October 16, 2013 NEW THIS WEEK 4 C’s of 21st Century Learning on the Web Online Evaluation Tool: Principal / Assistant Principal Evaluation Process Professional Development Opportunity for TALAS Release of Value-­‐Added Data from School Year 2012-­‐13 Begins Oct. 17 State Board of Education Policy Changes on Educator Effectiveness RttT Strategic Staffing Survey IN CASE YOU MISSED IT •
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Share Resources, Ideas, Questions and Insights -­‐-­‐ Join #NCed Chat! READY Principals Meetings Provide Educator Evaluation Training Northeast Leadership Academy Receives USED Grant READY Animation Sets Tone for Discussions around Changes We Want You to Like Us – Really, Like Us! NEW THIS WEEK 4 C’s of 21st Century Learning on the Web (Interactive Tools) – Critical Thinking Exploring the 4 C’s of Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity on the web will provide educators with the opportunity to maximize the interactivity of the Internet to enhance teaching and learning. The target audience for the Critical Thinking webinar (Friday, Oct. 25, 2013, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) is classroom teachers in grades K-­‐12. Participants will learn about and use a web 2.0 tool to enhance their students' critical thinking. Teachers also will brainstorm ways the tool can be used in the classroom; elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve and maximize critical thinking skills; and explore ways to nurture the home and school connection. Registration Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/796434609 MORE INFO: Donna Albaugh, Educator Effectiveness, donna.albaugh@dpi.nc.gov Online Evaluation Tool: Principal/Assistant Principal Evaluation Process The next Assistant Principal Evaluation Process webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 1 to 3 pm. This webinar will provide you with an opportunity to review the process of completing the annual principal or assistant principal evaluation using the new online evaluation tool, from both the evaluator's perspective and the person being evaluated. All principals should attempt to attend one of these sessions. To register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/571106129 MORE INFO: Cynthia Martin, Educator Effectiveness, cynthia.martin@dpi.nc.gov Professional Development Opportunity for TALAS The NCDPI District and School Transformation division will present Professional Development for School Leaders Session 12, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 9 am to 4 pm, at the Embassy Suites in Cary. All principals and other school leaders from the 118 TALAS schools, along with schools from the TALAS districts are invited to attend the training. This training will focus on the impact of socioeconomics on language development, how the brain influences the development of reading skills and the administrative challenge of implementing effective literacy instruction. MORE INFO: Donna Miller, District and School Transformation, donna.miller@dpi.nc.gov Release of Value-­‐Added Data from School Year 2012-­‐13 Begins Oct. 17 On Thursday, Oct. 17, the Department of Public Instruction and SAS Institute will begin the release of value-­‐added data from the 2012-­‐13 school year. The release schedule is as follows: • District EVAAS administrators and other district-­‐level staff: data release on the evening of October 17 • School EVAAS administrators: data release at midnight on October 21 • Teachers and other school-­‐level staff: data release at midnight on October 28 For more information on the release, please read the recent memo from Dr. Rebecca Garland, Chief Academic Officer. You can find new and updated EVAAS resources on the Department of Public Instruction's website. For upcoming professional development on EVAAS, please visit the NC EVAAS page and click on "Schedule of Virtual Professional Development." MORE INFO: educatoreffectiveness@dpi.nc.gov. State Board of Education Policy Changes on Educator Effectiveness At its October 2013 meeting, the State Board of Education approved changes to North Carolina's educator effectiveness model. For a summary of key changes, please read the recent memo from Dr. Rebecca Garland, Chief Academic Officer. MORE INFO: educatoreffectiveness@dpi.nc.gov. RttT Strategic Staffing Survey Approximately 40 Race to the Top coordinators in local school districts are being requested to complete a survey being conducted by the RttT Local Strategic Staffing evaluation team this week. The survey has, or will, come to you via email from the team. It is important to note that this survey is being sent only to those coordinators in districts with two or three strategic staffing elements in their RttT or School Improvement Grant plans. The evaluation team greatly appreciates your time in completing this brief, but important survey no later than the deadline of Wednesday, Oct. 30. MORE INFO: Rob Maser, Evaluation Team, rhmaser@ncsu.edu IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Share Resources, Ideas, Questions and Insights -­‐-­‐ Join #NCed Chat! #NCed Chat serves as a forum for NC educators to meet virtually once a week in a public Twitter conversation around specific, current topics such as literacy at all levels, inquiry-­‐based learning and blended learning. Participants also include educators from other states, New Zealand and Canada. NCDPI staff, LEA staff and members of our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHEs) serve as current moderators. This blog will archive resources and chats for future reference if you cannot attend weekly. You may also use the #NCed app to view schedules, topics and provide feedback. Download the app by visiting myapp.is/NCed on your mobile device. Also reference the attachments for upcoming dates and session topics. Join this Professional Learning Network (PLN) today!
MORE INFO: Dr. Lynne C. Johnson, Educator Effectiveness, lynne.johnson@dpi.nc.gov. READY Principals Meetings Provide Educator Evaluation Training Over the past five years, the NC Department of Public Instruction has partnered with school districts and professional organizations to train principals on the new NC Teacher Evaluation Process. Over the last three years, much of the training has focused on how to navigate the online platform and the process. In its Race to the Top proposal, North Carolina pledged to continue this support for principals while also turning to deeper and more specific professional development around the meaning of the NC Professional Teaching Standards and the NC Teacher Evaluation Rubric. With the support of a grant from the national Cross-­‐State Learning Collaborative, the NCDPI is excited to launch a new READY Principals Initiative that will specifically develop the skills of school administrators in using the NC Teacher Evaluation Process to provide specific and constructive feedback to teachers. This initiative will include two rounds of regional meetings for principals; the first will take place this fall (October-­‐November), and the second will be held in the spring. While these meetings and supporting resources are part of the State’s READY work, the meetings will represent an opportunity for principals to work in groups and dive into new resources available to support their understanding of the NC Teacher Evaluation Process and NC Teacher Evaluation Rubric. The structure of the meetings will be highly interactive. All meetings will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Following is a list of meeting dates and locations, by region: • Region 1: Wednesday, Oct. 30, Bob Martin Center, NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2900 NC Highway 125 South, Williamston; • Region 2: Thursday, Oct. 31, Hilton Riverside 301 North Water St., Wilmington; • Region 3: Monday, Nov. 18, Sheraton Imperial, 4700 Emperor Blvd., Durham; • Region 4: Wednesday, Oct. 16, Crown Center, 1960 Coliseum Dr., Fayetteville; • Region 5: Tuesday, Oct. 15, Sheraton Four Seasons, 3121 High Point Road, Greensboro; • 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. The NCDPI is sending a registration email to principals and human resources directors. MORE INFO: Kim Simmons, NC Educator Evaluation System Consultant, kimberly.simmons@dpi.nc.gov. Northeast Leadership Academy Receives USED Grant Strong professional development for principals will continue in the northeastern part of the state thanks to a grant awarded to North Carolina State University. The U.S. Department of Education has awarded NCSU a five-­‐year, $4.7 million grant to fund the Northeast Leadership Academy (NELA). This grant builds on the important work begun by NELA in 2010, largely funded by Race to the Top. It will support two more cohorts of principals-­‐in-­‐training, assisting with advanced degrees and licensing. The grant also will fund a weeklong summer intensive professional development academy for current principals (20 principals each summer) to help them build instructional leadership skills for digital learning environments. The principal program also includes individual coaching across the next academic year to help principals apply their learning at their school site. MORE INFO: Freda Lee, Teacher and Leader Preparation, freda.lee@dpi.nc.gov READY Animation Sets Tone for Discussions around Changes The NC Department of Public Instruction has developed an animation for our colleagues across the state to use as they plan meetings, work sessions or conferences involving the READY initiative. The video works well as a "tone setter" for discussions around the new Common Core State Standards and Essential Standards, new assessments, educator effectiveness, school/district turnaround and more. It serves as an inspirational reminder about the work we do and the ultimate beneficiaries of that work — the 1.5 million students of North Carolina. It could also serve as a way to remind parents and the broader community about our accomplishments and goals and how they could help support our efforts. Reaction to the READY animation has been highly favorable. We encourage you to incorporate it into your presentations as you plan your meetings over the coming months. Also, feel free to share it with your colleagues for use in school-­‐based meetings and activities. The video is accessible via youtube at this address: http://youtu.be/HCNYt5_K6CU. MORE INFO: Michael Yarbrough, Communication and Information Services, michael.yarbrough@dpi.nc.gov We Want You to Like Us – Really, Like Us! The READY Facebook page offers information and points of note that we post on a nearly everyday basis, and that often don’t make the Race to the Top Weekly Update. For example, if you haven’t liked us, you haven’t seen some really cool artwork from NC students posted this week. So, come on – like us, at https://www.facebook.com/NCReadyInitiative. We tweet, too, so follow us at https://twitter.com/ncpublicschools. MORE INFO: Michael Yarbrough, Communication and Information Services, michael.yarbrough@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