Report to Joint Legislative EducationOversight Committee

February 13, 2008

North Carolina Teacher AcademyMission Statement

The North Carolina Teacher Academy is aprofessional development program for teachersestablished and funded by the North CarolinaGeneral Assembly. The mission of the TeacherAcademy is to enrich instruction and impactstudent achievement by supporting the growthand retention of highly qualified teachersthrough research-based professionaldevelopment in the areas of school leadership,instructional methodology, core content, andtechnology.

North Carolina Teacher AcademyProfessional Development Standards

• Process StandardsProfessional development maximizes student growth by using disaggregated data to identifylearning priorities and structure school improvement plans; fosters leadership by promotingcollaborative decision-making and providing ultimate working conditions for sustainingcultural changes; and uses multiple assessment processes for monitoring and evaluatingschool progress.

• Context StandardsProfessional development maximizes student growth by creating learning communities thatcelebrate student diversity and cultural differences; establishes a context for buildingsignificant relationships and institutionalizes high expectations; and maintains safe andorderly school environments that illustrate citizenry needed to function in a global society.

• Content StandardsProfessional development maximizes student growth by meeting rigorous academicstandards; deepens content knowledge by implementing researched-based instructionalstrategies, technological competencies, and integrated curricula; and encourages academicautonomy and life-long learning.

• Differentiation StandardsProfessional development maximizes student growth by improving teacher identification oflearning modalities; employs pedagogical methods designed to differentiate instruction for allstudents; and incorporates a variety of approaches to engage all students in the learningprocess.

• Professional Support StandardsProfessional development maximizes student growth by providing learning opportunities tosupport the recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers; invests in the developmentof initially licensed and lateral entry teachers through mentoring; and supports experiencedteachers in earning National Board Certification.

Standards for Systemic SchoolChange

ProcessStandards

Data Analysis

Teacher Leadership

ContextStandards

Culture ofPoverty

ClassroomManagement

ContentStandards

Mathematics

Literacy

CurriculumIntegration

DifferentiationStandards

MultipleIntelligences

MindfulInstruction

LearningStyles

EnglishLanguageLearners

CooperativeLearning

ProfessionalSupport Standards

NationalBoard Support

Mentoring

CurriculumMapping

Science

Technology

ClassroomStrategies

DifferentiatedInstruction

School Improvementand Change

Three Program Delivery Models

• Summer Residential Academy

• LEA/NCTA Partnership Academy

• Local Professional Developmentoffered during the school year

• Creating Professional WorkplacesBuilding Professional Learning CommunitiesCreating a Culture to Retain Teachers and Promote Student GrowthMapping and Integrating CurriculumUsing Data to Build Classroom Learning CommunitiesMentoring to Support Beginning TeachersClassroom Management: Discipline, Expectations, and Relationships

• Differentiated LearningCooperative Learning: A Researched “Best Practice” to maximize Student LearningCooperative Learning in the Math ClassroomMindful Instruction: Using Brain Research to Redesign Classroom InstructionUsing Learning Styles to Improve Student AchievementUsing Multiple Intelligences to Individualize Instruction

• DiversityChanging Minds, Changing Futures: Motivation Children in PovertyRaising Elementary ESL Student AchievementRaising Secondary ELL Student Achievement

• Instructional TechnologyHandheld Computing, Digital Essays, and Online LearningTechnology Literacy for 21st Century Schools

• LiteracyCritical Components for Early Reading (K-2)Engaging Students in Literacy LearningInformational Text: Linking Learners to the WorldLiteracy Strategies to Increase Student AchievementReading in the Content Areas

• MathematicsDeveloping Proportional Reasoning in the Middle Grades

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Summer Academies Local Professional Development

2006-2007 Teacher AcademyParticipation in Each Module

Number of Teachers Served atSummer Academies

From its opening session in July,1994 through the 2006-2007 fiscalyear, the Teacher Academy hastrained 39,418 teachers andprincipals during summer academies,representing 1,783 schools (78%)from every local education agency inNorth Carolina.

Currently the North Carolina Teacher Academyemploys 203 teachers as trainers in the following

content areas:

37Middle School Math

27National Board Facilitation

21Using Data

21Technology

26Creating Professional Workplaces

33Early Literacy

16Mentor

18Literacy

14Integrating the Curriculum

28Framework for Understanding Poverty

45Raising ESL Student Achievement

60Differentiated Instruction

50Classroom Management

16Adolescent Literacy; Reading in the Content Area

Number of TrainersType of trainer

North Carolina Counties withTeacher Academy Trainers

Determining the Needs of NorthCarolina Teachers

• Every five years, classroom teachers completesurveys suggesting areas of professionaldevelopment need.

• The 2006 Teacher Working Conditions Surveyprovided professional development questions(75,000 teacher responses).

• Annual summer program evaluation suggestions

• North Carolina State Board of Educationinitiatives

• Legislative mandates

Promotion of Teacher AcademyServices

• Every school and district office receive annual mailings ofthe Staff Development Catalog and Summer Academyofferings

• The Staff Development Catalog and Summer Applicationare posted on the Teacher Academy webpagehttp://www.teacheracademy.org

• Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation's Professional DevelopmentInitiative.

http://www.learnnc.org/pddir/

• Presentations at North Carolina Professional Conferences

Assessment of Teacher AcademyEffectiveness

Utilization of Thomas Guskey’s assessment model– Level 1

• Did teachers like the program? (measured by immediatesurvey)

– Level 2• Did teachers learn anything? (measured by evaluation

instrument)

– Level 3• Did teachers use the strategies? (measured by Action Plan and

follow-ups)

– Level 4• Did teachers have the support that they needed to implement

the strategies? (reported in Action Plan as successes andbarriers)

– Level 5• Has student performance been impacted? (whole school data

gathered from ABC’s, but not individual teacher scores)

Guskey, T. (2002). Does it make a difference? Evaluating professional development. Educational Leadership22(3), 45-51.

Assessment Measures

Utilization of Brinkerhoff Success CaseMethod of Assessment

Teachers who have implemented thestrategies, report on changes in student skillsand performance in final responses to ActionPlans developed the previous summer.Anecdotal evidence is provided by teachers.

Brinkerhoff, R. (2003). The success case method: Find out quickly what’s working and what’s not. SanFrancisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publications, Inc.

Collaborative Efforts of the NorthCarolina Teacher Academy

• All Students Succeed with Excellent Teachers (DuplinCounty, Lexington City, Montgomery County, Swain County(with CSLD)

• Services for Disadvantaged Student Supplemental FundingDistricts (Edgecombe, Elizabeth City/Pasquotank, Franklin,Halifax, Hertford, Hoke, Hyde, Lexington City, Montgomery,Northampton, Robeson, Thomasville City, Vance, Warren,Washington, Weldon City)

• Teacher Working Conditions with NC Professional TeachingStandards Commission

• Twenty First Century Literacy Coach initiative

• Public School Forum of North Carolina Collaborative Project

• Center for Teaching Quality (proposed)