NC Race to the Top (RttT) LEA/Charter Detailed Scope of Work (DSW):
Instructions for Completing & Submitting the Template
Introduction
NC’s Race to the Top (RttT) effort is an extension and acceleration of NC’s ongoing State and
local efforts to increase student achievement. In particular, NC RttT provides an opportunity to
build infrastructure and capacity that will strengthen our State system of public education.
RttT Supports Ongoing State and LEA Work
The RttT work is not separate, but rather is integrated into the existing work of the State Board,
the NC Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI), and local education agencies (LEAs)/charter
schools (Charters). At the same time, the NC RttT effort is highly focused, and requires clear
commitment by the State and each participating LEA/Charter to implement certain priority
initiatives and activities with fidelity to the overarching NC RttT vision.
Importance of the Detailed Scope of Work (DSW)
The process through which the State and LEAs/Charters will hold themselves and each other
accountable for this commitment is the Detailed Scope of Work (DSW). In order to secure funds
for the State, NC DPI must provide the US Department of Education with a State DSW; prior to
allotting any NC RttT funding to LEAs/Charters, NC DPI must approve a DSW for each
LEA/Charter. This document explains what steps each LEA/Charter must take to complete and
submit their DSW, using the templates and associated resources provided by NC DPI.
This LEA/Charter DSW is both a strategic and tactical document. The plan must indicate
specific LEA/Charter measurable goals and targets that align with the State goals and targets,
and the LEA/Charter’s plan for implementing activities that align with the NC RttT vision and
initiatives. To meet federal oversight requirements, NC DPI will monitor periodically each
LEA/Charter’s progress toward achievement of their stated goals. To help ensure that
LEAs/Charters are successful, NC DPI will support their efforts through the various channels of
the Statewide System of Support (see www.ncpublicschools.org/schooltransformation/support/) .
Part of this support work will involve helping LEAs/Charters to adjust their initially approved
DSWs, as needed. LEAs/Charters must implement their plans with fidelity and demonstrate
satisfactory progress toward their stated performance targets in order to be eligible for continued
RttT funding.
The Process
Each LEA/Charter must complete and submit a DSW using the provided template, which is a
Microsoft Excel workbook with multiple worksheets. The template requires each LEA/Charter to
detail implementation plans for Required RttT activities and Optional activities, provide budget
information for each of the four years of the RttT grant period, provide LEA/Charter contacts for
each of the RttT initiatives, and provide a list of Planning/Advisory team members (including
optional signatures to demonstrate the breadth of local support for the LEA/Charter plan.
Note: By August 3, 2011, LEAs/Charters are required to provide detailed plans for how they
will implement all of the required activities over the course of the RttT grant period.
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The instructions below provide guidance in how to complete the template and submit it to NC
DPI. NC DPI will provide each LEA/Charter with technical assistance, as needed, in completing
the template. If you have questions or concerns related to completing the template, please contact
your NC DPI Regional Lead (see Table 1 below for Regional Lead contact information). Please
also make plans to attend the October regional technical assistance meeting to which you have
been or will be invited.
Table 1. NC DPI Regional Lead Contact Information
Note: NC DPI will provide support to Charters through the Office of Charter Schools.
Updated 6/25/2013
Region
Contact Person
Email Address
Phone Number
Region 1
Tamara Berman-Ishee
tamara.bermanishee@dpi.nc.gov
252-646-0777
Region 2
Robin Loflin Smith
robin.smith@dpi.nc.gov
336-802-6824
Region 3
James Coon
james.coon@dpi.nc.gov
252-571-9540
Region 4
James Coon
james.coon@dpi.nc.gov
252-571-9540
Region 5
Frances Harris-Burke
frances.harrisburke@dpi.nc.gov
703-217-8170
Region 6
Terry L. Cline
terry.cline@dpi.nc.gov
252-560-9732
Region 7 & 8
Jan King
jan.king@dpi.nc.gov
828-606-0177
Instructions for Using the Template
The Detailed Scope of Work template contains six worksheets (tabs) that LEAs/Charters must
complete. The sheets have been set up so that if you choose to print them out, they will fit neatly
onto legal paper. Please do not adjust the width of columns or this formatting will be thrown off;
all input cells have text wrapping set to “on,” so the boxes will expand vertically to accept as
much content as you put into them. Note: A number of the cells contain drop-down menus for
your convenience. Please do not merge cells.
Below are specific instructions for how to complete each of the worksheets.
Tab 1: State & Local Priority Goals
The priority goals and measures are listed in columns A and C, respectively, for both the State
and the LEA/Charter. Each LEA/Charter must fill in the appropriate LEA/Charter-specific
information in each of the light blue boxes. All information on this tab is required.
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Steps:
1. In row 2, select your LEA/Charter from the drop-down menu. This will then populate
row 2 for all subsequent worksheets.
2. In rows 7,9,11,13,15,17,19, and 21, please provide the baseline figure for the measure
from the 2009-10 school year (column F) and complete the targets for 2010- 2014
(columns H-K).
Example: In row 7, column F, enter the Percent of All Students Proficient (at or
above level III) on Grade 4 Reading for your LEA/Charter in 2009-10. Then, in
columns H-K of the same row, provide the targets for each of the next four years for
this same measure (the goal for your LEA to increase the percent of students
proficient on Grade 4 Reading for the next 4 years). See sample worksheet excerpt
below for illustration of this example.
State RttT
Goal
1. Student
Achievement
Baseline
Measure
2009-10
201011
% of All Students
Proficient - Grade 4
Reading
State
71.6
74.6
(Proxy for NAEP
Grade 4 Reading)
LEA/
charter
72
78
Targets
2011- 201212
13
77.6
85
201314
80.6
83.6
90
95
Tab 2: Required Activities
Columns A and B are already populated with the activities that all participating LEAs/Charters
must implement during the RttT grant period as a condition of receiving RttT funds, as detailed
in the Guidance documents (see http://www.ncpublicschools.org/rttt/district/).
Each LEA/Charter may choose to spend some RttT funds to implement Required Activities. If
you are making that choice, please use columns C-K to complete the remaining information
specific to your LEA/Charter plan for implementation of each required activity you select. Each
activity in column B could have more than one associated plan for implementation. Please use a
separate row to detail the information for each plan (note: we have included five rows for
each activity for this purpose; if you need more, use the ‘insert’ function to insert as many
additional rows as you need).
Steps:
1. Check to see that row 2 contains the name of your LEA/Charter (this should be prepopulated once you have selected your name from the drop-down menu in row 2 of
the preceding State & Local Priority Goals worksheet).
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2. In row 4, enter the total allotted funding (this is the total that has been allotted to your
LEA/Charter over the 4-year RttT grant period) in the blue box that spans columns
C/D. The total RttT funding budgeted in column H/I will be populated based on the
budget information that you enter in the rows below. Do NOT enter information in
this field. This cell will turn red if the automatically calculated total of your budgeted
RttT expenditures exceeds the total allotted amount that you have entered in column
C/D.
3. Beginning in row 8, LEAs/Charters must complete the information needed in
columns C-K for any activity selected:
i. Column C: Aligned with… LEA/Charter Goal - Enter a reference to any
relevant goal in your LEA/Charter strategic plan (please attach the complete
plan to your Detailed Scope of Work for reference). If you do not have an
existing LEA/Charter strategic plan, please attach a brief, numbered list (in a
separate MS Word document) of your LEA’s/Charter’s priority objectives for
the year, and in column C, list which of those objectives aligns with each RttT
activity in column B.
ii. Column D: Aligned with… DSSF Plan Strategy - Enter a reference to any
relevant strategies in your LEA/Charter DSSF Plan that align with the specific
RttT activity listed in column B.
iii. Column E: Plan/Timeline for Implementation - List your LEA’s/Charter’s plan
and timeline for completing and implementing the required activity.
Descriptors of how the money will be spent should be included with the
activity.
Example: Provide travel, sub pay, and/or stipends for 70 teachers to complete
required training on new Common Core Standards in 2011-12.
Note: If you have more than one implementation plan for an activity, use a
separate row for each plan so that you can detail the specifics (of targets,
fund source, year, budget, etc.) for each plan, individually. If you use up all
the rows provided, use ‘Insert’ to add rows for that activity by positioning the
cursor/arrow over the row number on the left hand side of the sheet, right
clicking, and selecting ‘Insert’(this will insert a row above the one you
highlighted).
iv. Column F: Key Personnel - List the personnel in your LEA/Charter who will be
responsible for implementing the plan for each activity.
v. Column G: Performance Measure (Target) - Enter the process measure that will
be used to determine that the plan in column E was implemented.
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Example: All 70 teachers will complete training by the end of the 2011-12
school year.
vi. Column H: Budget - Enter the total amount of money that you anticipate
expending for this activity. If you do not anticipate expenditures associated with
this activity, please indicate “0”.
vii. Column I: Fund Source - Use the drop-down options to select the source of
funds from which you are budgeting for each implementation plan for a
required activity (dropdown options: RttT, State, Local, Other Federal, N/A). If
you have entered “0” in column H, please select “N/A” in column I.
viii. Column J: Fiscal Year - Use the drop-down menu to select the fiscal year in
which your LEA/Charter is budgeting expenditures for the specific activity
(drop-down options: 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14).
ix. Column K: R/N? - Use the drop-down list to indicate whether the expenditures
will be recurring (R) or non-recurring (N) (dropdown options: R, N).
Note: Each year of funding for an activity should have the activity listed on the same row.
Tab 3: Optional Activities
LEAs/Charters are not required to fill in this sheet unless they are planning for optional RttT
activities. LEAs/Charters are encouraged to consider innovative ways to achieve their stated RttT
targets (as indicated on Tab 1). The NC RttT Guidance documents provide some suggestions for
optional activities that the LEAs/Charters may wish to implement. In completing the Optional
Activities tab, please be sure to include those or any other activities that align with an RttT
initiative that your LEA/Charter will use RttT funds to implement. Column A contains a dropdown menu that you must use to select the appropriate RttT reference to which your optional
activity is aligned.
Steps:
1. Check to see that row 2 contains the name of your LEA/Charter (this should be prepopulated once you have selected your name from the drop-down menu in row 2 of
the preceding State & Local Priority Goals worksheet).
2. In row 4, check to see that the box in column C/D contains the total allotted RttT
funding that you entered in the blue box on the preceding Required Activities sheet
(this should be pre-populated once you have completed Step 2 in the Required
Activities sheet). The total RttT funding box in column H/I will be automatically
populated based on the information that you enter in the rows below. Do NOT enter
information in this field. This cell will turn red if the automatically calculated total of
your budgeted RttT expenditures exceeds the allotted amount that you have entered in
column C/D.
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3. Beginning in row 8, LEAs are required to complete the information needed in
columns A-K for each activity you select:
i. Column A: RttT Initiative (Section) – Use the drop-down menu to select the
RttT Initiative (including specific Objective) to which your optional activity
aligns (dropdown options: all of the RttT Section/Objective combinations found
in the Guidance document).
ii. Column B: Optional RttT Activity – Enter a brief description of the activity you
will implement to address your goal(s). You may choose from among the
suggested activities listed in the “LEAs/Charters may…” column of the
Guidance document, or you may create your own activity.
iii. Column C: Aligned with… LEA/Charter Goal - Enter a reference to any
relevant goal in your LEA/Charter strategic plan (please attach the complete
plan to your DSW for reference). If you do not have an existing LEA/Charter
strategic plan, please attach a brief, numbered list (in a separate Microsoft Word
document) of your LEA’s/Charter’s priority goals for the year, and in column C,
list which of those goals aligns with the activities you have indicated.
iv. Column D: Aligned with… DSSF Plan Strategy - Enter a reference to any
relevant strategies in your LEA/Charter DSSF Plan that align with the specific
RttT activity listed.
v. Column E: Plan/Timeline for Implementation - List your LEA’s/Charter’s plan
and timeline for completing and implementing the required activity.
Example: Provide travel, sub pay, and/or stipends for 70 teachers to complete
required training on new Common Core Standards in 2011-12.
Note: If you have more than one implementation plan for an activity, use a
separate row for each plan so that you can detail the specifics (of targets,
fund source, year, budget, etc) for each plan, individually. If you use up all
the rows provided, use ’Insert’ to add rows for that activity by positioning the
cursor/arrow over the row number on the left hand side of the sheet, right
clicking, and selecting ‘Insert’(this will insert a row above the one you
highlighted).
vi. Column F: Key Personnel - List the personnel in your LEA/Charter who will be
responsible for implementing the plan for each activity.
vii. Column G: Performance Measure (Target) - Enter the process measure that will
be used to determine that the plan in column E was implemented.
Example: All 70 teachers will complete training by the end of the 2011-12
school year.
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viii. Column H: Budget - Enter the total amount of money that you anticipate
expending for this activity.
ix. Column I: Fund Source - Use the drop-down options to select the source of
funds from which you are budgeting for each implementation plan for a
required activity (dropdown options: RttT, State, Local, Other Federal, N/A).
x. Column J: Fiscal Year - Use the drop-down option to select the fiscal year in
which your LEA/Charter is budgeting expenditures for the specific activity
(dropdown options: 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14)
xi. Column K: R/N? - Use the drop-down list to indicate whether the expenditures
will be recurring (R) or non-recurring (N) (dropdown options: R, N)
Tab 4: Budget Summary
This sheet provides a summary of the expenditures that you have budgeted for Required and
Optional activities on the preceding two sheets. You will not need to enter any information into
this sheet – all of the fields are automatically calculated – but you should review the sheet to be
sure it reflects your budgeting plan accurately.
Steps:
1. Check to see that row 2 contains the name of your LEA/Charter (this should be prepopulated once you have selected your name from the drop-down menu in row 2 of
the preceding State & Local Priority Goals worksheet).
2. Do NOT enter any other information in the remainder of this sheet. This data will
populate automatically based on your entries on preceding sheets. Please verify,
however, that the information showing matches what you have entered in other
places, and be sure that your RttT total (column F, row 11) does not exceed your
allotted RttT funds.
Tab 5: Implementation Team Contacts
This sheet provides NC DPI with contact information for the key members of your LEA/Charter
implementation team.
Steps:
1. Check to see that row 2 contains the name of your LEA/Charter (this should be prepopulated once you have selected your name from the drop-down menu in row 2 of
the preceding State & Local Priority Goals worksheet).
2. Please provide a name, phone number, and email address for the designated contacts
in your LEA/Charter who are responsible for implementation of each of RttT
initiatives (sections).
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Tab 6: Planning & Advisory Team Contacts
This sheet provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you have involved various local
stakeholders, including some who may not be employees of your LEA/Charter, in your RttT
planning process.
Steps:
1. Check to see that row 2 contains the name of your LEA/Charter (this should be prepopulated once you have selected your name from the drop-down menu in row 2 of
the preceding State & Local Priority Goals worksheet).
2. Please provide a name, title/organization, phone number, and email address for the
members of your RttT planning and advisory team (this can include people outside of
your LEA/Charter - for example, members of the local business community - with
whom you are partnering for planning and implementation of RttT activities). It is
expected that you will involve the local teachers’ association leader or his or her
designee in the planning process. The sheet also contains a space for any of these
members to sign the plan to indicate support. This is not required, but does
demonstrate the broader commitment of your local team.
Submitting the Completed Detailed Scope of Work
You must submit your completed DSW to NC DPI no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday August
3, 2011 by emailing the following to NC DPI at RacetotheTop@dpi.nc.gov :

Completed DSW Excel file (titled/saved as “RttT LEA/Charter DSW - <Your
LEA/Charter Name>”

Any Attachments: LEA/Charter Strategic Plan or one-page list of LEA/Charter Priority
Objectives (required), pdf of planning and advisory contacts with signatures (optional)

Note: Please put “RttT LEA/Charter DSW - <Your LEA/Charter Name>” in the subject
line of your email.
If you have questions or concerns about how to submit or want to confirm that your information
is received, please contact NCDPI at RacetotheTop@dpi.nc.gov. We encourage you to work
with your NC DPI Regional Lead for any support that you need in planning and completing your
DSW. You can find additional information and resources on the NC DPI RttT website
(www.ncpublicschools.org/rttt/).
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