When must the Professional Development courses be completed and the assessments be conducted?
• It is important for all involved in this new writing process at grades 4 and 7 to understand that it constitutes a huge paradigm shift from the way writing has traditionally been assessed in North Carolina. The system is designed for maximum flexibility at the local level. The professional development courses are self-paced and can be accessed 24/7. The courses do not have to be completed in one session, nor is there a specified date as to when the courses must be completed. While the NCDPI recommends that one content-specific writing task/assignment and one on-demand writing task/assignment be completed by each student in the fall and in the spring, there are also no dates specified as to when the two content-specific writing tasks/assignments or the two on-demand writing tasks/assignments must be completed. On-demand writing tasks/assignments will be provided by NCDPI through the LEA test coordinators; however, all students need not be assessed on the same day or the same time in a
