School districts in North Carolina have the
opportunity to participate in student surveys this school year, and the
schedule for student surveys and other information about this are available online. Please
use this information to help inform your teachers and other staff, as well as
your parents, about the student surveys.
This site will give your faculty and you information
about the survey process and how results will be used. Even for districts
that opted not to participate in the student survey process this year, the
student survey icon will be active 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 the NC Department of Public Instruction receives
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
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District and School Transformation Update
The District and School Transformation staff extend a heartfelt “Thank
You!” for the work that has been accomplished over the past three months by
districts and schools identified as low performing in accordance with G.S.
115C-105.37(a1)(5) and G.S. 115C-105.39A(b)(5).
As part of this new process, a Plan for Improvement was approved by the
local school board and submitted to the State Board of Education. A District
and School Transformation coach reviewed the plan and provided specific
feedback before returning it to the local board. A Final Plan for Improvement
was submitted by the school or district and published to the NCDPI and school websites.
The goal is to have all Final Plans for Improvement for the 2015-16
school year submitted by Feb. 15.
Please continue to use the website for Low-Performing Districts and Schools to submit a Plan for
Improvement. For further questions or support, contact District and School
Transformation at 919.835.6101.
The Connected Educator
On Feb. 10, District and School Transformation in partnership with NCSU
Northeast Leadership Academy (NELA) continues the Professional Development for
School Leaders Series: The Connected Educator. The featured speaker, Dr.
Mike Schmoker, author of Results Now, FOCUS, his newest book Leading
with Focus, and a number of ASCD articles, will guide participants through
the best practices for using data to improve student learning and to develop
focused leadership within schools.
Please join us for this exciting opportunity to connect with Dr.
Schmoker and other practitioners from across North Carolina. Registration is
open and may be accessed here. The February event will be held at the Hilton North Raleigh from 9
a.m. – 4 p.m. (on-site registration begins at 8:30 a.m.). There is no
registration fee for this event; however, districts and schools are responsible
for travel costs. A block of rooms has been reserved at a discounted rate
at the Hilton North Raleigh. Please contact Amelia McLeod with questions.
New Year Greetings from North Carolina Principal of the
Year
Happy New Year! I hope
your 2016 is off to a great start thus far! Many high schools have finished
taking exams and are preparing to begin a new semester. Elementary and middle
schools continue to administer benchmarks, Reading 3D, and K-2 math
assessments, while also preparing to begin a new semester. Despite the number
of assessments our students are taking, there is no doubt our teachers in North
Carolina are working harder than ever before to ensure that our students are learning.
Our achievement results and data continue to prove this time after time.
I recently attended the
annual “Eggs and Issues” breakfast sponsored by the North Carolina Public School
Forum. During the breakfast, the Forum unveiled its Top 10 Education Issues for
2016. Although all ten are essential, three stand out to me that are of utmost
importance:
1. Direct Adequate
Resources to Public Schools, Teachers and Leaders #1
2. Transform the
Profession to Make NC a Teaching Destination Again #2
3. Support the State’s
Struggling Schools #6
Great schools do not
exist apart from great leaders. Education research shows that effective
teachers and effective schools are led by strong leaders. In order to attract
and retain great leaders in North Carolina public schools, we must urge our
legislators to start by investing in increasing principal pay. North Carolina
principal salaries rank 50th among all states and the District of
Columbia. Why aren’t we number one?
Next, we must rally
behind our teachers and encourage our legislators to make teaching a profession
that the best and brightest desire as a career choice once again. We must raise
teacher pay to the national average for all teachers while recognizing the
value of our career teachers.
Moreover, as school
leaders, we must demand that legislation and policies written regarding our
struggling schools be aligned with research based practices and ensure their
success by providing them with a myriad of resources and supports. Negative
labels and punitive policies do not promote the improvement of struggling
schools nor are they strategies. We must be committed to maintaining a high
standard of excellence and creating a positive climate in all schools.
I am committed to
meeting with legislators and using my voice to affect change in these three
areas. I hope you will review the 2016 North Carolina Public School Forum’s Top
10 Education Issues report, share it with
others, and let your voice be heard on behalf of principals, teachers and
students in North Carolina public schools.
Steve Lassiter, principal, Pactolus School, and 2015
Wells Fargo NC Principal of the Year
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Register Now for NCVPS Spring Classes
NCVPS is still enrolling for spring classes. Classes began on Jan.
19, and the last day to register students is Feb. 1. After that date, schools still have a number of
enrollment options:
- Credit
recovery enrollment remains open until March 18.
- Schools
can continue to add Occupational Course of Study students to their already
existing OCS sections throughout the semester.
- NCVPS will
accept transfer students until March 18. This is a good solution for students
who move into the district, home-bound students, and suspended students.
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Regional Teachers of the Year Announced
Congratulations to the
following nine teachers who were recently selected to represent their education
districts and charter schools as the state’s regional Teachers of the Year and
will now compete for the title of 2016 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina
Teacher of the Year:
- Northeast: Marie Smith, Conway
Middle (Northampton County Schools);
- Southeast: Katie
Snyder, Hoggard High (New Hanover County Schools);
- North Central: Margaret
McNeill, Dunn Middle (Harnett County Schools);
- Sandhills: Olivia
Hall, Roseboro-Salemburg Middle (Sampson County Schools);
- Piedmont-Triad:
Kevin Scharen, Graham High (Alamance-Burlington Schools);
- Southwest: Bobbie
Cavnar, South Point High (Gaston County Schools);
- Northwest: Leah
Hayes, South Newton Elementary (Newton-Conover City Schools);
- Western: Angel
Ledbetter, Rutherford Early College High (Rutherford County Schools); and
- Charter
Schools: Brandon Brown, Lake Norman Charter (Mecklenburg County).
The 2016 North Carolina
Teacher of the Year will be announced April 7 at an awards ceremony in Cary.
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Feb. 8-12 is School Bus Driver Appreciation Week
Feb. 8-12 is School Bus Driver Appreciation Week, and also the week
when schools are encouraged to celebrate LOVE THE BUS and talk with students
about school bus safety.
This is an excellent opportunity to generate positive media attention
on the safe transportation of students to and from school. More information is
available on the NC School Bus Safety website.
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Principal READY: Principal and Charter Leaders Discuss Collaborative Learning
Listen as principals and
charter leaders discuss the importance of building strong learning teams,
learning to have hard conversations with staff, using data to improve school
improvement, and structuring coaching conversations for instructional
change. Also hear what leaders are saying about statewide collaborative
professional learning. This video is available online.
Principal Resource for Coaching Teachers: Action Research Portal - Teachers Learning from Teachers
The North Carolina Teacher Action Research Portal site
publishes the results of classroom-based action research performed by North
Carolina teachers as part of the Governor’s Teacher Network.
Principals and teachers may search 219 projects by grade,
subject or keyword. Find out what teachers learned studying a problem of
practice in the classroom and how they used their learning to improve specific
instruction for students. This is a great resource for teachers struggling with
similar instructional issues. Principals may use this as a coaching tool.
This portal is one of the many resources found on the
Educator Effectiveness Online Professional Development System page.
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 item below). 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. To name just a few, 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, cull the information offered, and return to your school
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 Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement, 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!
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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Stop Rx Abuse Video
Contest
Attorney General Roy
Cooper and the NC Department of Justice will hold its Stop Rx Abuse video
contest again this year. The contest, which runs from March 1 – April 18, is
open to all students in grades 6 – 12. Each school will soon receive detailed
information by mail. Please encourage your students to help us warn others
about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.
To learn more, visit http://ncdoj.gov/stoprxabuse
or contact StopRxAbuse@ncdoj.gov.
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