Did you know……. Expansion and Enrollment Increase Guidelines     School boards and administrative teams should be familiar with the requirements surrounding annual expansion and enrollment increases (https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_115C/GS_115C-218.7.pdf) and (https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_115C/GS_115C-218.8.pdf).     A charter school may increase its enrollment by 30% each year (or 20% for low-performing schools). The only exception is for those schools that may have higher enrollment projections outlined in the original charter, in which case the school may “revert” back to those numbers. All of this information should be outlined in the CSADM system. Any request above those percentages must be approved by the State Board of Education and this request is prompted in the CSADM system. Grade expansion is also regulated by statute (see section 218.8 above).   Certain expansions are considered “nonmaterial” meaning the school does not need to seek SBE approval, and others require SBE approval (for example, multiple grade level growth not outlined in the original charter). State Board approved expansion or enrollment requests require an amendment. All expansion and enrollment requests for the 2020-21 school year should have been submitted by now so the CSADM system (which is used for funding and allotments) can be finalized with the correct figures.   If your school needs to seek approval, and has not yet contacted our office, please do so immediately so the process can begin. It takes a minimum of three months. Please contact Ashley Baquero at 919-807-3979 or Ashley.baquero@dpi.nc.gov.

Performance Framework Report for 2019

Dear Charter School Directors, the 2019 Performance Framework data has been compiled and your individual draft reports will be posted in Epicenter by January 17th.  An accompanying Performance Framework Report Verification item will allow you to directly submit evidence of any corrections that you believe need to be made.  There will be a 2 week window for correction through evidence submitted in the form that will close on January 31st.

SPOTLIGHTS on OCS   Professional Learning 101 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

NC ACCESS Subgrant Application Info   The 2019-2020 NC ACCESS Subgrant Application is available on the NC ACCESS Program Website. Letters of Intent must be emailed to NCACCESS@dpi.nc.gov by January 15, 2020.  Applications are due by 5pm in Epicenter on March 1, 2020.    For all NC ACCESS Program questions, please contact us at NCACCESS@dpi.nc.gov or 919.807.3981.

Required Planning Year Sessions Opportunities

Board members from charter schools that are opening in 2020 are required to attend 5 face-to-face Planning Year Sessions from September to January.  The school leader and some of the board members are also required to attend the New Charter School Leaders Institute in June.  As a customer service, the Office of Charter Schools continues to open up these sessions to all charter schools.  If you have a new school leader and/or a new board member interested in attending any of the sessions, he or she must register to attend.  Please note the schedule below:

Registration is now open for the January session.  Registration ends on Sunday, January 19, 2020.  Please use this link to register:

https://forms.gle/d445czthdD4GdESGA

For questions, please contact Dr. Kebbler Williams at kebbler.williams@dpi.nc.gov or 919-807-3920.

Early Registration Discounts to Fresh Take Conference

Fresh Take: Strategies for Student Success education conference is February 7, 2020 in Davidson, NC

Todd Whitaker's keynote is titled "What Great Educators Do Differently"

Visit our website to see all the details

Early registration and group discounts are available now

Register Now

#FreshTake2020

SAVE the DATE: March 9, 2020 to March 11, 2020 Charter School Connections Conference-Cullowhee   How can charter school teachers build networks of support for schools, staff, and students? With each charter school operating as an independent LEA, how do we form communities with other charter school educators to share best practices and increase community support?   Explore how teachers can better advocate for their specific school and charters in general and how to develop your own leadership style to help support school initiatives. Learn best practices in connecting students to digital learning and student leadership development through exploring personalized, project-based and flipped learning. Discuss ways to model these practices in your schools. Using a “make and take” model, participants will have time to develop a communication or networking plan, digital lessons, and project-based modules to share with your school.   CLICK HERE TO APPLY

FAFSA

Charter High School leaders and counselors:

FINISH the FAFSA!

What is it?

• FINISH the FAFSA Project (FtF) allows school counselors and other college access professionals to track the FAFSA completion status for all seniors in participating high schools.

How does it work?

• The Department of Public Instruction downloads the list of seniors and as one submits a FAFSA, it is also downloaded and matched with the senior list.

How is security of information maintained?

• No income or personal information such as social security numbers are accessible in the database. Only information necessary for a match is available: Student’s name, DOB, address, and school code.

• Authorized users of the database are designated by the superintendent of schools or designated entity (principal, director of guidance, etc.). Security procedures for student data are outlined in the Data Use Agreement.

How does a school district participate?

• In the case of a public charter school, the executive director or chair of the board of directors (the equivalent to a traditional public school superintendent) signs a Data Use Agreement that outlines the project and the use of the database. Articles of Incorporation for the charter school should be submitted with the signed Data Use Agreement

• An Authorized User Form includes the names, emails, and roles of all users. All users must have a CFNC ProCenter account as the ProCenter houses the database.

How is the FAFSA status tracked?

• The following fields are tracked in the data base:

o Name of senior

o Indication of submission of a FAFSA

o Indication of completion of a FAFSA

o Indication of student/parent signed FAFSA

o Errors and how to correct them

o Indication if the FAFSA is chosen for verification

How does this information increase FAFSA completion?

• Many times students will submit a FAFSA and assume it is complete. The FtF database informs the user if there is an incomplete FAFSA and why. The school counselor is then able to work with the student and family to complete or correct information. In the case of verification, many families do not follow through when more information is requested. The school counselor connects the family with the college’s financial aid department to provide information requested.

Some seniors indicate they do not want to continue their education beyond high school. Why should they complete a FAFSA?

• Each year hundreds of FAFSAs are filed a few months after high school graduation. Students change their minds about taking courses or attending a college in the following fall. Filing after grant deadlines reduces grant and scholarship opportunities.

• Filing a FAFSA provides the student and family with the amount of grant aid for which they are eligible. This information may be the impetus needed for a student to decide to continue education beyond high school.

• Filing a FAFSA gives the student an understanding of how to access financial aid resources whenever the student decides to attend a postsecondary educational program.

Who should I contact in order to participate?

The North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority (NCSEAA) and College Foundation, Inc. (CFI) partner to offer the FINISH the FAFSA Project. There is no cost to participate.

To receive the Data Use Agreement and Authorized User Form, contact Marcia Weston at mweston@ncseaa.edu. Training and ongoing support is provided by NCSEAA.

2020 SECU People Helping People Scholarship   Charter High School leaders:   It is time again to begin thinking about the 2020 SECU Foundation People Helping People Scholarship! Each year, $10,000.00 scholarships have been awarded to three graduating senior attending North Carolina Charter Schools.   These scholarships will be awarded to students attending one of the 16 constituent campuses of the University of North Carolina. Funds are made possible through the contributions to SECU Foundation by members of the State Employees’ Credit Union.    Please see the attached memo, Eligibility Criteria, Program Application and Consent Form linked below.   2020 Charter Schools People Helping People Memo   2020 Charter Schools People Helping People Eligibility Criteria   2020 Charter Schools People Helping People Operating Procedures   2020 Charter Schools People Helping People Consent Form   2020 Charter Schools People Helping People Application

NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Updates

Web Links:

ECATS: Monday Message

Please review the attached ECATS Monday Message.

20200106-MondayMessage.pdf

ECATS: New Policy – Autism Spectrum Disorder

Please review the attached documents regarding the new policy regarding the indentification of children suspected of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

AU Worksheet.docx

Memo.AU.ECATS.pdf

AUTipSheetECATS.pdf

MEMO: Implementation of the SB 199 Legislation Superintendents and Charter School Directors,   Please see the attached memo, implementation of the SB 199 legislation, from David Stegall, Deputy State Superintendent of Innovation.   Final SB 199 Memo.pdf

NCGA Cursive and Multiplication Report 2020 - DUE TODAY

Superintendents and Charter School Leaders received a unique Qualtrics survey link on Wednesday, December 11, 2019. Please work with your LEA or Charter team to ensure that only one survey is submitted for your district or school.  Please complete the survey by this Friday, January 10, 2020. The final report will be shared with the State Board of Education and submitted to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee in March 2020.  Thank you in advance for your help in meeting these deadlines. 

The purpose of this survey is to collect data regarding the measures taken by each LEA and charter school to implement the requirements of cursive writing and memorization of the multiplication tables pursuant to § 115C-81.81 instruction of cursive writing in grades 3-5 and the memorization of multiplication facts.

The law specifically addresses the following:   

Cursive Writing. - The standard course of study shall include the requirement that the public schools provide instruction in cursive writing so that students create readable documents through legible cursive handwriting by the end of fifth grade.

Multiplication Tables. - The standard course of study shall include the requirement that students enrolled in public schools memorize multiplication tables to demonstrate competency in efficiently multiplying numbers.    

When the email from Qualtrics was received, Superintendents or charter school leaders should have:

1. Downloaded the survey.
2. Designated one person from your district or school to complete and submit the online survey via the unique Qualtrics survey link by Friday, January 10, 2020.

For questions regarding the survey, please contact Dr. Kristi Day at  kristi.day@dpi.nc.gov.

Charter School Average Daily Membership (CSADM) Projections for FY 2020-2021 – Phase I Due January 24, 2020     All Charter, Regional, and UNC Lab Schools with current year enrollment are required to report.   ALL charter school Executive Directors are required to submit between January 13 – 24, 2020 the CSADM, Phase I - ADM Projection Initial Submission for School Year 2020-2021.   Phase I requires the following field to be completed: Requested 2020-21 ADM. This represents a projection of the number of students who will be in membership for the fiscal school year 2020-21.   This submission is required even if your school has requested State Board of Education approval for enrollment increase or grade expansion.   The CSADM Projection System is accessible at any of the following links:  CSADM website: https://schools.nc.gov/csadm FBS, Independent Public Schools Operations home page:  https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/district-operations/financial-and-business-services/independent-public-schools-operations   As this impacts your school's funding, we will only accept information submitted by the Head of School. If you have questions about the CSADM, please contact Angela Harrison, 919.807.3734 or angela.harrison@dpi.nc.gov .

Performance Framework A5 EL Component   ALL LEA/Charter schools that have at least one (1) identified English learner (EL) student based on the October 1 EL Headcount must complete the LIEP service chart. If you do not currently have any English learners (ELs), this is not required; however, having this service chart will help you be prepared to serve any new ELs you may get during the school year. All charter schools with EL students must complete the LIEP service chart and submit to NCDPI through Epicenter by January 24, 2020 (Extended deadline). Charter schools that have already submitted the LIEP service chart will receive a notification on Epicenter by March 31st.   ESL/Title III Monthly Update Access our newsletter at https://simplebooklet.com/ncelsupdate and stay informed of upcoming professional learning opportunities, EL data/PowerSchool and WIDA updates, and guidance on Title III compliance and schools' obligations to English learners.   Charter Schools Google Page on the NCDPI ELD Website Visit the Google page for charter schools on the English Language Development (ELD) to review the 11 Steps to Success and access resources shared during our training sessions and coordinators' meetings. Link: https://sites.google.com/dpi.nc.gov/ncels/charter-schools

Upcoming Professional Development Opportunity, Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment-2 (TPBA-2) Training   Please review the attached memo regarding a professional development opportunity for Transdiciplinary Play-Based Assessment-2 (TPBA-2) Training.   TPBA-2 Training.pdf

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY WEBINAR SERIES   Please review the attached memo regarding an Assistive Technology Team Webinar Series.   AT Webinar Series.doc

Bookshare Webinar

Bookshare is an online library tool to access free materials for students with print disabilities. The attached memo provides information regarding a webinar that will be presented on January 22, 2020 from 3:00-4:00 pm.

Final Bookshare Memo 12.17.19.pdf

SCD STAKEHOLDER FOLLOW UP SURVEY   In an effort to address the needs of students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (SCD), an Adapted Curriculum Stakeholder group is asking for feedback from teachers of students with significant cognitive disabilities. We are asking teachers of the Adapted Curriculum (Extended Content Standards) to complete the following anonymous survey. The analysis of the survey will determine the future professional development of teachers who support students with moderate to severe disabilities. Please use the following link to complete the anonymous survey:   https://ncdpi.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dnAw6tq0YOJEyNv

ANNUAL REGISTRATION OF LEGALLY BLIND STUDENTS NOW OPEN

The annual registration of students who qualify as legally blind opened January 06, 2020, and closes February 14, 2020. Please read the attached documents carefully to ensure accurate and timely submission of information.

ophth-summary-template.pdf

NCAPH Data Collection Template 2020.xlsx

NCAPH 2020 memo.pdf

aph-parent-permission-eng.pdf

ncaph-medical-addendum-form.pdf

2019-20 Data Submission for Table 2 - Federal Personnel Collection

2019-20 Data Submission for Table 2 - Federal Personnel Collection

The Table 2 - Federal Personnel report for the 2019-20 school year will be collected via survey. This count is based on personnel that served students with disabilities as of the December 2019 child count. All LEAs, Charters and State Operated Programs that submitted a December 2019 child count are required to submit personnel data via the survey.

The survey will collect the number of Special Education Teachers, Special Education Paraprofessionals and Related Service Personnel by age and certification status. The instructions for the table are on the first page of the survey link. This report is specifically for personnel who work with Exceptional Children regardless of funding source.

The link to access the survey is: https://ncdpi.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_797txrW4PSsPWrH. You may need to copy and paste this link into your browser to access the survey. The due date to complete the federal personnel chart is March 20, 2020. Your cooperation in meeting the deadline for data submission is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions regarding this data request, please contact Kelley Blas at Kelley.Blas@dpi.nc.gov.

Compass Youth Center Presentation   Compass Youth Center is a registered 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization founded in 2009. Our goal is to create an education-to-career platform for all youth. With a lens towards underserved and underrepresented students in the k-12 demographic, we accomplish this by utilizing project-based and experiential learning experiences to reduce/eliminate the disparities and inequities in STEM.   Compass FIRST Presentation

AP/IB/CIE Program Updates - January 2020

Dear AP/IB/CIE Coordinators,

We hope you all have had a good start to a brand New Year! 

I am resending the information sent in the December update, as I am sure you are already working with your Finance and Human Resources Offices to finalize the task of determining AP/IB/CIE Teacher Bonus Pay for Payroll. Please do not hesitate to call or email with questions regarding information shared below.

January's Update includes:

2019-20 AP/IB/CIE Teacher Bonus Pay

Legislation governing AP/IB/CIE Teacher Bonus Pay has been updated by the General Assembly. The updated legislation changes the grade requirement for Cambridge AICE exams bonus program from grade E to a grade C or better. Teachers are eligible for AP/IB/CIE bonus pay if they remain teaching in the same LEA or charter school the following year until January 1 of the corresponding school year that the bonus is paid. Please follow up with your Finance Department with a list of teachers who are eligible for the bonus in January, as our division does not maintain or provide a list of teachers eligible. However, NCVPS provided a list of teachers that is available through the HR secure shell at https://www.rep.dpi.state.nc.us/hrsupport/ which is accessible to HR Directors as listed in EDDIE.  Please find attached below the 2019 AP/IB/CIE Teacher Bonus Pay FAQ.

APIBCIE-FAQ-bonus-pay19-20.pdf

Beth Cross,

NC Department of Public Instruction

State Consultant, Advanced Learning and Gifted Education

Beth.Cross@dpi.nc.gov

919.807.3705

Schoolnet Upgrade - Weekend of Jan. 17, 2020

Schoolnet will be upgraded to version 21.1 starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, January 17. This upgrade will include the following new features:

• Streamlined search for assessment items including a way to easily clear all filters and Blooms/DOK filters on the main search window.
• The number of aligned items will show next to standards when searching by standard for assessment items.
• Customization of analysis spreadsheets to allow reordering of columns by drag and drop.

Schoolnet will be unavailable during the upgrade and is expected to return to service no later than 5 a.m. on Monday, January 20. If you would like to learn more about the upgrade, please view the release notes. Additionally, you can attend the upcoming Pearson webinar listed below or explore the changes in our training site, which has been updated to 21.1.

• Thursday, January 16, 2020, 12:00 p.m., Eastern
• Event password: welcome
• Event address for attendees:   https://pearsononline.webex.com/pearsononline/onstage/g.php?MTID=e70fa07643a24b3870689ac45a19c10e8 

Thank you for sharing this important information with your staff!

Deadline for Pre-Service Teacher Interns is Fast Approaching 

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) would like to invite undergraduate and graduate students in the field of education to serve as interns for the 2020 Connecting Communities of Education Stakeholders (CCES) Conference in April (see invitation to apply). The deadline to apply is January 17, 2020.  If you know of anyone that may be interested in serving as an intern, please forward this message on. Feel free to reach out to the CCES Internship Coordinator, Stacy Daniel, at stacy.daniel@dpi.nc.gov should you have any questions.

Reminder:  PowerSchool and Version 75 or Earlier Chrome Browser Issues

PowerSchool and NCDPI have found that using version 75 or earlier Chrome browsers adversely creates duplicate race codes in PowerSchool. PowerSchool has run a script to remove these duplicate records, but we are finding that more are being created daily. Coordinators, please inform your data managers and others within your district of this issue and encourage them to either update their Chrome browser or use a different browser.

Other News

A.C.E. Academy has experienced an unimaginable loss of a student.  If you would like to know how you can support the school or the student's family, please reach out to the executive director, Laila Minott, at  l.minott@aceacademycharter.org.

Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington

Join the Girls Leadership Academy Of Wilmington at a very special event on January 24th. Click to see more!

NSCW Charter School Innovation Showcase

https://ncpubliccharters.org/event/nscw-charter-school-innovation-showcase/

Book Talk & Workshop

https://ncpubliccharters.org/event/meet-the-author-robert-pondiscio/

Updated Job Openings for Neuse Charter School   Neuse Charter School has the following openings for employment.  Please apply through NC Teacher Match.   Primary Academy Leader 6th Grade Social Studies Teacher 7th Grade Math Teacher EC Teacher - Intermediate Academy EC Teacher - Senior Academy Teacher Assistant - EC Department Teacher Assistant - Testing Asst.     Neuse Charter School is a K-12 public charter that organizes instructional delivery and assessment into three academies focused on providing personalized instruction for each student:  Primary Academy (grades K-4), Intermediate Academy (grades 5-8), and Senior Academy (grades 9-12). Each Academy is served by an Academy Leader (Principal) and supported by the Academic Services department.   Neuse Charter School is operated in Smithfield, North Carolina.  Our current enrollment is just over 930.  Our mission:  Neuse Charter School provides innovative approaches to learning by focusing on high academic standards, critical and creative thinking skills, character development, and multicultural experiences for grades K-12.  All stakeholders work cooperatively to ensure the NCS community empowers every individual to achieve his or her maximum potential.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT – EDDIE is the authoritative source for NC public school numbers and demographic information, is used by multiple NCDPI technology systems including: Accountability, PowerSchool, NC School Report Cards, and is used to meet federal reporting requirements. LEAs and charter schools are responsible for ensuring their data in EDDIE are complete, accurate, and current. EDDIE is located at: http://apps.schools.nc.gov/eddie