Nov. 19, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
11/19/15 10:03 AM
Nov. 19, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message
North Carolina Public Schools <NCPublicSchools@public.govdelivery.com>
Thu 11/19/2015 9:53 AM
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To: Lynda
Fuller <Lynda.Fuller@dpi.nc.gov>;
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Nov. 19, 2015
How is your school preparing students to be competitive in a global
economy?
During International Education Week, Nov. 16-20, share your
school’s experiences in this area by tweeting how your school is
“going global.” Use the hashtag #ncglobaled and share photos,
goals and programs with other North Carolina educators.
International Education Week is a collaborative project of the U.S.
Departments of State and Education.
Along with North Carolina’s first global education designated
school, Piedmont Middle School (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools), I
am sure that many teachers and other educators are pursuing
global education badges and other schools are working toward their own global education
designations. This work is important as we look ahead to the preparation that today’s students need for
success.
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Nov. 19, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
11/19/15 10:03 AM
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 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.
Information regarding assessment specification and NC Final Exams has been shared with teachers.
Please confirm that they are aware of this communication in your next staff meeting. 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.
K-2 Mid-Year Assessments Sport New Look
The 2015-16 K-2 Mid-Year Assessments have a new look this year. The mid-year assessment should
be formative and guide classroom instruction. When scoring student work, the rubric should assist
teachers in identifying student needs. Rubric proficiency levels for the mid-year are “Not Yet,”
“Progressing,” and “Meets Standard.” These assessment documents now include “Next Steps” for
each task and each level of proficiency to help teachers with instructional decisions as they move
students forward with mathematics thinking.
The Webinar describing the changes and answering questions regarding K-2 Math Assessments is
located on the Elementary Webinars Wiki.
Educator Effectiveness Launches Sleek New Online Portal
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Nov. 19, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
11/19/15 10:03 AM
NCDPI's Educator Effectiveness Division staff have launched a new
Online Professional Development Portal that makes it easier for
North Carolina educators to find the high-quality professional
development they need. Educators can find self-paced modules
and mini-modules, see a schedule of instructor-led courses
complete with syllabi, search for professional development by
relevant standards, check requirements for credit, and access
information about implementing online PD in LEAs. The new portal
replaces the old website.
North Carolina Virtual Public
School Update
NCVPS is still enrolling for spring 2016 classes, and has a number of courses that can help expand a
district’s course catalogue. See if the following courses can help your students this spring.
- Visual Arts – NCVPS has a number of unique, challenging, and hard-to-find-elsewhere visual arts
courses.
- Middle School Courses – NCVPS has some great middle school electives. These courses are for
middle school credit, and they are a terrific way to introduce middle school students to online learning.
- Health and Physical Education – NCVPS offers a ½ credit health course, a ½ credit physical
education course, and a full-credit health and physical education course. These courses have already
helped schools with students who have moved in from out-of-state and are missing some combination
of health and PE. Early college campuses also are using these courses to meet their needs for health
and PE.
Title I Distinguished Schools Named
Congratulations to District 7 Elementary School (Cumberland
County Schools) and Henderson Collegiate Charter School (Vance
County) for recently being named North Carolina’s 2015 National
Title I Distinguished Schools.
Winning schools are recognized in one of two categories: Category
I - schools sustained high student performance over three years
and Category II – schools demonstrated high growth in closing the
achievement gap between student groups. District 7 is being recognized in Category I and Henderson
Collegiate in Category II.
The schools were selected based on a combination of academic achievement, stakeholder involvement,
and the creative and innovative programs that contribute to their success.
STEM-Related Resources
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Nov. 19, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
11/19/15 10:03 AM
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 handson activities and interactions with engineers and engineering
students. Contact Ben Fleishman with Engineering World Health for
more information.
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.
Latest Message Online
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Nov. 19, 2015 Principals' Biweekly Message - Lynda Fuller
11/19/15 10:03 AM
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St. · Raleigh, NC 27601
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