INNOVATION ZONES NOVEMBER 10, 2015

WHAT ARE INNOVATION ZONES? A designation by the West Virginia Board of Education that provides schools with the support and flexibility to collaboratively implement innovation to enhance student learning, which may currently be restrained by policy or code. In addition, The act also encourages schools to focus on strategies that address dropout prevention and recovery. An Innovation Zone designation means that a school or schools have been awarded a grant to address student learning or dropout prevention.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF INNOVATION ZONES? The intent and purpose is to: improve educational performance; provide principals and teachers greater flexibility by removing certain policy, rule, interpretive and statutory constraints; provide a testing ground for innovative educational programs at the school level; provide information regarding the effects of those innovations; document educational strategies that enhance student success; and increase the accountability of public schools for student achievement as measured by the state assessment and local assessments

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR PROVISIONS OF THE SCHOOL INNOVATION ZONE ACT? The major provisions of the act: Intended to provide principals and teachers with flexibility from the constraints of certain statutes, policies and rules in order to serve as testing grounds for innovative reform strategies that enhance student success and increase accountability. Authorizes the state Board of Education to establish a process by which a school and other organizations may be designated as School Innovation Zone. Stipulates that the state Board of Education include certain provisions in the application, approval and implementation process of Innovation Zones.

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR PROVISIONS OF THE SCHOOL INNOVATION ZONE ACT? The major provisions of the act: Stipulates that the state Board of Education notify applicants of its decision within 60 days of receiving the application and consider certain factors and standards in order to approve the application. Stipulates that applications include descriptions of the programs, policies or initiatives that the zone intends to implement and an explanation of policy, statute or interpretation exceptions desired. Requires that no exception be granted to assessment programs administered by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), provisions of NCLB or other federal law, nor exception from WV Code 18A-2-7, 18A-4-7a, 18A-4-7b, 18A-4-8, 18A-5-8b. However, exceptions may include a proposal to require that a candidate for a teaching vacancy in an innovation school possess qualifications over and above those stipulated in statute if approved in a county-wide school staff election process.

WHAT TOPICS CAN BE ADDRESSED? The State Legislature has created Innovation Zones as a way for schools to implement promising innovations that can be supported by research. They could address a range of topics from how to restructure time, configure staff, and/or modify school-wide programs to more specific ideas that may relate to a particular grade or content level. Innovation may mean expanding upon an idea that has been awarded the IZ grant in the past or trying something that has never been implemented in WV schools before. Continue to explore and remember that... the possibilities for innovation are endless …..

HOW MUCH MONEY MAY BE GRANTED? The West Virginia Board of Education will grant awards for Innovation Zones on a pro-rata basis from $5,000 to $50,000 to enhance student learning.. The Local School Dropout Prevention and Recovery Innovation Zone has been allocated $2.2 million by the State Legislature as funds available for this competitive grant

APPLICATION… Feeder System of Schools or schools of the same programmatic levels working within a county or across counties to implement a strategy (to impact dropout prevention at the high school level. District Application (district wide dropout prevention initiatives with less than a 90% graduation rate, dropout prevention only) School System Collaborative Innovation Zones - The intent of this grant is to cause local communities to take action by working in coalitions, creating partnerships, hosting community conversations and ultimately creating comprehensive dropout prevention plans. The Education Alliance of WV and the WV Center for Civic Life provide resources and training to organize community dialogues and follow-up action. Innovation School Districts (to provide entrepreneurship education and include at least one partner from the local business community with opportunities for greater collaboration to plan and implement systemic approaches that include evidence-based solutions for increasing graduation rates, increasing achievement and educational outcomes while reducing the number of dropouts.