Maryland School Reform

1. Maryland School Reform Title I School Improvement Grant (SIG) Program Improvement and Family Support Branch Division of Student, Family, and School Support Maryland State Department of Education Presenters: Maria Lamb, Jim Newkirk, Carol Hepler, Tina McKnight Maryland Assessment Group Annual Conference November 17-19, 2010 Clarion Resort & Conference Center Ocean City, Maryland

2. State Fiscal Stabilization Funds • SFSF funds were distributed to LEAs directly through the Governor’s Office. • To receive funds, LEAs had to agree to 4 assurances. For more information: www.marylandpublicschools.org

3. Race to the Top • Competitive Grant Funds • Maryland qualified for $250 million over 4 years • ½ of the Funds go to LEAs and ½ of the Funds stay with the SEA

4. Race to the Top Maryland will utilize a 5 prong strategy: (1) Adopt and Implement Common Core Standards and Curriculum; (2) Build a Statewide Student Data System; (3) Develop and Support Great Teachers and Great Leaders; (4) Turn Around Low Performing Schools; and (5) Increase Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) Resources for Elementary-Middle-High School Students For more information: www.marylandpublicschools.org

5. 1003(g) School Improvement Grants • Purpose: To turn around bottom 5% of the persistently lowest achieving schools in the Nation. • Funding: Title I, section 1003(g) and Title I ARRA, section 1003(g) • Maryland will devote 47 million dollars to turning around the persistently lowest achieving schools in our State.

6. Tier I, Tier II, Tier III: Schools in Improvement, Corrective Action, or Restructuring • Tier I: Title I Schools and Title I High Schools with less than 60% Graduation Rates • Tier II: Title I Eligible Secondary Schools and High Schools with less than 60% Graduation Rates. • Tier III: Title I schools that did not qualify as Tier I schools.

7. Cohort 1 2009 SIG Grant • Maryland Identified 16 Schools: • 5 Tier I Schools • 11 Tier II Schools • Participating SIG LEAs: • Baltimore City is serving 5 Tier I schools and 2 Tier II schools. • Prince George’s County is serving 4 Tier II schools.

8. Maryland’s Approved SIG Grant Now the REAL work begins for MSDE, BCPSS, PGCPS, and the 11 SIG Schools in Maryland

9. Maryland’s Approved SIG Grant LEA SIG Application Approval Process: • SIG Training for the LEAs • LEA Modifications of Policies & Practices • LEA Application Approval Timelines • SIG Review Teams of LEA SIG Applications • PGCPS Approved July 1, 2010 $19,701,578. for 4 schools over 3 years • BCPSS Approved August 27, 2010 $25,183,804. for 7 schools over 3 years

10. Maryland’s Approved SIG Grant The LEA may choose from 4 Intervention Models • Turnaround • Restart • Transformation • Closure

11. Required Strategies for Intervention Models

12. Maryland’s Approved SIG Grant MSDE must: • Monitor the LEA and School • Provide technical assistance for the LEA and School • Evaluate the LEA each year for the renewal of its SIG

13. Maryland’s Approved SIG Grant MSDE Monitoring by SIG Teams • Start Up Onsite Visit (1 day) • Midyear Onsite Visit (2 days) • End-of-Year Onsite Visit (1 day)

14. Maryland’s Approved SIG Grant MSDE Technical Assistance by RITA Teams • Restructuring Implementation Technical Assistance (RITA) • 9 Standards and Indicators • District Technical Assistance Recommendations • School Technical Assistance Recommendations • Breakthrough Center: MSDE’s Statewide System of Support

15. Maryland’s Approved SIG Grant MSDE Evaluation for Yearly Renewal of LEA Approved SIG Application • Culminating Matrix • Annual Goals for Student Achievement • AYP Status • Average Scale Scores • Graduation Rate • Dropout Rate • Student Attendance Rate • Number of minutes within the school year

16. Turnaround Intervention Model • Nine Requirements

17. District Role in Implementing a Turnaround Intervention Model • Begin planning a year before implementing Turnaround Model • Consider establishing a “Turnaround Office” with adequate staff to support the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the turnaround process in schools • Develop support of unions and Board of Education around the issues of moving ineffective staff, recruiting highly effective teachers and leaders, extending contractual hours, and providing financial incentives and rewards • Engage parents and community members in understanding and participating in the necessary changes • Recruit experienced, successful “Turnaround” Principals • Provide immediate, intensive support for school leadership and teachers to establish a safe, welcoming, school climate for all

18. Turnaround Schools in Maryland

19. Prince George’s County Turnaround Framework PRIORITY 1 Governance • Turnaround Director • Assistant Principal acting as a School Operations Manager (additional) • Assistant Principals reclassified as Academic Deans for English and Mathematics • Four Instructional Lead Teachers (modified teaching load; 2 additional positions) • One data coach at each school • G. James Gholson MS is implementing a co-principal model

20. Prince George’s County Turnaround Framework PRIORITY 2: Attraction and Selection of Staff • Remove existing principal and replace with an effective “Turnaround Principal” • All instructional staff will reapply for positions but less than 50% of current staff may remain • One time bonus to principal, assistant principals, and other hard to fill positions (emphasis on math and world languages) • All content teachers will participate in the PGCPS’ Financial Incentive Rewards for Supervisors and Teachers (FIRST) program which rewards leaders and teachers to improve student achievement (if target goals are achieved)

21. Prince George’s County Turnaround Framework PRIORITY 3: Rigor • Extended Learning Opportunities-add additional period • Flex-time schedule for teachers • High level outcomes (ex. 75% of students completing 8th grade with algebra and foreign language course credits • Extensive professional development in language arts and mathematics (ex. Comprehension Toolkit) • Strengthen vertical curriculum alignment with elementary feeder schools

22. Prince George’s County Turnaround Framework PRIORITY 4: School Climate • Social Worker for each school • Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) in each school (AVID teacher, AVID professional development, materials) • Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

23. Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts High School (BCPSS) • New Principal and new staff selected by principal • August Academy lead by new principal to develop school’s vision, mission and shared values • Leadership Team participated in Summer Harvard Leadership Academy • Implementation of the state’s Career and Technology Education Arts, Media and Communication Cluster • Courses in Communications and Broadcast Technology, Interactive Media Production, Architectural Drafting and Design and Information Technology • New state of the art CADD lab; Cisco Lab and ; TV studio • Leadership and teachers supported through mentoring and intensive professional development • Increased academic rigor in course offerings and extended day

24. Booker T. Washington Middle School (BCPSS) • New principal and new staff selected by principal • August Academy lead by new principal to develop school’s vision, mission and shared values • Leadership Team participated in Harvard ‘s Summer Leadership Institute • Based on stakeholder input , the school community’s vision was to become a citywide performing arts themed school • Partnerships developed with Eubie Blake Center, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Maryland Institute College of Art • Ceramics program, dance studio and black box theater

25. Potential Challenges in Implementing a Turnaround Intervention Model • Removing barriers in negotiated agreements to implement required extended learning time and financial incentives • Preparing central office staff to provide rapid responses to critical needs in multiple schools at the same time • Recruiting, hiring, and retaining highly effective, experienced “Turnaround” leaders and staff • Ensuring that the new leaders and new staff are hired and available to participate in August professional development to build shared vision, mission, and values • Engaging families and the school community in the decision making and implementation process in order to ensure their support

26. Restart Intervention Model Allows the school to break the cycle of low achievement by making fundamental changes to the way the school operates

27. What is the Restart Model? A restart model is one in which an LEA converts a school or closes and reopens a school under a charter school operator, or a charter management organization (CMO), or an education management organization (EMO). Selection of a restart partner must be made through a rigorous review process.

28. CMOs and EMOs CMO is a non-profit organization that operates or manages charter schools by centralizing or sharing certain functions and resources among schools. EMO is a for-profit or non-profit organization that provides “whole-school operation” services to an LEA. A restart model must enroll, within the grades it serves, any former student who wishes to attend the school.

29. SIG Restart Schools in Maryland

30. District Role in Implementing a Restart • Attract restart partners • Use a rigorous selection process • Ensure system level governance • Engage parents and community members • Develop a performance based contract with EMO • Articulate EMO and district responsibilities • Develop a set of non-negotiable performance targets • Develop financial incentives for EMO • Outline clearly consequences for failure to meet targets

31. Maryland’s SIG Restart Model Requirements

32. Commodore John Rodgers Elem/Middle School Restart Model • Partnered with Living Classrooms Foundation • New principal hired and teachers had to reapply for their jobs • National Board Certification site • Extended school day • Technology infused into all classrooms • Extensive community outreach • Student developed portfolios presented to the community three times per year (from BCPSS’s Executive Summary of the SIG Application)

33. Baltimore IT Academy Restart Model • Partnered with Washington Education Foundation • Baltimore IT Academy (BIT) replaced Chinquapin Middle School • New principal hired and teachers had to reapply for positions • Opened with grades 6-8 and will grow to serve grades 9–12 • Technology-infused curriculum to prepare students for IT careers (from BCPSS’s Executive Summary of the SIG Application)

34. Calverton Elementary/Middle School- Restart Model • Partnered with Friendship Schools • Focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and academic rigor • Teachers had to reapply for their jobs • Leadership team remained at the school • Focus on the professional development, student supports and climate, and the academic rigor • Established a partnership with the Urban Teacher Center to create a pathway to bring in highly effective teachers (from BCPSS’s Executive Summary of the SIG Application)

35. Garrison Middle School- Restart Model • Partnered with Global Partnership Schools (GPS) • New Principal hired and teachers had to reapply for their jobs • GPS actively recruiting and marketing the school • Implement a new rigorous curriculum and assessment program • Provide intensive coaching for teachers • Devote significant resources to parent engagement and work with community partners (from BCPSS’s Executive Summary of the SIG Application)

36. William C. March Middle School- Restart Model • Partnered with Johns Hopkins University Talent Development • New principal hired and teachers had to reapply for their jobs • Implement the International Baccalaureate • Intensive support and coaching for teachers • Implementation of a new rigorous curriculum and assessment system • Intensive student supports • Extended learning time for students (from BCPSS’s Executive Summary of the SIG Application)

37. Restart EMOs and School Reform • Landscape has expanded rapidly • EMOs managed over 1300 schools in 32 states in 2009 • Emerging type of service provider for managing schools • Requires a very rigorous review and verification of the EMOs capacity to dramatically improve low achieving schools • Careful monitoring by the LEA is required to ensure fidelity in providing services that are required

38. Practices Showing Promise in Maryland’s SIG EMO Schools • Boldly address school climate and culture with consistency-”One voice” • Nurture a strong relationship between the EMO and the school • Principal ownership of professional development that meets the unique needs of the school • Active parent/community engagement • Establish and maintain a culture of high expectations

39. Title I School Improvement Grant Questions and Answers

40. Title I School Improvement Grant Presenters’ Contact Information: Maria Lamb: mlamb@msde.state.md.us Jim Newkirk: jnewkirk@msde.state.md.us Carol Hepler: chepler@msde.state.md.us Tina McKnight: tmcknight@msde.state.md.us Program Improvement and Family Support Branch Division of Student, Family, and School Support Maryland State Department of Education