November 13, 2013
NEW THIS WEEK
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Exploring the 4 Cs of 21st Century Learning on the Web – Communication
READY Accountability Results Video from Dr. Atkinson
Regional Principals Meetings Continue
Virtual Charter Schools Survey
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
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LEAs/Charters Now Have More Time for 2013-14 RttT Expenditures/Encumbrances
Standard 6 ASW Process - Spring 2014 Pilot Set to Begin
Home Base Webinar Series
New STEM Courses - 2 Professional Development Opportunities
STEM Education Featured on UNC-TV Show
RtI Support for LEAs
NEW THIS WEEK
Exploring the 4 Cs of 21st Century Learning on the Web – Communication
Exploring the 4 Cs of Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity on
the web will provide educators with the opportunity to maximize interactivity to enhance
teaching and learning. Each webinar will examine a variety of resources with potential
for growing 21st century learning skills in students by focusing on a specific category.
Participants will collaboratively explore resources and be given the opportunity to share
experiences and additional activities related to the 4 Cs.
This webinar will offer K-12 teachers the ability to:
● Learn about and use a web 2.0 tool to enhance students' communication skills;
● Brainstorm ways the tool can be used in the classroom;
● Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve and
maximize communication skills; and
● Explore ways to nurture the home and school connection.
Register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/662596817
MORE INFO: Donna Albaugh, Professional Development Consultant,
donna.albaugh@dpi.nc.gov
READY Accountability Results Video from Dr. Atkinson
State Superintendent June Atkinson discusses North Carolina’s 2012-13 READY
Accountability results and what they mean for students, parents and educators in a
video that can be found at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/. Select Dr. Atkinson’s
picture, located near the upper right corner, to start the video. A written transcript also
is available.
Regional Principals Meetings Continue
Regional professional development sessions for principals are currently occurring in all 8
regions across the state. With the support of a grant from the national Cross-State
Learning Collaborative, principals are developing their understanding of the NC
Professional Teaching Standards and the Evaluation Rubric. Interactive sessions include
video discussions, ratings activities and providing specific and constructive feedback to
teachers.
Resources and tools for interactive staff meetings are shared in these sessions. Human
Resource Directors have also been invited to participate with principals. The second
round of training in the spring will include crucial conversation coaching as requested by
participants.
Remaining meetings are as follows:
● Region 3: Monday, Nov. 18, Sheraton Imperial, 4700 Emperor Blvd., Durham;
● Region 6: Wednesday, Nov. 20, Speedway Club, 5555 Concord Parkway South,
Concord;
● Region 7: Friday, Nov. 15, Stone Center, Wilkes County Schools, 603 Cherry St.,
North Wilkesboro;
● Region 8: Thursday, Nov. 14, Crowne Plaza, One Resort Drive, Asheville.
MORE INFO: Dr. Lynne Johnson, Educator Effectiveness, lynne.johnson@dpi.nc.gov
Virtual Charter Schools Survey
The North Carolina State Board of Education has developed a survey to gather feedback
on the authorization and oversight of virtual charter schools across the state. This survey
has been designed to solicit information from a wide range of individuals with interests
in education. The information will be used to inform a report that will be presented to
the General Assembly.
The survey should take only a few minutes to complete and all information collected will
be kept confidential. Responses will be collected through Saturday, Nov. 30.
The survey may be accessed at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NCVirtualCharterSchoolsSurvey. Thank you in
advance for your participation.
MORE INFO: Audrey Martin-McCoy, State Board of Education,
audrey.martinmccoy@dpi.nc.gov.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
LEAs/Charters Now Have More Time for 2013-14 RttT Expenditures/Encumbrances
There’s nothing like having more time, and NCDPI is giving it to LEAs and charter
schools, to expend or encumber their Race to the Top funds from the original end date of
June 30, 2014 to a revised end date of Sept. 23, 2014. This later date will enable
LEAs/Charter Schools participating in RttT to use grant funds to carry out key activities
such as professional development in the summer months of 2014.
For documentation purposes, LEAs/Charter Schools do NOT need to add an additional
year to their DSWs; NCDPI will simply consider the 2013-14 year in the DSW a 15-month
year. NCDPI will provide further information at a later date regarding other
administrative details related to this change.
MORE INFO: Eric Thanos, RttT Project Coordinator, eric.thanos@dpi.nc.gov
Standard 6 ASW Process - Spring 2014 Pilot Set to Begin
More than 1,000 Arts Education, Healthful Living, World Language, Advanced Placement
and International Baccalaureate educators across the state have signed up to
participate in the Spring 2014 Pilot of the Analysis of Student Work (ASW) Process. ASW
is the proposed Standard 6 process for these content areas. Pilot participants will
collect student work around five objectives representing their teaching load and submit
an Evidence Collection of artifacts to an online platform for review by content area
experts. Answers to frequently asked questions about the Spring 2014 Pilot are available
at https://bit.ly/ASWFAQ.
MORE INFO: Jennifer DeNeal, Educator Effectiveness, jennifer.deneal@dpi.nc.gov
Home Base Webinar Series
Webinars are held each Tuesday and Thursday to support Home Base implementation.
On Tuesdays, the Educator Evaluation tool is featured, while the Instructional
Improvement System is featured on Thursdays. While selected topics are identified, this
is also a time for you to submit questions to a team ready to lend support. Please see
the link for registration information.
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/homebase/training/schedule/
MORE INFO: Cynthia Martin, Educator Effectiveness, cynthia.martin@dpi.nc.gov
New STEM Courses - 2 Professional Development Opportunities
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Feb. 17-18, 2014: Scaling STEM Conference, Sheraton Imperial, RTP, NC.
July 14-17, 2014: Career and Technical Education Summer Conference,
Greensboro, NC.
School leaders and teachers are encouraged to develop a team of teacher leaders of
Science, Technology, Mathematics, and Career and Technical Education to participate in
these professional development sessions. Curriculum focuses on Energy and
Sustainability, Agriscience and Biotechnology, Health and Life Sciences, and Aviation,
Security and Advanced Manufacturing.
Learn directly from the course developers how to deliver and integrate STEM course
content, advance your knowledge/understanding, discover creative approaches and
uncover optimal answers to potential challenges.
In collaboration with the developers of STEM Curricula: North Carolina School of Science
and Mathematics, NCDPI STEM Education and Career and Technical Education and North
Carolina New Schools.
MORE INFO: Tina Marcus, STEM Education, tina.marcus@dpi.nc.gov
STEM Education Featured on UNC-TV Show
“Why STEM Matters: Challenges and Opportunities Strengthening America’s Workforce,”
was the title of a recent episode of UNC-TV’s Black Issues Forum show on which NCDPI
STEM Project Manager Tina Marcus appeared. Marcus discussed STEM education and
the work being done at the state level, along with the opportunities that are available to
increase interest and engage more students – especially females and traditionally
underserved – in pursuing careers in the STEM fields.
The show can be viewed at http://video.unctv.org/video/2365097969/. The episode
also features Dr. Lee Stiff, President of EDSTAR Analytics and professor of mathematics at NCSU, and Enrico Copeland, President/CEO of Global Health Connections
International, both of whom shared their views and the work they are doing.
MORE INFO: Tina Marcus, STEM Education, tina.marcus@dpi.nc.gov
RtI Support for LEAs
The NCDPI is working collaboratively across divisions to provide staff development and
field support to LEAs who are implementing Responsiveness to Instruction (RtI). Four
additional Module 1 Trainings were held between July and September.
A full-day presentation about RtI and Specific Learning Disabilities was held at the
Exceptional Children Conference in July. The first round of quarterly regional networking
meetings were held in October, and RtI Leadership team members worked in
collaboration with PBIS leaders to develop and present at the Regional School Counselor
Race to the T0op Fall Trainings. Attendees of the NCDPI College Access Challenge
Grant (CACG) College and Career Ready Counselor Mini-Institute were provided the
opportunity to attend a session specific to counselor roles in RtI implementation, and
training and support for the RtI Secondary Pilots has continued with monthly webinars
now being provided. The RtI Leadership is diligently working to fill field consultant
positions to ensure continue technical assistance within LEAs.
MORE INFO: Amy Jablonskiy, RtI, amy.jablonski@dpi.nc.gov
RACE TO THE TOP WEEKLY UPDATE INFO
If you know someone who would like to be on this list, please send their email
address(es) to Michael.Yarbrough@dpi.nc.gov.
***LINKS: PC users might need to press the CTRL button when clicking on a
hyperlink in this document.
Archived Race to the Top Weekly Updates are available online at:
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/rttt/reports/weekly