Wednesday, January 11, 2012 HAPPY NEW YEAR! If you know someone who would like to be on this listserv, please send their email address to Michael.Yarbrough@dpi.nc.gov. ***PLEASE NOTE: Each entry in this Weekly Update features the email address of at least one contact person, department or website. For questions, concerns or technical assistance, please email the appropriate contact(s) directly. Thanks! Archived Race to the Top Weekly Updates are available here: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/rttt/updates/ NEW THIS WEEK • NC Race to the Top Gets Positive Report from USED • High School Math Sequencing • Next Generation of Assessments: Technical Requirements • Race to the Top Early Learning Grant IN CASE YOU MISSED IT • Measures of Student Learning • NC Testing Program • NCDPI Curriculum and Instruction WikiSpaces • NC Diagnostic Instructional Tools (NCDigins) • Text Complexity Resources NEW THIS WEEK NC Race to the Top Gets Positive Report from USED North Carolina is making great progress in its Race to the Top efforts, according to a Year One report from the United States Department of Education. These efforts include stronger standards for learning and accountability, improved data systems, increased teacher and principal effectiveness, and further strengthening the state's lowest performing schools. While federal officials singled out three states for struggles with implementing terms of the grant, North Carolina was among nine states described as making tremendous progress and on target with its plan of work. Read more about the report at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/newsroom/news/2011-­‐12/20120110-­‐01. MORE INFO: Adam Levinson, Adam.Levinson@dpi.nc.gov High School Math Sequencing The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction held a webinar on November 17 titled Common Core High School Mathematics 2012 and Beyond. This webinar and PowerPoint can be accessed at http://www.ncdpi.wikispaces.net. The webinar discussed ensuring that students entering ninth grade in the 2012-­‐13 school year are proficient in the Common Core High School Mathematics Standards by 2014-­‐15 school year and launching the Common Core High School Mathematics Standards within the current course titles. MORE INFO: Maria Pitre-­‐Martin, maria.pitremartin@dpi.nc.gov Next Generation of Assessments: Technical Requirements The technical requirements for the online testing system, NCTest v 2.5, are available on the web at https://center.ncsu.edu/nc/mod/page/view.php?id=9271. Below is a list of some of the important requirements to note when planning for online assessments this year. • NCTest utilizes web browser-­‐based online assessment -­‐ all features should work with recent browsers (listed below) running on workstations and laptop computers. Suggested browsers include: -­‐ IE 7, 8 on Windows XP & Vista -­‐ IE 7, 8, & 9 on Windows 7 -­‐ IE 6 is NOT supported -­‐ Firefox 3.6+ -­‐ Safari 5+ -­‐ Chrome 10+ • Adobe Flash 10+ is required to be able to use the current virtual calculator (please note that we are currently redesigning the calculator and other features so that Flash will no longer be required). • 1024 x 768 screen resolution is recommended for best performance. Lower vertical resolutions for netbook devices are possible, but will increase the amount of scrolling required to fully view items. The complete list of requirements is available on the website listed above. Please note that these requirements are changing as we continue testing new technologies and continue development and redesign of the system’s features. If you have questions about the online assessments or the technical requirements, please send them to acre-­‐feedback@dpi.nc.gov. MORE INFO: Kayla Siler, Kayla.Siler@dpi.nc.gov Race to the Top Early Learning Grant North Carolina is a recipient of $70 million in Race to the Top funding for the Early Learning Challenge Grant. NCDPI is a participating agency, in partnership with the NC Department of Health and Human Services and other state and local agencies in implementing the initiative under this grant. To read about this funding, please visit http://www.governor.state.nc.us/NewsItems/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?newsItemid=2186 MORE INFO: John Pruette, John.Pruette@dpi.nc.gov Webinar on Integrating the Common Core Standards in K-­‐12 Classrooms Renowned author and expert Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs will present a Common Core Webinar, “Mapping Curriculum, Planning Success: Integrating the Common Core Standards in Each K-­‐12 Classroom,” on Wednesday, Jan. 18, from 10:30 am to noon. The webinar will feature an interactive Q&A session with Dr. Jacobs’ responses to your questions about curriculum, assessment, standards, and mapping. The webinar will feature the following: • Upgrade and transform education through the lens of 21st-­‐Century readiness • Text complexity and 8 standards for mathematical practice • Formative assessment as the basis of diagnosing student needs • Curriculum maps as the basis for responsive prescription to those needs • 4 Phase School Wide Systems Model in the LiveBook Mapping to the Core (available only through School Improvement Network) • Q&A session with Dr. Jacobs To find out more about the webinar and to register, please visit http://www.commoncore360.com/webinars.php MORE INFO: Tracey Greggs, Tracey.Greggs@dpi.nc.gov Phase 1 Instructional Modules During 2011, NCDPI created several instructional support modules to assist districts and charter teams as they transition to and implement the new Common Core State and North Carolina Essential Standards. All K-­‐12 teachers should have experienced and completed these modules prior to teaching the new standards in the 2012-­‐13 school year. Please make the new modules accessible to new teachers or those who were unable to participate in the first round of training. Modules can be located at https://center.ncsu.edu/nc/ MORE INFO: Tracey Greggs, Tracey.Greggs@dpi.nc.gov PLAN Diagnostic Assessment Interpreting Data Training During the month of February, NCDPI will host, in collaboration with ACT and the North Carolina Regional Educational Service Alliance (RESA), a series of half-­‐day PLAN Interpreting Data training. This training will provide guidance to district and school staff on how to effectively interpret the PLAN student report in order to communicate to students, teachers and parents areas for academic improvement and career planning. Time also will be spent reviewing the aggregate reports that schools will receive. All information will support the goal of improving student’s college and career-­‐readiness. Audiences for these meetings are principals, assistant principals, guidance counselors, data coaches, and district Curriculum and Instruction leads. A schedule of training sessions, dates, times and locations is attached. RESA directors will be responsible for disseminating and collecting individual site registration. MORE INFO: Tracey Greggs, Tracey.Greggs@dpi.nc.gov, or Tammy Howard, Tammy.Howard@dpi.nc.gov. You may also contact the RESA director for any registration questions. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Measures of Student Learning Measures of Student Learning (MSLs), sometimes called “common exams,” are a shared way to gauge student growth in all currently non-­‐tested grades and subjects in the Common Core State Standards for Math and ELA and in the NC Essential Standards. While these measures will be used statewide, they are not the same as our statewide summative assessments in the NC Testing Program: the End-­‐of-­‐Grade and End-­‐of-­‐Course assessments. Districts and charter schools will have flexibility to decide how to use the MSLs as part of students’ grades. The State Board of Education will NOT collect or publish the results of the MSLs, although the NCDPI will assist with scoring and data analysis. Eight hundred North Carolina teachers from more than 100 LEAs and 10 charter schools are involved in the design process for the Measures of Student Learning. The design group members began their work in October and will continue to provide feedback for the remainder of 2011-­‐12 school year. NC will implement the MSLs statewide during the 2012-­‐13 school year. MORE INFO: Jennifer Preston, Jennifer.Preston@dpi.nc.gov NC Testing Program The NC Testing Program will continue delivering statewide summative assessments in grades 3-­‐
8 in Mathematics and English Language Arts, grades 5 and 8 in Science, and at the high school level for Algebra I, English II, and Biology. Beginning in 2014-­‐15, DPI expects to implement the assessments developed by the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC). The assessments planned through SBAC will include ELA/Math for grades 3-­‐8 and one High School Assessment in ELA and Math (w/ Performance Tasks in grades 9 & 10) and would replace the current NC developed EOG and EOC assessments in ELA and Math. MORE INFO: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/assessment/ NCDPI Curriculum and Instruction WikiSpaces The Curriculum and Instruction Division at NCDPI has created WikiSpaces for the Common Core and North Carolina Essential Standards. If you were unable to attend the Common Core State Standards for Math High School 2012 and Beyond webinar on November 17, we invite you to visit the Math Wiki at www.ncdpi.wikispaces.net. Click on Mathematics in the middle of the page. Once you’re on the Math site, click on the High School Mathematics link on the left side of the page. The webinar addresses three key messages: • Focusing on standards • Ensuring that students entering 9th grade in the 2011-­‐12 school year are proficient in the Common Core High School Mathematics Standards by the 201415 school year • Launching the Common Core High School Mathematics Standards within the current course titles. MORE INFO: Maria Pitre-­‐Martin, Maria.pitremartin@nc.dpi.gov NC Diagnostic Instructional Tools (NCDigins) NCDigins, created through a collaborative partnership between the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and Technical Outreach for Public Schools (TOPS) works hand-­‐in-­‐
hand with the formative assessment process in a balanced assessment system. Formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students' achievement of intended instructional outcomes. Formative assessment helps students to continuously answer three questions: 1. Where am I going? 2. Where am I now? And, 3. How do I close the gap? To log in to the NCDigins site, go to https://center.ncsu.edu/nc/ Use your Username and password used when logging into the online modules. Look for NCDigins in the Links Bar on the right. The site currently features information for Grade 4 Math, Grade 7 Math, and Algebra I. Additional content areas will be available soon. MORE INFO: Tammy Howard, Tammy.Howard@dpi.nc.gov Text Complexity Resources Standard 10 of the Common Core State Standards focuses on increasing students’ capacity with complex text across the school years to ensure that they will be able to read the kinds of necessary texts they will encounter in higher education and in their careers. Below are several links from TextProject to assist LEAS and charter schools as they begin addressing text complexity in schools. http://www.textproject.org/library/presentations/the-­‐common-­‐core-­‐state-­‐standard-­‐of-­‐text-­‐
complexity/ http://www.textproject.org/assets/library/powerpoints/Hiebert_2011-­‐10-­‐
18_Text%20Complexity-­‐and-­‐How-­‐it-­‐Applies-­‐in-­‐the-­‐Classroom.pdf http://www.textproject.org/assets/library/papers/Hiebert-­‐2011-­‐Text-­‐Complexity-­‐Lexiles.pdf MORE INFO: Julie Joslin, Julie.Joslin@dpi.nc.gov