Worcester's Race to the Top application goes in Friday

Worcester's Race to the Top application is due on Friday. John Monfredo and I were updated yesterday on the application, and here are the notes I sent out to my colleagues on the committee last night:
some projects are required; some are optional. Some we can opt-in on; some the state decides on
this year is planning, studying, doing research, serving on state working groups, working to spring implementation in some cases

• Required: implement the statewide educator evaluation framework

For this year, Worcester proposes a working group of four master teachers (2 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high), working as in-house consultants (with school and district administrators) around three areas of concerns within the structure of the Worcester Public Schools' Framework of High Quality Teaching and Learning: organization of the classroom; instructional design and delivery; and student ownership of learning. The teachers will work (in addition to their classroom teaching) in spring of 2011 through August, evaluating two frameworks and a design for alignment, working closely with the teachers around the district (through focus groups, perhaps an online network). This is proposed to be full-time positions in year 2 (thus keeping four other teachers in the classroom, should positions need to be cut)

• Required: align curriculum to the Common Core

Four teachers will be nominated to attend a half-day regional meeting to be held between January and June 2011. These teachers will lead in aligning district curriculum with the Common Core (and the revised Mass Frameworks), in addition to their classroom teaching in the spring, with possible fulltime work in the following year. Team members will work with teachers and other stakeholders on this work, starting in the spring of 2011, with implementation of the Common Core in 2012-13. This also could be full time work for these teachers (moving them out of the classroom)  that second year.

• Required: strengthen climate, conditions, and school culture

MassTeLLS survey in Spring 2011 (or any year thereafter). When asked about surveys for parents and students, we were told that it was part of the accountability plans, and would be something that would be in years 2-4.

• Elective: support teachers in earning special education or English as a second language endorsements to licensure

The district will work with Virtual High School and other higher ed providers to see if an MOU could be set up to use VHS for gettting 50 teachers identified from within the district to acquire ESL and SPEF-SPED licensures. The actual work of licensures will happen in years 2-4.

• Required: create near-real-time access to data in the Education Data Warehouse by implementing the Schools Interoperability Framework.

This is about exchanging data with the state quickly and flexibly. The caveat on this one is that we may already be doing this so much already that we may well not get funding for it. It's being submitted, as we were advised, anyway.

• Required: develop and implement a plan to increase the percentage of high school graduates completing MassCore

(MassCore is the state's high school graduation recommended requirements.) The first year, two teachers will work to assess how many in the class of 2010 will have graduated completing MassCore, and then set an increasing percentage for years 2011-12. This assessment team (the two teachers plus) will meet in Spring/Summer 2011 with recommendations--including additional courses--for the Fall of 2011. Funding from RTTT will be used in years 3&4 to develop and implement additional/revised courses as needed.

• Elective: develop and implement a STEM focused early college high school. 

Note that the state will be picking six of the applicants for this; just because we apply doesn't mean we get funded. In year 1, there will be outreach to community partners (businesses and colleges, with a continuing focus on UMass Med) with the intended result of an MOU. Year 2 is for assessment, Year 3 for planning, Year 4 for implementation.

• Elective: plan and implement an innovation school. This is the work already being done in the South Quadrant.

Funds will go to those planning innovation schools accepted by the School Committee.

• Required: implement one or more components of the statewide teaching and learning system.

The district is choosing "online formative and assessment system," working with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on the math and science curriculum for grades 6-12. The math or science liaison will coordinate with DESE on piloting the programs and providing feedback to the state for Year 1; Years 2-4 would be use of the system throughout the district.

• Elective: participate in an advisory committee to develop online formative and interim assessments.

The district is submitting Tammy Boyle (the project manager for the Literacy by Design Collaborative, funded by the Gates Foundation grant)'s name...the state decides who gets on the committee.

• Required (either this or the next is required): use proven turnaround providers to address essential conditions.

This is our Focus on Results money (which we suspect will be cut from the Commissioner's District funds now that the state can have the fed pay for it instead). Note that it doesn't kick in until Year 2.

• Required (or the above): implement a wraparound zone: this is the Promise Neighborhood grant work.

The school adjustment counselor at each of the following schools will links with the community, led by the coordinator of counseling, psychology, and community outreach services: Union Hill, Chandler Elementary, South High Community, Sullivan Middle, Goddard, Woodland, Claremont, and UPCS. The district will formalize MOUs with community partners in year 1; a proposal will be ready by March 2011.