Highlights
Education Week Libby Stanford | Dec. 29, 2023: What 2024 Will Bring for K-12 Policy: 5 Issues to Watch - Educators should expect debates over school choice, teacher pay measures, artificial intelligence, and standardized testing in state legislatures and on Capitol Hill in 2024. Here are five issues educators will need to pay close attention to in the year ahead.
- Private school choice to dominate legislative agendas again.
- More attention to raising teacher pay.
- Big questions and policy challenges over AI to continue.
- Less attention on curriculum and policies related to gender identity, sexuality, and race.
- Rethinking measures of student success.
North State Journal A.P. Dillon | Dec. 27, 2023: A look back at the year in K-12 education - Student achievement, education funding, universal school choice and parental rights were all major topics for North Carolina K-12 education during 2023. Student Achievement - North Carolina reading scores for students in K-3 released in early January showed signs of rebounding after historic drops following the pandemic.
State Board of Education January Meeting
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Wednesday, January 3rd
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Thursday, January 4th
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Superintendent's Report
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Catherine Truitt, Superintendent of Public Instruction
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Standards Revision Updates - Presentation | Draft Report
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Dr. Kristi Day, Director of Academic Standards
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Pattern for Reaching and Impacting Students in Math (PRISM) Grant to Address Math Disparities in Rural Schools
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Dr. Charles Aiken, Section Chief, Science, Mathematics, & STEM
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SparkNC and SparkLabs Overview - Presentation | SparkNC Video | SparkNC Website
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Dr. Lynn Moody, Senior Director of Partnerships SparkNC
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Dr. John O. Stover, III , Superintendent Rockingham County Schools
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Brittany Branch, Digital Learning Coach Mount Airy City Schools
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Report to the NC General Assembly: Pilot Program to Raise the High School Dropout Age
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Karen Fairley, Executive Director Center for Safer Schools
YouTube recordings of SBE meetings HERE.
NC Association of School Administrators - SBE Summaries
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Charter School Review Board - January Meeting
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Monday, January 8th at 9 a.m. Agenda
DPI Press Release | January 3, 2024
A new analysis of North Carolina 2022-23 test results indicates clear signs of continued academic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This latest evidence of post-pandemic recovery in the state’s public schools was presented today to the State Board of Education by Dr. Jeni Corn, director of research and evaluation in the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s (NCDPI) Office of Learning Recovery and Acceleration (OLR).
For the past several years, NCDPI and SAS Institute Inc. (SAS EVAAS) collaborated to provide educators, policymakers and other stakeholders with insight into the impacts of the pandemic on the K-12 public school system. The “Lost Instructional Time Impact Analysis” and “Recovery Analysis” presented average differences between students’ expected and actual performance during 2021 and 2022, respectively, and defined recovery as progress back towards those expectations. These reports have been critical, as the data allowed the agency to better target resources and programming to specific grades and content areas pending where additional supports were needed.
As part of NCDPI’s continued commitment to evidenced-based policymaking and transparency, the agency developed and share a new report for North Carolina education leaders known as "2023 Year-Over-Year State Analysis Report." The analysis focuses on how state achievement changed from one year to the next spanning from 2013 to 2023. This new analysis looks at achievement trends prior to the pandemic, impacts of the pandemic and benchmarks for recovery. Districts received local reports to help inform local discussions about recovery from the pandemic.
The purpose of the 2023 Report is to provide insight into understanding the extent to which students have recovered across the state since the pandemic and answer a common question: “How will we know when students have fully recovered from negative impacts due to the pandemic?” This report includes new visualizations and tables that help answer this question in new ways.
Read the entire press release here.
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"Digital Teaching and Learning in North Carolina’s public schools will benefit from a new round of competitive grants that were approved December 7, 2023 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 2024-2025 school year. Over the past seven years, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s (NCDPI) Digital Teaching and Learning Division has committed more than $10 million dollars in similar grants to help schools and districts develop and strengthen digital-age learning initiatives.
The Impact Grant: The Digital Learning Impact Grant is a 3-year grant that is intended to provide the awarded Public School Units (PSUs) the ability to plan, implement and assess a digital learning initiative. Recipients of this grant will be provided with funding for three years. The Request for Proposals for the Impact Grant can be found here.
- Up to $95,000 each year for traditional PSUs
- Up to $30,000 each year for charter, regional and lab schools
Emerging Technologies Grant: The intention of this grant is to provide PSUs funding for emerging technologies that are not already a part of the PSUs purchase and refresh plan. The Request for Proposals for the Emerging Technology Grant can be found here.
- PSUs can request:
- Up to $50,000 for traditional public school units
- Up to $25,000 for Charter, Regional, and Lab Schools
The deadline for all application submissions is March 4, 2023, at 5 p.m.
If you have questions, please contact Lindsey Sipe (Lindsey.Sipe@dpi.nc.gov).
Read the entire press release here.
New Grant Opportunity: Extended Learning and Integrated Student Supports (ELISS) Grant Opportunity
The General Assembly of North Carolina appropriated seven million dollars ($7,000,000) each year from the At-Risk Student Services Alternative School Allotment for the Extended Learning and Integrated Student Supports (ELISS) Competitive Grant Program for the 2023-2025 period. The purpose of the Extended Learning and Integrated Student Supports Competitive Grant Program (ELISS) is to fund high-quality, independently validated extended learning and integrated student support service programs for at-risk students that raise standards for student academic outcomes.
On December 7, 2023, the NC State Board of Education approved the ELISS Request for Proposal (RFP) and application. To learn more about this grant opportunity please click on the links below to review the RFP and to access upcoming training events for the ELISS Grant Program.
Click Here for Training Dates
Click Here for ELISS 23_25 RFP
The Youth Legislative Assembly (YLA) is a three-day program that allows students to draft, debate and vote on mock legislative bills while developing skills in research, interviewing, group facilitation and policy writing. The YLA will be held April 19-21, 2024.
YLA provides the opportunity for North Carolina’s youth to engage with peers from across the state in a structured, positive, youth-focused environment. The YLA program is open to students in North Carolina who are in good standing at a public, private, charter or home school.
For more information, please email YLA Coordinator erica.gallion@ncleg.gov or call 919-301-1372.
Learn more and apply here by January 16, 2024.
K-12 Education Bills - LINK
K-12 Ed Bills Eligible for the 2024 Short Session - LINK
Bills Eligible for Consideration by the General Assembly during the 2024
The Regular Session of the 2023 General Assembly adjourned October 25, 2023, and will reconvene on the following dates: Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 12:00 P.M.; Wednesday, February 14, 2023 at 12:00 P.M.; Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 12:00 P.M.; and Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at 12:00 P.M. (S.J.R. 760).
The Short Session of the 2023-2024 legislative biennium will convene on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 12:00 P.M. See this MEMORANDUM for matters that may be considered for the 2024 Short Session.
K-12 Educaton Bills that have become Session Law
K-12 Education Bills with Action
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The Center for Safer Schools wants to update public-school units on processes related to Session Law 2023-78 (HB 605) School Threat Assessment Teams.
For more information, see Dec2023HB605Update from CFSS Executive Director Karen W. Fairley. If you have questions, send an email to cfss@dpi.nc.gov.
The Center for Safer Schools serves to promote safe learning environments for North Carolina K-12 schools. The CFSS serves as a hub of information and technical assistance on school safety to school faculty and staff, law enforcement, youth-serving community agencies, juvenile justice officials, policymakers, parents/guardians and students. CFSS staff focuses on school climate, school discipline and emergency preparedness concerns for North Carolina’s public K-12 schools. CFSS staff is available to provide training, guidance and technical assistance upon request for school faculty and staff and those working with children and adolescents.
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