Thank you
for responding over the weekend with your school closings in the wake of the
Jan. 6-7 snow storm. It is
helpful to the NC Emergency Management efforts when we are able to supply them
with up-to-date information about the status of public schools statewide. Please see
this week’s information items for you from across NCDPI’s divisions.
State Board
of Education Meeting Highlights
State Board
of Education members on Thursday cleared the way for performance bonuses to be
paid to third grade teachers and high school teachers of Advanced Placement and
International Baccalaureate courses whose students achieved strong outcomes
last year on standardized tests.
The board
also approved district plans for paying merit bonuses for state-funded
employees who are not paid from the teacher salary schedule, including
school-based administrators, central office and non-certified personnel.
Funds for
the bonus pay were appropriated by the General Assembly last year based on
student outcomes during the 2015-16 school year. About 1,300 third grade
teachers who were
in the top 25 percent statewide according to last year’s EVAAS student growth
index score for reading will share $5 million, or about $3,523 per teacher. In
addition, third grade teachers also are eligible for a separate $5 million
allocation for bonus pay if they were in the top 25 percent of teachers in
their respective districts, also based on the same EVAAS measure. Those bonuses
range from $1,824 to $8,770, depending on district size and numbers of eligible
teachers.
In other business, the
board approved proposals for 13 new schools under the state’s provision for
Cooperative Innovative High Schools. The proposals will now advance for review
by the governing boards of the UNC system and NC Community Colleges with which
the schools would partner.
The board also heard detailed
presentations about the state’s ongoing digital learning plan, school
connectivity initiative, processes for standards revisions for English Language
Arts, K-8 and fourth-level math in high school.
The
complete list of this month’s Board actions is available on the Board’s website. The
Board’s January agenda as well as supporting executive summaries are available online by
clicking on the SBE Meetings tab.
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North Carolina Standard Course of Study Update
English Language Arts
NCDPI
staff would like to thank school districts for submitting feedback on DRAFT 1
of the K-12 English Language Arts standards in November. The writing team
convened in December to incorporate the feedback and create DRAFT 2.
NCDPI
staff are now seeking public comment on DRAFT 2 of the English Language Arts
Standard Course of Study. DRAFT 2 can be found HERE. The survey
can be accessed HERE. The survey closes
Jan. 30. From the feedback, DRAFT 3
will be developed for State Board of Education discussion as early as March.
Please remember that standards are what we want
students to know and be able to do by the end of a grade. Curriculum is the
collective resources and learning experiences used for students to learn the
standard and is developed locally by school districts. This survey focuses on
standards. Your feedback is important to the standard revision process.
K-8 Mathematics
As
part of the K-8 mathematics standards review process, the NC Department of
Public Instruction requests 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 is an LEA action item (denoted by asterisk) that will contribute to this
process.
- November 2016 - Data Review
Committee met to review extensive feedback retrieved from surveys and focus
groups and to 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, districts are asked to 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 Mathematics Section Chief Jennifer Curtis
or 919.807.3846.
STEM
School Recognition Deadline Extended
The
deadline for applications for the STEM Recognition program has been extended to
Feb. 13.
Information about the
process, including rubrics, can be found on NCDPI’s STEM Education and Leadership
website.
Questions may be
directed to Carol Moore.
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NCVPS Still Enrolling for Spring Classes
Early calendar classes have already begun. Traditional
calendar classes begin on Jan. 23,
and the last day to register students is Feb.
3. After that date, schools still have a number of enrollment
options:
-
Credit recovery enrollment will remain open until March 24.
- Schools can continue to add OCS students to their already
existing OCS sections throughout the semester.
-
NCVPS will accept transfer students until March 24. This is a good solution for
students who move into the district, homebound students, and suspended
students.
-
Schools can enroll students into NCVPS Mastery Learning courses
through the semester.
For more details, contact NCVPS Director of Outreach and Support Mia
Murphy.
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February is Love the Bus Month
Feb.
13 - 17 is School Bus Driver Appreciation Week in North Carolina. It’s
also the week when schools are encouraged to celebrate Love the Bus by talking
with students about school bus safety.
This is an excellent opportunity to generate positive media
attention on the whole system of safely transporting students to school. More
information is available on the NC School Bus Safety website.
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Multi-Tiered System of Support: Data-Evaluation Sessions
Throughout January and February, NCDPI’s MTSS
team is hosting Train-the-Trainer Sessions for MTSS cohort coordinators. The
winter session topic is Building a
Data-Evaluation System. Training materials will be provided for use in district,
charter or school settings. The goal
of the content is to support development and sustainability of a comprehensive
and balanced assessment system.
Through this professional development and
engagement in MTSS modules, MTSS teams are deepening knowledge and planning
implementation for this system. One critical area of the system is universal
screening measures. Universal screening measures provide data to assist with
these questions:
- How
healthy is our core instruction?
- Have we
made gains with core?
- Which of
our students are at-risk?
- Are our
students on track to meet outcomes?
- Are
there skill deficits for all students?
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.
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Principal Ready Sessions: Spring 2017
Spring dates for the annual Principal Ready
sessions starting early February and extending through April are set. Each
region will host a session that is planned by Educator Effectiveness’ statewide
service support teams in collaboration with principals from each zone.
Participants are free to choose the date that
best fits their schedule. Principals are not required to attend the session in
his/her home region if another date works better.
Participants will engage in an analysis of their
2015-16 school data including the PLC process. Service Support Team members
will facilitate specific sessions based on regional principal feedback and data
collected by service support teams.
Session information may be found on the NCEES wiki. To register, click here.
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Superintendent Vacancy Announced: Asheville City Schools
The Asheville City
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. The individual chosen will be required to
live within the city limits of Asheville. The application deadline is March
13.
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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Champion for Student Success Award Nominations Open
Do you know a principal, teacher, administrator,
support staff or volunteer who demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to
student success? Someone who exemplifies leadership in education? Someone you
believe has made a significant impact on students in NC?
Then consider nominating them for the Champion for Student Success award.
NCDPI will recognize those individuals during the 2017 Collaborative Conference
for Student Achievement (CCSA). The purpose of the award is to share our
collective belief in the power of public education and to celebrate everything
that is right about our local schools and the people who make it so.
Visit
the CCSA
Champion award web page for information on submitting a nomination,
nomination criteria, selection criteria, and application process. Completed
forms are due no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1.
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Grant Opportunity: Education Innovation and
Research Programs
The Office of Innovation and Improvement is
providing grant funding totaling $15M to create, develop, implement, replicate
or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations
to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students. A 10
percent in-kind fund match is required.
The deadline to apply for these
early-phase, mid-phase and expansion grants is April 13.
For more information click on the appropriate
link(s): Early-phase
Grants, Mid-phase
Grants, and Expansion
Grants.
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