Number 10

Remote Academy Applications

Pursuant to SL 2022-59, ratified in June 2022, each local education agency (LEA) is authorized to offer remote instruction through the operation of remote academies. All remote academies must be approved by the North Carolina State Board of Education (SBE), for a period of five years and meet the legal requirements outlined in SL 2022-59.

As outlined in the legislation, if your district plans to operate a remote academy during the 2023-2024 school year, an application must be submitted to NCDPI for SBE approval. This includes both existing and newly-established remote academies. All Remote Academy applications are due Friday, December 2nd. 

Read more here.

Number 9

NCVPS Digital Transition Webinars

NCVPS’s Free Digital Transition webinars for educators November sessions include: Visual Literacy in Support of Critical Thinking, Text Sets to Increase Engagement and Student Choice, and Metacognition Measures: Tools to Strengthen this Practice with Students.

Learn more and register here.

Number 8

NC School Counseling Diamond Award

NCDPI and the NC School Counselor Association (NCSCA) have collaborated to create the NC School Counseling Diamond Award to recognize exemplary data-informed and outcome-based comprehensive school counseling programs. We are excited to share that four schools have achieved this distinction this inaugural award year and are being recognized at the 2022 NCSCA Conference on November 3rd.

• Huntingtowne Farms Elementary, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• Lake Wylie Elementary School, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• South Academy of International Languages, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• Willow Springs Elementary, Wake County Public Schools

Schools that earn the NC School Counseling Diamond Award will also be eligible for the American School Counselor Association Recognized ASCA Model Program (ASCA RAMP) which is the highest national recognition for a school counseling program. 

Learn more here.

Number 7

Schools to Get $80 Million from New Energy Department Program

"A new $80 million grant program from the Energy Department may soon help schools with infrastructure upgrades.

Starting in November, local education agencies, such as public schools and charter school boards, can apply to receive federal funds for energy improvements or renewable upgrades such as new ventilation systems, lighting or alternative vehicles for campuses, according to a Wednesday announcement from the department."

Read more here.

Number 6

National Assessment Shows Student Performance in NC, US Drops During Pandemic

"North Carolina’s performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress given during the 2021-22 school year to fourth and eighth graders generally mirrored a national decline in reading and math skills as schools everywhere were beginning to recover ground lost to the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The results for North Carolina are the latest evidence of significant learning loss during the protracted pandemic, which forced schools to transition to remote instruction beginning in March 2020, with many schools across the state suspending in-person classroom learning through much of the 2020-21 school year."

Read the full press release here.

Number 5

Sign Up for the K-12 Education Office of Government and Community Affairs Legislative Update

The K-12 Education Office of Government and Community Affairs Updates newsletter is an incredible source of information on what's going on in the world of government affairs that involve education.

Read previous legislative updates here. Sign up to receive the newsletter directly to your inbox here, and select "Legislative Updates" from the list. 

Number 4

District Highlight: Carteret County Public Schools - CCC Manufacturing Day Sparks Career Interests in Middle School Students

"From welding to biotechnology, about 80 county middle school students discovered a plethora of career opportunities in the manufacturing and biotech fields Friday.

The eighth-graders, from the county’s four public middle schools, participated in Middle School Manufacturing Day at Carteret Community College. Through hands-on learning stations set up across the campus, students learned about a variety of trades and what education is necessary to pursue them.

The school system is partnering with CCC to present several career interest field trips at the college, according to Kathy Bernstein, a career development coordinator with the school system."

It's so exciting to see students have work-based learning opportunities that inspire them to think about potential future careers! Read the full story here.

Number 3

NC Virtual Public School Honored for Quality Online Learning

"North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS), operating under the governance of the N.C. State Board of Education, has been honored for high quality online learning from an international organization that focuses on quality assurance of digital teaching and learning offered by higher education and K-12 schools. The organization, Quality Matters, has recognized NCVPS with its Making a Difference for Students Award for exemplifying a focus on learners. Recipients demonstrate a commitment to ensuring high course quality and using different but valuable approaches to improving outcomes for students.

NC Virtual began applying Quality Matters’ standards in 2015 because of the organization’s international recognition, comprehensive general standards and specific standards structure that focuses on criteria such as alignment, learner interaction, and accessibility."

Read the full press release here.

Number 2

NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Teacher Programs

Explore the education material collections from the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR)! DNCR educational resources come from the NC Aquariums, State Historical Sites, State Parks, Symphony, the NC Zoo, and the Museums of Art, History, and Natural Sciences.

Learn more about the free or low-cost offerings from DNCR for North Carolina's educators here.

Number 1

2022 AIM Conference

The 2022 AIM Conference is in full swing!

Follow along with the conference by checking out #NCAIM2022.