Wednesday, November 2, 2011
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***PLEASE NOTE: Each entry in this Weekly Update features the email address of at
least one contact person or department. For questions, concerns or technical assistance,
please email the appropriate contact(s) directly. Thanks!
NEW THIS WEEK
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PLAN Assessment Webinars Next Week
IIS Planning Marches On
Online Writing Instruction
Next Generation of Assessments: Timeline for North Carolina
Expanded Team at DPI to Support the NCEES Online Tool
DSW Approvals Update
2012 Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement (CCSA)
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
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Next Generation of Assessments: SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium
Next Generation of Assessments: Computer Adaptive Testing
Essential Standards Amendment
2011-12 Comprehensive Professional Development Map
Content Specific Live Chats
NEW THIS WEEK
PLAN Assessment Webinars Next Week
The NC Department of Public Instruction, in conjunction with ACT, will host two
informational webinars on the PLAN assessment next week. A new addition to the
assessment system, PLAN will be administered to all 10th-grade students between
December 5 and 16 as a useful career-readiness measure.
Webinars are scheduled for Wednesday, November 9 or Thursday, November 10, from 4
to 6 pm. Representatives from ACT and DPI staff will be the presenters during the
webinars. Superintendent, high school administrators, district curriculum leaders,
school counselors, testing coordinators, charter school directors, and classroom
teachers are strongly encouraged to attend. Time for questions will be included.
Registration information is below. Click on the web address that corresponds to the
date you prefer and follow the registration steps.
Webinar Title: Preparing for PLAN
Wednesday, November 9: 4:00-6:00 PM EDT
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/721519161
Thursday, November 10: 4:00-6:00 PM EDT
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/329068264
MORE INFO: NCDPI Communications, 919-807-3450
IIS Planning Marches On
Thanks to all of you who participated in our August focus groups and/or our September
webinars to provide feedback on the specifications for the Instructional Improvement
System. We received very valuable insight, which we are incorporating into our Request
for Proposal.
We also are working diligently to establish a standing External Stakeholder Advisory
Committee and a standing Teacher User Group to provide us with recommendations
and direction on a more regular basis. Look for more information related to that effort
over the next few weeks.
You also will soon be hearing more about North Carolina’s role in the Shared Learning
Collaborative. We are among nine states working with the Gates and Carnegie
Foundations to create a nationwide “electronic marketplace” for Common Core-aligned
curricular resources. We anticipate a great deal of interaction among this initiative, the
NC Education Cloud and the IIS.
MORE INFO: Sarah McManus, Sarah.McManus@dpi.nc.gov, or Eric Moore,
Eric.Moore@dpi.nc.gov.
Online Writing Instruction
Online Writing Instruction is new for 2011-12 and is taking the place of the Writing
Instruction System (WIS) that was used in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Online Writing
Instruction is not an assessment, but instead it is a tool that is meant to be used for
instructional purposes and as a resource to evaluate student writing and adjust
instruction accordingly. LEAs and charter schools are strongly encouraged to use Online
Writing Instruction as an instructional tool because writing is integral to the Common
Core State Standards for ELA and other NC Essential Standards. The Online Writing
Instruction website, http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/writing/, has been updated
to reflect the changes for 2011-12, and more information will be posted to this site as it
becomes available.
MORE INFO: Jim Kroening, Jim.Kroening@dpi.nc.gov, or acre-feedback@dpi.nc.gov
Next Generation of Assessments: Timeline for North Carolina
North Carolina is on track to achieve full online administration of assessments by 201415. The following timeline outlines the steps that will take place each year to make this
happen:
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2011‐12: Stand‐alone field testing of new assessments (Math, Science, ELA)
2012‐13: Summative assessments aligned to CCSS (for ELA and Mathematics)
and NC Essential Standards (for Science) will be administered operationally
2014‐15: Expected assessments operational from Smarter Balanced Assessment
Consortium (shared between states) in ELA/Math 3‐8 and one High School
Assessment in ELA and Math (w/ Performance Tasks in 9 & 10)
http://www.k12.wa.us/smarter/.
MORE INFO: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/assessment/online/. And please
send any questions to acre-feedback@dpi.nc.gov.
Expanded Team at DPI to Support the NCEES Online Tool
The DPI Professional Development Leads are available to help you with the use of the
NCEES online tool in your region. Contact information for each region can be found at
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/profdev/directory/. Robert Sox is the state contact
who also is available to assist you. His contact information is Robert.Sox@dpi.nc.gov or
(919) 807-3348.
MORE INFO: Dr. Eliz Colbert, eliz.colbert@dpi.nc.gov.
DSW Approvals Update
Only a very few of our LEAs and participating charter schools have yet to submit their
refined Race to the Top Detailed Scopes of Work (DSWs) based on feedback provided
by NCDPI. Currently, 129 of 142 DSWs have been fully approved.
***NOTE: The approved DSWs posted on the NCDPI website
(http://www.ncpublicschools.org/rttt/lea-charter/) are in an Excel downloadable
file. For any future amendments to your LEA or charter school file, please download the
Excel file version from this website to make your revisions.
MORE INFO: Adam Levinson, Adam.Levinson@dpi.nc.gov.
2012 Collaborative Conference for Student Achievement (CCSA)
Conference Dates:
Conference Theme:
Conference Strands:
March 19-21, 2012
Engaging NC in Transforming 21st Century Teaching and Learning
Great Teachers and Principals; Quality Standards and
Assessments; Turnaround of Lowest Achieving Schools;
Data System to Improve Instruction
MORE INFO: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/recruitment/conference/. Questions?
919-807-3630 or email ccsa@dpi.nc.gov.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
Next Generation of Assessments: SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium
In 2010, North Carolina joined the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) to
help with the development of an assessment system based on the Common Core State
Standards. SBAC comprises 29 states, of which North Carolina is one of eight governing
states. The goal of the Consortium is to ensure that all students leave high school
prepared for post-secondary success in college or a career through increased student
learning and improved teaching. To learn more about SBAC, please review the materials
and resources available on the website at http://www.k12.wa.us/smarter.
MORE INFO: Tracey Greggs, Tracey.Greggs@dpi.nc.gov
Next Generation of Assessments: Computer Adaptive Testing
What is computer adaptive testing? Computer adaptive tests are computerized tests
that adapt to the skill level of the person taking the test. As a member of the SMARTER
Balanced Assessment Consortium, North Carolina is committed to the development of
next generation assessments that include the utilization of computer adaptive testing.
There are several advantages to computer adaptive testing over the traditional paper
and pencil form, including a more accurate evaluation of student achievement and a
more efficient delivery method for the assessment and the results. SMARTER Balanced
has a factsheet available about computer adaptive testing that can be found on their
website at: http://www.k12.wa.us/SMARTER/pubdocs/SMARTER_CAT_Factsheet.pdf.
MORE INFO: Tracey Greggs, Tracey.Greggs@dpi.nc.gov
Essential Standards Amendment
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has provided an amendment to the
Essential Standards for American History I, American History II, and Civics and
Economics. While the Essential Standards have not been changed, the amendment
does reflect the alignment of these standards to the content enumerated in The
Founding Principles Act (SL 2011-273) that was passed by the North Carolina General
Assembly on June 23. To view the amendment to these courses, visit,
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/standards/new-standards/
MORE INFO: Fay Gore, Fay.Gore@dpi.nc.gov
2011-12 Comprehensive Professional Development Map
The Department of Public Instruction is providing a wide range of professional
development opportunities for teachers, administrators, district leadership teams and
institutes of higher education to support the transition to and implementation of the
new Common Core State Standards and North Carolina Essential Standards, as well as
the North Carolina Professional Standards.
To learn more about these offerings, and for specific dates and locations of trainings
offered across the state, click on the sub-links in the navigation panel on the left of the
ACRE Professional Development website. The sub-links are Teachers, Administrators,
District Leadership Teams, or Colleges, and the link to the PD page is
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/profdev/. Additional opportunities will be posted
as they are scheduled.
MORE INFO: Yvette Stewart, Yvette.Stewart@dpi.nc.gov, or Tracey Greggs,
Tracey.Greggs@dpi.nc.gov
Content Specific Live Chats
You are invited to “chat” with the NCDPI content experts in the K-12 Curriculum and
Instruction Division. These live sessions will dedicate 60 to 90 minutes to addressing
critical components and answering questions regarding the new Common Core State
and North Carolina Essential Standards. For a schedule and for more info, please visit
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/profdev/district/
MORE INFO: Maria Pitre-Martin, Maria.Pitremartin@dpi.nc.gov