2010 State Application for ESEA, Title I, Part A, 1003g School Improvement Grant

1. 2010 State Application for ESEA, Title I, Part A, §1003(g) School Improvement Grant Presentation to the DESS Advisory Committee February 2, 2010

2. Guiding Principles of Grant Program Students who attend a State’s persistently lowest-achieving schools deserve better options and can’t afford to wait Quality, not quantity, of LEA applications and implementation Need to build capacity and supports at all levels Not a one-year activity – up to 3 years This is not the standard school improvement grant program – it is a special school improvement grant intended to turn around the state’s lowest-achieving Title I eligible schools Unprecedented funds are available to carry out sweeping change – using the same four school interventions that are detailed in Goal 4 of Race to the Top: Turnaround Closure Restart with CMO or EMO Transformation Grant funds will be available for 1 to 3 yearsThis is not the standard school improvement grant program – it is a special school improvement grant intended to turn around the state’s lowest-achieving Title I eligible schools Unprecedented funds are available to carry out sweeping change – using the same four school interventions that are detailed in Goal 4 of Race to the Top: Turnaround Closure Restart with CMO or EMO Transformation Grant funds will be available for 1 to 3 years

3. Program Requirements Implement one of 4 interventions (same as Race to the Top) in “persistently low-achieving” Title I schools and Title I-eligible secondary schools Funds may be used across 3 years, but the majority of funds must be expended to fully implement interventions in Year 1 of the award An LEA must apply for at least $50,000, but no more than $2,000,000 for each eligible school it commits to serve An LEA can only apply once for each school – no continuation grants. Funds will be available for up to 3 years, but the majority need to be spent in Year 1 Expectation is full intervention model implementation in Year 1 An LEA may apply for up to $2million for each eligible schoolAn LEA can only apply once for each school – no continuation grants. Funds will be available for up to 3 years, but the majority need to be spent in Year 1 Expectation is full intervention model implementation in Year 1 An LEA may apply for up to $2million for each eligible school

4. Tiers of Schools Priority: two groups of “persistently low-achieving” schools: Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring (Tier I schools). Secondary schools that are eligible for, but do not receive, Title I, Part A funds (Tier II schools). If sufficient funds, all other Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring (Tier III schools) Three tiers of schools are the three “categories” of eligibility for funds Tier I = 5 lowest performing Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring or with less than a 60% graduation rate over a period of years Tier II = 5 lowest performing middle and high schools eligible for, but not participating in Title I, or with less than a 60% graduation rate over a period of years States are not allowed to exclude any schools, so any Title I eligible special schools that get accountability ratings are included Title I eligible means 35% or higher poverty Tier III = all other Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring Three tiers of schools are the three “categories” of eligibility for funds Tier I = 5 lowest performing Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring or with less than a 60% graduation rate over a period of years Tier II = 5 lowest performing middle and high schools eligible for, but not participating in Title I, or with less than a 60% graduation rate over a period of years States are not allowed to exclude any schools, so any Title I eligible special schools that get accountability ratings are included Title I eligible means 35% or higher poverty Tier III = all other Title I schools in improvement, corrective action, or restructuring

5. “Persistently low-achieving schools” Lowest 5% or 5 schools (whichever greater) in Tier I and in Tier II determined by: Academic achievement of the “all students” group in terms of proficiency on the State’s reading/language arts and mathematics assessments combined; and Lack of progress on the State’s assessments over a number of years in the “all students” group; plus High schools with graduation rates under 60% for multiple years

6. Total funds available State FY 10 $1,626,978 regular SIG + $8,948,688 in ARRA = $10, 575, 666 – 5% for state administration $10,046,883 for LEAs to turn around schools State FY 11 proposed allocation $4,615,604

7. LEA application requirements An SEA must give priority to LEAs that apply to serve Tier I or Tier II schools. An LEA with one or more Tier I schools may not receive funds to serve only its Tier III schools. An SEA may not award funds to any LEA for Tier III schools unless and until the SEA has awarded funds to serve fully, throughout the period of availability, all Tier I and Tier II schools across the State that its LEAs commit to serve DE will give priority in the following order: State Partnership Zone schools that are in SIG Tier I and II Other SIG Tier I and II schools as follows: Rank of both Tier I and Tier II schools lowest to highest Determine LEA demonstrated capacity within the allocation Fund LEA applications in rank order, lowest to highest, of performance in LEA applications that demonstrated capacity Tier III schools - only where Tier I and/or Tier II schools are already being funded and where Tier III schools choose to implement one of the four SIG models  Tier III schools - only where Tier I and/or Tier II schools are already being funded or in LEAs where there are not Tier I or II schools that choose not to implement one of the four SIG models If all Tier I schools are not served statewide, the SEA must reserve 25% of the total allocation for use in the next school year’s grant awardsDE will give priority in the following order: State Partnership Zone schools that are in SIG Tier I and II Other SIG Tier I and II schools as follows: Rank of both Tier I and Tier II schools lowest to highest Determine LEA demonstrated capacity within the allocation Fund LEA applications in rank order, lowest to highest, of performance in LEA applications that demonstrated capacity Tier III schools - only where Tier I and/or Tier II schools are already being funded and where Tier III schools choose to implement one of the four SIG models  Tier III schools - only where Tier I and/or Tier II schools are already being funded or in LEAs where there are not Tier I or II schools that choose not to implement one of the four SIG models If all Tier I schools are not served statewide, the SEA must reserve 25% of the total allocation for use in the next school year’s grant awards

8. 5 Tier I schools FY 10 Stubbs Elementary School Positive Outcomes Charter Bancroft Elementary School Pulaski Elementary School Warner Elementary School

9. 6 Tier II Schools FY 10 William Penn High School New Castle School Mt Pleasant High School McKean High School Dickinson High School Kent County Alternative School (grad rate)

10. State Waiver Requests To extend the period of availability of school improvement funds for the SEA and all of its LEAs to September 30, 2013. To permit LEAs to allow their Tier I and Tier II Title I participating schools that will implement a turnaround or restart model to “start over” in the school improvement timeline. Waive the 40 percent poverty eligibility threshold to permit LEAs to implement a schoolwide program in a Tier I or Tier II Title I participating school that does not meet the poverty threshold. Waivers are recommended by US Ed – DE is applying for all possible waivers Second waiver allows Tier I and Tier II schools participating in the grant to be reset to Year 0 for AYP during Year 1 of implementationWaivers are recommended by US Ed – DE is applying for all possible waivers Second waiver allows Tier I and Tier II schools participating in the grant to be reset to Year 0 for AYP during Year 1 of implementation

11. Application Timeline State application to US Ed by February 8, 2010 US Ed promises two-week approval Open LEA application as soon as state application is approved 20 business days for LEAs to submit Goal: all awards granted by May 2010

12. Written Comments due by February 12, 2010 Please submit comments through email to: Amelia Hodges ahodges@doe.k12.de.us

13. Questions