Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson
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8/25/15 7:10 AM
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Weekly Message - State Superintendent June
Atkinson
North Carolina Public Schools sent this bulletin at 08/24/2015 03:33 PM EDT
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Aug. 24, 2015
Congratulations on a successful first day of school for North
Carolina’s traditional calendar public schools. I know that first days
are exciting mixtures of anticipation, expectations, traffic jams and
new opportunities. I am especially appreciative of a successful
school beginning when you are starting the year without a state
budget in place. As always, educators step up and do their best for
children in the best of circumstances as well as in times when
circumstances are not ideal.
The PDK/Gallup Poll was recently released showing that
parents across the country – no matter their politics – support
higher academic standards for students. This is a positive finding,
and we need to continue to show parents how higher standards
are helping their students in classrooms today. Parents polled also
show strong support for assessing the academic performance for
every student at least once a year. Some parents have concerns about the amount of testing and time
spent on testing, but understand that tests are necessary.
One important finding from the survey: a majority of Americans surveyed said that half or fewer of
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Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson
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public school students are receiving a high-quality education, a response that is consistent among
blacks, whites, and Hispanics. That last finding speaks to our need to communicate directly with
parents and our communities about the work of our public schools, the successes we have, the needs
that our students have when they arrive at school and the resources we need to meet those needs.
I look forward to our continued work in this area to make sure that North Carolina parents and other
taxpayers know the good work you do every day.
School Growth Score Comparison Data
NCDPI staff have received communications indicating that some districts have been approached about
using a paid third-party vendor software to compare school growth ratings in one district to similar
schools across the state. Superintendents are reminded that this comparison service is provided free of
charge through SAS EVAAS. If your staff or you would like to access free training on the SAS EVAAS
tool, please send an email to Educator Effectiveness staff.
Put Hold on Aug. 31 for Possible
Legislative Webinar
Please place a hold on your calendar for 1 p.m., Monday, Aug. 31,
for a possible Legislative Webinar. Whether a webinar will be held
will depend largely on whether there is movement on the state budget. We will send you the link to
register if a webinar is scheduled.
Be Aware and Prepare: September is North Carolina
Preparedness Month
Emergencies can occur at any time and in any place – even at school. That’s why Gov. McCrory has
proclaimed September as North Carolina Preparedness Month – to encourage residents to take simple
steps to prepare for emergencies at home, work or school. Faculty, staff, students and parents need to
know what to do should severe weather or another emergency interrupt a normal school day. Four
simple steps – make a plan, practice your plan, have an emergency supplies kit, and stay informed –
can make all the difference. For details, visit www.ReadyNC.org.
Global-Ready District Designation Webinar Scheduled
A Global-Ready District Designation Webinar is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 17, at 11 a.m. The
webinar is designed for districts interested in applying for this State Board of Education designation
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and will focus on understanding the levels of achievement
requirements and the application process for 2015-16. You may
register online. For additional information on Global-Ready District
and Global-Ready Schools designations, please visit the Global
Education website or contact Special Assistant for Global
Education Helga Fasciano.
Back to School in NC: By the Numbers
An estimated 1,537,643 students will kick off a new school year this week while students at North
Carolina’s nearly 130 year-round schools jumped back into the swing of things earlier this month. This
number of students represents an increase of 17,000 from last year and an increase of more than
61,000 from 2008-09. Among these students, an estimated 1.459 million will attend one of North
Carolina’s 2,442 traditional public schools while an estimated 78,000 plan to attend one of the 160
charter schools. And so far nearly 20,000 students have enrolled to take at least one online course this
fall through the nation’s second largest state-supported virtual school, the North Carolina Virtual Public
School. To read more, visit the NCDPI website and select the appropriate link under “News.”
Latest Messages Online
Aug. 20, 2015 Home Base/RttT Biweekly Update
Aug. 21, 2015 Principals’ Biweekly Message
Aug. 21, 2015 Finance Officers’ Newsletter
Stay Connected with North Carolina Public Schools:
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