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JANUARY 31, 2025

OEL FRIDAY UPDATE FOR CHARTERS

Congratulations NC Charter School Educators!

Congratulations to the first cohort of NC Charter School educators for completing LETRS Training! These educators have already started applying their learning within their classrooms and we anticipate positive student outcomes. 

Coming Soon - We look forward to celebrating additional charter educators who are currently enrolled in LETRS!

2025 NC Reading Camp Guide

The North Carolina (NC) Reading Camp guide is designed to support public school units (PSUs) as they develop and implement effective, evidence-based learning programs in support of students, specifically those students identified as needing additional support in learning to read.

The NC Reading Camp guide is divided into two sections:

Part I: Policy & Implementation Requirements and Logistics

This section outlines NC Reading Camp legislation and policy requirements.  It also contains support documents such as a reading camp preparation/due date checklist, reading camp FAQ document, and sample letters to be used to communicate with families.  

Part II: Reading Camp Best Practices and High-Quality (HQ) Standards

This section includes recommendations, research-based suggestions, and resources for planning, implementing, and reviewing a NC Reading Camp. The NC Reading Camp Guiding Document, which includes best practice recommendations, is used as the companion resource for this section. Each recommendation includes a one-pager that describes the recommendation and links to useful resources. 

Reading Camp Office Hours

Don’t miss the opportunity to collaborate and learn about Reading Camp processes and best practices. The Office of Early Learning is hosting office hours for charter and lab schools  interested in hearing about making this your best Reading Camp yet. You will hear from one another, dig into resources to support your planning and execution of camps, and have a chance to ask questions! Choose one of the office hours to attend, each one will include the same content. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Literacy for Educators Webinar Series

Feb. 25 3:30 - 4:30

Join us on February 25 at 3:30 pm for our Literacy for Educators Webinar - Fluency! Participants will receive a certificate for each session attended. Participants will receive a certificate for each session attended.

• Audience: All charter school and lab school educators, coaches, and administrators

• Description:  Sessions will include content focused on the science of reading

• Schedule: Virtual monthly sessions from 3:30pm - 4:30pm 

4th and 5th grade mCLASS FAQ

With many districts opting to use mCLASS in grades 4 and 5, a FAQ has been developed to address questions from the field.  The FAQ can be found linked at the top of our RtA Diagnostic (Amplify) FAQ that you are familiar with.

 RtA Diagnostic (Amplify) FAQs

Adding to Our Instructional Toolbox

Based on feedback from our Literacy for Educator sessions, we are excited to add a new section to our memo. Our Instructional Toolbox, will feature literacy resources aligned to the science of reading for you to add to your educator’s toolbox.    Today we’re sharing three resources you may consider for your instructional toolbox.   The first resource is an article, Equity and the Science of Reading.   This resource reminds educators how children’s identities influence how learning is experienced - both in what they bring to the classroom and how they experience instruction. Effective literacy practices should reflect the identities, languages, cultures and assets of our students.  Additional resources being shared today include a video link and viewing guide which explores how to implement cultural and linguistic practices in your instruction.

Send Us Your Pics!

NC DPI OEL would love to feature pictures of your teachers and students engaging in learning experiences;  please share your photos with us! Email your photos to tonia.parrish@dpi.nc.gov. Don't forget to add the subject line: "RtA Photos" and tell us the name of your school and a little bit about what's going on in the image!

OEL Charter Resources

During 2025, the Office of Early Learning Charter Team will continue to provide professional development opportunities and literacy support for North Carolina Charter Schools. Please consider utilizing the resources the Office of Early Learning has curated related to the Science of Reading (SoR). If you have questions or would like to learn more contact tonia.parrish@dpi.nc.gov.

Questions

We will continue to keep you informed and updated as we have additional guidance and information that pertains to NC literacy efforts! If you have any questions, please contact tonia.parrish@dpi.nc.gov who serves as the Office of Early Learning contact for charter schools.