Connecticut Education Reform

1. Connecticut Education Reform SB 458, 54: An act concerning educational reform PA 12-50: an act concerning requirements for early childhood educators

2. Six Guiding Principles • Enhance families’ access to high-quality early childhood education opportunities • Authorize the intensive interventions and enable supports necessary to turn around Connecticut’s lowest performing schools and districts • Deliver more resources targeted to the districts with the greatest need provided they embrace key reforms that position students for success • Expand the availability of high-quality school models including traditional, magnet, charter, and others • Unleash innovation by removing red tape and other barriers to success, especially in high-performing schools and districts • Ensure that our schools are home to the very best teachers and principals—working within a fair system that values skills and effectiveness over seniority and tenure

3. High quality early childhood education opportunities • As a “competitive district”, TPS will be eligible for some of the 250seats(out of 1000 total) • Facilities study for early childhood expansion • Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System for home, center, and school-based early child care and learning • Pilot study to promote best practices in early literacy • New K-3 statewide reading assessment • State-wide reading plan for K-3 • Creation of intensive reading instruction program

4. Impact for schools and teachers • All certified employees working in K-3 (i.e. teachers & administrators) must take and pass a SBE-approved practice reading instruction exam annually • State-developed professional development plan in reading instruction • Based on reading assessment data • Differentiated to address teacher needs • Identify mentor teachers • Establish a vision for the “model classroom” • Be job-embedded • Inform principals to be better supervisors

5. Intensive Interventions • Commissioner's Network of 25 lowest-performing schools • Establish school-based “Turnaround Committees”; Commissioner may also impose a plan • Schools can be turned over to outside school operators to be run in 6 of 25 sites (RESCs, universities, non-profits, charter management organizations)

6. Determining school status • School Performance Index • Five Categories (1 is best, 5 is worst) • Based on students’ weighted performance on statewide mastery tests in math, reading, writing, and science • Weighted by achievement growth, change over time, graduation and drop-out rates • Some alternative will be used for secondary schools where data is not available

7. Consequences • Category 3 schools may be required to provide: • Early education opportunities • Summer school • Extended day • Weekend classes • Tutors • Targeted PD

8. Potential interventions for Category 4 & 5 • Operational and instructional audits • Required achievement/improvement plans • State direction of the use of state and federal funds • Incentives to attract high quality staff • Reconstitution or transfer of staff • Required model curriculum • Establishment of school schools or academies

9. More interventions • Inter-district school choice • Possible appointment of superintendent or special master by commissioner • Ask union to re-open contract to revise employment conditions • Expedited arbitration to allow for implementation of improvement plans • Possible school governance councils • Possible reconstituted school boards

10. Target resources and accountibility • Increase ECS funding by $50M with $39.5 M targeted to 30 lowest-performing districts (Alliance districts) • Accountability for funding low-performing districts: no discretion in how additional state provided funds are spent • Common Chart of Accounts as a budgetary template for better transparency of spending

11. School models • Increase funding for charters • Expand efforts of charters to serve priority student populations including ELL, dual-language, special education, minority, special needs • Incentives to BOEs including start-up and operating grants for charters • More funding for Ag-Science, vocational-technical, and magnet schools • District must publicize school choice options on their websites

12. Turnaround school models • CommPACT schools • Social Development model • RESC management or governance • School reorganization model • Themed academies • Required block scheduling for math and literacy • Frequent student assessment

13. Remove red tape • Low performing schools may offer employment to top students in state teacher education programs early in the hiring season • Category 1 & 2 schools may be excused from completing some data collection for SDE • Reduce the number of data forms collected by the SDE by one-third • Create a Red Tape Review Task Force

14. Quality teachers and principals • Annual performance evaluations with growth in student achievement as a primary factor in accordance with framework developed by Performance Evaluation Advisory Council • Four ratings for teacher performance: exemplary, proficient, developing, below standard • Remediation plans for all developing and below standard • New evaluation system piloted by 8-10 districts • Elimination of current system of CEUs and establish new guidelines for PD models which job-embedded coaching as predominant form of training

15. Efforts to assure quality • Tenure based on effective practice not years of service • “Ineffective” (not incompetent) is standard for dismissal • Shortened timelines for terminating teachers deemed ineffective by teacher evaluation plan: fair, speedy, and manageable, reduced timelines • Utilizes outside “validators” to review performance of most and least effective teachers • Establishes a “distinguished educator” designation

16. Other items • Increase the number of family resource centers and school-based health clinics in Alliance districts • Physical exercise requirement for Grades K-5: 20 minutes in a regular school day • Municipal Aid for New Teachers: grants to hire top graduates • Open Choice program incentive (Sheffdistricts) • Study of small district issues • Extension of Minimum Budget Requirement

17. Timeline: 2012 • Family Resource Centers & School-based health clinics • Open choice incentives • School performance indices, actions regarding low-achieving schools, reconstitution of local BOE • Turnaround plan referees • School governance councils • Approval of new charter schools • Teacher evaluation programs • Teacher evaluation and support pilot program • Intensive reading instruction program

18. 2013 • New school readiness program spaces • Early childhood education facility study • Early childhood quality rating and improvement system • Early literacy pilot extension • New statewide reading assessments • Professional development in reading • Uniform system of accounting and chart of accounts • Study of small district issues • Alliance districts • Changes in professional development for educators • ECS grant increases for some districts • MBR requirement • Grant increases for non-Sheff magnet schools • Per-student grant for Vo-Ag centers • K-3 reading program • Requirement to pass reading instruction test • Pre-literacy course

19. 2014 • Teacher reading exam • Municipal aid for new teachers program • Commissioner’s Network schools • State and local charter funding • Charter school opt-out lottery study • Neag study of pilot program (teacher evaluation) • Evaluation training • SDE audit of evaluation programs • Teacher tenure and termination • Summer school and extended day grant phase out for former priority school districts

20. 2015 and beyond • Expanded classroom experience requirements for teacher prep programs • Professional educator certificate changes

21. Implementation date not specified • Physical exercise requirement for K-5 • School district cost saving grants • Exemplary schools • Disseminating information on school options • Collective bargaining and turnaround plans • Non-profit educational management organization requirements • Accountability law and school governance councils • Distinguished educator designation • Ongoing evaluation training • School superintendent certification waivers • Special education payments for children in DMHAS • Changes in technical high school system • SDE website information • Study of disproportionality of minority students in special education • School incentive program to improve reading • Information sharing system