North Carolina, September 2012
Race to the Top Progress Update
Sub-criterion (E)(2)
Part B: In preparation for monthly calls, States must submit written responses to the following
questions for two application sub-criteria (e.g. (A)(2) and (D)(4)). 1 All responses in this section
should be tailored to the goals and projects associated with this sub-criterion.
Application sub-criterion: (E)(2) Intervening in the lowest-achieving schools
•
•
•
North Carolina’s goals for this sub-criterion:
Improve achievement in the lowest 5% of schools in North Carolina and graduation rates in
high schools where the graduation rate is under 60%
Raise district-wide performance in those districts which have a high concentration of lowestachieving schools
Provide new opportunities for students in the lowest-achieving schools and districts to attend
schools that will better support their achievement and successful graduation and lead them to
college and career readiness
Relevant projects:
• Turning around the lowest-achieving schools (TALAS)
Questions: (Pilot revision)
1. Is the State’s progress toward meeting the goals and performance measures and
implementing the activities that are included in its approved scope of work for this
sub-criterion on track? If so, explain why. If not, explain why not.
North Carolina is currently on track to meet the goals, performance measures, and
activities that are included in its approved scope of work. Examples of progress include:
o 100% of District Transformation Coaches have been hired and assigned to their
respective districts
o 94% of School Transformation Coaches and Instructional Coaches have been
hired and assigned to their respective schools.
o Professional Development for School Leaders sessions have been held
successfully, with school leaders attending five of those each academic year.
o Coaches continue supporting schools to effectively implement USED reform
models and improve student achievement at each TALAS school.
1
On each monthly call, program officers and states should work together to select two sub-criteria for the following month.
OMB Control Number: 1894-0011
Expiration Date: October 31, 2011 North Carolina, September 2012
2. What does the evidence that the State is collecting indicate about quality of
implementation for this sub-criterion and what is/has the State doing/done as a
result of this information?
o 39 out of 108 (36%) TALAS schools are now above the minimum target of 60%
proficiency
o 84% of TALAS schools have shown gains in performance composite scores since
the beginning of the grant.
o 16 out of 108 schools are still under 50% performance composite
o Of the 9 schools originally identified for graduation rates below 60%, 2 have
closed, and of the remaining 7 schools, 5 now have graduation rates above 60%
o North Carolina has strategically reassigned instructional coaches to focus on the
schools that will have the most difficulty, in the following priority order:

The sixteen schools under 50% performance composite

The schools between 50% and 60% (especially the 21 schools that have
had less than 5 points gained in two years)

The two schools with graduation rates below 60%
o As reflected in their evaluations, participants at Professional Development for
School Leaders sessions overwhelmingly rated the sessions as beneficial to their
school reform efforts.
o 16 of our 108 schools have newly assigned principals this 2012-2013 academic
year.

To compensate, DST is creating a ‘New’ RttT Leadership Training in
October.
3. What are the obstacles and/or risks that could impact the State’s ability to meet its
goals and performance measures related to this sub-criterion?
o Leadership changes at the district or school level can disrupt the understanding of
the expectations for a district and any schools involved in one of the four USED
models, especially when the new leadership is out of state and unfamiliar with NC
RttT.
o Loss of highly effective coaches before the end of the RttT grant.
o Some districts are struggling in trying to increase learning time due to financial
resources.
Evaluation: Based on the responses to the previous question, evaluate the State’s
performance and progress to date for this sub-criterion (choose one):
Red (1) Orange (2) Yellow (3) Green (4)2
2
Red – requires urgent and decisive action; Orange – requires substantial attention, some aspects need urgent attention; Yellow –
aspect(s) require substantial attention, some aspects good; Green – good, requires refinement and systematic implementation. OMB Control Number: 1894-0011
Expiration Date: October 31, 2011