Race to the Top: Improving Education with Innovative Technology in Franklin County

1. RACE TO THE TOP Franklin County Proposal

2. History of Race to the Top • Tennessee was one of two states to receive federal Race to the Top Funds beginning this school year. • The Race to the Top Funds are designed to help improve education in new and innovative ways. • The Franklin County School District will receive approximately $950,000 over a 4-year time period. • This presentation outlines our efforts to use these funds in a way to improve education for our students.

3. Year One • Purchase laptops, projectors, document cameras and carts for all teachers who do not have this equipment. • Performance measures: • All teachers using technology in instructional manner • Students surveyed for interest and engagement • Student performance measures will be set • TESS inventory

4. Year One • At least one exemplar classroom set up in each school by adding to the projector, document camera, and cart – laptop with webcam and CD/DVD player, 5 student computers, 1 laser b/w printer, 1 interactive touch pad, screen, scanner accessibility, computer desks/carts, video camera and sound system.

5. Year One • Performance Measures: • All teachers in exemplar classrooms will demonstrate and model ways to use technology in an instructional manner. • All teachers in each building will visit the exemplar classrooms at least 5 times during the year • All teachers will document the ways they have used the technology in their own classrooms. • Exemplar teachers will share lessons with the state Electronic Learning Center.

6. Year One • Proposed Exemplar Classrooms: • Annette Johnson (Broadview) • Amy Hanger (Clark) • Toni Barnes (Cowan) • Bridgett Tinsley (Decherd) • Tabitha Stinnet (Huntland Elementary) • Rhonda Stubblefield (North Lake) • Terri Engleberger (Rock Creek) • Alicia Wall (Sewanee) • Rebecca Dubose(North Middle) • Melissa Hall (South Middle)

7. Year One • Edward Keys (Huntland-Secondary) • Margaret Bandy, Judy Stewart, Tracy Brown (FCHS)

8. Year One • Professional development for exemplar teachers and other teachers. • Stipends, after-school, substitutes, faculty meetings • Performance measures: • All teachers in exemplar classrooms will demonstrate and model ways to use technology in an instructional manner. • All teachers in each building will visit the exemplar classrooms at least 5 times during the year • All teachers will document the ways they have used the technology in their own classrooms. • Exemplar teachers will share lessons with the state Electronic Learning Center.

9. Year One • Develop, publish, and implement best practices. • Purchase a server for Moodle for publishing online professional development. • Performance measures: • A repository of best practices will be established for the use of all teachers in the district and these will also be shared with the state Electronic Learning Center.

10. Year One • Provide software and training to all teachers; • Every teacher will be required to publish and maintain a classroom website for communication with students and parents and for providing on-going access to student assignments • Provide training in using course management software (Moodle) to allow teacher-to-teacher collaboration and teacher-to-student collaboration.

11. Year One • Performance Measures: • All teachers will publish and maintain a classroom website. • We will conduct local evaluations and monitoring; • A Parent Survey will be administered to gather data about effectiveness. • the number of webpage hits will be gathered. • Student achievement measure will be established.

12. Year Two • Data analysis professional development • State training • Supplemental professional development • Performance measures: • All teachers will be experienced in using the data dashboard. • Those teachers for whom the most data is available will be using the data to plan instruction for students. • We will see an increase in the student achievement and student gain scores in math where that data is available on the dashboard.

13. Year Two • Develop and implement best practices. • Publish best practices on a local server. • Performance measures: • Arepository of best practices, especially in math, will be established for the use of all teachers in the district and these will also be shared with the state electronic learning center.

14. Year Two • Equip math classes in all schools with calculators as recommended by a math consultant. • Performance measures: • Student achievement and learning in the area of mathematics will improve, including improved ACT scores. • ACT scores will improve to the state average. • Student achievement performance measures will be set when TCAP cut scores are available.

15. Year Two • Professional development with with vendor for 3 days of large group training followed by monthly training in each middle and high school over 6 months; hire substitutes for job-embedded training of math teachers. • Performance measures: • Student achievement and learning in the area of mathematics will improve, including ACT scores and CTE performance standards. • Student performance measures will be more specifically set when data is available. • ACT scores will improve to the state average.

16. Year Three • Continued data analysis training with science as a focus • Professional development with exemplar teachers, vendors, faculty meetings, etc. • Performance measures: • All teachers will be even more experienced in using the data dashboard. • Teachers with data will be using the data to plan instruction for students. • We will see an increase in the student achievement and student gain scores in science where that data is available on the dashboard. • Student performance measures will be set when the data is available.

17. Year Three • Develop and implement best practices. • Publish best practices on a local server. • Performance measures: • A repository of best practices, especially in science, will be established for the use of all teachers in the district and these will also be shared with the state electronic learning center.

18. Year Three • Provide science training through local STEM Institute and outside sources • Performance measures: • Instruction in science and math will be improved. • Student achievement and learning in science and math, including ACT scores and CTE performance standards, will be improved. • The use of technology as an instructional medium will be the norm in all classrooms.

19. Year Three • Equip elementary and middle school teachers with hands-on science teaching resources. • Collaborate with Hands-on-Science Center. • Performance measures: • Elementary science achievement and learning will improve. • Student performance measures will be set.

20. Year Four • Assess understanding of the new evaluation model for teachers and principals. • Provide professional development as needed. • Performance measures: • All teachers and principals will be familiar with the new evaluation model. • The evaluations will help teachers and leaders in their job performances. • Effectiveness levels and measures of teachers and administrators will be set.

21. Funding Totals • $495,000 year one • $160,000 year two • $151,500 year three • $146,736 year four