Wells Fargo Principal of the Year Candidate Portfolios due November 3rd.
NCDPI is pleased to coordinate the 2024 Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year (POY) Program. Since 1984, Wells Fargo Bank has financially supported a program in collaboration with the Department of Public Instruction to recognize outstanding principals from the North Carolina public schools. Since the inception of the program, we have recognized 43 state Wells Fargo Principals of the Year, 290 regional award recipients, and 3,640 local Wells Fargo Principals of the Year. Charter School Principals are invited to submit the following portfolio to be considered for NC Charter School Principal of the Year 2023-2024. The top two candidates will be invited to a final round of interviews within the first two weeks of December, 2023. We are so proud of our charter school leaders and look forward to scheduling candidate interviews immediately after the first review has taken place within the Office of Charter Schools, where last year’s Principal of the Year and OCS Consultants interview the nominees for Principal of the Year for NC Charter Schools. This application is due no later than November 3rd, 2023 by 5:00 pm.
Portfolio Submission Guidelines- A completed application includes all of the following:
- Board/Executive Director Nomination
- Complete Portfolio Entry in PDF Format.
- Two Letters of Recommendation.
- Headshot
Governing Board/Executive Director Nomination Letter:Nomination Letter from the school verifying the nominee has the Board agreement in the nomination and to their knowledge meets all of the requirements. In addition, the Board is encouraged to supplement or support the nominee’s application with any additional words that reflect the school leader’s alignment to the core values of this award. Should be emailed after completing Form to Dr. Natasha Norins. (2 Pages Maximum)
Review the Google Form and complete, along with the attached PDF Portfolio questions and information. After completing the form, all other documents should be emailed to Dr. Natasha Norins in the Office of Charter Schools as a PDF document..Principals will submit all components via email to Dr. Natasha Norins, natasha.norins@dpi.nc.gov no later than November 3rd, 2023 by 5:00 pm. The selection committee will review and consider only the required materials, thus no additional materials shall be submitted with the email submission.
The candidate must:
- Be a principal of a North Carolina public school.
- Have at least four years’ experience as an administrator (years may be a combination of assistant principal, principal and central office experience).
- A principal is a person designated by a local Board of Education as the head of a school with 100 or more pupils in average daily membership (ADM) and/or with seven or more full-time, state-allotted teachers.
- A principal is the executive head of the school.
- Be employed as a school administrator throughout the local and regional selection process.
- Be a practicing school administrator in order to compete for the Wells Fargo Principal of the Year state title and remain practicing principal for the entire term.
- Hold a valid principal's license.
Previous state Wells Fargo Principals of the Year are not eligible to be nominated as candidates. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Dr. Norins and she will be happy to assist in the collection of all of the portfolio and nomination elements. We wish you the best during this journey!
Please note a couple corrections to the FBS budget bulletin:
The changes are highlighted below. This includes links to the budget bill and most notably, the daily deposit amount adjustment does NOT apply to Charter Schools. This is for LEAs only.
For your convenience, here is the newsletter link. It is on page 102 under September 29, 2023.
Immunization and Health Assessment Compliance Reporting
Each year, all schools are required to report the immunization status of their kindergarten and 7th grade students, according to G.S. 130A-155(c) and G.S. 130A-440. The purpose of these reports is to ensure that all children enrolled in North Carolina schools are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases and to determine the number of children who meet state immunization requirements. Additionally, all North Carolina public and public charter schools are required annually to report on the status of Health Assessments for those students who are enrolling for the first time in a North Carolina public or public charter school (G.S. 130A-441(c)).
Report submission can take place after the 30th calendar day from the school’s official first day. A combined compliance report must be complete, by school name and ID number on-line at this link: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7475444/2023-2024-NC-HA-and-Immunization-Report. You may use the link to access instructions as well as worksheets to gather your responses prior to entering the online report. Compliance reports are due no later than November 1, 2023, but may be completed at any time prior to that date.
NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NCTWC)
The NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) needs your feedback and input to improve the validity and reliability of the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NCTWC). Your participation will help us understand the needs of teachers across the state, improve work environments, and shape policies that directly impact educators and education stakeholders like you.
To learn more about our survey revision process, please:
- See our 1-pager available here and additional information included below.
- Join NCDPI staff at our "Overhauling the NCTWC" Session at the AIM Conference on Tuesday, October 10 from 10:10 AM - 11:30 AM.
To complete the NCTWC feedback form, please click on this link. Your responses will be anonymous and only used for NCTWC survey improvement.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact Jeni Corn, Director of Research and Evaluation at the NC Department of Public Instruction at jeni.corn@dpi.nc.gov
Thank you for your dedication to education and your commitment to improving the teaching and learning experiences of our public school educators and students in North Carolina. Your insights will contribute to creating a more supportive and conducive working environment for all educators.
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NCDPI needs your feedback and input in our efforts to improve the validity and reliability of the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey while reducing the number of items and data collection burden on our educators, schools, and districts.
We have divided the survey into 12 domains, each focusing on different aspects of the teaching experience. You will have the opportunity to provide feedback on one domain at a time. Your responses will be anonymous. Your participation is instrumental in helping us understand the needs of teachers across the state, improve work environments, and shape policies that directly impact educators like you.
Purpose of the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey:
The NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey is a critical tool for assessing the various aspects of the teaching profession, including classroom environment, school leadership, professional development, and more. Its primary purpose is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the conditions under which teachers work, allowing us to identify areas of strength and areas that may require improvement. The insights gathered from this survey enable us to tailor policies and initiatives that better support teachers, enhance their work experiences and ultimately contribute to improved educational outcomes for our students.
We value your perspective as a member of the NC education community, and your feedback on the individual items within the survey is crucial to our continuous improvement efforts. We have divided the survey into 12 sections, each focusing on different aspects of the teaching experience. You have the opportunity to provide feedback on one section at a time. Each section includes all related items for your consideration.
Access the Survey: To ensure a clear and organized process, we have created this Feedback Form.
In this form, you can review each item within a section and choose from the following options for each item:
- Keep: If you believe the item accurately represents your experience and is important for assessing working conditions.
- Edit: If you think the item needs modifications or adjustments to better reflect your reality.
- Delete: If you believe the item is irrelevant or should be removed from the survey.
Additionally, we encourage you to provide a brief explanation for your choices. Your reasoning will provide us with deeper insights into your perspective and guide any necessary changes.
Please note that to provide feedback on multiple sections, you will need to complete the survey more than once.
Improving Validity, Reliability, and Fairness:
With efforts to enhance the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey, we are dedicated to refining the survey's validity and reliability while maintaining its established structure. We strive to gather insights that accurately represent the diverse experiences of educators statewide, ultimately leading to well-informed policy decisions that positively impact teacher work environments. Your participation and feedback are integral to this continuous improvement process.
Jeni Corn, Ph.D.
Director
OCR/CRDC - SY2021-2022 - Announcement from OCR
Note: PSUs that were not open in the school year 2021-2022 are not required to participate in this collection.
The CRDC Partner Support Center (PSC) has announced the release of SY2021-2022 collection documentation. Specifically, the LEA and School forms (links contained in this email). All required federal documentation is located at the Civil Rights Data Collection Resource Center. PSC is still making updates to other supporting documents for the collection. The PSC message is attached and will be published on the NCDPI CRDC website.
OCR expects to announce the submission open date in Winter 2023. NCDPI will notify PSUs with dates when the Federal Submission Tool is open when the information is available. PSUs are encouraged become familiar with the federal site prior to the opening of the Federal Submission Tool.
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Verify the PSU CRDC contact records in EDDIE by November 1, 2023.
Staff documented in EDDIE for the CRDC as of November 1, 2023, will receive accounts to the Federal Submission and can provision accounts to others at the local level at the time of the collection.
- Download and begin reviewing the updated required documents for CRDC Coordinators, which include:
These forms contain the complete set of survey questions that the PSU must complete for itself and its school(s).
- Begin gathering data not collected by NCDPI
More detailed information will be provided for data PSUs will be required to collect on their own.
Examples include but are not limited to:
- STAF-1: Teachers – FTE Count and Certification
- STAF-6: School Counselors Number FTE
- STAF-7: Support Services Staff Number FTE
- SECR-1: Security 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.
More information will be provided on the collection as it is made available.
Want information about the CRDC, but are not the CRDC Coordinator contact? Add your information here: 2122 CRDC – Info Only Contacts List
Invitation to Review & Provide Feedback on Our New Mental Health Care Toolkit for Schools
Rural Opportunity Institute (ROI) is partnering with the NC DPI and an expert named Sarah Broome to create a toolkit aimed at helping schools provide mental health care services and bill Medicaid for the cost. Our aim is for this toolkit to help schools greatly expand the availability of mental health care to their students at little to no additional cost.
To ensure this toolkit is as useful as possible, we are hoping to have one or more charter schools vet a draft and provide feedback. We would use the feedback to ensure the Toolkit is as useful as possible for schools like yours once it is finalized. If you would be interested in this opportunity, please email Graham Palmer, ROI's Director of Systems Innovation & Policy, at graham@ruralopportunity.org. Graham is happy to answer any questions you may have, and your initial email is not a commitment to provide feedback.
In-person Regional Training for the 2023 K-12 Science Standards
Greetings colleagues!
We are excited to announce that we have scheduled a full day of in-person training for each region this Fall to share explore the newly adopted 2023 NC K-12 Science Standards. We will share an overview of the new standards, including the Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) and the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (RBT). Participants will engage in strategic conversations and work collaboratively to plan for local implementation in 2024-2025.
Please see the link below, with more details, date/location for each regional training and a link to the registration. We are encouraging each district to send teams of 5 and for each charter school to send teams of up to 3.
We are excited to be able to be in-person with you and your staff! Please let me know if you have any questions. A copy of this email will also be shared with each districts CAO.
We hope your school year has started off as smoothly as possible. Thanks for everything you do to support science instruction in our classrooms!
Respectfully,
Charles Aiken, Ed.D. Section Chief Mathematics, Science and STEM Office of Academic Standards NC Department of Public Instruction P: (984) 236-2837 charles.aiken@dpi.nc.gov
Center for Safer Schools
National Preparedness Month
September is National Preparedness Month. This yearly observance raises awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time.
This year’s theme is “Take Control in 1, 2, 3,” which empowers everyone, especially older adults, to 1) assess their needs, 2) make a plan and 3) engage their support network to stay safe when disaster strikes.
Older adults can face greater risks in extreme weather events and emergencies, especially if they are living alone, are low-income, have a disability or live in rural areas. By 2035, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that there will be more Americans over 65 than under 18. Over the next decade, it is imperative that the growing older adult population becomes more aware of their risks and better prepared for them.
For more information about National Preparedness Month, visit Ready.gov.
Great Southeast ShakeOut
The Center for Safer Schools and N.C. Emergency Management invite school districts and charter schools across the state to participate in the 2023 Great Southeast ShakeOut on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 10:19 a.m.
The ShakeOut is an annual public earthquake drill where millions of people in schools, organizations and homes simultaneously practice “Drop, Cover and Hold On,” which is the recommended action for people to take during an earthquake to reduce the risk of injury.
Although Oct. 19 is the official ShakeOut date this year, school districts and individual schools can choose their own date (or multiple dates) to accommodate as many people and schedules as possible. The drill can be completed together in person or at home via videoconferencing and offers your schools and community an opportunity to consider how they would respond to an earthquake while identifying potential refinements to your district’s emergency response plan.
Visit https://www.shakeout.org/southeast/register/ to register and perform a “Drop, Cover and Hold On” drill on Oct. 19 at 10:19 a.m. (or a date and time that works best for you). Once registered you will:
- Learn how your schools can be more prepared for earthquakes.
- Be counted in the world’s largest earthquake drill.
- Receive ShakeOut news and other information about earthquakes and preparedness.
- Make a difference by motivating others to participate and be prepared.
The ShakeOut website includes drill planning resources, general preparedness information, mitigation guidance and educational activities including lesson plans. The Great Southeast ShakeOut is organized by the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium and its member and associate state emergency management agencies. While infrequent, damaging earthquakes can occur at any time across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
If you have questions, contact Laura Silver with N.C. Emergency Management at laura.silver@ncdps.gov or 984-272-7002.
Executive Director Tours
During the fall semester, Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley will continue her tours of North Carolina school districts and charter schools. She would like to see anything public school units want to showcase regarding school safety. For school districts, include stops at an elementary school, a middle school and a high school. Fairley also would like to take time to talk with a small group of students. To request a tour, send an email to cfss@dpi.nc.gov.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) Trainings
Are you new to offering Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs or do you want to know more about CTE? Check out our Charter Schools: Getting Started with CTE guide (https://bit.ly/CTEcharter) to connect with CTE resources, including course standards, required CTE proofs of learning, credentials, and reporting requirements.
The CTE Regional Services team is implementing a charter school user group during the 2023-2024 school year to provide training and support for charter schools who offer CTE programs or have student enrollments in CTE courses through NCVPS. Our charter school user group will meet quarterly to provide CTE updates, information about CTE programs, and training for administering and reporting student results for CTE proofs of learning, credentials, and CTE concentrator status for WorkKeys participation. We invite you to mark your calendar for the following dates and plan to join us online to learn more about CTE.
*This session will include a CTE State Assessment training refresher and full training required for schools administering spring administrations of CTE State Assessments who did not attend fall training
Questions may be directed to Misty Wolfe (misty.wolfe@dpi.nc.gov) or your CTE Regional Coordinator.
New Charter Amendment Process
As of August 1, 2023, OCS has implemented an updated charter application amendment request process via epicenter. Please refer to the "Epicenter Steps for Charter Application Amendment Request 0723" document linked here for instructions. Any material change to the charter application must be approved pursuant to State Board of Education policy CHTR-014, North Carolina Administrative Code 16 NCAC 06g.0510 and 16 NCAC 06g.0511. Questions? Contact Nicky Niewinski, OCS Consultant, at nicole.niewinski@dpi.nc.gov
New ML[ELL] Data Compliance Library
This repository provides resources for supporting administrators, data managers, testing coordinators, and teachers to access throughout the academic school year. The range of resources allows users to determine their specific needs and find the appropriate materials.
If you have any questions, please email susan.walz@dpi.nc.gov.
Please review the attached Exceptional Children communication updates and Guidance.
Important MEMOs:
Office of Charter Schools (OCS) Updates
OCS presented some updates at the NCAPCS Charter Conference. In case you missed it, or want the presentation, please find it linked HERE.
Office of Charter Schools' 2023-2024 Open Office Hours
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Date
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Time
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Topic
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Link
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October 12, 2023
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10:00 AM
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School Safety Dr. Karen Fairley
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=mb99d630a2fb94629201c837ab858a2bb
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November 28, 2023
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10:00 AM
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North Carolina Homeless Education Program Savannah Gay
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=mb2c987d2a54af5279aa891b5c7ce3273
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December (TBD)
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10:00 AM
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Home Base, NCEES, Mental Health docs Matthew Mayo, John Mair, Cami Narron
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https://ncgov.webex.com/meet/natasha.norins
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February 14, 2024
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10:00 AM
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School Leaders Inspire Us All Dr. Andrew Smith, Dr. Erika Shoulders- Royster, Tabari Wallas, ED.S.
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=mdb3a6a7f2dee947d09e1f406965ee97b
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March 20, 2024
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10:00 AM
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SEL (Social Emotional Learning) Anne Nixon and Dr. Natasha Norins
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=m9411d8ddf32bf2e7aea39b760d63594f
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April 17, 2024
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10:00 AM
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MTSS - Addressing Misconceptions
Ashley Springs + Rhonda Harrell (IABS)
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https://ncgov.webex.com/ncgov/j.php?MTID=m8c2cab43d4e6628256bf5f97a73fcbcd
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 The North Carolina Advancing Charter Collaboration and Excellence for Student Success (NC ACCESS) Program and Teach like a Champion have partnered to provide a series of workshops for NC Charter Schools to help improve the academic achievement of students and support the leadership and professional development school leaders and teachers. One of the trainings that is being offered will be held in-person on January 18 -19, 2024, 8:00am – 4:40pm at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center at NC State University in Raleigh, NC.
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Reading Reconsidered
Train-the-Trainer
In-Person Workshop in Raleigh, NC
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Join the TLAC Team for this in-person workshop on January 18-19, 2024, 8:00am - 4:30pm EST in Raleigh.
This practice-intensive workshop provides instructional leaders with materials and guidance to deliver high quality training on literacy instruction and provides teachers with tools to implement research-based literacy instructional practices with their students, both with the goal of driving literacy results in schools.
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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
October 6
November 3
December 8
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
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.
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