September 25, 2013 NEW THIS WEEK • NC Schools and You UNC-­‐TV Program Now Available Online • Principal Evaluation Tool and Support – Home Base • Online Assessment Updates • Honors Webinars • NCDPI 2013 Fall School Counseling Webinar Series IN CASE YOU MISSED IT • English Language Arts Section Updates Email Lists • Frequently Asked Questions around EVAAS Online • Upcoming Webinar: Exploring the “4 Cs” of 21st Century Learning on the Web NEW THIS WEEK NC Schools and You UNC-­‐TV Program Now Available Online A second broadcast of North Carolina Schools and You: What Changes in Our Schools Mean for Parents and Students, will be presented on Friday, Sept. 27 at 4:30 pm on UNC-­‐TV. In addition, the program, which originally aired last week, is now available online, at http://video.unctv.org/video/2365082029/. North Carolina Schools and You – an hour-­‐long show in a "town hall meeting" format – offers information and discussion around recent important changes in public schools and how parents can be more productively engaged in their children’s success. Specific topics include: -­‐ Teaching and Learning: What Students Are Learning and How; -­‐ Measuring Performance: New Assessments and Accountability Model; and -­‐ Parent Engagement: How Parents Can Support Learning. We encourage principals and teachers to share this information with your parents and encourage them to watch, as it serves as a great source to help you as you explain the new Standard Course of Study, testing and other changes affecting their children. In fact, the online version makes it quite convenient to view the program at staff meetings, PLCs, PTA meetings, site-­‐based team meetings and more. This could serve to foster discussion among staff, parents and partners in individual schools. A Viewer’s Guide to accompany the show was sent to superintendents, principals, teachers and supporters last week. It also has been posted on our website, www.ncpublicschools.org/ready/resources. This, also, can serve as a great resource for hosting viewing sessions, or even reading the Guide as a standalone. MORE INFO: Michael Yarbrough, Communication and Information Services, michael.yarbrough@dpi.nc.gov. Principal Evaluation Tool and Support – Home Base The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is proud to announce a series of webinars on the new Home Base Principal Evaluation Tool based on three different perspectives: Superintendent, Principal and Assistant Principal. The webinars will cover the following: how to initiate the orientation process; how to document the initial meeting; how to complete the mid-­‐year evaluation; how to document the summary evaluation conference; and how the tool can be used to house various artifacts during the school year. Date, perspective and log-­‐in information are in the attached document, titled Home Base Educator Evaluation Principal Support Communication. MORE INFO: Cynthia Martin, Educator Effectiveness, cynthia.martin@dpi.nc.gov Online Assessment Updates New technical requirements for 2013-­‐14 online assessments are available at http://go.ncsu.edu/nct/ (this includes support for chromebooks and information about the secure browser and other support for online testing). Additional information about state assessments for 2013-­‐14 is also available on the website at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/. MORE INFO: Please contact your Regional Accountability Coordinator (RAC) with questions. Honors Webinars Honors Webinars are scheduled each month for the LEAs in the First Cohort of the 2013-­‐14 State-­‐Level Review. The webinar schedule and additional valuable resources may be found on the Honors Implementation Wikispace at: http://honorsimplementation.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/. MORE INFO: Linda Brannan, linda.brannan@dpi.nc.gov NCDPI 2013 Fall School Counseling Webinar Series The NCDPI Race to the Top School Counseling Webinar Series is for school counselors, principals, and supervisors of school counselors. This is a series of webinars that will focus on the implementation of the new School Counselor Evaluation Instrument, Data-­‐driven Decision Making, and other important topics. Each webinar session will cover a different topic related to the school counselor evaluation instrument and pertinent to the needs of school counselors across the state. Registration links may be found on the NCDPI School Counseling Wikispace at: http://schoolcounseling.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/2013-­‐
14+Webinar+Series+for+School+Counselors MORE INFO: Linda Brannan, linda.brannan@dpi.nc.gov IN CASE YOU MISSED IT English Language Arts Section Updates Email Lists The ELA Section of the NCDPI wants YOU to be informed! They are holding a “registration drive” to update their email lists. Please forward this email to your ELA colleagues, so our message can reach a larger audience. We sincerely appreciate your help with this drive. Click here to sign up for our email lists: http://elaccss.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/listjoin IMPORTANT: Once you’ve signed up, you may need to check your spam folder in case the confirmation email ends up there. MORE INFO: Anna Frost, 6-­‐12 English Language Arts, anna.frost@dpi.nc.gov Frequently Asked Questions around EVAAS Online It is always part of the NCDPI’s mission to ensure that we answer as many questions as possible around the changes that have to our schools via the READY Initiative. Answers to the most commonly-­‐asked questions about EVAAS, including the incorporation of EVAAS into the state's accountability and Educator Effectiveness models, are available online at www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/effectiveness-­‐
model/evaas/resources/2013-­‐spring-­‐faq.pdf MORE INFO: educatoreffectiveness@dpi.nc.gov Upcoming Webinar: Exploring the “4 Cs” of 21st Century Learning on the Web (Interactive Tools) -­‐ Creativity When: Friday, September 27, 11:30am – 12:30pm Description: Exploring the 4 Cs 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. Each webinar will examine a variety of resources with potential for fostering the latest in 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. Audience: Open Enrollment Register at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/323967081 MORE INFO: Donna Albaugh at donna.albaugh@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