NCDPI Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates
Web Links:
Important Resources for Charter Schools: (Please Read)
Please click on each link.
Charter School Diabetes Memo
Charter School Epinephrine Memo
Professional Development Corner (PD)
Come and check out the happenings on our PD website!
https://www.smore.com/z7vg5
The Scoop with Coop
The Scoop with Coop is a newsletter that focuses on the North Carolina Charter School Renewal process. In addition, this letter provides insight on a variety of charter school topics to assist our leaders and readers alike! https://www.smore.com/8hcf9
Charter School Average Daily Membership (CSADM) Projections for FY 2020-21 Due November 13, 2019
All Charter, Regional, and UNC Lab Schools with current year enrollment are required to report regardless of their intent to request a material increase in enrollment or grade expansion.
The CSADM Projection System for FY 2020-2021 will be available beginning November 1, 2019. The CSADM link will be accessible on the FBS home page under “What’s New” at www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs/ and also on the FBS Charter Schools Financial Operations page at www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs/charterschools/.
Phase 0 – Material Increase in Average Daily Membership (ADM) and/or Grade Expansion for FY 2020-2021 is due November 13, 2019.
Requests must be electronically submitted using the online CSADM Projection System. See www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs/charterschools/ for more details.
If you have questions about the CSADM, please contact Angela Harrison, 919.807.3734 or angela.harrison@dpi.nc.gov.
Performance Framework
One more item in Epicenter = one less place to submit your stuff! The English Learning division at DPI has joined OCS in using Epicenter. Keep an eye out for the A5.EL LIEP item showing up on November 1st. If you have at least 1 EL student in your school based on the October 1 headcount, be sure to follow the guidance provided and upload your LIEP Service Chart in Epicenter by December 13th.
Did You Know?
High school graduation requirements for social studies are undergoing changes due to Session Law 2019-82 (HB 924) that passed this year. Our office recommends reviewing the law here: https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2019/Bills/House/PDF/H924v7.pdf. The K-12 Standards, Curriculum, and Instruction team here at DPI is currently working on revising graduation requirements to meet the standards set in law.
More information will be forthcoming as the work continues. In the meantime, please feel free to contact the Social Studies team her at DPI and monitor the website for updates. http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/socialstudies/directory/
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Epicenter Tip Center
What should you do when an Epicenter user is no longer with your school?
DO NOT replace the user’s account information with a new name. This would replace all old timestamped activity from the former user to the new user and create an incorrect history. In addition, it causes login problems.
Instead, you should do the following:
- If you already made a change – change the previous person's account back to normal (name, email, and sign-in email).
- Ask the North Carolina Office of Charter Schools to deactivate/delete the previous user.
- Ask the North Carolina Office of Charter Schools for a new account by sending the new user’s name, position, and email address to OCS.
NC ACCESS Program Information and Application Training Sessions
Contact: NCACCESS@dpi.nc.gov
The second application cycle of the NC ACCESS Subgrant Program is coming soon! The NC ACCESS team is holding several in-person technical assistance information and application training sessions from October 2019-January 2020 to assist prospective applicants with the subgrant application process.
Please note that each 2-hour session will consists of two parts: hour one is an informational session outlining the NC ACCESS Subgrant Program and its requirements, and hour two is an in-depth application training. Sessions with no registrants will be cancelled 24 hours prior to the training.
Learn more and view the full training schedule on our website or register for a training here.
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2020 NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey
We want the leaders of our Charter Schools in North Carolina to connect the latest research-based strategies for improving student success and for keeping our best teachers.
That is why we are so excited about participating in the 2020 NC TWC survey! The latest research from more than 16 states, including North Carolina, shows the STRONG connection to leadership questions and student achievement.
By participating in the 2020 survey, our Charter school educators can share their voices on what they need to do their jobs well. Once the results are in, our charter schools will have access to a new toolkit designed to help individual schools analyze their own data, unique to their own charter school, as a school improvement strategy.
Help keep NC Charter Schools a leader in innovation by taking 20 minutes to complete the anonymous survey March 2-31!
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Charter Schools at ocs@dpi.nc.gov
Charter School Leadership Institute 2019
Over 200 charter school leaders attended the 2019 Charter School Leadership Institute hosted by Envision Science Academy.
SBE member Amy White
Deputy Superintendent of Innovation Dr. David Stegall
NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Updates
Web Link:
2019 MTSSFunding.pdf
Financial and Business Services Newsletter
Please click on the link below for important financial information
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs/
Reminder: SIS Survey is here
This is a gentle reminder to complete the SIS Modernization Survey. The survey closes at midnight on October 29, 2019. Please disregard this email if you have already completed the survey.
Link to SIS Modernization Survey
If you have any questions about this survey, please email us at - SISModernization@dpi.nc.gov.
Thank you for your assistance and continued support.
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Cash Management and MSA Training (Charter Schools)
We will have a Cash Management and MSA training class for Charter Schools on Wednesday, November 13, 2019 at the Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh, NC, Room #564 from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. There is no registration fee for the class, but you must register to attend. The class is designed for those who work in the charter school’s finance office. The class consists of "Hands-on" training with the emphasis on understanding the monthly financial reports, a brief lecture on Compliance & Monitoring, and a brief overview of the Cash Management System. Instruction is geared to the beginner or new user and as a refresher for others. There are only a certain number of seats in the training room, so limited space is available on a first come, first serve basis.
If you would like to attend this class, please provide your name, email address, charter school name, charter school number and email Roxane Bernard at roxane.bernard@dpi.nc.gov. If you have questions, please call Roxane Bernard at 919-807-3725. You will be notified by email when you have been successfully registered for the training class.
Summer Reading Camps State PRC 016 – All public schools
The last day to record eligible expenditures for Summer Reading Camps – State PRC 016 is Thursday, October 31, 2019. The state funding is from carry over from July 1, 2019. Any unexpended funds as of October 31, 2019, will revert to the State.
Please make sure that you use valid account codes to record your state expenditures
If you have questions, please contact Roxane Bernard at roxane.bernard@dpi.nc.gov.
Social Emotional Learning Report
Here are two very simple ways to support your staff with professional development around Social Emotional Learning and behavior practices. The IABS Division is hosting monthly Slow Chats to appeal to your very packed schedules. This October Twitter Chat already happened, but the transcript is available for your team to review. Your teams will be able to read terrific ideas from other educators on the topic of Social Emotional Learning. The November #ncmtsschat is going to be all about effective behavior practices. Please share this Save the Date with your staff.
Please contact your MTSS Consultant or email integratedsystems@dpi.nc.gov if you are interested in additional support with MTSS professional development and implementation .
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Read to Achieve Update
The K-3 Literacy Team would like to thank each of you for your continued support as we have updated all RtA documents, resources, and information for the 2019-2020 school year. We are grateful for valuable input from stakeholders, as well as the collaborative efforts with districts, experts in the field, and divisions across the Agency.
Below you will find the link to the newly created Read to Achieve Repository, which replaces the RtA Livebinder that has been available in past years. The RtA Guidebook and FAQs are important parts of the repository and are living documents. The repository will be updated as needed and include any new RtA Legislation and information as it becomes available.
Please share this resource with all K-3 teachers and district/school leaders. If you have any questions about the RtA Repository, please contact tonia.parrish@dpi.nc.gov
NEW! Read to Achieve Repository, http://bit.ly/ncrta This NEW resource includes: • RtA Guidebook • RtA FAQs • Third Grade Portfolio Summary Sheet • Alternative Assessments List • Other RtA Resources
Reporting for Year-Round and Traditional Schools in Istation
Within North Carolina, approximately 27% of schools start in the month of July and 73% of schools start in August. Istation’s reporting takes the first month of school as a data input in reporting; it helps to determine the Instructional Tier Goals and percentiles for students. For example, in the month of September, a student that starts at a year-round school in July will have a slightly higher performance goal than a student who starts a traditional school year in August, because the year-round student will have been receiving instruction for an additional month.
To ensure schools are seeing the Tier Goals for their students as is applicable to their starting month of school, Istation will be updating the information in the system on a go forward basis starting on November 1, 2019. This means that on a campus-level basis, schools that start in July will be denoted as such (this has been the case all year) and schools that start in August will also be denoted as such (their default start month was July, so these schools will see a slight change). This will ensure accurate instructional periods for decision making and EVAAS purposes. The Instructional Tier Goals for Istation can be found in the teacher portal behind the login under the “Toolbox Menu”.
Levels Reporting
Exciting update.......to align to Levels of proficiency outlined in the Guidebook and to give the utmost clarity in instructional practices needed to support students, the Istation reports will now appear in five Levels. Please attend one of the live webinars scheduled next week for more information.
Online Training Opportunities
North Carolina: G.Y.M. Workout - 1 hour Ed-Tech Webinar
Join us as we take a look at Goals You Measure! We will work through key reports, analyzing, validating, and using the data for instruction and intervention.
Wednesday, October 30 - 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Wednesday, November 6 - 10:00 am - 11;00 am
Tuesday, November 12 - 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Friday, November 15 - 10:00 am - 11:00 pm
2020-21 Course Code Requests
The window for requesting new 2020-21 Course Codes is open and will remain open until November 13, 2019. If you have any specific course code requests for the 2020-21 school year or have general ideas for how we can improve the statewide course code system, please be sure to submit a response by the deadline. If you have any questions or concerns related to the survey, please contact Brandon Young at
919-807-3655 or brandon.young@dpi.nc.gov
Request Link
October 2019 AP/IB/CIE update for Charter Schools
Dear AP/IB/CIE Colleagues,
As we near the end of the quarter, I hope that everything has gone smoothly for you.
This update has a lot of pertinent information included. Now that this year is underway, it is also time to look forward to the needs of next school year's students and their schedules. It is time to make new course codes requests for 2020-2021. Again this year, funds to "Broaden Successful Participation in Advanced Courses" are provided to ensure funding obstacles are removed for students taking Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Cambridge International exams. Also, we are nearing registration deadlines as we prepare students for college-level work. Through AP2019, College Board has a new registration process, and there are reminders included below.
Exam Fee Guidance
The October 2019 NC Exam and Registration Fees Guidance explains the process regarding payment of 2019-20 AP/IB/AICE Exam and Registration fees. Please note two changes in processing for the 2019-2020 school year:
- Invoicing process for College Board's Advanced Placement exams
- May billing process for International Baccalaureate schools to include May exam session no shows
Please find attached (below) the 2019 NC Exam and Registration Fees Guidance document.
Advanced Placement Update
AP Exam Orders
A reminder that AP exam orders for full year/ first semester AP courses must be submitted by November 15 in the AP Registration and Ordering System. If your exam order is ready in AP Registration and Ordering, we encourage you to submit the order today. You'll still be able to submit changes to your order until the final ordering deadline of November 15, 11:59 p.m. without incurring late order or cancellation fees.
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI) will pay for AP Exams for two categories of public school students enrolled in an AP course who then take the respective AP Exam: fee-reduced students and standard-fee students. Please note that NC DPI will not pay for AP Exams taken by private school students, homeschooled students, or students who were not enrolled in the AP course.
What Schools Must Do: Before the Exams
Indicate Student Fee Reduction Status
Indicate each student’s fee reduction status in AP Registration and Ordering. This replaces bubbling in students’ fee reduction status on their answer sheets.
For your invoice to accurately reflect the appropriate fee reductions, the AP coordinator must indicate “Reduced” in the AP Fee Status column of the student roster in AP Registration and Ordering for each student who qualifies for the College Board fee reduction. The AP coordinator should leave the AP Fee Status as the default “Standard” for students who do not qualify for the College Board fee reduction.
It’s recommended that the AP coordinator indicate the fee reduction status for AP students taking exams before submitting their school’s AP Exam order. However, if the AP coordinator needs more time to verify this information, the deadline to indicate students’ fee reduction status in AP Registration and Ordering is April 30, 2020 (11:59 p.m. ET). Students’ fee reduction status must be accurately indicated in AP Registration and Ordering to ensure accuracy of the final invoice.
Indicate Student Course Enrollment Status
North Carolina public school students are only eligible to receive the state funding if they were enrolled in the corresponding AP course. Students who are indicated as “Exam Only” in APRO will not receive the state subsidies and schools will need to pay the College Board for their exams.
For virtual school students, the virtual school must become a recognized virtual provider through the AP Course Audit, then make sure to enroll all students taking the AP course in APRO. As long as the virtual school enrolls these students as taking the course, the system will automatically apply the state subsidies for the corresponding AP Exams. If the virtual school fails to enroll the students, they will be considered “Exam Only” in the system and will not receive the state subsidies for their exams.
For private school, homeschool, IB, or self-study students who did not take the corresponding AP course, the AP coordinator should indicate these students as “Exam Only” in APRO.
What Schools Must Do: After the Exams
AP coordinators no longer need to generate the final invoice. The invoice is directly generated by AP Registration and Ordering and emailed to the AP coordinator after the late-testing administration ends. College Board will bill NC DPI directly for its share of the qualifying students' AP Exam fees.
AP coordinators must send payment to the College Board for any ancillary fees incurred (unused/canceled exam fees, etc. not covered by NCDPI), as well as for exams for homeschooled students, private school students, or students who were not enrolled in the corresponding AP course. June 15, 2020, is the postmark deadline for any payment owed to College Board. It is not necessary to send a copy of your school’s invoice to NC DPI.
For more information about Advanced Placement, contact Kathleen Koch, Senior Director NC AP Partnership, email: kkoch@collegeboard.org phone: 704-534-6455.
Celebrating International Education Week (IEW)
Join the NC Department of Public Instruction in celebrating International Education Week (IEW) November 4 - 8, 2019! IEW is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. IEW is part of the effort to promote Global Education in North Carolina.
A variety of IEW events are planned, including free workshops, a Twitter chat, State Board of Education recognitions, and more! See the list of events for more information.
Share the linked flyer with colleagues and celebrate with us! Be sure to share how you’re celebrating IEW on social media using #NCIEW, #NCisGlobal, and @NCGlobalEd!
Celebrate International Education Week through our #NCisGlobal chat on Nov. 7 from 8-9 PM! This chat is co-hosted by @NCGlobalEd, @isa_clacs, @unceurope, @uncnavigators, @UNC_CMEIS, @DukeMideast, @UNCAsiaCenter, and @UNCafrica and will follow the Q1/A1 format.
See the questions linked below. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CjxPH-bD779CxfHGamlNaQPrItihUeND/view?usp=sharing
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Review the attached memo regarding MTSS Funding for 2019-20
2019 MTSSFunding.pdf
Data Request from Disability Rights
NCDPI is currently being advised internally on what data contained in the request from Disability Rights North Carolina may be obtained in a statewide data pull. If the data is available, this will be communicated through our listserv as soon as it is confirmed. For the time being, to prevent duplicative work to fulfill this request, LEAs are advised to delay action until receiving additional communication from NCDPI within the next 5 to 7 business days.
ELA Extended Content Standards
NCDPI is providing a unique opportunity for professionals across the state to utilize their expertise to enhance the education of students with significant cognitive disabilities. Please review the attached memo and application for more information.
Learning progression application.docx
Stretching the ELA Extended Content Standards.pdf
IPT Training/Certification for PowerSchool Support - Update
The virtual session for the IPT certification course for the week of Nov 18 - 22, 2019 is now full and on a wait-list. The session being held Dec 2 - 6, 2019 at NCDPI is also full and on a wait-list. If you selected to be added to a wait-list, and you are required to take training due to failing or not attempting the test, NCDPI would highly recommend you make other arrangements to attend an available training session. If you have not attempted the test on your own and would like to, there is still time. October 31, 2019 is the deadline to request the testing link and attempt the test on your own. If you would like to request the link you may do so by completing the Initial Product Training Test Link Request.
Key Points:
- If you have registered for a training session, you are expected to attend the training session. Although training is being provided at no cost to your PSU, NCDPI is incurring a substantial cost for each of these training sessions.
- If you are registered for a training session and do not attend, your PSU (or entity) may be responsible for the cost of your seat in that session.
- If you will not be able to attend the training session you registered for, please contact NCDPI at least 7 business days before the start of the session.
- If you need to update your registration please do not submit another request via the Google Form. Contact tessa.parker@dpi.nc.gov to receive your unique URL to edit/update your form response. Multiple registrations for different sessions by the same person will not be accepted; your most recent submission will be the only valid submission.
Please note: In an effort to consolidate training locations and dates we have canceled many scheduled training dates. If you were scheduled for one of the canceled trainings you have been notified via email by Tessa Parker Hine. If you are scheduled for a training date/location that has been canceled and you need to update your registration, please reach out to Tessa Parker Hine to receive your unique URL to update your registration.
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Retention/Promotion (RP) 2019-20 Collection Reminder
RP collects retention and promotion data for students that were in membership on the last instructional day of the 2018-19 school year. The RP collection period expires October 27, 2019. Please run the report in PowerSchool, review the data for accuracy, and approve. For technical issues with the report, please submit a ticket to PowerSchool Support at http://help.powerschool.com or call 1-855-339-4790. Please forward a copy of the email confirmation from PowerSchool Support to studentaccounting@dpi.nc.gov. All other questions pertaining to RP reporting can also be sent to this email.
ECATS Loading Historical Assessments
PowerSchool assessments from previous school years will be pulled and loaded into ECATS beginning October 28, 2019. This data is needed to inform the Special Education process when students are referred for evaluation and as preparation for the MTSS module. PowerSchool data managers are requested to transfer data for currently enrolled students from previous LEAs into their own LEA by Friday, October 25. This is a one-time pull of historical assessments; therefore, this data load into ECATS will occur only once.
Military Recruitment Data Collection
The Military Recruitment Data Collection (student directory) deadline for inputs and outputs is Thursday, October 31. The data pull will be based on two values:
- The value of the 'No Military Recruitment' field in the student record - on the 'Other Information' page.
- The value of the 'Release of Information' field.
NCDPI is requesting for the data to be set according to the above criteria BEFORE Nov. 1, 2019. The following QRD can assist in this work endeavor: http://www.nc-sis.org/Documents/student_info/PS_QRD_Military_Recruitment_v2.pdf.
Other News
Immunization and Health Assessment Compliance Reporting
Each year, all schools are required to report the immunization status of their kindergarten and 7th grade students, according to G.S. 130A-155(c) and G.S. 130A-440. The purpose of these reports is to ensure that all children enrolled in North Carolina schools are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases and to determine the number of children who meet state immunization requirements. Additionally, all North Carolina public and public charter schools are required annually to report on the status of Health Assessments for those students who are enrolling for the first time in a North Carolina public or public charter school (G.S. 130A-441(c)).
Report submission can take place after the 30th calendar day from the school’s official first day. A combined compliance report is available this year, by school name, and must be completed on-line at this link: Annual Health Assessment and Immunization Report. You may use the link to access instructions as well as worksheets to gather your responses prior to entering the online report. Compliance reports are due no later than November 1, 2019 but may be completed at any time prior to that date.
Communication From The Consultant
The Technical Assistance Summary provides valuable school health information. School Health Coordinators and/or School Nurses are encouraged to review this quarterly circular so you can stay up-to-date with news and announcements from the Charter School Health Nurse Consultant.
Annette Darden Richardson, MSN, RN, NCSN
Charter School Health Nurse Consultant
Division of Public Health - Children and Youth Branch
NC Department of Health and Human Services
Office: 252-339-3009
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North Carolina Homeless Education Program
Regional Compliance Forums
NCHEP Regional Compliance Forums will be held during October and November for liaisons in all NC LEAs and charter schools. The appointed homeless liaison in a charter school and in an LEA is required to attend the compliance forum per U.S.C. § 11432(g)(1)(F)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Act. Dates, locations and registration information are available on the NCHEP website. Additional questions should be directed to your Program Specialist.
Disaster Tracking Reminder
Any LEA which had students displaced or has received students who were displaced from any US or Bahama location by Hurricane Dorian will not only need to track those identifications in PowerSchool, but will also need to maintain a list using the “LEA Disaster Tracking Log” provided by NCHEP. This form, along with other disaster preparation and response resources, can be accessed on the NCHEP website.
REMINDER: DON'T FORGET
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Data Collection: The homeless module in PowerSchool has not opened yet. As soon as the 2019-2020SY collection has been opened, NCHEP will notify LEAs through Listserv and will post the opening on the NCHEP website. In the interim, please continue to log identifications into your local tracking tool. Data collection resources and training materials are available on the NCHEP data collection webpage.
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Liaison Updates: Changes in homeless liaison contact information or changes in liaison designations should be made through the following portal as soon as possible to ensure that pertinent NCHEP communications reach you and to ensure that our website listing of liaisons is up to date.
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McKinney-Vento Web Posting: All liaisons should ensure that their LEA McKinney-Vento web posting link is still active and accurate within the liaison listing on the NCHEP website. Updated web links can be provided through the following portal.
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New Homeless Liaison Training Resources: Resources from these fall trainings are now posted on the New Homeless Liaison Compliance Training web page.
2019 NAEHCY Conference: Registration is still open for the 2019 NAEHCY (National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth) Conference to be held in Washington, DC. Details of the conference can be found on the NAEHCY website.
Higher Education News
SchoolHouse Connection’s 2019 scholarship application is currently open through their Youth Leadership and Scholarship Program. The application deadline is November 10, 2019, 11:59 pm PST.
Lisa Phillips
State Coordinator for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth
NC Department of Public Instruction
Office of the Deputy State Superintendent of Innovation
Federal Program Monitoring and Support Division
The SERVE Center at UNCG
336-315-7491
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