TRANSPORTATION GRANT 2024-2025
Charter school leaders - you've received the 24-25 Transportation Grant instructions and application in your Epicenter account. Please review the instructions and application fully before reaching out with questions. Instructions, deadlines, and more are provided within that document. You must serve at least 50% Economically Disadvantaged students in order to receive funding. OCS will confirm your EDS headcount following the December headcount. Questions should be directed to Nicky Niewinski < Nicole.Niewinski@dpi.nc.gov>. PLEASE READ! 2025 NSCECU Foundation PHP Scholarship Instructions
Greetings Principals and Counselors of NC Charter High School Seniors,
Welcome back to the 2025 NCSECU People Helping People Scholarship Awarding process for charter high school seniors. The grant application window opens on Monday, Dec. 16th, 2024.
OCS will be selecting 10 NCSECU Scholarships to be granted in 2025, awards of up to $10,000 per student.
Here is the folder (LINKED) of information for your school nomination. Carefully read through these resources. There will not be more than one candidate within a school's choosing, due to the number of applicants working to achieve the same goal from other charter schools.
Directions and Dates for Submissions-
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The NCSECU PHP Scholarship application opens December 16th, 2024. Another post will be repeated within the next few weeks in our OCS Charter School News blasts.
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As the school facilitator, you should plan for this process to be complete by March 5th. Then your on-site Selection Team will have time to select your finalists and can complete your submissions via email no later than March 12th, at natasha.norins@dpi.nc.gov in PDF formats. The email should include your student's email address, your email address, your school name, their NCSECU Eligibility verification forms, their student questionnaire, and all essays with their grade averages including college credits earned. Please ensure the Application Process document is read and reread for your understanding as Counselor Facilitators of this process.
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Prior to the 3/12/25 deadline, students and you will follow the instructions carefully with the Docusign application process, but should solidify all your nominations a few weeks prior to the 3/12/25 deadline. March 12th is a final hard deadline, and no applications will be accepted after this date.
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Along with this final portion of the application, once students complete the application process with all elements included, (which may take up to a week’s worth of effort with emails and completion of packets), you as the school Facilitator will send Dr. Norins emailed applications as PDF files of your final selected senior. *Please note: any application missing elements from the required checklist will not be moved to final stages of selection.
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The OCS Selection Committee will process the application materials, perform our calibrations, and finalize formal requirements set by NCSECU Foundation.
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OCS selections are then sent to NCSECU no later than April 4th, 2025, and those students will be invited to attend the Charter School Review Board Meeting in May 2024 for formal recognition.
OCS appreciates your partnership to provide this opportunity! Thank you!
Kindly,
Dr. Natasha Norins, Ed. D.
School Business December 13, 2024
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The FBS website continues to be updated with information related to School Business and our ongoing operations. Please check the FBS homepage regularly for updates. Please review the upcoming deadlines for due dates.
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November 2024 YTD Cash Zero Out Entries - All PSUs
The November YTD entries will have a Funds Requirement Date (FRD) of Wednesday, 12/11/24. Please document your general ledger accordingly.
- State entries will process in accounts on Monday, 12/16/24.
- Federal negative entries will process in accounts on Monday, 12/16/24.
- Federal positive entries will process in accounts on Tuesday, 12/17/24.
Due to how the federal funds must process with the Office of the State Controller, the cash transactions are processed as two separate batches on back-to-back days. Please wait for all batches to process before looking at the data. Contact CashMgt@dpi.nc.gov for zero out questions.
Holiday Cash Calendar Deadlines in the Cash App – All PSUs
All State, Federal and Local cash requests are processed through the PSU Cash Application (PCA). Friendly reminder that the deadline to request State, Federal and Local cash is on Mondays at 11:45pm, unless stated otherwise.
During the Holiday Schedule, there will be changes to the current processing timeline. Please note that we do not have the capacity to process emergency cash or extensions during the holiday weeks due to system limitations and tight deadlines. We ask that you review the upcoming holiday cash schedule with your team and plan accordingly based on your district’s needs.
Please order cash by the deadlines to guarantee delivery of funds on the Funds Requirement Date (FRD).
Christmas Week:
- Cash request deadline is Thursday, 12/19.
- FRD is Friday, 12/27
New Year’s Week:
- Cash request deadline is Monday,12/30
- FRD is Friday, 1/3
FY2024-25 Allotment Update - All PSUs
The following items of interest are scheduled for allotment by the end of next week if not processed this week.
- State PRC 0039 – School Resource Officers – Allotments per the Center for Safer Schools
- Initial Allotments of Approvals received-to-date
- Federal PRC 0051 – ESEA Title I, Part C - Migrant Education Program
Additional Allotment Updates
- State PRC 0094 - Average Daily Membership (ADM) Growth Allotments
- Growth Adjustment based on the Best 1 of 2 ADM (for Units who have submitted complete PMR 1 and 2 data) will be allotted by the end of week. A final growth adjustment is expected to occur by the end of next week, assuming all PMR data has been received and verified.
- Per the Allotment Policy, “Funds may be transferred out to other eligible PRCs, in accordance with ABC Budget Flexibility.” This concise allowability list is as follows and is also available in the ABC Transfer Module Transfer Policy Page:
- 0003 Non-Instructional Support
- 0010 Dollars for Certified Personnel
- 0019 Small County Supplemental Funding
- 0024 Disadvantage Student Supplemental
- 0027 Teacher Assistants
- 0031 Low Wealth Supplemental Funding
- 0032 Children with Special Needs
- 0034 Academically/Intellectually Gifted
- 0054 Limited English Proficiency
- 0055 Cooperative Innovative High Schools
- 0056 Transportation of Pupils
- 0061 Classroom Mat., Inst. Supp., Equip.
- 0069 At-Risk Student Services
If you have general allotment questions, please email allotments@dpi.nc.gov.
Legislative Update
This week, the NC General Assembly ratified SL 2024-57 (Senate Bill 382). It includes the following provisions:
- Section 1B.1 (Page 2) Clarifies the authorization to pay employees in the Helene impacted PSUs on days deemed complete to include November. Language is now consistent with the School Calendar Flexibility months.
- Section 3J.10 (Page 106) Modifies G.S. 115C-218.9 related to appeals for charter schools.
- Section 3J.11 (Page 107) Approves two new Cooperative Innovative High Schools (Dare Early College High School and Rockingham County CTE Innovation High School) effective 2024-25.
- Section 3J.12 (Page 107) Adjustments to the AI School Safety Pilot Program – New Hanover County Schools and Davidson County Schools only.
- Section 3J.13 (Page107), the Special Needs Pilot Program – removes Alamance, Catawba and Nash County Schools. Replaces with Cabarrus, Union and Vance County Schools.
- Section 3J.14 (Page 108) modifies language related to the SparkNC Pilot Program and opens the pilot to all PSUs.
- Section 3J.15 (Page 110) Directs the State Board of Education to waive the portfolio requirement for an administrator license for individuals who meet the stated criteria.
- Section 3J.16 (Page 111) amends the Advanced Teaching Roles Program.
- Section 3J.17 (Page 117) Transfers the Center for Safer Schools out of DPI and into the State Bureau of Investigation, effective immediately.
- Section 2A.1 (Page 13) Appropriates $120,000 for legal and administrative services at NC School for the Deaf.
- Section 3J.1 to 3J.9 (Page 100) Modifies language related to the independence for the Schools for the Deaf and Blind, and other items related to these schools.
Please reach out to SchoolFinancialReporting@dpi.nc.gov with any questions.
Refund Processing Webinar - All PSUs
Thank you to everyone who attended this week's Refund Processing webinar. If you were unable to attend, a recording, the link to the form for the electronic submission, and a guidance document can be found on the Cash Management page. The FAQ will be posted in the coming weeks, and another webinar will be offered in January. A paper 202 or payment memo form is no longer required for manual checks. If you have any questions, please contact CashMgt@dpi.nc.gov.
Federal Grant Liquidation and Closeout - All PSUs
Grants expired on September 30, 2024 must be liquidated by December 29, 2024, excluding ESSER II funds with an approved extension. A complete list of grants ending has been posted to our website. For more information, please see the November 1, 2024 newsletter.
Datafiles and All Closing Grants - All PSUs
Friendly reminder to review data files for ALL ESSER and Federal Grant PRCs that are closing. Please also review the Invalid Code reports provided in the PSU MFR Dashboard related to any of the federal grants that are not recorded to a grant year (in 3X, etc.)
PSUs have had sufficient time to review and ensure your general ledger accurately reflects that information before December 2024 datafiles are due to NCDPI by 11:59 PM Friday evening, January 3, 2025. Datafiles will include all YTD expenditures/encumbrances that need to be recorded by grant year to any federal grants that ended on September 30, 2024. The MFR is a YTD submission and DPI will capture these updates in the December 2024 files.
Failure to correct invalid account codes and missing grant year entries may result in incorrect data file postings and the pulling back of funds during the zero-out process and reversion process.
If you have any questions about the invalid code information or for new Chart of Account (COA) codes, please contact SchoolFinancialReporting@dpi.nc.gov.
From the NC Department of Information Technology
Reminder: NCDIT Public School Unit & Local Government Unit Subscription Cost Recovery Billing - All PSUs
This message is to inform you about recent changes to public school unit and local government bills for services provided by the N.C. Department of Information Technology. Beginning with Dec. 15, 2023, invoices, all local government and school system customers now pay a subscription fee, in addition to the service rate to ensure NCDIT recovers its costs as required by law. Subscription cost is the base charge to customers who use NCDIT as a service provider. This charge is to cover the customer’s pro-rated share of NCDIT operating expenses.
NCDIT calculated subscription charges for each customer based on their use of IT services (e.g. use of the CICS Mainframe “Region F” MSA Cash Management/Cash Request System).
After determining the average for each customer, NCDIT calculates each customer’s percentage of the total. The percentage is then applied to the total subscription budget for the year to determine the amount an individual public school unit or local government is billed.
See the message that was sent out from DIT here.
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Deadline Reminders
ALL PSUs
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DUE DATE
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TOPIC
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NEWSLETTER
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Monday 12/16/2024 at 11:45 pm
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Cash Requests for Friday December 20, 2024 FRD
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11/21/2024
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12/16/2024
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Days Missed Survey - Helene/PTC8 PSUs Only
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11/22/2024
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Thursday 12/19/2024 at 11:45 pm
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Cash Requests for Friday December 27, 2024 FRD
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11/21/2024
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Monday 12/30/2024 at 11:45 pm
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Cash Requests for Friday January 3, 2025 FRD
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11/21/2024
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IPS ONLY
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DUE DATE
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TOPIC
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NEWSLETTER
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12/13/2024
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PPL Form for December Reimbursement
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10/10/2024
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OCR/CRDC - SY2324 - NCDPI Upload Extended
Note: PSUs that were not open in the school year 2023-24 are not required to participate in this collection.
SY2023-24 CRDC Federal Submission Window
The Federal Submission Tool is opened December 9, 2024. Due to system issues, the NCDPI upload period has been extended. The process should be complete by December 20, 2024. Please refrain from making any updates to the data until NCDPI confirms that the pre-population process is complete.
Access to the Federal Submission System
If no staff member from your PSU receives an account email from PSC, please reach out to PSC. PSC will work with your PSU to ensure a staff member has access to the tool and can provision accounts to others as needed.
CRDC Webinar – Submission System
NCDPI supports North Carolina’s Public School Units (PSUs) by performing pre-collection activities and pre-populating the CRDC Federal Submission Tool with state-level data. Join the SEA CRDC Coordinator for a 1.5-hour discussion and demonstration of the Federal Submission Tool. Attendees will learn how to navigate the system, receive recommendations for reviewing errors, and explore the top three reports that can help ensure timely completion of the CRDC.
This 1.5-hour session has been scheduled twice and a recording will be provided in the NC CRDC SY 23-24 Canvas Course. Use the links below to register for the webinar.
NC CRDC SY 23-24 Canvas Course – Updates
The Civil Rights Resource Center, the federal hub for technical documentation for the CRDC, has been updated. The Canvas course has been revised to align with the new look and feel of the Resource Center.
As a reminder, NC-specific documentation—such as the CRDC Collection By Entity Excel document—is available in the course. This document is critical for understanding the data NCDPI will pre-populate when the submission window opens. The course also includes presentations, webinar recordings, and guidance on resolving errors within the Federal Submission Tool.
Any public school employee involved in or interested in the CRDC is welcome to enroll. Click here to enroll.
CRDC Support
2024 Driver Education Certificates
Are you looking for the new 2024 Driver Education Certificates for your students to take to the DMV?
Look 👀 no Further! Email all requests directly to the Office of Charter Schools at StakeholderSupport@dpi.nc.gov. They will be processed within a week. Schools may continue to utilize the old forms until supplies are depleted.
World Languages Standards Implementation PD Registration
World Languages and Healthful Living are currently in Standards Installation. As part of installation, both teams will be providing regional standards implementation PD in Spring 2025. Below are the current schedule and registrations for World Languages.
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Date
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Region
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World Languages Registration
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February 26, 2025
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
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Southeast -Onslow 2
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February 27, 2025
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
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Northeast - Dare 1
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March 11, 2025
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
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Sandhills - Robeson 4
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March 13, 2025
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
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Southwest- Charlotte-Mecklenburg 6
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March 25, 2025
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
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Piedmont Triad -
Winston Salem 5
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March 27, 2025
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
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North Central - Wake 3
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April 7, 2025
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
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Western- Buncombe 8
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April 8, 2025
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
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Northwest- Catawba 7
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Regional Trainings for Arts Education Leaders in Charter Schools
Join the Office of Academic Standards K-12 Arts Education Consultants to learn how to lead unpacking guidance of the new K-12 Standards in Dance, General Music, Vocal & Instrumental Music, Theatre, Technical Theatre, and Visual Arts in your districts and charter schools! It is advised that Charter Schools please send one individual who can best support the implementation of the new standards at their school. If serving multiple schools/grade bands and feel that an additional leader would be beneficial, please contact laura.stauderman@dpi.nc.gov or brandon.roeder@dpi.nc.gov to check on seating availability prior to registering. Leaders can register for any of the eight trainings should the one offered in their region not align with their schedules. Please use this registration link or button below.
NCED Connect Symposium
Call for Proposals, Hotel Information and more are now available at the DTL hub
Who: This event is tailored for District Leadership, CTOs, Teachers, Coaches, Accountability Teams, SIS Coordinators, Data Managers, Ed Tech/Media Specialists, and E-Rate On-Site Support staff and any educational professional that wants to leave with actionable strategies they can apply in their classrooms or schools immediately with NCSIS and more!
What: This symposium will offer sessions on the North Carolina Student Information System (Sessions for SIS Coordinators, District and School Leadership, Data Managers, and Teachers), Homebase applications (NCEES - Teacher Evaluation System, Schoolnet- nstructional Improvement System), EdTech, AI in education, Data Privacy, and school Media programs. It provides an opportunity to engage, learn, and connect while sharing research-based strategies for improving teaching practices and student outcomes. Attendees will gain insights, professional support, and data-driven approaches to enhance school operations, foster collaboration, and manage student data effectively through SIS, driving both immediate and long-term educational success.
When and Where:
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Tuesday- Thursday; January 21-23, 2025
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Koury Center in Greensboro, NC
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Full Sched will be released in November
Regular Registration - $300/pp | Nov. 23 - Dec. 18
Late/On-Site Registration - $350/pp | Dec. 19 - Jan. 23
*Lead Presenters will be free (1 person per session) Call for proposals are still open!
Matthew C Mayo, CeCTO, IPT, CETL
Director of Digital Teaching & Learning and School Connectivity
The Center for Safer Schools
2025 SHINE Cohort
The Center for Safer Schools seeks one middle school from Eastern North Carolina and one from Western North Carolina to participate in the SHINE Leadership Academy 2025 Cohort.
The cohort will begin Feb. 10, 2025, and is expected to be completed by August 2025. The maximum number of middle school participants from each region is 15.
Students will take part in activities that will develop leadership skills, aid them in understanding healthy relationships and boundaries, provide them the basics of how to engage safely with social media and the internet, showing how to make good decisions, realizing the importance of community engagement and understand that students are intricate part of school safety.
Requirements are the following:
- Participants must be in grades 6-8.
- Participants must be active and engaged in SHINE workshops and activities.
- Participants must complete 40 hours throughout the school year (February-August 2025).
- Participants and their parent/guardian must attend RISE Youth Conference 2025.
Middle schools in the North Central, Northeast, Southeast and Sandhills regions may apply to represent Eastern North Carolina. Middle schools in the Piedmont-Triad, Northwest, Southwest and Western regions may apply to represent Western North Carolina.
Applications are due Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, by 5:00 p.m. Click here to apply. For more information, send an email to CFSS Student Engagement Manager Chelsea King. Active Assailant Simulation Training
The Center for Safer Schools will host Active Assailant Simulation Training from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18; Thursday, Dec. 19; and Monday, Dec. 30 at the CFSS Training Center in Moore County.
This course – for school resource officers and law enforcement – provides a simulation of active-shooter incidents. This course teaches best practices to prevent, recognize, plan and react to an active-assailant incident. Strategies are provided that can be applied in a facility’s Emergency Action Plan, including tactics on how to escape, hide and fight against an assailant attack.
For more information, send an email to CFSS School Safety Training Coordinator Jeff Branch. YMHFA Training
Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches adults who regularly interact with youth how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 12-18. Certified instructors are authorized to teach YMHFA both in-person and online. Those trained can include school staff and administrators, law enforcement, mental health professionals and social workers.
CFSS Programs staff and Regional School Safety Specialists are certified to teach Youth Mental Health First Aid in North Carolina public school units. Click here to request YMHFA training facilitated by a CFSS staff member. 
Applications Open for Keep North Carolina Beautiful Window of Opportunity (WOO) Grants
Planning your next outdoor beautification effort? Check out the Keep North Carolina Beautiful annual Window of Opportunity (WOO) Grants. These grants are for outdoor projects that enhance the beautification of campuses throughout NC, along with projects that educate students of North Carolina on the impacts of preserving and enhancing our state’s environmental sustainability.
Learn more and apply here. The deadline to apply is December 20.
Learning Happens Here Field Trip Fund
The "Learning Happens Here Field Trip Fund" is a program of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR), in partnership with PBS North Carolina (PBS NC), that provides reimbursements to public schools throughout North Carolina to engage in enriching, experiential field trips at DNCR's 100+ locations around the state!
The Learning Happens Here Field Trip Fund will help ensure students from all regions of the state have the opportunity to engage in memorable educational experiences while cultivating a deeper understanding and appreciation of North Carolina’s rich history, culture, arts, science and natural resources. By providing financial support through reimbursements for schools to visit DNCR locations around the state, the Learning Happens Here Field Trip Fund empowers students to connect to what it means to live in and love North Carolina, ultimately helping to cultivate our state’s future leaders and innovators.
Learn more and apply here.
*NEW* NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NC TWC) Interactive Dashboard AND Interpretation to Action Guide
At the AIM Conference (see session slides), NCDPI released the *NEW* NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey (NC TWC) Interactive Dashboard AND Interpretation to Action Guide. Educators can now access these new resources to explore and use their local data in new ways. Available on the Resources Page of NC TWC Website.
Request Tech Support for NCSIS and Other Applications
Need technical support? View NCDPI Technology Services’ new one-page reference sheet for frequently used support links and contact information. Please note that there are now two options for submitting support tickets related to NCSIS powered by Infinite Campus.
- For Infinite Campus application issues and general technical support, visit support.infinitecampus.com.
- For other NCSIS issues (duplicate students, amplify/missing students, etc.), visit go.ncdpi.gov/help and choose “Something is Broken,” then “NCSIS – Powered by Infinite Campus.”
NCDPI Master Data Calendar for 2024-25
The Master Data Calendar for the 2024-25 school year is a valuable resource to have on hand. The calendar outlines all data due dates for the 2024-25 school year.
NCDPI Master Data Calendar for 2024-25
Academic Standards Statewide Supports for 2024-25
NCDPI's Office of Academic Standards Statewide Supports for 2024-25 is now online! The professional development calendar offers a year-long overview of upcoming webinars, resources and leaders’ meetings for each content area. Be sure to check the calendar regularly for updates.
Find professional learning opportunities, registration information and more.
NCSIS Implementation Check-In Calls
Regular check-in calls are instrumental in resolving issues and providing timely support to PSUs. Superintendents, leadership teams, technical leads and SIS coordinators are strongly encouraged to participate. Moving forward, these calls will transition to a bi-weekly schedule. To ensure your questions are addressed, please submit them in advance.
Use this link to register and submit questions.
*NEW* 24-25 Office of Academic Standards Statewide Supports Document
The Office of Academic Standards is excited to share a yearlong look of upcoming webinars, resources, and leaders’ meetings. This link will stay live and will be periodically updated.
The date in the footer will indicate the latest update.
https://go.ncdpi.gov/OAS2425Supports
Cultivating Excellence Webinar Series
The Office of Virtual Instruction Services (OVIS) is thrilled to announce the 2024-25 Cultivating Excellence Webinar Series! Registration Links are on the linked flyer.
Are you an educator or administrator aiming to enhance your teaching practices, whether online or in hybrid settings? Join us for this six-part series, which covers key topics identified by North Carolina educators.
Important MEMOs:
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