DURHAM, NC–MetaMetrics® Inc. Senior Research Scientist, Gary L. Williamson, Ph.D. and Senior Psychometrician, Mary Ann Simpson, Ph.D., have received accolades for their paper, “Statewide Developmental Growth Curves in Reading and Mathematics: A Practical Strategy to Lengthen Empirical Trajectories.” Williamson and Simpson were awarded the 2012 North Carolina Association for Research in Education (NCARE) Distinguished Paper Award and later received the Consortium of State and Regional Educational Research Associations (SRERA) Distinguished Paper Award while presenting their paper at the 2013 American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) annual meeting in San Francisco. Williamson and Simpson’s paper was one of 16 papers to receive this national honor. (more…)

DURHAM, N.C.–MetaMetrics®, developer of The Quantile® Framework for Mathematics, has added the Illustrative Mathematics tasks to its bank of free resources. MetaMetrics carefully evaluates all of the materials it offers to ensure they not only align to the Framework and to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (Standards), but are useful tools for parents and teachers. Illustrative Mathematics is a project housed at the University of Arizona under the direction of Dr. William McCallum. Its mission is to develop a discerning community of experts who work together to produce mathematical tasks and other content that illustrate the type of experiences students should have when the Standards are faithfully implemented. It is collaborating with MetaMetrics to ensure proper assignment of Quantile® measures to its tasks. (more…)

DURHAM, N.C.–MetaMetrics®, developer of the widely adopted Lexile® Framework for Reading, is pleased to announce that the 2012-2013 school year marks Virginia’s adoption of The Quantile® Framework for Mathematics. Already utilizing The Lexile Framework for Reading, the Virginia Standards of Learning tests (SOL) provide scores beneficial to their students through these mathematics and reading frameworks. Virginia is the seventh state to link their state assessments to both the Lexile and Quantile frameworks. (more…)

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.–The NC STEM Learning Network has announced that The Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina (RTP Foundation) has donated $10,000 to help create new tools that enhance and support science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in North Carolina’s schools. “STEM education is more than science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; it’s about ‘strategies that engage minds,’” said Dr. Sam Houston, president and CEO of the NC SMT Center, which oversees the NC STEM Learning Network. “The NC STEM Learning Network believes an educated workforce with relevant 21st century skills is the best economic development tool this state has, and we’re proud to partner with RTP Foundation to continue making positive impacts in education throughout North Carolina.” (more…)

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.–As Winston-Salem begins 2013 as the City of Innovation and Arts, the city’s science center embarks on a new chapter in its rich history. Paul Kortenaar, formerly the Director of Education and Weston Family Chair of Innovative Education for the Ontario Science Centre in Canada, officially began his new role as Executive Director on January 3 and will guide SciWorks into a new phase of growth and development. “After an extensive search for a new Executive Director, we are thrilled to announce Paul Kortenaar’s acceptance of the position and arrival at SciWorks,” says Michael A. Myers, Chair of the SciWorks Board of Directors. “With his experience and vision for moving science education toward inquiry models of learning, SciWorks will transform into the place where innovation truly begins for the children of Winston-Salem and North Carolina.”  (more…)

(Chapel Hill, N.C.) Top education leaders from throughout the United States gathered this week to discuss opportunities, ideas, and best practices on global education and 21st century learning during the Global Schools Network (GSN) Leadership Conference in Chapel Hill. (more…)

(Durham, N.C.) MetaMetrics®, developer of the widely adopted Lexile® Framework for Reading, has partnered with over twelve states to implement Lexile-based reading programs to combat summer reading loss. Last November, Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), challenged states to commit to eliminating summer loss as an effort to close the achievement gap. The “Chief’s Summer Reading Challenge” raised national awareness of the summer loss epidemic by highlighting compelling research on the importance of personalized reading activities and provided access to a variety of free online resources to support targeted reading. (more…)

(Winston-Salem, N.C.) Hatch®, a leading provider of technology for early learning, and Teaching Strategies, LLC, an early childhood educational publishing company, have partnered to align Hatch’s iStartSmart® computer learning system with Teaching Strategies GOLD® assessment system to enable educators to utilize authentic data from Hatch’s individual child reporting as evidence for each child’s GOLD assessment. (more…)

(Spring Creek & Morrisville, N.C.) Montie Design (www.montie.com), an innovative concept-to-marketplace product design and development firm, today announced Luca Harrell (Va Tech), Jake Eck (NCSU), and Josh Little (NCSU) as the winners of its Winter 2012 Student Design Contest. The competition tasked aspiring product designers with developing camp cooking, washing, or equipment storage and organizational products that would fit with the Montie Gear line (www.montiegear.com) of outdoor, shooting, hunting, archery, and camping products. (more…)

(Winston-Salem, N.C.) Lighthouse Christian Preschool in Antioch, a Nashville-area preschool whose schoolhouse was vividly captured in the news floating down Interstate 24 in May 2010, two years later is now thriving – its students are achieving better outcomes and are better prepared to begin kindergarten. The preschool’s success has been in part due to contributions from the television show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and from Hatch®, a leading provider of technology and education materials for early learning. (more…)

(Raleigh, N.C.) More than a dozen college and vocational school leaders from China received a crash course in North Carolina’s community college system March 8th at Wake Tech Community College. The visitors, from Hainan Province in southern China, visited Main Campus and discussed the college’s successful structure and programs with Wake Tech President Stephen Scott and senior administrators. (more…)

(Charlotte, N.C.) Now in its second full year of operation, the Charlotte Regional Technology Executives Council (CRTEC) announced today that the organization will fund an annual scholarship to the UNC Charlotte’s College of Computing and Informatics.  CRTEC’s inaugural scholarship will be in the amount of $7,000, and will be awarded to undergraduate students in the college for the upcoming 2012-2013 academic year.  CRTEC and UNC Charlotte anticipate that multiple scholarships will be awarded to high achieving students meeting stringent qualification criteria.  (more…)