Weekly Message + State Superintendent June Atkinson
North Carolina Public Schools <NCPublicSchools@public.govdelivery.com>
Mon 4/25/2016 3:27 PM
To: Lynda
Fuller <Lynda.Fuller@dpi.nc.gov>;
Weekly message containing items of interest to local superintendents from State Superintendent June Atkinson
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April 25, 2016
Last week, I visited Green Hope High School (Wake County) where
we held the second of six public comment sessions on the new
federal Every Student Succeeds Act.
As in Wilmington last week, we heard from teachers, administrators,
education association leaders and parents who advocated for less
or better student testing, for remembering the needs of students
with cognitive disabilities, and for taking this opportunity to include
measures beyond test scores in our accountability program.
Our next sessions will be from 4-6 p.m. on each of the following
dates:
Tuesday, April 26 – Mallard Creek High School, Charlotte
Wednesday, April 27 – North Pitt High School, Bethel
Tuesday, May 17 – East Forsyth High School, Kernersville
Wednesday, May 18 – Charles D. Owen High School, Black Mountain
I encourage you to publicize these opportunities to your school community. People who want to speak
at the events should sign up at the registration table by 4:15 p.m. Written comments also are accepted.
This feedback is very helpful as we work to complete North Carolina’s state ESSA plan for submission
to the U.S. Department of Education.
Math Standards Revision Survey Closes April 26
Last Monday, superintendents received a memo announcing the first draft of Math I, II and III revisions,
a companion rationale document and a link to a survey.
Your district's response is very important to this process. As a reminder, the survey closes at 2 p.m.
tomorrow, April 26. The writers will be meeting on Thursday, April 28, in Greensboro to apply feedback
for a second draft that will be submitted for discussion at the May 4 State Board meeting. Public
feedback will then be solicited in May.
Questions regarding this process may be directed to K-12 Mathematics Section Chief Jennifer Curtis.
Digital Learning Update
A goal of the State Board of Education is for very student in
North Carolina to have a personalized education. The
Department’s NC Digital Learning Plan addresses this goal;
and the State Board of Education’s 2016-17 supplemental
budget recommendation includes substantial support for
digital learning.
Some highlights of staff accomplishments to date include
the recent release of the new Digital Learning and Media Inventory, the development of an RFP to
establish contracts that districts may use to procure devices such as Chromebooks, and the
development of Digital Learning Competencies for School Administrators and Classroom Teachers.
Where the competencies are concerned, staff are soliciting both administrator and teacher feedback.
• Draft Digital Learning Competencies for School Administrators. Feedback Form
• Draft Digital Learning Competencies for Classroom Teachers. Feedback Form
If you have specific questions about moving digital learning forward in your district, please feel free to
reach out to the Department’s Director for Digital Teaching and Learning Verna Lalbeharie. Verna and
her staff are available to provide guidance and support.
NCDPI Requests Waivers to Tydings Amendment
The NCDPI is submitting a request for a waiver of section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions
Act (GEPA) (the “Tydings Amendment”) as it affects the authority of the Department and its subrecipients to obligate fiscal year FY 2015 and FY 2016 School Improvement Grant (SIG) 1003(g) funds
after Sept. 30, 2017 (FY15 Funds) and Sept. 30, 2018 (FYI 16 Funds).
Specifically, NCDPI is requesting that the authority to obligate funds for the state-administered
Elementary and Secondary Education Act CFDA 84.377A School Improvement Grants program be
extended to Sept. 30, 2021.
The public is invited to review and comment on the waivers being requested by May 20. To read more,
please visit NCDPI Public Notices website.
Multi-Tiered System of Support:
Alignment of MTSS as a School
Improvement Framework
Recognizing common language across state and district work allows
for alignment of the many opportunities to improve systems. Federal
Program Monitoring and Support and Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems staff have
collaborated to identify clear connections within the work around school improvement. Each of these
divisions focus on raising student achievement through:
- high expectations for staff and students;
- support installed thru teaming structures;
- systematic problem solving such as PDCA;
- data analysis and instructional planning;
- curriculum and instructional alignment;
- installation and monitoring of effective practices; and
- family and community engagement.
Districts and school leaders attending NCSTAR training were introduced to clear connections between
installation of a Multi-Tiered System of Support and use of NCSTAR as a tool to manage the school
improvement process.
For additional information on the alignment, please go to NCSTAR/MTSS Crosswalk. If you have
additional questions, please contact Amy Jablonski or Alessandro Montanari.
Register Now for NCVPS
Summer Classes
Registration is open for students interested in taking NCVPS summer courses. Following are some
details worth noting:
* The NCVPS summer catalog is available online.
* The allotments for summer enrollments are part of district’s 2016-17 allotment totals.
* District need to identify summer contacts. NCVPS will be surveying the district contacts for that
information.
* Summer classes begin June 20 and end Aug. 12.
Please visit the NCVPS Summer School Guide for more information.
North Carolina and the Zika Virus
The NC Dept. of Health and Human Services is aware and responding to the Zika virus in North
Carolina. DHHS staff have developed informational materials that would be beneficial to North Carolina
public schools. Materials include handouts with personal protection messages for mosquito and tick
bites, mosquito control, and bite reduction strategies when traveling in North Carolina and outside of
the state.
Visit the DHHS Zika web page for available resources and strategies. Questions may be directed to
Holly Watkins, Communicable Disease Branch, DHHS, or 919.715.0136.
Spring 2016 Principal Ready: One More Chance
You still have time to register for the last Spring Principal Ready session
scheduled on April 27 in the southwest region.
Principals across the state have had the opportunity to learn about the
changes concerning Standard 6, licensure and ASW. In addition, the
Statewide System of Support has created custom sessions based on the
feedback received from the districts they serve.
If you are interested in learning more about self-directed evaluations, strategies for principals serving
low-performing schools, improving teacher retention, etc., please go to the NCEES wiki to register for
this last session.
Global Languages Endorsement
Please remember that the Global Languages Endorsement (GLE) is
one of five high school diploma endorsements that a student may
earn as outlined in SBE Policy GCS-L-007.
The purpose of this endorsement is to provide a way for students to show their multi-literacy in English
and at least one World Language. Students may add as many World Languages for which they qualify
to a GLE.
For additional information and resources click here or contact NCDPI Special Assistant for Global
Education Helga Fasciano.
NC Listens to Its Educators:
2016 NC TWCS Concludes
Thanks to all North Carolina educators who
participated in the 2016 Teacher Working Conditions
Survey (NC TWCS), which closed April 4.
The official statewide response rate was 85.4 percent representing feedback from over 101,800
educators. Approximately 8,600 more educators participated in 2016 than 2014. Congratulations also to
the 1,076 schools who achieved the goal of a 100 percent response rate! These schools will be eligible
for incentives sponsored by BB&T, California Casualty, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Duke Energy, Lenovo
and NCAE. Winners will be selected beginning May 23.
The NC TWCS results will be presented to State Board of Education members in June, and available for
school districts soon afterward. For more information, please contact Yvette Stewart.
Toolkit Promotes Open Use of School Property
Move More: A Toolkit for Promoting Open Use of School Property in North Carolina is now
available. The toolkit provides information on how schools can make their facilities available to the
public for physical activity. It includes background information on the importance of increasing access
to places for physical activity, relevant North Carolina law, a checklist for developing open use policies
and a list of resources that support open use. The toolkit may be used by anyone who wants to work
with schools in his or her community to create more places for physical activity.
Please feel free to share this resource with others who may be interested. If you have any questions,
please contact NC Healthy Schools Section Chief Ellen Essick.
The Goal is Not Just Better Students but
Better Citizens
NCDPI is partnering with First Vote NC (formerly Kids Voting) to bring a
student-led, project-based initiative to high schools across the state.
Launching this fall, First Vote NC will provide your schools with everything they need for students in the
Founding Principals, Civics and Economics courses to become their school's Board of Elections and
run a school-wide simulation election.
In addition, teachers will have access to data analytics tools that will allow students to engage in
contrast and comparison studies with other high school students across the state.
Please take three minutes to watch the video (produced by high school students) then access online
materials. This resource is offered free-of-charge to high schools this fall. If you have any questions,
please contact Hunter Buxton.
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