Race to the Top (RttT) Monthly Report for US Department of Education (USED) NC RttT January 2011 Please provide information in the following areas: • Activities completed this month • Activities projected for the month ahead • Changes requested to plan or timelines outlined in state scope of work • Changes being considered to key project personnel • Areas in which Technical Assistance/USED support could be used Activities Completed this Month RttT Management: •
Provided responses to all USED requests for clarification regarding Nov. 22 submission of State Detailed Scope of Work (DSW) •
Submitted official Amendments (using new USED forms) for sections A1, C3, D2, D3, E2 •
Communicated to Local Education Agencies (LEAs)/charters expectation for 2011‐12 local DSW submission process (including calendar for NC DPI review and support events) •
Held RttT Project Coordinators Kick‐Off meeting (1/20) •
Established RttT Project Management intranet collaborative site •
Presented monthly RttT status report to State Board of Education (SBE; 1/6) •
Conducted Governor’s Education Transformation Commission (GETC) meeting (1/6) •
Assembled initial working draft of RttT master work plan •
Began analysis of LEA/charter RttT planned expenditures (for executive brief) •
Briefed NC DPI Management Team (broader than RttT Leadership Team) regarding updated RttT Goals & Targets, and implementation theory/research Standards & Assessments: •
Held initial joint planning meeting between NC DPI Curriculum & Instruction (C&I) and Educator Recruitment & Development (ERD) to plan for development and deployment of professional development for Common Core and Essential Standards •
Set dates for summer training institutes to provide intensive professional development on the Common Core and Essential Standards •
Began developing Summer Leadership Institute flier and registration information to be posted on Accountability & Curriculum Reform Effort (ACRE) professional development (PD) website NC DPI / NC RttT PMO Page 1 of 6 1/31/2011 •
Scheduled the following one‐day trainings: o Sandhills Consortium: Cumberland County, Common Core Standards (English/Language Arts and Math), 1/28 o Northeast Regional Education Service Alliance (RESA): Manteo, Common Core and Essential Standards, 2/21 •
Processing contract for online PD module technology development and hosting with Technical Outreach for Public Schools (TOPS) •
Completed draft of Blended PD Activity Plan and Timeline Data Systems to Improve Instruction: •
Sent Instructional Improvement System (IIS) Request for Proposals (RFP) for contract planning team to State Information Technology Services; making required changes •
Met with NC Education Cloud team to align planning across initiatives Great Teachers & Principals: •
Identified/began hiring process for professional development facilitators and online module developers •
Set dates for summer training institutes to provide intensive professional development on the Common Core and Essential Standards •
Began work on design of professional development for summer training institutes •
Began contracts to continue the Northeast Leadership Academy and Distinguished Leadership in Practice professional development initiative. Began contracts to establish the Sandhills and Piedmont Triad Leadership Academies, as well as the New Teacher Support Initiative •
Continued to work with McREL on ongoing improvements to all online Evaluation tools •
Convened second meeting of the Teacher Effectiveness work group; heard presentations from experts in the field of measuring teacher effectiveness •
Researched recent studies of teacher evaluation, measures of teacher effectiveness, and value‐
added modeling •
Processing contract for online module development with e‐Learning for Educators Turning Around the Lowest‐Achieving Schools: •
Hired RttT Project Coordinator •
Finalized official "list" of schools (per Amendment for section E2) •
Conducted Comprehensive Needs Assessments (CNA) for 6 identified schools/districts (additionally, conducted 13 orientations to CNA) NC DPI / NC RttT PMO Page 2 of 6 1/31/2011 •
Continued work on hiring for RttT positions: o 2 Instructional Coach (IC) Lead positions filled o 3 IRC positions filled, 2 additional positions reallocated to needs assessment duties o 3 District Transformation Coach (DTC) matches made and positions filled o 2 School Transformation Coach (STC) positions filled •
Interviewed for additional IC, DTC, and STC positions •
Held transition meetings with 3 new districts ‐‐ Greene County, Warren County, Weldon City •
Identified interim support for selected schools/districts until project positions filled •
Delivered ongoing PD and Coaching for currently served schools/districts •
Began assigning PD and Coaching staff for newly served schools ‐ working with HR to align positions on organizational chart •
Began to design summer in‐service professional development for identified schools and districts NC Education Cloud: •
Developed new NC Education Cloud (Cloud) messaging for LEA stakeholders •
Provided regional updates for Regions 1, 2, 4, & 6 •
Determined time line and participant LEAs for Phase 1 information‐gathering interviews; developed draft instrument for use in interviews •
Identified LEA stakeholder membership for Cloud Advisory Committee •
Met with IIS leadership to coordinate planning across Cloud & IIS initiatives •
Met with NC DPI Regional Lead Coordinator to align general RttT outreach efforts and NC Education Cloud efforts •
Began meetings with large service providers, including IBM, Microsoft, Blackboard, and AT&T •
Drafted job descriptions and contracts for temporary employees and contractors Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM): •
Identified potential NC DPI project coordinator •
Met with New Schools Project to discuss process for establishing contract Evaluation: •
Presented proposed high‐level Evaluation questions to State Board (1/5‐6) and to GETC (1/6) for review and input NC DPI / NC RttT PMO Page 3 of 6 1/31/2011 Activities Projected for the Month Ahead RttT Management: •
Conduct Finance webinars for LEAs/charters approximately one week after USED approval of Nov. 22 DSW package •
Identify and prepare other initiative budget and/or DSW Amendments, as needed •
Complete initial analysis of LEA/charter RttT planned expenditures; establish database to facilitate further analyses •
Add functionality, information to RttT Project Management intranet collaborative site •
Present monthly RttT status report to SBE •
Address GETC subcommittee request(s) •
Present to NC Network of Grantmakers regarding ways in which they might supplement RttT funding for State and/or local initiatives Standards & Assessments: • C&I team continue to develop Curricular Resources, Learning Progressions, Content Specific Formative Assessment
•
C&I/ERD meet to plan foundational components for summer PD, establish scope of objectives for Regional Leadership Institutes, establish teams to develop modules for Institutes •
Begin implementing Activity Plan for developing, designing, and deploying the blended professional development opportunities •
Finalize pending contracts for PD modules •
Conduct collaborative meeting between NC DPI C&I and ERD to establish standards for: o Training adult learners o Writing online modules Data Systems to Improve Instruction: •
Release IIS RFP for contract planning team •
Identify/hire IIS project coordinator (per section C3 amendment) to assist IIS project lead •
Draft RFP for IIS program manager (to oversee day‐to‐day implementation of IIS) •
Secure internal NC DPI IT project manager Great Teachers & Principals: •
Staff professional development facilitator and online module developer positions and provide training for them •
Continue designing professional development for summer training institutes NC DPI / NC RttT PMO Page 4 of 6 1/31/2011 •
Finalize contracts in progress, and initiate contracts for additional state‐level initiatives •
Establish fifty workgroups to design measures of student growth for non‐tested subjects •
Initiate contracts to begin work on the professional development system (PDS), which includes connections to NC FALCON, training on the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards, and the development of online modules for Common Core and Essential Standards •
Identify professional development leaders in each LEA and begin communicating to them expectations regarding the initial summer trainings Turning Around the Lowest‐Achieving Schools: •
Conduct Comprehensive Needs Assessments additional identified schools/districts •
Continue work on hiring for RttT positions •
Hold transition meetings with additional new districts •
Deliver ongoing PD and coaching for currently served schools/districts •
Continue to assign PD and coaching staff for newly served schools ‐ working with HR to align positions on organizational chart •
Continue to design summer in‐service professional development for identified schools and districts NC Education Cloud: •
Provide Cloud Kick‐Off meeting for internal NCDPI RttT Team members •
Meet with other NC RttT initiative leads and coordinators to align planning across initiatives •
Provide Cloud regional updates for Regions 3, 5, 7, & 8 •
Finalize instrument for gathering data in Phase 1 interviews •
Hold Kick‐Off webinar for Cloud Advisory Committee •
Provide Cloud update as part of Superintendent’s webinar Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM): •
Finalize staffing of NC DPI project coordinator position •
Establish contract with New Schools Project to deliver anchor schools and affinity networks Evaluation: •
Finalize set of high‐level evaluation questions based on feedback from NC DPI, SBE, and GETC •
Begin initiative‐specific planning sessions to establish detailed work plan for evaluation of each initiative NC DPI / NC RttT PMO Page 5 of 6 1/31/2011 Changes Requested to Plan or Timelines Outlined in State Detailed Scope of Work (DSW) •
N/A , since DSW still under USED review Changes Being Considered to Key Project Personnel •
None Areas in which Technical Assistance/USED Support Could be Used •
Research on use of student growth measures as an indicator of teacher and principal effectiveness (particularly in “non‐tested” subjects) •
Research on instructional improvement systems (including which components other states are including in their proposals) and forums for sharing information across states •
Sharing of successful Communications strategies and materials – particularly re how to reconcile excitement about RttT with reality of State fiscal cris(e)s and effects on schools NC DPI / NC RttT PMO Page 6 of 6 1/31/2011