Portrait of a Graduate Exemplar Collection   The Office of Innovation at NCDPI is interested in showcasing exemplars of the Portrait of a Graduate Competencies as an extension of the Promising Practices Clearinghouse.   The competencies include Adaptability, Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, Empathy, Learner’s Mindset, and Personal Responsibility. We are seeking to spotlight these competencies from various perspectives, such as leaders being collaborative, teachers being critical thinkers, students being adaptable, etc. We are especially interested in student-based exemplars.   We will be collecting this information on the Portrait of a Graduate Exemplars Google form.

Middle School Writing Contest

The Middle School Writing Contest (formerly the High School Writing Contest) application is now open!

The North Carolina Azalea Festival introduced a new contest in 2017, the High School Writing Contest, in an effort to reach out to more youth in the greater Wilmington area.  In 2022, the Festival decided to move the 2023 contest to the Middle School level in hopes to engage younger minds in participation and see what creative works come to life in this age group! 

Middle School students are invited to submit either a descriptive essay or poem.  Many thoughtful, interesting, and creative entries are received and judged by a local team of writers. Winners and finalists are selected from each category and receive various prizes from the Azalea Festival and outside the community.

North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) Third Quarter Offerings   The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching is happy to announce the opening of the 2022-2023 NCCAT Online 3rd Quarter courses.  Registration is now open for these courses.  These courses can be used for CEU credit.

Testing and Accountability Courses

Want to learn more about assessment literacy?

As a teacher, you assess your students constantly. Whether it’s a quick exit ticket or an end-of-unit summative assessment, you know that good teaching means collecting and responding to data from many sources throughout instruction.

The NC Department of Public Instruction offers a free course on assessment literacy through the NC Educator Effectiveness System (NCEES). There, you can self-enroll, take the course at your own pace, and earn 1 CEU for successful completion of the 10-hour program.

• The Foundations of Assessment Literacy course is designed for everyone, whether you’re brand new or you’ve been teaching for a while. The course offers a mix of scholarly articles, interactive activities, and opportunities for reflection. Plus, you’ll become more familiar with testing in North Carolina.
• Modules include content on
  • Assessment Literacy, Professional Learning Communities, and Balanced Assessment Systems
  • Federal and State Policy
  • NC Testing Program – Test Development Process
  • NC Test Program – Psychometric Properties and Standard Setting
  • Summative Assessment
  • Interim Assessment
  • Formative Assessment
  • Common Assessment
  • Item Writing and Scoring

Ready to enroll?

· Within NCEES, search for the course Foundations of Assessment Literacy 2022–23.