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For immediate release

Sept. 22, 2022

Survey Seeks Input on Model for Measuring School Quality

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is beginning a process to overhaul school performance grades and is seeking public input through a new survey. The state’s A-F performance grades were developed so communities could better understand the quality of North Carolina’s public schools, but a growing consensus has led many to believe that the current model does not accurately reflect all aspects of school quality because it puts too much weight on student achievement as determined by high-stakes testing.

Launching today is a survey designed in partnership with Education NC (EdNC), an independent news and data source, to gather feedback from critical stakeholders including parents, educators, students, and community members about the state’s current school grading approach and how school quality might be better measured. This survey is the first step of a three-phase approach, which includes research, design and implementation. The public is encouraged to complete the survey.

Since 2013-14 school year, North Carolina public schools, including charters, have received an A-F letter grade that reflects school performance measured primarily by student performance on the state’s End of Grade (EOG) and End of Course (EOC) exams. Under state law, grades are based on each school’s achievement score (weight of 80%) and each school’s students’ academic growth (weight of 20%). The total school performance score is then converted to a 100-point scale and then used to determine a school performance grade of A, B, C, D or F.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt said changes to the school grading system are needed not only to measure school performance more accurately, but also to help drive better student outcomes since accountability measures have a strong influence on the priorities for teaching and learning in schools.

“School performance grades are really about school quality, but right now the model overemphasizes student test scores while not accounting for the other ways schools are preparing students for post-secondary success,” Truitt said. “The model should incorporate other important metrics – not just high-stakes student testing – to redefine school quality. This survey is the first step of many, as we look to solicit feedback from across the state and select indicators that help paint a more complete picture of school quality. We hope that parents, community members and educators will give of their time to complete it.”

A working group convened earlier this month to begin discussions on redesigning the state's school performance grades. The group’s initial meeting was facilitated by the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment and involved a wide range of stakeholders, including public school superintendents, public charter school leaders, the 2022 North Carolina Principal and Teacher of the Year, district accountability leaders, UNC and NC Community College representatives, the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, legislators, and representatives from Best NC, myFutureNC, the NC Chamber of Commerce, the Department of Commerce and the Governor’s Office. 

While any new model must comply with federal requirements, additional indicators and measures can be included to better reflect North Carolina’s priorities and values and balance the model’s current metrics of growth and testing. During the working group meeting, members discussed many potential indicators outside of test scores that could be included, such as school climate, school safety, parent engagement, and career/college readiness. 

The public survey will be used to gather feedback for a proposed draft of initial indicators while also providing the opportunity for feedback on indicators not yet considered.

The school performance grade redesign effort has its roots in Operation Polaris, the agency’s four-year strategic plan Truitt launched in September of 2021. That plan includes a goal to develop a multi-measure model of school performance that places greater emphasis on North Carolina educational values.

“While academic proficiency in our schools remains of utmost importance, there are other indicators that should be considered in the overall model,” said Deputy Superintendent Michael Maher, who oversees the Office of Innovation, which is charged with the school performance grade redesign work. “This process is heavily focused on feedback so that we can learn what North Carolinians deem important that should be considered when determining the quality of a school.”

The survey, published today, will remain open until October 10. Once the survey closes, the results will be posted publicly. NCDPI and the Accountability working group will then begin conducting feedback sessions with key stakeholder groups, both in person and virtually, to continue discussions and to help refine the list of potential indicators.

Margaret Stancil Professional Development Award Committee

Stephanie Light - Chair

The Margaret Stancil Professional Development Award Committee would like to announce the Fall 2022 application period is open through October 10, 2022. The purpose of this award is to provide funding for professional development opportunities. Past recipients have used this financial assistance to attend state and national conferences to enhance their instruction and further their professional growth.

Please share the following link (which contains award information and application) with any Craven or Pamlico County educators:

https://forms.gle/NMASK1PUC1wDiNDA6

You, as well as your colleagues, are encouraged to apply in Craven and Pamlico counties! 

Contact Stephanie Light unangst.light@gamil.com if you have questions. 

Reminder: Alternative Modules

This is a reminder alternative licensed teachers must complete and submit their required modules by September 30th. Please let Dr. Dawson know if you have any questions.

DISTRICT SUPPORT SERVICES STAFF

We have compiled all of the District Support Services Staff on one spreadsheet in order to ensure all staff members know who is supporting their school from the various departments.  

District Support Services Staff (2022-23)

We hope you will find this helpful.

EVAAS 2022 Fall Virtual Training Opportunities 

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has partnered with SAS® EVAAS to provide dynamic, collaborative, virtual training for all EVAAS users. In each session, discover how you can use redesigned reports to inform decisions that impact students,  educators, and schools. This half-day training will provide engaging opportunities for the exploration of new features. Multiple training dates are available, so choose the one that is most convenient for you. Please register for the session of your choice using the link provided. Once registered, you will receive an email with the training link.

Option 1: November 2; 8 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Option 2: November 3; 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Option 3: November 7; 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Option 4: November 8; 4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Lexile® and Quantile® Hub Training Sessions 2022-23

NCDPI is offering a series of Webex training sessions on the Lexile® and Quantile® Hub, a free tool for all NC educators.  Training sessions provide a quick tour and some hands-on time to explore the Lexile® and Quantile® Hub, a “one-stop shop” for Lexile and Quantile tools for students, parents, and educators.

mClass Testing for Grades K-3

September 7 - 27

• All Reading Retained students will complete the 3rd Grade Measures
• All students in Grades 4-5 will complete Oral Reading Fluency, Oral Language, and MAZE.

4th and 5th Grade students should be populated by NCDPI on Tuesday, September 27.  The deadline for testing these students will be October 21.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15 to October 15 

A law (signed by President  Lyndon B. Johnson and then expanded by Ronald Reagan) designates September 15 to October 15 of each year as National Hispanic Heritage Month.

National Hispanic Heritage Month provides us the opportunity to recognize, celebrate, and honor the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

To learn more, visit HispanicHeritageMonth.gov, which is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

We are excited to share with you the announcement of the 15^th Annual Hispanic Heritage Essay Contest, sponsored by Optimum and TelevisaUnivision. This year, we are asking middle and high school students to think about Hispanics that have made, or are making, connections within their communities. Prizes include a $3,000 scholarship and iPads! 

The contest begins today (9/15) and submissions will be accepted through October 31.  Also this year, we have a special gift for the teachers who sponsor the most entries!  More information including the official rules can be found

here: www.Optimum.com/HHM. 

Integrating the NC ELD Standards in the Content Classroom PD Offerings

Support PD - Collaboration (Regular Ed and English Language Development)

This school year marks PSUs' initial implementation of the NC ELD Standard Course of Study. Our team is offering state-wide professional learning with a focus on integrating the ELD Standards into Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, and ELA for the 22-23 school year. Both content area educators and language educators are encouraged to attend.

Register for the following sessions at bit.ly/SupportPD22-23

• Mathematics (September 30, 2022)
• Social Studies (October 4, 2022)
• Science (November 16, 2022)
• ELA (January 16, 2023)

The assessment window for students in Grades K-12 is now open.  Here is a list of the assessments that need to be completed by grade level and content area.

 Kindergarten (Math)

●  Number Naming Fluency

●  Quantity Total Fluency

●  Quantity Difference Fluency

●  Concepts and Applications 

First Grade (Math)

●  Concepts and Applications

●  Number Comparison Fluency-Pairs

●  Math Facts Fluency - One Digit

●  Math Facts Fluency - Tens 

Math Grades 2-12 (EC students only in Grades 9-12)

●  Concepts and Applications

●  Number Comparison Fluency - Triads

●  Mental Computation Fluency 

Reading Grades 6-12 (EC students only in Grades 9-12)

●  Oral Reading Fluency (only if prompted)

●  Vocabulary

●  Reading Comprehension

●  Silent Reading Fluency 

Please contact your principal or your lead aimswebPlus trainer(s) if you have any questions regarding this information.

Craven Cyber Smarts

Digital Media Balance and Well-Being is an important part of managing our digital lives. We have created a 15-minute activity for each grade level. 

Click here for access.

FREE Online Professional Development for Teachers!

Amplifying Statistics and Data Science in Classrooms

Our world is rich with data sources, and today’s media is flooded with graphs  and data that require data literate citizens. Technology makes data more accessible than ever before, and statistics and data science skills can help students be ready for data-intensive STEM careers.

Amplifying Statistics and Data Science in Classrooms is a new set of FREE online modules that help educators in grades 6-12:

● Develop strategies for using an investigation cycle to teach statistics and data science

● Ignite students' interest in real world data investigations with technology

● Emphasize inferential reasoning through posing different types of investigative questions

● Earn certificates for up to 40 hrs to apply to CEUs.

Activities and strategies can help you meet the NC statistics standards in grades 6-8, Math 1, 2, 3, AP Statistics, and the new Math 4 course!

Learn more and register at http://go.ncsu.edu/amplifystats

Use this flyer to share the opportunity with colleagues.

Once registered, you will always have access to learn at your own pace.

If you have questions or may be interested in having a team of teachers work together with the online modules, contact lead instructors from NC State:

Dr. Hollylynne Lee: hollylynne@ncsu.edu

Dr. Gemma Mojica: gmmojica@ncsu.edu