In
your meetings with CFO Philip Price, many of you identified student social and
emotional concerns as areas of real concern for your schools and district
services.
Last
week, the State Board of Education and NCDPI staff took a step forward to
consider ways to address some of those needs. The first meeting of the
Interagency Advisory Committee (chaired by SBE Vice Chair Buddy Collins and
co-chaired by SBE member Tricia Willoughby) focused on the IACs purpose, the
Whole Child/Whole School/Whole Community model, and strategies for
collaborating among education, government, and community stakeholders to improve
the lives of students from at-risk environments.
Representatives from a variety
of other government agencies, non-profit/non-governmental organizations and key
elements of NCDPI (multi-tiered system of support, exceptional children, school
nutrition and healthy schools) participated.
As we
move forward to consider ways to help our most at-risk students have the
support they need to focus on learning, cooperative efforts among public
schools and many other groups can make a difference.
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 Resources
to Support Revised High School Math Courses Online
As we
begin the 2016-17 school year, please remember that there are resources in
support of the revised high school math courses available on the NCDPI math wiki.
Please
encourage your teachers and principals to sign up for the NCDPI Mathematics team
GovDelivery email group
to stay abreast of new resources and professional development opportunities as
they become available.
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Multi-Tiered System of Support:
Cohort Rollout Benefits
One benefit of strategically rolling out a
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) through cohorts is the opportunity to
engage in reflective practice. MTSS Cohort 1 and 2 coordinators recently
provided upcoming cohort leadership with brief videos in which they responded
to the question, “If I knew then what I know now.” Their insightful responses
may be summarized as follows:
- define a clear path for communicating;
- foster collaboration with the team;
- go slowly with installation;
- be intentional with the goals;
- build relationships; and
- be purposeful.
Thank you to the coordinators from Asheville
City, Cabarrus County, Craven County, Lincoln County, Thomasville City and
Union County for giving back in order to improve installation across the state.
All districts, charter schools and state-operated programs have access to
information regarding the school improvement framework online.
For questions about North
Carolina’s Multi-Tiered System of Support, please contact NCDPI Academic and Digital Learning’s Integrated Academic and
Behavior Systems Consultant Amy Jablonski.
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Principal READY Fall 2016
Meeting Dates Corrected
In last week’s Weekly Message to
Superintendents, dates and locations were included for the Principal READY Fall
2016 Fall meetings. Please note that a couple of the dates were inaccurate. The
table below highlights the correct dates and locations for these sessions.
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Administrators
are encouraged to attend these meetings to hear more about the state’s digital
learning plan to support administrators in transitioning to digital-age
learning, national research on how National Board Certified teachers may be
better utilized as teacher leaders, and the 2016 analysis of the North Carolina
Teacher Working Conditions Survey data. In addition to these sessions, Service
Support Teams will offer regional-specific content based on evaluation surveys.
Registration
information will be forthcoming as details are finalized.
2016 English Language Coordinator Meeting
Superintendents are
asked to share the following information with their English Language (EL) Coordinators.
Please join NCDPI’s ESL/Title III team for its 2016 EL Coordinator meeting on Sept. 12-13. The meeting is being
held at Wake Tech Community College, 9101 Fayetteville Road, Raleigh.
Topics include the Every Student Succeeds Act, Title III
Monitoring, Chart of Accounts, Title I & CCIP, EL Support Team,
Accountability, PowerSchool & Data, DL/I, NC DPI EL Advisory Council, and
Finance Updates.
Each attendee should
register individually using this link. There is a $20
registration fee. Once registered, you will be emailed a confirmation invoice
for payment of the registration fee. NCDPI must receive payment by Friday,
Sept. 9. Charter EL Coordinators who choose to attend only the
afternoon breakout session on the second day do not need to pay a registration
fee.
Visit
the NCDPI ELD Wikispace for
more information or contact Lindsey Fults,
NCDPI ESL/ Title III consultant.
NCVPS Summer Classes
End;
Fall Registration Open
The
NCVPS summer session ended Aug. 12, and final grades were posted Aug. 18. NCVPS
transitioned its courses to the Canvas learning management system, and received
very positive feedback during the summer. Staff are looking forward to an even
more successful fall.
Fall
classes include the statewide rollout of the Mastery Learning and English
Language Learner courses. Registration is open for fall classes, which begin Aug. 29. Registration will remain open
until Sept. 12. The Mastery
Learning, credit recovery, and OCS programs all have extended enrollment
periods.
Questions
regarding NCVPS summer session or fall enrollment may be directed to NCVPS Director
of Outreach and Support Mia Murphy.
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 State Board of Education Member Tricia Willoughby
Receives National Award
Congratulations to State Board of Education
member Tricia Willoughby who recently received the National Association of
State Boards of Education 2016 Distinguished Service Award. The award
recognizes the leadership and
commitment of state board of education members nationwide.
Willoughby was recognized for her 16
years of service on the North
Carolina State Board of Education where she has held many leadership roles on
the board. In 2004, Willoughby served as North Carolina’s first woman state superintendent of public instruction. She was executive director of the NC Business Committee for Education, a classroom teacher, and a faculty member at Meredith College, where she directed the elementary education program and taught courses to pre-service teachers.
She will
be presented the award this October at NASBE’s national conference in Kansas
City, Missouri.
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Articles Focus on Ways to Talk With Students
About Tragedies
Administrators
may want to read the following articles in their entirety as they provide
important suggestions for ways to speak with students concerning the ongoing
tragedies in our world.
“What’s on the Horizon This Year?” was included
in the Aug. 10 edition of SmartBrief. North
Carolina’s 2014 Wells Fargo Principal of the Year and Concord Middle School
(Cabarrus County Schools) Principal Carrie Tulbert authored the article. In it
she addresses the political and racial turmoil our country has been
experiencing and suggests a number of ways to start a conversation about equity
in education.
“How We Talk With our Kids” was
included in the Aug. 17 edition of SmartBrief. Do we
love our kids? Do they know they matter to us? Those were just two of the questions
that President Obama asked an audience after meeting with students at a My
Brother’s Keeper roundtable last year. They are also the questions that we have
been asking ourselves while meeting students across the country. Students who
are wrestling with tragedies and injustice need to feel our love and support
now more than ever.
 Governor’s Page Program Targets Students of
Military Families
Students of military families interested in
learning more about government, politics and North Carolina may be interested
in applying to be a Governor’s Page the week of Oct. 10-14.
This special week has been set aside for military
family students who also will have the opportunity to meet Department of
Military and Veterans Affairs Secretary Cornell Wilson, tour the State Capitol
and Governor’s Mansion, and meet with other key government officials.
Students interested in being a page may apply online. Applications should be submitted by Monday, Sept. 26. Questions may be directed to the Page Coordinator at 919/814-2017 or govpage@nc.gov.
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