The following is a press release from Public Schools of North Carolina
Educators, parents, students and other stakeholders of North Carolina’s public schools are invited to attend six public comment sessions scheduled for April and May across the state. Public input is being sought by NC Department of Public Instruction staff to help guide development of the state’s plan for complying with the new federal education law, a re-authorization of the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is the new federal education law approved in December 2015 to replace No Child Left Behind. States are required to develop their own ESSA plan to comply with the federal law. The state plan will address issues of school accountability, student assessments, support for struggling schools and other elements.
The new law continues to focus on accountability and student-level assessments for all students in reading and mathematics in grades 3-8, science assessments at least once in the elementary grades and at least once in the middle grades, college and career readiness in the high school grades, and being accountable for all student subgroups.
The state’s accountability plan must include goals for academic indicators (improved academic achievement on the state assessments, a measure of student growth or other statewide academic indicator for elementary and middle schools, graduation rates for high schools, and progress in achieving proficiency for English Learners) and a measure of school quality and student success (examples include student and educator engagement, access and completion of advanced coursework, postsecondary readiness, school climate and safety). Participation rates on the assessments must also be included in the plan. More information on ESSA is available online.
Schedule of Public Input Sessions:
Please note that each session will be held from 4-6 p.m. Anyone may attend a session in any region. Audience members who want to speak (up to 3 minutes) will be asked to sign in and are invited (but not required) to bring a copy of their remarks to submit into the record of the event. A recording and notes from each session also will be taken.
Wednesday, April 13: Ashley High School, 555 Halyburton Memorial Parkway, Wilmington
Thursday, April 21: Green Hope High School, 2500 Carpenter Upchurch Road, Cary
Tuesday, April 26: Mallard Creed High School, 3825 Johnston Center Road, Charlotte
Wednesday, April 27: North Pitt High School, 5659 NC Highway, Bethel
Tuesday, May 17: East Forsyth High School, 2500 W. Mountain Street, Kernersville
Wednesday, May 18: Charles D. Owen High School, 99 Lake Eden Road, Black Mountain
In addition, the public is invited to submit comments to the Department of Public Instruction through Let’s Talk. Simply click on the Let’s Talk link on the NCDPI website then select the ESSA dialogue topic.
Questions regarding the sessions may be directed to NCDPI Communications at 919.807.3450.
