March 10, 2016 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
3/11/16 8:41 AM
March 10, 2016 Teachers' Biweekly Message
North Carolina Public Schools <NCPublicSchools@public.govdelivery.com>
Thu 3/10/2016 3:32 PM
To: Lynda
Fuller <Lynda.Fuller@dpi.nc.gov>;
State Superintendent June Atkinson's latest biweekly message to teachers
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March 10, 2016
As NC Department of Public Instruction staff work with the State
Board of Education to develop North Carolina’s Every Student
Succeeds Act state plan, we will need to hear from you and many
other constituents and stakeholders.
In January and February, that work began with presentations to
many groups including superintendents and others in the western
and northwestern Regional Education Service Alliances (RESAs),
the NC School Boards Association, the Public School Form and
more. This effort will continue in the coming weeks.
We are planning two rounds of public input sessions in April-May
and in September-October for parents, educators, business leaders
and others to offer feedback. Below are the dates and locations for
these meetings. Please note that each one will be held from 4-6
p.m. Anyone may attend a session in any region. Audience
members who want to speak will be asked to sign in and are invited (but not required) to bring a copy of
their remarks to submit into the record of the event. I hope your schedule will allow you to attend!
Wednesday, April 13: Ashley High School, Wilmington/New Hanover
Thursday, April 21: Green Hope High School, Cary/Wake
Tuesday, April 26: Mallard Creed High School, Charlotte/Mecklenburg
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March 10, 2016 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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Wednesday, April 27: North Pitt High School, Bethel/Pitt
Tuesday, May 17: East Forsyth High School, Kernersville/Winston-Salem/Forsyth
Wednesday, May 18: Charles D. Owen High School, Black Mountain/Buncombe
In addition, the public is invited to submit comments to Department staff through Let’s Talk on the
NCDPI website by selecting the ESSA dialog topic.
State Board of Education Meeting Highlights
At last week’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.
They continued their discussion of student surveys and began a discussion of academic standards'
revision. The Board also continued to review and consider policy changes that impact Licensure,
including ending Standard 6 for teachers and Standard 8 for principals. These changes, if approved by
the Board, will not eliminate the necessity of capturing student growth data, but principals will have
discretion in how student growth is incorporated into teachers’ overall evaluation.
To view the complete list of this month’s Board actions, please visit the Board’s website.
Pitre-Martin is New Chief Academic and Digital Learning Officer
At last week’s State Board of Education meeting, members approved Dr. Maria Pitre-Martin as the
Department’s new Chief Academic and Digital Learning Officer. Prior to taking her current position as
superintendent of Thomasville City Schools, Pitre-Martin served as DPI’s director of K-12 Curriculum
and Instruction. She also has served as chief academic officer for the Philadelphia School District, an
assistant superintendent for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System in Louisiana, director of
research and staff development for the Fort Bend Independent School District in Sugar Land, Texas,
and principal of Oakwood Intermediate School in College Station, Texas. She will bring her rich
educational experience to the department in May when she assumes her new position.
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.
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March 10, 2016 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
3/11/16 8:41 AM
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,” State Superintendent 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.”
NC Teacher Action Research Portal Offers
Wealth of Resources
The Governor’s Teacher Network database has over 200 action
research projects created by North Carolina teachers across the
state. The searchable database has a number of projects dedicated to core subject areas, but it also
has a wealth of resources focusing on adult learners, parental involvement and technology integration.
Clare Freed, an English teacher in Wake County, wanted to analyze the impact of innovative technology
tools on student interest and engagement with high level literary texts in an English classroom. She
designed lessons utilizing online tools students could easily access with their cell phones. Clare found
that incorporating small technological lessons at various phases of reading improved student
understanding of high-level texts. In addition, these online tools and forums kept students engaged and
contributed to the exchange of higher levels of text analysis.
To read more about the technological tools Clare used in her action research project, visit the NC
Teacher Action Research Portal today!
Registration Opens March 21 for Free
Online Courses
The NCDPI Educator Effectiveness Division will open registration for
the following nine instructor-led courses on Monday, March 21:
- Building and Sustaining Professional Development: 6 weeks, 1 CEU
- Connecting with our 21st Century Learners: 5 weeks, 1 CEU
- Digital Literacies in the K-12 Classroom: 7 weeks, 1.5 CEUs
- Introduction to Data Literacy: 5 weeks, 1 CEU
- Universal Design for Learning 1: UDL in the Everyday Classroom: 5 weeks, 1 CEU
- North Carolina Teacher Standards and Evaluation Process: 6 weeks, 2 CEUs
- Responsibilities of the 21st-Century Educator: 7 weeks, 1 CEU
- Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects, Part 1: 5 weeks, 0.5 CEU
- Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects, Part 2: 7 weeks, 1.5 CEUs
Registration for these free online courses is limited to 35 participants per section. For a full description
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March 10, 2016 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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of courses or information about the Home Base Professional Development System, please visit the
online PD catalog. Classes start April 4. Questions may be directed to Geetanjali Soni.
NCCAT Summer Professional
Development Opportunities
North Carolina educators have plenty of opportunities throughout
the summer to attend the North Carolina Center for the
Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), a recognized national leader in
professional development programming for teachers. Upcoming
programs include:
14101 • Online Writing Revolution
April 26 - 29, Cullowhee
Does the blank page terrify you or your students? With more access to computers and other mobile
devices in the classroom, it is imperative teachers utilize effective digital tools for teaching and learning
to promote writing. Strong writing skills are critical to success. Because writing replaces most of what
would be spoken in the classroom, it is important for students to know how to communicate by writing
effectively and without fear. By knowing where to locate good writing prompts and by using various
online tools such as graphic organizers and mind maps, learn how to improve your student’s voice,
style, and confidence when it comes to writing. Join the writing revolution!
14067 • Strategies for Teaching and Learning in a Digital Environment
May 31 - June 3, Cullowhee
Educators often find themselves overwhelmed with the constant changes in digital technology and have
difficulty utilizing these new tools to modify instruction. Learn how to effectively teach in any digital
learning environment, no matter the tool: laptop, tablet, 1:1 technology, or BYOT (Bring Your Own
Technology). Discover strategies to engage students and examine ways to maximize classroom space
and time. Gain confidence and skill as you seamlessly integrate digital tools into the curriculum.
Motivate your students by developing technology-enriched learning experiences.
14164 • Success from the Start: How to Survive and Thrive Your First Three Years in the Classroom
June 6 - 10, Ocracoke
Open to teachers in their first, second, or third year of teaching, this program supports motivated
beginning teachers by strengthening their knowledge base and classroom expertise. Through
experiential learning, teachers will explore pedagogical concerns including differentiated instruction,
brain-compatible teaching, assessment, the effect of poverty on achievement and behavior, and
classroom management. Come prepared to build professional competence and confidence, improve
student achievement, and reinforce your commitment to this critically important profession.
14186 • Reading Resouces: Equipping Your Classroom for Reading Success
Aug. 8 - 12, Ocracoke
Reading, as the old saying goes, is fundamental. However, not all public school students have access
to the variety of materials necessary to build a strong reading foundation. Research grant opportunities
for purchasing books, digital devices, and other materials to aid in literacy instruction. Explore multiple
means of acquiring literacy-related donations and discover open-access materials online. Finally,
participate in the sharing of strategies for the effective use of these resources.
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March 10, 2016 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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Applicants are encouraged to register as soon as possible to ensure a spot. Programs are available to
North Carolina educators at the Cullowhee and Ocracoke campuses, online and with NCCAT faculty
visiting school districts. For more information, please visit www.nccat.org. For a complete schedule
please visit NCCAT’s online calendar.
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 in grades 6 through 12.
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.
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