As
many of you are aware, we initiated student surveys for the fall semester.
The student survey provides one more tool for improving instruction.
In
terms of the student surveys, please share the information tools available online to
provide additional information about the student survey. Your Human Resources
directors should have received an email Jan. 7 from Tom Tomberlin, director
of Educator Human Capital Policy and Research, noting that NCDPI
automated the student-teacher assignments from PowerSchool course enrollment
data.
Even
for districts that opted not to participate in the student survey process this
year, the student survey icon will be active in PowerSchool for all students
during each district’s scheduled administration window. There is a possibility
that students will complete the surveys even if the district has elected not to
participate formally. If we receive data from school districts that have
elected not to participate, we will notify the district that data are available
and allow the district to make a decision about whether those data will be
shared with teachers and principals. NCDPI will not report or analyze
student survey data without the expressed consent of the district.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Educator
Effectiveness, Jennifer DeNeal or
Tom Tomberlin.
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Omnibus Spending Act
and School Nutrition Programs
The Omnibus Spending
Act,
a sweeping $1.1 trillion spending deal passed by Congress in December,
continued the provision that gives schools more flexibility on whole grain rich
foods and blocks future sodium restrictions until there is more scientific
research to back those limits.
NCDPI School
Nutrition Services Section Chief Lynn Harvey said this is a HUGE provision for
school nutrition programs in North Carolina that need these (and other)
flexibilities in order to provide nutritious, appealing, affordable meals to
students AND operate financially sustainable programs.
Child
Nutrition Reauthorization will resume in early February. We will keep you
informed as more information becomes available.
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Multi-Tiered System of Support: Completion of Readiness
Instrument
This week, NCDPI’s MTSS Team
sent the link to the MTSS Readiness Instrument with a district submission date
of March 4. A key component in
establishing readiness is a well functioning district leadership team. In a
Multi-Tiered System of Support, this team exists and regularly meets to
problem-solve student outcome data, both academics and behavior, as well as
implementation of key initiatives.
This team includes perspectives
from multiple district leaders, such as curriculum specialists, instructional
coaches, program coordinators, directors, assistant superintendents and the
superintendent.
For more information on the
Statewide System of Support Teaming Structures, visit Teaming Structures on the MTSS wikispace. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Jablonski.
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Implementation Science: A New Way of Work
Using the principles of implementation science
helps staff effectively select, begin, evaluate and sustain new initiatives.
NCDPI has partnered with the State Implementation and Scaling-up of
Evidence-based Practices Center (SISEP) to increase capacity for implementation
and scale-up of department initiatives to maximize students' academic and
social outcomes. View this brief video to learn more.
The Office of Early Learning (OEL) is partnering
with school districts across the state using implementation science principles
to scale-up the NC K-3 Formative Assessment process. Nine school districts are
early innovators, leading the way in this effort, as they apply this new way of
work (using implementation science principles) to scale up the NC K-3 Formative
Assessment process: Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Chatham, Clinton City, Dare,
Elizabeth City-Pasquotank, Harnett, Iredell-Statesville, Swain and
Winston-Salem/Forsyth.
Middle
School Math Summit a Success
NCDPI
hosted a Middle School Math Summit in Greensboro on Jan. 13. Four hundred people
attended this important event including district leaders, math coaches,
specialists, administrators and lead teachers from 102 of the115 LEAs.
District
leaders examined cohort data by math domain and conceptual category while math
content leaders attended three modules specific to middle school standards. The
focus for the day was on building teacher and student capacity in middle
grades' mathematics.
The math content
sessions will be repeated twice at the Collaborative Conference for Student
Achievement (CCSA) in March (see next item). One will be open to only charter
schools and will be at no charge. The other one will be for registered
participants of CCSA.
Early Registration Deadline Extended for
Home Base Symposium
The 2016 Home Base Symposium is less than a month away! The deadline for
early registration has been extended to Friday, Jan. 29. The Sheraton
Greensboro Hotel also has agreed to extend its rate deadline for the block of
rooms reserved for the Symposium until the 29th as well.
We are expanding the focus of this year’s Symposium to include course
offerings across the Home Base Suite. Expect new content,
the latest and upcoming updates, presenters from PowerSchool, Home
Base (including field staff), and so much more.
All-day strands for PowerSchool, Schoolnet, Truenorthlogic and Canvas
will be offered from field experts. The latest updates and sneak-peaks
will be showcased throughout the sessions. New
functionality on the 9.2 upgrade, which includes sessions on the New Gradebook
and Data Visualizations, will be presented by PowerSchool. These sessions
are not just for PowerSchool users, but for any user that supports classroom
teachers. Other sessions will include Google Apps for Education
integration, a BloomBoard & OCT overview, and what is to come
with NCEdCloud and IAM.
You don't want to miss this opportunity. Plan on attending, bring
a well-rounded team, cull the information offered, and return to your
district bursting with fresh, new ways to utilize Home Base.
More Symposium information including online registration and hotel
accommodations is available online.
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2016
Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement
The 2016
Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement (CCSA) will be held March
21-23 at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons/Koury Convention Center,
Greensboro. The conference features a gallery of professional development and
information sessions for educators, policy makers, innovators and community
members with an interest in innovative practices to improve educational
outcomes for today’s students and tomorrow’s.
The
conference features 250 sessions with tracks for K-12 learning standards, K-12
online and blended learning structures, policy, research, accountability,
student engagement and more.
Event details,
including registration and hotel accommodations, are available on the CCSA website.
Champions for Excellence in Public
Education
Do you
know a champion for excellence in teaching and learning? During the 2016 CCSA,
the Department of Public Instruction will recognize individuals who in many
ways are champions for excellence in teaching and learning.
The
purpose of the Champion Award is to share our collective belief in the power of
public education and to celebrate everything that is right about our local
schools and the people who make it so, everyday. Nominations must be submitted
by Jan. 31 so nominate someone
today!
Principal READY: Principal and Charter Leaders Discuss Collaborative
Learning
Listen as principals and charter leaders discuss the importance of building
strong learning teams, learn to have hard conversations with staff, use data to
improve school improvement, and structure coaching conversations for
instructional change. Also hear what leaders are saying about statewide
collaborative professional learning. This video is available online.
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NC Reading
Conference Scheduled for March
The 2016 NC Reading Conference will be held
at the Raleigh Convention Center on March 13 - 15. Geared to teachers and
administrators, this year's conference offers sessions by NCDPI staff,
nationally recognized professional speakers and authors, college professors,
classroom teachers and specialists.
Session topics include:
* preparing school
literacy leaders in the 21st century
* best practices for
implementing the current ELA NC Standard Course of Study Standards
* integration of the
ELA standards ( Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language)
as well as across content areas
* the best digital
tools in the classroom
* supporting students
in text complexity and close reading
* involving
parents/community to increase student reading achievement
* proactive techniques
to reduce discipline issues schoolwide
* strategies for
teaching academic vocabulary
Educators may earn up to 1.5 reading CEUs.
Discounted registration is available before Feb. 15. Visit the NC Reading
Association website for registration and
detailed program information.
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