Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson

North Carolina Public Schools sent this bulletin at 12/19/2016 03:07 PM EST

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Dec. 19, 2016

This is my final Superintendents’ message to you and for 2016. As I have said before, I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to do my best on behalf of North Carolina children. I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to work with each of you and with so many quality people who fill our schools and central offices.

As you move through this holiday season, I encourage you to think about what is most important for the future of our state and to advocate for those things in 2017. The Public Schools’ 2014-16 Biennial Report outlines major themes of a whole child approach, a continued focus on digital learning and the importance of quality education personnel. I hope you have the opportunity to take a look at this document and the State Board of Education’s budget request included in the back. Please remember that this list is limited to meet the 2 percent requirement of the Office of State Budget and Management and many other items could easily be included in a comprehensive request, but this list is a good starting place for the 2017 General Assembly session.

Best of luck to each of you as you continue to lead your school districts. North Carolina owes you a debt of gratitude. I look forward to a new pace of life and the opportunity to write my book, which I have mentioned to you before. It will be titled “What I Was Really Thinking.”

K-8 Mathematics DRAFT: Call for Input

As part of the K-8 mathematics standards review process, NCDPI staff are requesting LEA feedback on the DRAFT standards. This is an opportunity for district mathematics content experts to give input before the draft standards are sent out for public comment and presented to the State Board of Education for discussion in the coming months.

Below is an overview of the steps in the review/revision process. Please note that there are LEA action items (denoted by *) that will contribute to this process.

November 2016 - Data Review Committee met to review extensive feedback retrieved from surveys and focus groups and make recommendations to the Writing Teams.
December 2016 - Writing Teams met to begin revisions based on these recommendations.
January 2017* - LEAs will receive an email containing the DRAFT NC Standard Course of Study for K-8 mathematics the week of Jan. 16 and have a 3-week window to submit the feedback via survey. Districts will receive the survey questions in advance.

Additional information on the timeline is available online.

In preparation for the LEA input window, please select the members of your K-8 Mathematics Standards Review Team. We suggest that your team members review the draft standards individually prior to working as a whole team to complete ONE survey per LEA.

If you have any questions, please contact NCDPI K-12 Mathematics Section Chief Jennifer Curtis or 919.807.3846.

$High School Math$

Second Annual Math Summit Focuses on High School Mathematics

The second annual Math Summit scheduled for Jan. 31 focuses on high school mathematics by offering a full day of training for teachers of NC Math 1, 2 and 3.

The Summit will include several sessions that teachers and math coaches/leaders can attend on the revised standards. Sessions will address access and equity, the progression and coherence of standards and effective classroom practices. The purpose of this Summit is to assist LEAs in raising student achievement through improvement of high school teaching and learning.

District curriculum and math leaders received messages on Friday regarding details on registration for the upcoming event, which will be held in Greensboro at the Embassy Suites Airport, Centreport Drive. The math team invites district teams of three-four to attend. Teams should include a district-level math content specialist and teachers of NC Math 1, 2 and 3.

All the details, including registration, are available online. Questions may be directed to NCDPI K-12 Mathematics Program Assistant Nina Barrett, or 919.807.3846.

Multi-Tiered System of Support:
MTSS Guidance LiveBinder

This month, the MTSS team released a guidance document for districts, charters and state-operated programs in the form of a LiveBinder. The purpose of this tool is to explicitly outline processes, practices and resources necessary to establish a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS).

The LiveBinder serves as a companion to the blended professional development created and delivered by NCDPI’s Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems division. Some of the topics covered in the resource include:

establishing readiness for implementation;
analyzing core instruction; and
developing an adolescent literacy component to the system of interventions.

Your leadership team can access the MTSS Guidance LiveBinder online.

Thank you for the vital role you play as a member of the MTSS leadership team and for supporting your district team in implementation. For more information, please contact NCDPI Director of Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems Amy Jablonski.

Superintendent Vacancy Announced: Carteret County Schools

The Carteret 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 but not required. A doctorate degree or progress toward a doctorate degree is preferred but not required. The individual chosen will be required to live in Carteret County. The application deadline is Feb. 8.

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.

CCSA: Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement

CCSA Call for Proposals/
Registration Open

The Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement (CCSA), Champions for Student Success, welcomes proposals that highlight innovative practices to improve educational outcomes for students of today and tomorrow.

Priority will be given to proposals that clearly connect content and objectives to proven techniques to increase student achievement, focus on best practices for 21st century educators, connect to conference strands in innovative ways, and or create/revive excitement for both student and adult learners.

For full details, including categories of topics and the proposal submission form, please visit CCSA’s conference website.

Don’t forget to register for the conference while you are there! Registration is $175 if received before Feb. 1 and $200 if received after Feb. 1.