I
appreciate all of you who were able to join our webinar today regarding the
budgets proposed by the NC House and Gov. McCrory. I know that this was
announced at fairly short notice on Friday, but the nature of the legislative
process is that information moves quickly and circumstances change rapidly.
We
pledge to hold webinars and other communication opportunities as needed and as
legislative and budget news is available. The key to this is to provide you
with direct information so that you can make your lawmakers aware of how their
proposals will affect your school district and schools. Quick action on our
parts may help us improve the outcomes of legislative deliberations for North
Carolina public schools.
Also
on Friday as we were made aware of the letter from the US Justice Department
and the US Department of Education with guidance on handling transgender
students, we fielded many news media calls regarding this issue. I am sure that
many of you did as well. Our response focused on our awaiting of the court
decisions in this issue, recognizing that while that occurs, we are most
concerned with ensuring that every student is safe and that North Carolina’s bullying law is
followed carefully.
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Math Standards
Review and Revision Update
Your curriculum and
instruction leaders will be receiving a draft Implementation Plan for
the revised standards and a very short Readiness for Implementation survey this
week. We appreciate each district's response to the survey. We would like 100
percent participation in the draft implementation plan survey so that we may
have the most accurate information to share with State Board members at their
June meeting.
As a reminder, the
State Board of Education heard discussion on the high school math standards review/revision
process as well as drafts for revisions to Math I, II and III at the May meeting.
The public comment window on the revised
standards is open until May 20.
The item will return
as an action item at the June meeting. Please ensure that your curriculum and instruction
leaders review the Draft Implementation Overview
Graphic prior to taking the survey.
District Curriculum and Instruction Leaders Needed for Test Development
NCDPI is
recruiting district leaders with strong content backgrounds in English Language
Arts, Math, Science or Social Studies who are interested in participating in
the North Carolina End-of-Grade, End-of-Course, and NC Final Exam test
development process.
In
particular, we need curriculum leaders with strong content backgrounds and
experience in grades 3-8 math, English language arts, social studies or science
and/or high school math (i.e., Math I, Math II, Math III, Advanced Functions
and Modeling, Discrete Mathematics, Precalculus), English language arts (i.e.,
English I, English II, English III, English IV), social studies (i.e., American
History I, American History II, American History: The Founding Principles,
World History), or science (i.e., Biology, Chemistry, Earth/Environmental,
Physical Science, Physics).
If your
staff are interested in participating, please have them complete and submit
this questionnaire. The
completion of this survey indicates their interest in participating in test
development meetings such as range finding, test specification or focus group
meetings. If selected to attend an upcoming meeting, they will receive an
invitation providing additional information and will be asked to RSVP at that
time.
Information
about North Carolina’s test development process is available online. Questions
may be directed to your Regional
Accountability Coordinator.
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21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Competition
NCDPI is pleased to announce a new grant competition for the 21st
Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) program. The online application will
be available in August for an initial grant award in the 2017-18 school year.
In order to support
potential applicants, NCDPI will provide several technical assistance sessions
across the state in the coming months. Organizations interested applying for a
21st CCLC grant are highly encouraged to attend. Please note, space
for some locations is limited; register early to ensure a
slot.
Additional
information regarding the 21st CCLC program is available online.
Implementation Science:
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
The idea of moving from Letting it Happen to Making
it Happen is the new mantra that NCDPI has so ambitiously embraced. In
order for this shift to successfully occur, Implementation Teams must be
involved.
Whether a policy or program has been mandated or
adopted, the Implementation Team is accountable for developing the
implementation support systems, resolving organization and system issues that
arise, and achieving positive results. Implementation Teams establish an
aligned and linked teaming infrastructure that can help integrate, sustain, and
scale-up interventions with fidelity over time, as shown in the graph below.
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The research shows that using Implementation
Teams yields results in as little as three years with 80 percent fidelity,
while not using Implementation Teams as little as 14 percent fidelity is
reached over a 17-year period, more than a student’s career in K-12 education.
Additional information on the
Implementation Teams is available online.
Happening Now
Each local school district and charter school participating in MTSS
Cohorts 1 and 2 has developed a District Leadership Team and a District
Implementation Team. The District Leadership Teams are charged with providing
systemic guidance and support in developing policies and collecting resources
for the implementation of MTSS. District Implementation Teams will provide
technical support and coaching to individual schools and teachers to develop
tiered interventions and supports that align vertically and horizontally.
Driver Education
Advisory Committee
to Meet
The Driver Education
Advisory Committee will meet Tuesday, May 17, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., in the 7th
Floor Board Room, Education Building, Raleigh.
Agenda items include
an update on NC Driver Education Reform, subcommittees’ recommendations
regarding the 2015 Driver Education Assessment, and Community Involvement
requests.
The meeting will be audio streamed (click on Live
Audio Stream link) for those who cannot attend.
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 Superintendent Vacancy Announced: Catawba County Schools
The Catawba County
Board of Education is seeking a superintendent to lead the school system in its
continuing pursuit of excellence. Candidates must have or be qualified to hold
a North Carolina superintendent license. Central office and building-level
experience are preferred. A doctorate degree or progress toward a doctorate
degree is preferred but not required. Non-traditional candidates are encouraged
to apply. The individual chosen will be required to live in the Catawba County
Schools District. The application deadline is June 23.
An electronic
version of the application is available by going to the N.C. School Board
Association's website and clicking on the appropriate link.
Inquiries and requests for applications also can be directed to Allison
Schafer, Legal Counsel/Director of Policy, North Carolina School Boards
Association, PO Box 97877, Raleigh NC 27624-7877, telephone 919/841-4040, fax
919/841-4020, email. All inquiries will be kept confidential.
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 Cumberland County
Schools’ Principal Named Principal of the Year
Congratulations to E.E. Smith High School Principal Melody Chalmers
who was recently named the 2016 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year.
As Wells Fargo Principal of the Year, she will
receive $3,000 for personal use and $3,000 for her school. She also receives
professional development and resources supporting global awareness in the
curriculum for her staff thanks to Education First Tours, and a custom-made NC Principal of the Year signet ring
and pendant from Jostens Inc.
She will continue
to lead her school for the next year
however, Wells Fargo will furnish her with a
stipend to travel across the state serving as an ambassador for education. She
will serve as a member of the State
Superintendent’s Principals’ Advisory Committee, and as an advisor to the State
Board of Education and the Board of Directors for the NC Public School Forum.
Chalmers succeeds Pactolus School (Pitt County
Schools) Principal Steve Lassiter.
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Avery
County School Bus Driver
Best in State
Congratulations
to Avery County school bus driver Mitch Banner who was named the best school
bus driver in North Carolina at the annual State School Bus ROADeo held last
Thursday in Raleigh.
The
other top nine drivers in the competition in order of finish from 2nd to 10th
place were: Byron Lanier (Wake County Schools), Eric Turner (Hertford County
Schools), Boyce Chapman (Cabarrus County Schools), Billy McKemey (Wake County
Schools), Andre Patterson (Public Schools of Robeson County), Johnnie Waters
(Onlsow County Schools), John Gore (Brunswick County Schools), Jeffrey Cassidy
(Onslow County Schools), and Barerra McPherson (Elizabeth City-Pasquotank
Schools).
Banner received
a $500 cash prize and will represent North Carolina in the international school
bus driving competition to be held this summer in Greensboro. The 2nd through
5th place finishers received $300, $200, $100 and $75, respectively. Sixth
through 10th place finishers each won $50.
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 New Resource to Support Staff Wellness
The State Health Plan is offering a free resource
to qualifying schools participating in the Wellness Champions Program to
support the health of their staff. This new resource is a fitness-based
wellness platform that engages members with daily exercise and nutrition
activities as well as social interaction and challenges.
Plan staff would like to partner with schools to implement staff
wellness initiatives because a healthy
school staff helps to create healthy students.
The State Health Plan is prepared to meet the
unique needs of school staff to foster their success. Together, we can create a healthier North
Carolina by supporting high performing schools and staff!
Click
here for details on this exciting new resource. For more information,
please visit shpnc.com
or contact NCHealthSmart@nctreasurer.com.
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