NC Pathways to Excellence for �Teaching Professionals

Presentation to the Personnel Administrators of North Carolina

April 24^th, 2023

Van Dempsey, PEPSC Chair

Dean, Watson College of Education, UNC Wilmington

Under NC General Statute Section 115C-268.5 (a) all rules development and recommendations come to PEPSC

1. All aspects of the educator preparation programs.
2. All aspects of professional standards for North Carolina educators.
3. Provide recommendations as requested to the State Board of Education related to the educator preparation programs and professional standards of North Carolina educators.

Powers and duties of PEPSC relative to the Professional Pathways development

Overview

• The base “Pathways” model draft (2/21 – 11/22; ongoing)
• Current architecture -- tensions and juxtapositions
• Design elements for the profession in the draft framework
• “Blueprint for Action” synthesis of the Pathways draft framework (11/22)
• Pilot components -- The recommendations “briefs” and supplemental information for pilot areas (12/8 forward)
• PEPSC “briefs” report to SBE 2/16/23
• NC State Board of Education action 3/3/23

Blueprint for Action (Approved by PEPSC Nov 2022)

1. Build the professional framework around articulated standards of practice (i.e., INTASC) with clear expectations for progression in attainment of the professional knowledge base. 
2. Build analysis and assessment of practice from a base of multiple evidence points in practice with responsible application as to how each informs practice.
3. Create advanced and lead teacher roles to support teachers in professional learning, practice, and progression in the profession. 
4. Build licensure around evidence of attainment of the knowledge base of practice appropriate to the purpose of the license.
5. Create and adopt valid and reliable tools to analyze and assess practice and its impact on student learning

A cornerstone of the professional knowledge base and the ability to make explicit the practices that positively impacts student learning.

Blueprint for Action

6. Build on existing assets in identified professional knowledge bases and structures that correlate to positive impact on teacher practice and student learning

Including the collaborative knowledge base that exists in EPPs and the partnerships between schools, districts and higher education. 

7. Develop new professional learning tools and structures that give flexibility in access to the professional knowledge base, evidence of having attained it, and evidence of applying it successfully in practice.
8. Articulate clear distinctions across pathway entry points and progression focused on successful entry into the profession and transition to fully autonomous professionals.
9. Build and fund a compensation and reward model that reflects the importance and value of the teaching profession, and that attracts and retains people in the profession. 
10. Secure funding to support the infrastructure of the framework as well as its discrete components. 

SBE Request to PEPSC -- Pilot Recommendations (Dec 2022):

SBE identified four areas to begin development of pilots

Requested that PEPSC make recommendations related to policies, rules and statute necessary to implement field testing or piloting for the following:

1. Advance teaching and leader roles (Blueprint item #3);
2. Student Impact Measures (Blueprint item #5);
3. New pathway entry points (Blueprint item #8): and
4. New professional learning tools and structures for beginning and experienced teachers (Blueprint item #7).

Next Steps

• NC State Board positively received pilot recommendations from PEPSC in March 2023
• NC State Board and NCDPI, informed by recommendations from PEPSC, will initiate the pilot phases with the NC General Assembly. 
• Pilots in districts of varying size and geographic diversity
• Pilots will be initiated in 2024-25 academic year following a year of preparation in 2023-24
• Request for authorization to pilot for up to six years, including the planning year. 
• Pilot districts would be exempt from rulemaking.
• Pilot districts would be exempt from the current standard teacher pay schedule.

Building Generational Support for the Education Profession in North Carolina

Support through advanced teacher, lead teacher, mentor teacher roles,

Multiple, clear, entry points into the profession that are supported, and anchored to standards of practice

Flexible professional learning tools and structures for access to professional knowledge, and evidence of attaining it and applying it successfully in practice.

Evidence of teacher effectiveness built from analysis of practice, and multiple valid and reliable evidence points in practice,