middle School, earned the award with her work as a science teacher at Romine Elementary. In addition to attending a White House ceremony this fall, Norwood will receive a $10,000 cash award from the National Science Foundation.
Posted by JJT.

The August 14 deadline to turn in applications for Arkansas Teacher of the Year is just around the corner. We’ve already received several entries at the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) and hope that all district TOY winners are planning to submit their forms. This is one of the state’s best opportunities to recognize the talent, dedication and energy of our wonderful teachers. All information is available at the ADE Web site.
This year’s ceremony will be an evening gala at the Governor’s Mansion on November 6. It will be televised by Channel 11 and include a keynote address by Anthony J. Mullen, the National Teacher of the Year. The Walton Family Foundation again is sponsoring the cash awards for the winning teachers — 15 regional finalists, three runners-up and the new Arkansas Teacher of the Year.
Posted by JJT.

The Augmented Benchmark scores are back, and the results are terrific. Each grade level in both mathematics and literacy in addition to the End-of-Course tests in Geometry and Algebra and the 11th Grade Literacy Exam saw increases in the percentages of students scoring advanced and proficient. Link here to read the news release and see all scores, down to district and school levels. Congratulations to the educators and students in the state!
Posted by JJT.

This has been a heart-breaking week for the families of two Arkansas educators — Bob Watson, superintendent of El Dorado Schools, and Joe Couch, superintendent of Bergman schools — as both have lost sons to motorvehicle crashes. The staff of the Arkansas Department of Education expresses deep sympathies to both educators and their families.
Posted by JJT.