Innovation Zone Grant Technical Assistance June 25, 2014

Innovation Zone GrantTechnical AssistanceJune 25, 2014 West Virginia Department of Education Office of Federal Programs and School Improvement Rebecca Derenge, Coordinator

Purpose of this PowerPoint is to review the major components of Innovation Zone grants including: • creating a vision • using data • goals and objectives • meaningful partnerships • sustainability • evaluations

Section 1 - Applicant Information The application and plan must be submitted using Times New Roman, 12 pt. font and is limited to 20 pages. Application is due by 4:00 p.m., October 1, 2014 to Rebecca Derenge, in the Office of School Improvement, WVDE, Bldg. 6, Room 330, 1900 Kanawha Blvd., Charleston, West Virginia 25305

Section 1 – Applicant Information

Innovation Zone DesignationPlace a check beside the appropriate designation for an innovation zone applicant: • ______Single School (an entire faculty of a school working to implement a school- wide strategy) • ______Departments or Subdivision of Schools Teacher Team or Partnership of Teams (Not applicable to dropout prevention grant 3-year grant) partnership of teacher teams across schools (subject-specific departments, subject, grade level, or issue-specific teams willing to implement a common approach) teacher teams within a school (department, grade-level, or cross-role team with a common focus). • ______Consortium of Schools (fill out multiple listings below) • ______Higher Education Institution (must include at least one county school system applicant) • ______Feeder System of Schools or schools of the same programmatic levels working within a county or across counties to implement a strategy (to impact dropout prevention at the high school level)

Innovation Z Designation - ContinuedPlace a check beside the appropriate designation for an innovation zone applicant: • _____ District Application (district wide dropout prevention initiatives with less than a 90% graduation rate, dropout prevention only) • _____ School System Collaborative Innovation Zones - The intent of this grant is to cause local communities to take action by working in coalitions, creating partnerships, hosting community conversations and ultimately creating comprehensive dropout prevention plans. The Education Alliance of WV and the WV Center for Civic Life provide resources and training to organize community dialogues and follow-up action. • _____ Innovation School Districts (to provide entrepreneurship education and include at least one partner from the local business community with opportunities for greater collaboration to plan and implement systemic approaches that include evidence-based solutions for increasing graduation rates, increasing achievement and educational outcomes while reducing the number of dropouts

Applying For? • _______ Innovation Zone Grant (one-year grant - The West Virginia Board of Education will grant awards for Innovation Zones on from $5,000 to $50,000 to enhance student learning). • The State Legislature has created Innovation Zones as a way for schools to implement promising innovations that can be supported by research. They could address a range of topics from how to restructure time, configure staff, and/or modify school-wide programs to more specific ideas that may relate to a particular grade or content level.

Applying For? • _______ Drop-Out Prevention Grant (must include community partners and three year budget proposal) The Local School Dropout Prevention and Recovery Innovation Zone has been allocated $2.2 million by the State Legislature as funds available for this competitive grant.

Early Warning System • Acknowledged Requirement (superintendent’s signature): We acknowledge, as a requirement of receiving an Innovation Zone Grant or Dropout Prevention Grant, we must use the Early Warning System provided by West Virginia Department of Education to determine students who are at-risk of dropping out and provide direct interventions to support identified indicators. And upon request grantee will provide data to support decisions based upon disaggregation of the data for at-risk identified students.

LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBERS • Identify the school or consortium’s leadership team. • For dropout prevention grants, the leadership team should include community partners (add additional lines as necessary)

Supporting Documentation • Please ensure you have all of the supporting documents required completed and attached to the end of this application: ______ Record of Commitment from Staff, Parent, and LSIC • ______ Local Educational Agency Report of Support or Concerns • ______ Multiple Community Partner Records of Commitment for Dropout Grants

Section 2 - Priorities • Section 2 – Priorities: • During the 2013 legislative session, Governor Tomblin sponsored several key education reform initiatives through Senate Bill 359 and charged the WV Board of Education with supporting the successful implementation. These areas have been identified for priority points in the grant review process. • If you are submitting an application for one of the identified priority areas please review guidance documents and resources http://wvde.state.wv.us/innovationzones/

Priority Area _____ Community School Partnership • The term ‘‘community school’’ means a public elementary or secondary school that participates in a community-based effort to coordinate and integrate educational, developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services through community-based organizations and public /private partnerships. Community Schools provide access to such services for students, families, and the community, such as access during the school year (including before and after-school), as well as during the summer. Some may include: Early childhood education Programs under the Head Start Act, including Early Head Start programs and child care; Remedial education activities and enrichment activities, including expanded learning time; Summer enrichment and learning experiences; Dental health care; Mental health counseling services (expanded-school mental health services). Complete guidance on can be found at: http://wvde.state.wv.us/innovationzones/technical-assistance.html

Priority Area • _____Comprehensive Literacy Development (creating a school-wide elementary focus on literacy and numeracy) • _____Career Development (middle school focus to prepare students in the middle grades to set goals through interest and talent to view graduation as a culmination of planned activities and classes from year-to-year to result in a career pathway) • _____Redesign of Instructional Time (Intended to provide principals and teachers with flexibility from the constraints of certain statutes, policies and rules in order to serve as testing grounds for innovative reform strategies that enhance student success and increase accountability) • _____Personalize Learning though Technology (Project 24 is an urgent call to action on the need for systemic planning around the effective use of technology and digital learning to achieve the goal of "career and college readiness" for all students. It is a one-stop shop of comprehensive district-level planning tools, expert advice, creative ideas, and tangible suggestions from experienced education experts and nonprofit education membership organizations.)

Is my grant idea INNOVATIVE?

Section 3 – Abstract • Provide a one page only project summary that briefly describes the project’s vision, goals, activities, and key features for student success.

Section 4 – Waiver Requests • Requires that no exception be granted to assessment programs administered by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), provisions of NCLB or other federal law, nor exception from WV Code §§ 18A-2-7, 18A-4-7a, 18A-4-7b, 18A-4-8, 18A-5-8b. However, exceptions may include a proposal to require that a candidate for a teaching vacancy in an innovation school possess qualifications over and above those stipulated in statute if approved in a county-wide school staff election process.

Indicate the specific type(s) of policy or code that prohibit or constrain the design that you wish to request a waiver from: • ____ Specific waiver requested of county policy • ____ Specific waiver requested of WVBOE policy • ____ Specific waiver requested of WV code/statute

Waiver Box

Section 5- Project Design 1. What is the purpose and expected outcome of this project? 2. Explain how the school or consortium’s current data influenced the need for the project described in question one? 3. How is the school or consortium’s project connected to best practice and current research in reference to raising student achievement and/or dropout prevention? 4. What will other schools in West Virginia learn from your project and how will other schools in West Virginia benefit?

Section 6 – Goals, Objectives, Evaluation and Timelines

Piedmont Elementary (Kanawha County) This Innovation Zone emphasizes personalized education plans for all students, authentic narrative reporting of skill mastery to parents, project based learning, interdisciplinary connectedness and integrated content technology. Project based learning will monopolize the daily integration among content areas. This flexibility of curriculum design will make instruction relevant and seamless and allow students to see connectedness of learning.

Section 7 – Project Evaluation and Sustainability • How will you evaluate and report the impact this innovation project has on creasing student success and/or other stated goals and objectives? 2. How will this innovation project be sustained beyond the initial funding period.

SECTION 8 - BUDGET The Innovation Zone allocation for FY 2015 is approximately $435,000. Applicants should prepare proposals and accompanying budgets for no more than two school years. The budget should support the activities described in the above application. Major item requests must be supported with activities within in the application. You may request up to $50,000. *Regular IZ applicants need to only fill in the FY 2015 budget.

SECTION 8 - BUDGET The Dropout Prevention Innovation Zone allocation is approximately $2,200,000. These funds will be awarded in one competitive grant process and applicants must prepare proposals and accompanying budgets for three school years. The budget should support the activities described in the above application. Major item requests must be supported with activities within in the application. The budget range for each proposal is $50,000 to $100,000 for each of the three years (total 3 year award range $150,000 to $300,000). *Dropout Innovation Zone applicants need to complete a 3 year budget plan for FY 2015 – FY 2017

Appendix • Record of Commitment • LEA Report of Support or Concerns • Community Partner Support

Innovation Zone Requirements: Proposals must be typed in 12 point font and received no later than 4:00 p.m. on October 1, 2014. • Complete the application for Innovation Zone designation • Must include use of Early Warning System to provide data • *Approval by 80 percent of faculty (those affected by Innovation Proposal) • **Record of Support from Parents, LSIC, Business Partners, Students • Record of LEA/County Board Report (Support and Concerns) on application • Record of Support from Community Partners for Dropout Grants. • Submit your application/plan in a PDF document via emailto Rebecca Derenge at rderenge@access.k12.wv.us

Innovation Zone Requirements: • IMPORTANT NOTES: • *To determine staff support, the innovation application and plan must be submitted to all employees affected by the design of the plan for a secret ballot vote at special meetings called to determine the level of commitment. • The meeting is called with two weeks prior special notice, and the vote is conducted and certified to the principal, superintendent, and county board president by a panel. • The panel must provide an absentee ballot to each employee eligible to vote who cannot attend the meeting. • The panel consists of the elected officers of the faculty senate of the school or schools; one representative of the service personnel of the school; and three parent members appointed by the Local School Improvement Council (LSIC). • At least 80 percent of the employees who are eligible to vote must approve the school’s Innovation Zone plan. • Any regular employee at a school applying for or designated as an Innovation Zone whose job duties may be affected by implementation of the Innovation Zone plan or proposed plan may request a transfer to another school in the school district. The county board shall make every reasonable effort to accommodate the transfer. • **Please make sure your application is submitted to your local board in time to receive their signature and supports/concern before the application due date. • Completed grant application must be RECEIVED via email by 4:00 p.m. on October 1, 2014.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Innovation Zone Grant Technical Assistance June 25, 2014