POINT TO POINT

2012: New Beginnings
January 12, 2012

Some folks say the world is going to end this year. I choose to be a bit more optimistic.

I see 2012 as a year of many new beginnings and golden opportunities, specifically for public education in North Carolina. This fall will mark the beginning of a historic school year for educators and students across the state.

A monumental transformation in education reform is happening this year. New standards for teaching and learning will go into effect come fall. A new accountability model that will measure schools' progress also will be in place. And we will have a refined method of ensuring that teachers and principals are teaching and leading in more effective ways.

We recently received some great news from the U.S. Department of Education, with a positive Year One report that we are headed in the right direction with our Race to the Top grant. Since North Carolina received one of 12 RttT grants, I have witnessed an array of reactions, from great delight at the thought of what we could accomplish with $400 million, to significant concern, especially around the addition of student growth to our teacher effectiveness model. It is always good to allay fears and answer questions when we can, and that's what we are trying to do in all of our communications about Race to the Top.

North Carolina is continually tweaking and refining its standards for curriculum, its delivery and its mastery among students. In 2008, the state Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability began a process that would lead to the latest reform efforts. This became the Accountability Curriculum Reform Effort (ACRE).

Through ACRE, we have developed a new Standard Course of Study that will incorporate the state Common Core Standards (adopted by the State Board of Education in June 2010) and the new North Carolina Essential Standards. Why have we done this? The answer is simple: Our students must graduate with a deeper understanding of what they must know to succeed beyond high school. These new standards will help to ensure that our students are learning – and mastering – that which their contemporaries across the country are learning and mastering.

Many educators across the state mistakenly believe that North Carolina is implementing new standards in order to receive the $400 million RttT funding. This simply is not the case. The new standards were going to be implemented regardless of the outcome of the grant proposal. But recent state budget cuts would have made the process slower and would have undermined the state's ability to adequately support local educators along the way. Race to the Top funds have helped us move at a much quicker pace and have enabled us to provide support through professional development, technology tools and other activities.

The new teacher effectiveness model is, indeed, a requirement for RttT, and in particular the sixth element that measures student growth as part of the teacher's evaluation. Many states have already adopted this or similar models, and with all the changes our state is implementing, it would only have been a matter of time before North Carolina did, as well.

There are many opinions on the new teacher effectiveness model, but those who have been involved in its piloting report that they are very pleased with the opportunity it offers for teachers to sit down with their principals for deeper and more meaningful discussions around classroom practices, what is working and what could be better. We are convinced that once the dust settles around this issue, most teachers across the state will see how much better the new model is as compared to the old one.

NCDPI recently approved the RttT Detailed Scope of Work documents (DSWs) for LEAs and participating charter schools. We are encouraged by and excited about what our local districts and charter schools will be doing with their RttT funding. More professional development and greater use of technology are the hallmarks of this initiative, and they are going to pay off in big ways for our teachers and our students.

In February and March, State Board of Education members, Superintendent June Atkinson and a number of NCDPI officials will travel across the state for Regional Outreach Meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to meet with principals and teacher representatives to describe where we are with Common Core and Essential Standards implementation, along with the development of the new accountability model. We are very much looking forward to meeting with educators across the state, sharing our progress and hearing their questions and concerns about how all the pieces fit together.

There is much to which we can look forward in the coming year. We are excited about moving forward with the many changes that we know will ultimately prepare our students to succeed in college, career and life.

Bill Harrison
Chairman
State Board of Education