The Improving Teacher Quality State Grants Program California Postsecondary Education Commission

1. The Improving Teacher Quality State Grants ProgramCalifornia Postsecondary Education Commission California Mathematics & Science Partnership 2011 Spring Learning Network Meeting

2. The California Postsecondary Education Commission • Policy advice, research, data for all California postsecondary education. • As State Agency for Higher Education (SAHE), administers federal grants for teacher professional development to colleges and universities.

3. NCLB Title II-A & Improving Teacher Quality Grants • NCLB establishes two programs: a formula grant program administered by the K-12 state department of education, and a competitive grant program administered by a higher education agency. • The overall purpose of the projects is to support the preparation, induction, and professional development of K-12 public and private school teachers and other school-based personnel in the core academic subjects: Mathematics, Science, English, Reading or Language Arts, Foreign Languages, Civics and Government, Economics, Arts, History, and Geography. • All projects funded through the ITQ grant program must identify how the collaborative partnerships will (1) improve the quality of in-service teachers in alignment with state standards, and (2) improve student achievement. • Evidence must be presented in the Needs Assessment section of the proposal that clearly demonstrates that the proposed intervention is aligned with school-wide and district-wide educational improvement plans.

4. Eligible Partners • An eligible partnership MUST involve: - a school or department of education, and - a department within the college of arts and sciences, and - a high-need K-12 Local Educational Agency (LEA). • The two required IHE partners may come from a single IHE as long as that IHE includes both an approved teacher preparation unit and a school or division of arts and sciences. • In addition to the three required partners a partnership may also include other local educational agencies, K-12 schools, non-profit educational organizations, community colleges, or businesses.

5. What are some of the key aspects of CPEC grants? • The projects include an evaluation research and dissemination component for adding to the existing research base. • There is demonstrated commitment of each partner to the project and each has a clearly defined role. • No single partner in an eligible partnership may benefit from more than 50 % of the total grant award. • Aligned to school improvement initiatives. • College credit for teachers towards supplemental authorizations or salary advancement.

6. Benefits of CPEC grants • The ITQ grants with their integrated requirement of sustained and accountable collaboration provide a framework for productive engagement of all segments of the educational system that invariably extends beyond the grant and the grant timeline. • The ITQ framework requires ongoing focused collaboration among arts and science and education faculty and K-12 administrators and teachers. • This collaboration produces ongoing and valuable collaboration and, in many cases, has led to additional projects that have expanded the initial ITQ work . • University faculty and students are influenced and potentially transformed by their interactions with K-12 teachers and learners.

7. Current Portfolio • CPEC is currently funding 38 grant projects. • Retention of Science and Mathematics Teachers: CPEC funded $5 million each to two projects to focus on the retention of new teachers and provide summer academy models, learning communities, university coursework, test preparation, and summer institutes with year-round follow-ups. • Early Elementary Education, Grades K-2: This initiative funds 8 projects that link K-2 teachers with preschool teachers. The goal of this initiative is to enhance the professional development of California’s K-2 teachers and build on research showing that effective teaching in the early grades helps to close the achievement gap.

8. Addressing the Achievement Gap in Whole Elementary Schools: Six Grantees target science or math instruction for English Language Learners and other students in low-performing schools. Teacher leaders will be developed to sustain the work after the project has ended. • Closing the Achievement Gap in Middle Schools: Six K–12 partnerships in which middle school teachers address the racial and ethnic achievement gap using site-based professional development. Grantees address the needs of English and Standard English Language Learners, and other factors, such as poverty, gender, and disability. • K-12 Teacher Professional Development Initiative: An "open" competition in terms of grade levels, delivery methods and subject areas. Ten grantees are being asked to provide sustained, site-based pedagogical and content area activities. Grantees will center their efforts on the needs of the school district, its teachers and students, and the resources of its college and university partners.

9. Teacher-Based Reform – T-BAR Pilot Program University faculty from schools of education and subject matter departments work with teacher teams from high-need schools to improve teaching skills and content knowledge. The teams of three to five teachers design, implement, and evaluate their own professional development projects. In 2009 CPEC funded two master grants which in turn funded 50 teacher teams. In 2010 two additional master grants were funded and the previous two grants were augmented in order to fund a second cohort of teacher teams. The competitions for all four regional master grants have concluded, and as of today, we fund over 140 teacher teams across the state.

10. For more information: CPEC RFP Web site—main source: http://www.cpec.ca.gov/FederalPrograms/TeacherQuality.asp E-mail: Teacher_Quality@cpec.ca.gov Call: Marcia Trott @ 916-322-8028 or Rachel Lagomarsino @ 916-323-4016