The 2022 NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey is Open!
Dear Charter Leaders:
Superintendent Truitt’s goal for this year is 95% participation. OCS pushed really hard with the team to ensure appropriate representation and input from our charter educators. Let your teacher’s voices be heard when the survey is released.
|
The NCTWC Survey is administered to every teacher and licensed school-based educator in our public schools every 2 years. For almost two decades, educators have been using NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NCTWC) results to drive decision-making in school and district improvements. In addition, our legislators and State Board of Education use data from the survey to help inform policy. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction will once again provide this anonymous, online teaching conditions survey from March 1-31, 2022. Results will be accessible on www.nctwcs.org.
If you have any questions regarding the North Carolina Teacher Working Condition Survey email Alessandro Montanari at Alessandro.Montanari@dpi.nc.gov.
|
Important MEMOs:
Charters & Medicaid
Psychological and counseling evaluation services:
Division of Health Benefits (DHB) LEA Policy 10-C was updated on February 1, 2022, to expand the list of practitioners considered qualified by Medicaid/DHB to be reimbursed for psychological and counseling evaluation services.
Section 6.0 Provider(s) Eligible to Bill for the Procedure, Product, or Service (page 20) now reads that all providers of psychological and counseling services “shall provide documentation of appropriate training and experience, which qualifies them to work with students in an educational setting. All providers shall function within the scope of practice of their state license and certification.”
Charter Schools enrolling as Medicaid Providers, pursuant to SL-2021-180.105 9D.21:
On Feb. 3, 2022, DHB posted a bulletin outlining enrollment requirements to begin participation in the LEA reimbursement program. This bulletin should be read carefully to understand DHB requirements and ensure efficient procedures for Charters who participate in Medicaid reimbursement programs. To support charter school representatives as they begin, NCDPI will host:
- Four Medicaid overview webinars. Building administrators, EC coordinators, and school business/finance officers for charters should attend:
- Medicaid office hours (open time for anyone to come and ask questions) will held on April 7, 11, 18, 25 from 3-4p at https://ncgov.webex.com/meet/lauren.holahan
Please submit your questions for that time here
- A Medicaid in Education CANVAS course will be available in early March
Meanwhile, charter schools are encouraged to investigate the resources at: https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/classroom-resources/exceptional-children/program-and-fiscal-monitoring/medicaid-education. On-going technical assistance is available from Bill Hussey at william.hussey@dpi.nc.gov and Laurie Ray laurie.ray@dpi.nc.gov
Sherry H. Thomas
Director
Exceptional Children
Office of Educational Equity
NC Department of Public Instruction
NCDHHS/DPI
|
For those who couldn't join our March 1 call, click here to access the recording with integrated chat and transcript.
Additional links and resources referenced in the call:
3.1.22 DHHS Slide Deck
|
|
SIS - Removal of Reading Retained Flag for Students in Grade 5 and Above
NCDPI has written a script that removed the reading retained flag from every student in grade 5 and above. PSUs should no longer see a reading retained label on any 5th grade or above student.
This script was applied to support a request made by NCDPI’s Office of Early Learning on Oct. 1, 2021. Please see the message below for further background information.
*********Message Sent on Oct. 1, 2021*******
Removal of Reading Retained Label for Student in 5th Grade or Above
“A reading retained label should be removed at the end of the 3/4 transition or 3/4 acceleration school year when a decision is made to retain the student in grade 4 or promote to grade 5 if the reading retained label has not already been removed. Any student who has already been promoted to grade 5 or above should no longer have the reading retained label.”
If your PSU continues to show a reading retained flag for 5th grade or above students, please contact the Home Base Team at home_base@dpi.nc.gov.
NCCAT Charter School Conference
NC Colleagues,
Are you ready to grow your network of charter school educators and learn innovative strategies for your classrooms? If so, join NCCAT for our annual Charter School Connections Conference held March 7-9th on our Cullowhee Campus. Come ready to share, collaborate, and grow new ideas for your school. Lodging and meals are provided for this event. Click here to apply.
Social Studies Leaders' Institute
We are excited to invite you to attend the Social Studies Leaders’ Institute. This year’s institute will consist of two half-day virtual sessions. The theme of the institute is Supporting the Implementation of the Social Studies Standards. It will take place from 9 AM - 1:30 PM on Tuesday, March 29, and 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM on Wednesday, March 30.
The NCDPI Social Studies Leaders' Institute is a meaningful way to increase the capacity of social studies leaders to build strong curricula support. It is also an excellent opportunity for district leaders to network and interact with other leaders across the state.
The tentative program includes sessions focused on standards implementation, elementary social studies, civic literacy, and financial literacy. Please use the link below to register for the Institute. Once you get to the WebEx site, click on the link by Session Status (circled in the screenshot below) to register for the institute.
Registration Link: https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/k2/j.php?MTID=t338b539ab449fdea76b490b55e770af2
Best,
The NCDPI K-12 Social Studies Team
Tom Daugherty
K-12 Social Studies Education Consultant
Division of Academic Standards
NC Department of Public Instruction
(W) (984) 236-2824
Thomas.Daugherty@dpi.nc.gov
NC Local AIG Plans 2022-2025
Stephanie Cyrus and Beth Cross, State Consultants in the Division of Advanced Learning and Gifted Education shared the process for writing a local AIG plan during the Office of Charter Schools Office Hours on Monday, February 21. You can find the recording from this session in Epicenter.
If interested in revising a current local AIG plan or developing a local AIG plan for the first time, please complete the form at this link: https://ncdpi.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bgvIzLp4VPCOAke
This information will provide Stephanie and Beth what they need to be able to reach out and support your needs.
Compliance Forums for McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaisons in Charter Schools
Registration is now open for the annual NCHEP Compliance Forums for Charter Schools, which will take place during March 2022. All charter school homeless liaisons are required by the State Coordinator to attend one Compliance Forum annually. This year’s Compliance Forums have been structured by topic rather than by region. Charter school liaisons may choose the forum which best suits their program’s needs. All Compliance Forums will be held virtually and will run from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM on each designated date.
Please click here for dates and registration links. Questions about the Compliance Forums should be directed to your Program Specialist, Tricia Lentz (336-681-7561).
EC Division
Please see the attached newsletters.
Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates
 |
|
March Teammate in the Spotlight
Winding his way south from his hometown of Reading, PA, Jay Whalen came to North Carolina in 2011, then moved to Tennessee and back again. Serving in various roles in traditional public schools, charter networks, and state agencies, Jay most recently served as Deputy Director of Charter Schools for the Tennessee State Board of Education before joining the NC Office of Charter Schools in 2018. Currently, Jay serves as Program Administrator for the NC ACCESS Program where he works with the best team in the game to ensure educationally disadvantaged students are supported by our amazing schools. Jay graduated from the University of Rhode Island, where he captained the Men’s Track and Field team and was the inaugural Atlantic 10 Heptathlon champion, setting a conference record that has since been absolutely destroyed. An avid runner and cyclist, Jay has completed a half-ironman, but now spends most of his time running after his daughter.
|
Sharing News About Our Charter Schools:
 |
|
Wayne Preparatory Academy Men's Varsity Basketball team won the state championship for the (CAA4SC) Carolina Athletic Association for Schools of Choice. Congratulations! |
 |
|
Chatham Charter Earns Heart Safe School Designation
Press release
|
5 NC Charters Awarded the Purple Star Recognition
299 NC Schools Receive Recognition for Extraordinary Support of Military Students, Families
OPEN NOW: 2022 NC Charter Applications
The 2022 North Carolina Charter School Application is now open, as of Friday, January 28th at 5 pm. The 2022 charter application window will close on April 29, 2022 at 5pm. Applicants who are interested in opening a charter school in 2023 under the accelerated timeline, or in 2024 under the standard timeline must submit their charter applications on or before the April 29, 2022 application close date.
Both the online application and $1,000 application fee must be submitted on or before April 29, 2022 at 5pm.
The link to the 2022 NC Charter School application is posted on the NCDPI Charter Schools Application page found here.
For questions about the charter application process, please reach out to Melanie.Rackley@dpi.nc.gov.
New Charter Leaders Institute
Registration link for the New Charter Leaders Institute, June 8th & 9th, 2022.
This is an institute for school leaders in the Ready to Open year but is also open to schools who have new leadership.
Please direct questions to Claire Porter at claire.porter@dpi.nc.gov.
OCS Consultant Sites:
Increase Your Reach Webinar Series
In partnership with ImplementEd, the NC ACCESS Program is excited to facilitate a webinar series entitled Increase Your Reach. Each one-hour webinar in the series is designed to provide an opportunity for school leaders to share and discuss best practices on a variety of relevant topics. The current list of webinar offerings and registration links are included below.
During each webinar, we will highlight the NC ACCESS website Best Practices page targeting two featured strategies. School leaders representing the featured strategies will share details of its implementation and outcomes followed by a period of Q&A and an opportunity to hear additional ideas from all participants. Feel free to share these opportunities with others in your professional community.
Pre-register for any or all of these sessions to learn from and share with your colleagues.
Webinar 1: School Culture, Equity, and Engagement
March 9, 2022 | 10:00 – 11:00am
Learn how two schools used very different approaches to increase student engagement. Then participate in a discussion to ask questions and share additional ideas for optimizing student engagement.
REGISTER HERE for the School Culture, Equity, and Engagement webinar.
Webinar 2: The Families We Serve – Recruitment and Support
March 30, 2022 | 1:00 – 2:00pm
How can schools better connect with educationally disadvantaged families during and beyond the recruitment process? Hear from two school leaders who used very different approaches for providing support to the entire family resulting in improved student outcomes. Engage in an interactive dialogue to learn from each other during this webinar.
REGISTER HERE for The Families We Serve- Recruitment and Support webinar.
Webinar 3: In-School Student Support Communities
April 6, 2022 | 10:00 – 11:00am
How can schools address the ever increasing social, emotional needs of students during the traditional school day? Hear how two schools were able to add dedicated programming to meet the social, emotional needs of students. Then share your questions and ideas in an interactive dialogue with participants.
REGISTER HERE for the In-School Student Support Communities webinar.
Webinar 4: Educator Professional Learning About Equity
April 26, 2022 | 1:00 – 2:00pm
Learn different ways to support your staff to ensure they are equipped to successfully connect with all students, especially those from marginalized communities, opening their eyes to the many possibilities in their futures.
REGISTER HERE for the Educator Professional Learning About Equity webinar.
Upcoming Webinar: New EDS Self-Reporting Process
Tuesday, March 15, 2022 | 1:00 – 2:00pm | REGISTER
Ensure your school’s economically disadvantaged student population is accurately reported to DPI. There is a new way for charter schools to self-report which students at your school qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch. This will ensure every student is correctly recorded, and DPI can accurately report those numbers publicly.
Join us for a 1-hour informational webinar to hear from school leaders and experts at DPI about how to accurately identify, document, and report your true EDS population. You can view this introductory webinar (use passcode: .!r1P.2D) from the NC Coalition for Charter Schools as a primer, then join us on March 15th at 1pm for additional guidance and to get all your questions answered.
Other Resources from DPI:
Leadership Opportunities:
Whom Should I Contact at the Office of Charter Schools?
Please note that response times to voicemails left on our phones will be much slower than usual due to the COVID-19 response efforts. Sending us an email is ideal. Clicking the link on our names will bring up an automatic email prompt. Thank you!
OCS Main Number: (984) 236-2700 / Email: ocs@dpi.nc.gov
Dave Machado 984 236 2702
Director of the Office of Charter Schools
Claire Porter 984 236 2709
Consultant, Renewals, Planning Year & Ready to Open Process
Ashley Baquero 984 236 2708
Consultant, Amendments & Compliance
Joseph Letterio 984 236 2703
Consultant, Epicenter Tech Support & Performance Framework
Darian Jones 984 236 2705
Consultant, Stakeholder Support & Professional Develoment
Melanie Rackley 984 236 2712
Consultant, Charter Applications
Jay Whalen 984 236 2711
Program Administrator, NC ACCESS Program
Barbara O'Neal 984 236 2706
Program Coordinator, NC ACCESS Program
Davida Robinson 984 236 2878
NC ACCESS Subgrant Program Manager
Lakisha Robbins 984 236 2704
NC ACCESS Finance Administrator
|
