Category Archives: NC DPI

NC Paying Out $1.5 Million Over 3 Years To 2 Contractors For Race To Top Monitoring

Posted on September 6, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

Two contracts will pay out over $1.5 million to two contractors for monitoring the Race To The Top grant, which was funded by ARRA (the Stimulus). The scope of work includes tracking of jobs created by the grant and professional development – specifically Common Core.

“Each RESA will plan, coordinate and facilitate regional trainings on the new essential standards and Common Core with regional PD leaders. NCDPI will provide facilitators for all sessions, unless otherwise noted.”

Each pay out is $762k over three years at $254k a year. The contracts are EP4821955 Northeast Region Service Alliance (Dr. Holleman) and EP4823540 Sandhills Region Service Alliance (Jim Simeon).

See the contracts and amendments here. Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core, NC DPI | Tagged , | Comments Off on NC Paying Out $1.5 Million Over 3 Years To 2 Contractors For Race To Top Monitoring

NC State Superintendent Spins Changing Testing Scoring System (Video)

Posted on September 5, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

Spin, June. Spin.

Atkinson says it was to make information more “granular”. Come again?
Tammy Howard reiterates and says the system gives more information to teachers. Really?

Both Atkinson and Howard manage to not to mention Common Core a single time. Common Core is supposed to be high reaching, but yet we have DPI moving the goal posts.

Folks, Common Core is the reason they changed the scoring after last year’s disastrous EOC’s. By changing the scoring system, no one can compare them to last year and that is the whole point — not more “granular” information.

Watch:

VIDEO

Hit the post, read more and see the video. Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core, EDUCATION, June Atkinson, NC DPI, Testing | Tagged | 2 Comments

NC Superintendent on #APUSH

Posted on September 2, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

An email exchange on the appalling changes to APUSH (AP U.S. History) was forwarded to me by NC Citizen Nancy Murdoch. With her permission I am publishing it on this blog.

Reminder: APUSH changes were driven by unqualified David Coleman — a Common Core architect.

Note Dr. Atkinson’s comment that the College Board is an outside entity and DPI has no control over it.

“The College Board develops and manages all AP courses, including AP U.S. History. Neither DPI nor the State Board of Education approve the standards or course implementation of outside organizations, including those of College Board. ”

That begs the question, why are we using this if we have no control over it and this new framework clearly undermines North Carolina’s history curriculum? What role do DPI and the State Board of Education play if not to vet and maintain quality education in North Carolina? Dr. Atkinson seems to be shrugging her shoulders here and that’s just as appalling as the changes to the APUSH framework.

KEEP READING… Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), EDUCATION, June Atkinson, NC DPI | Tagged | Comments Off on NC Superintendent on #APUSH

NC Superintendent Holding Her Own Common Core Commission

Posted on August 31, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

CCSSO President Elect and NC State Superintendent, June Atkinson, is apparently holding her own little Common Core Commission.

“So parallel to the work of this commission, we will be looking at the standards by inviting teachers who have used the standards for at least two to three years to give us input,” she said.
– Citizen Times

Oh really? Look out, we’ve got a “bearing false witness” alert here.CC June False Witness
Atkinson can’t be on the commission, so she will make sure Common Core gets a seen as superior with her hand-picked “parallel” group.

KEEP READING Continue reading →

Posted in Common Core, EDUCATION, June Atkinson, NC DPI, NC State Standards | Tagged | 3 Comments

NC Board Of Ed Plans To Stick With #APUSH

Posted on August 29, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

Right, Left and Center, the Advanced Placement U.S. History (APUSH) rewrite has come under fire. To be blunt, this rewrite is disastrous. It’s so bad, the authors of the APUSH framework have had to write a letter explaining themselves. We have one of the authors right here in NC, Ted Dickson of Providence Day School. Read the letter they wrote, then read the take down of it by Larry Krieger, a History expert with over 35 years of experience. Krieger also earned his degrees in North Carolina — B.A. and M.A.T. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and M.A. from Wake Forest University.

The framework authors aside, we have our own disaster to deal with in North Carolina. Bill Cobey, the Chairman of the NC State Board of Education, says no one has asked for APUSH be dropped (emphasis mine):

Board Chairman Bill Cobey said no one has suggested that the state kill the course.

Teachers are forwarding an email chain with advice to contact State Board of Education members. Cobey said he’s gotten some, and wants to assure the public the course will continue. – News and Observer

In one line, Cobey says no one is suggesting they kill the course. In the next one, he acknowledges he has received emails to KEEP it. Chairman Cobey is either having his cake and eating it too or pulling a Captain Literal on the reporter for the News and Observer hoping they won’t follow up. Don’t worry Bill, they won’t.

Chairman Cobey must be ignoring the resolution from New Hanover County Schools, which asks for at least a delay for APUSH and which was sent TO the State Board of Education: Continue reading →

Posted in EDUCATION, June Atkinson, NC Board Of Education, NC DPI | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Iredell Touts Improved Test Scores With “Lowered Bar”

Posted on August 29, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

You can’t make this stuff up. The headline at Statesville.com reads, “Iredell test scores improve with lowered achievement bar”.
Excerpt:
The positive numbers, though, are partly the result of a strategic decision the State Board of Education made in March to add an extra achievement level to EOG and EOC tests. For about two decades in North Carolina, students were given either a score of 1,2,3 or 4, with 3s and 4s considered passing. But in response to larger-than-expected numbers of third-graders being likely to need summer school for lack of reading on grade level per the state’s new Read to Achieve law, the State Board voted 8-4 in March to add a fifth level, and now scores of 3,4 and 5 are considered passing. Under the new system, level 3 students have “sufficient command” of the material, but level 4 and 5 students are “career and college ready.”

Well… DUH.
Of course if you lower the bar for scores it is going to look like there was improved inigoachievement. This is smoke and mirrors, folks.

KEEP READING…. Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core, EDUCATION, June Atkinson, NC DPI | Comments Off on Iredell Touts Improved Test Scores With “Lowered Bar”