Dec. 10, 2015 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
12/11/15 11:03 AM
Dec. 10, 2015 Teachers' Biweekly Message
North Carolina Public Schools <NCPublicSchools@public.govdelivery.com>
Thu 12/10/2015 10:11 AM
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To: Lynda
Fuller <Lynda.Fuller@dpi.nc.gov>;
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Dec. 10, 2015
It appears likely that the No Child Left Behind law will very soon be
replaced by a re-authorized Elementary and Secondary Education
Act, “Every Student Succeeds Act.”
The US House has approved a reauthorized version and it is in the
Senate now. For North Carolina, this means the end of adequate
yearly progress, a return to a more state-focused accountability and
school improvement model, and other changes. A good summary
of the reauthorization so far is available in the Board meeting
summary item below. End-of-grade tests in mathematics and
English language arts in grades 3-8 and high school accountability
measures will continue to be important.
This is my last message to you before the holiday break, and before
we begin a new calendar year in 2016. Thank you for your hard work over the past year and for your
dedication to your students. I wish you a safe, peaceful and joyful holiday break.
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Dec. 10, 2015 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
12/11/15 11:03 AM
State Board of Education
Meeting Highlights
At last week’s State Board of Education meeting, members
approved policy revisions addressing teacher evaluation and
teacher observation requirements, Read to Achieve legislative
requirement for twice-retained students, and a number of reports to
the NC General Assembly.
The Board also heard a presentation on the U.S. House of
Representatives’ overwhelming approval of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
reauthorization, “Every Student Succeeds Act,” which scales back the federal role in education and
gives states greater control over accountability and school improvement. It also keeps in place annual
testing and the focus on helping overlooked groups of students and failing schools. The U.S. Senate is
expected to take action this week.
The Board also received a presentation on the Department’s District and School Transformation staff
plans for supporting the 581 schools and 15 districts that were deemed low performing under legislation
approved this summer.
The complete list of State Board actions is available on the Board’s website.
Holiday Greetings from NC
Teacher of the Year
It truly is the most wonderful and magical time of the year, and I
continue to be blessed and inspired by the incredible teaching and
learning happening in North Carolina public schools!
With the holidays quickly approaching, I know that stress levels are
rising for many teachers preparing to complete first semester EOCs or
preparing to administer them upon their return in January. Regardless
of where you find your stress level this December, I want to encourage
you to take time for yourself over the holidays. Rest, rejuvenate, and
treat yourself as you prepare to enter the final stretch of the 2015-16 school year.
This semester has been filled with many struggles and many triumphs in the field of education, but
nowhere have these struggles and triumphs been more real than in your classrooms. May you continue
to rejoice in the triumphs of your students and offer extra guidance and love for the struggles they so
often face. I encourage you to continue positively advocating for your students and our profession. We
are cultivators of change, and we are called to do a work in the lives of our students that is essential for
the future of our society.
It is my prayer that each of you experiences the love of the holidays and the warmth of family and
friends. Thank you for all of the lives you have touched and inspired during this fall semester. I cannot
wait to see the incredible things you accomplish with your students in 2016!
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Dec. 10, 2015 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
12/11/15 11:03 AM
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Keana Triplett, 2015-16 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year
Please follow my journey on Twitter (@teachtrip) and/or Facebook (Keana Triplett, NC Teacher of the
Year) as I share the amazing happenings in North Carolina public schools!
Testing Update
EOG, EOC and NCFE Released Forms and Items Available
Online
As a reminder, released forms of end-of-course (EOC), grades 5
and 8 science end-of-grade (EOG), and grade 8 English language
arts (ELA)/reading and math EOG assessments are available to
teachers and students through NCTest. The online version of the
grade 7 EOG released form will be available in early March. The
public may access pdf files for EOC and EOG released forms
online.
In addition, the recently expanded fall 2015 NC Final Exam (NCFE) released item sets are available to
teachers and students through NCTest. Expanded sets of grades 4 and 5 social studies NCFE and
grade 4 science NCFE will be available through NCTest in early March. PDF files for the NCFE released
item sets also are available to the public.
Released forms and items may be used as a supplement to the required online assessment tutorials
through NCTest for the purpose of familiarizing students and staff with the NCTest platform.
LEAs/schools are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this additional resource before student test
days. Technical requirements and installation information for NCTest can be reviewed at
http://center.ncsu.edu/nct.
Questions may be directed to the LEA or charter school test coordinator or your Regional Accountability
Coordinator.
Alignment Study Report for End-of-Grade and End-of-Course Assessments
In September 2014, NCDPI commissioned the Wisconsin Center for Education Research to conduct an
in-depth, independent study of the alignment of the state’s newly developed end-of-grade (EOG) and
end-of-course (EOC) assessments for mathematics, reading and science to the content
standards. North Carolina hosted a content analysis workshop as part of the alignment study in January
2015. Subject-based teams of content analysts were formed from active North Carolina teachers and
other content specialists and trained to conduct independent analyses of assessment forms for
mathematics, reading, and science for all assessed grades.
English language arts/reading and mathematics results were shared with the NC State Board of
Education (SBE) in June. Science results were shared with the Board at its December meeting. The
entire alignment report including all appendices is available to the public.
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Dec. 10, 2015 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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Please share this information locally. Questions may be directed to your Regional Accountability
Coordinator.
Student Perception Surveys
NCDPI is excited to announce the implementation of Student
Perception Surveys during the 2015-16 school year. In his research,
Dr. Gary Henry of Vanderbilt University found that “both teachers
and principals want more information on how teachers can improve
their practices.” Student Perception Surveys offer teachers unique feedback from students with hours
of direct classroom observation.
Information about Student Perception Surveys has already been shared with superintendents and
administrators attending fall 2015 Principal READY sessions across the state.
Following is the proposed January survey administration timeline and survey for Semester 1 classes:
- Northeast, North Central and Southeast Regions: Assign Survey Coordinators. Start Jan. 4 and finish
Jan. 15
- Northeast, North Central and Southeast Regions: Administer Surveys. Start Jan. 11 and finish Jan. 29
- Piedmont-Triad, Sandhills and Southwest Regions: Assign Survey Coordinators. Start Jan. 18 and
finish Jan. 29
- Piedmont-Triad, Sandhills and Southwest Regions: Administer Surveys. Start Jan. 25 and finish Feb.
12
- Northwest and Western Regions: Assign Survey Coordinators. Start Jan. 4 and finish Jan. 15
- Northwest and Western Regions: Administer Surveys. Start Jan. 11 and finish Feb. 12
- All Regions: Results Reporting. Start Feb. 15 and finish Feb. 26
If you have questions regarding the North Carolina Student Perception Surveys, please send an email to
educatoreffectiveness@dpi.nc.gov.
NC Teacher Working Conditions
Survey Launches March 1
Almost 90 percent (88.6) of all licensed North Carolina educators participated in the 2014 NC Teacher
Working Conditions Survey (NC TWCS). This year’s goal, as always, is to have a 100 percent response
rate from every North Carolina school.
For the past 12 years, the survey has been a platform used to amplify educator’s voices concerning
working conditions in their schools and districts. It also is used to inform state-level policy decisions.
The window for this anonymous, online survey will run from March 1-25. Please visit the NC TWCS
website or talk to your school’s NC TWCS representative if you have questions about the survey
process. If your school does not have a representative, please contact your Regional Educator
Facilitator for assistance.
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Dec. 10, 2015 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
12/11/15 11:03 AM
Home Base Symposium Call for Proposals
NCDPI staff invite you to submit presentation proposals for the
2016 Home Base Symposium: Connections Count! This event will be held February 10-12 at the
Sheraton Four Seasons/Koury Convention Center, Greensboro. Join us as we continue to share
innovative practices and lessons learned using the Home Base suite of tools.
All session proposals must be related to sharing lessons learned and effective strategies as you
implement the various Home Base suite of tools: PowerSchool, Schoolnet, Educator
Evaluation/Truenorthlogic, Professional Development System/Truenorthlogic, Identity and Access
Management, Learning Object Repository; and Canvas. You may submit more than one proposal. One
presenter for each session will have their conference registration fee waived
Please complete the Request for Proposals Form by Friday, Dec. 18.
NCCAT Offers Professional Development
The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching
(NCCAT) offers high-quality professional development designed to
help educators in all content areas and grade levels. NCCAT
provides lodging, meals and program cost. Participants are
responsible for travel and substitute teacher reimbursement.
Following are some upcoming opportunities educators may find of
interest:
“The Canvas Connection”
Canvas, North Carolina's Learning Management System, is your place for one-stop learning and course
management. Create modules, lessons, assessments, discussions, and portfolios. Have your grade
book, course information, feedback, and student analytics all in one place. Three programs offered this
spring:
- Jan. 19-22 in Cullowhee
- April 11-14 in Ocracoke
- May 10-13 in Cullowhee
“I Have Literacy Data: Now What?”
Discover ways to use literacy data to plan for individual, small and whole group instruction while
examining strategies to differentiate instruction to meet all students’ needs. Explore ways to manage
data for each student.
Jan. 12-15 in Ocracoke
“Jot it Down! Literacy Narrative Writing For Students With Learning Differences and Disabilities”
Literacy narratives are firsthand narratives about reading or composing in any form or context. Create
and integrate literacy narratives to bring back to your classrooms.
Jan. 26-29 in Ocracoke
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Dec. 10, 2015 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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“Building An Inclusive Classroom: Creating Differentiated Learning Using Digital Technology”
Teachers will engage in a variety of strategies and create differentiated activities for use in their
classrooms. Explore various technology-based teaching tools.
Feb. 2-5 in Cullowhee
For more information, please visit NCCAT’s website.
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