1. RACE TO THE TOP: An Overview
December 7, 2009

2. ABOUT RACE TO THE TOP
Competitive grants to encourage and reward states implementing comprehensive reforms across four key areas:
Adopting standards & assessments that prepare students for success in college & the workplace
Recruiting, rewarding & retaining effective teachers & principals
Building data systems that measure student success & inform teachers & principals how they can improve their practices
Turning around the lowest-performing schools
The $4.35 billion in competitive grants through RttT program is designed for the Federal government to create incentives for improving public schools.
Under the guidelines, state seeking funds will be pressed to implement the 4 core reforms sometimes called the FOUR ASSURANCES

3. ABOUT RACE TO THE TOP Overarching goal of:
Driving substantial gains in student achievement
Improving high school graduation rates
Narrowing achievement gaps

4. ABOUT RACE TO THE TOP The intent is to reward States that:
Have demonstrated success in raising student achievement
Have the best plans to accelerate reforms in the future
Offer models for others to follow
States will be reward based on a competitive structure:
Final guidelines issued on November 18, 2009
States apply individually (no consortia)
Two opportunities to apply
Phase1: January 19, 2010 (Awards made by March 18, 2010)
Phase 2: June 1, 2010 (Awards made by August 2, 2010)
$4.35 billion in awards
NC eligible for $200-$400 million
Grant period up to 48 months
50% must go to LEAs
The state applications requires a systematic approach to reform – to receive a grant the state plans must address all 4 areas of reform – cannot pick and choose
Individual states are applicants and thus must apply individually and not as consortia
States have 2 opportunities to apply (NC intends to apply in January. States that do apply in phase 1 and are not awarded may reapply for Phase 2
Nonbinding budget ranges have been developed as guides – each state has been sorted into 1 or 5 groups (or categories) based on their population of children aged NC is in Category 2 (2nd highest) with a budget range of $200-$400 million. Applications may be made for more or less than the ranges.
When a state receives funding – 50% must flow through to the LEAs in amounts based on the Title I formula and must be spent in ways consistent with the state’s plan. The remaining 50% can be used by the state and/or passed through to LEAs

5. ABOUT RACE TO THE TOP Selection Criteria (Total of 500 points)
State Success Factors (125 points or 25%)
Standards and Assessment (70 points or 14%)
Data Systems to Support Instruction (47 or 9%)
Great Teachers and Leaders (138 points or 28%)
Turning Around the Lowest-Achieving Schools (50 points or 10%)
General Selection Criteria (55 points or 11%)
STEM Priority (15 points or 3%)
Success Factors:
articulating state’s reform agenda & LEAs participation in it
building statewide capacity to sustain the plan
Demonstrating progress in raising student achievement & closing gaps
(largest single item – 45 pts – securing LEA commitment - MOU Standards & Assessments - common standards/adopting common (national) standards
Data Systems: fully implementing a statewide longitudinal data system
Great Teachers & Leaders: Group with largest amount of points
improving teacher/leader effectiveness based on performance
(adding a student growth component to the evaluation system)
ensuring equitable distribution of effective teachers/leaders
improving effectiveness & provision of support
Turning Around Lowest-Performing Schools: ID and intervening
General:
making education funding a priority
charter schools and other innovations (40 pts. – 2nd highest single)
demonstrating other significant reform
ACCOMPLISHMENTS = 260 PTS (52%)
PLAN = 240 pts. (48%)

6. ABOUT RACE TO THE TOP Priorities
Priority 1 (Absolute): Comprehensive Approach to Education Reform
Priority 2 (Competitive Preference): Emphasis on STEM
Priority 3 (Invitational): Improving Early Learning Outcomes
Priority 4 (Invitational): Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems
Priority 5 (Invitational): P-20 Coordination and Alignment
Priority 6 (Invitational): School-Level Conditions for Reform, Innovation, & Learning
There are 3 types of priorities in the RttT competition
Absolute: cuts across the entire application & is not addressed separately. It will be assessed in the state’s plan in its entirity. If the application has not met the priority, it will be thrown out.
Competitive: also cuts across the entire application. All or nothing proposition 15 points or 0 points.
Invitational: addressed in their own separate sections. While applicants are invited to write to the invitational priorities, these will not earn points. USED is interested in receiving applications that meet the invitational priorities, but do not give such applications preference over others.

7. NC STRATEGIC IMPROVEMENT GOALS
Increase student achievement
Increase high school graduation rates
Produce more career-ready and college-ready graduates
Increase the number of students completing challenging capstone courses
Increase college-going rate
Decrease need for remedial math and language arts courses
Improve student achievement growth in low- performing schools

8. RttT – NEXT STEPS
December 9, 2009: Local Board Chairs and Superintendents attend RttT information session
December 11, 2009: Local NCAE Presidents attend RttT information session
Ongoing: Information shared with ECPS Board members
January 11, 2010: ECPS considers MOU
January 19, 2010: Deadline for state application

9. QUESTIONS/ISSUES
Adoption of national core standards and assessments, where available
Development of a system of formative/diagnostic, benchmarking assessments aligned with summative assessments
Development of student learning objectives assessment for areas not being tested
Addition of a student growth component to the teacher evaluation process
Obtaining signed MOUs
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