Jan. 21, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
1/21/16 11:58 AM
Jan. 21, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message
North Carolina Public Schools <NCPublicSchools@public.govdelivery.com>
Thu 1/21/2016 11:54 AM
To: Lynda
Fuller <Lynda.Fuller@dpi.nc.gov>;
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Jan. 21, 2016
School districts in North Carolina have the opportunity to
participate in student surveys this school year, and the schedule for
student surveys and other information about this are available
online. Please use this information to help inform your teachers and
other staff, as well as your parents, about the student surveys.
This site will give your faculty and you information about the survey
process and how results will be used. Even for districts that opted
not to participate in the student survey process this year, the
student survey icon will be active for all students during each
district’s scheduled administration window. There is a possibility
that students will complete the surveys even if the district has
elected not to participate formally.
If the NC Department of Public Instruction receives data from school districts that have elected not to
participate, we will notify the district that data are available and allow the district to make a decision
about whether those data will be shared with teachers and principals. NCDPI will not report or analyze
student survey data
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Jan. 21, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
1/21/16 11:58 AM
District and School Transformation Update
The District and School Transformation staff extend a heartfelt “Thank You!” for the work that has been
accomplished over the past three months by districts and schools identified as low performing in
accordance with G.S. 115C-105.37(a1)(5) and G.S. 115C-105.39A(b)(5).
As part of this new process, a Plan for Improvement was approved by the local school board and
submitted to the State Board of Education. A District and School Transformation coach reviewed the
plan and provided specific feedback before returning it to the local board. A Final Plan for Improvement
was submitted by the school or district and published to the NCDPI and school websites.
The goal is to have all Final Plans for Improvement for the 2015-16 school year submitted by Feb. 15.
Please continue to use the website for Low-Performing Districts and Schools to submit a Plan for
Improvement. For further questions or support, contact District and School Transformation at
919.835.6101.
The Connected Educator
On Feb. 10, District and School Transformation in partnership with NCSU Northeast Leadership
Academy (NELA) continues the Professional Development for School Leaders Series: The Connected
Educator. The featured speaker, Dr. Mike Schmoker, author of Results Now, FOCUS, his newest book
Leading with Focus, and a number of ASCD articles, will guide participants through the best practices
for using data to improve student learning and to develop focused leadership within schools.
Please join us for this exciting opportunity to connect with Dr. Schmoker and other practitioners from
across North Carolina. Registration is open and may be accessed here. The February event will be held
at the Hilton North Raleigh from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (on-site registration begins at 8:30 a.m.). There is no
registration fee for this event; however, districts and schools are responsible for travel costs. A block of
rooms has been reserved at a discounted rate at the Hilton North Raleigh. Please contact Amelia
McLeod with questions.
New Year Greetings from North
Carolina Principal of the Year
Happy New Year! I hope your 2016 is off to a great start thus
far! Many high schools have finished taking exams and are
preparing to begin a new semester. Elementary and middle
schools continue to administer benchmarks, Reading 3D,
and K-2 math assessments, while also preparing to begin a
new semester. Despite the number of assessments our
students are taking, there is no doubt our teachers in North
Carolina are working harder than ever before to ensure that
our students are learning. Our achievement results and data continue to prove this time after time.
I recently attended the annual “Eggs and Issues” breakfast sponsored by the North Carolina Public
School Forum. During the breakfast, the Forum unveiled its Top 10 Education Issues for 2016. Although
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Jan. 21, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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all ten are essential, three stand out to me that are of utmost importance:
1. Direct Adequate Resources to Public Schools, Teachers and Leaders #1
2. Transform the Profession to Make NC a Teaching Destination Again #2
3. Support the State’s Struggling Schools #6
Great schools do not exist apart from great leaders. Education research shows that effective teachers
and effective schools are led by strong leaders. In order to attract and retain great leaders in North
Carolina public schools, we must urge our legislators to start by investing in increasing principal pay.
North Carolina principal salaries rank 50th among all states and the District of Columbia. Why aren’t we
number one?
Next, we must rally behind our teachers and encourage our legislators to make teaching a profession
that the best and brightest desire as a career choice once again. We must raise teacher pay to the
national average for all teachers while recognizing the value of our career teachers.
Moreover, as school leaders, we must demand that legislation and policies written regarding our
struggling schools be aligned with research based practices and ensure their success by providing
them with a myriad of resources and supports. Negative labels and punitive policies do not promote the
improvement of struggling schools nor are they strategies. We must be committed to maintaining a high
standard of excellence and creating a positive climate in all schools.
I am committed to meeting with legislators and using my voice to affect change in these three areas. I
hope you will review the 2016 North Carolina Public School Forum’s Top 10 Education Issues report,
share it with others, and let your voice be heard on behalf of principals, teachers and students in North
Carolina public schools.
Steve Lassiter, principal, Pactolus School, and 2015 Wells Fargo NC Principal of the Year
Register Now for NCVPS
Spring Classes
NCVPS is still enrolling for spring classes. Classes began on Jan. 19, and the last day to register
students is Feb. 1. After that date, schools still have a number of enrollment options:
- Credit recovery enrollment remains open until March 18.
- Schools can continue to add Occupational Course of Study students to their already existing OCS
sections throughout the semester.
- NCVPS will accept transfer students until March 18. This is a good solution for students who move
into the district, home-bound students, and suspended students.
Regional Teachers of the Year
Announced
Congratulations to the following nine teachers who were
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Jan. 21, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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recently selected to represent their education districts and charter schools as the state’s regional
Teachers of the Year and will now compete for the title of 2016 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North
Carolina Teacher of the Year:
- Northeast: Marie Smith, Conway Middle (Northampton County Schools);
- Southeast: Katie Snyder, Hoggard High (New Hanover County Schools);
- North Central: Margaret McNeill, Dunn Middle (Harnett County Schools);
- Sandhills: Olivia Hall, Roseboro-Salemburg Middle (Sampson County Schools);
- Piedmont-Triad: Kevin Scharen, Graham High (Alamance-Burlington Schools);
- Southwest: Bobbie Cavnar, South Point High (Gaston County Schools);
- Northwest: Leah Hayes, South Newton Elementary (Newton-Conover City Schools);
- Western: Angel Ledbetter, Rutherford Early College High (Rutherford County Schools); and
- Charter Schools: Brandon Brown, Lake Norman Charter (Mecklenburg County).
The 2016 North Carolina Teacher of the Year will be announced April 7 at an awards ceremony in Cary.
Feb. 8-12 is School Bus Driver
Appreciation Week
Feb. 8-12 is School Bus Driver Appreciation Week, and also the
week when schools are encouraged to celebrate LOVE THE BUS
and talk with students about school bus safety.
This is an excellent opportunity to generate positive media attention on the safe transportation of
students to and from school. More information is available on the NC School Bus Safety website.
Principal READY: Principal and Charter Leaders
Discuss Collaborative Learning
Listen as principals and charter leaders discuss the importance of building strong learning teams,
learning to have hard conversations with staff, using data to improve school improvement, and
structuring coaching conversations for instructional change. Also hear what leaders are saying about
statewide collaborative professional learning. This video is available online.
Principal Resource for Coaching Teachers:
Action Research Portal - Teachers Learning from Teachers
The North Carolina Teacher Action Research Portal site publishes the results of classroom-based action
research performed by North Carolina teachers as part of the Governor’s Teacher Network.
Principals and teachers may search 219 projects by grade, subject or keyword. Find out what teachers
learned studying a problem of practice in the classroom and how they used their learning to improve
specific instruction for students. This is a great resource for teachers struggling with similar instructional
issues. Principals may use this as a coaching tool.
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This portal is one of the many resources found on the Educator Effectiveness Online Professional
Development System page.
Middle School Math Summit a Success
NCDPI hosted a Middle School Math Summit in Greensboro on Jan. 13. Four hundred people attended
this important event including district leaders, math coaches, specialists, administrators and lead
teachers from 102 of the115 LEAs.
District leaders examined cohort data by math domain and conceptual category while math content
leaders attended three modules specific to middle school standards. The focus for the day was on
building teacher and student capacity in middle grades' mathematics.
The math content sessions will be repeated twice at the Collaborative Conference for Student
Achievement (CCSA) in March (see item below). One will be open to only charter schools and will be at
no charge. The other one will be for registered participants of CCSA.
Early Registration Deadline Extended
for Home Base Symposium
The 2016 Home Base Symposium is less than a month away!
The deadline for early registration has been extended to Friday, Jan. 29. The Sheraton Greensboro
Hotel also has agreed to extend its rate deadline for the block of rooms reserved for the Symposium
until the 29th as well.
We are expanding the focus of this year’s Symposium to include course offerings across the Home
Base Suite. Expect new content, the latest and upcoming updates, presenters from PowerSchool,
Home Base (including field staff), and so much more.
All-day strands for PowerSchool, Schoolnet, Truenorthlogic and Canvas will be offered from field
experts. The latest updates and sneak-peaks will be showcased throughout the sessions. To name just
a few, new functionality on the 9.2 upgrade which includes sessions on the New Gradebook and Data
Visualizations will be presented by PowerSchool. These sessions are not just for PowerSchool users,
but for any user that supports classroom teachers. Other sessions will include Google Apps for
Education integration, a BloomBoard & OCT overview, and what is to come with NCEdCloud and IAM.
You don't want to miss this opportunity. Plan on attending, cull the information offered, and return to
your school bursting with fresh, new ways to utilize Home Base!
More Symposium information including online registration and hotel accommodations is available
online.
2016 Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement
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Jan. 21, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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The 2016 Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement (CCSA) will be held March 21-23 at the
Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons/Koury Convention Center, Greensboro. The conference features
a gallery of professional development and information sessions for educators, policy makers, innovators
and community members with an interest in innovative practices to improve educational outcomes for
today’s students and tomorrow’s.
The conference features 250 sessions with tracks for K-12 learning standards, K-12 online and blended
learning structures, policy, research, accountability, student engagement and more.
Event details, including registration and hotel accommodations, are available on the CCSA website.
Champions for Excellence in Public Education
Do you know a champion for excellence in teaching and learning? During the 2016 Collaborative
Conference for Student Achievement, the Department of Public Instruction will recognize individuals
who in many ways are champions for excellence in teaching and learning.
The purpose of the Champion Award is to share our collective belief in the power of public education
and to celebrate everything that is right about our local schools and the people who make it so,
everyday. Nominations must be submitted by Jan. 31 so nominate someone today!
NC Reading Conference
Scheduled for March
The 2016 NC Reading Conference will be held at the
Raleigh Convention Center on March 13 - 15. Geared to
teachers and administrators, this year's conference offers sessions by NCDPI staff, nationally
recognized professional speakers and authors, college professors, classroom teachers and
specialists.
Session topics include:
* preparing school literacy leaders in the 21st century
* best practices for implementing the current ELA NC Standard Course of Study Standards
* integration of the ELA standards ( Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, and Language) as well as
across content areas
* the best digital tools in the classroom
* supporting students in text complexity and close reading
* involving parents/community to increase student reading achievement
* proactive techniques to reduce discipline issues schoolwide
* strategies for teaching academic vocabulary
Educators may earn up to 1.5 reading CEUs. Discounted registration is available before Feb. 15. Visit
the NC Reading Association website for registration and detailed program information.
Stop Rx Abuse Video Contest
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Jan. 21, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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Attorney General Roy Cooper and the NC Department of Justice will hold its Stop Rx Abuse video
contest again this year. The contest, which runs from March 1 – April 18, is open to all students in
grades 6 – 12. Each school will soon receive detailed information by mail. Please encourage your
students to help us warn others about the dangers of prescription drug abuse.
To learn more, visit http://ncdoj.gov/stoprxabuse or contact StopRxAbuse@ncdoj.gov.
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