Race to the Top (RttT) Monthly Report for US Department of Education (USED) NC RttT July 2011 Please provide information in the following areas:  Activities completed this month  Activities projected for the month ahead  Changes requested to plan or timelines outlined in state scope of work  Changes being considered to key project personnel  Areas in which Technical Assistance/USED support could be used Activities Completed this Month RttT Management (includes Project Management, Budget, Communications): 
Conducted two (7/27 and 7/28) RttT presentations to Local Education Agency (LEA)/Charter School Finance Officers focused on RttT budgeting and monitoring 
Continued developing amendments to State Detailed Scope of Work (DSW) and budget to submit to USED 
Provided monthly RttT update to State Board of Education (SBE) on 7/7 
Continued processing amended Local Education Agency LEA/Charter DSWs and budgets (for 2011‐12 budget approval) 
Began receiving LEA/Charter Progress Reports for 2010‐11 (Progress Reports are due 8/3) 
Began receiving LEA/Charter School fully completed DSWs (due 8/3) 
Planned process for review and approval of LEA/Charter fully completed DSWs (Two‐
phased Review and Approval will occur 8/9 ‐ 8/16) 
Began planning for building a cadre of teacher and principal ambassadors in each school to help communicate the reasons and mechanisms for the changes under way in curriculum, accountability and educator evaluation; participants will include at least 2 teachers per school, each school principal and superintendent 
Distributed first edition of online calendar for teachers for the 2011‐12 school year; calendar contains information about key RttT and ACRE deadlines, and additional professional development initiatives 
Continued Staffing for RttT Implementation (cumulative as of 8/1): o Total positions to be filled: 109 o Total positions filled: 77 (including 6 accepted offers/not yet started) o Total positions with offers made (waiting on acceptance): 1 o Total applicants for RttT positions: 5,073 Standards & Assessments: NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 1 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011 Standards & Assessments: Standards 
Conducted 6 Regional Summer Institutes (6/27 ‐ 7/27) on Common Core and Essential Standards for LEAs/Charters; ~2,500 LEA professional development leaders attended 
Continued developing Module 2 “Understanding Standards” (released by end of August) 
Continued development of Professional Teachers and Developing Local Curricula modules (released by end of August) 
Continued development of Graphic Organizer tool (to be completed by 10/18) 
Continued development of Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (RBT) module (to be released by 11/15) 
Continued planning Common Core and Essential Standards training for Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs) 
Continued planning unpacking of Social Studies elective courses 
Established one (C&I Division) learning progressions definition 
Continued development of 2011‐2012 Professional Development (PD) Map to be posted on ACRE website Assessments 
Presented online assessment Best Practices Guide to SBE (7/7) 
Published online assessment Best Practices Guide to NCDPI website (7/7) Data Systems to Improve Instruction: 
Continued Instructional Improvement System (IIS) Workgroup meetings 
Posted “Visions, Goals, Objectives,” ‘‘A Day in the Life,” “Roles Matrix,” AND “Web” documents for stakeholder feedback. These documents will receive input from the planning team vendor and public (to be finalized by 12/31) 
Continued development of “Using Data for Instruction” guide 
Worked with planning vendor to develop project management documents, including (i) project organizational chart, (ii) communication management plan, (iii) staffing plan, and (iv) detailed scope of work 
Continued working with planning vendor to develop Background Information document, Business Requirement document, Technical Requirements document, RFP, and Comprehensive Plan (to be completed by 12/1) 
Executed (8/2) contract for Lead IIS IT Project Manager (delayed due to delay in approval from NC Office of State Budget and Management and NC Information Technology Services) Great Teachers & Principals: 
Continued developing publication for NCDPI website informing potential partners of the process for approval to become an alternative licensure program (release delayed until 9/1 to allow more time for internal review and feedback) NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 2 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011 
Selected vendor (received and evaluated three bids) to design evaluation instruments (to expand the Statewide Evaluation System) for guidance counselors, school psychologists, speech pathologists, social workers, instructional technology teachers, and media specialists 
Presented plan on teacher effectiveness to State Technical Advisory Council; accountability staff planning for tests of reliability and validity 
Posted Request for Proposals (RFP; 7/21) for development and validation of student academic growth factor; Bids being received 
Secured internship placements for Northeast Regional Leadership Academy (RLA) Cohort 1 participants 
Completed selection and began training for Northeast RLA Cohort 2 participants 
Completed selection and held Summer Induction Institute for Sandhills RLA Cohort 1 participants 
Completed selection and summer coursework for Piedmont‐Triad RLA Cohort 1 participants 
Secured most internship placements for Piedmont‐Triad RLA Cohort 1 participants 
Execute contract with Teach For America; 2011 corps members completed summer training 
Posting Executive Director, Program Director, and Program Assistant positions for NC Teacher Corps (delayed due to human resource classification challenges) 
Reviewed and evaluated four bids for Strategic Staffing RFP 
Created system and issued guidance to school districts for providing every new teacher who chooses to work in the lowest‐achieving schools ‐ regardless of his or her point of entry ‐ with an incentive voucher 
Continued convening Teacher Effectiveness Work Group to discuss links between teacher and principal effectiveness and student growth measures 
Initiated participant survey to gather evaluative feedback regarding 2011 Common Core and Essential Standards Summer Institutes 
Continued development and updating of professional development repository 
Finalized Distinguished Leadership in Practice (DLP) curriculum for Cohort I NC Virtual Public Schools: 
Continued to determine professional development needs for project‐based learning, STEM, mobile teaching and learning, and blended teaching for all of the online and face‐ to‐face teachers in the three pilots 
Developed and began deployment of professional development on the new blended STEM instructional model for the first course development workshop 
Continued developing a STEM online teacher orientation and a face‐to‐face teacher orientation (will include synchronous and asynchronous instruction) NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 3 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011 
Continued development of a course template and outline based on "chunking of material" into project‐based modules to align with the current Standard Course of Study and Common Core standards 
Began development, design, and modification of virtual STEM core math and science courses that provide access and targeted instruction to at‐risk student populations for the purposes of credit attainment towards graduation 
Continued research of blended resources and training appropriate for support of teachers and students in using the devices for STEM courses (these resources will help train teachers on effective teaching and learning strategies for the devices); to be completed by 12/31 
Continued writing criteria for the Mobile Web Application/Application development RFP 
Continued development of LEA Technology Support Plan (to be completed by 8/31) 
Continued identification of professional development and support needs for lead teachers, face‐to‐face teachers, and district teams 
Several activities delayed pending USED approval of amendment to State Detailed Scope of Work Turning Around the Lowest‐Achieving Schools: 
Completed the unpacking of a Comprehensive Needs Assessment report at South Central High School and Welcome Elementary in Pitt County; Whitnel Elementary in Caldwell County; Foust Elementary in Guilford County; all schools in Weldon City Schools; and Washington County central office 
Continued work on hiring for RttT positions: o Hired Secondary School Transformation Coach (STC) for Robeson County and Elementary STC for Pitt County o Placed Elementary Reading Coach in Halifax County o Continuing weekly interviews for Instructional Coaches and School Transformation Coaches 
Held transition meetings with schools in Scotland County and Cumberland County, and with the Guilford County school district 
Identified interim support for selected LEAs/schools until hiring process is complete for permanent positions 
Provided professional development (PD) and Coaching for currently served schools/districts 
Continued assignment process for deployment of PD and Coaching staff in newly served schools – includes ongoing work with Human Resources (HR) to align positions on organizational chart 
Held two additional Summer PD for School Leaders events covering all schools in and near Durham and Robeson counties 
Began planning for September follow‐up to PD for School Leaders NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 4 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011 NC Education Cloud: 
Continued Phase 3 of Site Surveys 
Continued detailed work on the Cloud Project by the lead architects in the areas of Identity and Access Management, Consortium Buying, Data Collection and Analysis, and Content Management; this work is continually reviewed by the associated LEA/Charter School working groups 
Shared draft cloud plan with Shared Services Advisory Committee, NCDPI RttT Leadership team, and the Governor’s Education Transformation Commission data systems subcommittee 
Worked closely with the IIS planning team vendor and the IIS team to identify likely Cloud shared infrastructure support of IIS 
Worked with Gates and Wireless Generation on IIS cloud shared services interface definitions relative to the Shared Learning Infrastructure (SLI) Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM): 
Convened STEM practitioners from across the state to discuss STEM literacy 
Presented a session at national meeting for Southern Region Education Board (SREB) on “What is STEM?” 
Met with NC State University professor and national trainer for “Engineering is Elementary” to assess elementary involvement in STEM 
Met with Project Lead the Way (PLTW) leader about summer workshop plans and plans for the year 
Planned joint activities with NC New Schools Project (NSP) and NC STEM Community Collaborative 
Met with NC Chamber of Commerce Education Committee State session to feature STEM initiatives 
Participated in meetings with businesses, industry, government and education partners to plan regional high schools for Agriscience and Biotechnology in: o Washington County, Vernon James Center o Kannapolis 
Briefed Lieutenant Governor’s office on statutes of State Strategic Plan for STEM 
Provided (through contract with New Schools Project; NSP) PD for model instruction in science 
Convened (NSP) meeting for industry education, government, and other stakeholders to review the school schedule to participate in the STEM network 
Attended (NSP) meeting for the development of the anchor school for the Biotechnology and Agriscience school with interested community industry and education partners 
Provided (NSP) professional development for Model instruction for science, integrated mathematics, inquiry‐based science, and project planning NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 5 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011 
Met (NSP) with industry on engagement for Health and Biotechnology and Agriscience 
Met (NSP) with possible funders for health and life science schools 
Met (NSP) with NC State University Deans of Education and Engineering about Wake’s Anchor Energy and Sustainability High School Evaluation: Cross‐Cutting Evaluation Elements  Continued to collect responses (will collect through early September) to Omnibus Teacher and Principal Survey  Organized August trainings for using Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) instrument as primary classroom observation tool  Met with Carolina Institute for Public Policy (CIPP) data administrator to discuss data needs and shared access for Evaluation Team leads Teacher and Leader Effectiveness  Continued literature review  Continued to use historical data to compare different Value‐Added Models (VAMs) of teacher effectiveness to share with DPI  Designed sample selection for classroom observations  Met with DPI psychometricians and implementation team members about VAM Distribution of Teachers and Leaders Baseline Teacher Quality Analysis  Continued work on initial report (due fall 2011)  Continued work on VAM  Designed simulation data set for testing different VAM models Regional Leadership Academies 
Observed Piedmont‐Triad Leadership Academy (PTLA) Advisory Meeting, Sandhills Leadership Academy (SLA) Kickoff Program and Information Meeting, and PTLA Kickoff Activities Teach For America (TFA)/NC Teacher Corps (NCTC) 
Traveled to Mississippi to informally observe Teach For America ( TFA) Summer Institute and develop protocols for formal observations of NC Teacher Corps (NCTC) Summer Institutes (2012‐2014) Induction Program for Novice Teachers 
Identified regions for sample NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 6 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011 Strategic Staffing/Incentives 
No new activities completed last month pending start of initiatives NCVPS 
Prepared draft protocol for observation of blended‐course development professional development (PD) Professional Development  Conducted regular follow‐ups with the selected sample schools to recruit for participation  Conducted initial baseline interviews with all schools who have agreed to participate  Began analysis of baseline interview data  Developed a schedule and observation protocols for regional institutes and interview protocols for participants  Attended every RttT Regional Institute District and School Transformation (DST) Including STEM Schools  Reviewed field notes to prepare summary tables for schools at each level (Elementary, Middle, High School)  Met to identify themes across schools at each level, and themes and patterns across levels  Used information to revise Logic Model  Continued to review documents and conduct interviews to collect information on Turnaround program history  Prepared quantitative data and explored analysis strategies  Began draft of DST Baseline Report  Observed multiple PD sessions provided by New Schools Project (NSP) to STEM network schools Local Spending  Developed internal report examining equity in the distribution of local funds  Selected sampling frame for site visits and interviews  Created survey instruments  Surveyed local finance officers (n~5) to understand their thinking on RttT funds and changes in light of legislative budget cuts Overall Impact  Planned collaborative meeting of all RttT Evaluation Leads late July Activities Projected for the Month Ahead RttT Management: 
Provide monthly RttT status report to State Board of Education 8/4 and Governor’s Education Transformation Commission (GETC) Subcommittee on Program Management NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 7 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011 
Identify and prepare additional initiative budget and/or DSW amendments, as needed 
Review and approve 8/3 LEA/Charter School DSW submissions (Review and Approval will occur between 8/9 and 8/16); all LEA/Charter School approved fully completed DSWs will be posted to the website by 9/1 
Continue planning for building a cadre of teacher and principal ambassadors in each school to help communicate the reasons and mechanisms for the changes under way in curriculum, accountability and educator evaluation; participants will include at least 2 teachers per school, each school principal and superintendent 
Continue preparations for the statewide rollout of the new accountability program, including statewide regional meetings 
Continue developing promotional materials (videos and slide presentations) for use at the statewide regional meetings and toolkits to distribute at the meetings (toolkits will include practical information about the new Common Core and Essential Standards, and the new accountability program) 
Continue distributing RttT Weekly Update to nearly 500 LEA and charter officials involved with Race to the Top (August ACRE and RttT editions of fyi@dpi are under development as well) Standards & Assessments: Standards 
Release“ Understanding Standards” module (released by late August) 
Release The Professional Teacher Standards module 
Continue development of Developing Local Curricula module (to be released in the Fall) 
Continue working on Graphics Organizer tool (to be completed by 10/18) 
Continue developing Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy (RBT) module (to be released by 11/15) 
Continue planning unpacking of Social Studies elective courses 
Continue developing PD Map 
Begin delivering Common Core and Essential Standards training for Principals and Assistant Principals 
Continue planning Common Core and Essential Standards training for Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs) Assessments 
Begin developing a communication plan to present Best Practices Guide to LEAs and Charter Schools during various conferences, regional trainings, and meetings Data Systems to Improve Instruction: 
Continue IIS Workgroup meetings NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 8 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011 
Continue developing “Using Data for Instruction” guide 
Continue working with planning vendor to develop Background Information document, Business Requirement document, Technical Requirements document, RFP, and Comprehensive Plan (completed by 12/1) Great Teachers & Principals: 
Revise publication for NCDPI website informing potential partners of the process for approval to become an alternative licensure program (to be posted by 9/1) 
Begin compiling working paper to guide conversations with IHE partners regarding how to improve educator pipeline for high‐need content and specialty areas (to be posted by 11/15) 
Select vendor to develop and validate student academic growth factor 
Begin Northeast RLA Cohort 1 school year administrative internships (8/1) 
Continue training for Northeast RLA Cohort 2 participants 
Begin Piedmont‐Triad RLA Cohort 1 participant administrative internships (8/1) 
Begin Teach For America 2011 corps members placements in schools (8/1) 
Begin ongoing Teach For America support for corps members as they enter classrooms 
Begin New Teacher Induction Program in four regions with first cohort 
Continue convening Teacher Effectiveness Work Group to discuss links between teacher and principal effectiveness and student growth measures 
Design protocols and templates for use by work groups who will design measures of learning for non‐tested grades and subjects 
Begin developing educator preparation program report cards after State Board certifies student achievement results at 8/4 meeting 
Establish technology team (within Professional Development Initiative – PDI ‐ team) to consult and work with Project Coordinators on module development and PD System requirements 
Release additional professional development online modules 
Continue to plan and implement (in partnership with Regional Education Service Alliances ‐ RESAs) next steps in job‐embedded, blended professional development cycle NC Virtual Public Schools: 
Continue determining professional development needs for project‐based learning, STEM, mobile teaching and learning, and blended teaching for all of the online and face‐to‐face teachers 
Continue deploying professional development at the first course development workshop and make note of continued PD needs NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 9 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011 
Continue developing a STEM online teacher orientation and a face‐to‐face teacher orientation (will include synchronous and asynchronous instruction) 
Hire lead Project Director and Exceptional Children’s coordinator (pending approval of amendment to State DSW) 
Continue development, design, and modification of virtual STEM core math and science courses that provide access and targeted instruction to at‐risk student populations for the purposes of credit attainment towards graduation 
Continue research of blended resources and training appropriate for support of teachers and students in using the devices for STEM courses (these resources will help train teachers on effective teaching and learning strategies for the devices) to be completed by 12/31 
Continue development of LEA Technology Support Plan (to be completed by 8/31) 
Continue to identify professional development and support needs for lead teachers, face‐ to‐face teachers and district teams 
Begin developing professional development modules and training sessions for lead teachers, face‐to‐face teachers and district teams Turning Around the Lowest‐Achieving Schools: 
Continue the unpacking of Comprehensive Needs Assessment reports with schools and districts as reports become available 
Continue hiring for RttT positions (interviews continuing weekly) 
Hold transition meetings with schools and districts 
Deliver ongoing PD and coaching for currently served schools/districts 
Continue to assign PD and coaching staff for newly served schools ‐ work with HR to align positions on organizational chart 
Deliver a week of PD to Halifax County Schools with a strong focus on literacy NC Education Cloud: 
Complete Phase 3 of Site Surveys by 08/31 
Participate in Regional IIS LEA Seminars 
Continue meetings of the Consortium/Cooperative Purchasing LEA Advisory Working Group, Data Collection and Analysis Working Group, Identity and Access Management Working Group and the Shared Services Advisory Council 
Submit Cloud Plan to NC State Board of Education for approval at September Board Meeting (submission of plan completed by 8/31) Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM): 
Teachers from some of the network schools will be planning project‐based lessons NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 10 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011 
Complete final draft of STEM Strategic Plan for outside reviewer input 
Continue collaborative planning with NSP and Microelectronics Center of North Carolina (MCNC) NC STEM Community Collaborative 
Convene DPI internal STEM Strategic Planning Committee for joint planning on STEM initiatives within the agency 
Begin (through contract with NSP) providing leadership and instructional coaching and portfolio management will be in place for the 2011‐12 school year when school starts in late August 
Train (NSP) new instructional coaches in early August Evaluation: Cross‐Cutting Evaluation Elements  Continue collecting responses to Omnibus Teacher and Principal Survey through early September  Attend CLASS training in August  Gain access for all Evaluation leads to existing CIPP data sets through CIPP data administrator Teacher and Leader Effectiveness 
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Continue literature review Continue use of historical data to compare different VAM of teacher effectiveness to share with DPI Select sample for classroom observations 
Distribution of Teachers and Leaders Baseline Teacher Quality Analysis 
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Continue work on report due in the Fall Continue work on VAM Regional Leadership Academies 
Observe PTLA Summer Ramp‐Up & School Leadership Seminar, SLA Summer Institute, and SLA Principal Mentor Training TFA/NCTC 
Conduct two‐day visit to NE NC TFA’s final Summer Institute, in Rocky Mount, NC, for additional informal observations to inform development of the NCTC Summer Institute observation protocol NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 11 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011 Induction Program for Novice Teachers 
Develop Formative Assessment Surveys Strategic Staffing/Incentives 
Plan to review final LEA‐level Scopes Of Work (available in draft form in early August) and make initial contacts with our three sample LEAs (Charlotte‐Mecklenburg, Pitt, and Rowan‐
Salisbury), and, if possible, with the other three target LEAs (Craven, Winston‐
Salem/Forsyth, New Hanover) NCVPS 
Visit each LEA’s kick‐off meeting (early August) and first formal PD observations (mid‐
August) Professional Development  Finalize list of participating schools and districts  Continue baseline interviews with participants  Share 1‐page summary and short presentation of RttT PD Evaluation with participants  Continue attending and collecting observation and interview data at Regional Institutes  Begin organizing and planning for analysis of data collected at Regional Institutes District and School Transformation Including STEM Schools  Finish reviewing facilitators reports  Finalize quantitative analysis plan  Work toward finalizing baseline report  Continue PD observations for STEM  Begin developing protocols for STEM school site visits and short term outcomes measures Local Spending  Meeting with NCDPI to review next round of DSWs Overall Impact  Begin Scope of Work based on developments from end of July meeting Changes Requested to Plan or Timelines Outlined in State Detailed Scope of Work (DSW) 
Submitted to USED o Effective Teachers through Virtual & Blended Courses – approach, timeline, budget (approval pending) o Evaluation – budget adjustment (approved) o Teacher Induction – budget adjustment (approved) NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 12 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011 o Teacher Effectiveness – use of school‐level student growth data for non‐tested areas in 2011‐12 (approved) 
In development o RttT Management – add project coordinator and communications position o Teacher Effectiveness – funding to support developing measures of student growth in “non‐tested” areas o Distinguished Leadership In Practice Program – budget adjustment o Evaluation of Professional Development – eliminate duplication o Professional Development Learner Management System – add to scope of IIS Changes Being Considered to Key Project Personnel None NCDPI / NC RttT PMO Page 13 of 13 8/22/20118/5/20118/3/20118/2/2011