Resources for Leaders in Science Education

Math & Science Competitions in North Carolina

Environthon http://www.enr.state.nc.us/dswc/pages/envirothon.html
The Envirothon program is a competitive event for teams of five members to compete in a natural resources knowledge and ecology field day against other school teams. It stimulates, reinforces and enhances student's interest in the environment and our state's natural resources. The competition includes both middle school and high school teams.

Math Counts http://www.mathcounts.org/webarticles/anmviewer.asp?a=1&z=1 MATHCOUNTS® is an enrichment, coaching and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement in every U.S. state and territory. NC has state coordinators http://www.mathcounts.org/Volunteer/VolunteerResult.asp

The National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair http://www.aises.org/events/naisef/
The Fair was established in 1988 and provides a critical opportunity for students to do hands-on science; conduct research; and interact with professional role models in science, mathematics and engineering.

NC Junior Science and Humanities Symposia http://education.uncc.edu/cmste/jshs/
Junior Science and Humanities Symposia (JSHS) Program invites high school students to conduct an original research investigation in the sciences, engineering, or mathematics, and to participate in a regional symposium sponsored by universities or other academic institutions.

NC Science Fair http://www.ncsta.org/sciencefair/
NC Science Fairs provide an opportunity for students to display the results of their work in science and technology. The fairs are an exhibition of scientific projects prepared and presented by students under the guidance of their teachers and with the help of others interested in science. Students learn to recognize problems, plan experiments, gather and analyze data, and draw conclusions. Often a science project or science fair can spark interest in a student uninspired by routine class activities. Fairs are held locally, regionally and statewide with statewide winners going to the International Science and Engineering Fair.

NC Science Olympiad www.ncsu.edu/science_olympiad
The North Carolina Science Olympiad (NCSO) involves teamwork, group planning and cooperation, and an emphasis on rich conceptual learning through active, hands-on group participation. Through the NCSO, students, teachers, coaches, principals and parents are all bonded together as a team working towards a goal. NCSO seeks to provide an alternative to the "isolated scientist" stereotype and remind students that science can be fun, exciting and challenging all at the same time. NCSO has eleven regional contests and a statewide tournament. Statewide tournament winners go to the national finals.

NC State Math Contest http://courses.ncssm.edu/goebel/statecon/state.htm
The State Mathematics Contest provides state level competition in comprehensive math for those students who had excelled in regional contests held across the state. Students that excel in one of the twelve comprehensive test sites are invited to participate in the State Math Contest. These competitions are held in the subject areas of Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II, and there is a Comprehensive Exam for more advanced students. Students can participate individually or as member of a team of three to five students, depending on local contest rules.

NC Student Academy of Sciences www.ncsas.org
The North Carolina Student Academy of Science (NCSAS) fosters interest and excitement in science research among North Carolina students from 6th grade through 12th grade. The current standard course of study for the state of North Carolina includes inquiry as a major focus. NCSAS can support teachers in fulfilling this requirement. Having students prepare a science project on a topic of interest to them is a way to inspire students to discover something new. Schools can form a science club for students who are interested in research or students can join as individuals. Each year students presenting the best research papers are sponsored as delegates to the annual meeting of the American Junior Academy of Science held concurrently with the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences meeting.

NC Technology Student Association http://www.nctsa.org/index.html
The Technology Student Association is a national competitive student organization for Technology Education. Competitions are held regionally, statewide and nationally. Competitions exist for middle and high school students.

Sally Ride TOYchallenge http://www.toychallenge.com/
TOYchallenge is a national toy design competition for teams of 5th - 8th graders. The East Coast finals are held in Research Triangle Park, NC.

Super Competition http://education.uncc.edu/cmste/
Super Competition is sponsored by UNC Charlotte Departments of Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Optical Science, and the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education for students in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.

Virginia - NC Ecology Meet
http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/projects-action.cfm?GID=66&Id=K708350
The VA-NC Ecology Meet is a one-day environmental education competition held annually at Kerr Reservoir in honor of Earth Day. The event is open to middle and high school students in the six-county, two-state area surrounding Kerr.

*Many more local, state and national competitions exist - this is just a sample of the opportunities available to students. For a list of many other national competitions, see http://www.jhu.edu/cty/imagine/linkBs.htm

General

www.schoolmatters.com
This site allows you to compare states and various assessment results. 

Assessment Resources
The theme for the 2001 was Assessment and Inquiry. Check out this collection of links and information about Karen Charles Seminar Series.

NCREL Curriculum Mapping
An interactive site designed to assist districts in their efforts to map out new mathematics and science curricula. Available to users for comparisons are rich international mathematics and science curriculum maps from top-achieving nations. This site is co-sponsored by U.S. TIMSS Center.

NASSMC Briefing Service
An indexed collection of news, research, editorials, studies, reports, and more on education.

Triangle Coalition
The public area of the site includes a new legislative affairs section and advocacy information, Coalition news, a calendar of events, and quick links for site visitors to contact members of Congress. Additional sections include resources for educators, a directory of alliances, member profiles, and information about Triangle Coalition programs.

Please sent resources that may be useful for leaders in science education
to the NCSLA web master.

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Updated 2/28/08