State Board of Education Meeting
Begins Today

The North Carolina State Board of Education will meet today through Thursday, May 30-June 1, in the 7th Floor Board Room, Education Building, Raleigh.

This morning, Board members continued their planning/work session during which they received feedback from various education stakeholders (Business and Community, Charter School, Early Childhood Education, Institutions of Higher Education, Local Boards of Education, Principals and Teachers) on specific sections of the state’s draft Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan suitable for their designated group’s topic. Topics included Long-Term Goals and Interim Progress for Academic Achievement Growth, Graduation Rates and Measurements of Interim Progress; Supporting Effective Instruction and School Transitions; and School Conditions, School Transitions, English Language Learners, Rural and Low-Income School Programs, and Transitions Between Correctional Facilities and Local Programs.

Tomorrow, Board members will discuss all agenda items (unless otherwise noted) in their committee meetings and take action as appropriate during their full Board meeting on Thursday. Action items include Extended Content English Language Arts K-12, K-8 Mathematics Standard Course of Study revisions, amendment to General Licensure Requirements Policy to indicate specific World Languages, Licensure Renewal Policy to address digital learning competencies for teachers and administrators, recommendations for charter schools proposing to open in 2018-19, and Lab Schools to open in 2017.

Discussion items include addition of Cambridge International courses and amendment to associated State Board policies, update to Occupational Course of Study graduation requirement, amendment to the Career and Technical Education alternative licensing, amendment to licensure renewal requirements policy, and reform models restart applications

Also on Thursday, Board members will recognize STEM schools achieving Model School of Distinction and Prepared School of Distinction designations and the Society of Health and Physical Educators’ National Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year Lara Brickhouse (Durham Public Schools).

The agendas for these meetings and executive summaries are available online (under Meetings tab). The State Board’s committee meetings and full Board meeting are audio streamed for those who can’t attend.

House Budget Webinar Reminder

As a reminder, a webinar will be held this Friday, June 2, at 1 p.m., to address the House budget.

The webinar is going to be longer than usual and will be held in two, roughly one-hour segments. The first segment will cover budget/finance and the second segment will cover policy concerns. There will be a brief break in the middle. Feel free to attend either segment (budget or policy) or both.

Please share this information with others in your central office who would benefit from participating. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

NCVPS Stakeholder Survey

The North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) is conducting its annual Stakeholder Survey. This survey is designed to assess NCVPS customer service, processes and partnership efforts.

Survey results are one component of NCVPS’s ongoing process for improvement in collaboration with districts statewide. Results also provide insightful information to create positive change, improved processes and optimal customer service.

The survey window closes June 9. If you have any questions, please contact NCVPS Director of Outreach and Support Mia Murphy.

Multi-Tiered System of Support:
End-of-Year Follow-up Sessions

As the school year comes to a close, District Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) teams are gearing up to attend follow-up sessions where they will reflect on MTSS moodle content, prioritize milestones and develop action steps toward full implementation.

Depending on the district size or charter structure, these MTSS teams are made up of associate superintendents, assistant superintendents, ESL directors, curriculum directors, exceptional children directors, federal program directors, testing directors, student support directors, CTE directors, curriculum coaches, behavior specialists, principals, school counselors and teachers. 

Attendees at the regional follow-up sessions will use Gantt charts to map six months to a year of planning in order to address selected implementation items. Some of the action steps noted from the first meeting for Cohorts 3 and 4 included:

*  developing a communication plan for teams;

*  training schools in a problem-solving model;

*  defining core instruction;

*  providing professional development for teachers; and

*  completing the assessment inventory.

While building a MTSS for each student in your district clearly takes conversations about engaging academic instruction, it also requires effective teaming structures, strategic communication, consistent problem solving around resources, and effective use of all data. Staff commend the MTSS teams for their dedication to school improvement, and thank superintendents for providing the vision and support these teams require to engage in building a MTSS.

For further assistance, please contact NCDPI Director of Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems Amy Jablonski.

New North Carolina Educator Evaluation System (NCEES) Resources

*  Questions for Post-Observation Conference and Summative Evaluation (updated May 2017) This is an updated resource for principals to use during post observation conferences and summative evaluations. These questions are element specific and provide rich talking points relevant to the N.C. Professional Teaching Standards.

*  Questions for NC School Executive Standards (May 2017) This is a new resource developed at the request of superintendents. These questions are element specific and provide talking points to support the professional growth of principals and assistant principals within the N.C. evaluation process.

If you have any questions about these new resources, please contact NCEES consultant Kimberly Simmons.