Making Education Work for All Georgians 9/11/ Bibb Co. Public Schools Coordinator: Dr. Julia Daniely “Each student demonstrates strength of character and is college ready!”

The Race to the Top fund is a $4 billion grant to support new approaches to school improvement. The funds were made available in the form of competitive grants to encourage and reward states that are creating conditions for education innovation and reform, specifically implementing ambitious plans in four education reform areas:  Recruiting, preparing, rewarding, and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most;  Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;  Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction; Turning around our lowest-achieving schools. 9/11/2015 2

Georgia was one of 11 states to be awarded grant money. The total award amount is $400 million over a four year period for the implementation of the Race to the Top plan. Since Georgia partnered with 26 individual school systems, the award is divided between the state and our partner school districts. Partner school districts are: Atlanta, Ben Hill, Bibb, Burke, Carrollton City, Chatham, Cherokee, Clayton, Dade, DeKalb, Dougherty, Gainesville City, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry, Meriwether, Muscogee, Peach, Pulaski, Rabun, Richmond, Rockdale, Spalding, Treutlen, Valdosta and White. 9/11/2015 3

Twenty-six partner districts (LEAs - Local Educations Agencies) represent a very diverse mix of districts ranging from small to very large systems, from urban to rural, with wide representation from across the state. These School Systems make up:  39% of Georgia’s Public schools  41% of Georgia’s public school students  46% of Georgia's students in poverty  53% of Georgia’s African-American Students  48 % of Georgia’s Hispanic Students  68% of the State’s Lowest Achieving Schools 9/11/2015 4

I. Teacher and Leadership Effectiveness II. Innovation Fund – Charter Schools III. Teacher Certification IV. Turn Around Schools V. Georgia’s Monitoring Plan 9/11/2015 5

The GaDOE monitoring plan consists of four major components:  Monitoring of Expenditures – LEA sub-recipients must submit for approval a Scope of Work and an annual budget through the Consolidated Application before funds can be expended.  Project Management –Two RT3 project managers and two budget analysts will monitor the execution of projects outlined in Georgia’s Scope of Work and the state agencies responsible for implementing RT3 initiatives  Onsite Monitoring – A GaDOE onsite Cross-Functional Monitoring Team will visit each LEA sub-recipient to apply the criteria included in the Monitoring Form.  Lowest Achieving Schools State Directed Status – A highly effective State Director is assigned to each lowest achieving school designated as Needs Improvement Year 5 or Higher (NI – 5+) 9/11/2015 6

Georgia will create a single Teacher Effectiveness Measure (TEM), Leader Effectiveness Measure (LEM) (principals, assistant principals, etc) and align it with Georgia’s evaluation system. Components of Teacher and Leadership Effectiveness Measures:  Evaluation tool with multiple rating categories to give educators constructive feedback as opposed to the current satisfactory v. unsatisfactory rating  Value-add/student growth model component  Reduction in the student achievement gap at the classroom/student roster level for teachers and the school level for principals  Other quantitative measures…surveys from parents, students, etc. 9/11/2015 7

 The TEM/LEM will be used to inform all talent management decisions: professional development, compensation, promotion, retention, recertification, interventions and dismissals and effective teachers will have higher earning potential under this system.  TEMs and LEMs to guide broader policy decisions; tying results back to Teacher and Leadership Preparation Programs  Encourage effective teachers to teach in “high need” schools, Georgia will provide an “achievement gap reduction” bonus for teachers in “high need” schools 9/11/2015 8

 The Innovation Fund's competitive grants will focus on proposals that creatively leverage members' financial, human and intellectual resources to address one or more of the following four priorities:  Raising student achievement especially in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).  Raising teacher effectiveness through support for innovative programs and intensive support to new teachers and leaders.  Increasing the pipeline of effective educators by developing local capacity through Grow Your Own Teacher programs in rural regions to increase the workforce, especially in high-need subject areas.  Developing or expanding charter schools that are focused on STEM education to improve the level of STEM instruction in the state and direct students toward in-demand, high-tech careers. 9/11/2015 9

 GA will create an induction certificate: a 3-year, non- renewable certificate for those who have completed an initial teacher preparation program or who have been accepted into a GaTAPP (Georgia Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy) Program  A teacher must reach a threshold TEM by the end of his or her third year to advance to a clear, renewable teaching certificate  Teachers will be required to achieve a threshold TEM to be recertified every five years  Teacher Certification and Effectiveness Measure will provide valuable feedback for our University Systems’ teacher preparation programs 9/11/

Georgia will employ one of the four intervention models below, as prescribed through Race to the Top, in turning around the state’s lowest achieving schools. The appropriate model for each school will be selected by the state in collaboration with the LEA. RT3 will allow the state to focus on 4o schools.  Turnaround (replace principal and remove 50% of staff)  Conversion to charter management organization (CMO) or education management organization (EMO)  School closure  Transformation (combination of aforementioned strategies) 9/11/