SUPERINTENDENTS' MESSAGES 2013

MARCH 4, 2013

Weekly Message for Superintendents: Monday, Mar. 4, 2013

As we build the agenda for the March 19 quarterly meeting, we plan to focus on Home Base, the suite of technology tools being implemented between now and the fall of 2014. I know that you have questions about how to plan for local purchases in light of the offerings in Home Base and how to design local professional development calendars and set policies to guide the best use of the new technology tools. If you have other key topics that you would like included in the upcoming meeting or in the summer leadership meeting, please reply to this e-mail with those ideas and we will consider those as we finalize plans for the March meeting as well as the one in June.

June Atkinson
State Superintendent

In this Weekly Superintendents' Message:

1. State Board Meets This Week
2. Superintendents' Quarterly Meeting Registration Reminder
3. Grades 6-12 Credit by Demonstrated Mastery Survey
4. Public Notice for Participation and Comments on the North Carolina Application for Grant Award Under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as Amended in 2004 for Federal FY 2013
5. Friday Legislative/Budget Update Webinar Reminder
6. #NCed Chat Allows Teachers to Collaborate Statewide
7. Finance Officers' Newsletter Online
8. Exceptional Performance Earns National Recognition for Three Middle Schools
9. NCCSM Offers Tuition-Free Courses

State Board Meets This Week

The State Board of Education will meet this Wednesday and Thursday, March 5-6, in the 7th Floor Board Room, Education Building, Raleigh. Board action items include implementation of the General Assembly’s Read to Achieve Program, the 2013 invitation to submit textbooks for evaluation and adoption in North Carolina, changes to policy providing annual performance standards under the READY model, school improvement plans for the NC Residential Schools for the Deaf and Blind, new licensure areas in undergraduate and graduate traditional programs, and final approval for charter school applicants. Discussion items include a proposed NC Community College System Policy using high school transcript GPA and/or standardized test scores for placement, Educator Effectiveness policies for the 2013 school year, criteria for Race to the Top Bonus payments to certified personnel in persistently low-performing schools, and an evaluation report on the Regional Leadership Academy. The complete agenda as well as supporting executive summaries are available online at http://stateboard.ncpublicschools.gov/ (click on SBE Meetings then Meetings). The meeting is audio streamed for those who cannot attend. To listen in, please visit the above link and click on the live audio streams link to the right.

Superintendents' Quarterly Meeting Registration Reminder

Just a quick reminder that your registration form to attend the March 19 Superintendents’ Quarterly meeting is due March 11. If you have not completed the form, please do so and send to Joyce Myers via e-mail (joyce.myers@dpi.nc.gov) or fax (919.807.3481). The Superintendents' Quarterly Meeting is being held in conjunction with the North Carolina Association of School Administrators’ (NCASA) Annual Conference at the Raleigh Convention Center.

Grades 6-12 Credit by Demonstrated Mastery Survey

NCDPI Academic Services has opened a short survey instrument on the new State Board of Education Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) policy. This policy goes into effect in 2013-14 with the understanding that most LEAs will implement the policy in spring 2014, impacting student placement in courses in fall 2014. 

   This voluntary survey is designed for superintendents, curriculum and instruction leaders, principals, Academically Gifted staff, and counselors as well as anyone else who will help manage or participate in the implementation of this policy. Responses should be completed by 5 p.m., March 15. The survey is short and should take only 5-10 minutes to complete but your feedback will be invaluable as the CDM Committee begins crafting the guidelines for policy implementation as required by the Board. The Committee, made up of NCDPI, NCVPS and school district personnel, expects to complete and distribute the guidelines document this summer. 

If you would like to offer your input to this process, please visit https://s.zoomerang.com/s/CDMSurvey201 . If you have questions about this survey, please contact Rob Hines at 919.807.3244 or Sneha Shah-Coltrane at 919.807.3849. 

Public Notice for Participation and Comments on the North Carolina Application for Grant Award Under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as Amended in 2004 for Federal FY 2013

The NCDPI is making available its annual State Application for receiving grant award under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as amended in 2004. The proposed application will be available for public review March 7-May 5. Comments will be accepted March 21-April 21.  A copy of the State Application will be available on the NCDPI website at http://ec.ncpublicschools.gov under “For Your Information.”  Also, each LEA will receive a copy of the State Application for public review. Interested citizens may submit comments via e-mail to IDEAGrant2013@dpi.nc.gov or by mail to: NCDPI, Exceptional Children Division, ATTN:  Valerie Herndon/Ira Wolfe, 6356 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-6356.

Friday Legislative/Budget Update Webinar Reminder

Just a quick reminder that the next legislative webinar will be held this Friday from 11a.m. – noon. To register, please visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/139115257. Once you register you will receive an e-mail with participation instructions. Please remember that any materials discussed in the webinar as well as the audio/video from the webinar will be posted online at www.ncpublicschools.org/superintendents.

#NCed Chat Allows Teachers to Collaborate Statewide

#NCed Chat is a new bi-weekly Twitter chat for North Carolina educators. #NCed Chat will provide an opportunity for North Carolina educators to grow and develop their personal learning network (PLN) by connecting with other NC educators throughout the state. The chat will create a forum for North Carolina educators to come together once every other week in a public Twitter conversation around topics that pertain to their work and connect with other educators with similar interests. School and district level practitioners will moderate the chats.

The first chat is Tuesday, March 26, from 8 - 9 pm. The topic is the 4Cs of 21st Century Learning.  Andrew Thomasson, a high school English teacher from Gaston County, will lead the discussion, co-moderating with Region 7 Professional Development Lead Heather Mullins of the NCDPI Educator Effectiveness Division.

For more information on how to participate, please visit https://smore.com/gg3f . If you have additional questions, please contact Lynne Johnson, Educator Effectiveness Division director, at Lynne.Johnson@dpi.nc.gov.    

Finance Officers' Newsletter Online

The March 1 edition of the Finance Officers’ newsletter is online and contains the following items: Sequestration Update, Textbooks, FY 2014 Planning Allotments, Voluntary Shared Leave Reporting Update, UERS Data Transfer Schedule for LEAs and Charter Schools for FY 2012-13, and Cash Management and MSA Training – LEAs. To read more, please go to the NCDPI's Financial and Business Services Web site at www.ncpublicschools.org/fbs and click on Resources, then Newsletters.

Exceptional Performance Earns National Recognition for Three Middle Schools

A.L. Stanback Middle School (Orange County), Hamlet Middle School (Richmond County), and Randleman Middle School (Randolph County) are the latest North Carolina middle schools to be named Schools to Watch by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. They were recognized because of their emphasis on strong academics, sensitivity to young adolescents’ needs and interests, and commitment to providing all students equal access to a high-quality education. To read more about their selection and what it all means, please visit www.ncpublicschools.org and click on the appropriate link under “News.”

NCCSM Offers Tuition-Free Courses

Registration is now open for tuition-free courses from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, delivered via interactive videoconference. These courses, which include honors and Advanced Placement courses in mathematics, engineering, physics, environmental science, and biology, meet daily with a NCSSM instructor, all while the students remain on their local school campus. The catalog of 2013-14 offerings and registration forms are available at http://www.ncssm.edu/learn/ . Contact Ross White, dean of Distance Education, at rosswhite@ncssm.edu or 919/416-2833 with questions about courses, registration, or adding your school as a videoconference site.