TO:
NC Public School Teachers
FROM: State Superintendent June Atkinson
DATE: April 9, 2015
Our state has welcomed many new teachers into the classroom since 2008 when North
Carolina began developing the new standards that comprise the state’s Standard
Course of Study. If you have recently entered the classroom, you may wonder where
did our standards come from and how did we get to this point?
North Carolina went through a development process to identify and develop new
standards in 2008, a process that took two years and involved many teachers across
the state. When the State Board of Education approved the new standards in 2010, a
two-year cycle of professional development was initiated before the new standards were
taught in classrooms in 2012-13. With the exception of a few school districts, 10 days of
professional development were made available for all teachers during 2010-11 and
2011-12.
If you read the standards, as I’m sure all of you have, you know that the standards are
silent on the question of accountability measures, student assessments or data
collection. While our state assessments are aligned with our standards, we have had
student assessments and school accountability in place since the mid-1990s.
We commend local school districts for providing opportunities for teachers to work
together in developing quality lesson plans and resources. Many of these plans and
resources will soon be available in Home Base.
All of this background work is in place to ensure that North Carolina public school
students benefit from a Standard Course of Study that is current and aligned with
college and career expectations. If you want to read more of the history on this work,
please visit www.ncpublicschools.org/acre.
Regards,
June Atkinson
In this Biweekly Teachers’ Message:
1. State Board of Education Meeting Highlights
2. Ashe County High School Teacher is 2015 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Teacher
of the Year
3. April 10 is the Deadline to Submit Application for NC Teacher Voice Network
4. Give Five – Read Five 2015
5. What the Best North Carolina Teachers Do: A Video Series
6. Global Educator Digital Badge for Teachers Webinar Online
7. Register Now for Second Annual ELL Support Conference
1. State Board of Education Meeting Highlights - At today’s State Board meeting,
members approved Race to the Top Wireless Infrastructure Initiative allocations, a
policy addressing athletic injury prevention and management of athletic practices and
games, the Board’s Appeals Panel recommendations regarding the revocation of
charters for Children’s Village Academy and SEGS Academy, and the Charter School
Advisory Board’s recommendation regarding PACE Academy. The Board also heard
presentations on differentiated pay options, concussion reporting and Master Literacy
training sessions. A complete list of Board actions is available online at
http://stateboard.ncpublicschools.gov/minutes-actions/sbe-actions/2015-actions.
2. Ashe County High School Teacher is 2015 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC
Teacher of the Year - Congratulations to Ashe County High School (Ashe County
Schools) English teacher Keana Triplett who on Tuesday was named the 2015
Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year.
In announcing this year’s recipient, State Superintendent June Atkinson said Triplett
finds her teaching rewards in the success of her students. “Keana wants to be the
catalyst for her students’ success in life. By getting to know her students individually,
she is able to meet them where they are and lead them to where they want to go.” In
accepting the award, Triplett said she wants her greatest contribution as an educator to
be “showing students they are loved, valued and worthy.” She said, “Outstanding
teachers know their students. They understand how each student learns and responds
appropriately. They set high expectations then provide challenging, rigorous and
relevant learning activities so students are engaged learners – not apathetic learners.”
As Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year, Triplett will spend
the next school year traveling the state as an ambassador for the teaching profession.
She will receive a number of gifts including a one-year leased vehicle from Flow
Automotive, LLC, a mobile device from Lenovo valued at approximately $1,600, a trip to
the National Teacher of the Year Conference and International Space Camp, the
opportunity to travel abroad through an endowment through the North Carolina Center
for International Understanding, and a technology package valued at more than $11,000
from SMART Technologies.
Congratulations also to the other regional finalists:
• Region 1: Jami Dickerson, Eastern Elementary (Pitt County Schools);
• Region 2: Joshua Gaskill, Pamlico County High (Pamlico County Schools);
• Region 3: Jeremy Tucker, James B. Hunt High (Wilson County Schools);
• Region 4: Mariel Barker Sellars, East Columbus High (Columbus County Schools);
• Region 5: JoAnna Massoth, Chatham Middle (Chatham County Schools);
• Region 6: Jennifer Whitley, Forest Hills High (Union County Schools);
• Region 8: Randy Pressley, Tuscola High (Haywood County Schools); and
• Charter Schools: Elizabeth Padgett, Lake Norman Charter (Mecklenburg County).
3. April 10 is the Deadline to Submit Application for NC Teacher Voice Network –
Tomorrow is the deadline for submitting applications to participate in the NC Teacher
Voice Network. You may recall that the NCDPI announced a new partnership earlier this
spring with the Hope Street Group, a national nonpartisan nonprofit that connects
teachers directly to policymakers. The NC Teacher Voice network provides teachers
with opportunities to meet leading policymakers and present them with solutions for
elevating the teaching profession. Members of the network stay in their classrooms full
time and work with Hope Street Group 10-15 hours each month. Network members
receive a $3,500 stipend for the 12-month commitment. Teachers with interest and
experience in teacher leadership and education policy are strongly encouraged to apply.
For more information on the program, including a frequently asked questions page,
please visit the application website at http://apply.hopestreetgroup.org/res/p/faq/. Any
additional questions may be directed to Wendy Uptain, director of Teacher Engagement
and Training, at fellowship@hopestreetgroup.org or 703/755-0717.
4. Give Five – Read Five 2015 - Earlier this week, teachers received a letter from
State Superintendent June Atkinson regarding the launch of this year’s Give Five –
Read Five campaign. Many teachers have already shared information with us about
their efforts to increase summer reading, including building book lending libraries,
encouraging high school students to collect books for local elementary schools and
even organizing a “GoFundMe” campaign so that 45 first graders can take a field trip to
Barnes & Noble to purchase their own books to read over the summer. Please continue
to share your great work to promote summer reading with Sara Clark at
sara.clark@dpi.nc.gov. Also – make sure you check out the updated Give Five – Read
Five website at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/give5read5/ for resources that will help
you as you conduct book drives and encourage summer reading in your classroom and
school.
5. What the Best North Carolina Teachers Do: A Video Series - Want insight into
the strategies and techniques that award-winning North Carolina teachers use in their
classrooms? The video series, “What the Best North Carolina Teachers Do,” provides
you with these insights, straight from the teachers themselves! District, regional and
state Teachers of the Year were asked about what makes them successful and their
students soar. Among the topics addressed in the series are:
- differentiation;
- classroom organization;
- “hooking” reluctant learners; and
- advice for new teachers and much more!
To find out more about the project and view the interviews, just participate in the minimodule through Home Base or visit the project website at http://rt3nc.org/ncvideo. If you
are interested in sharing your best practices, please contact Educator Effectiveness
Web Manager Andrew Horne at andrew.horne@dpi.nc.gov.
6. Global Educator Digital Badge for Teachers Webinar Online - The Global
Educator Digital Badge for Teachers webinar presented in January is now posted
online. You can access the webinar along with the Implementation Guide and FAQS on
the process at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/globaled/actions/item1-2.
7. Register Now for Second Annual ELL Support Conference - The second annual
ELL (English Language Learners) Support Conference, scheduled for Aug. 3-5 in
Greensboro, offers participants concurrent three-day training events. Registrants will
choose one event to attend for the full three days of training. The conference includes
an opening joint session where participants will explore the vision for ESL in North
Carolina. There is a minimal registration fee. Please visit
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/esl/ to register.