The NCCAT Solution and Planning Teams program offers educators an opportunity to meet in a residential setting devoid of distraction to create and advance departmental, school, or district-wide projects. These projects might consist of new programming, research, planning, or curricula. Gather a team together to create or refine your own innovative solutions. Early grades literacy or digital learning projects will be given preference, however, all project proposals will be considered. Single rooms, meeting space, Internet access, and meals for the participants will be provided by NCCAT. Travel and the cost of substitute teachers are not covered. Teachers, administrators, central office personnel, and district coordinators are encouraged to apply.

NCCAT schedules Solution and Planning Teams programs throughout the year. If your team is interested in a date that NCCAT has not already scheduled, contact Teacher Services to see if we can accommodate the date you prefer.

The Reading Foundation’s six day training will provide teachers with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills needed to deliver effective reading instruction to all students. It also will increase their understanding of reading difficulties and their ability to help struggling readers succeed. In this course teachers are introduced to the knowledge, skills and procedures needed to provide effective instruction for students with persistent reading difficulties. The principles, techniques, methods, and strategies presented in this program are based on research-validated instructional strategies. Through this program teachers must assess students and plan a comprehensive series of daily instructional lessons which include explicit instructional procedures, activities and materials for teaching phonemic awareness, letter-sound associations, word identification, spelling, reading fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. The program will provide teachers with a strong understanding of what it takes to build an individualized reading instruction program that will have a direct effect on the academic performance of their students. The completion of this course will qualify the participant to obtain 5 CEUs or 3 hours of Graduate Level Credit through Mars Hill University. Information will be provided at the start of the session.

With students learning in 1:1 environments, there is a push for integrating more technology into the classroom. However, technology is changing constantly. So how does one keep up? How does one teach their students to become responsible digital citizens? Come learn why it is important to address the responsible use of technology with your students as they learn to connect, collaborate, and communicate effectively, and safely. Explore resources, articles, and lessons that promote digital citizenship in the classroom. Learn how to weave digital citizenship into your curriculum and create lessons that allow students to become more social media savvy.

Designed for high school ELA teachers and those who coach them.

A false dilemma offered by critics of standardized testing is that they force teachers to focus on low-level skills if their students are to perform well on end-of-course exams. This is simply untrue. The NC English II End of Course tests (EOC) requires that students analyze written text in the service of extracting meaning, recognizing the effect of particular words, and identifying an author’s stance on an issue, among other valuable skills. In this program, teachers will consider the “big picture” issues that English II should address. They will also engage in a variety of activities intended to enhance students’ reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Students are engaged when they are involved in their work, persist despite challenges and obstacles, and take visible delight in their accomplishments. Solving student engagement issues is complex. What works in one class may be a failure in the next, with every year presenting new challenges for engaging students in various lessons. This program will review and evaluate strategies for motivating disengaged students and will prepare you to implement them upon your return to the classroom.

Designed for teachers of the elementary grades.

Writing instruction is not only important but also vital for today’s students. Yet finding the time to teach writing in the elementary classroom can prove challenging. In this program, teachers will explore the various purposes for writing, the writing process, and strategies to integrate writing in other content areas. Additionally, teachers will investigate creative strategies to motivate students to write.

Designed for teachers of grades 5–8.

As our students transition to Reading to Learn, we are often unsure how to support those who struggle with comprehension. Knowing how to identify reading deficiencies and provide necessary interventions is unknown territory for many late elementary and middle school teachers. Learn how to drill down and assess individual gaps in reading skills and the intervention strategies to help students become better readers. Focus on vocabulary strategies for building students’ word knowledge and access to difficult texts. Explore close reading and comprehension strategies for empowering students to think deeply about text.

What can’t technology do these days? Unfortunately, for many of us, technology is something that happens to us rather than a powerful tool we can use to make our lives simpler and more productive. Technology can engage our learners and open opportunities for communication, collaboration and creativity in exciting ways. Come participate in interactive, personalized sessions that will put you back in control, regulate the deluge of incoming notifications, and spark new ideas to inspire student learning opportunities both in and out of the classroom. Our time together will culminate in a Lesson (re)Design that synthesizes your learning into a tangible takeaway you can implement right away.

Designed for teachers of grades 6–12

Students are engaged when they are involved in their work, persist despite challenges and obstacles, and take visible delight in their accomplishments. Solving student engagement issues is complex. What works in one class may be a failure in the next, with every year presenting new challenges for engaging students in various lessons. This program will review and evaluate strategies for motivating disengaged students and will prepare you to implement them upon your return to the classroom.

Designed for elementary math, ELA, or self-contained teachers of grades 3–5.

Students who struggle with the abstract and symbolic nature of mathematics may benefit from leveraging their reading and writing skills to analyze, evaluate, and solve complex problems. In this program, teachers will engage in a series of activities that combine reading and writing skills with mathematical inquiry. They will then have time to create or revise lessons that integrate these areas. Teachers of younger or older students may benefit, but activities will be geared to the upper elementary grades.