January 15, 2014 NEW THIS WEEK ● ● ● ● ● ● Exploring the 4 Cs of 21st Century Learning on the Web Reminder: Teacher Evaluation Dashboards Released Assessment for Learning and Development in K-3 Professional Development for TALAS Schools Leadership Academy Cohorts Share Good News What’s Coming in Schoolnet in 2014 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT ● First Semester Roster Verification Window Opens ● Release of Educator Evaluation Dashboards ● Online Assessment Best Practices Guide - UPDATED NEW THIS WEEK Exploring the 4 Cs of 21st Century Learning on the Web 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. The next 4 Cs webinar will be held on Friday, Jan. 24 from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. Each 4 Cs webinar examines a variety of resources with potential for fostering relevant 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. Target audience for this webinar is classroom teachers K-12. Registration Web Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/692544889 MORE INFO: Donna Albaugh, Professional Development Consultant, donna.albaugh@dpi.nc.gov. Reminder: Teacher Evaluation Dashboards Released The NCDPI and SAS Institute have released teacher evaluation dashboards from the 2012-13 school year. These dashboards provide teachers with access to their ratings on Standards 1 through 6, all integrated into one report. Teachers can access their teacher evaluation dashboards by logging in to EVAAS. More resources about how to access and interpret the dashboard can be found here. MORE INFO: For questions, please email educatoreffectiveness@dpi.nc.gov Assessment for Learning and Development in K-3 In response to a mandate by the North Carolina State Legislature and the requirements of the Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge Grant, NC Superintendent June Atkinson convened the K-3 Assessment Think Tank last year. It included NC school teachers, parents, scholars representing seven NC universities and additional stakeholders. The group was charged with proposing a plan to improve early elementary school learning and instruction through more efficient and effective use of student-centered assessments. Over a nine-month period, the Think Tank reviewed scientific findings and best practices and solicited input from a wide array of stakeholders, including a survey of more than 2,500 NC teachers and consultation from more than 60 state and national scholars and education leaders. This report summarizes the Think Tank's findings, its proposal for an innovative process to improve learning and its recommendations for next steps. The report can be accessed at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/earlylearning/k3-assessment.pdf. MORE INFO: Erika Beattie, Office of Early Learning, erika.beattie@dpi.nc.gov Professional Development for TALAS Schools The District and School Transformation Division will provide Professional Development to approximately 300 leaders of TALAS schools and SIG schools on Wednesday, Feb. 12. This session, 14th in the on-going series of Professional Development for school leaders, will focus on understanding the needs of diverse learners, including the following: children of poverty, English Language Learners, African-American males, and Exceptional Children. The PD is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hilton North Raleigh/Midtown on Wake Forest Road in Raleigh. Detailed registration information is available on the NCDPI DST wiki site, http://dst.ncdpi.wikispaces.net. MORE INFO: Donna Miller, District and School Transformation, donna.miller@dpi.nc.gov Leadership Academy Cohorts Share Good News State Superintendent June Atkinson recognized Wiley Elementary School in Guilford County Schools at the State Board of Education’s January board meeting. Piedmont Triad Leadership Academy Cohort 2 graduate Chelsea Smith is the assistant principal at the school, which was recently named a 2013-14 Title I Distinguished School. Smith and her principal Tavy Fields were recognized, and they presented highlights of their school’s successes. Cohort 1 graduate Shadonna Gunn, principal of Grove Park Elementary School in Alamance-Burlington Schools, was be a guest panelist for the Governor Jim Holshouser Legislators Retreat in Greensboro on Jan. 14. She spoke to legislators about her role in education. Gunn was one of only a handful of principals who provided legislators “with first- hand accounts of the successes and challenges of new educator effectiveness initiatives and student assessments.” MORE INFO: Freda Lee, Teacher and Leader Preparation, freda.lee@dpi.nc.gov What’s Coming in Schoolnet in 2014 There are many things to look forward to in the new year, and Schoolnet’s increasing resources are among them. The NCDPI is continually seeking and vetting great resources and assessment items and expanding the set of tools available to teachers in the platform. We are especially excited about the potential Schoolnet offers in gathering and sharing great work from and among North Carolina’s teachers. Excellent lesson plans, units and assessments all are coming forth from teachers across the state, and Schoolnet offers educators an opportunity to highlight and share that great work. You can find a chart outlining what’s to come this year, at http://goo.gl/MWbszP. MORE INFO: Mike Martin, Policy and Planning, mike.martin@dpi.nc.gov. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT First Semester Roster Verification Window Opens In response to feedback from teachers, principals and central office leaders, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction will offer an additional roster verification window for teachers who teach on a semester schedule. You can find the new schedule at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/effectiveness-model/roster/. Please continue to check the website for new and updated resources. MORE INFO: Please contact your Regional Accountability Coordinator. Release of Educator Evaluation Dashboards The NCDPI and SAS Institute have released the teacher and administrator evaluation dashboards. An evaluation dashboard allows a teacher to see his or her ratings on Standards 1 – 5 integrated with Standard 6 of the NC Educator Evaluation System. An administrator can see his or her ratings on Standards 1 – 7 integrated with Standard 8. Both teachers and administrators can track their individual progress toward an overall effectiveness status. You can find updated resources on the evaluation dashboards at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/effectiveness-model/evaas/resources/. You can access recorded web trainings on the evaluation dashboards at https://ncdpi.sas.com, as well as a schedule for live web training sessions in which educators can have their questions answered by the NCDPI and SAS Institute. MORE INFO: Please email educatoreeffectiveness@dpi.nc.gov Online Assessment Best Practices Guide - UPDATED As you continue preparing for online assessments, the Best Practices Guide has been updated and is available on the website at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/acre/assessment/guide/. The key updates are in Appendix A related to best practices from a technology perspective (including links to tools to help with testing bandwidth and determining readiness). There are also updates to the section for Testing Personnel based on changes in administering online assessments in NCTest for 2013-14. MORE INFO: Kayla Siler, Policy and Planning, kayla.siler@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