With
another school year over, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for
another successful year. On Facebook and Twitter, I have seen many graduation
photos featuring smiling students and families. It is a good reminder of why we
all work in public education.
The
General Assembly continues to work on the budget with the House not agreeing
with the Senate’s budget. That means many decisions are still up in the air as
the two houses work in committee to resolve their differences.
We will let you
know as decisions are nearing, and I encourage you to let your local lawmakers
know of your concerns or to work with your professional organizations to express
your budget priorities.
I hope
that with students home for the summer you have a chance to take a breather and
to reflect on your accomplishments and challenges. Thank you, once again for
your service to North Carolina’s public schools.
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NC Digital Learning
Competencies Approved
North
Carolina State Board of Education members approved the Digital Learning
Competencies for Classroom Teachers and School Administrators at their June 2
meeting. These competencies will go into effect July 1, 2017.
The
intent of the competencies is for teachers to improve their practice as they
integrate digital tools and resources to drive student learning within their
classrooms. The four focus areas within the teacher competencies have been
aligned to the Professional Teaching Standards and the Digital Learning Plan
with a subset of competencies that help to explain and ‘unpack’ each area. For
more information about the Digital Learning Competencies, please visit bit.ly/NCDLCs.
To
provide district leaders and teachers with an initial insight and support for
these competencies, NCDPI Digital Teaching and Learning Division staff will
provide professional learning sessions in July for district teams. Staff are
partnering with various Institutes of Higher Education across the state to host
these sessions. Together, we will dive deep into the competencies focusing on
the scope of the competencies, exploring professional learning resources, and
crafting a plan for district implementation. In addition, throughout the
2016-17 school year, staff will pilot the competencies and provide professional
learning opportunities statewide.
If you have any
questions, please contact Deborah
Goodman.
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Multi-Tiered System of Support: Data-Evaluation for Implementation
One of the six critical
components of a MTSS framework is Data Evaluation. While student assessment
data tell us about student behavior, implementation data tell us how the adults
are implementing the critical parts of the Multi-Tiered System of Support.
Traditionally, School
Improvement Plans focus on student assessment data, rather than implementation
data. As teams plan for implementation of a Multi-Tiered System of Support, a
shift in focus should occur, with implementation data becoming even more
important.
We cannot change student
outcomes without changing how adults support students to get the outcomes. And,
we cannot attribute a change in student outcomes without the implementation
data. An example of how the DPI MTSS team is providing targeted assistance to
support district and school teams to be intentional about collecting and using
implementation data may be found in this online video
housed in the NCEES modules.
If you have additional questions, please contact Amy Jablonski.
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Implementation Science Frameworks: Implementation Stages
Implementation is a process that occurs in
discernible stages through common components (Drivers) of successfully
implemented programs. Understanding the stages of implementation provides
improved planning and decreases frustration with the challenging work of
systems change.
There are four functional Implementation Stages:
• Exploration. Taking the time to consider change
by exploring what to do, how to do it, and who will do it, saves time and money
and improves chances for success.
• Installation. Activities during this stage
create the infrastructure and make instrumental changes necessary to begin
implementation.
• Initial Implementation. When the new program is
first being put to use, practitioners attempt to use new skills during a season
of change. This is the most fragile stage.
• Full Implementation. This level of
implementation is reached when 50 percent or more of the staff or team members
are using the program with fidelity and good outcomes, and the new way of
providing services is now the standard way of work.
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Happening
Now
- LEAs and charter schools across the state are
currently in the Exploration Stage in the use of the LEA Self Assessment to
improve services and programs for Exceptional Children.
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Chatham County has used
Implementation Stages to develop the work of a District Implementation Team. This
team has reached the Installation Stage to support systemwide programs.
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The work of building a Multi-Tiered System of
Support in Wake County is in the
Initial Implementation Stage. Current work is devoted to building teaming
structures, cohorts for training and coaching support, and plans for data
evaluation and communication protocols. The MTSS team will begin supporting
Cohort 3 schools in the 2016-17 school year.
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Cleveland County has reached the
Full Implementation Stage with its Behavior and Mental Health Support Framework.
This framework includes school-based mental health supports through vetted
outside agencies, as well as in-school behavior liaisons and interventionists.
Please visit the NCDPI State Implementation Team’s wikispace to learn more about Implementation Science.
2016 NC TWCS Results Released
The 2016 NC Teacher
Working Conditions Survey (NC TWCS) results were presented to the State Board
of Education on June 1.
Please visit the NC
Teacher Working Conditions website to view all detailed reports and
information on individual schools and districts, including all public charter
schools and NC Special Schools (i.e., NC Schools for the Deaf and Blind, Pre-K
Centers, etc.) that participated. The reports are downloadable and include
statewide percentage results, school detailed results, school summary comparison
results, and the administrator survey results.
For more
information, please contact Yvette
Stewart.
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Revised Middle School Athletic Manual Available
Online
The Middle School
Athletic Manual has been updated and may be accessed online.
The
most significant change comes from the rule addressing physicals. Following the
NC High School Athletic Association, the 365 rule has been extended to 395
days. This 30-day grace period will allow students more flexibility in
acquiring their physicals. All physicals acquired after May 3, 2016 will be
subject to the new rule.
Questions
may be directed to Ellen
Essick, section chief for Healthy Schools.
Global
Education Workshops Scheduled for this Summer
NCDPI
staff, in partnership with three of the Regional Education Service Alliances
(RESAs), will offer two Global Education Professional Development Workshops
this summer.
The
Global Educator Digital Badge Capstone Project Workshop is for educators
enrolled in the process of attaining the digital badge and also for school and
district personnel leading the local evaluation of these projects before
submission for state level review.
The Global-Ready
School and/or Global-Ready District Applicant Workshop is for those
intending to submit or exploring submission of an application to NCDPI.
For
more information and registration, please click here or
contact Special Assistant for Global Education Helga Fasciano.
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State Board of Education Honors Seven STEM Schools of Distinction
The North Carolina State Board of Education recently recognized the following seven public schools for exemplary leadership and instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. These schools were the third set of schools to be recognized under the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s (NCDPI) STEM Recognition Program.
• JW York Elementary (Wake County Schools) Prepared STEM School of Distinction;
• NC School of Science and Mathematics (Durham) Model Future-Ready STEM High School of Distinction;
• Davie County High STEM Center (Davie County Schools) Prepared STEM School of Distinction;
• Coltrane Webb STEM Elementary School (Cabarrus County Schools) Model STEM School of Distinction;
• Patriots STEM Elementary (Cabarrus County Schools) Model STEM School of Distinction;
• Central Cabarrus High School STEM Magnet Program (Cabarrus County Schools) Model STEM School of Distinction; and
• Nesbitt Discovery Academy (Buncombe County Schools) Prepared STEM School of Distinction.
Two benchmark firsts were highlighted in this year’s recognition program. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics was recognized as the state’s first Model Future Ready STEM School of Achievement. To achieve this, the school had to have a graduation rate of 90 percent or higher or a College Readiness/ACT with 90 percent of students having a composite score at 17 or above. The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics had a 99 percent graduation rate and an average ACT composite score of 31.6.
Cabarrus County was the first county to be recognized with a nucleus of neighborhood model STEM Schools of Distinction K-12 that are vertically aligned. The schools forming this nucleus are Coltrane Webb STEM Elementary School, Patriots STEM Elementary School, Central Cabarrus High School STEM Magnet Program and JN Fries Middle School (which was identified in a previous year).
Additional information regarding this recognition is available online.
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North Carolina and the Zika Virus
As
a reminder, the NC Department of Health and Human Services is aware and
responding to the Zika virus in North Carolina. The DHHS staff has developed
informational materials that would be beneficial to North Carolina public
schools. Materials include handouts with personal protection messages for
mosquito and tick bites, mosquito control, and a one page “tip and toss” that provides
personal protection and mosquito reduction messages for school personnel.
Visit
the DHHS Zika web page for available
resources and strategies. Questions may be directed to Holly Watkins, Communicable Disease
Branch, DHHS, or 919.715.0136.
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Free, Facilitated Online Summer Courses Begin Monday
Less
than a week remains to register for free, facilitated online summer courses. These
courses provide high-quality professional development and the opportunity to
interact with peers and an instructor. They combine the flexibility of working
from anywhere at any time. The courses start on Monday, June 20. Course
titles are listed below.
* Building and Sustaining Professional
Development - 6 weeks, 0.5 CEU
* Connecting with our 21st Century Learners - 5
weeks, 1.0 CEU
* Digital Literacies in the K-12 Classroom - 7
weeks, 1.5 CEUs
* Introduction to Data Literacy - 5 weeks, 1.0
CEU
* Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science
and Technical Subjects, Part 1 - 5 weeks, 0.5 CEU
* Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science
and Technical Subjects, Part 2 - 7 weeks, 1.0 CEU
* North Carolina Teacher Standards and
Evaluation Process - 6 weeks, 2.0 CEUs
* Responsibilities of the 21st-Century Educator
- 7 weeks, 1.0 CEU
* Universal Design for Learning 1: UDL in the
Everyday Classroom - 6 weeks, 1.5 CEUs
* Universal Design for Learning 2: UDL and the
Whole Classroom - 5 weeks, 1.0 CEU
* Effective Digital Strategies for Teaching and
Learning in the K-12 Classroom: A PD MOOClet - 6 weeks, 2.0 CEUs
For a
full description of each course, please visit www.rt3nc.org. If you have specific questions
or need additional support, please email Educator Effectiveness Instructional
Design Lead Geetanjali Soni.
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