March 3, 2016 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
3/3/16 3:22 PM
March 3, 2016 Principals' Biweekly Message
North Carolina Public Schools <NCPublicSchools@public.govdelivery.com>
Thu 3/3/2016 2:51 PM
To: Lynda
Fuller <Lynda.Fuller@dpi.nc.gov>;
Latest information from State Superintendent June Atkinson for NC public school principals
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March 3, 2016
On Tuesday, North Carolina kicked off the 2016 North Carolina
Teacher Working Conditions Survey. School-based licensed
educators in all 115 North Carolina school districts and charter
schools have an opportunity to answer a variety of questions on the
8th biennial statewide NC Teacher Working Conditions (TWC)
Survey.
The NC TWC Survey, which remains open through March 25,
gathers feedback from teachers, counselors, principals and other
administrators about the adequacy of school facilities and
resources, time, empowerment, school leadership, community
support, student conduct, professional development, mentoring
and induction services, and student learning. The web-based
survey is voluntary, anonymous and confidential. As in past years,
educators will receive unique access codes from their designated school-based representative (Teacher
of the Year, NCAE Representative, Teacher Leader) that enable them to take the survey at the NC TWC
website.
I appreciate your support of this effort. I think that it is important to ask teachers and other licensed
educators to give their feedback. Many of you have used this feedback to make improvements in your
schools. Schools that have at least 40 percent of their faculty respond to the survey will receive data to
use so please encourage all your teachers to participate.
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March 3, 2016 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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State Board of Education Meeting Highlights
At this morning’s State Board of Education meeting, members approved
reform recommendations for continuously low-performing schools, the
2016 Invitation to Submit Textbooks for Evaluation and Adoption in K-12
Social Studies and Healthful Living, and the Board’s 2016-17
Supplemental Budget recommendations.
Yesterday, they continued their discussion of student surveys and proposed conceptual policy
recommendations related to licensure and policies on general licensure requirements, and began a
discussion of academic standards revision. Board members also approved Dr. Maria Pitre-Martin as the
Department’s new Chief Academic and Digital Learning Officer.
To view the complete list of this month’s Board actions, please visit the Board’s website.
2014-15 Consolidated Data Report Released
Public School Dropout Rate Experiences Slight Increase in 2014-15
North Carolina’s public school dropout rate slightly increased in 2014-15 according to the Consolidated
Data Report today presented to State Board of Education members at their March meeting. The state’s
dropout rate rose to 2.39 percent from 2.28 percent the previous year. The .11 percentage point
increase was the first increase in the dropout rate since 2006-07, when the dropout rate increased from
5.04 to 5.24. In 2014-15, 11,190 students dropped out of school as opposed to the 10,404 students the
previous year.
State Superintendent June Atkinson said she was concerned that the state’s dropout rate increased.
“My top goal since I took office hasn’t changed: a 100 percent graduation rate. A high school diploma is
the minimum requirement students must meet to land a job that will lead them into a successful career. I
plan to work closely with department staff and local superintendents to determine possible reasons
behind the increase and ways to reverse the trend.”
The full report containing state, district and charter high school dropout counts and rates for 2014-15 is
available online.
Reportable Public School Crimes and Consequences Increase in 2014-15;
Long-Term Suspensions Decrease Slightly
The total number of reportable acts of school crime, short-term suspensions, expulsions, and the use of
corporal punishment increased in 2014-15 while the number of long-term suspensions decreased
slightly according to the Consolidated Data Report today presented to the State Board of Education.
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March 3, 2016 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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The total number of reportable acts of school crime increased 2.1 percent, the first increase in three
years, while the number of students in North Carolina public schools was at an all-time high of
1,537,643.
State Superintendent June Atkinson said that it is essential for schools to provide positive learning
environments so students can reach their academic potential. “Any increase in school crime is a trend in
the wrong direction. I am particularly concerned that these increases are among the same groups of
students at the same grade levels. One answer is for schools to incorporate more programs such as
Positive Behavior Intervention and Support to reach students before they make poor choices that
impede their academic success. Parental involvement and support are other important elements in
deterring school crime.”
The full report detailing district-by-district data on all of these measures is available online.
Multi-Tiered System of Support:
Strengthening Core Instruction for All
The work of MTSS is designing a multi-tiered system of support to meet
the needs of all students. In order to do this, a system must be designed
that works for school staff. The District MTSS Team will guide School Leadership Teams to examine
and/or select instruction and curriculum.
It is critical for these teams to make informed decisions while defining core instruction and curriculum
for academics and behavior. When we think about curriculum, we think about standards and materials.
The materials support students to meet those standards. When we think about behavioral standards,
we start with school-wide expectations.
Selecting practices that have the most impact on student learning and then ensuring these adopted
practices can happen for all students is part of building an MTSS framework. The professional
development being offered via integrated academic and behavioral systems provides resources for
teams engaged in designing an MTSS for all students.
For more information on these layers of support, see this graphic or visit the MTSS wiki space. If you
have questions, please contact Amy Jablonski.
Implementation Science:
The Five Active Implementation
Frameworks
Students cannot benefit from services they do not receive. Active
Implementation Frameworks promote the full and effective use of
evidence-based programs and evidence-informed innovations so that
student outcomes are improved.
Active Implementation is guided by five frameworks:
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March 3, 2016 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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Usable Interventions
Implementation Stages
Implementation Drivers
Implementation Teams
Improvement Cycles
Opportunities to deepen your understanding about Implementation Stages and the Active
Implementation Frameworks may be found in this video module and a handout with definitions and
visuals.
Happening Now …
The Chatham County District Implementation Team (DIT), a K-3 Formative Assessment Usability
Partner, has moved from the exploration stage to the installation stage of implementation.
During the installation stage they revisited their DIT membership according to selection criteria and
added new members to strengthen the infrastructure in support of improved student outcomes. The
Chatham DIT recognizes the value of having voices from a variety of perspectives and has
representatives from PreK, Elementary, Title 1, MTSS, K-3 teachers and principals.
NCDPI Global Educator Digital Badge
Guidance Webinar
Join NCDPI staff for an overview of the Global Educator Digital Badge
process and available resources inclusive of the expanded educator
categories (other teachers, principals and central office administrators) eligible for the Digital Badge.
The same webinar will be offered at two times on Tuesday, March 15:
10 – 11 a.m. or 4 – 5 p.m. (click on the time to register for the session).
NCDPI Joins National #GoOpen Initiative
North Carolina is joining a national initiative promoting the use of high quality, openly licensed
educational resources by school districts across the state. North Carolina – #GoOpenNC – will be
joining an inaugural cohort of states in the #GoOpen initiative, which includes more than a dozen states
that have committed to support school districts and educators using openly licensed resources.
North Carolina is being recognized for its leadership by the U.S. Department of Education at the
#GoOpen Exchange, a gathering of state and district leaders, innovative education technology platform
providers, and non-profit organizations working together to share knowledge and experiences to help
educators transition to using openly licensed educational resources.
“This initiative continues the tremendous progress we’ve made in recent years with Home Base, our
ecosystem for digital tools and resources ” Atkinson said. “Helping educators take greater advantage of
open educational resources advances our goals to keep pace with teaching and learning in the digital
age.”
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March 3, 2016 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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Summer Leadership Conference 2016
Summer Leadership Conference 2016 will be held June 19-22 at
the Omni Grove Park Inn, Asheville.
Keynote speakers are Robert Putnam (author of Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis), Steve Dembo
(Building Bolder Schools: It Doesn’t Hurt to be First, Discovery Education), and Donna Beegle (author of
See Poverty, Be the Difference).
Conference information, including hotels, online registration, tentative agenda, and speaker bios are
available online. Questions may be directed to Jan Webster (828.774.5681 ext, 21) or Vicki Wilson
(828.774.5681 ext. 22).
Two Schools Nominated for “Green
Ribbon Schools” Award
Congratulations to Sandy Grove Middle (Hoke County Schools) and Wiley International Studies Magnet
Elementary (Wake County Schools) for recently being selected to represent North Carolina in the U.S.
Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools Award program.
These schools were selected because of their exemplary efforts in providing healthy learning facilities
and a strong education program. The Green Ribbon Schools Award is the first comprehensive federal
policy for schools related to environment, health and education. Since 2012, four North Carolina public
schools and two school districts have received the national award.
2015 Public School Law Book
The 2015 edition of Public School Laws of North Carolina is now available to purchase through NCDPI
Publications Sales. Public School Laws of North Carolina contains statutes, case notes and opinions of
the Attorney General through the 2015 session. It also includes statutes other than 115C (LexisNexis
Edition).
The book is $37 and may be ordered by calling 919.807.3470, or by visiting our Publications Sales
website.
Stop Rx Abuse Video Contest Reminder
Please encourage your students to help warn others about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.
Attorney General Roy Cooper and the NC Department of Justice are again sponsoring the Stop Rx
Abuse video contest, which is open to all students grades 6 through 12.
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March 3, 2016 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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The competition is already underway, and submissions will be accepted through April 18. Each school
should have received detailed information by mail. To learn more, visit the NC Department of Justice’s
website or email questions to StopRxAbuse@ncdoj.gov.
Burroughs Wellcome Fund Student Science Enrichment Program
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is accepting applications for its Student Science Enrichment Program
(SSEP) grant awards. SSEP supports diverse programs with a common goal: to enable primary and
secondary students to participate in creative, hands-on scientific activities for K-12 students and pursue
inquiry-based exploration in BWF's home state of North Carolina. These awards provide up to $60,000
per year for three years. The application deadline is April 15.
For more information, including an application, visit the Burroughs Wellcome Fund website.
Latest Teachers’ Message Online
Feb. 25, 2016 Teachers’ Biweekly Newsletter
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March 3, 2016 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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