Announcements:
1.
Thanks to
Anita McCoy, Juan Scivally, and Dianne Futrelle for the amazing treats.
WOW!
2.
Dianne
gave the faculty a handout updating LitCom’s available databases.
This information contains the requisite passwords needed to access the
systems. Please see her if you need
one.
3.
Jon
Bennett informed us about the School Improvement Group (SIG).
In the next 1-2 months, their goals will be finalized, and then they will
establish indicators to ascertain school effectiveness.
Next Tuesday, October 31, Marilyn Palmer from the DPI and regional
coordinator for the Southern Association of schools will be on NCSSM’s campus
at 3:45 in the ETC to give a presentation and answer questions on the process
for accreditation. Also, there will
be a survey for faculty to complete, at the behest of the Southern Association
of Schools, which will be placed in our mailboxes soon.
More information is forthcoming.
4.
Dot
solicited our input to re-establish the faculty’s “hospitality fund”. The
faculty was agreeable to its re-implementation.
Watch for an email from Sheila Butts or Vicki McNeil concerning your
contribution (five to ten dollars).
5.
Dot
recommended that the Faculty Welfare Committee examine the student workload
issue since this group has no immediate agenda and because the student workload
issue is intertwined with the faculty workload issue.
Discussion
Items:
1.
Junior
Experience Committee (JEC):
The JEC presented their findings to date.
Gloria gave an overview of the committee’s work concerning the initial
group of students we are monitoring (those who scored below 1100 on the SAT, or
who earned end-year grades of C or below, or who were placed in Algebra II at
Science and Math). The JEC noticed that the best predictor of potential academic
failure at NCSSM was the year-end grade. 19
entered NCSSM with poor year-end grades, and of those, 17 earned similarly poor
grades at NCSSM. [For a more
complete list of stats and figures, please see the JEC on the T drive.]
Julie Sikkink presented the faculty with a template of a letter that
Advisors of those students on our “watch list” who earned supplementals and
low grades first quarter. The
JEC’s hope is that earlier and more aggressive intervention will be able to
occur with this additional heads up. This
information/letter is confidential in nature, and will be placed in the mailroom
boxes in a sealed envelope stamped “Confidential.”
Some faculty expressed concern about keeping such a list of students, but
Steve informed us that there have always been lists at NCSSM of students who
might need extra attention. Emily
then updated the faculty as to the progress of and activities of faculty who
volunteered on the halls. Generally,
the reports are positive about the nature of the contact between students,
teachers, and SLIs.
2.
“The
Stereotype Threat”: After remarking that curriculum development money had been
very well spent regarding the JEC’s
work, Steve elaborated on a more expansive vision of assisting juniors in their
adaptation to NCSSM. Based on the
article by Claude Steele titled “Thin Ice” Steve stressed that we might want
to consider incorporating Steele’s practical approach to assisting minority
students in their adjustment to NCSSM. This
practical approach could include weekly challenge workshops and weekly rap
sessions, in addition to affirming students regularly that they belong here.
3.
Dot
raised the issue of initiating an honor list of students who earn all As.
This led to a larger discussion of how we can better celebrate and affirm
student achievement. Would efforts on our part to commend students for their
academic prowess cause more stress? Dot
asked faculty to ponder a direction with this item; we will discuss at the next
faculty council meeting.