Recently, a Moore
County student was injured by a truck passing a stopped school bus (on the
right side!), and WSOC-TV in Charlotte recently reported
on multiple cars in Avery County passing stopped school buses. In the
excitement of the end of the school year, please consider reminding students
about the importance of following safety guidelines regarding boarding and
leaving the school bus.
It is an exciting
time of year for students, but we want everyone to stay safe and for students to remember
the importance of making sure all traffic has stopped before they cross the road
and watching for the bus drivers’ hand signals as they board the school
bus. During our one-day stop arm violation count this spring, over 3,100
vehicles illegally passed a school bus that had stopped with red lights
flashing and stop arm extended to load or unload students.
While I wish
motorists would all follow the law, we cannot count on them, and students and
bus drivers must guard against those motorists. I hope all our students end
the school year safe and sound.
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Comment
Window on Revised Proposed Math Standards Closes May 20
The
public comment window on the revised high school mathematics standards closes tomorrow, May 20. That survey may be
accessed online.
NCDPI
staff have been facilitating a review of high school math standards, Math I, II
and III.
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 its May meeting and
information review at its April meeting.
The
item will return as an action item at the Board’s June meeting. Should Board
members adopt the revised standards known as NC Math 1, NC Math 2 and NC Math
3, the draft implementation plan will be enacted. The first step will be
regional information and professional development sessions in each region
throughout June and July. See that draft Implementation Plan at Draft Implementation
Overview Graphic, including summer dates.
Please
contact Tiffany Perkins or Jennifer Curtis with any questions.
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Scheduling for a Multi-Tiered System of Support
The
Self-Assessment of MTSS Implementation (SAM) provides information to school teams on the
components critical to building a strong and sustainable school improvement
framework.
Developing school-wide capacity and infrastructure
are necessary to implement and sustain an MTSS. This happens when the ongoing
professional development and coaching plan is focused on data-based problem
solving, and multi-tiered instruction and intervention. Additionally, school
leadership teams should focus on scheduling that allows staff to plan,
implement both core instruction and interventions, as well as time to engage in
data-based problem solving.
The quarterly MTSS
Principal Brief
provides additional information on scheduling for an MTSS within your school.
For more information, contact Amy Jablonski with Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems.
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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.
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.
State Superintendent June Atkinson commended
Chalmers on her selection. “Melody is known as an innovative problem solver who
is committed to the academic and personal growth of each of her students and
teachers. Her staff and students truly benefit from the nurturing learning
environment she promotes.”
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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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.
And the 2016 NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey Winners are…
NCDPI staff would like to thank the over 101,800
educators who participated in the 2016 North Carolina Teacher Working
Conditions Survey (NC TWCS). Almost 1,100 NC schools met our statewide goal of
100 percent participation.
Wanting to
recognize schools with a 100 percent participation rate, the NC Department of
Public Instruction partnered with the North Carolina Business Committee for
Education and, in particular, BB&T, California Casualty, Blue Cross Blue
Shield, Duke Energy, Lenovo and the North Carolina Association of
Educators (NCAE) to award those schools prizes and monetary incentives.
On May 9, the Department organized a live drawing
and randomly selected the following four schools and district to represent
those schools and districts that led the state with participation:
* Allenbrook
Elementary School (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools)
* East
Rutherford Middle School (Rutherford County Schools)
* Creswell
High School (Washington County Schools)
* Edenton-Chowan
Public Schools
* Plain
View Primary (Bladen County Schools) received the “Nick of Time” award for
being the final school in the state to reach a 100 percent response rate.
All schools that reached 100 percent
participation may be found here.
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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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