Miller County School System STRATEGIC WAIVERS SCHOOL SYSTEM (IE2) FY17-23

What is Strategic Waivers School System? Formally IE 2 - Investing in Educational Excellence In accordance with the State of Georgia Article 4, O.C.G.A. § , it is the intent of the Miller County School System to operate as a Strategic Waivers School system through the development of the partnership contract between our school district and the State Board of Education (SBOE).

Partnership +Flexibility=Accountability The partnership contract will provide flexibility from Title 20 laws and State Board rules in return for increased academic accountability. The contract includes:  the flexibilities sought and proposed to the SBOE  the accountability targets required for each school  and the intended consequences for schools that do not reach their targets

The Timeline The SWSS contract will begin on July 1, 2016 and will be in place for seven years with five years of accountability using baseline assessment data collected during the school year. The College and Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI) is the accountability tool used for determining progress. Each school's CCRPI target measurements will be sent to the Governor's Office of Student Achievement on an annual basis. Consequences will be imposed during the seventh year if accountability goals are not met.

Why did we choose Strategic Waiver System? On April 13, 2015, the Miller County Board of Education signed the intent to pursue the Strategic Waiver School System Partnership with the State Board of Education for the following reasons: Autonomy Accountability Flexibility through utilization of waivers from State laws, rules, and guidelines Freedom from State Controls Higher Academic Expectations: Students outperform current levels College and Career Readiness Performance Index

Exhibit A: Strategic Plan  created in 2013 with goal targets set for 2018  created in collaboration with central office staff, school level administration, teachers, community leaders, community business members, parents, and school members  the single, most important focus was ….is….continues to be …..the success of our students

Exhibit A: Strategic Plan Vision 2018 ◦Goal 1: ◦Increased Learning ◦Goal 2: ◦Graduation and beyond ◦Goal 3: ◦ Stakeholder Involvement/Engagement ◦Goal 4: ◦Safe, well, resourced, supported, and equipped schoools

Exhibit B: Flexibility Waivers: State Law requires that the goal of each waiver shall be improved student performance. The partnership contract must include one of these waivers:  Certification Requirements  Expenditure Controls/Categorical Allotments Requirements  Salary Schedule Requirements  Class Size Requirement **Waivers are not allowable for relief from Federal Rules

Waivers Requested by MCSS  Class size and reporting requirement  Categorical Allotment requirement  Certification requirements – Use of professional practitioners  Competencies and Core Curriculum, Online Learning  Direct Classroom Expenditures and Expenditure Controls-Focus on needs of the District’s Strategic Plan  Educational Programs – (EIP, Gifted, ESOL, Remedial) with regards to staffing, class size, delivery model, and time requirements  Graduation requirements-allows for the substitution of equivalent or higher level requirements or possibly award credit once standards are mastered, segment requirements for seniors

Waivers Requested by MCSS  Instructional extensions-staffing, class size, resource allocation, program delivery, and time requirements  Organization of schools-schedule and delivery model  Program enrollment and appropriation-Funding for FTE programs  Promotion and retention-Appeal meetings before retesting, retention based on a student’s performance throughout the school year.  QBE Financing – spend funds based on student  Salary Schedule requirements-possible incentives for hard to fill positions  Scheduling for instruction and minutes of instruction at each level, including days for students and staff.

Exhibit C: Accountability Goal 1: Each Miller County School District school will demonstrate proficiency and/or improvement on the CCRPI. Measure 1: School performance goals will be set so that for each year during the five-year contract, an individual school shall increase its CCRPI score (without Challenge Points) by 3% of the gap between the baseline year CCRPI score (without Challenge Points) and 100. Baseline year is OR Measure 2: For each year during the five-year contract, an individual school with an initial CCRPI score (without Challenge Points), performing in the top quartile of the state within each grade cluster shall remain at or above the top quartile threshold established in the baseline year. Baseline year is OR Measure 3: If a school fails to meet its CCRPI target score, the school will be deemed as meeting its yearly performance target if the school is determined to be “beating the odds” through an analysis that compares the school’s CCRPI to its expected performance as determined by the “beating the odds” model developed in partnership between GOSA and the GaDOE.

Exhibit C: Accountability Measure 1: Calculation for 3% Goal MCMS 2014 CCRPI score was Minus the 10 challenge points means that MCMS 2014 baseline score would be The gap between the baseline and 100: = 24.5 The school must increase its CCRPI score by 3% annually, or.73 points each year: 3% of 24.5=.73 points. Five Year Targets = 76.23, 76.96, 77.69, 78.42, st 2 nd 3 rd 4 th 5 th

Exhibit C: Accountability Measure 2: Top Quartile If the school is already performing in the Top Quartile, then the school must remain in the top quartile. The school must also continually work to improve its CCRPI score.

Exhibit C: Accountability Measure 3: “Second Look” Policy: Beating the Odds If a school fails to meet the CCRPI target, the school can be deemed as meeting its yearly performance target if determined to be “beating the odds” through an analysis that compares the school’s CCRPI to its expected performance as determined by comparison with schools statewide with similar characteristics (e.g., EDD, ELL, SWD, size, student/teacher ratio, etc.)

Exhibit D: Consequences Annual progress towards meeting goals will be reported to the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA). If a school has not made sufficient progress in the first two years, the school will implement a School Improvement Plan that will address specific achievement deficiencies along with a plan to improve the deficient areas. The plan will be approved and monitored by the District. If during years 3 or 4, a school has not met their goals, the district will apply direct school management support and intensive teacher development support. A School Improvement Plan will be developed by the school and district, and will be monitored at the district level. End of Contract Consequences: ·If the district is not compliant with the terms of the contract, it will lose Strategic Waiver School System flexibility at the end of the seventh year.

Exhibit E: Elementary School Plan

Exhibit G: Middle School Plan

Exhibit H: High School Plan

What’s Next?  Partnership Contract & Application will be sent the to the State DOE: This is considered DRAFT mode  State DOE will arrange a conference call with Dr. Kicklighter  Application is revised based on conference call  The Partnership Contract is placed on the next State BOE meeting agenda  Dr. Kicklighter will participate in that State BOE meeting via conference call  State DOE will send out Partnership Contract for signature  Locally, we are adding a page to our district website that will have information about the Strategic Waiver School System