SUPERINTENDENTS' MESSAGES 2015

MESSAGES 2015 :: JANUARY 5, 2015

JANUARY 5, 2015

Weekly Message for Superintendents: Monday, Jan. 5, 2015

The General Assembly begins the 2015 long session next week, and we look forward to working with you to advocate on behalf of students, teachers and good education practice. To make sure that information reaches you quickly about legislation, we will re-instate the weekly legislative webinars on Friday, Jan. 16, at 11 a.m. The registration and log-in information will be sent to you next Monday. If the session runs longer than the school year, we will re-evaluate the day of the week for these webinars since many districts move to a four-day work week in the summer. The budget request of the State Board of Education and Department of Public Instruction is focused on assuring that funding is improved for the essential needs of the classroom (textbooks, instructional supplies, technology) and professional development. The biennial report, which includes the budget request, will be posted on the State Board of Education website under Resources, and a hard copy is being mailed to you.

June Atkinson
State Superintendent


In this Weekly Superintendents' Message:

  1. State Board of Education Meets This Week
  2. Gov. McCrory Appoints New State Board Member
  3. Support Survey Assistance
  4. State Board of Education Task Force on Summative Assessment Study Groups to Meet
  5. 2015 NC STEM Recognition Program Application
  6. Spring 2015: Instructor-facilitated Online Courses
  7. PD MOOClet: Effective Digital Strategies for Teaching and Learning in the K-12 Classroom


State Board of Education Meets This Week

The State Board of Education will meet this Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 7-8, in the 7th Floor Board Room, Education Building, Raleigh. Action items include requests for waivers from Analysis of Student Work and North Carolina Final Exams, Global Language endorsement, course name change for Civics and Economics, and criteria for Global Ready School designation. Among the Board's discussion items are teacher observation requirements, dropout policy revision, revision to the transition plan for 10-point grading scale for students, and an update on the Digital Learning Implementation Plan. Board members also will receive presentations from their two virtual charter school pilot applicants and on Thursday, swear in their new board member, Eric Davis. The complete agenda as well as supporting executive summaries are available online at http://stateboard.ncpublicschools.gov/. The meeting is audio streamed for those who cannot attend. To listen, please visit the above link and click on the live audio streams link to the right.


Gov. McCrory Appoints New State Board Member

Gov. Pat McCrory in December appointed Eric Davis to serve on the State Board of Education. Davis is a senior vice president with Wells Fargo Corporate Real Estate Group and a member of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. He replaces Marcella Savage of Union County. His term expires March 31, 2021.


Support Survey Assistance

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) has asked the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) to gather information about how the department currently provides support and how NCDPI can better assist with instructional and other services to meet your district's needs. You should receive an email communication from SECC today inviting you to participate in a brief electronic survey. We would appreciate your participation in this survey to provide as accurate a picture as possible for our planning purposes.


State Board of Education Task Force on Summative Assessment Study Groups to Meet

The State Board of Education's Task Force on Summative Assessment's elementary, middle and high school study groups have scheduled January meetings to continue their study and discussion of state and local assessments and the drafting of recommendations to be used to enhance the process of teaching and learning to most effectively utilize assessment data. The groups also will propose models for how assessments most suitably fit within their grade configurations.

Elementary Study Group - The State Board of Education Task Force on Summative Assessment Elementary School Study Group will meet on Friday, Jan. 9, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., in Room 223, Education Building, Raleigh. The meeting also is available through GoToWebinar. To listen, please register online at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/965114185. Once registered, you will receive an email confirming your registration with information on how to join the Webinar. For additional information, please contact Lou Fabrizio at lou.fabrizio@dpi.nc.gov or 919.807.3770.

Middle School Study Group - The State Board of Education Task Force on Summative Assessment Middle School Study Group will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 13, from 2 – 5 p.m., in the 2nd Floor Superintendent's Conference Room, Education Building, Raleigh. The meeting also is available through GoToWebinar. To listen, please register online at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/657753816. Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with information on how to join the Webinar. For additional information, please contact Betsy West at betsy.west@dpi.nc.gov or 919.807.3405.

High School Study Group - The State Board of Education Task Force on Summative Assessment High School Study Group will meet on Friday, Jan. 9, from 12 – 3 p.m., in the 7th Floor State Board Lounge, Education Building, Raleigh. The meeting is available through GoToMeeting. To listen, please register online at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/508242552. Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with information on how to join the Webinar. For additional information, please contact Martez Hill at martez.hill@dpi.nc.gov or 919.807.3404.


2015 NC STEM Recognition Program Application

The North Carolina State Board of Education in November recognized 12 schools for their exemplary leadership and instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. These schools were the first set of schools to be recognized under the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's (NCDPI) STEM Recognition Program. The STEM Recognition Program provides elementary, middle and high schools an opportunity to submit an application for review describing their schools distinguished approaches to leading and learning by applying the 11 essential STEM Attributes as defined in the STEM Attribute Implementation Rubric. The 2015 Application will be available on NCDPI's STEM webpage at www.ncpublicschools.org/stem mid-January. The application deadline is April 1. Contact Tina Marcus (tina.marcus@dpi.nc.gov/) with a memo of intent if your school plans to submit an application, and to ensure you are on the STEM Application Listserv to receive information about applying and links to Webinar resources to assist you through the process. Questions also may be directed to Tina Marcus at the above email address or by calling 919.807.3423.


Spring 2015: Instructor-facilitated Online Courses

Looking for high-quality professional development and the opportunity to interact with peers? See below for a list of online instructor–facilitated courses that are being offered for Session 1: Spring 2015. These courses start Monday, Feb. 9. Registration opens Monday, Jan. 26. For a description of the courses and associated CEUs visit https://rt3nc.org/.

  • Digital Literacies in the Classroom (6 weeks)
  • Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects: Part 1 (5 weeks)
  • Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects: Part 2 (6 weeks)
  • Introduction to Data Literacy (5 weeks)
  • Data Literacy in Action (6 weeks)
  • Introduction to Universal Design for Learning (4 weeks)
  • Universal Design for Learning: Part 2 (4 weeks)
  • Connecting with our 21 Century Learners (6 weeks)
  • North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards (6 weeks)
  • Building and Sustaining PD (6 weeks)

These courses are available at no cost to North Carolina educators and will be facilitated by DPI professionals. The courses are completed entirely online. Participants are expected to meet all weekly deadlines in order to receive CEUs. Partial credit will not be given. Registration is limited to 35 participants per section. To register follow the instructions below to log into Home Base to self-register for a course. To register, follow the instructions below to log into Home Base to self-register for a course.

  • Log in to the NCEES system using your usual PowerSchool log in or the alternate log in https://ncees.homebase.ncpublicschools.gov/alternateLogin.html.
  • Click the Professional Development tab.
  • You can search for the course, or list all opportunities to find the course you wish to register for.
  • Click on the course title, then click on the section.
  • Click on the register button.
  • Directions on how to register also are available at https://ncees.homebase.ncpublicschools.gov/content/Searching%20and%20Registering%20for%20Courses.mp4 Contact Geetanjali Soni at Geetanjali.soni@dpi.nc.gov if you have any questions.


PD MOOClet: Effective Digital Strategies for Teaching and Learning in the K-12 Classroom

Due to this course's continued popularity, the NCDPI's Educator Effectiveness Division will offer another session of Effective Digital Strategies for Teaching and Learning in the K-12 Classroom: A PD MOOClet, starting Feb. 9. This six-week course (20 hours) is intended for K-12 classroom teachers and other instructional personnel. It focuses on using digital tools and strategies to support teaching and learning and enriching individuals' knowledge through developing communities of practice across the state. In this course, participants will look at the 4Cs - Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication and Collaboration; keystones for the 21st century classroom. This MOOClet:

  • is learner-centered, focusing on participants' professional needs in different disciplines and grade levels;
  • focuses on participants as creators of content as much as they are "consumers" of content;
  • involves extensive peer-to-peer communication; and
  • includes a larger number of students than a typical facilitator-led course

This course is available at no cost to North Carolina educators and will be facilitated by DPI professionals. Registration opens Monday, Jan. 26. Successful participants will receive 2 CEUs. The maximum registration is 300. To register, follow the instructions below to log into Home Base to self-register for a course:

  • Log in to the NCEES system using your usual PowerSchool log in or the alternate log in https://ncees.homebase.ncpublicschools.gov/alternateLogin.html.
  • Click the Professional Development tab.
  • You can search for the course, or list all opportunities to find the course you wish to register for.
  • Click on the course title, then click on the section.
  • Click on the register button.
  • Directions on how to register also are available at https://ncees.homebase.ncpublicschools.gov/content/Searching%20and%20Registering%20for%20Courses.mp4 Contact Geetanjali Soni at Geetanjali.soni@dpi.nc.gov if you have any questions. ​