OCS Weekly Newsletter for March 14, 2023

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Office of Charter Schools

March 14, 2023

Some upcoming dates of note:

  • NCEES System Enhancements Survey Closes March 17th
  • NC Center for Safer Schools 10th anniversary celebration - March 17th
  • 3/20/23 11am OCS Office Hours; North Carolina Homeless Education Program – Savannah Gay 

  • NCSECU People Helping People Scholarship Nominations due March 21st
  • NCSTAR Spring 2023 Professional Development; Mar. 22-23 in Randolph County, and more locations in May.
  • Social Studies Leader's Institute March 23 - 24

NC PoG

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!


NCDPI Spring Webinar for High School Leaders on the new National Student Clearinghouse data

 

Dear Secondary/High School Charter Leader,

NCDPI will be hosting a series of webinars in the spring for all our high school leaders (i.e. principals, assistant principals, counselors, dean of students) focused on understanding how to use a data set that is brand-new to North Carolina from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC).  

 

We are providing three options for a webinar in the late spring to give an overview of a new (and exciting) data set for our state. Our goal is that representatives from every high school in our state participate in these webinars. 

 

Come to this session to explore your high school's NSC StudentTracker Report and see how the data can be used to facilitate best practices and spur innovation. 

 

The same webinar will be repeated three times to accommodate your schedules: Register Here

  • Tues April 25 at 9am 
  • Wed April 26 at 11am
  • Thurs April 27 at 3pm

NC has a new partnership with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) StudentTracker® for High Schools, funded through a new recurring budget item. This partnership provides reliable information on your high school graduates’ college transition rates that also allows you to compare your rates to those of similar schools across the country, including those serving low income and minority students and compare your high schools to national averages. For more information about NSC in NC please see our January 2023 presentation to the State Board of Education.

 

This data can help high schools and school districts more accurately gauge the college success of their graduates by answering such key questions such as:

  • How many of our high school graduates enroll in college?
  • Do they persist and graduate from college?
  • How long does it take for them to get their degrees?
  • Do they go in or out of state for college?
  • Do they attend a two- or four-year school?
  • Which colleges do they most commonly attend?

As a result of this partnership, each year, every North Carolina traditional and charter high school will receive a comprehensive StudentTracker report. This report will provide more than 30 color graphs and charts outlining the postsecondary enrollment and achievements of high school graduates.

 

Accessing your high school-level reports from NSC: 

The StudentTracker report for each of your high schools was placed on the Accountability secure shell on October 11, 2022; The reports are located in the following folder - 2023 / Pickup folder.  It is a zip file.  Just right click to open the file. Your Accountability Director should have access to the files. 

 


School Business

IDEA American Rescue Plan (ARP) for PRC 185, PRC 186, and PRC 187 

ARP funds allocated through PRC 185, PRC 186, and PRC 187 have a period of availability from 7/01/2021-9/30/2023. All ARP funds must be encumbered by 9/30/2023 and liquidated by 12/31/2023. 

There is currently $50.405,046.90 in PRC 185, $3,328,605.34 in PRC 186, and $952, 294.88 in PRC 187. These funds if not liquidated will be reverted to the federal government. The Office of Exceptional Children is currently reviewing each PSU's current carryover to determine next steps which may include a reversion of funds and re-allocating to districts who have utilized their funds. Please work with your finance officer to create a plan for spending these funds. If you need assistance, please reach out to your fiscal consultant and/or your regional consultant.

 

Local Use PRC for State Grants: 431-School Bus Replacement Program – All PSUs

DPI has assigned local use PRC 431 for the State Grant being awarded by the NC Department of Environmental Quality. The name of the grant is: School Bus Replacement Program.

This is State grant funding not appropriated thru NCDPI so you will use a LOCAL fund code (2, 8, etc.) with a PRC (Program Report Code) in the 400-499 series. Examples are Smart Start, NC Pre-K, etc. Please see the Chart of Accounts section of the FBS website for more information on the various PRCs in the supplemental information section.

Since PRC 431 is a Local State Grant PRC, DPI will not assign a Chart of Accounts. Review the grant to decide which account codes to use for this PRC. Ensure you have this PRC flagged appropriately to reflect the revenue and expenditures as state funds.

Any additional questions about the specific grant funding, please contact NC Department of Environmental Quality directly, Sheila Blanchard, sheila.blanchard@ncdenr.gov.

For questions related to the coding structure please contact Roxane Bernard in School Business at roxane.bernard@dpi.nc.gov.

 

State Planning Allotments

Attached are the State Planning Allotments for LEAs. We have included the Projected ADM which includes Charter School ADM Projections. We are working on supporting documents for those special allocations such as low-wealth and at-risk. Thank you for your patience and support as we create those supporting documents for everyone.

Other Allotment Updates

PRC 073 will be posted for Connectivity funds on Monday, March 13th. You should have your Summer School Funding (PRC 016) by Monday, March 20th, as soon as we have those planning numbers, we will email out to all the School Finance Officers. Any outstanding ABC/IFE and other transfers will also be posted by Monday, March 20th.

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


Applicant Tracking and Onboarding Systems Implementation Opportunities for Charter Schools

DPI is happy to announce we are ready to begin implementations once again for Applicant Tracking and Onboarding systems for PSUs through our Office of Systems Modernization.  If you took advantage of this opportunity last year and implemented Applicant Tracking, you may want to implement Onboarding this year.  The Onboarding system integrates with Applicant Tracking and allows you to send your newly hired candidate their onboarding or new hire ‘paperwork’ electronically using the Onboarding system.  This frees up time in your office of someone having to sit with each new hire and have them complete forms in the office and then hand deliver them to the appropriate department or staff person.  The Onboarding system not only allows you to create your forms in an electronic format, but also allows for the creation of workflows so that as forms are returned they are distributed through the designated workflow and delivered to the assigned staff. 

 

If you haven’t taken advantage of Applicant Tracking yet, you may want to do so now before you are in the thick of hiring season for the 2023-2024 school year.  This system comes to you setup with the basics of what you need, but allows you to setup your Candidate Portal individually for you school and allows for each PSU to review the items that have been setup in the base system and make changes to them to suit your needs.  This system is integrated with the TeachNC SchoolSpring statewide job board for more visibility for your job postings to bring you more applicants.  The training is a one-day virtual training session, materials and your session will be recorded so you can continue to use the recording as you work through your review and setup on your own. 

 

Onboarding training is the same with a one-day virtual training, materials and recorded session and then you continue to work on your own.

 

Both of these systems are offered to you at no cost to your school.

 

If you are interested in implementing either of these systems, please email Wendy Hinson at wendy.hinson@dpi.nc.gov with the following information:

·       Name of your school

·       Assigned LEA #

·       Which system you wish to implement (you can choose both) – Applicant Tracking or Onboarding

·       Name of Primary Contact

·       Email of Primary Contact

 

We are hoping to start our first training sessions in late March/early April so please get your information turned in as soon as possible.  If your school has already contacted Wendy, there is no need to email again unless you have additional questions.  Thank you!


NCEES System Enhancements Survey 2023

NORTH CAROLINA EDUCATOR EFFECTIVENESS SYSTEM (NCEES) SYSTEM ENHANCEMENT SURVEY 2023

 

This survey is for PSU (Public School Unit) District Administrators and Site Administrators of the NCEES system.  District and Site Administrators are welcome to share this survey with other NCEES Admins in your district with a similar or higher role. This survey will be open from Mar. 1 - Mar. 17, 2023.

 

The goals of this survey are to:

1) identify areas of enhancement in the online tool   

2) inform the NCEES product Road Map on future enhancement's priority with the vendor, PowerSchool

3) improve the system user experience when using the online tool

 

Please review this Wakelet list of 10 enhancements that NCDPI has submitted to the PowerSchool Ideas Portal. 

 

NCDPI is requesting survey respondents to rank the enhancements through this survey in order of importance 1-10. 

 

Please complete this NCEES Enhancement Survey by close of business, 5PM EST, on Friday, Mar. 17, 2023.

 

Please send any questions to Home_Base@dpi.nc.gov


Summer Bridge Camps and Read To Achieve Summer 2023

RtA Reading Camp funds will be provided in PRC 016. These funds should be available Spring 2023. PRC 016 funds are to be used for RtA Reading Camp only, per Legislation. If you have any RtA reading camp questions, feel free to reach out to Tonia.Parrish@dpi.nc.gov.


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

OCR/CRDC -SY2021-2022 - Collection Information Pending Federal Opening

Dear Coordinators,  

Please share with other staff as appropriate. 

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. 

  

There is no need to run the CRDC Preview Report in PowerSchool. 

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

  • 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


Advertising Upcoming Social Studies PD in Region 1

In Partnership with NCDPI, the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University will be hosting a one day seminar in Elizabeth City on Saturday March 25. This free professional learning session is open to all 6-12 Social Studies and ELA teachers who want to increase their content knowledge on the Kennedy and Johnson presidencies and who would like to earn 8 contact hours towards CEUs. The seminar and discussion will all be using primary documents to model best practices for students. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Please see the registration linked. Please contact Tom Daugherty if you have any questions.


Exceptional Children Logo

 


Important MEMOs:


OCS

Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates

Counselor Cohort Opportunity
School counselors are invited to fill out this Google Form indicating whether they'd like to be included in communication and professional development with other charter school counselors in the state and their local area:
Counselors that fill out the form will hear from our School Counselor Liaison, Brooklyn Winters via her email winters@longleafschool.com and you may email her with questions about this professional network.
----------------------------
OCS Office Hours Upcoming Events

March 20th  

11:00 AM 

North Carolina Homeless Education Program – Savannah Gay 

April 17th  

11:00 AM 

MTSS - Addressing Misconceptions – Ashley Springs + Rhonda Harrell (IABS) 

May 15th  

11:00 AM 

CTE Credentialing and Funding – Marty Tobey with CTE 

Take It Outside! conference at Pioneer Springs

When's the last time you climbed a tree?  Stepped in a puddle?  Stood in the rain? The connections between nature and cognitive growth, creativity, emotional balance, and overall wellness have been well documented but, despite this knowledge, school settings and many programs intended for children, adolescents, and young adults are still limited to traditional  classroom settings.  Take it Outside! at Pioneer Springs is a celebration of nature education and integration in K-12 and other public settings.  The conference, led by educators for educators and nature enthusiasts,  promotes the integration of nature as part of a whole child approach. 

PSCS Outside

NCAPCS Incubator Program

The NC Association for Public Charter Schools (NCAPCS) is dedicated to providing the support necessary to establish a strong foundation for the formation of new, innovative charter schools. Phase One of the NCAPCS Incubator Program's implementation will provide small grants ($1,000 maximum) to select planning year schools to assist in recruiting and marketing efforts. The Incubator Program committee will fund the schools with the strongest applications. Deadline to apply:  March 31, 2023.

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.


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

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

Save the Date July 14th for Office of Learning Recovery & Acceleration and The SAS Institute

Greetings, 

We look forward to continuing our conversations from last summer and introducing you to the latest data available from The SAS EVAAS Team!

You will hear about innovative promising practices, evidence-based and data-supported strategies, as well as opportunities to network with colleagues from across the state, and much more!

Keep an eye on your email for updates from our office as the date approaches. So, remember to SAVE THE DATE 😊 & email me at:  richard.lewis@dpi.nc.gov with any questions.

Richard W. Lewis, Ed.D.Education Program Administrator IOffice of Learning Recovery and AccelerationDivision of Standards, Accountability, and ResearchNC Department of Public Instruction

Cohort 4 July 14th.pdf


Other Resources from DPI and beyond


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

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