Number 10

Friday Institute Team Providing Professional Development and Evaluation Support for the NCDPI Innovative Assessment System Pilot Program

"With approval from the U.S. Department of Education’s Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is piloting a through-grade assessment system, the North Carolina Personalized Assessment Tool (NCPAT), that will provide data for immediate feedback about students’ performance throughout the year.

Researchers from the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation will support the development of these through-course assessment opportunities through the establishment of a professional development program for educators and applied research to promote continuous improvement. NCPAT will be administered as a pilot with approximately 75-80 schools in the 2022-23 academic year and ultimately to a broader group of districts and schools in the future."

Read the full press release here.

Number 9

District Highlight: Lincoln County Schools - Graduating with more than a Diploma

"A high school diploma is a good thing and approximately 900 Lincoln County students received their last week. Several students made Lincoln County Schools history this year and graduated from a new, year-long program offered through the Lincoln County School of Technology. In this program, those students who took both semesters of courses with a grade of 80 or above were able to take an end of year test and if they passed, receive their emergency medical technician certification. Four students, all seniors, not only received their diplomas last week, but also are now certified medical technicians."

It is so exciting to see students earning credentials and getting real-world work experience!

Read the full story here.

Number 8

MEMO: 2022-23 Annual Testing Program Updates

Find the memo on 2022–23 Annual Testing Program and Accountability Requirements from Dr. Michael Maher and Dr. Tammy Howard here.

Number 7

Needs Based Public School Capital School Fund Webinar

The School Planning Section has scheduled a webinar to share the latest information on the Needs Based Public School Capital Fund for the 2022-23 school year. During this session, participants will receive information regarding fund availability, changes to legislation, the application period, submission of new applications, changes/revisions to current applications, the timeline for application submission, along with an anticipated date of recipient announcements. The School Planning Team encourages districts to invite a member of their local county board of commissioners or county manager to attend. 

The webinar will be Wednesday, July 27, at 2 p.m. 

Superintendents received the meeting information this week. Please reach out to communications@dpi.nc.gov if you need the meeting information.

Number 6

NC State College of Education Math Summit

The Math Summit is held each year in partnership between NCSU's College of Education and public schools in Wake, Chapel Hill, Durham, Orange and Johnston counties to promote equity and excellence in math education and to provide elementary, middle and high school teachers with an opportunity to engage professionally to develop their craft, share ideas and renew their commitment to teaching.

The summit is August 2 at NC State. The summit is free to attend and allows for professional development credit. 

Learn more and register here.

Number 5

2022 Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award Nominations Open

The Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award is presented by the U.S. Secretary of Education to teachers in the field of cybersecurity to honor their contributions to the education of our nation’s students. The award is bestowed annually to two teachers — one at the elementary level and one at the secondary level — who “demonstrate superior achievement in instilling skills, knowledge, and passion with respect to cybersecurity and cybersecurity-related subjects.” 

Nominations close on July 31. Learn more and nominate a teacher here.

Number 4

NC Education Policy Fellowship Program Accepting Applications

If you're an educator in North Carolina interested in learning more about education policy and ways to become more involved, consider applying for the 2022-23 Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) cohort!

The application will close on July 31. Learn more and apply here.

Number 3

Conference on Exceptional Children Call for Proposals Deadline Extended

The call for proposals for general conference sessions at the 71st Conference on Exceptional Children Nov. 3-4, has been extended through August 26.

Learn more and submit CFPs here.

Number 2

New NCDPI Arts Education Teacher Toolkit

The Arts Education team at DPI has compiled the most pertinent professional development from their catalog for new Arts Educators in North Carolina.

Educators are able to complete the professional development offered asynchronously for a total of 1.5 CEUs. The categories of these sessions include: NCDPI, Standards, Learning Differences, Social and Emotional Learning, Funding, Course Codes, Arts Education, Graduation Requirements and Arts Integration

The New Teacher Toolkit can be found here.

Number 1

K-12 Dive: How 2 States are Using Data Analysis and Professional Development for Learning Recovery

"Education leaders from Massachusetts and North Carolina are using data analysis, professional development, and the sharing of best practices to promote COVID-19 learning recovery efforts in their states.

These states are focused on helping classroom teachers accelerate student learning, rather than remediation efforts, education industry leaders heard during a Thursday session at the National Forum on Education Policy. 

In North Carolina, the state has launched the Office of Learning Recovery & Acceleration to provide technical assistance and share best practices. The office has helped districts analyze data to make informed decisions about supports for students and staff, as well as provide resources to districts as they make spending decisions for COVID-19 relief funding, said Michael Maher, the state’s deputy superintendent of standards, accountability and research."

Read the full story here.