TWC Survey extended; ends Wednesday
If your district was planning a
late push to boost your completion percentage for the Teacher Working
Conditions Survey, now is the time. The survey deadline, 11:59 p.m. on
April 4, will not be extended again.
The current 90 percent completion
rate for the Teacher Working Conditions survey is the highest ever for North
Carolina, but we still have a few days left to beat Kentucky’s record-high
91 percent.
The schools that
reach 100 percent participation will be entered into a live
drawing for prizes at 10:15 on Thursday, April 5. Watch the
drawing live on Facebook.
School-based administrators
should go to www.ncteachingconditions.org
with their anonymous access code to take the survey. Check school- and district-level
completion rates here.
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 Every Child
Accountability Tracking System
What you need to know about the April
pilot and the July rollout of the new ECATS system
The changeover
of the statewide tracking system for Exceptional Children is under way. The new
system – which will satisfy federal requirements under the Every Student Succeeds
Act – will encompass special education case management, services
documentation, Multi-Tiered System of Support for student support and planning,
and data analysis and reporting.
In preparation
for the July 2018 statewide rollout of the new system, called the Every Child
Accountability Tracking System (ECATS), as well as the contemporaneous
sunsetting of CECAS, DPI is initiating a pilot involving 16 LEAs in the coming
weeks.
We will continue
to keep superintendents informed about the pilot and the overall transition.
The ECATS delivery team has established a resources
page on DPI’s website that includes a continually updated FAQ document that can answer many questions about the
transition, the new system, and the sunsetting of CECAS.
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Exploring Innovation in NC Public Schools conference April 30
Conference is free; registration
deadline April 13
Superintendent Mark Johnson will
join Buddy Berry of Kentucky’s Eminence Independent Schools and other education
leaders April 30 for the Exploring Innovation in NC Public Schools conference,
hosted by Watson College of Education, UNC Wilmington.
This timely and relevant
conference will explore innovative programs and practices and identify opportunities
and obstacles regarding making innovation a priority in N.C. public schools.
The conference agenda is available here. Registration is
FREE, but please register by Friday, April 13.
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AP credit policies at UNC System schools
Advanced Placement Exam credit and
placement policies vary by college in North Carolina, so who accepts what can
be confusing for educators and students. In response, The College Board has
developed an initial overview of Advanced Placement credit policies at North
Carolina's public universities.
Your counselors and AP Contacts have
received the policy grid, outlining the current scores accepted for AP exams
the 16 UNC institutions.
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21st Century Community Learning Centers grants
DPI has issued the 20218-19
request for proposals for the 2018-19 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC)
competitive grant program. Any public or private organization is eligible to
apply for a 21st CCLC grant. Agencies and organizations eligible include LEAs,
nonprofit agencies, city or county government agencies, faith-based
organizations, institutions of higher education, and for-profit organizations.
The 21st CCLC grants
support the creation of community learning centers that provide academic-enrichment
opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who
attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. The program helps students
meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as
reading and math; offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that
can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other
educational services to the families of participating children.
Organizations that intend to apply
are asked to submit an Intent to Apply form by April 30 to ensure enough
reviewers for the evaluation process. Completed forms should be submitted to richard.trantham@dpi.nc.gov or
faxed to 919-807-3968. Please
note that the submission of this form is not a prerequisite for application of
grant funds, nor does it obligate the organization to apply.
The Intent to Apply form, the
2018-19 RFP including application guidance, application worksheets, and other
resources are available on the 21st
CCLC webpage. If you have any questions, please contact donna.brown@dpi.nc.gov.
 Upcoming myFutureNC listening sessions
MyFutureNC, a statewide education commission focusing on educational attainment for all North Carolinians, is holding a series of eight listening sessions throughout the state designed to hear from communities about what they perceive as their region’s economic strengths and identify the education opportunities that are most needed to capitalize on those strengths.
The next two sessions are listed below:
Northeast – April 19
Museum of the Albemarle (501 South Water Street, Elizabeth City)
Local Focus: The principals’ perspective: Guests TBD — potentials include Michelle White (Region 1 Principal of the Year; D. F. Walker Elementary, Edenton-Chowan County); Steve Basnight (J P Knapp Early College, Currituck County); Steve Lassiter (Assistant Superintendent, Pasquotank County)
Region 4 – May 3
Owens Auditorium, Sandhills Community College (3395 Airport Rd, Pinehurst)
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Federal Small, Rural School Achievement (SRSA) grant application now available
The FY 2018 Small,
Rural School Achievement (SRSA) grant application is available in Grants.gov through April 20. Only LEAs that are
SRSA-eligible, Hold Harmless-eligible, or dual-eligible and want to receive the
SRSA grant should apply in Grants.gov. Please check the FY 2018 REAP Eligibility Spreadsheet to find
your LEA's eligibility status.
To access the SRSA
application in Grants.gov, search for Opportunity Number ED-GRANTS-022018-001 in
the Grants.gov search bar. If you need assistance with
Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov help desk at 1-800-518-4726..
 Submit student artwork!
State Superintendent’s Arts Initiative
State State Superintendent Mark Johnson is sponsoring a statewide
arts initiative. The Superintendent’s Arts Initiative is an opportunity to
recognize student artists and to encourage participation in all of the arts
throughout the state, as well as in each school district and charter school. Districts
may submit one work each.
The initiative is open to all K-12 public school students in
all arts disciplines (dance, music, theatre arts, and visual arts.) All
two-dimensional artwork, such as painting, drawing, printmaking, and
photography, will be displayed permanently at the Department of Public
Instruction building in Raleigh.
Artwork can be mailed to the department or brought in person
to the Superintendent’s Quarterly meeting at the Embassy Suites Concord on
April 18. In order to be displayed, the Student Release Form and Originality
Certification need to be completed and must accompany the artwork. Download the
necessary forms and find more information at this
link or contact Slater Mapp.
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 DPI Seeks Proposals for Coding and Mobile App
Grants
DPI is now
accepting grant applications for a new round of the state’s Coding and Mobile
App Development competitive grant program, totaling $800,000 in awards for the 2018-19
school year.
The second year of the
initiative will fund up to $80,000 per school to provide opportunities for
middle and high school students to learn computer science, coding and mobile
app development
The deadline for schools to
submit applications is May 15. School districts and
charter schools can use grant funds to purchase equipment, digital materials,
and for other purposes, including teacher professional development. Grant
recipients will be announced in the summer and will implement their programs in
the fall. Applications and instructions are available here.
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