North Carolina Administrators’ ESSA-Aligned Guide to Planning for the New School Year
North Carolina Administrators’ ESSA-Aligned Guide to Planning for the New School Year
It’s hard to believe that planning for the upcoming school year is already on the horizon for district and school administrators. To support that process, we've curated a list of our best resources aligned to goals outlined by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and the North Carolina ESSA plan.
Goal: Boost Academic Achievement
In North Carolina, academic achievement makes up the vast majority of the scoring in how schools and districts are held accountable. As you consider your approach to supporting students, utilize the following guides to take a fresh approach to your instructional programs or refine your current practices.
3 Ways North Carolina Educators are Preparing for EOG and EOC Assessments
Earlier this spring, I spoke to Sarah Starr, the North Carolina education consultant to learn more about how three different districts are preparing for EOG and EOC assessments in order to support academic achievement. Read more about what actions real NC schools are taking.
Frequent, standards-based formative assessments are a critical piece of effective data-driven instruction. Our workbook provides a framework for implementing formative assessments throughout the lesson cycle. The planning forms and data-tracking worksheets can be used across multiple subjects and grade levels.
Online curriculum can open up a world of college- and career-focused courses to students that their schools may not otherwise be able to offer, including Advanced Placement®, CTE, SAT®, ACT®, and ACT WorkKeys® assessment preparation. Our online curriculum guide discusses several different ways that online curriculum can be used, and it even includes a worksheet to guide the process of identifying a provider that meets your needs.
A virtual implementation may help your school or district offer more flexible and expansive course options to serve populations in need. Use this workbook to evaluate if a virtual implementation is the best option for your school and get guidance on developing a program and selecting a digital provider.
Goal: Drive English Language Proficiency
Solid command of the English language provides students with access to learn content in the areas of reading, math, and science. English language learner expectations have been raised with changes to the English language proficiency assessment, WIDA ACCESS for ELLs 2.0®, used by North Carolina. The following tools provide strategies for helping all students achieve growth, as well as for meeting the needs of special student populations.
This collection of blog posts addresses topics like back-to-school strategies to support ELLS, ways to prepare ELLS for high-stakes assessments, and more.
Special Populations Program Planning Worksheet
Use this worksheet to plan programs to address the needs of special populations of students.
Supporting North Carolina ELs with WIDA-Correlated Programs
Learn more about EL requirements in North Carolina and proven programs that have received WIDA PRIME V2 Correlations, following rigorous, independent reviews.
Goal: Improve Graduation Rates
North Carolina has a 10-year goal of raising the four-year cohort graduation rate from 85.9% to 95.0%—equating to nearly 1% increase each year. Make sure that your school has a credit recovery program in place so that all students can see a path toward graduation.
Meeting and Exceeding North Carolina Graduation Requirements
When the North Carolina State Board of Education raises graduation requirements with more focused diploma endorsements, make sure you have proven courseware to help students succeed. Learn more about required North Carolina courses and valid and rigorous course development processes to ensure the curriculum you’re using is top notch.
Our credit recovery worksheet will show you how to set up a new program or enhance your current credit recovery offering for both learners on a four-year track or even those that require an additional year for graduation (which is another reported metric by the NCDPI; however, the extended graduation rate is not a part of the Graduation Rate indicator).
Goal: Promote Student Growth
In North Carolina, growth is measured by Educator Value Added Assessment System (EVAAS), a value-added growth model that includes performance on ELA and math state assessments. With the growth weight making up 20% of ESSA accountability scoring, ensuring that students continue to close skill gaps and make consistent progress is critical to school success. Consider blended and individualized learning approaches to meet students where they are. The following three resources will surely set you on the right path.
Personalized Learning Workbook
Personalized learning allows educators to meet the varying needs of all learners, improving learning outcomes. This workbook takes the guesswork out of personalized learning by providing a step-by-step plan from development to implementation.
Bring the best parts of online learning and traditional instruction together in a blended learning program. Blended learning programs come in many forms and enable scalable personalized learning. Use this workbook to get your district’s or school's blended learning program started.
It’s a well-known fact that a strong foundation in literacy is key to future academic success in any subject. This workbook evaluates the many facets of structuring an effective, research-based reading and language arts block and helps you select the appropriate technology tools to support your approach.
Looking for online programs to help your school or district improve outcomes for all students? Check out Edmentum's suite of K–12 evidence-based assessments and digital curriculum, and see why 8,000 districts in the nation partner with us.
This blog post was originally published on June 8, 2018.
