Below are upcoming opportunities to explore.
Outstanding Practices in Inclusion (OPI) Recognition Informational Webinar Does your preschool program implement high-quality inclusive practices? If so, consider applying for the Outstanding Practices in Inclusion recognition that will be celebrated at the Sharing A Vision Conference in 2021. Early CHOICES, ISBE’s Preschool Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Initiative, along with the Early Childhood LRE Stakeholders Consortium, will administer the recognition. Early CHOICES will hold a one-hour informational webinar form 9-10 a.m. on Aug. 6, 2019, to share information about the process of applying for the Outstanding Practices in Inclusion Award. Past awardees include Stock Elementary School in Chicago Public Schools and Schaumburg SD 54 in 2017-18 and Mannheim SD 83 in 2018-19.
Investigating CBE: What it Means to Shift Towards a Competency-Based System Registration is available for an upcoming webinar presented by ISBE in partnership with the Midwest Comprehensive Center from 1-2 p.m. on Aug. 15. “Investigating CBE: What it Means to Shift Towards a Competency-Based System” will be presented by Jen Sigrist, executive director of Media and Technology for the Central Rivers Area Education Agency in Iowa. Jen will address the following questions: What is a competency-based system all about? How does it look different from a traditional classroom? They will talk about what CBE is during this introductory webinar, what it looks like in the classroom, and how the shift toward CBE impacts the system in supporting learners to be ready for the future.
SIS Teacher Ambassador Program The U.S. Census Bureau’s Statistics in Schools (SIS) program is looking for ambassadors in all 50 states, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As an SIS ambassador, teachers will help their students, schools, and communities benefit from the 2020 Census. If you know anyone who could be interested, send them the flyer attached and have them email CLMSO.SISambassador@census.gov for more information before the deadline at the end of August.
FY 2020 CTE State Leadership RFP Released ISBE recently released the FY 2020 Career and Technical Education State Leadership Request for Proposal (RFP). The grant is a single grant not to exceed $250,000. The program will deliver CTE conferences in two different geographical locations of the state to include conference activities that align with the statewide definition of career and technical education, ISBE’s Board goals and equity principles, the Every Student Succeeds Act State Plan, the Perkins V: Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, and the Illinois Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act. Conference activities must provide high-quality, research-based professional learning and development opportunities for CTE teachers, school counselors, administrators, and support staff with a primary focus on grades 9-12. In addition, the conference should include strands for 5-8 teachers in the form of career-connected exploration. The application deadline is no later than 4 p.m. on Aug. 30. Additional information is available on the CTE webpage under Grants. For more information on this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)/RFP, contact Kimberly Barnes-Cummins at (217) 524-4832 or kbarnes@isbe.net.
