NCAE State Board of Education Review October 2016 The State Board of Education met in Boone for its annual strategic planning session prior to the regular monthly meeting. Superintendent Atkinson and NC DPI created an Interagency Advisory Group last year based on a judgment from the Leandro Case, asking how the state was supporting the whole child. This group has met with a variety of stakeholder groups that offer wrap around services to school communities and has decided the best approach for supporting all children in all schools is to implement the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model based off of Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development and the National Center for Disease Control. In following this model LEAs would begin to use common language and would begin to create programs implementing and involving community support. The SBE heard from Avery, Watauga, and Caldwell leaders, who shared some best practices of community support and engagement to enhance all childrens’ lives within their school communities. Also during the planning retreat the SBE members, staff and advisors discussed issues around implementing a new ESSA plan for North Carolina as well as preparing for the 2017-19 budget cycle. If you are interested: ESSA – here are two links: http://www.ncae.org/advocacy/federal-legislation-updates-from-nea/ and http://www.ncpublicschools.org/succeeds/ State Budget Priorities discussion items https://goo.gl/l9Q8BA Special presentation from Treasure Cowell’s Office: Capacity for Financing School Construction provided some alarming news.
Action items during the State Board Meeting: 1. Approved policy revisions to the Beginning Teacher Support Program. 2. Approved the new policy based on legislation allowing adjunct faculty to teach career and technical courses in schools. 3. Approved the report to the N.C. General Assembly: Biennial Report on Read to Achieve with the following recommendations for improving the program to create successful readers: a.
b. c. d. e. f. g.
Providing Instructional Reading Coaches in all elementary schools to work with K-3 teachers on literacy best practices Expanding the number and future development of Master Literacy Trainers Expand Transitional and Accelerated Classes (report has a listing of best practices) Increase funding for pre-school Recognize the work of K-2 teachers is based on the new legislation providing bonuses to only third grade teachers, when it is clear it takes K-2 teachers to create a strong foundation for reading skills. Consider a statewide literacy campaign Calendar flexibility
4. Approved the Report to the North Carolina General Assembly: Improve K-3 Literacy Accountability Measures. This report contains a breakdown of results by LEAs. 5. Discussed at length, once again the need to increase licensure fees, as the Licensure Department is receipt driven and there is a shortage of funds to continue current operations that also include the Regional Alternative Licensure Centers. In the past, active educators renewing their license had the fee covered by the LEA, in most cases. The LEAs don’t have the funds to continue this practice and the addition of having
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NCAE SBE Review October 2016 Edition
practicing educators to cover the renewal fee is the reason for the three-month long discussion. The original proposed fee for renewing a five-year license was $55. Personal administrators, as well as teacher organizations (NCAE included), said no. This month the proposed renewal fee presented was $35. The new licensure fees were approved and are posted online at DPI. 6. Under NCLB and Race to the Top during the 2015-16 school year, the United States Department of Education (USDE) invited each State Education Agency (SEA) to submit an application for 2015-16 and 2016-17 School Improvement Grant funds. Schools eligible for funds were identified as the state’s “priority” schools that had not previously received SIG funds. Priority schools are those schools identified as follows: 1) Title I schools with “proficiency scores-Reading/Math” below 50 percent in the previous year and one of the two prior years; or 2) Title I participating or eligible (non-participating) high schools with graduation rates below 60 percent in the previous year and one of the two prior years.
There were 77 priority schools eligible for SIG funds, 17 LEAs and two charter schools applied for grants that would serve 46 schools. Nineteen school applications, representing eight LEAs, were approved. Funds will be available through September 30, 2021. The two models being used for the SIG are School Transformation and Whole School Reform.
The following bonuses will be awarded to teachers in January 2017: 7. The Legislative bonus funds pilot for teachers responsible for students meeting goals in Advance Placement and International Baccalaureate course programs was approved. Teachers can earn no more than $2,000 if student and teacher meet criteria. 8. The Legislative bonus funds pilot for teachers responsible for students meeting goals by earning credentials in CTE courses was approved. Teachers earn, per student, based on industry standard $25 or $50 per credential. 9. The Read to Achieve bonus pilot created by the General Assembly allotted $5,000,000 for bonuses to be awarded to licensed third-grade teachers who are in the top 25 percent of teachers in the state, according to the EVAAS student growth index score for third-grade reading from the previous year. These funds shall be allocated equally among qualifying teachers. The General Assembly allotted $5,000,000 to pay bonuses to licensed third-grade teachers who are in the top 25 percent of teachers in their respective LEA, according to the EVAAS student growth index score for third-grade reading from the previous year. These funds shall be split proportionally based on average daily membership for each local school administrative unit and then distributed equally among qualifying teachers in each LEA. The teachers must be teaching third grade in the same school as last year to be eligible for the R2A bonus.
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NCAE SBE Review October 2016 Edition