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Number 10
Required Participation in USED’s Office of Civil Rights Data Collection
Please find the attached letter from Superintendent Truitt containing information on the U.S. Department of Education's Civil Rights Data Collection, which requires the participation of every PSU.
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Number 9
Write the Perfect Graduation Speech
Forthright Advising-Niki Juhasz
Every day of high school, for four years, we watched morning announcements on our classroom TVs. And every year, for four years, our principal Mrs. M finished announcements with the same cheesy line: make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.
I cannot tell you how many times we joked about that line.
Fast forward to graduation night, when Mrs. M took a moment to poke fun of herself. She told us that it would be the last time we would have to hear her signature catchphrase. She mused that it was the end of an era in our lives, of our high school chapter—but she knew we would all choose greatness, every day, anyways.
She did a lot right during that speech. As we approach graduation season, I know many of you are planning speeches, from drafting your own to ghostwriting for your district’s leadership. We’re sharing a few tips to help you along the way! Read more!
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Number 7
Registration Open for NC Beginning Teacher Summit
The NC Beginning Teacher Summit is a two day FREE professional development opportunity specifically designed to address the needs of novice teachers. Through a blend of live opening and closing sessions, live Teacher of the Year Panels and pre-recorded breakout sessions, beginning teachers will be able to self-select sessions on key instructional practices to positively impact student learning. In addition, they will have the opportunity to learn how to use policies and data to enhance instruction and will develop understanding on how to make social emotional learning part of the daily classroom experience.
The NCBT Summit will be held June 16-17 virtually. Click here to register!
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Number 6
Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
Broadband services are being made available to families with limited or no broadband resources through the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, which gives low-income households a discount on internet services. The program, administered by the Federal Communications Commission.
Households may receive a discount of up to $50 a month for their internet bill. That rises to $75 a month for broadband service on tribal lands. Households may also receive $100 to buy a laptop, desktop or tablet through their internet provider. To enroll, visit https://getemergencybroadband.org/.
For more information visit the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program site at https://bit.ly/2RdyG6f.
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Number 5
FAQ Bonanza!
The Home Base Team has compiled and answered frequently asked questions surrounding the following topics for your convenience. Please click on the topics below to view the full list of questions and answers. If you still have questions pertaining to these topics that need answers, feel free to contact the Home Base Team at home_base@dpi.nc.gov.
For those who were unable to attend or would like a refresher of the April 2021 GDV Webinar and the April 2021 PowerSchool HBMU Webinar, please click on the links to view.
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Number 4
Now Available-PD Greatest Hits!
The Division of Standards, Curriculum, and Instruction presents Greatest Hits! This is an opportunity to catch up on professional development that educators might have missed over the last year. Direct recording links, materials, and survey links for CEUs are included within! Please note that the time to complete these varies, as most are self-paced. We plan to leave these open for use through September to allow for enough time to complete them.
Questions: Angie.Mullennix@dpi.nc.gov
Greatest Hits!
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Number 3
Remote Administrations of the Following Formative Assessments for the 2021-22 School Year
As with the 2020-21 school year, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is allowing remote administrations of the following formative assessments for the 2021-22 school year:
- Passport for Learning (available beginning June 1, 2021)
- NC Check-Ins for reading and mathematics grades 3–8, and science grades 5 and 8 (available beginning October 1, 2021)
- NC Check-Ins for biology and NC Math 1 (available beginning September 1, 2021)
- Innovative Assessment Pilot Interims (for identified pilot schools only)
For remote administrations it is permissible to use either school-issued or student-owned devices. Schools planning to administer these resources on either type of device should ensure that they meet the minimum technical requirements for NCTest.
Directions for downloading NCTest to student-owned devices can be located via: https://center.ncsu.edu/ncinstruct/. This link may be shared with parents, guardians, and students.
Technical support will not be available at the NCDPI level and must be provided locally. It is not permissible to share the Help Desk phone number for Technical Outreach for Public Schools (TOPS).
If you have questions about the use of personal devices to administer assessments remotely, please contact your Regional Accountability Coordinator (RAC).
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Number 2
Graduation Deadline Date Extended
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has determined that students who graduate on or before August 6, 2021 can be included as a 2020–21 school year graduate. This is a change from the previously established July 15, 2021 deadline.
Students who graduate on or before August 6, 2021 should be added to the 2020–21 Final GDV (GDV2) report. The due date of the 2020–21 Final GDV submission has been extended to August 11, 2021, to provide time for these graduates to be included. All PSUs must submit the Final GDV by August 11, 2021, even if there are no changes.
Changes that could be made to the Final GDV by August 11, 2021:
- Adding students who graduate on or before August 6, 2021 not already included in the Preliminary GDV.
- Removing students who did not graduate but were entered as graduates in the Preliminary GDV process.
Students who graduate August 7, 2021 or later must be added to the 2021–22 Preliminary GDV report.
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Number 1
Summer Enrollment is Typically Low, and NC School Districts are Trying to Change that this Year
WRAL-Emily Walkenhorst
North Carolina educators have just weeks to go before they begin their biggest-ever summer learning programs, serving potentially hundreds of thousands of students at risk of not moving up to the next grade level.
Summer school presents an opportunity for students affected by COVID-19 pandemic learning disruptions. It also presents a challenge for North Carolina school districts to implement a wide-scale summer school, after years of reports and research have shown low enrollment and underwhelming outcomes for prior summer reading camps.
Educators are planning ways to make summer school more engaging, while working to convince students to enroll. They emphasize that the brief, 150-hour summer school will yield noticeable, if not always measurable, social and academic benefits. Read the full article.
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