-
Entity Applying for Innovation Zone Designation
*- A school
One or more schools acting as a consortia
A group of schools seeking designation across the same subdivision or department of the schools
A school seeking designation of a subdivision or department
A higher education institution
Name of Entity Applying^,
/
County:
Superintendent: _
Number of Professional Personnel:
Number of Service Personnel:
Institution of Higher Education:
County Location:
o The narrative shall indicate the results of an assessment of the improvement needs of the eligible applicant.
o Provide the goals and objectives of the project, o Describe how the innovation is expected to work, o How does the innovation solve the stated problem or create a new idea?
o Describe the methods or strategies to be used to achieve the goals and objectives of the innovation, o Describe how the provision of greater flexibility and control assists the school in meeting the needs of the school's students, o Include an estimation of the number of students affected by the project design, and an estimation of the number of professional staff and service personnel affected by the project design, o How will the proposed innovation change how the school is currently operating?
• Research Base: This narrative shall discuss and cite the current state of knowledge relevant to the project design. This brief literature review should indicate why the proposed activities were selected or designed. If the proposal builds on prior work, the narrative should indicate what was learned from this work (either success or failure) and how these lessons learned are incorporated in the proposed design.

O o o o
Waiver Requested of WT/RDF Pnlimj
Waiver Requested of Statute:
N/A (No Waiver Requested)
• K,(34#fAf6 /{A
o The budget narrative should clearly be tied to the project design.
o The budget narrative should describe the basis for determining the amounts shown on the project budget page.
o The budget page must list the anticipated activities and the amount of money dedicated to those activities.
(This section is not required of institutions of higher education in their application or plan).
~

Use this form to report the staff commitment regarding the innovation application and plan. A copy must be forwarded to the Innovation Zone Committee with the application and the plan.
School:
Department (If Applicable):.
Meeting Date:.
<? *
Faculty Senate Elected Officers:
President: (Name)^.
Vice-President: (Name)
Secretary: (Name)
Treasurer: (Name)
Other:
Service Personnel Representative:
Name: J^>lJ3/~Jl_ Si-tf. s?jJy€S~ r
. Signature:
. Signature:
. Signature:
.Signature:
XT^T
i/\£(^:* i.u^<jr—
Parent Representatives:
We certify that 80 percent of the faculty affected by the application/pi an application/plan.
support the
(This report certification is not required of institutions of higher education in their application or plan).

Innovation Zone Tygarts Valley High School
Language Arts Grades 11 and 12
Objectives:
1.
Reduce drop out rate of students.
2.
Increase graduation rate.
3.
Create English electives.
4.
Make English more attractive to students.
5.
College English and AP English are unaffected.
Proposal:
Currently Tygarts Valley High School junior and senior students must take 90 minutes of English per grade level year. There are no elective-style courses. All students regardless of career path or ability are channeled through one course each year. English becomes a brick wall of choice and too frequently the deciding factor to quit school. It is the opinion of the two English teachers involved that this can be changed and in the process make English courses more attractive to students.
1.
English 11 and 12 as it currently exists would be eliminated from the schedule.
2.
The courses that would replace English 11 and 12 could be taken by students in either their junior and senior year.
3.
All Content Standards would remain the same.
4.
Students would still receive 90 minutes of English each year.
5.
Students would actually receive more concentrated instruction in reading, writing and listening/speaking skills.
The plan is to break the current 90-minute class periods into 2 45-minute class periods (still 90 minutes of instruction). The schedules of the two English teachers would need to run concurrently to allow them the flexibility to move from course to course if desired to allow them to teach to their strengths. “New” class names would be created for these classes. Students will take a mix of these courses in their Junior and Senior years, receive an English credit and also better instruction on the Content Standards which will all remain the same.

EXAMPLE:
Current Schedule Fall Term
Senior Eng. Teacher: Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Block 4
College Eng. English 12 Planning AP/Eng 9
Junior Eng. Teacher: Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Block 4
Planning English 11 Mass. Comm Yrbk/Theater
Proposed Schedule Fall Term
Senior Eng. Teacher Block 1 Block 2 Block 3 Block 4
College Eng. Sr. Proj.
(45 m) Planning
Film & Lit (45 m)
AP/Eng 9
Junior Eng. Teacher Block 1 Block 2
Mass. Comm. Sports Lit.
HS English
Block 3 Block 4
Planning Yrbk/Theater
A junior or senior student could take the newly created Sr. Project Course (which would be required in either the Junior or Senior year to meet the current county requirement to complete a Senior Project) and meet all the current Content Standards currently being taught in Junior/Senior English courses that relate to Senior Projects.
A junior or senior student could take the newly created course Film & Literature which will cover both American and British Literature that is currently taught in English
11 and 12. Both teachers at present teach some genre-related literature and follow it with a film and content standard based writing assignment. This would remain the same and add other film/literature pieces to be added of the same genre.
A junior or senior student could take the newly created course Sports Literature which would include a variety of reading genres sports based that would cover independent reading standards as well as incorporate PBL projects and listening/speaking skills as well as research/writing skills-all part of the current Content Standards covered in English 11 and 12.
A junior or senior student could take the newly create High School English course that would be more applicable to the struggling learner or noncollege bound student.
Content Standards all remain the same but allows for adjustment to the English course curriculum to allow the student not bound for college to be successful and not quit school when English becomes a “brick wall”.

Students would be able to “choose” what courses they wanted with the stipulation that at some point in either the Junior or Senior year that they must take Senior Project and High
School or College English.
By running the teacher’s schedules concurrently it allows the teachers the flexibility to move from course to course as well. For example the English 11 teacher currently teaches the Research Paper part of the Senior Project. This could still happen if they just switch classes and the Senior English teachers moves into Sports Literature while the
Junior English teacher is teaching the Research Paper in Senior Project.
Summary
The flexibility of this proposal makes the students feel like they have a choice in their class selection. In essence it is simply a matter of repackaging and redistributing exactly what they are currently receiving in English instruction. The supposition is twofold: if the students feel like they have a choice then English becomes more attractive and the creation of High School English pares down the current college prep English for the student not college bound.
Budget:
At the present time it is difficult to determine specific items to be budgeted.
Things that would definitely be needed are novels/films for the classes to be created.
Examples of possible courses to be included in the revised TVHS schedule are Film and
Literature and Sports Fiction. These could just as easily be Appalachian Authors and
Mystery Writers, or depending on how many English sessions are scheduled, it could be all four topics. Classroom sets of novels relative to the course would be necessary along with film/audio recreations. The CSO’s for English 11 and 12 won’t change, and so some materials could still be taken from the current texts, but novels, magazines, films etc. would need to be purchased to be added to the literature courses to be created.
Also projected in the proposal is a course called Senior Projects. This course would pull elements from English 11 and 12 that are currently in place that allow the students to create their Senior Project Presentation that once completed earns them a ½ credit towards graduation. They are encouraged/required to use technology in their presentation. Some students are often uncomfortable with the equipment because there is limited access to it to allow them “practice” time with it. A set of laptops with 1 or 2 projectors would allow them the opportunity/freedom to prepare and practice with the equipment prior to their presentation.
Any staff development or training relevant would also be a budgeted item.

Tentative   Budget   for   Innovation   Zone   Proposal:   Tygarts   Valley   High   School
M.
Balderson
M.
Postlethwait
Novels   and   films   necessary   to   meet   current   and   future   CSOs   under   the   proposed   format
Additional   reading   and   supplemental   materials   (i.e.
sports,   and   technical   magazines)
10   laptops   to   combine   with   any   of   the   mobile   labs   to   create   a   full   class   set   of   25
1   additional   projector
Staff   development   for   those   named   to   successfully   develop   the   flexible   schedule   and   for   those     wishing   to   attempt   the   same   after   the   initial   trial   period
DVD/VCR   combos
Proposed   total
$2000  ‐  $4000
$1200*
$8000
$500
$338
$5400**
$19438
*Based   upon   two   classroom   subscriptions   of   30   at   an   estimated   cost   of   $20   per   subscription
**Based   upon   two   three ‐ hour   trainings   at   30   participants   for   each   at   a   pay   of   $30.00
per   hour