WEA Website:

http://wyoea.org/

NEA Website:  http://www.nea.org

Wyoming Education Portal:

http://www.k12.wy.us

Wyoming Legislature:

http://legisweb.state.wy.us/

School Finance Information:

http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2005/

interim/schoolfinance/schoolfinance.htm

Inside this issue:

• WDE Announces New Review of Highly-Qualified Status of Wyoming Teachers
• Take Time Now to Register Your Beneficiary for Your NEA DUES-TAB Insurance!
• Western Regional Leadership Conference Fast Approaching
• Promoting America's Public Schools: A Guide from the Learning First Alliance
• Are You a General Educator who Works with Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Students?
• Higher Ed National Conference Beckons You
• Teachers Can Have Classroom Tools Made for Teachers by Teachers!

WDE Announces New Review of Highly-Qualified Status of Wyoming Teachers

The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), in cooperation with the Professional Teaching Standards Board (PTSB), is in the process of updating how teachers are documented as “highly qualified” under the No Child Left Behind Act, according to a WDE press release today.

The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) recently reviewed the current PTSB standards related to highly qualified teachers and found that the process and procedures used by PTSB needed to be better documented to reflect the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Since the review, PTSB and WDE have been working cooperatively to develop new written, documented procedures for how teachers can meet the qualifications of “highly qualified.” WDE and PTSB have instituted a new state procedure for highly qualified through the High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) process.

In addition, the changes that have occurred will require WDE and PTSB to review all elementary teacher credentials this December using the written HOUSSE process. Until all elementary, middle level, social studies, and special education teachers (approx. 3,000 or about half of Wyoming’s teaching force) have been re-evaluated under the new HOUSSE process, Wyoming’s statistics of highly qualified teachers will reflect only certain types of secondary teachers, or about 49% of Wyoming’s teachers

However, by the first of the year, once the above-mentioned teachers have been re-evaluated, the percentage of highly qualified teachers is expected to be back to 80% or higher. The reason for the change is a reflection of the USDE’s emphasis on the importance of clean and truly representative data being reported to the public.

WEA will monitor this situation and will update you on any new developments.

Take Time Now to Register Your Beneficiary for Your NEA DUES-TAB Insurance!

All NEA members should register their beneficiary for NEA DUES-TAB – it’s fast, easy, and free.  This year marks the 20^th Anniversary of NEA DUES-TAB, which provides all eligible NEA members with these benefits:

• Up to $1,000 term life insurance  coverage
• Up to $5,000 accidental death coverage
• Up to $50,000 accidental death coverage for accidents on the job or when serving as an Association leader
• Up to $150,000 of life insurance for unlawful homicide while on the job.

You are automatically entitled to this coverage, but you must register your beneficiary.   Go online to http://neamb.com/insurance/linall.jsp or call 1-800-637-4636 to register your beneficiary and ensure payment is made correctly and quickly in case of a tragedy.   

Western Regional Leadership Conference Fast Approaching

Plan to attend!  The NEA Western Regional Leadership conference is designed to further enhance the knowledge of K-12 teachers, education support professionals, higher education, student and retired members.

Where?   Hilton Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska

When?    January 20-22

Register online—it's fast and easy!  The registration fee is $110 through Dec. 9, 2005. Starting Dec. 10, 2005, the registration fee is $150. The registration fee includes all group meals, breaks, and conference materials. Last day for online registration is Jan. 13, 2006.

The deadline for hotel reservations is Dec. 23, 2005.  For more information about the conference, hotel reservations, etc., go to http://www.nea.org/members/wrlc.html.

Promoting America's Public Schools: A Guide from the Learning First Alliance

The Learning First Alliance's new and expanded Practical Guide to Promoting America's Public Schools is now available free of charge on the Learning First Alliance website, www.learningfirst.org. See this new resource at: http://www.learningfirst.org/publications/pubschools/

Substantially updated and expanded since it was first released last year, this new communications tool is designed to help educators, policymakers, and others promote the value of public schools to parents, the public, and your constituencies. The Guide is based on an extensive analysis of new data on voters' values, their view of public schools' mission, and their vision of a good public school.

The Learning First Alliance is a permanent partnership of 11 leading education associations collaborating to strengthen America's public schools. NEA is a member of the LFA.

Are You a General Educator who Works with Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Students?

Beginning January 23, 2006, the National Center on Low-Incidence Disabilities (NCLID) at the Univ. of Northern Colorado will be sponsoring an on-line, one-credit course designed specifically for professionals in education who work with students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, who may not have been trained to work with students of this population.

Professional Renewal: Deaf Education Strategies for General Educators (http://nclid.unco.edu/newnclid/index.php?itemid=109) will provide an opportunity for professionals in education to learn about hearing loss, its potential impact on student learning and behavior, and appropriate services for students who are in the general education setting. This information will enhance the educators' professional skills in creating and implementing quality educational programming for students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.   An end-of-class project will give each educator resources and practical materials for future use.

For more information, please visit www.nclid.unco.edu, or contact the program coordinator directly: Ann M. Sebald, Ed.D., (970) 351-1853 or 800-395-2693 v/TDD.

Higher Ed National Conference Beckons You

Mark your calendar and plan to attend the joint 2006 NEA/AFT Higher Education National Conference, Fri.-Sun., March 3-5, 2006, near Orlando, Florida, at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. You are invited to participate in the joint pre-conference sessions on Leadership Day, Thurs., March 2.

The conference theme is "AFT-NEA Higher Education Summit: Sharing Our Successes, Challenges and Strategies." There will be 3 main workshop tracks: collective bargaining/union management, policy and public support, and teaching and learning/professional development. Save on registration fees by signing up before 1/15/06!  For more information, go to: http://www2.nea.org/he/conf.html.

Teachers Can Have Classroom Tools Made for Teachers by Teachers!

NEA Teacher ToolKit is a web-based set of tools available any time – anywhere. NEA Teacher ToolKit brings you:

·        Classroom tools: classroom roster, attendance log, behavior log, and an online grade book.

·        Curriculum tools: pre-developed test items and instructional materials aligned to your state standards.

·        IEP tools: an easy 7 step process to develop an IEP plus the ability to generate student progress reports.

Go to http://www.nea.org/member/index.html, and click on the Teacher Toolkit link to find out how the NEA Teacher Toolkit can give you back a precious gift…your time.