Race to the Top (RTTT)Overview of Grant Competition

Goals and Requirements

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Participating Districts

• Anderson Valley• Fort Bragg• Laytonville• Leggett

• Potter Valley• Ukiah• Willits• MCOE

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Statewide Participation

• 46.5% LEAs submitted letters of intent

• 58.3% of students in the state are represented by these districts

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$4,350 M$3,500 M*

$650 M$650 M

$300 M*

$250 M

ARRA Race to the Top and Other Grants $9.7 Billion

Race to the Top

School Improvement Grants

Education Technology

Investing in Innovation

Teacher Incentive Fund

Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems

*Includes regular FY 09 appropriationsFrom: ARRA Webinar Presentation, July 27, 2009 (http://www.ed.gov/news/events/arra-webinar.html)

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Grant Amount: $4.35 billion

Grantees: Individual States

Type of Grant: Competitive

Purpose: Reward and incent States to create:

Race to the Top: Overview

• Conditions for education innovation and reform• Achieving significant improvement in student

outcomes• Implementing ambitious plans in four core ARRA

education reform areas

From: ARRA Webinar Presentation, July 27, 2009 (http://www.ed.gov/news/events/arra-webinar.html)5

Core ARRA Education Reform Areas

From: ARRA Webinar Presentation, July 27, 2009 (http://www.ed.gov/news/events/arra-webinar.html)

Standards and Assessments

Common internationally benchmarked

standards with aligned assessments

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Core ARRA Education Reform Areas

Effective Teachersand

Leaders

From: ARRA Webinar Presentation, July 27, 2009 (http://www.ed.gov/news/events/arra-webinar.html)

Effective Teachers and

Leaders

Standards and AssessmentsStandards and Assessments

Effective Teachers and

Leaders Effective teachers supported by

effective leaders make the difference

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Core ARRA Education Reform Areas

From: ARRA Webinar Presentation, July 27, 2009 (http://www.ed.gov/news/events/arra-webinar.html)

Data Systems

Standards and Assessments

Effective Teachers and

Leaders

Quality information that enables continuous

improvement for students, teachers,

parents, and policymakers

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Core ARRA Education Reform Areas

Struggling Schools

From: ARRA Webinar Presentation, July 27, 2009 (http://www.ed.gov/news/events/arra-webinar.html)

Struggling Schools

Effective Teachers and

Leaders

Standards and Assessments

Data SystemsAggressive

intervention required in

chronically low-performing

schools

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Timeline

• August 2010: Adopt the national common core standards

• January 2011: Revised ELA framework

• June 2011: Revised math framework

• Spring 2012: Adoption of new ELA materials

• Spring 2013: Adoption of new math materials

• Spring 2015: Revise and align state accountability system

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Turnaround Schools(Not only for RTTT)

• Lowest 5% of low performing schools

• Approximately 200 schools

• One of four options:

• Turnaround – replace principal, screen staff and rehire no more than 50 %

• Restart• School closure• Transformation

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• Eligibility Requirements – State must be approved for funding under the State Fiscal

Stabilization Fund (Phase I and Phase II) by December 31, 2009

– State cannot have statutory or regulatory barriers to linking data about student growth and achievement to teachers for the purposes of evaluation

Proposed Eligibility Requirements

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Structure of Selection Criteria

• State Reform Conditions Criteria– Demonstrate will and capacity to improve education systems– Document the existing legal and policy conditions that are

conductive to innovation and reform

• Reform Plan Criteria– Describe comprehensive strategies (for the state and participating

LEAs) that allow for continuous improvement of student outcomes

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Proposed Selection Criteria

Overall Criteria

1. Demonstrating significant progress the state has already made in each of the four reform areas and other significant areas

2. Making education funding a priority

3. Enlisting statewide support and commitment

4. Raising student achievement and closing gaps

5. Building strong statewide capacity to implement, scale, and sustain proposed plans

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Award Funding and Distribution Requirements

• States must allocate at least 50 percent of awarded funds to participating LEAs with an emphasis on “high need” LEAs (i.e. an LEA with at least one high-poverty school)

• Participating LEAs must provide statements of support from the superintendent, school board president, and teachers union president

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• MOU signed by Superintendent, Board President, Union, Principals, and School Site Councils

Participating LEA Must Provide

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• Partnerships with other LEAs or organization to share best practices and programs

• Focus on EL strategies

• Expand learning/after school

Participating LEA MayUse additional strategies such as…

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State Must

• Adopt internationally-benchmarked standards and assessments

• Support recruiting, developing, retaining, and rewarding effective teachers and principals

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• Build data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and principals how they can improve their practices

• Provide a system to support aggressive intervention in chronically low-performing schools

State Must

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• Flexibility

• Education code

• Funding

• Creation of P-3 credential

• Develop a Turnaround Principal Institute

• Enhance BTSA

State MayUse additional strategies such as…

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• California:– California Race to the Top Website: www.caracetothetop.org– California Race to the Top Overview:

http://gov.ca.gov/pdf/press/Race_to_the_Top.pdf – Governor’s Press Releases on Race to the Top: http://gov.ca.gov/press-

release/13028/ and http://gov.ca.gov/issue/education. – State Superintendent’s Speech on Race to the Top:

http://www.cde.ca.gov/nr/sp/yr09/yr09sp0826.asp – CDE ARRA Website: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ar/

Additional Resources

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