Westside ESDs received a $98,000 Computer Science Grant
The NWESD in cooperation with the four other westside ESDs applied for and received a $98,000 computer science grant.
The goal of this project is to provide K-12 students equitable access to high-quality computer science education. To accomplish this goal, five educational service districts on the west side of Washington State formed a consortium to create an innovative delivery system that engages all students in computer science (CS) education with a specific focus on districts that serve high numbers of students who are at risk socially, economically, and/or educationally. Special care will be taken to recruit girls to CS programs.
A sequence of programs using Code.org and Washington First Robotics will introduce teachers from K-12 to CS and help them incorporate Washington State CS Standards into their curricula. A robust evaluation plan will determine the effectiveness of professional development workshops; knowledge and skills gained by teachers and students; degree of CS integration into instruction; and numbers of teachers and students touched disaggregated by at-risk categories.
Seattle Pacific University – ARCSE Grant
The NWESD, along with Tacoma Public Schools and Capitol Region ESD 113 partnered with Seattle Pacific University on its application for an alternative routes to certification for school employees (ARCSE) grant. The grant for potentially $140K was received and will support up to 20 candidates over the next two years to obtain teacher certification in hard-to-fill areas with a primary emphasis on special education and a secondary prioritization for math, science, ELL or elementary education in rural/hard to staff areas. Learn more: http://www.spuarc.org/
Nationally Board Certified Teachers
The recently released numbers for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) show that Washington has the most new National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) of any state (1,434). The total number of 10,135 NBCTs is third in the country overall. The NWESD region has a total of 258 NBCTs (178 newly certified NCBTs and 80 renewed NCBTs).
Certification is a one- to five-year process that includes taking an assessment and assembling three portfolios. According to the NBPTS, completing the certification shows that each teacher knows and practices “the definitive standards of accomplished teaching.”
Board News
Current board members recently re-elected by school district board members from across the region to new 4-year terms (2018 – 2021):
- Charlie Crabtree – Director 1
- Mark Venn – Director 3
- Dr. Alan Erickson – Director 5
- Claudia Buxton – Director 7
- Merle Kirkley – Director 9
