Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson
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8/31/15 8:28 PM
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Weekly Message - State Superintendent June
Atkinson
North Carolina Public Schools sent this bulletin at 08/31/2015 07:43 PM EDT
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Aug. 31, 2015
On Wednesday, the State Board of Education will receive the
2014-15 READY Accountability report, providing details about the
performance of student groups and schools in North Carolina’s
accountability model. This will include school performance grades
as well as information about the state’s overall student proficiency
and the academic growth that students made last school year.
Your local testing coordinators will have access to your district
information at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and we will provide
access to our draft news release to your communication staff and
you on Tuesday afternoon.
This year’s School Performance Grades’ model remains the same
as last year’s in terms of the grade scale (15-points) and the
weighting of performance (80 percent) and academic growth (20
percent). What is different is the addition of an A+NG designation for schools that meet federal
requirements regarding achievement gaps and also the state requirements for a school performance
grade of A. New federal requirements do not allow us to provide our state’s highest school designation
to any school where there is a student achievement gap that is larger than our largest average
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Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson
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achievement gap overall. That’s the reason for the new highest letter grade designation.
As with last year’s results, I intend to focus on student growth – the best demonstration of the work our
teachers and students did last year – and on this release as an opportunity to underscore the
importance of high school graduation to our students and our state.
Licensure System Update
As you know, our new automated Licensure System went live on Aug. 1. The new system allows
applications to be handled once, reduces the chances that an incomplete application is submitted,
expedites the processing of fee payments, improves the timing of application review, and has brought
significant improvements in navigating the licensure process quickly and easily. While we are still
accepting paper applications, we highly encourage everyone to use the new system to expedite the
process. We have limited staff assigned to the historical manual process and we need all school districts
and charters to submit their applications through the online system. Please let us know if you or your
team needs additional training.
Please note that we will be announcing at the PANC Conference in October our transition date when we
will no longer accept paper applications.
If you have not already requested access to the new online system to submit requests on behalf of your
teachers, please do so as soon as possible. The necessary forms and links are available online. To
access the online system, please visit the NCDPI Online Licensure System. If you have any questions,
please visit the Licensure website or contact NCDPI Licensure Division at 919/807-3310.
State Board of Education Meets This
Week
The State Board of Education meets this Wednesday and
Thursday, Sept. 2-3, in the 7th Floor Board Room, Education
Building, Raleigh. Action items include the 2014-15 READY
Accountability results, the four and five-year cohort graduation
rates for 2014-15, the 2014-15 CTE Credentials Report, the funded
average daily membership for charter schools with approved
dropout prevention and recovery programs, and the Title V State Abstinence Education Grant. Board
members also will receive special presentations on several Race to the Top final reports and one from
the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. The full agenda, as well as
executive summary materials, are available online by clicking on the Meetings tab.
Last Chance for Teachers to Submit Feedback on Common Core
Standards
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Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson
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The North Carolina Academic Standards Review Commission continues to conduct a comprehensive
review of all English Language Arts and Mathematics standards as part of the Common Core State
Standards that were adopted by the North Carolina State Board of Education. The Commission
appreciates the time and work that teachers have invested in educating our students, and values the
feedback that teachers can provide from being the boots on the ground on a daily basis.
This is the Commission’s third and final attempt since May to solicit feedback on classroom experiences
in teaching the Common Core standards. Teachers’ survey responses are intended to inform
recommendations to the North Carolina State Board of Education later this year.
Please let your teachers know that the deadline to respond to these questionnaires is 6 p.m., Sept. 15.
After that date and time, access will no longer be available. A separate email will be sent to you with the
survey links later this week or the first week in September.
Please feel free to contact Academic Standards Review Commission Co-Chairs Andre Peek and Tammy
Covil with questions or concerns regarding these surveys. The email address to use is
Jocelyn.herrera@doa.nc.gov. Again, thank you for your support in the collective effort to uphold the
academic standards in North Carolina
Cooperative Innovative High School (CIHS) Applications Due
SEPT. 15
All CIHS applications are due to NCDPI by Sept. 15. LEA teams, with Letters of Intent on file, have been
receiving technical support since May and are aware of application requirements. NCDPI staff are
expecting close to 40 applications; last year, the department received less than 10.
In anticipation of the large number of applications, please remember that only complete applications will
be reviewed. It is critical to fully respond to all of the components of the application so that the Joint
Advisory Committee, with members from NCDPI, UNC General Administration, and NC Community
Colleges System, is able to make effective recommendations to the State Board for approval. If
applications do not meet legislative requirements, LEAs may be asked to apply in future years or not be
recommended for approval.
Please contact Sneha Shah-Coltrane, director of Advanced Learning, for further information.
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Update
MTSS Cohort Blended Learning Course Scheduled. MTSS is a multi-tiered framework that promotes
school improvement through engaging, research-based academic and behavioral practices. The
framework is designed to maximize growth for all students and is based on the following critical
components:
o Leadership
o Building the Capacity/Infrastructure for Implementation
o Communication and Collaboration
o Data-Based Problem Solving
o Three-Tiered Instruction/Intervention Model
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Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson
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o Data-Evaluation
Cohort 1 and 2 will experience the specially designed, cohort-blended learning, which focuses on
district teams establishing readiness for implementation, as well as the development and assessment of
core academic and behavioral practices. Additional professional development for all other LEAs,
charters and state-operated programs is planned to strategically facilitate the development of the six
critical components. The first session, focused on district teams and school leaders, is being offered in
six different locations, beginning in October. All LEAs, charters and state-operated programs will be
invited to participate in a MTSS Cohort Blended Learning Course.
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Contacts. MTSS now reports to NCDPI Chief Academic and
Digital Learning Officer Tracy Weeks. It previously was a section within the K-12 Curriculum and
Instruction Division. Additionally, four consultants from the Exceptional Children Division have been reallocated to the MTSS team, creating a team of eight MTSS consultants. The work of this team, under
the leadership of Amy Jablonski, is to build an integrated academic and behavior system through an
MTSS framework.
Initial professional development, technical assistance and coaching of MTSS will begin fall 2015 with
Cohort 1, and Cohort 2 in winter 2016. Statewide professional development opportunities for school
districts, charter schools and state operated programs not involved in Cohorts 1 and 2 are available
during the 2015-16 school year. Please visit the MTSS wiki for continuous updates.
Following is a list of the MTSS Team and contact information. The NCDPI MTSS Team looks forward to
working with you!
Amy Jablonski, Director
Lynn Bailey, MTSS Consultant, Western
Angel Batts, MTSS, Consultant, Northeast
Beth Boggs, MTSS Consultant, Southwest
Angie Cloninger, MTSS Consultant, Southeast
Susan Laney, MTSS Consultant, Northwest
Amy Miller, MTSS Consultant, Piedmont-Triad
Correy Watkins, MTSS Consultant, Sandhills
Laura Winter, MTSS Consultant, North Central
NCVPS Fall Enrollment Largest Ever
The North Carolina Virtual Public School is experiencing its largest fall ever with over 26,500
enrollments. Regular registration continues through Friday, Sept. 4, while credit recovery registration is
open until Nov. 25. Schools can add to their existing Occupational Course of Study courses throughout
the semester.
NCPVS also accepts transfer students through Nov. 25. Transfer students must already be enrolled in
the course in the traditional classroom and have a grade to transfer in with. Transfers are not for
students new to a course, but work great for students who must go on homebound status, are
suspended, move in from another school, or have any unusual or unexpected scheduling problems.
US Senate Youth Program Accepting Nominations
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Weekly Message - State Superintendent June Atkinson
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North Carolina Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis recently announced that the United States Senate
Youth Program (USSYP) has begun its annual statewide selection process.
Each year, the USSYP brings two students from each state, the District of Columbia and the
Department of Defense Education Activity to Washington (all expenses paid) to experience an intensive
week-long (March 5-12) educational program about the workings of the Senate and the federal
government overall. Student delegates also will receive a $5,000 undergraduate college scholarship.
Delegates must be juniors or seniors and elected student officers for the 2015-16 academic year. The
2016 program brochure with detailed rules, selection process and the annual yearbook may be
accessed on the NC Senate Youth website. There is also a Senate Youth Q&A webinar scheduled for
Saturday, Sept. 12, from 9 – 10 a.m. for interested students and parents. All applications and entry
materials must be submitted before Sunday, Oct. 4. Selected students will be announced midDecember. Questions may be directed to NCDPI High School Social Studies Consultant Michelle
McLaughlin or by calling 919/807-3924.
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