Talking Points for Teacher and Principal GTN Webinar What are the goals for this webinar? We have two things we want to accomplish today. • To provide you with an overview of the Governor’s Teacher Network; to make sure we have a common understanding about what it is and what the role of teachers, principals, LEAs/charters, and NCDPI will be as it is implemented and to also •
Give you a chance to ask questions. The Governor’s Teacher Network initiative is a partnership with the Governor’s Office and NCDPI funded by the state’s Race to the Top grant and it was launched March 21st. It is a very exciting opportunity for excellent teachers to develop resources that can eventually be accessed by teachers statewide via SchoolNet and Homebase and can contribute to improving instruction and student achievement across our state. You have probably already heard some of the highlights of this project: •
Approximately 450 teachers from across North Carolina will be selected. •
Selected teachers will receive specialized training related to their projects, and support from NCDPI staff over the course of the year; (this training should not take them away from their teaching time – it will be in early summer and during the year will be held regionally after school and via webinars.) •
The Summer Kick Off training dates are being coordinated with the Governor’s Office and we do not have those yet. We will post them on the FAQ document online when we have that finalized. •
Selected participants will be paid $10,000 for their work. It is important to note that they will remain in their current roles. Through this work, they will design and deliver individual projects that address needs in the classroom, school or LEA level. These projects will fit within one of two pathways: Pathway 1: Professional Development – in which they identify a problem/issue/trend in their classroom, school, or district and conduct action research to solve or improve that issue and ultimately will design and deliver professional development around their strategies and findings. Pathway 2: Instructional Resources Teachers will create instructional sequences for Home Base that are aligned to the N C Standard Course of study and that consist of unit plans, lesson plans that seamlessly integrate the formative assessment process in daily practice, at least one benchmark assessment/quiz , and a final classroom summative assessment. Many of you have already been asked to endorse teachers and we tried to give you information about the initiative on that link in case you were asked to complete those prior to us being able to set up these webinars. Why do we need this initiative? • There is a need for teacher‐generated content to expand the number of instructional and professional development resources available in Home Base. o For these tools to be of maximum use to teachers across the state, all teachers need to be able to log into Home Base and find materials that help them in their classroom. o While NCDPI adds new instructional resources all the time, there are still grade‐
level and subject areas that need more of these (e.g., middle grades social studies, science). o The new PD system will have content the state has already developed, but also needs an infusion of materials to provide educators with more options to develop their skills. •
NCDPI continues to look for quality third‐party materials for both Schoolnet and the PD system, but there are several advantages in developing content generated by North Carolina teachers to address these needs. o It will be aligned to the state’s educational needs (especially the Standard Course of Study) o It is authentic, as teachers using the resources will know that they are based on the classroom experiences of their peers o It will recognize teachers for the quality work they do in their classrooms and schools What principles guided the development of the initiative? NCDPI worked with the Governor’s Office to design this initiative using several guiding principles: • As many teachers and instructional support personnel as possible should be eligible to apply to the initiative. •
Selection should be based primarily on an applicant’s ability to do the work and the quality of his or her proposal. •
Since the initiative draws on the work and experience of the best teachers in the state, their participation should not require them to be out of the classroom during the school year. •
The administrative burden for LEAs and principals should be minimized, and the resulting support provided at the state level should be manageable for existing staff at NCDPI. •
Principals should play a role in the application process and be kept informed about a Network teacher’s work during the year to see how the work could benefit the school and district. •
Since funds from the state portion of the Race to the Top grant would support the program, it needed to align to initiatives in the state’s approved RttT plan (rather than start from scratch): o This meant the work was limited to year four and a no cost extension year. o This also meant that USED had to approve the initiative; their feedback was that the program should have a relatively small scope. What is the structure of the program? • The Governor’s Teacher Network will select up to 450 teachers from across the state through a rigorous application process in the spring of 2014. •
After selection, Network teachers will develop a proposal from their application and implement a project that addresses a need in one of two pathways: o Pathway 1: Professional Development Network teachers will identify a problem related to instruction in their classroom or school, develop a proposal to address it with an evidence‐based strategy, and implement that proposal in the 2014‐15 school year. Network teachers will document their experience through at least three professional development sessions: 1) a 15 minute staff overview of their project, 2) a 90 minute professional development session, and 3) an online “mini‐module” that captures their work and shares it in Home Base. o Pathway 2: Instructional Resources Network teachers will create instructional sequences that cover a total of nine‐
weeks of instruction and meet a need they have in their classroom. Each sequence will include the unit plan and a minimum of four lessons that integrate a variety of multi‐media instructional resources accessible through Home Base, and a balanced approach to assessment (e.g. daily formative assessment process embedded in each lesson plan, inclusion of a benchmark/quiz midway through the unit, and a summative classroom assessment at the end of the unit). . What role does a principal have in the GTN? • As a part of the application process, teachers will have to get an electronic endorsement from their principal. •
Network teachers will need to discuss their project with their principal and keep him or her informed about progress. •
Network teachers will need to work with their principals to find appropriate ways to share their work with peers during the project. •
Principals can share feedback about a project with GTN staff during the course of the year, and may be asked to participate in evaluation efforts at the end of the project (most likely a short survey or interview). What are important dates in the process? • March 21st – Application available to teachers across the state through www.ncpublicschools.org •
April 21st – All application materials (including principal endorsements) should be submitted by 5 pm •
May 30th – Announcements to selected teachers (and principals/administrators with selected teachers in their school/district) go out •
Week of June 16th or June 23rd – Network teachers come together for their summer training •
June 30th, 2015 – Work for Governor’s Teacher Network comes to a close