SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: State Superintendent June Atkinson shared in her report that NC schools have safety plans, emergency management plans, Black boxes, and new schools are designed to ensure safe movement for students in case of an emergency. Several Board Advisors shared how their schools have outside doors that are locked and every one must enter through the front door and check-in with the main office. Most classroom doors are locked during the school day. DPI will collect more data on school safety issues.
NCAE SBE Review J A N U A R Y
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Legislative Report on School Performance Grades is Approved The NC General Assembly Session Law of 2012 included specific reporting requirements for School Performance Grades using A to F for both traditional and charter public schools, to be implemented this 2013 school year. NCAE opposed and lobbied against this proposal. The SBE has discussed and reviewed the report and the recommendations of the NC DPI, which were approved. The recommendations are based on the past state accountability programs, conversations with Superintendents, and the recent work of ACRE, and Every Student READY. NC DPI agrees with
the legislative mandate that schools must close the achievement gaps, increase graduation rates, and have students be ready for career or college.
subjects and have a mean score. PLUS the SBE already has a school rating system using performance and growth measures on assessments and other criteria.
The SBE, as is NCAE, concerned over using a simple grading scale for a complex issue of school performance. Not every school measure can be calculated using a 10-point scale. For example, the ACT “silver” rating score of 67 would equate to an F on the proposed system. The staff at NC DPI hope to use an average of the scores with grades and
The report contains the following recommendations: 1.
Phase in the implementation of performance ratings.
2.
The SBE have the authority for creating a continuous improvement system.
3.
Create a scale and element recommendation based on real elements.
Order of the Long Leaf Pine Awarded to Past NCAE President, Carolyn Wallace Nelson of Perquimans County was recognized as the 2013 Dingman Award winner. He will represent Local School Boards on the State Board as an advisor.
Carolyn McKinney, former state NCAE president, classroom teacher, and NCAE Terry Sanford Award winner received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in honor of her service to North Carolina. Carolyn also served on the NCAE Board of Directors, NC Public School Forum Board, the NC Teacher Academy Board, Governor’s Teacher Advisory Committee, and served as executive director for the NC Professional Teaching Commission before retiring in 2011.
NCAE Center for Instructional Advocacy and Organizing
Treasurer Cowell, Lt. Gov. Forrest, Superintendent Atkinson, McKinney, SBE Chairman Harrison, Vice Chair McDevitt
January 2013
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Other Actions by the State Board 1. Approved various items related to charter schools. Several schools received charter renewals for three to 10 years, some schools received grade or enrollment expansions and some were denied the expansions. 2. After several months of discussion and feedback from stakeholder groups and major changes to the original draft policy for Virtual Charter Schools, the SBE approved the policy for virtual charters. Some of the policy items will help
Received as information the items that will be included in the Institution of Higher Education report card. The new report includes a snap shot of the following : 1. Special characteristics of the school 2. Accreditation process 3. Student/Faculty data 4. Transition into the classroom 5. Public school partnerships 6. Effectiveness of graduates the first two years in the classroom.
ensure accountability. Items NCAE was glad to see included are: virtual charter schools can serve only grades 6-12, the SBE will have final approval on virtual schools, virtual schools must share their application will all LEAs impacted, the school must completed the mandatory planning year, the renewal process will be for three years, not 10, and class size ratio will be 1:50. 3. Received the annual report from the State Advisory Council on Indian Affairs. 4. Received information on Healthy Active Children Policy where 112 of 115 LEAs provided the requested data. 5. Received the following information on Crime and Violence in schools, Suspension and Expulsion rates, as well as Dropout Rates and Counts for the 2011-12 school year. Assault on school personnel went up from 1,156 acts to 1,212 acts. This is one act that is not be tolerated, as the act does not have to be one that causes physical harm to be recorded or dealt with by administration. Other acts that had increases were sexual offenses, serious injury, burning of school property, and rape. Short-term suspension rates, as in previous years is the highest among ninth grade black males. There are 12 LEAs that still use corporal punishment and 404 incidents were reported. The annual dropout rate decreased from 3.43 to 3.01 percentage. Grade 10 has the highest percentage of dropouts. 6. Received information from a study conducted by Wake Forest University on DPI iTunesU. Teachers are not using the NC DPI iTunesU as the Department had hoped. Some of the reasons included time, equipment, and lack of knowledge on topics covered by the technology. If you are not familiar with the free resource to assist in lessons of history, or PD sessions you missed that might be helpful o you, check out: http://wwwncpublicschools.org/itunesu/
NCAE
SBE
REVIEW
NCAE Center for Instructional Advocacy and Organizing
January 2013