Omaha North’s STEM and Pathways Programs

Teachers and students from Omaha North High School presented to board members on their STEM and Pathways programs. The group talked about the high level courses available at North and the successful transitions of students to college and careers.
Students develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills through coursework that exposes them to challenging courses including engineering, biomedical sciences, research, computer sciences, and environmental sciences. Students work to master core subjects with an emphasis on science, technology, math, and engineering. Students are encouraged to research, learn and apply new material through hands-on projects, activities, and problem-based learning.

ESUCC Support for High-Quality Instructional Materials

The Nebraska Instructional Materials Collaborative (NIMC) is an ongoing effort to provide Nebraska’s school districts and educators with resources to support the adoption and implementation of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM). The NDE, in partnership with the state’s Educational Service Units (ESU), have worked together to build out a materials selection process that is part of the NIMC resources. This selection process helps districts
• Determine curricular materials alignment to Nebraska’s content standards.
• Determine curricular materials alignment to the instructional shifts embedded in the Nebraska
standards.
• Identify supplemental supports necessary for strong implementation of selected materials.
With nearly 50-60% of Nebraska school districts using ESSER funds to adopt/purchase high-quality
instructional materials there are increased needs from ESUs to support implementation. This contract would enable ESUs to conduct a statewide needs assessment and create a statewide plan for support.

Nebraska Statewide Assessment and Reporting System

State law requires the State Board to adopt a plan for an assessment and reporting system annually, and submit that plan to the Governor, Clerk of the Legislature, and Chair of Education of Education Committee. NDE staff presented the plan to board members in committee for discussion. The full board will discuss the plan vote on the assessment and reporting system plan in December.

State Board’s Legislative and Regulatory Priorities

After several months of discussion and review of current and proposed priorities, board members discussed in committee six broad focus areas and the legislative and regulatory priorities for each. Collectively, this policy agenda is known as Nebraska Ready. The committee will bring their proposed priorities for the next legislative session to the full board in December.

Commissioner Search Committee Update

The Ad Hoc search committee provided an update on the search process for the next commissioner of education. Five search firms submitted proposals through an official RFP. The committee will now narrow the search firms to the top 3-4 proposals and present those firms to the full board in December.