School Improvement Grants Webinar – Tier I and II Schools

April 21, 2010

Proposed TimelineSubmit Letter of Intent March 30, 2010

Submit Tier I and II Applications

*May 14, 2010*

Approve Tier I and II Applications

TBD

If sufficient funds remain to approve additional LEA

applications: Submit Tier III Applications

June 15, 2010

Funds Available July 1, 2010

Funding•LEAs may request from $50,000 to $2,000,000 per school per year•Funds are renewable for up to 3 years•Funds available through September 30, 2013

Four Intervention Models – At a glance in NC

Turnaround(4 in NC)

Restart(1 in NC)

Transformation(21 in NC)Closure

Tier I Tier II

Turnaround• Replace the principal • Screen staff and rehire no more than 50 percent• Implement strategies to recruit and retain staff• Provide ongoing job-embedded professional

development• Adopt a new governance structure• Implement a vertically-aligned instructional

program• Promote continuous use of data (including

formative, interim, and summative)• Provide increased learning time• Provide appropriate community services and

supports

Transformation• Replace the principal• Use rigorous, transparent, equitable evaluation

systems for teachers and the principal• Identify and reward school leaders and remove

teachers determined to be ineffective after ample opportunity for improvement is provided

• Provide ongoing job-embedded professional development

• Implement strategies to recruit and retain staff ---------------------------------------------------------------• Provide increased learning time• Provide appropriate community services and supports

Restart•Convert the school•Close the school and reopen under a charter management organization (CMO) or an education management organization (EMO)•Enroll any former student who wishes to attend the school

Closure

•Close the school•Enroll the students in other higher achieving schools in the LEA

Frequently Asked Questions

May an SEA award SIG funds to an LEA for a Tier I or Tier II school that has implemented, in whole or in part, a turnaround model, restart model, or transformation model within the last two years?

• Yes. The two years referenced are those for which an LEA has complete achievement data. In other words, the “last two years” are the 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 school years.

May an LEA use SIG funds to offset transportation costs associated with providing increased learning time?• Generally, providing transportation to students in

order for them to attend school is a regular responsibility an LEA carries out for all students and, thus, may not be paid for with Federal funds unless specifically authorized. However, an LEA may use SIG funds to cover transportation costs if the costs are directly attributable to implementation of a school intervention model, are reasonable and necessary, and exceed the costs the LEA would have incurred in the absence of its implementation of the model.

May an SEA award an LEA a lesser amount of SIG funds than the LEA requests in its application?

Yes. An SEA’s decision to award SIG funds to a particular LEA does not obligate the SEA to award the LEA all of the funds it requested.

Can a Title I participating school “start over” in the school improvement timeline?

For Title I participating schools that implement a turnaround or restart model, the schools will “start over” in the school improvement timeline.

Under SIG, what does “increased learning time” mean?

Increase the total number of school hours to provide time for:• Instruction in core academic subjects; • Instruction in other subjects and enrichment activities that contribute to a well-rounded education; and• Teachers to collaborate, plan, and engage in professional development within and across grades and subjects.

Under SIG, what does “job-embedded professional development” mean?

• Occurs on a regular basis (e.g., daily, weekly);• Aligned with standards and plans;• Involves collaborative work facilitated by coaches or mentors;• Requires active engagement by participants; and• Focuses on understanding what and how students are learning.

Are there specific reporting requirements for SIG funds?

Yes. The State must report annually on outcome measures (i.e., improvements in student performance) and leading indicators for each Tier I and Tier II school. The LEA must report its progress on achieving the goals it establishes in the initial LEA application. A State may use these data to determine whether to renew an LEA's SIG award for a second and third year.

Leading Indicators• Number of minutes within the school year;• Student participation rate on state

assessments by subgroup;• Dropout rate;• Student attendance rate;• Number and percentage students completing

advanced coursework, early college, or dual-enrollment;

• Discipline incidents;• Truants;• Distribution of teachers by performance level

on LEA’s teacher evaluation system; and • Teacher attendance rate

An SEA must post on its Web site a summary of the SIG grants it awarded, including the following information:1. Name and NCES identification number

of each LEA awarded a grant;

2. Amount of each LEA’s grant;

3. Name and NCES identification number of each school to be served; and

4. Type of intervention to be implemented in each Tier I and Tier II school being served.

5. All LEA SIG Applications.

Questions of late…

Will the PRC 117/143 Chart of Accounts be updated?

• Clerical assistance• Security assistance/SROs• CTE• Counselors• Principal incentives/bonuses• Indirect Costs

For summer program's transportation:

Can we do one invoice for the transportation (which would include the bus driver working at the school during the time of the program) or are there going to be additional lines added for this activity?

When do we need to send a calendar waiver to have the school year extended?

•NC Public School Law 115c-84.2 refers to “a minimum of 180 days and 1,000 hours of instruction”.

If funds are not available for sustainability after the three years, what will be the consequences?

The funds are intended to put initiatives in place that would sustain continued improvement after the funds are no longer available.  In other words, SIG funds are intended to build capacity of staff and leadership during the period of funding. 

How many copies of the SIG application are we required to submit to DPI for each school?

•Original signature, one copy.

Questions…