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School Improvement Grants

School Improvement Grants. March, 2010. Overview. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Goals and purpose of SIG grants Definition of “persistently lowest-achieving” schools Priorities for funding Four school intervention models FAQs LEA Application.

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School Improvement Grants

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  1. School Improvement Grants March, 2010

  2. Overview • American Recovery and Reinvestment Act • Goals and purpose of SIG grants • Definition of “persistently lowest-achieving” schools • Priorities for funding • Four school intervention models • FAQs • LEA Application

  3. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act INTEGRATION OF FOUR REFORM PRIORITIES EFFECTIVE TEACHERS AND LEADERS STANDARDS & ASSESSMENTS STRUGGLING SCHOOLS DATASYSTEMS 3

  4. State Fiscal Stabilization Fund Backfill State budget losses “Persistently lowest-achieving schools” Race to the Top Services to LEAs School Improvement Grant Funds to LEAs

  5. SIG Goals and Purpose • Students who attend a State’s “persistently lowest-achieving” schools deserve better options and can’t afford to wait • Need to build capacity and support at all levels • Not a one year activity • Focus on quality, not quantity

  6. Identifying “Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools” Two groups of schools: • Tier I: Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring • Tier II: Secondary schools that are eligible for, but do not receive, Title I, Part A funds.

  7. SEA Requirements • May not exclude categories of schools in identifying the “persistently lowest-achieving” • Alternative schools • Charter schools • Schools with special designations (i.e., Special Education, Ungraded)

  8. Definition of “Persistently lowest-achieving” Schools were selected for Tier I and Tier II based on: 1.Proficiency • Bottom 5% (or 5 schools) based on proficiency reading and math combined; and • Lack of progress over 3 years. 2. High school graduation rate below 60% over 3 years

  9. SEA Flexibility “Newly eligible” schools • Tier III includes Title I eligible, served or not served, in the bottom 20% of all schools in the state based on proficiency

  10. Priorities for Funding • Priority I: LEAs committing to serve Tier I and Tier II schools • Priority II: LEAs committing to serve Tier I schools • Priority III: LEAs committing to serve Tier II schools.

  11. Priorities and Funding Within Tier III • First - Title I eligible non-secondary schools that are in the bottom 20% of all schools in the State based on proficiency rates • Second - Title I eligible secondary schools that are in the bottom 20% of all schools in the State based on proficiency rates • Third - Title I schools in Restructuring • Fourth - Title I schools in Corrective Action • Fifth - Title I schools in School Improvement

  12. Funding • LEAs may request from $50,000 to $2,000,000 per school per year • Funds are renewable for up to 3 years • Funds available through September 30, 2013.

  13. Four Intervention Models Turnaround Restart Tier I Tier II Transformation Closure

  14. Turnaround • Replace the principal • Screen staff and rehire no more than 50 percent • Implement strategies to recruit and retain staff • Provide ongoing job-embedded professional development • Adopt a new governance structure • Implement a vertically-aligned instructional program • Promote continuous use of data (including formative, interim, and summative) • Provide increased learning time • Provide appropriate community services and supports

  15. Restart • Convert the school • Close the school and reopen under a charter management organization (CMO) or an education management organization (EMO) • Enroll any former student who wishes to attend the school

  16. Closure • Close the school • Enroll the students in other higher achieving schools in the LEA

  17. Transformation • Replace the principal • Use rigorous, transparent, equitable evaluation systems for teachers and the principal • Identify and reward school leaders and remove teachers determined to be ineffective after ample opportunity for improvement is provided • Provide ongoing job-embedded professional development • Implement strategies to recruit and retain staff

  18. Frequently Asked Questions

  19. Which LEAs are eligible to apply for SIG funds? An LEA is eligible to apply for SIG funds if it: • Receives Title I, Part A funds; and • Has one or more schools that are eligible to receive SIG funds as identified by the SEA.

  20. Must an LEA serve all of its identified Tier I and Tier II schools in order to receive priority for funding? No. The LEA should commit to serving those Tier I and Tier II schools that it has the capacity to fully support under the rigorous intervention models. One of the guiding principals of SIG is to provide quality, not quantity.

  21. Final Requirements, Section II(7) An LEA in which one or more Tier I schools are located and that does not apply to serve at least one of these schools may not apply for a grant to serve only Tier III schools.

  22. SIG Guidance, January 20, 2010 H-7. An LEA might demonstrate that it lacks sufficient capacity to serve one or more of its Tier I schools by documenting efforts such as its unsuccessful attempt to recruit a sufficient number of new principals to implement the turnaround or transformation model; the unavailability of CMOs or EMOs willing to restart schools in the LEA; or its intent to serve Tier II schools instead of all its Tier I schools.

  23. Can a Title I participating school “start over” in the school improvement timeline? For Title I participating schools that implement a turnaround or restart model, the schools will “start over” in the school improvement timeline. For example, if a Tier I school that is currently in Corrective Action implements a turnaround or restart model, the school will no longer be identified as a Title I school in any level of school improvement sanctions.

  24. If a Tier II school receives SIG funds, does the school become a Title I school? No. The school is not subject to the requirements under Title I, Part A. The school is only subject to the requirements of the School Improvement Grant final rules.

  25. Under SIG, what does “increased learning time” mean? Increase the total number of school hours to provide time for: • Instruction in core academic subjects; • Instruction in other subjects and enrichment activities that contribute to a well-rounded education; and • Teachers to collaborate, plan, and engage in professional development within and across grades and subjects.

  26. Under SIG, what does “job-embedded professional development” mean? • Occurs on a regular basis (e.g., daily, weekly); • Aligned with standards and plans; • Involves collaborative work facilitated by coaches or mentors; • Requires active engagement by participants; and • Focuses on understanding what and how students are learning.

  27. Are there specific reporting requirements for SIG funds? Yes. The State must report annually on outcome measures (i.e., improvements in student performance) and leading indicators for each Tier I and Tier II school. The LEA must report its progress on achieving the goals it establishes in the initial LEA application. A State may use these data to determine whether to renew an LEA's SIG award for a second and third year.

  28. Leading Indicators • Number of minutes within the school year; • Student participation rate on state assessments by subgroup; • Dropout rate; • Student attendance rate; • Number and percentage students completing advanced coursework, early college, or dual-enrollment; • Discipline incidents; • Truants; • Distribution of teachers by performance level on LEA’s teacher evaluation system; and • Teacher attendance rate

  29. Reporting Requirements New for SIG • Intervention model the school used; • Number of minutes within the school year; • Average scale scores on State assessments; • Number and percentage of students completing advanced coursework early-college high schools, or dual enrollment classes; and • Teacher attendance rate.

  30. For which schools must an SEA report on the metrics that are new for the SIG program? An SEA must report on the metrics that are new for the SIG program for each Tier I and Tier II school that is served. An SEA is not obligated to report on the metrics for Tier III schools that are served with SIG funds.

  31. Will there be SIG funds available in subsequent years? • The SEA has reserved 25% of the total SIG allotment for FY 09. This amount will be combined with any additional FY 10 funds to allocate to LEAs with schools identified in Tiers I, II, and III. • Look for “School Turnaround Grants” at http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html.

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