(D)(3) Part B Narrative, North Carolina, July 2013 Page 1 of 7 Race to the Top Progress Update Sub-criterion (D)(3) 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:2 (D)(3): Ensuring equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals Ensure the equitable distribution of teachers and principals by developing a plan, informed by reviews of prior actions and data, to ensure that students in high-poverty and/or high-minority schools (both as defined in this notice) have equitable access to highly effective teachers and principals (both as defined in this notice) and are not served by ineffective teachers and principals at higher rates than other students; and Increase the number and percentage of effective teachers (as defined in this notice) teaching hard-to-staff subjects and specialty areas including mathematics, science, and special education; teaching in language instruction educational programs (as defined under Title III of the ESEA); and teaching in other areas as identified by the State or LEA. STATE’s goals for this sub-criterion: 1 2 Increase the percentage (and number) of teachers in schools that are high-poverty, high-minority, or both who are highly effective. Increase the percentage (and number) of teachers in schools that are low-poverty, low-minority or both who are highly effective. Decrease the percentage (and number) of teachers in schools that are high-poverty, high-minority, or both who are ineffective. Decrease the percentage (and number) of teachers in schools that are low-poverty, low-minority, or both who are ineffective. Increase the percentage (and number) of principals leading in schools that are highpoverty, high-minority, or both who are highly effective. Increase the percentage (and number) of principals leading in schools that are lowpoverty, low-minority or both who are highly effective. Decrease the percentage (and number) of principals leading schools that are highpoverty, high-minority, or both who are ineffective. On each monthly call, program officers and states should work together to select two sub-criteria for the following month. All highlighted fields will be pre-populated by the Department Program Officer prior to State completion. (D)(3) Part B Narrative, North Carolina, July 2013 Page 2 of 7 Decrease the percentage (and number) of principals leading schools that are lowpoverty, low-minority, or both who are ineffective. Increase the percentage of mathematics teachers who were evaluated as effective or better. Increase the percentage of science teachers who were evaluated as effective or better. Increase the percentage of special education teachers who were evaluated as effective or better. Increase the percentage of teachers in language instruction educational programs who were evaluated as effective or better. Increase the number of highly effective teachers in low-income rural areas and lowperforming urban schools. Relevant projects: Continue existing and launch new Regional Leadership Academies to prepare effective school leaders to serve in low-achieving schools. Start an NC Teacher Corps to provide effective teachers in high-need areas to lowachieving schools. Expand Teach for America in the rural northeastern region of the State. Provide intensive support and mentoring for new teachers in low-achieving schools through the New Teacher Support Program. Assist LEAs with strategic staffing through support from an outside vendor and recruitment vouchers to bring effective, experienced teachers to low-achieving schools. 1. Is the State on-track to implement the activities and meet the goals and performance measures that are included in its approved scope of work for this sub-criterion? If so, explain why. If not, explain why not. The State has made strong progress toward meeting the goals and performance measures listed above and in its Race to the Top application. An update on each project within the (D)(3) subcriterion appears below. Continue existing and launch new Regional Leadership Academies to prepare effective school leaders to serve in low-achieving schools. The Northeast Leadership Academy (NELA) is starting its fourth year of existence. Twenty-one members of Cohort II are participating in administrative internships throughout the State, while 16 of the 21 members of Cohort I are currently employed in local school districts as educational leaders (assistant principals, principals, directors of instruction, and curriculum facilitators). NELA Cohort III members are currently participating in their Summer Community Internship. NELA staff provided orientation (D)(3) Part B Narrative, North Carolina, July 2013 Page 3 of 7 and training for two newly hired executive coaches in June and our currently preparing for fall training for Cohort III members. The Sandhills Leadership Academy (SLA) and Piedmont-Triad Leadership Academy (PTLA) are each beginning their third year of operation. As of June 30, 2013, 21 executive interns in Cohort II of the Sandhills Academy had completed coursework in school administration and administrative internships and all 20 Cohort I graduates are employed as educational leaders (assistant principals, principals, directors of instruction, and curriculum facilitators). The SLA is currently conducting its Cohort III Summer Intensive Scope and Sequence (July 1-August 2) partially in Carthage, NC and partially at the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), in Cullowhee, NC. In the Piedmont-Triad Academy, 20 executive interns completed coursework and internships, while 20 of the 21 Cohort I graduates are employed as educational leaders (assistant principals, principals, directors of instruction, and curriculum facilitators). The PTLA is currently conducting its 2013 Summer Intensive Training (July 8-July 31) at the Experiential Learning Campus at Piney Lake (UNC-Greensboro) for Cohort III members. Since their inception, there have been 124 graduates of the three leadership academies, who will be prepared to assume full-time educational leadership positions in lowachieving schools. The operators of all three academies are also working on sustainability plans to continue the programs after the end of the RttT grant. For example, on June 28 the Piedmont-Triad Leadership Academy submitted a grant proposal to USDE’s Office of Innovation and Improvement’s School Leadership Program to continue operation and serve as a national model. Start a NC Teacher Corps (NCTC) to provide effective teachers in high-need subject areas to low-achieving schools. The NCTC was established in January 2012 and is currently in its second year of operation. Thirty-four applicants completed the 2012 NCTC summer training and officially became corps members. These 24 NCTC corps members are employed as teachers in local school systems and receiving instructional coaching from NCTC staff. Thirteen of these teachers serve as math (7), science (4), or EC (2) teachers, both areas of high need in low achieving schools. As part of the recruitment process for Cohort II, staff participated in 44 college/university recruitment fairs. Staff increased participation in recruitment fairs to increase the number of potential applicants, as recommended in the Annual RttT Evaluation Report. There were 225 applicants who applied for 2013 NCTC membership. NCTC staff conducted applicant interviews in the spring of 2013 and selected 106 candidates to become 2013 NCTC members. NCTC staff again collaborated with NCDPI District and School Transformation (DST), Educator Effectiveness (formerly Educator Recruitment and Professional Development (ERD)), and Teach for America (TFA) representatives to plan and conduct the summer training experience, with select NCDPI staff members delivering the professional development training. Of the 106 accepted 90 members are participating in the NCTC Summer Institute being conducted in two local school systems (Cumberland and (D)(3) Part B Narrative, North Carolina, July 2013 Page 4 of 7 Durham) between July 15 and August 2. NCTC staff members continue to work with partner districts to seek employment for corps members, and with candidates to navigate the PRAXIS testing requirements and admission requirements for completing licensure coursework. As of July 21, thirty of the Cohort II corps members have been hired by local school districts. Provide intensive support and mentoring for new teachers in low-achieving schools through the New Teacher Support Program. The University of North Carolina – General Administration (UNC-GA) launched the New Teacher Support Program in August 2011. The program provides a summer training prior to new teachers beginning work in the fall that includes sessions on setting goals and a classroom vision, unpacking the curriculum, creating and using daily objectives, unit planning and assessment, classroom management, discipline and behavior management, lesson planning, communication in the school and community, professional ethics, and time management. Participating teachers then receive support through classroom observations, instructional coaching and debriefing meetings with mentor teachers, and additional professional development sessions on workdays or weekends during the ensuing school year. New teachers hired after the summer training program join the program as they are hired. As of June 20, 2013, the NTSP instructional coaches had provided induction support for 532 teachers in 81 schools and 20 school districts. Typically, instructional coaches meet on-site with the new teachers once every two weeks to provide mentoring and support. The NTSP is currently conducting eight, 2-day Regional Summer Institutes for first year teachers enrolled in the NTSP. The institutes are being conducted in Charlotte (two institutes), Roanoke Rapids, Durham, Greensboro, Wadesboro, Pembroke and Greenville, NC. The Summer Institutes began July 9 and are to be completed by August 8. There are plans to expand the NTSP during the 2013-14 school year to include the full complement of teachers in the 38 school districts in which the 118 TALAS schools are located. At this time, 116 schools and 29 school districts have indicated that they will have approximately 1,200 new teachers participating in the program. Due to delays in adopting a state budget, several school districts have postponed hiring decisions and making commitments to participate in NTSP. It is anticipated that the number of school districts participating will increase after the state budget is finalized. NTSP staff are currently planning a 3-day Statewide Training Institute (September 2123, 2013) at UNC-Chapel Hill for all new beginning teachers that will be receiving instructional support services during the upcoming school year. Expand Teach For America (TFA) in the rural northeastern region of the State. Through RttT, the State’s partnership with TFA Eastern North Carolina has expanded to include additional Corps members above what the organization would have otherwise brought to that region of the State. TFA is using its traditional recruitment, training, and support processes for these new corps members. (D)(3) Part B Narrative, North Carolina, July 2013 Page 5 of 7 The TFA 2011 cohort (currently second-year corps members) has 88 members and the 2012 cohort (currently first-year corps members) has 128 members for a total of 216 corps members serving 16 school districts and charter schools in eastern North Carolina. Prior to the partnership with RttT funds, the typical corps size for TFA in eastern NC was between 50-60 teachers annually. As of June 8, TFA had successfully recruited, interviewed and inducted 185 new corps members for the 2014 cohort group. TFA conducted the 2013 summer training for the 185 new corps members (June 9-July 12) and will continue their regional orientation and content-specific training on the Common Core and the North Carolina Standard Course of Study through July 30. Assist LEAs with strategic staffing through support from an outside vendor and recruitment vouchers to bring effective, experienced teachers to low-achieving schools. NCDPI has contracted with MarStrats to provide intensive, customized support to the twelve low-achieving districts in partnership with NCDPI’s District and School Transformation Division. MarStrats has conducted economic research, analysis of teacher recruitment and retention data, and completed interviews with local school district superintendents, district-level human resources staff, parents, and community stakeholders. MarStrats used these interviews to identify patterns and themes across the school districts. The data was then used to complete district-specific recruitment and retention plans, which were presented, to LEAs in the fall of 2012. MarStrats conducted four, regionally based workshops focused on teacher retention and recruitment for all school districts having one or more schools identified as TALAS schools. The workshops were conducted in Concord, NC (March 12), Durham, NC (March 13) and Greenville, NC (March 14). Topics included were developing recruitment plans and pools, marketing tactics, social media use, interview protocols and learning from research. As another part of this project, vouchers are available to highly effective teachers who relocate to low performing schools. These vouchers have been available for the past two years, though the number of teachers qualifying to receive these vouchers has been limited. During the 2012-13 school year seven teachers in four local school systems (Vance, Hertford, Lenoir and Rowan-Salisbury) took advantage of the vouchers. A draft evaluation report of the State Strategic Staffing initiative is currently being completed by the RttT evaluation team and is under review by NCDPI. 2. Does the State have evidence indicating the quality of implementation for this subcriterion? What is/has the State doing/done as a result of this information? After experiencing some initial delays in implementation (for the hiring of the strategic staffing vendor, UNC-GA Teacher Support Program Director, and launch of NC Teacher Corps), the initiatives in subsection D(3) have been implemented with high quality. The initial evaluation reports for the D(3) initiatives cited above have been reviewed and overall results have indicated a high level of fidelity of implementation. Where recommendations for improvement were given, NCDPI staff members have met to (D)(3) Part B Narrative, North Carolina, July 2013 Page 6 of 7 determine what actions need to be taken to implement the proposed recommendations. Later evaluation reports will provide far more outcome data to evaluate the quality of implementation and sustainability of the programs. The State is using a number of processes to track progress. For the Regional Leadership Academies, Teach for America expansion, NC Teacher Corps, and New Teacher Support Program, formative data include progress toward recruitment goals, retention through the training component of the program, movement of the participants into either a teaching or school leadership position, and participant reflections on how well they are being supported during the transition. All programs are also tracking progress through the results of formal observations completed during the year, and continued participant feedback. Summative data for these programs include the growth of students in a teacher’s classroom or the administrator’s school. For the strategic staffing component of D(3), the State tracks progress through recruitment and retention data. Based on the use of such information, the programs in the initiative make adjustments to improve implementation. For example, NCTC staff made several adjustments to their recruitment and training programs for year two cohort members based on feedback they collected from formal evaluation and participant reflections: NCTC now requires that applicants pass the PRAXIS exam prior to attending the summer training in order to make it easier for cohort members to seek employment. Staff created a Handbook, Field Guide, and Field Guide Activities to guide NCTC candidates through their student teaching experience. NCTC staff better publicized the program by speaking to all LEA personnel administrators at the Personnel Administrators of North Carolina (PANC) conference and creating a one-page sheet explaining the program to principals that cohort members can attach to their application. NCTC made sure to have some kind of recruiting presence at all universities, whether at recruitment fairs, holding information sessions, or online postings on university websites. NCTC staff also provided trainings for new cohort members to prepare them for interviews with school systems. As another example, NCTC staff have also made adjustments to their programming based on feedback they have received: NTSP staff regularly communicate with staff from DST to share information and reduce overlap in their work. NTSP staff modified their training locations and timing to reduce travel and cost for participants 3. What obstacles and/or risks could impact the State’s ability to meet its goals and performance measures related to this sub-criterion? (D)(3) Part B Narrative, North Carolina, July 2013 Page 7 of 7 With the later than expected launch, the staff of the NC Teacher Corps faced a challenge in successfully recruiting and matriculating the desired number of new corps members in Cohort I. While the staff members had an aggressive recruitment plan and schedule of events, the Cohort I recruitment goal of 100 candidates was not met. NCTC accepted 106 members for Cohort II. Of the 106 applicants accepted for Cohort II, 90 have completed requirements and become corps members. It will be challenging to find partner school districts to hire each of the candidates prior to the beginning of the 2013-14 school year though NCTC staff have worked hard to improve this process (see the response to question two for more detail). The New Teacher Support Program has made progress and the program appears to be on track and implementing with fidelity. Local school superintendents have projected 1,200 possible new teachers that will need support. It will be a challenge making sure all coaches are in place and ready to provide support when school reconvenes in the fall of 2013. Sustainability will be an issue for each of the RLAs due to cutbacks in state education funding by the NC General Assembly. Each of the RLAs is governed and operated differently (IHE/LEA-based, RESA/IHE/LEA Consortium and IHE/LEAConsortium). The new General Assembly budget did not include funding to expand or sustain the RLAs. The staff of the RLAs are meeting regularly with LEA stakeholders, legislative leaders and writing grants to sustain their programs. In contrast, the General Assembly did allocate funding to contract with TFA to operate the NCTC under a new name. The smooth transition of the NCTC from a state agency to a private entity following conclusion of the 2013-14 fiscal year will present many challenges as it must be done while simultaneously recruiting a new cohort group and coaching existing corps members from prior cohorts. 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) 3 Orange (2) Yellow (3) Green (4)3 Red – substantially off-track and/or has significant quality concerns; urgent and decisive action is required; Orange –off-track and/or there are quality concerns; many aspects require significant attention; Yellow –generally on-track and of high or good quality; only a few aspects require additional attention; Green – on-track with high quality.