Number 10

Registration Open for Southern Education Foundation's 2023 Outcomes Based Contracting National Convening

The Office of Learning Recovery and Acceleration (OLR) is sharing an exciting opportunity from the Southern Education Foundation to learn deeply about Outcomes Based Contracting (OBC). Under this contracting model, a substantial portion of payment to the provider is contingent on meeting agreed-upon student outcomes.

They are hosting the 2023 Outcomes Based Contracting national convening September 19-21 in Dallas, T.X. They have resources to pay for two people from your district to participate in the convening.

This is their second national convening dedicated to teaching and practicing outcomes based contracting. At the convening, participants will:

• Explore the five steps of OBC and how these result in a paradigm shift in district/vendor relationships.
• Expand the capacity in your state and the districts in your state to pursue and/or implement OBC.
• Deepen and amplify your existing vendor relationships to incorporate OBC principles and resources into your contracting practices.
• Get a taste of the OBC cohort experience.
• Build a community of practice with other districts and states who have taken the leap into OBC.

Register here. Learn more about OBC here. Please contact Sarah Glover at sglover@sourtherneducation.org with any questions.

Number 9

NCVPS to Offer Edvantage Tutoring

Another exciting and highly beneficial semester of Edvantage Tutoring is being offered by North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS). Visit NCVPS' website to learn more and review the list of curriculum areas offered.

There is a $35/hour fee for tutoring and all tutoring slots are available in 30-minute increments.

Please take a few moments to complete the 2023-24 NCVPS Edvantage Tutoring: Districts/Schools Partnership questionnaire and submit the form by or before August 11, 2023. School/district participation is first-come, first-served, and based upon partnership form date submission.

Please contact April Cooper with additional questions.

Number 8

Portrait of a Graduate Rubrics and Supporting Documents Available Next Week - August 9

As of August 9th, Rubrics, "I Can" Statements, and Suggestions for Use in the Classroom for each durable skill by grade band (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12) will be available!

These resources were crafted in a grassroots effort, similarly to the Portrait, by more than 120 teachers and administrators across the state. As a reminder, the Portrait was created by statewide design teams and revealed by Superintendent Truitt in October 2022. The Portrait identifies seven durable skills that, when combined with academic rigor, will prepare students for success after high school and better prepare them for success in a rapidly changing world.

Learn more about the Portrait and review existing resources here.

Number 7

Digital Teaching and Learning Resources

Are you using the free resources provided through NCDPI's Digital Teaching and Learning (DTL) team? 

Using an NCEdCloud login, users can find several resources including eBooks, articles, periodicals, and guides.

Check out the resource toolkit here.

Number 6

SparkNC Brings Self-Directed, Competency-Based Learning to Public School Students

"What if students could pursue learning for fun, without the pressure of grades or someone else’s schedule for mastery? That’s the question students at SparkNC’s Tech Creatives Summit considered at N.C. State University’s Hunt Library last week.

SparkNC is a brainchild of The Innovation Project, which works directly with districts to facilitate new approaches to education. The SparkNC initiative aims to accelerate learner progress along pathways to careers in high-tech fields like artificial intelligence and machine learning, software development, computer systems engineering, and cybersecurity.

At the summit, SparkNC officially launched a catalog of courses that allow students in 16 districts to take self-directed, competency-based units and earn stackable credits."

Read the full story here.

Number 5

Know a Leader to Learn From? Education Week Is Searching for Standout District Leaders

"A community engagement manager who gives students a direct say over how her Arizona district spends tens of thousands of dollars. A parent engagement chief jumped over hurdles to allow students to do art and literacy projects with their incarcerated fathers. A tech leader who worked with other community groups to build a first-class broadband network in rural Kansas—decades before a global pandemic would make high-speed internet a national priority.

Those are just a few of the district leaders Education Week has recognized in recent years through its annual Leaders to Learn From report. The next iteration of the report will publish in February 2024, with nominations due September 5, 2023.

In the past, Education Week has highlighted superintendents, arts supervisors, nursing directors, food service directors, curriculum leaders, and more.

Nominees must be district leaders, and anyone—teacher, parent, community member, business partner, nonprofit organization, vendor, current or former colleague—can submit a nomination.

Learn more and nominate a district leader here.

Number 4

Teaching the Holocaust: Resources and Reflections (Washington, D.C.) with NCCAT

Teaching the Holocaust: Resources and Reflections (Washington, D.C.) with NCCAT takes place November 12-17, 2023 and is designed for NC Public School educators teaching students in 6th through 12th grade. 

The aim of this program is to gain an understanding of the precursors, events, and consequences of the Holocaust and to grapple with the problem of how best to convey this history and the meaning that it can have in the lives and civic practices of our students. To accomplish this goal, participants will explore exhibits and other resources of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Participants will meet at predetermined locations across the state and then journey together to Washington, D.C for this intensive week.

Five days of substitute teacher costs are covered as well as double occupancy hotel room and state per-diem for meals. Applicants must exhibit a seriousness of interest in the subject matter as expressed in an essay that is reviewed by NCCAT staff as a part of the application process. 

Learn more and apply here.

Number 3

Interest Form: NC Recovery Practitioner Network

NCDPI and UNC-CH are partnering with faculty from across NC to help districts build research capacity to understand the impacts of the pandemic using local data. Earlier this week, an interest form was shared with superintendents and charter school leaders. 

Filling out the survey does not guarantee or commit to participation in the network. If your district is selected, 1-2 members of your team will participate in 5 workshops (three workshops online and two in person), from Fall 2023 to Summer 2024, as well as the opportunity to engage in regular coaching meetings with Faculty Fellows.

If you did not receive the email and/or have more questions, please reach out to communications@dpi.nc.gov.

Number 2

Center for Safer Schools RISE Safety Summit Recap

More than 200 school and district safety staff and both community and state partners gathered in Gastonia this week for the 2023 RISE Safety Summit. Sponsored by North Carolina's Center for Safer Schools (CFSS), participants spent three days training to support students on issues that impact school climate and school safety.

Read and listen to more about the RISE Conference here. Watch news clips and read more here. Follow along with the Center for Safer Schools and check out some RISE 2023 highlights on the CFSS' Twitter.

Number 1

Year-End Literacy Assessment Shows Strong Gains Continuing for NC Early Grades Students

"Students in early elementary grades in North Carolina public schools made strong gains in their literacy skills during the 2022-23 school year, according to assessment results presented today to the State Board of Education by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt.

The results of the final assessment of the year showed marked improvements from the start of the year, with the percentage of students who measured “on track” more than doubling in kindergarten, increasing by 22 percentage points in first grade and by 13 points in second grade."

Read the full press release here.