Request for Flexibility
2016-17 Proposal
INSTRUCTIONS: Please write your responses in the boxes below.
SCHOOL NAME:
Cliftondale Elementary
CONCEPT NAME:
3 Full Release Days
STRATEGIC
INITIATIVE:
Focus Area #1- Instructional Strategies and Professional Development
 Provide training on Learning Focus School’s instructional framework
 Create time for teachers to plan and train together
Concept Summary
1) Describe the need/challenge
that your school seeks to
address.
2) Describe the proposed
concept, and explain how it
addresses the
need/challenge identified
above.
3) Include any research or
evidence that the concept
will positively affect your
school’s student population.
If no research exists, please
articulate the rationale for
the likelihood of success of
the concept, and describe
your plans for risk
mitigation.
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Our challenge is that we have a lack of sufficient time for professional
learning days during year. The 2016-17 calendar does not provide for
adequate time to plan and reflect on the instructional process and
academic learning outcomes. The requested professional learning days
will provide us with the opportunity to prepare for student driven
instruction and meaningful learning experiences.
Cliftondale Elementary is requesting flexibility to implement a modified
school calendar in order to allow staff at all grade levels the time
needed to engage in curriculum development and instructional
planning. We are requesting three full release days to allow for specific
school based professional development. By providing professional
development time this will help to ensure that our staff achieves
maximum understanding of the Learning Focus Schools framework.
A great deal of research exists to support ongoing professional learning
during the school day at a time when teachers are fresh and able to fully
dedicate their attention and energy. Effective professional development
is ongoing; includes training, practice, and feedback, as well as
opportunities for individual reflection, group collaboration and
coaching. Coaching, as a professional development strategy, should be
school based and embedded in teacher work, and provide opportunities
for teachers to interact with peers (Abdal-Haqq, 1996).
In Tomlinson (2008), research indicated that “professional development
for significant change itself would have a new look in many schools. It is
purposeful rather than opportunistic, coherent rather than fragmented,
aimed at transfer into classroom practice rather than at absorption of
information, collaborative rather than solitary or private, reflective
rather than didactic, and informed by needs and results rather than by
popularity or availability.” Having three professional development days
will allow for ongoing transformative professional development that will
positively impact teacher’s ability to provide instruction that will
enhance their student’s overall academic success.
Request for Flexibility
2016-17 Proposal
In addition to research on the benefits of professional development,
there are key findings from research on the impact of the Learning
Focus Schools (LFS) framework on student achievement.

Doctoral student, Douglas Daugherty, examined in his
dissertation the impact of the Learning Focused Schools model
on student’s reading achievement in a suburban, metropolitan
schools system. Daugherty noted several notable findings
related to the Learning Focused Schools model. In one instance
he indicated that for students who participated in the LFS model
continuously for a period of 3 years, more students met or
exceeded standards than students who were not exposed to
LFS.

Another finding indicated that African-American students fared
best overall when exposed to the LFS model than other
subgroups. More students in the African-American subgroup
significantly met or exceeded standards than their peers. Equally
important, the African-American subgroup moved from not only
merely meeting standards but to exceeding standards, which is
an added benefit for closing the achievement gap for this
subgroup.
Daugherty Douglas., A Study of the Learning-Focused School
Improvement Model and its Effects on Third Grade Reading Scores in
Suburban, Metropolitan School System. “Dissertation, Georgia State
University, 2011. http://scholorworks.gsu.edu/eps_diss/77
Additional research supports the following three strategies used in the
Learning Focus Schools model.
Scaffolding
Several research studies (Alibali, 2006) (Piper, 2005) (Dennin, 2004) have
indicated that scaffolding supports teachers to be more of a mentor and
facilitator of knowledge rather than the dominant content expert. This
teaching style provides the incentive for students to take a more active
role in their own learning.
References
Alibali, M (2006). Does visual scaffolding facilitate students’ mathematics
learning? Evidence from early algebra.
http://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=54
Piper, C. Teaching with Technology (2005). What is scaffolding?
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Request for Flexibility
2016-17 Proposal
http://www1.chapman.edu/univcoll/faculty/piper/2042/graphorg.htm
Dennen, V. P. (2004). Cognitive apprenticeship in educational practice:
Research on scaffolding, modeling, mentoring, and coaching as
instructional strategies. In D. H. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook of Research
on Educational Communications and Technology (2nd ed.), (p. 815).
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Graphic organizers
Several research studies have indicated that graphic organizers will
increase student comprehension and retention of information, as well as
demonstrate how current concepts are linked to prior knowledge. The
consistent use of graphic organizers helps students prioritize and organize
essential information from non-essential information.
References
Fountas, I. & Pinnell, G. (2001). Guiding readers and writers grades 3-6:
Teaching comprehension, genre, and content literacy. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann.
Marzano, R., Pickering, D., & Pollock, J. (2001). Research-based strategies
for increasing student achievement. Classroom instruction that works.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Summarization
Research studies have indicated that effective summarizing strategies
have a substantial impact on student understanding of academic
content. Across 17 experimental/control studies, Haystead & Marazano
(2009) found that using summarizing strategies in an organized and
purposeful manner (i.e., framework) on average increased student
understanding of content by 19 percentile points. In addition, Marzano,
Pickering, and Pollock (2001)indicated that summarization is among the
top nine most effective teaching strategies in education. Teachers who
start a lesson by summarizing the big points in the day's lesson and end
by having students summarize their learning see gains in the retention
of the material.
References
Marzano, R., Pickering, D., & Pollock, J. (2001). Classroom instruction
that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
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Request for Flexibility
2016-17 Proposal
4) Outline the expected results
in the columns to the right.
Add additional rows as
necessary.
5) List any waivers from state
law, regulation, and/or rule
required to implement the
concept. (Facilitators will
identify the specific laws,
regulations, and/or rules
requiring exemption.)
6) List any flexibility from
Fulton County Schools’
policy required to
implement the concept.
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Marzano, R. (2003) What works in schools: Translating research into
action. Alexandria, VA: ASCD M.C. Meyer (personal communication,
September 21, 2010)
Project Outcomes
Short-Term Goals
Long-Term
Outcomes
The project
 The short term goal is
 The long
outcome is to
to train all Cliftondale
term
positively impact
Elementary staff on
outcome is
student
the Learning Focus
to improve
achievement by
School’s Framework.
academic
providing staff with
growth for
 Staff will be engaged
professional
low
in professional
development on
performing
development about
the Learning Focus
and high
Learning Focus
Schools model
performing
Schools philosophy,
students.
including but not
limited to, the use of
 Increase
backward design
student
planning, strategies
use of
to promote critical
critical
thinking skills,
thinking
methods to
across
accelerate learning
content
areas
 Increase teacher’s
(reading,
capacity to deliver
science,
rigorous instruction.
social
studies,
and math)
Waiver(s) Requested
SBOE Rule 160-5-1-02 SCHOOL DAYS AND SCHOOL YEAR FOR STUDENTS
AND EMPLOYEES
GA State Law-Code Sections:
O.C.G.A 20-2-151(b) sets out the number of hours of instructional time
for educational programs
O.C.G.A 20-2-168(c) sets out the number of instructional days per year
We seek to waive Fulton County Board Policy AE – Applicable School
Year, which state: “The school year shall consist of 180 teaching days or
the equivalent, except in the event of emergency school closures” for
the next three school years (2015-2016, 2016-2017, and 2017-2018)
Request for Flexibility
2016-17 Proposal
(Facilitators will identify the
specific Fulton County
O.C.G.A. 20-2-168 (c)(1)(2)
Schools policies requiring
exemptions.)
Impact on Students and Families, Personnel, Departments, Processes, and Schools
7) List any impact of the
concept on the following:
 Students and
families;
 Personnel;
 The school schedule;
 Transportation;
 School nutrition;
 Teaching, learning,
and assessment;
 Other schools; and
 Any other area not
addressed above.
Families will be impacted because they will have to coordinate childcare
for their children on the three student release days. Cliftondale will
make every effort to plan these professional development days
connected to a weekend. Cliftondale will also work with feeder schools
to see how we can coordinate student release days so that parents’
schedules will be minimally impacted.
Students will have 177 days of instruction rather than 180 days.
However, their instruction will be enhanced and more meaningful
because their teachers will have had the time to prepare research based
lesson that will provide more rigorous opportunities for students to
master academic content.
The LFS training will also help them to collaborate and plan for the
success of their students. Staff will have time to prepare lessons plans,
units, and assessments that will enhance student achievement.
The School Nutrition department will be impacted because there will be
three less days during the school year for which to prepare breakfast
and lunch for our students.
Budget
8) Please use the budget
template on the next page
to provide the estimated
costs of the proposed
concept. In the space to the
right, please identify, to the
extent possible, how you
plan to modify your school
budget to cover additional
costs. If applicable, identify
external funding sources.
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For our initial year, we will request FCS Seed Funds to provide our staff
with hands-on- quality training from Learning Focus Schools
Organization.
Request for Flexibility
2015-16 Proposal
INSTRUCTIONS: Please enter the expected costs of your concept for the applicable school year(s). To calculate the totals for the Amount Budgeted columns, highlight the
entire table, and press F9. You may customize the budget items.
SCHOOL NAME:
2017
2018
2019
Budget Item
Item Description
Amount
Proposed Funding
Amount
Proposed Funding
Amount
Proposed Funding Notes
(Include quantities Budgeted*
Source(s)**
Budgeted*
Source(s)**
Budgeted*
Source(s)**
if applicable)
Teacher(s)
0
0
0
Paraprofessional(s)
0
0
0
Support Staff
0
0
0
Additional Pay
(certified)/Overtime
(non-certified)
Equipment
0
0
0
0
0
0
Supplies/Materials
Learning Focus
Schools Materials
$12,843.00
FCS Seed Fund
$1,870.00
Grants/Federal
Funds
$1,870.00
Grants/Federal
Funds
Professional
Development
Learning Focus
Schools Training
and Coaching for
teachers and staff
$29,882.00
FCS Seed Fund
$14,000.00
Grants/Federal
Funds
$14,000.00
Grants/Federal
Funds
Independent
Contractor(s)
Transportation
0
0
0
0
0
0
Supplements
0
0
0
Other Professional
Services
Other
0
0
0
Other
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Substitute for 3
day training
$15,600.00
FCS Seed Fund
$7,200.00
Other
$7,200.00
Other
School Nutrition
Cost
$2,818.00
FCS Seed Fund
$2,818.00
Other
$2,818.00
Other
Title I funds 10 new
staff no purchase
Learning Focus
Schools materials
Title I funds 10 new
staff to be trained
Learning Focused
Schools
Office of Grant
Development and
School Grant
Champions
Office of
Development and
Request for Flexibility
2015-16 Proposal
School Grant
Champions
GRAND TOTALS
$61,143.00
$25,888.00
$25,888.00
*When determining the Amount Budgeted for personnel costs, the principal should consult with the Learning Community Human Resources Director.
**For the Proposed Funding Source(s), please indicate which of the following funding sources you intend to use: General Fund, Student Activities Fund, School
Foundation/PTA, FCS Seed Fund, Grants, or Other (please specify the source).
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