OCS Weekly Newsletter for February 7, 2023

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Office of Charter Schools

February 7, 2023

Some upcoming dates of note:

  • Register for NCCAT Charter Connections Program 2/13-17/2023
  • Feb. 21st-22nd 2023 Advocacy Summit
  • New Technical Contact PowerSchool IPT Certification February 20-24, 2023

NC PoG

MEMO From: State Superintendent Catherine Truitt and Andrew Smith, Assistant Superintendent

School and District Leaders,

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is inviting teachers and instructional leaders to join the agency in creating rubrics for the NC Portrait of a Graduate. This is the second of three phases to support educators, administrators, and students as they build these durable skills that prepare them for an ever-changing world. 

During phase one, more than 1,200 stakeholders participated in design teams to curate and select the seven competencies that will best prepare NC graduates for the post-secondary plan of their choice. The competencies include Adaptability, Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, Empathy, Learner’s Mindset, and Personal Responsibility. 

Starting in February the Rubric Writing Team will develop grade span rubrics for each of the seven competencies, providing additional support for educators who are integrating them into their classroom learning environments.

We are recruiting educators, principals/assistant principals, chief academic officers, school counselors and others with specific knowledge to support this work, to apply to be a part of the Rubric Writing Team. The time requirement will be approximately 1 hour of asynchronous work and 1 hour of synchronous work per week, plus bi-weekly virtual meetings facilitated by Battelle for Kids, our partner in this work. Members of the Rubric Writing Team will receive hours toward CEUs. 

The Rubric Writing Team Kickoff will be held on March 7, 2023, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the DPI Education Building in Raleigh, NC. Please make every effort to attend in person. Although not mandatory, we will be outlining significant priorities, introducing partners, and plotting next steps. We cannot do this important work without you!

To apply, please complete the form linked below by February 10, 2023:

Application Draft Google Form Link

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to working with you!

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, and we are hoping each of you will be able to assist us in collecting these exemplars.

As you know, 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 are collecting this information on the Portrait of a Graduate Exemplars Google form. Please direct any questions to Angie.Mullennix@dpi.nc.gov

POG Exemplar Flyer - Please Share!


School Business

Local Use PRC for Federal Grants: 352-School Health Advisory Council Grant – All PSUs

DPI has assigned local use PRC 352 for the Federal Grant being awarded by the NC Department of Health and Human Services. The name of that Grant is: School Health Advisory Council Grant (SHAC).

Please note that this is Federal grant funding not appropriated thru NCDPI which carries the fund 3 code. For this and similarly funded grants you use a LOCAL fund code (2, 8, etc.) with a PRC (Program Report Code) in the 300-399 series. Examples are Medicaid Reimbursements, Head Start, etc. Please see the Chart of Accounts section of the FBS website for more information on the various Program Report Codes in the supplemental information section.

 

Any additional questions about the specific grant funding can be directed to Marshall Tyson with the NC Department of Health and Human Services directly at marshall.tyson@dhhs.nc.gov. For questions related to the coding structure, please contact Roxane Bernard in School Business.

Did you know? You can find all School Business newsletters on the website, organized by year. 


NCSTAR Spring 2023 Professional Development

The Office of District & Regional Support within the Division of District & School Support Services is excited to announce the Spring 2023 NCStar & School Improvement Planning Professional Development!

This two-day training will be offered in six different locations across the state during the months of March through May. These sessions will cover the same material and resources shared during the Fall 2022 sessions.

 

Day 1: Participants will learn about school improvement using NCStar and how to navigate the platform to assess, create and monitor school-based practices. Participants will also learn about the components of Set Direction in NCStar, including the use of Performance Measures to monitor the progress of school improvement goals.

Day 2: Participants will continue to learn about school improvement using NCStar with a focus on the Continuous Improvement Cycle (Assess, Create, Monitor) to create robust school improvement plans. Participants will also learn about best practices for school improvement teams, including how to run an effective SIT meeting, effective forms of distributive leadership and the critical role that SIT leaders and committees play in moving the school achievement needle forward, and the evaluation of a school’s School Improvement Plan.

 

To register, please click here.

NCStar23

SAVE

SAVE Promise Club Youth Leadership Training

N.C. Center for Safer Schools staff members recently made presentations during SAVE Promise Club Youth Leadership Training. Student Engagement Coordinator Michael Wheeler (Jan. 31 in Mooresville) and Project Coordinator Kendra Underwood (Feb. 2 in Raleigh) spoke about the importance of school safety and the upcoming youth programs being released by the CFSS. They also encouraged the importance of community engagement and how it ties in with school safety.

 

The Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Club is the student leadership initiative of Sandy Hook Promise. Led by its Youth Advisory Board, the aim is to empower student leaders to take an active role in increasing school safety and preventing violence in schools and communities.

 

SAVE Promise Club Youth Leadership Training is a two-day initiative that practices preventing violence and training participants in effective ways to make their schools and communities safer.


OCR/CRDC - SY2021-2022 Collection Information

The Office of Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) will be conducted in the 2022-2023 school year.  Data for the collection is from the previous year (School Year 2021-2022).  Note:  PSUs which were not open in the school year 2021-2022 will not participate in this collection. 

 

To date, the Federal government has not published an official start date or requirements for the collection.  The information from the Federal government may be published as late as the summer of 2023.  NCDPI will notify PSUs once an announcement has been made. 

 

Despite the delay in requirements from the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), North Carolina PSUs will move forward with data collection, following the documentation from the federal level provided for the school year 2021-2022. Understanding the time constraints posed by EOY, the plan will be to complete the collection phase of the CRDC well in advance of that time frame to allow for ample time for PSUs to verify, add and certify data in the federal submission system.

 

 CRDC PowerSchool Preview Report

The CRDC PowerSchool Preview Report Submission Start and End Dates will be updated to March 1, 2023 to March 31, 2023.  There is no need to run the report before March 1, 2023.

 

PSUs can begin to prepare for the SY21-22 CRDC by:

  • Updating the CRDC LEA and School level screens in PowerSchool.
  • Verifying or updating the CRDC Coordinator contacts are recorded in EDDIE
    • As a reminder, all PSUs must have at least one CRDC Coordinator contact in EDDIE
  • Ensuring Section 504 data for SY 2021-2022 been recorded in the Special Programs section of PowerSchool.
    • Use the Enrolling Students in a Special Program guide to add student records. 
    • PSUs using third party applications for Section 504 will be required submit Section 504 data to the CRDC on their own if a record is not added to PowerSchool.
    • Section 504 Designation guidance is provided at the local level.  Please contact the PSU 504 Coordinator with any questions.

PSUs will be required to gather and submit the following data for the CRDC:

Review and collect data using the SY2021-2022 CRDC School Form for the following survey questions:

  • OFFN-5: Offenses -Number of Incidents Committed by School Staff
  • OFFN-6: Offenses -Allegations Against School Staff (Resignation or Retirement)
  • OFFN-7: Offenses -Allegations Against School Staff (Determined Responsible)
  • OFFN-8: Offenses -Allegations Against School Staff (Determined Not Responsible)
  • OFFN-9: Offenses -Allegations Against School Staff (Determination Pending)
  • OFFN-10: Offenses -Allegations Against School Staff (Duty Reassignment)

Please email nc.ocr.crdc@dpi.nc.gov with any questions you may have. 

 

Want information about the CRDC, but are not the CRDC Coordinator contact?  Add your information here:  2122 CRDC – Info Only Contacts List


New Round of Grants for Digital Teaching & Learning Available for 2023-24

Digital Teaching and Learning in North Carolina’s public schools will benefit from a new round of competitive grants approved December 1, 2022, by the State Board of Education.

Up to $1.25 million in grants funded by the General Assembly through the state’s Digital Learning Initiative will be available to school districts, charter schools, lab schools, and regional schools during the 2023-24 school year. 

These competitive grants are intended to support North Carolina districts and schools as they address challenges, harness opportunities, and leverage resources for digital-age teaching, and learning. As specified in the state’s Digital Learning Plan, this grant program is intended to support the development and dissemination of local innovative digital teaching and learning across North Carolina.

For the 2023-24 school year, there will be two request-for-proposal applications: the Digital Learning Impact Grant and a mini-grant for professional learning and also for emerging technologies. The window for the request for proposals for the grants opened December 1, 2022, and will close with a February 28, 2023, deadline.

For more detailed information, please see attached RFP Announcement.


MLs

ML/Title III Updates

Stay informed and on top of the latest Multilingual Learner (ML)/Title III updates with our new monthly update document! This valuable resource is tailored specifically for charter leaders and will include the latest updates and best practices to help you stay ahead of the curve.

Bookmark and explore now to stay informed and make the most of your school's program to support multilingual learners.

ML/Title III Monthly Updates for Charter Schools


Charter schools and AGPIP

School leaders,

As you may be aware, the statutory investment authority for NC’s charter schools was recently expanded. In particular, charter schools can now participate in the Department of State Treasurer’s investment program for non-pension governmental entities, referred to as the Ancillary Governmental Participant Investment Program (AGPIP). To assist charter schools, we have drafted some FAQs regarding AGPIP (linked).

We also included a few questions regarding the Supplemental Retirement Plans (NC 401(k) Plan and NC 457 Plan) because similar eligibility questions may arise for SRP and AGPIP.

The link to the Department’s AGPIP page is here: AGPIP and Investment Management Programs | NC Treasurer.

You can find more information on SRP at www.myNCPlans.com and the Board of Trustees page (Supplemental Retirement Board of Trustees | My NC Retirement).


Social Studies Leaders' Institute

 

SS leaders

Exceptional Children Logo

 


Student Accounting Manual Update (SASA)

The SBE approved the attached updated draft of the SASA Manual at their meeting on November 3, 2022. We have linked the full SBE packet so you can see the changes that were made. Most are technical corrections for legislative changes such as the Student Code of Conduct and those applicable items now applies to ALL PSUs and not just LEAs. We also have provided the update to the PMR Attestation statement as well as updated coding that is no longer applicable post-pandemic. If you have any questions, please contact LaShon Creech at lashon.creech@dpi.nc.gov. Please make sure your LEA Data Managers are aware the manual has been updated.


Important MEMOs:


OCS

Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates

OPEN NOW: 2023 NC Charter Applications 

The 2023 North Carolina Charter School Application is now open, as of Friday, January 27th at 5 pm. The 2023 charter application window will close on April 28, 2023 at 5pm. Applicants who are interested in opening a charter school in 2024 under the accelerated timeline, or in 2025 under the standard timeline must submit their charter applications on or before the April 28, 2023 application close date. 

 

Both the online application and $1,000 application fee must be submitted on or before April 28, 2023 at 5pm. 

 

For questions about the charter application process, please reach out to Melanie.Rackley@dpi.nc.gov.  

Please forward

School leaders, we encourage you to forward this newsletter on to your staff so they can subscribe to DPI bulletins directly through this link. They will enter their email and then it will bring them to another page where they can select “Charter School Comms Contacts” and any other public listserv to sign up for.

2023 Advocacy Summit - Register Through this Link

NCSECU People Helping People Scholarship

It is that time of year again!  NCSECU People Helping People Scholarship!  Please share as appropriate with your seniors and their families.  We would love to have a representative from every senior high school that has eligible students.  Remember parents or the student must be a member of the NCSECU credit union.  Let’s see if we can break 45 applicants!!!!!

  • Due Date back to Dr. Darian C. Jones, darian.jones@dpi.nc.gov COB, MARCH 21st, TUESDAY CLOSE OF BUSINESS, 5:00 p.m. The date of April 3 is the due date for our office to submit our names to NCSECU.  Please, please share with your team, your students, and families so they do not miss out on this opportunity.  We cannot take submissions directly from parents or students. 
  • Each school with an eligible student is to send me, 1 name, and completed application and materials as prescribed.

Please find the 2023 SECU Foundation People Helping People Scholarship materials linked below. I have also attached the PowerPoint that I used in our webinar, and you can access the recording of the webinar here (Passcode: 8.K4o9^u).

 

Please pay close attention to the Membership Verification Process document; this year we are asking our students to verify that they meet the SECU membership eligibility requirement prior to submitting their application materials, and that document outlines the process by which they will fulfill that requirement. The Membership Verification Process document should be distributed to students will all other application materials, and a student should not turn in their completed application packet to their guidance office unless it also contains the Membership Confirmation letter that I have pasted below. The link at the top of the Membership Verification Process document is disabled until the morning of December 16th; it will be active from December 16th through March 31st

 

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Darian C. Jones, Ph. D.Education Program Consultant IIOffice of Charter Schools


HR Webinar Information - Licensure requirements, resources, and more for Charter School leaders

Once a month, Dr. Tom Tomberlin and his team provide State Board of Education and legislative updates to the human resources contacts in Public School Units (PSUs) across the state.

All sessions are 10:30-11:30AM

March 3

April 7

May 5

June 2

July 10 (Monday)

August 7 (Monday)

September 8

October 6

November 3

December 8

 

Link to Join:

Kim Evans' Personal Room

https://ncgov.webex.com/meet/kimberly.evans

 | 619435814 

Join by phone

+1-415-655-0003 US Toll

Access code: 619 435 814

Kim EvansProgram Coordinator, PEPSCOffice of Educator Preparation and LicensureDivision of Educator and Student AdvancementNC Department of Public InstructionP: (984) 236-2116M: (240) 498-5111kimberly.evans@dpi.nc.gov

Other Resources from DPI and beyond

NCCAT Charter Connections Program at Ocracoke

Event location
2 Irvin Garrish Hwy, Ocracoke, NC 27960
Event Date and Time
February 13, 2023 - February 17, 2023

 

How can charter school teachers build networks of support for schools, staff, and students? With each charter school operating as an independent LEA, how do we form communities with other charter school educators to share best practices and increase community support? Explore how teachers can better advocate for their specific school and charters in general and how to develop your own leadership style to help support school initiatives. Learn best practices in connecting students to digital learning and student leadership development through exploring personalized, project-based and flipped learning. Discuss ways to model these practices in your schools. Using a “make and take” model, participants will have time to develop a communication or networking plan, digital lessons, and project-based modules to share with your school.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY


Charter School Job Postings 

If you have current teaching/leadership positions open and wish to share them in this newsletter, reach out to Joseph.Letterio@dpi.nc.gov and provide a link to the posting/s. 


Whom Should I Contact at the Office of Charter Schools?

OCS Main Number: (984) 236-2700 / Email: ocs@dpi.nc.gov

Name

Email

Phone

Workflow

Ashley Baquero

Ashley.Baquero@dpi.nc.gov

984.236.2708

Director

Anita Holbrook

anita.holbrook@dpi.nc.gov

984-236-2753

Executive Assistant/Communications

Joseph Letterio M.

Joseph.Letterio@dpi.nc.gov

984.236.2703

Performance Framework/ Comms&Data

Natasha Norins

natasha.norins@dpi.nc.gov

(984) 236-2702

RTO/Planning Year

Lakisha Robbins

Lakisha.robbins@dpi.nc.gov

984.236.2704

NC ACCESS Finance

Davida Robinson

Davida.robinson@dpi.nc.gov

984.236.2878

NC ACCESS Program Manager

Barbara O’Neal

Barbara.ONeal@dpi.nc.gov

984.236.2706

NC ACCESS Program Administrator

Jenna Cook

Jenna.Cook@dpi.nc.gov

984.236.2707

Renewals

Darian Jones

darian.jones@dpi.nc.gov

984.236.2705

Prof. Dev./Stakeholder Support

Melanie Rackley

Melanie.Rackley@dpi.nc.gov

984.236.2712

Applications

Nicky Niewinski

nicole.niewinski@dpi.nc.gov

984-236-2709

SBE/CSAB and Amendments