2010 – 2011 WV INNOVATION ZONE APPLICATION SCORING RUBRIC
What items will be used to determine approval of an innovation zone application and plan of innovative activities to support increased student learning? The actual award will be based on a consensus reached through discussion of the selection committee. The items below are only a guide for individuals on the selection committee to prioritize grants in their best judgment.
Interviews, phone calls, email and site-visits are other methods that might be used to determine success of applications and to negotiate the amount of the grant award.
The Innovation Zone Scoring Rubric is based on the Project Design
The seven elements of the Rubric for Scoring Innovation Zone Applications and Plans will primarily be used to determine the strength of the application and help determine which applicants will be designated as Innovation Zones. Additional statutory requirements, such as the percentage required in the affected staff vote, in the application must be evident in order to consider the application eligible.
The rubric will have a secondary use as a guide to provide feedback to applicants as they continue to
plan the innovation that will be implemented, and for those applicants who are not designated as innovation zones to improve their applications for resubmission.
Project Design: The design of the application is clearly organized and is a written description of a vision of the intended innovative project and how it will positively increase student learning and achievement. This narrative description has several parts which are sequenced to clearly build on one another. A representative leadership team has contributed to the planning of all parts of the narrative. This team has gathered input for the plan from the stakeholder groups they represent leading to widespread support culminating in the required percentage of staff voting support for its implementation. The written description of the planned innovation includes how the group determined the priority need for the innovation and what data was analyzed to determine this need. The team sets shared, specific, measurable, goals that realistically will meet the described need within a period of time. The written plan contains a sequence of research based innovative
activities that logically support the probable accomplishment of the goals and create the new mindset that will sustain its vision of improved student learning and achievement for the innovation zone. The narrative also describes what waiver of a specific part of state law or state or local policy is needed that constrains the implementation of the innovative activities. The plan outlines a method of self monitoring and adjusting the innovative activities based on feedback and data collected from those who have a stake in the outcomes of the innovation. The description also includes the method that the team will use to evaluate whether or not the goals have been met and how the results will be communicated with those needing to understand the results.
Elements Required for Scoring the Application or Plan
1.
Application is timely, complete and has required signatures.
2.
Application contains assurance that 80% of the affected staff is supportive.
3.
Application contains the appropriate evidence of stakeholder support.
4.
Application contains request for waiver of policy, code or interpretation, if needed.
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1. Needs Assessment Derived from Data: The needs assessment should indicate a clear statement of prioritized needs derived from an analysis of data, and how the goals and objectives of the program are directly related to those needs.
Outstanding Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
The needs assessment:
 Provides clear and convincing evidence of using multiple sources of data to determine the need for the proposed innovation.
The needs assessment:
 Provides evidence of using data to determine need for the proposed innovation zone plan.
The needs assessment:
 Provides no evidence of using data to determine the need for the proposed innovation zone plan.
Descriptive Feedback:
2. Goals: The stated goals are specific, measurable goals that realistically will provide a remedy for the described need within a period of time. In other words these characteristics: Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Rigorous, Time bound (SMART Goals).
NOTE: These are goals for the planning process, not necessarily for the implementation phase. Examples of planning activities may include staff professional development, communication and building consensus activities, and protocols for conducting research.
Outstanding Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
The Goals:
 Contain all the SMART elements. The goal states very clearly and specifically what is going to be accomplished in terms of increased student learning and achievement, explains how that increased learning will be measured, is described in realistically attainable terms, is rigorous enough to challenge those trying to implement the innovation, and sets a time when the goal is to be achieved.
Descriptive Feedback:
The Goals:
 Might contain two or more, but not all of SMART elements.
The Goals:
 Might contain one of the
SMART elements, but are vague, have no way of being measured, no realistic method of being attained, are easily accomplished, and there are no time limits on when they are to be accomplished.
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3. Research-Based Innovative Activities: The written plan contains a sequence of research based innovative activities that logically support the probable accomplishment of the goals and create the new mindset that will sustain its vision of increased student learning and achievement for the innovation zone.
Outstanding Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
The activities:
 Are reflected in the research literature, appear to provide support for the accomplishment of the stated goals and a probable change in the mindset or culture of the schools vision of excellence for student learning.
The activities:
 Are reflected in the research literature, appear to provide support for the accomplishment of the stated goals or a probable change in the mindset or culture of the schools vision of excellence for student learning.
The activities:
 Are not supported in the research literature, do not appear to be aimed at accomplishing the goals or creating a change in the mindset or culture of the schools vision of excellence for student learning.
Descriptive Feedback:
4. Waiver of State Law or local or state policy: The narrative describes what waiver of a specific part of current state law or state or local policy may be needed to avoid the constraint of the implementation of the innovative activities. The necessary components for a complete waiver request include clarity, a narrow focus, and explicit specification as to why current policy constrains implementation and how the waiver will resolve the issue.
Please note, that waivers may not be necessary to the implementation of the innovative activities.
Outstanding Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
The requested waiver:
 Is clear in terms of what is being requested. The citation is of a selected portion of law or policy, further describes how that portion of policy or law constrains the implementation of the described activity, and how the waived restriction will allow flexibility for implementation.
The requested waiver:
 Is clear in terms of what is being requested. The citation is of a selected portion of law or policy, and further describes how that portion of policy or law constrains the implementation of the described activity.
The requested waiver:
 Is vague in terms of what is being requested. The citation is of a total law or policy, such as WV Board of
Education Policy number
2510, which if waived would allow many changes in operation which are unrelated to the activities and which do not constrain the implementation of the described activity.
Descriptive Feedback:
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5. Monitoring and adjustment of the implementation of activities: The plan outlines a method of self monitoring and adjusting the innovative activities based on feedback and data collected from those who have a stake in the outcomes of the innovation.
Outstanding Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
The monitoring process:
 Is clearly described in terms of who is responsible for accomplishing what, feedback loops are built in to each activity to collect data about the level of concern from all stakeholders about the activities as they are being implemented. In addition, specific data collection is planned to gauge the success of the activities.
The monitoring process:
 Is clearly described in terms of who is responsible for accomplishing what, how feedback will be collected from all stakeholders to gauge the level of concern as the activities are being implemented, and what data will be collected about the success of the activities.
The monitoring process:
 Is not described, or is vague in terms of who is responsible for accomplishing what, how feedback will be collected from all stakeholders to gauge the level of concern as the activities are being implemented, and what data will be collected about the success of the activities.
Descriptive Feedback:
6. Evaluation of the success of the plan in terms of student learning: The application narrative includes the method that the team will use to evaluate whether or not the goals for increased student learning and achievement have been met. The plan clearly defines the process for verifying evidence for judging the potential for success of the innovation. The applicant has defined what they are seeking to achieve and how it will be evaluated, i.e. changes in habits of mind, teacher practice, increased teacher leadership, etc.
Outstanding Satisfactory
The evaluation process:
 Is clearly described in terms of what will be used to measure the expected level of student performance to understand whether or not the stated goal has been met. The evaluation of the planning activities is designed to inform implementation. Outcomes for increased student performance are included and acceptable evidence to judge success accompanies the plan.
The evaluation process:
 Is clearly described in terms of what will be used to measure the expected level of student performance to understand whether or not the stated goal has been met.
Descriptive Feedback:
Unsatisfactory
The evaluation process:
 Is not described, or is vague in terms of how the stated goal for student learning and achievement will be measured.
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7. Scalability and Sustainability Plan: The plan clearly describes how the planning activities will impact stakeholders and others interested in the progress and results of the innovative planning activities to be implemented. The narrative describes the process the team will use to determine how the proposed innovation may be scaled up and its potential for sustainability after implementation and beyond the funding cycle of the grant.
Outstanding Satisfactory
The scalability and sustainability plan:
 Is clearly described in terms of how the activities will impact stakeholders, and others interested the progress and results of the innovative planning activities that are being implemented. The plan includes communication of results of any evaluation of student achievement.
The scalability and sustainability plan:
 Is clearly described in terms of how the activities will impact stakeholders, and others interested in the progress and results of the innovative planning activities that are being implemented.
Unsatisfactory
The scalability and sustainability plan:
 Is not described, or is vague in terms of how stakeholders, and others interested in the planning activities that are being implemented will or might impact them.
Descriptive Feedback:
8. Budget Justification: The budget justification should clearly be tied to the scope and requirements of planning the innovative activities, as this is a planning grant. The budget narrative should describe the basis for determining the amounts shown on the budget page.
Outstanding Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
The budget provides:
 Strong justification of costs of planning the innovative activities is reasonable and necessary to meet the needs for planning.
Descriptive Feedback:
The budget provides:
 Justification of costs of planning the innovative activities is reasonable and necessary to meet the needs for planning.
The budget provides:
 No justification or justification is vague for the program costs.
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