Latest ESSA Plan Draft Scrutinized by State Board

Facing a mid-September deadline, members of the State Board of Education raised a host of concerns during their regular August meeting about the state’s latest draft plan under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. Among their concerns: too much emphasis on status-quo performance measures such as standardized test scores, too little attention to other measures like chronic absenteeism and low expectations for gains by historically underperforming groups of students.

The state’s ESSA plan is due to the U.S. Department of Education by Sept. 18, after a final approval by the State Board early in the month. Superintendent Mark Johnson urged board members to weigh in with any additional proposed revisions during the next few weeks. The latest draft has been submitted to Gov. Roy Cooper for his review.

DPI’S Federal Policy Director Lou Fabrizio reminded the board that the performance measures included in the current plan were decided by the General Assembly in this year’s budget bill, leaving the board will little latitude to make changes in the ESSA plan. However, Fabrizio said, the board can add other measures, such as chronic absenteeism, to the state’s school report cards or to measures that track statewide performance on a number of indicators in its strategic plan.

Fabrizio said that annual goals for gains by student subgroups have been increased in the latest draft plan, and that the board will be able to request revisions after the first three years of the 10-year plan.

State Board Approves Funding Plan for Advanced Teaching Pilot

The State Board of Education approved a funding scenario at its August meeting to launch a pilot program in six school districts to pay teachers based on advanced leadership roles or student performance. The General Assembly directed the development of the three-year initiative in its 2016 budget bill and provided $10.18 million in funding to begin in the 2017-18 school year.

In response to a request for proposals from the NC Department of Public Instruction, 12 school districts submitted bids for funding under this pilot program: Franklin County Schools, Cumberland County Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Pitt County Schools, Washington County Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Wilson County Schools, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Vance County Schools, Cabarrus County Schools, Edgecombe County Schools, and Durham County Schools.

A team of 11 reviewers rated each proposal based on scoring criteria listed in the RFP, and the following proposals were approved for funding: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, 
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Edgecombe County Schools, Pitt County Schools, Vance County Schools and Washington County Schools. 

The initiative is aimed at developing a system that provides more opportunities for teachers to earn higher pay based on performance-related factors instead of years of service.

Board Welcomes New Teacher and Principal Advisors

North Carolina’s new teacher and principal of the year for 2017 joined the board at its August meeting in advisory roles for the coming year.

Joining as teacher advisor is Lisa Godwin, an Onslow County kindergarten teacher, beginning her fourth year teaching at Dixon Elementary School in Holly Ridge, where she returned to the classroom in 2014 after working as an assistant principal for four and a half years in Onslow and Lee county schools.

The new principal advisor is Jason Griffin, principal of Hertford Grammar School in Perquimans County. Griffin joined the faculty at Hertford Grammar in 2011 as a third-grade teacher and served as dean of students before being named principal. He was previously a second-grade teacher at Perquimans Central School, from 2008-2011, and started his education career in 2002 as a third-grade teacher at E.J. Hayes Elementary School in Martin County, where he taught for six years.