Wednesday,  February  29,  2012
If  you  know  someone  who  would  like  to  be  on  this  listserv,  please  send  their  email  address  to
Michael.Yarbrough@dpi.nc.gov.
***PLEASE  NOTE:  Each  entry  in  this  Weekly  Update  features  the   email  address  of  at  least  one   contact   person,  department  or  website.    For  questions,  concerns  or  technical  assistance,  please  email  the   appropriate  contact(s)  directly.  Thanks!
Archived  Race  to  the  Top  Weekly  Updates  are  available  here:
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/rttt/updates/
NEW  THIS  WEEK
•
Dr.  Atkinson  announces  IIS  Resource  Consortium
•
Professional  Development  Dates  for  March  (new  listing  for  March  8  &  9)
•
Next  Generation  Assessments:  Why  Online?
•
Race  to  the  Top  Teacher  and  Principal  Survey  through  March  30
IN  CASE  YOU  MISSED  IT
•
District/Charter  School  Team  Information  for  2012  Summer  Institutes
•
Next  Generation  Assessments:  Resources  for  the  Online  Transition
•
CCSSO  Webinar  on  Text  Complexity  –  Recording  Now  Available
•
Free  Resource  for  Teachers:    Videos  of  Common  Core  Lesson
•
REL  Program  Releases  Reports  on  College  Reading  and  Common  Core  State  Standards
•
Instructional  Improvement  System  (IIS)  Update
NEW  THIS  WEEK
Dr.  Atkinson  announces  IIS  Resource  Consortium
Attached  to  this  Weekly  Update  is  a  letter  from  State  Superintendent  June  Atkinson  announcing  the   creation  of  the  Instructional  Improvement  System  (IIS)  Resource  Consortium.    This  is  a  new  way  that  the
NCDPI  can  partner  with  LEAs  to  leverage  resources  to  improve  instruction  for  all  North  Carolina   students.  LEAs  and  charters  are  invited  to  volunteer  to  share  resources  in  one  or  more  of  the  following   areas:  instruction  and  learning,  assessment,  professional  development  and  talent  management.  This   initiative  will  help  to  ensure  that  every  school  in  North  Carolina  has  access  to  high-­‐quality  resources.
Included  in  the  attached  letter  is  a  link  to  a  form  to  indicate  interest  in  participating.
MORE  INFO:   Sarah  McManus,  sarah.mcmanus@dpi.nc.gov

Next  Generation  Assessments:  Why  Online?
North  Carolina  has  provided  online  assessments  since  2005  when  the  administration  of  the  computer   skills  test  was  completely  online.  The  goal  is  that  by  2014-­‐15,  all  assessments  will  be  administered   online;  this  includes  a  new  generation  of  assessments  for  grades  3-­‐8  and  high  school  subjects,  as  well  as   the  SMARTER  Balanced  Assessments  that  will  be  online  in  2014-­‐15.  Moving  to  an  online  delivery  of   assessments  aligns  with  efforts  already  underway  to  provide  online  instructional  resources,  online   formative  and  benchmark  assessments,  and  online  training  and  professional  development  for  teachers.
One  other  important  reason  that  North  Carolina  plans  to  transition  to  online  assessments  is  to  take   advantage  of  computer  adaptive  testing.  As  a  governing  member  in  the  SMARTER  Balanced  Assessment
Consortium,  North  Carolina  plans  to  adopt  the  common  assessments  developed  by  the  consortium,   which  are  being  designed  in  a  computer  adaptive  format.  A  brief  overview  of  the  latest  information  on
North  Carolina’s  online  assessments  can  be  found  at   http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/acre/assessment/assess1pageroct11.pdf.
For  more  information  on  the  SMARTER  Balanced  Assessment  Consortium,  please  visit  their  website  at   http://www.smarterbalanced.org/.
MORE  INFO:  Kayla  Siler,  kayla.siler@dpi.nc.gov
Professional  Development  Dates  for  March  (new  listing  for  March  8  &  9)
March
6  -­‐  Teacher  Effectiveness  Vetting/New  Accountability  Model  Meetings,  NERESA  (Vernon  James  Research
Center)
8  –  K-­‐12  Programs  Arts  Education  (Dance,  Music  Theatre  Arts,  ESL,  Healthful  Living  [Physical  Education,
Health  Education]  and  World  Languages)  Essential  Standards  PD  for  LEA/Charter  Leadership  Teams,
PTEC  (Room  1,  Special  Events  Center,  Greensboro  Coliseum)
12  –  K-­‐12  Programs  Arts  Education  (Dance,  Music  Theatre  Arts,  ESL,  Healthful  Living  [Physical  Education,
Health  Education]  and  World  Languages)  Essential  Standards  PD  for  LEA/Charter  Leadership  Teams,
SWRESA  (UNCC  Campus,  Cone  Building)
26  –  K-­‐12  Programs  Arts  Education  (Dance,  Music  Theatre  Arts,  ESL,  Healthful  Living  [Physical  Education,
Health  Education]  and  World  Languages)  Essential  Standards  PD  for  LEA/Charter  Leadership  Teams  ,
WRESA
14  –  Fidelity  Support  Session  for  LEA/Charter  Leadership  Teams,  NWRESA
14  and  15  –  K-­‐12  Programs  Arts  Education  (Dance,  Music  Theatre  Arts,  ESL,  Healthful  Living  [Physical
Education,  Health  Education]  and  World  Languages)  Essential  Standards  PD  for  LEA/Charter  Leadership
Teams    (Day  1),  and  Process  Support  Session  (Day  2),  CCRESA  (NCSBA  Building,  Assembly  Room)
19  –  K-­‐12  Programs  Arts  Education  (Dance,  Music  Theatre  Arts,  ESL,  Healthful  Living  [Physical  Education,
Health  Education]  and  World  Languages)  Essential  Standards  PD  for  LEA/Charter  Leadership  Teams,
SERESA,  [WL  and  ESL:    Celtic  Court/Mad  Boar  Restaurant,  HL  and  Arts:    River  Landing  Clubhouse]

20  –  K-­‐12  Programs  Arts  Education  (Dance,  Music  Theatre  Arts,  ESL,  Healthful  Living  [Physical  Education,
Health  Education]  and  World  Languages)  Essential  Standards  PD  for  LEA/Charter  Leadership  Teams  (Day
1),  NERESA,  Vernon  James  Research  Center
21  –  Teacher  Effectiveness  Vetting/New  Accountability  Model  Meetings,  NWRESA
22  –  Fidelity  Support  Session,  Sandhills  RESA,  22  –  Fidelity  Support  Session,  Sandhills  RESA,  Richmond
Community  College,  Hamlet
22  –  Common  Core  ELA  and  Math  PD  for  LEA/Charter  Leadership  Teams,  PTEC  (Room  1,  Special  Events
Center,  Greensboro  Coliseum)
26  –  K-­‐12  Programs  Arts  Education  (Dance,  Music  Theatre  Arts,  ESL,  Healthful  Living  [Physical  Education,
Health  Education]  and  World  Languages)  Essential  Standards  PD  for  LEA/Charter  Leadership  Teams,
WRESA
MORE  INFO:   Yvette  Stewart,  yvette.stewart@dpi.nc.gov
Race  to  the  Top  Teacher  and  Principal  Survey  through  March  30
On  Feb.  6,  principals  and  teachers  at  selected  schools  around  the  state  were  emailed  a  link  to  the  annual
Race  to  the  Top  Teacher  and  Principal  Survey.  The  survey  takes  15  to  30  minutes  to  complete,  and   respondents  only  need  their  district-­‐provided  email  address  to  log  in.     The  survey  will  be  open  through
March  30th .
This  survey  is  extremely  important  as  it  will  provide    information  to  the  larger  RttT  Evaluation  regarding   the  impacts  of  RttT  on  educational  outcomes  as  well  as  teachers’  and  principals’  attitudes  and  behaviors   related  to  the  central  reforms  of  the  RttT  initiatives  –  it  will  not  be  used  to  evaluate  individual  schools  or   educators.
MORE  INFO:     Race  to  the  Top  Evaluation,  Omnibus  Survey  Team,  SERVE  Center  at  UNC-­‐Greensboro,
RttTSurvey@serve.org.
IN  CASE  YOU  MISSED  IT
District/Charter  School  Team  Information  for  2012  Summer  Institutes
RttT  Coordinators  for  each  LEA  and  RttT  Charter  will  receive  information  next  week  about  the   expectations  of  the  leadership  team  attending  the  2012  Summer  Institutes.    Before  your  team  registers,   we  will  communicate  directly  with  the  RttT  Coordinator  and  share  helpful  information  about  developing   your  leadership  team  and  who  should  be  included  in  the  composition  of  your  team.
RttT  Coordinators  will  help  us  communicate  who  will  be  representing  your  district  or  school  at  the  2012
Summer  Institutes  training  prior  to  the  registration  period  to  ensure  a  clear  and  successful  registration   process.    While  some  participant  representation  may  change,  this  institute  is  for  the  same  leadership   team  that  attended  last  year.    Should  many  changes  be  required,  team  participants  need  to  update  new   attendees.

As  a  reminder,  the  2012  Summer  Institutes  website  is  currently  live  and  includes  helpful  information  to   prepare  this  year’s  participants  for  their  professional  development  experience.    You  will  find  information   about  the  purpose  of  the  two-­‐day  training  session,  local  lodging  options  around  each  location,   information  about  the  makeup  of  the  team  and  a  link  to  the  new  registration  site.    Registration   information  will  be  available  to  you   early  March .
2012  Summer  Institutes  Link: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/profdev/conferences/summerinstitutes/
MORE  INFO::  Yvette  Stewart,  yvette.stewart@dpi.nc.gov
Next  Generation  Assessments:  Resources  for  the  Online  Transition
To  help  districts  and  schools  prepare  for  the  next  generation  assessments  and  the  transition  to  online,   there  are  a  number  of  resources  available.
Best  Practices  Guide  -­‐  http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/assessment/guide/
The  purpose  of  this  document  is  to  serve  as  a  guide  to  help  districts  and  schools  prepare  for  the   transition  to  online  assessments.  This  guide  provides  tips  and  recommendations  based  on  conversations   with  LEAs  and  charter  schools  around  the  state  that  have  already  started  this  transition  and  are   administering  some  or  all  of  the  current  end-­‐of-­‐course  tests  in  the  online  format.
Quick  Reference  Guide  -­‐  http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/acre/assessment/assess1pageroct11.pdf
A  quick  reference  guide  to  the  next  generation  of  summative  assessments  that  includes  the  expected   timeline  for  full  implementation  of  online  testing.
SMARTER  Balanced  Assessment  Consortium  -­‐  http://www.smarterbalanced.org/
The  main  website  for  The  SMARTER  Balanced  Assessment  Consortium,  which  is  a  state-­‐led  consortium   working  to  develop  next-­‐generation  assessments  that  are  aligned  to  the  Common  Core  State
Standards  and  that  accurately  measure  student  progress  toward  college  and  career  readiness.
Online  Assessment  Tutorial  -­‐  https://center.ncsu.edu/nctest/NCTestSim.html#StudentSignIn
The  assessment  tutorial  shows  you  how  the  online  testing  system  works.  You  can  select  a  test  and  then   practice  moving  between  and  answering  questions.
NCTest  Information  -­‐   https://center.ncsu.edu/nc/course/view.php?id=361
Information  related  to  the  latest  version  of  the  online  testing  system,  NCTest  v  2.5.  Here  you  can  find   the  technical  requirements  for  the  system,  information  on  registration  and  administration,  the   assessment  tutorial,  and  other  resources  related  to  administering  online  assessments.

Additional  resources  can  be  found  on  the  online  assessment  resources  page  at   http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/assessment/resources/.
Contact:  Kayla  Siler,  kayla.siler@dpi.nc.gov
CCSSO  Webinar  on  Text  Complexity  –  Recording  Now  Available
The  recording  of  the  January  26  Council  of  Chief  State  School  Officers  (CCSSO)  webinar  on  text   complexity  and  the  accompanying  materials  are  now   available  online   (PC  users  hit  CTRL  when  clicking   to  open) .    The  webinar,  which  focused  on  tools  and  resources  to  support  teachers  and  districts  on  text   complexity,  featured  Sue  Pimentel,  a  member  of  the  Common  Core  State  Standards  English  language   arts  writing  committee,  as  well  as  representatives  from  the  Kansas  and  Louisiana  Departments  of
Education.
Free  Resource  for  Teachers:    Videos  of  Common  Core  Lessons
There  are  more  than  70   free  videos  related  to  Common  Core  instruction  available  on  the  Teaching
Channel   (PC  users  hit  CTRL  when  clicking  to  open) .The  videos  provide  lesson  ideas,  an  overview  of  the
ELA  and  Math  standards,  and  demonstrations  of  teaching  practices.  Videos  vary  in  length  from  five  to   thirty  minutes.
REL  Releases  Reports  on  College  Reading  and  Common  Core  State  Standards
The  Regional  Educational  Laboratories  (REL)  recently  released  a  series  of  studies,  including:
• How  prepared  are  subgroups  of  Texas  students  for  college-­‐level  reading?  Applying  a  Lexile®-­‐based   approach   (PC  users  hit  CTRL  when  clicking  to  open) ;  and
• Plans  to  adopt  and  implement  Common  Core  State  Standards  in  the  Southeast  Region  states   (PC  users   hit  CTRL  when  clicking  to  open) .
Instructional  Improvement  System  (IIS)  Update
The  Request  for  Proposal  for  the  Instructional  Improvement  System  (IIS)  is  now  under  review  at  the   state’s  Information  Technology  Services  office.  Once  approved,  the  RFP  will  be  posted  for  bids,  most   likely  within  the  next  several  weeks.
In  the  meantime,  NCDPI  is  initiating  a  Resource  Consortium  in  partnership  with  local  school  districts.  The   consortium  will  focus  on  gathering  locally  created  resources  to  share  across  the  state  via  the  IIS.  A  letter   from  Superintendent  June  Atkinson  soon  will  go  out  to  superintendents  and  other  local  school  district   officials  inviting  them  to  indicate  their  interest  in  participating.
We  also  have  updated  the  anticipated  timeline  for  the  IIS  project.  Please  go  to   http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/improvement/status/  for  more  information.

Regional  Wikispaces
Below  are  links  to  each  regional  resource  page  created  by  the  NCDPI  RttT  PD  Leads  designed  to  share   information  and  support  the  work  of  the  district/charter  PD  teams.    This  information  is  shared  and   compiled  as  a  result  of  the  training  sessions,  individual  virtual  conferences,  district/charter  team   meetings  and  more  that  are  held  in  each  region.    Please  take  advantage  of  these  resources  and  feel  free   to  contact  the  RttT  PD  Leads  for  additional  information.
·∙                  Region  1:  http://region1rttt.ncdpi.wikispaces.net
·∙                  Region  2:  http://NCRegion2.ncdpi.wikispaces.net
·∙                  Region  3:  http://region3pd.ncdpi.wikispaces.net
·∙                  Region  4:  http://rt3region4.ncdpi.wikispaces.net
·∙                  Region  5:  http://ncregion5rttt.ncdpi.wikispaces.net
·∙                  Region  6:  http://region6pd.ncdpi.wikispaces.net
·∙                  Region  7:  http://rt3region7.ncdpi.wikispaces.net
·∙                  Region  8:  http://region8wnc.ncdpi.wikispaces.net
MORE  INFO:  Yvette  Stewart,  yvette.stewart@dpi.nc.gov