■  NES Essential Skills Exam Preparation Sessions, Fall 2016 (Updated): These sessions prepare students for the NES essential skills exam. Sessions are held at Augsburg College and are available in reading and/or writing.

Reading and Writing Overview Sessions: The sessions prepare students for the essential skills exam in reading and writing. Candidates may choose to attend reading and/or writing sessions.

• Sessions: Saturday, December 3rd, 2016 8am-12pm
• Reading 8AM-10AM, Old Main Building 104
• Writing 10AM- 12PM, Old Main Building 104

There is no fee for the sessions, but registration is required. If you are interested in registering for the NES Essential Skills Prep Sessions, please register in the links provided below.

NES Reading & Writing Exam Preparation Sessions Registration Link

https://goo.gl/3PVbRk

There is no fee for the sessions, but registration is required. Email <tesfaye2@augsburg.edu> if you have any questions.

■  Study Education and Psychology in Slovenia, May 2017: Examine the roots of both educational and psychological practices that shaped European culture in beautiful Ljubljana, Slovenia. As part of this May 2017 travel program, you will also experience Roman ruins in Croatia and the canals of Venice, Italy.

For more information, visit <http://bit.ly/travel-slovenia-2017>
To apply, go to <http://studyabroad.augsburg.edu/?go=PsychAndEduSlovenia>.

More information about the trip may be obtained by contacting professors Joseph Erickson <erickson@augsburg.edu> or Stacy Freiheit at <freiheit@augsburg.edu>.

■ 2016-17 SPPS Extended Day for Learning (EDL) Elementary K-5 Job Opportunities: Positions as an extended day learning (EDL) worker and other career opportunities are available throughout the school year in St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS). Go to <http://www.spps.org > for more information.

■ Job Opportunities at Bancroft Elementary: Bancroft Elementary School (Minneapolis) is looking for youth workers to lead classes at Bancroft during the afterschool program starting when students get back from winter break. The winter/spring session will run Jan. 9 – May 3, 2017. Our program runs Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 1:50-3:05pm. Youth workers can lead a variety of different classes and do not necessarily need to teach all three days. Pay = $15/hr. For more information, please contact Mariah Messer at <Mariah.Messer@mpls.k12.mn.us> or  612.668.3557.

■ River’s Edge Academy is Hiring: River’s Edge Academy is a pubic charter school high school in St. Paul.  Small class sizes support relationship building and academic success! REA is looking to hire a Student Services Manager, ESL teacher and Student Support Specialist. For more information, contact Dr. Meg Cavalier at <mcavalier@reamn.org> or 651-234-0150.

■ 2017 Global Internships: One Heart Source runs experiential learning programs for university undergraduate and post-graduate students seeking international experience via service. The programs focus on global mentorship, youth empowerment, and cultural immersion. One Heart Source is currently accepting applications for our 2017 Experiential Learning Programs in Cape Town, South Africa and Jamaica. We are offering a variety of 2 and 4-week volunteer programs and internships next summer. For more information, contact Callan Hajosy at <contact@oneheartsource.org>.

■ Become an AVID Tutor in MPS: Interested in part-time work with learners in Minneapolis schools? AVID Tutors are positive role models passionate about helping students reach their potential. AVID in Minneapolis Public Schools is a class for 6-12 grade students designed to close the achievement gap while preparing students for college. Tutorials are an integral part of an AVID classroom and a unique learning experience. Tutors facilitate small collaborative groups of students who utilize a process of inquiry for problem solving. For more information or to apply:

<http://humanresources.mpls.k12.mn.us/employment.html>. Questions: <maria.roberts@mpls.k12.mn.us>.

■ Several Updates Regarding Minnesota BOT Testing:

• The Minnesota Board of Teaching (BOT) no longer requires the ACT/SAT/GRE/Praxis I scores be taken within the past 10 years. There is currently no time limit. Keep in mind that the ACT scores must be the ACT Plus Writing which started around February 2005.

SAT recently changed the way they score their tests.  The new scores (and old) can be found on the link to the MN Board of Teaching website: <http://mn.gov/board-of-teaching/beaneducator/licensureexams/>.

• Minnesota Version of NES Now Available: As of August 30th, candidates are now able to sign up for the MN NES exam directly through the MTLE website by using this link:

<http://www.mtle.nesinc.com/PageView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/GENRB_AnnounceBasicSkills.html>

• The passing score for the MN NES is 520 for all three tests (Reading, Writing and Math):

MN NES EAS Subtest Passing Score (on a 400–600 point scale)

Reading=520

Writing=520

Mathematics=520

The test is exactly the same as the National NES exam, it’s just that MN candidates are given 15 extra minutes of time.  Because of the extra time, the score rating had to be adjusted.  The same number of correct raw scores needed to pass is exactly the same on both tests.  The National NES exam is based on a 100-300 point scale and the MN NES is based on a 400-600 point scale. The MN NES scores will be available to view in Results Analyzer starting with the October 7th reporting date.

NOTE:  If candidates sign up and take the National NES exam after August 30th, they will accept the scores if they met the minimum passing score:

NES EAS Subtest Passing Score (on a 100–300 point scale)

Reading=205

Writing=214

Mathematics=213

Also, if a candidate has taken and passed a portion of the MTLE basic skills, they need to register and complete ONLY the portion they have not passed of that basic skills test through NES.  They do not need to complete the whole series of Reading, Writing and Math over unless they did not pass all portions.

A listing of all licensure exam minimum passing scores can be found on the Board of Teaching website at:

<http://mn.gov/board-of-teaching/beaneducator/licensureexams/>

• Free study materials will be available for all MTLE test. There are also expanded test preparation products available for cost. Additional information can be found on their website using this link:

<http://www.mtle.nesinc.com/PageView.aspx?f=GEN_PreparationMaterials.html>

Pearson has also expanded their customer service hours to M-F 7AM-7PM and Sat from 8AM-4PM.

For questions and more information, please contact: Debby Odell, Educator Licensing, Supervisor <Debby.Odell@state.mn.us> or (651) 582-8522.

Submitting news to Augsburg:

• To the Education Department News: Send your news to Joseph Erickson at C.B. 312 or erickson-AT-augsburg.edu.
• To the Augsburg Now published by the Augsburg College Office of Public Relations and Communication: Send your news to C.B. 145 or now@augsburg.edu.
• To the daily A-Mail electronic newsletter: Go to AugNet Home Page and login. Then click on “Submit News and Announcements” link.

Connecting with Alumni and Friends:

Augsburg College provides several ways to stay connected with Alumni and friends. Here are some links to get you started:

• Alumni Information Update: Submit news and contact information changes to the college’s Alumni Office.
• TC2 New Teachers’ Blog

Other Sources of News for K-12 Teachers:

Here are links to some of the very best online news sources for K-12 teachers:

• Education Week
• Teacher Magazine
• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (also, subscribe to ASCD SmartBrief, a daily email news resource delivered right to your inbox).