Weekly Message + State Superintendent June Atkinson
North Carolina Public Schools <NCPublicSchools@public.govdelivery.com>
Mon 4/11/2016 3:09 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 11, 2016
The State Board of Education had a robust discussion last week at
its planning session about the standards review process, especially
regarding revisions to Math I, II and III.
The Superintendents’ Quarterly meeting on Wednesday in
Wilmington will include a segment on that topic to make sure that
you have ample time to ask questions and hear from our curriculum
and instruction leadership in this area. I look forward to seeing
many of you on Wednesday.
The General Assembly returns to Raleigh for its short session in two
weeks. Proposals on teacher compensation and other education
priorities are prominent in the news these days, and I’m sure there
will be many more to come. I mention this to encourage you to
reach out to your lawmakers so that they have a clear idea of your
local needs and concerns before the session begins. Your perspective is very valuable to them.
State Board of Education Planning/Work Session/Meeting
Highlights
The State Board of Education held a planning and work session on
Tuesday and Wednesday prior to last Thursday’s regular monthly
meeting. Issues discussed at the planning and work session included the
Board’s strategic plan implementation progress and challenges, the
Every Student Succeeds Act, standards review and revisions, the state’s
assessment system, criminal background checks and the Board’s
legislative agenda for the General Assembly’s short session.
At Thursday’s regular Board meeting, in addition to a number of consent
agenda items, members approved policies on general licensure requirements, beginning teacher
support program, standards and criteria for evaluation of professional school employees and the
teacher performance appraisal process; applications from reform models; technical changes to the
recurring low-performing schools’ policy; and an equipment assistance grant for school nutrition.
Board members also discussed several charter schools’ issues, the Joint Legislative Education
Oversight Committee Dropout Prevention Pilot Report; Annual Measurable Objectives/Annual
Measurable Achievement Objectives policy revisions; middle school athletics manual updates; and an
update on the teacher licensure system.
The complete list of this month’s Board actions is available on the Board’s website.
Kindergarten Entry Assessment Expansion
In its second year, the Kindergarten Entry Assessment will be expanded from the two domains of
student learning included this past year to cover all five domains in 2016-17.
Teachers will assess all entering kindergartners within the first 60 days of school on a total of seven
different areas across the five domains of student learning:
* Approaches to Learning
* Cognitive Development
* Emotional-Social Development
* Health & Physical Development
* Language Development & Communication
A degree of choice also has been incorporated into the process for this coming year, allowing districts
to select areas in specific domains that best fit their needs.
To complete the assessment, teachers will continue to use the same web-based platform to gather
evidence, determine learning statuses and select learning targets – all key steps in the formative
assessment process. The documentation of student learning collected within the platform meets the
requirements of the state’s Kindergarten Entry Assessment.
NCDPI Office of Early Learning staff look forward to working with you and learning additional ways to
support your district’s implementation efforts. Please feel free to contact your regional consultant for
assistance.
USED Releases Resources on Improving School Climate
The U.S. Department of Education recently released new school climate
surveys and a quick guide on making school climate improvements to
help foster and sustain safe and supportive environments that are
conducive to learning for all students.
The ED School Climate Surveys and the Quick Guide on Making School
Climate Improvements will enable states, local school districts, and
individual schools to collect and act on reliable, nationally-validated
school climate data in real-time. These new free and adaptable resources
will enable educators, administrators, and school system leaders to understand and create
environments where every child can be successful.
Information on Academic Achievement Gap Online
Are you interested in the latest (and not so latest) research and non-research texts about the academic
achievement gap and its attending issues (such as poverty) in North Carolina and elsewhere?
If so, then NCDPI's Division of Data, Research and Federal Policy can help. Just scroll through the
summaries located on the Academic Education Research web page for relevant, interesting scholarly
texts and articles.
NCVPS Allotment Projections
Deadline Extended
The deadline to request an increase in your NCVPS allotment projections has been extended to April
22. To request an increase in your projections, please complete the form at this link.
Additionally, if districts would like to pursue flexible funding options, that link is here. If you have any
questions, please contact NCVPS Chief Operations Officer Rachel McBroom.
Gaston County Schools’ Teacher is
2016 NC Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to South Point High School English and Journalism
teacher Bobbie Cavnar who today was named the 2016 Burroughs
Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year.
In announcing this year’s recipient, State Superintendent June Atkinson
said Cavnar is a champion of public education and the opportunities it
provides students. “Bobbie sees public education as the one thing that is
equal and fair in a child’s life, and he sees teachers as the equalizers, the
keeper’s of America’s promise of equal opportunity.”
As Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, Cavnar will spend the next school
year traveling the state as an ambassador for the teaching profession. He also will serve as an advisor
to the State Board of Education for two years and as a board member for the NC Public School Forum
for one year.
Champions for Excellence Named
The NCDPI Champion for the Excellence in Teaching and Learning
Award was presented to the following six outstanding educators
during the Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement held
in Greensboro on March 23:
* Kiera Stricklen, Instructional Support, Media/Technology
Assistant, Wellcome Middle School, Pitt County Schools
* James Johnson, Principal, Randleman Elementary School,
Randolph County Schools
* Susan Brigman, Principal, Ashley Chapel Education Center, Richmond County Schools
* Janet Delery, Math Teacher, Piedmont Middle School, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
* Ashley White, Kindergarten Teacher, Aberdeen Primary School, Moore County Schools
* Jennifer James, Business Education Teacher, Northeastern High School, Elizabeth City-Pasquotank
Schools
The purpose of the Champion Award is to share the collective belief in the power of public education
and to celebrate everything that is right about local schools and the people who make it so. This
recognition identifies these educators as advocates for excellence who embody these qualities.
Additional NCStar Trainings
Scheduled
As a reminder, NCDPI staff will hold three additional
sessions in April for educators who might be interested in
learning more about the free NCStar tool that helps schools manage their school improvement process.
With NCStar being a requirement for Priority and Focus schools, it is recommended that in schools with
high turnover, more than one person participate in this initial training.
The three sessions, which will be held in Lincolnton (April 19), Asheboro (April 21) and Wilson (April 25),
are open to any school or district in the state. Please make sure to register soon as registration will
close as soon as site capacity is reached.
For more information, please visit the NCStar website. Questions regarding the training may be directed
to Alessandro Montanari.
Character Education Workshop
Are your schools leading with character? Do you want to change
the climate and culture of your schools? Are you looking for
strategies to enhance your district’s character development efforts?
If so, join DPI staff for a free character education workshop scheduled for Friday, April 22, from 9
a.m.-3 p.m., at the Education Building in Raleigh.
At the workshop, you will learn about the 11 Principles of Effective Character Education as a tool to
evaluate your school, district and community climate, and how state and national schools and districts
of character have implemented these practices.
You may register online. For more information, please contact Justyn Knox.
Latest Messages Online
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