January
16,
2013
NEW
THIS
WEEK
• Next
Generation
Assessments
Released
Forms––PDF
and
Online
Versions
• Switching
to
the
Common
Core
• New
Guides
Support
Common
Core
State
Standards
Implementation
IN
CASE
YOU
MISSED
IT
• Pearson
to
Provide
Home
Base
Components
• New
Professional
Development
Modules
for
2012‐13
• Call
for
Presenters:
Literacy
&
Math
Design
Collaborative
Networking
• Student
Achievement
Partners
(SAP)
Publishes
New
Common
Core
PD
Modules
• Archived
Webinar
on
Common
Core
Literacy
Standards
for
Science,
Technical
Subjects
• Illustrations
of
Common
Core
Mathematical
Practices
in
Action
• Understanding
Language
Project
Publishes
Common
Core
ELA
Unit
• NCDPI
Professional
Development
National
Conference
Presentation
• Honors
Implementation
Guide
for
Review
NEW
THIS
WEEK
Next
Generation
Assessments
Released
Forms––PDF
and
Online
Versions
The
PDF
and
online
versions
of
the
End‐of‐Course
Assessments
of
Algebra
I/Integrated
I,
English
II
and
Biology
and
the
NCEXTEND2
Assessments
of
Algebra
I/Integrated
I,
English
II
and
Biology
released
forms
are
now
available
at
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/releasedforms.
The
released
forms
of
the
EOGs
will
be
posted
in
February
on
the
same
website,
and
we
will
provide
an
announcement
when
those
are
available.
MORE
INFO:
Please
contact
your
Regional
Accountability
Coordinator
(RAC)
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/directory/racs
or
visit
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/
Switching
to
the
Common
Core
Teachers
must
have
a
full
understanding
of
the
Common
Core
State
Standards
if
they
are
to
properly
implement
them
in
the
classroom,
writes
Sandra
Alberti,
director
of
State
and
District
Partnerships
and
Professional
Development
for
Student
Achievement
Partners.
In
English
language
arts,
this
means
three
shifts,
one
of
which
is
a
greater
focus
on
building
knowledge
through
content‐rich
nonfiction,
besides
literature.
For
math,
it
means
a
shift
to
a
deeper
focus
on
a
smaller
number
of
topics
and
a
deeper
command
of
mathematical
concepts.
To
read
more,
please
visit
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational‐
leadership/dec12/vol70/num04/Making‐the‐Shifts.aspx
MORE
INFO:
Dr.
Maria
Pitre‐Martin,
K‐12
Curriculum
and
Instruction,
maria.pitremartin@dpi.nc.gov.
New
Guides
Support
Common
Core
State
Standards
Implementation
Achieve,
in
partnership
with
College
Summit,
the
National
Association
of
Secondary
School
Principals
(NASSP)
and
the
National
Association
of
Elementary
School
Principals
(NAESP),
has
released
a
series
of
action
briefs
on
the
role
of
school
counselors,
secondary
school
leaders
and
elementary
school
leaders
in
the
implementation
of
the
Common
Core
State
Standards
(CCSS).
Based
on
feedback
from
school
leaders
who
expressed
a
need
for
more
guidance,
the
action
briefs
outline
strategies
and
techniques
that
can
be
used
within
schools
by
school
leaders
to
prepare
their
schools,
teachers
and
students
for
the
standards
and
upcoming
new
assessments.
The
three
released
action
briefs
are:
∙
Implementing
the
Common
Core
State
Standards:
The
Role
of
the
Elementary
School
Leader
Action
Brief;
∙
Implementing
the
Common
Core
State
Standards:
The
Role
of
the
Secondary
School
Leader
Action
Brief;
and
∙
Implementing
the
Common
Core
State
Standards:
The
Role
of
the
School
Counselor
Action
Brief.
All
are
available
at
no
charge
in
the
Publications
section
at
www.achieve.org
MORE
INFO:
Dr.
Maria
Pitre‐Martin,
K‐12
Curriculum
and
Instruction,
maria.pitremartin@dpi.nc.gov.
IN
CASE
YOU
MISSED
IT
Pearson
to
Provide
Home
Base
Components
The
NC
Department
of
Public
Instruction
has
finalized
a
contract
with
Pearson
to
provide
the
following
instructional
improvement
components
of
Home
Base:
Standards
and
Curriculum;
Instructional
Design;
Practices
and
Resources;
Assessment;
and
Data
Analysis
&
Reporting.
The
NCDPI
will
begin
rollout
of
the
instructional
improvement
system
functionality
to
all
North
Carolina
public
schools
in
fall
2014.
Home
Base
will
provide
teachers
with
collaboration
tools,
instructional
tools
and
resources,
student
assessments,
learner
profiles
and
reporting
tools
to
help
teachers
customize
lessons
and
other
materials
to
improve
student
educational
outcomes.
A
major
component
of
Home
Base
will
be
PowerSchool,
the
new
student
information
system.
Home
Base
implementation
aims
to
save
teachers
time,
improve
the
quantity
of
high
quality
teaching
materials,
build
stronger
collaboration
among
educators,
and
support
and
customize
educational
opportunities
for
students.
The
student
data
collected
in
PowerSchool
will
directly
integrate
with
the
instructional
tools
to
enable
individualized
student
instruction
and
eliminate
redundant
data
entry.
MORE
INFO:
Sarah
McManus,
Learning
Systems
Division,
sarah.mcmanus@dpi.nc.gov.
New
Professional
Development
Modules
for
2012‐13
The
North
Carolina
Department
of
Public
Instruction
has
released
new
online
modules
to
provide
teachers,
administrators
and
support
personnel
with
flexible,
on‐demand
professional
development.
Please
take
time
to
review
the
contents
of
these
modules.
Individuals,
schools
or
districts
are
encouraged
to
implement
the
new
modules
in
ways
that
best
suit
their
resources,
calendars
and
local
professional
development
plans.
Modules
are
available
through
NC
Education
at
http://center.ncsu.edu/nc/.
The
most
recent
released
modules
include:
•
Connecting
with
Our
21st
Century
Learners
•
Digital
Literacies
in
the
K‐12
Classroom
•
Introduction
to
Data
Literacy
•
Literacy
in
History/Social
Studies,
Science
and
Technical
Subjects
•
North
Carolina
School
Executive
Standards
and
Evaluation
Process
•
Understanding
Young
Student
Behavior
in
the
Classroom
For
more
information
on
the
modules
and
suggestions
for
school
or
districtwide
implementation,
including
best
practices
and
facilitation
strategies,
please
refer
to
the
2012‐13
Implementation
Guide
at
http://rt3nc.org/pubs/impguide2012/.
MORE
INFO:
Dr.
Lynne
Johnson,
lynne.johnson@dpi.nc.gov,
or
Dr.
Geetanjali
Soni,
geetanjali.soni@dpi.nc.gov,
Educator
Recruitment
and
Development.
Call
for
Presenters:
Literacy
&
Math
Design
Collaborative
Networking
Presenters
are
needed
for
the
First
Annual
LDC/MDC
Networking
Conference
at
the
Westin
Charlotte
Hotel,
July
15
through
17.
This
conference
is
for
teachers
and
school,
district
and
state
leaders
who
are
engaged
with
or
interested
in
adopting
the
tools
and
strategies
of
the
Literacy
Design
Collaborative
(LDC)
and
the
Mathematics
Design
Collaborative
(MDC)
to
advance
students’
grade‐level
mastery
of
rigorous
common
core
state
literacy
and
math
standards.
For
more
information,
please
review
the
attached
document,
titled
Collaborative
Networking
Brochure.
MORE
INFO:
Dr.
Maria
Pitre‐Martin,
K‐12
Curriculum
and
Instruction,
maria.pitremartin@dpi.nc.gov.
Student
Achievement
Partners
Publishes
New
Common
Core
PD
modules
Student
Achievement
Partners
is
a
nonprofit
founded
by
three
of
the
contributing
authors
to
the
Common
Core.
This
group,
which
develops
tools
for
effective
standards
implementation,
has
released
three
new
Common
Core
professional
development
modules
designed
to
support
district
and
school
leadership
in
their
transition
to
the
Common
Core.
SAP
initially
released
four
modules
in
July
2012.
The
modules
are
intended
for
wide
use
among
individual
educators,
in
professional
learning
communities,
or
in
preparation
of
professional
development
in
a
school
or
district
setting.
The
time
required
for
each
module
can
be
customized.
Each
module
contains
a
facilitator’s
guide,
PowerPoint
presentations
with
thorough
notes,
hands‐on
activities,
related
readings
and
research,
recommended
topics
for
discussion,
and
web
and
video
resources.
Refer
to
the
Facilitator’s
Guide
for
specific
instructions
on
how
to
use
each
part
of
the
module.
The
new
modules
available
are:
Why
the
Common
Core?
How
these
Standards
are
Different:
An
overview
of
the
background
information
necessary
to
understand
why
the
Common
Core
State
Standards
were
developed
and
how
they
are
different
from
previous
standards.
Introduction
to
the
Literacy
Shifts
in
the
Content
Areas:
An
introduction
to
the
key
shifts
required
by
the
Common
Core
State
Standards
for
English
Language
Arts
and
Literacy,
specifically
in
the
content
areas
(social
studies,
science,
arts,
etc.).
Deep
Dive
into
the
Math
Shifts:
A
deeper
dive
into
the
Math
shifts
for
those
familiar
with
the
shifts
required
by
the
Common
Core
State
Standards
for
Mathematics.
Please
visit
http://www.achievethecore.org
to
download
these
modules.
MORE
INFO:
Dr.
Maria
Pitre‐Martin,
K‐12
Curriculum
and
Instruction,
maria.pitremartin@dpi.nc.gov.
Archived
Webinar
on
Common
Core
Literacy
Standards
for
Science,
Technical
Subjects
Meeting
the
Demands
of
the
Common
Core:
Mentoring
Readers
of
Science
and
Technical
Texts,
with
presenter
Doug
Buehl,
is
now
available
as
an
archived
webinar.
Discover
why
integrating
literacy
practices
into
the
flow
of
regular
disciplinary
instruction
is
integral
to
21st‐century
learners.
As
students
strive
to
meet
new
rigorous
standards,
teachers
of
science,
mathematics
and
technical
subjects
face
an
urgent
need
to
mentor
students
as
readers
of
the
varied
texts
of
their
disciplines.
The
Common
Core
State
Literacy
Standards
expect
students
in
the
STEM
disciplines
to
meet
10
reading
standards
that
assume
learners
are
regularly
reading
and
comprehending
complex
texts
in
these
disciplines.
As
a
result,
all
teachers
must
ensure
that
students
can
independently
access
the
knowledge
in
technical
texts.
Please
visit
http://www.achievethecore.org
to
access
the
archived
webinar.
MORE
INFO:
Dr.
Maria
Pitre‐Martin,
K‐12
Curriculum
and
Instruction,
maria.pitremartin@dpi.nc.gov.
Illustrations
of
Common
Core
Mathematical
Practices
in
Action
Implementing
the
Mathematical
Practice
Standards
is
a
project
of
the
Education
Development
Center
to
promote
teacher
learning
about
the
mathematical
practices,
which
are
part
of
the
Common
Core
State
Standards
in
Mathematics.
Educators
may
browse
a
library
of
illustrations
for
all
of
the
practices,
each
of
which
includes
a
mathematics
task,
student
dialogue,
teacher
reflection
questions,
mathematical
overview
and
student
materials.
In
addition
to
the
collection
of
illustrations,
the
project
is
interested
in
identifying
people
who
would
like
to
participate
in
or
lead
associated
professional
development
programs
during
the
2013‐14
and
2014‐15
school
years
as
part
of
the
field‐testing
for
these
materials.
In
the
meantime,
the
website
offers
a
protocol
for
using
the
illustrations
on
the
website
for
professional
learning.
Please
go
to
http://mathpractices.edc.org/
for
more
information.
MORE
INFO:
Dr.
Maria
Pitre‐Martin,
K‐12
Curriculum
and
Instruction,
maria.pitremartin@dpi.nc.gov.
Understanding
Language
Project
Publishes
Common
Core
ELA
Unit
The
Understanding
Language
Project
at
Stanford
University
has
published
an
instructional
unit
aligned
with
the
Common
Core
ELA
that
shows
instructional
approaches
that
are
likely
to
help
English
language
learners
(ELLs)
meet
the
Common
Core
ELA
standards.
The
unit,
Persuasion
Across
Time
and
Space,
includes
more
than
230
pages
of
resources,
complete
with
full
student
handouts.
The
lessons
address
potent
literacy
goals
and
build
on
students’
background
knowledge
and
linguistic
resources.
Built
around
a
set
of
famous
persuasive
speeches,
the
unit
supports
students
in
reading
a
range
of
complex
texts.
The
unit
invites
students
to
write
and
speak
in
a
variety
of
ways
and
for
different
audiences
and
purposes.
You
may
download
the
full
unit
from
the
Understanding
Language
website
at
http://ell.stanford.edu/teaching_resources/ela.
MORE
INFO:
Dr.
Maria
Pitre‐Martin,
K‐12
Curriculum
and
Instruction,
maria.pitremartin@dpi.nc.gov.
NCDPI
Professional
Development
National
Conference
Presentation
Yvette
Stewart
(Educator
Recruitment
and
Development,
NCDPI),
Lauren
Bryant
and
Meredith
Walton
(Friday
Institute,
NC
RttT
Evaluation
Team)
will
present
Poster
Session:
Reaching
Success
Together:
Multiple
Perspectives
on
Enhancing
School
Achievement
and
Promoting
Positive
Student
Outcomes
for
All
Students”
at
the
2013
American
Educational
Research
Association
(AERA)
Annual
Meeting
in
San
Francisco,
April
27
through
May
1.
The
poster
session
highlights
the
NCDPI’s
use
of
intensive,
collaborative
professional
development
to
prepare
district‐level
teams
to
support
educators
through
the
Common
Core
transition.
NCDPI
uses
a
mixed‐methods
approach
to
assess
the
quality
and
effectiveness
of
these
efforts.
The
objective
of
this
effort
is
to
provide
insight
that
is
potentially
beneficial
to
other
states
that
are
transitioning
to
Common
Core.
AERA
received
more
than
13,000
submissions
this
year.
Submissions
were
reviewed
and
selected
by
highly
qualified
reviewers
serving
on
a
review
panel
comprising
the
Division
H
‐
Research,
Evaluation
and
Assessment
in
Schools.
MORE
INFO:
Dr.
Lynne
Johnson,
Educator
Recruitment
and
Development,
lynne.johnson@dpi.nc.gov
Honors
Implementation
Guide
for
Review
The
NCDPI
Honors
Level
Course
Planning
Team
has
completed
the
draft
of
the
Revised
Honors
Level
Course
Implementation
Guide
based
upon
the
Honors
Level
Course
Rubric
approved
by
the
State
Board
of
Education
last
spring.
It
is
now
ready
for
vetting
from
the
field.
Please
take
a
moment
to
review
the
guide,
which
can
be
accessed
at
http://dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum/links/.
Feedback
from
local
districts
will
be
accepted
until
Jan.
18.
Please
send
feedback
to
feedback@dpi.nc.gov.
MORE
INFO:
Linda
Brannan,
Student
Support
Services,
linda.brannan@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.
***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!
***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/updates/