Illinois Points of Contact

The Illinois Science Teachers Association, the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Illinois State Board of Education are engaged in an ambitious effort to create an effective network among Illinois teachers who share a special enthusiasm for science and mathematics teaching. The Illinois Building a Presence (IBaP) program will provide a communication network through a Point of Contact (POC) in every Illinois school.

The Illinois Building a Presence Network is reaching for its goal to

What the IBaP network will become:

• an easy mechanism for teachers to connect with other teachers to communicate success stories and best practices;
• a resource for finding dependable answers to perplexing questions from colleagues you can trust;
• an effective strategy to share opportunities for students, teachers, and schools.

Each POC will share information between local colleagues and the network. Since the success of this communication network depends on the POCs, they must have email and Internet access and be able to regularly check for important messages.
We will depend on our POCs to:

• share information to and from local colleagues and the network;
• inform administrators about science and mathematics;
• identify key stakeholders in the local districts for potential partnership efforts, and
• report changes of POC assignment and pertinent information to appropriate sources.

The POC's professional qualifications should include:

• enthusiasm for teaching science and/or mathematics;
• understanding the Illinois Learning Standards;
• experience incorporating Illinois Learning Standards into classroom activities, units and assessment;
• communication and organization skills; and
• self-motivation and willingness to be a team leader.

These qualities and skills will grow during the term of the Illinois Building a Presence (IBaP) program. The benefits at the local and personal levels include:

• Certificate Renewal Credits;
• direct involvement in improving science and mathematics education in Illinois;
• effective networking within the local school setting;
• advance notification of opportunities for professional development opportunities related to leadership, curriculum, instruction, and assessment strategies; and
• materials for professional libraries and classroom applications.

Key Leaders will help coordinate the Illinois BaP efforts locally. One Key Leader will be designated for a geographically-based group of up to 25 POCs. Each Key Leader will communicate regularly with each of his/her POCs and help arrange periodic meetings.

Superintendents and principals of all public and private schools should consult with their science and mathematics staff to designate a single mathematics POC and a single science POC for each building. Each school may register a science and a mathematics Point of Contact online at the following places:

For more information, please visit http://www.isbe.net/secondaryed