September 18, 2013 NEW THIS WEEK • Viewer’s Guide for NC Schools + You UNC-­‐TV Program • English Language Arts Section Updates Email Lists • Frequently Asked Questions around EVAAS Online • Upcoming Webinar: Exploring the “4 C’s” of 21st Century Learning on the Web IN CASE YOU MISSED IT • ACRE Stakeholders Assess Progress • Fall Professional Development Institutes for Colleges and Universities • Information on Performance Targets in Race to the Top-­‐District Competition NEW THIS WEEK Viewer’s Guide for NC Schools and You UNC-­‐TV Program Last week we told you about North Carolina Schools and You: What Changes in Our Schools Mean for Parents and Students, the program with which the NCDPI has partnered with UNC-­‐TV to produce. This week, we are not only reminding you about the program, but are offering a Viewer’s Guide to accompany it. The show will be broadcast on Thursday, September 19 at 10 p.m. on UNC-­‐TV. The program, also featuring NC parents and supporters of public schools, will repeat on Friday, September 27 at 4:30 p.m. North Carolina Schools and You – an hour-­‐long show in a "town hall meeting" format – will offer 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 will serve as a great source to help you as you explain the new Standard Course of Study, testing and other changes affecting their children. A Viewer’s Guide to accompany the show is being sent to superintendents, principals, teachers and supporters later this week. It also has been posted on our website, www.ncpublicschools.org/ready/resources MORE INFO: Michael Yarbrough, Communication and Information Services, michael.yarbrough@dpi.nc.gov 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 C’s” of 21st Century Learning on the Web (Interactive Tools) – Creativity When: Friday, September 27, 11:30am – 12:30pm Description: 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. 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 C’s. Audience: Open Enrollment Register at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/323967081 MORE INFO: Donna Albaugh at donna.albaugh@dpi.nc.gov IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ACRE Stakeholders Assess Progress Taking stock is always a good thing. Five years ago, a Blue Ribbon Commission set forth a vision that resulted in the State Board of Education's list of key recommendations for a Framework for Change -­‐ key steps to significantly improve North Carolina's Standard Course of Study. This work was known as the Accountability and Curriculum Reform Effort (ACRE). In August 2013, a group of ACRE external stakeholders who helped to shape our efforts from the beginning of this work came together to discuss our progress. Read more about it in State Superintendent June Atkinson’s latest blog entry, at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/statesuperintendent/blog/ Fall Professional Development Institutes for Colleges and Universities We want our LEA and charter school educators to be aware that many of our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHE) partners participated in our 2013 Summer Institutes in Durham and Greensboro last July. Two additional Institutes are scheduled this month in Hickory and Greenville for IHEs to continue our alignment efforts to improve educator candidate readiness. This year, IHEs are also invited to regional Beginning Teacher program review meetings in an effort to support districts with partnership MOUs and teacher preparation program feedback. MORE INFO: The IHEs have already registered for these events, but if you have questions, please contact Dr. Lynne Johnson, Educator Effectiveness, lynne.johnson@dpi.nc.gov Information on Performance Targets in Race to the Top-­‐District Competition The application for the second round of Race to the Top-­‐District awards includes performance targets for the number and percentage of students who will be taught by effective and highly effective teachers, as well as served by effective and highly effective principals. According to North Carolina's approved Race to the Top plan and waiver from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, no teacher or principal in North Carolina will receive a status of effective or highly effective until the start of the 2015-­‐16 school year. The NCDPI recommends that districts list "NA" for the performance targets related to Educator Effectiveness until the 2014-­‐15 school year. This approach is in accordance with how the State reports performance measures on educator effectiveness in the Annual Performance Report for Race to the Top. NOTE: Information for applying for the RttT-­‐District grant is available under the “In Case You Missed It” section of this Update. MORE INFO: Jennifer Preston, Educator Effectiveness, Jennifer.Preston@dpi.nc.gov or (919) 807-­‐4187 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