In This Edition:
Nominations for Presidential Awards for Excellence in STEM Teaching Now Open!
The National Science Foundation (NSF) administers Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), created by Congress in 1983, on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The awards are the nation’s highest honors for teachers of STEM, including Computer Science. This year's (2022-2023) awards will honor science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teachers working in grades 7-12. Recipients of the award receive the following:
- A certificate signed by the President of the United States.
- A paid trip to Washington, D.C., to attend a series of recognition events and professional development opportunities.
- A $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.
- An opportunity to build lasting partnerships with colleagues across the nation.
Nominations close on January 9, 2023. Applications must be completed by February 6, 2023.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about the North Carolina Presidential Awards Program, please contact the State Coordinators for PAESMT:
Joseph Reaper, at joseph.reaper@dpi.nc.gov
Alexis Wood at kathryn.wood@dpi.nc.gov
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NC DPI Mathematics Content Series
NCDPI Mathematics team will be kicking off an Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Content Series in January 2023. This is one of a series of virtual PD sessions open to teachers, teacher leaders, coaches, district staff, and administrators. Participants will earn 2 contact hours per session. Each session meets for 90 minutes with a 30-minute asynchronous reflection time. Sessions will be focused on elementary and middle school mathematics content and will highlight practitioners in the field.
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Please share this information with teachers and leaders in your area. We are excited about the number of participants already registered and look forward to seeing you there!
LIS LEARNING SERIES
Throughout the 2022-2023 school year, there will be a series of professional learning involving multiple content areas. The LIS are to be used by all teachers in every content area for core instruction. This
series will focus on integrating the Literacy Instruction Standards (LIS) into standards-aligned content area instruction. These sessions are open to K-12 educators.
Literacy in Science: December 15, 2022
Literacy in Math: January 25, 2023
Literacy in Social Studies: April 27, 2023
Literacy in ELD: May 11, 2023
Registration
To learn more about the LIS, view the DPI LIS webpage.
To view LIS resources, visit the LIS Toolkit (LIST).
ESL/Title III ELD Standards Implementation: Support PD
This school year marks PSUs' initial implementation of the NC ELD Standard Course of Study. Our team is offering state-wide professional learning with a focus on integrating the ELD Standards into Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, and ELA for the 22-23 school year. Both content area educators and language educators are encouraged to attend.
Register for the following sessions at
bit.ly/SupportPD22-23
To request professional learning specific to your region and/or PSU, please also contact your Regional Director.
Should you have any standards questions or need technical assistance, please email ESLTitleIII@dpi.nc.gov.
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‘Coding in Minecraft’ is a computer science credential program with supporting curriculum for Grades 6-8 aligned to the NC Computer Science Standards and delivered through Minecraft: Education Edition. And it is FREE for all North Carolina middle school teachers.
You may be interested in attending our upcoming 45-minute webinar at 5 PM Tuesday, December 6th to discover how the ‘Coding in Minecraft’ credential and curriculum program may be of benefit to you in providing a standards-aligned computer science curriculum to your students.
‘Coding in Minecraft’ in the math classroom will:
• Create engaging, enrichment activities.
• Allow students to experience real-world examples of how math is used in Computer Science.
• Allow for student-led, fast finisher activities that keep all students engaged.
• Develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills that can transfer to the math classroom.
• Help make many abstract math concepts easier to visualize.
‘Coding in Minecraft’ is an easy to teach solution enabling educators with little or no computer science or coding experience to deliver an up-to-date computer science curriculum. The comprehensive solution includes curriculum, Minecraft Worlds, assessments, micro-credentials, capstone exam and educator resources.
The curriculum is student-led! As students can learn at their own pace, submit their evidence to an online portal for educators to assess and use Minecraft: Education Edition at their own pace.
Register Here to attend for FREE!
Once registered, you will get a link to a Microsoft Teams Meeting.
Calling All STEM Reviewers!!
Your Support is Greatly Appreciated
The 2022-2023 North Carolina STEM Schools of Distinction Recognition Program is underway. With over 20 schools across the state having communicated their Intent to be recognized as a leading STEM program in North Carolina, we are asking those STEM educational leaders, who have familiarity with the STEM Schools of Distinction process, to assist with the Review of this year's applications.
Individuals presently leading within a NC recognized STEM school, or any individuals who have served as past SSoD reviewers, are asked to provide updated contact information by completing this Reviewer Application by December 31st.
There will be a required Reviewer training. More information on this training will be available soon. This year's applications will be shared the week following the February 3rd deadline and reviewers will have two weeks to complete their review and share feedback. The number of reviewers assigned will be dependent upon the number of submitted applications.
Thank you for continuing to drive quality STEM programming in North Carolina!
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2023 Draft 1 Proposed K-12 Science Standards All Stakeholder Survey
The NC State Board of Education Standard Course of Study Manual specifies that the NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) will formally collect feedback from educators, administrators, parents, students, institutions of higher education, business/industry representatives, national organizations, and other education agencies on each draft of the revised K-12 Science Standards.
This process began with a review phase, conducted through the Spring, Summer, and early Fall of 2022. The review phase included gathering relevant research and analyzing data obtained through surveys, interviews, and focus groups. The data obtained was analyzed by the NCDPI Office of Learning Recovery and provided to the K-12 Science Standards Data Review Committee (DRC) for further review. The DRC completed a formal report summarizing the data, trends within the feedback, and any resulting recommendations. The report was provided to the Standards Writing Team (SWT) as the basis to start the revision process.
This first draft of the proposed 2023 K-12 Science Standards is based on the analysis in the DRC Report which identified several themes received during the review phase:
- In both the Public School Unit (PSU) and All Stakeholder Surveys, approximately 70% of the responses indicated a preference to keep the current 2009 standards.
- An analysis of the qualitative findings from focus groups and interviews indicated a desire to clarify the language in the standards/objectives and to embed the Scientific and Engineering Practices to support real world applications.
- Feedback demonstrated a need to align the strands (the categories under which the standards and objectives are organized) to current research and frameworks related to K-12 Science Education, specifically those strands within A Framework for K-12 Science Education (e.g., Matter and its Interactions, From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes, Earth’s Place in the Universe).
- The report also indicated the need to focus on the vertical alignment of the standards.
The purpose of this survey is to obtain input regarding the proposed K-12 Science Standards and to inform any additional revisions, which may include changes, clarifications, additions, deletions, or replacements to the draft standards. Your feedback is extremely valuable to the K-12 Science Standards revision process.
To participate please click on the link at the bottom of this page.
The survey will close Sunday December 18th, 2022.
K-12 Science Standards Revision Update
Completed Actions:
✓ First draft of proposed K-12 Science Standards completed
✓ PSU and All Stakeholder surveys released
Next Steps:
● Office of Learning Recovery (OLR) will analyze survey data results from surveys
● Data Review Committee (DRC) will review analysis provided by OLR and complete a report with recommendations for possible improvements to the draft K-12 Science Standards
Stay tuned for updates through the K-12 Science listservs.
How are test specifications developed?
- When new standards are adopted or a new assessment is created, NCDPI assembles a team of educators from across the state to collaborate on making a recommendation of what should appear on the new assessment.
- At a test specifications workshop, NC educators consider the following:
- Which standards can be assessed on a standardized assessment? Not all standards in our North Carolina Standard Course of Study for reading or mathematics and North Carolina Essential Standards for science can be assessed on a standardized test. Some standards are best suited to in-class exploration and assessment.
- Which standards should be prioritized?
- How should the strands (for reading and science) and domains (for mathematics) be weighted? Here is an example from the math test specifications workshop for grades 3–5.
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- Which item types (multiple-choice, constructed response, technology-enhanced, numeric entry) are appropriate for each standard?
- What is the appropriate level of cognitive complexity for these standards? For reading and mathematics, NC assessments use Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK); for science, NC assessments use Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (RBT).
- For reading, how many literature, informational text, and poetry selections should be included?
- For math, how many calculator inactive vs. calculator active items on each assessment? Standards that are computation-based are likely better suited to the calculator inactive section.
- Once a committee of teachers agree on recommended test specifications, NCDPI content specialists and psychometricians review, make small adjustments if needed, and then finalize the specifications. Test specifications are released and posted to the specific assessment webpage.
Test Specifications
Want to find out more?
Ready to become a part of the process?
North Carolina Portrait of a Graduate
Grassroots Developed, the Portrait provides a more balanced measure to determine what student success should look like
An initiative led by the N.C Department of Public Instruction (DPI) to define the skills and mindsets students need for success after high school has been unfolding since March. Now, with the help of 1,200 North Carolinians across the state, this grassroots-informed Portrait of a Graduate has been finalized.
The Portrait of a Graduate aims to ensure that North Carolina students are well equipped for the broadest range of postsecondary opportunities. Aligning with State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Catherine Truitt’s 2022 focus on the “Year of the Workforce,” the Portrait can be adopted by schools and districts to better prepare the state’s 1.5 million students for civic life, career or college.
As determined by the design teams that were part of the initiative, the statewide Portrait identifies seven competencies that students should possess upon graduation from high school to help them thrive in the 21st century. These include:
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Adaptability
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Empathy
- Learner’s Mindset
- Personal Responsibility
To learn more about the Portrait and competencies, click here.
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NCDPI K-12 Mathematics Virtual Office Hours
On November 15, 2022, the NCDPI K-12 Mathematics team, with special guests, NCDPI Test Measurement Specialist, Beth Nash and Section Chief of Analysis & Reporting, Curtis Sonneman, held an office hour for NC math school and district leaders. This office hour featured Testing and Accountability information and K-12 Math updates.
Click here for the agenda, presentation, and recording.
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NC DPI Math Consultants
Denise Schulz
K-5 Mathematics Consultant
919-807-3758
Denise.Schulz@dpi.nc.gov
Tammy Lackey
K-8 Mathematics Consultant
919-807-3931
Tammy.Lackey@dpi.nc.gov
Lisa Ashe
6-12 Mathematics Consultant
919-807-3856
Lisa.Ashe@dpi.nc.gov
Joseph Reaper
6-12 Mathematics Consultant
919-807-3820
Joseph.Reaper@dpi.nc.gov
Dr. Charles Aiken
Math, Science, and STEM Section Chief
Charles.Aiken@dpi.nc.gov
984-236-2837
Marilyn Johns
Administrative Specialist
Marilyn.Johns@dpi.nc.gov
919-807-3266
Disclaimer Statement: Any links on this newsletter that bring you to third party websites, owned and operated by independent parties over which NCDPI has no control. Any link you make to or from these 3rd Party Websites will be at your own risk. Any use of these 3rd Party Websites and any information you provide will be subject to and governed by the terms of the 3rd Party Website, including those relating to confidentiality, data privacy, and security.
Unless otherwise expressly agreed in writing, NCDPI is not in any way associated with the owner or operator of any of the 3rd Party Websites or responsible or liable for the goods and services offered by them or for anything in connection with such 3rd Party Websites. NCDPI does not endorse and makes no warranties, representations or undertakings relating to the content of any 3rd Party Website.
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