Nov. 12, 2015 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
11/12/15 2:59 PM
Nov. 12, 2015 Teachers' Biweekly Message
North Carolina Public Schools <NCPublicSchools@public.govdelivery.com>
Thu 11/12/2015 2:55 PM
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To: Lynda
Fuller <Lynda.Fuller@dpi.nc.gov>;
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Nov. 12, 2015
This week I enjoyed meeting with members of my Superintendent's
Teachers Advisory Committee. This committee is comprised of the
current and past year regional teachers of the year and
representatives from association groups. They provided feedback
about some proposed State Board of Education policies related to
teacher evaluation changes.
I encourage you to read these proposed policies online (scroll down
to Educator Standards and Practices Committee then click on the
links for ES&P 2 and ES&P 3) and provide us with your feedback.
In addition, Committee members reviewed the student perception
survey we are providing to all schools to use in January. No one has
a higher stake in what happens in the classroom than students. When asked the right way, students can
be an important source of information about improving practices. During October, we conducted a
small-scale pilot to test the online platform for student surveys. Watch for future communication about
this endeavor.
The committee also discussed the power of DPI's initiative of Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS) to
further personalize learning for all students.
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Nov. 12, 2015 Teachers' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
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Task Forces Convened to Address Key Issues
Improving processes and policies is always a goal for the Department and, to that end, State
Superintendent Atkinson has convened several groups to consider improvements to teacher licensure
and credentialing, and improvements to testing and assessment.
A Task Force on Teaching Credentialing has been established with approximately 12 superintendents
serving. This group will meet for the first time on Dec. 1. Atkinson will explore ways to incorporate
teacher perspectives in this work as well as through the State Superintendent’s Teachers’ Advisory
Group.
The Superintendents’ Testing and Assessment Committee holds its first meeting on Dec. 16 to address
the results of a recent Wisconsin study regarding the alignment of North Carolina standards and NC
EOG and EOC tests, protocol and steps used in developing North Carolina assessments.
Teachers continue to be involved in assessment development in our state as test item writers and in the
process used to establish cut scores for different levels of achievement.
You will be kept apprised of these groups’ activities as their work progresses.
State Board of Education
Meeting Highlights
At last week’s State Board of Education meeting, members
approved the Annual Report on Teachers Leaving the Profession,
revisions to the Healthful-Living Essential Standards, an alternative
schools accountability model, and a number of reports to the North
Carolina General Assembly.
Board members also received a report from the State Advisory Council on Indian Education on the
schooling experience of North Carolina’s American Indian Students.
To view the complete list of this month’s Board actions, please visit the Board’s website.
State Board Members Recognize Schools
Global-Ready School Designation
Piedmont Middle School (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools) was designated as a Global-Ready School
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by the State Board of Education, the first school to receive such a designation under the Board’s Global
Education Strategic Plan.
Piedmont Middle was designated for attaining the “Prepared” level of achievement in the Global
Schools initiative. Schools can receive the Global-Ready School Designation for attaining the Prepared
or Model level of achievement on the Board’s criteria and meeting student achievement goals. Schools
that are engaged in implementing global education strategies toward designation also can receive an
Acknowledgement and become part of the state networking around this initiative.
For more information about the Global Education initiative, please visit the NC Global Education
website.
STEM Schools of Distinction
Congratulations to the following schools for being recognized by the North Carolina State Board of
Education for exemplary leadership and instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM) education. These schools were the second set of schools to be recognized under
the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s STEM Recognition Program:
Three schools met the Prepared Level of Achievement:
·
James Kenan Jr. Sr. High School, Duplin County Schools
·
Riverside Middle School, Martin County Schools
·
East Cary Middle School, Wake County Schools
Four schools met the Model Level of Achievement:
·
Greene Central High School, Greene County Schools
·
Wake STEM Early College High School, Wake County Schools
·
Brentwood Magnet Elementary School of Engineering, Wake County Schools
·
Atkins Academic and Technology High School, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools
To receive this honor, schools underwent a rigorous application process that required detailed
responses covering 40 key elements: examples of strategic class documents and video; a selfassessment; identification of the school’s best practice of educational excellence; and a site visit from
reviewers.
For more information on the NCDPI STEM Recognition Program, please visit NCDPI’s STEM web page.
Testing Update
Assessment Specification Information for the 2015-16 NC Final Exams
Assessment specification documents typically outline the purpose of the assessment, the structure of
the assessment (e.g., item types, number of items, test sections, test administration time, delivery
modes, supplemental materials), and percentage of items or score points measuring a specific goal or
domain category.
The 2015-16 NC Final Exams specification documents also include the number of operational items
assessing each objective or standard and links for teachers interested in writing or reviewing items for
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the NC Testing Program.
Assessment specification documents for the 2015-16 NC Final
Exams are available online. Assessment specification information
for the spring exams of Grade 4 Science and Grades 4 & 5 Social
Studies will be available in late January.
2015-16 NC Final Exams of Social Studies: Number of Items Per
Objective
The NCDPI Test Development Section staff produced a set of
reference documents for the fall 2015-16 NC Final Exams (NCFE) of
Social Studies (i.e., Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, World History,
American History I, American History II, American History: The Founding Principles, Civics, and
Economics). The documents provide a table listing the assessed objectives, objective text and number
of operational items per objective.
The assessed objective, number of operational items per objective and additional information about
each exam is available in the assessment specification documents.
Questions regarding the Assessment Specification Information for the 2015-16 NC Final Exams or
2015-16 NC Final Exams of Social Studies may be directed to your Regional Accountability Coordinator.
Global Educator Digital Badge
The State Board of Education approved the expansion of eligible
educator categories for the North Carolina Global Educator Digital
Badge on Oct. 1. For the updated policy and each educator
category criteria please visit the Global Education website.
Have you begun the process of earning your Global Educator Digital Badge (GEDB)? Has the
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) been sent to NCDPI? The MOA alerts NCDPI staff that a candidate
has officially started the process and allows NCDPI staff to continue to share resources and updates
directly to the GEDB candidate.
For more information, please contact Special Assistant for Global Education Helga Fasciano or visit the
Global Education website.
One-Stop-Shop for Professional
Development
The Department’s Professional Development web page has been
redesigned to make it easier to find information on upcoming
trainings and facilitated courses, newly-released modules, and a host of other resources to aid you in
meeting your professional development goals. Bookmark the page today and visit often!
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Kenan Fellows Application Process Open
The Kenan Fellows Program is recruiting outstanding K-12 educators for its 2016-17 fellowship year.
The program connects teachers with leading researchers and industry experts to promote curricular
design linking classwork to “real” work. Kenan Fellows receive at least three weeks of immersive
guidance with a mentor in a research or applied STEM setting, 80 hours of professional development
that builds leadership capacity, and a $5,000 award.
The fellowship runs from May 2016 to April 2017. Educators remain in the classroom while completing
fellowship requirements. The internship and the majority of the professional development take place in
the summer leaving teachers to resume their regular classroom duties in the fall.
Online applications for 2016-17 fellowships are open until Monday, Jan. 18. A list of 2016-17 fellowship
projects are available online. The 2016–17 Kenan Fellows will be named in May.
2016 Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad Program
Educators may want to consider participating in the Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad program. The 2016
Summer Programs offered are:
- Elementary (K-8) Seminar: Exploring the Indigenous Heritage of Peru
- Secondary (9-12) Seminar: Sustainable Development and Social Change in India
Participants will receive round-trip airfare, room and board, and program-related travel within the host
country. Participants are responsible for a cost share of $600. The deadline to apply is Dec. 9.
For more information, including eligibility requirements and how to apply, please visit the U.S.
Department of Education’s website.
STEM-Related Resources
Are you a K-12 teacher interested in exposing your students to the
fields of global health and biomedical engineering, and engaging
current and future engineers in tackling the challenges of improving
healthcare around the globe?
Engineering World Health organization has developed several
activities and program formats for different grade levels and
classroom environments. Students learn key science, math and
engineering concepts through hands-on activities and interactions with engineers and engineering
students.
Contact Ben Fleishman with Engineering World Health for more information.
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STEM-related Agricultural Education Program Grants (up to $5,000 per program) are available through
the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission Agricultural Education Program Improvement
Grant.
Candidates whose projects for program improvement engage students through experiential learning
and leadership development through agricultural education should consider applying. Grant
applications are due in the State Agricultural Education/FFA office by 5 p.m., Dec. 16.
For more information, please contact Gerald Barlowe.
2016 NC Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and
Science Teaching Awards Cycle Open
The 2016 awards cycle for elementary teachers (grades K-6) for the North Carolina Presidential Award
for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is now open.
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest
honor bestowed by the United States government specifically for K-12 mathematics and science
teaching.
Anyone – principals, teachers, parents, students, or members of the general public – may nominate a
teacher by completing the nomination form available on the PAEMST website. To submit a nomination,
you’ll need the teacher’s name, email address, and school contact information. If you know more than
one teacher deserving of this award, you may submit more than one nomination. Teachers also may
apply.
One mathematics teacher and one science teacher will be selected. Each will receive a $10,000 award
and a trip to Washington, D.C. to attend the National Awards Recognition Program.
Nominations will be accepted through April 1. The application deadline is May 1. Secondary school
teachers (grades 7-12) will be eligible to apply during a future cycle.
Stay Connected with North Carolina Public Schools:
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