Comprehensive School Reform CSR Grant Information Session

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Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) Grant
Information Session

• May 24, 2005

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The Purpose of the CSR Program as authorized
under Title 1 Part F, NCLB Act of 2001

• Improve student achievement in low performing,
  high poverty schools,
• Implementation of reform strategies, that are
  part of a comprehensive school wide plan- not
  isolated or fragmented approaches,
• Utilizing strategies that have proven to be
  either effective or scientifically researched.

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The Purpose of the CSR Program as authorized
under Title 1 Part F, NCLB Act of 2001

• Leverage systemic improvements in student
  achievement throughout the Title 1 program,
• Current context of NCLB, CSR provides financial
  incentives for schools to increase focus on
  helping ALL students reach high standards.

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Comprehensive School ReformWhat is it?

• Intended to stimulate school wide change by
  integrating the Eleven Required Components
• Schools identify areas of need, then create a
  plan to address the needs
• CSR funds are NOT intended for planning, intended
  for implementation
• CSR funds are NOT intended to supplement or
  supplant ongoing work.

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Comprehensive School ReformWhat is it?

• Substantive and significant changes in teaching
  and learning
• Requires ongoing professional development and
  full buy in from the school faculty
• Requires ongoing assistance from external
  partners
• Stresses evaluation as a process for continuous
  improvement.

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Maines Comprehensive School Reform Program 1998
- 2005

• Since 1998, MDOE has strategically used CSR funds
  to leverage change
• 33 high schools funded to implement the Core
  Principles and Practices of Promising Futures
• Established the Center for Inquiry on Secondary
  Education
• Created a state wide dialogue and climate in
  support of school transformation.

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Maines Comprehensive School Reform Program 1998
- 2005

• Maine schools that have had the most success
  have
• Aligned and integrated their various reform
  strategies to achieve a vision,
• Engaged in reforms with direct implications for
  teaching and learning,
• Made organizational changes in support of
  teaching and learning,
• Have a strong principal and leadership team that
  can articulate and lead they way to systemic
  transformation.

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Maines Comprehensive School Reform Program 1998
- 2005

• Allocated time and resources for professional
  learning over time,
• Utilized external partners to assist with school
  change process,
• Use the CSR evaluation cycle to reflect on
  program implementation and student performance
  data to make mid course corrections

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Maines Comprehensive School Reform Program 1998
- 2005

• Engaged parents and community members in the work
  of school reform, for ex student led
  conferences, exhibitions, community based
  learning experiences, reflecting on performance
  data.

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Maines Comprehensive School Reform Program 2005
and Beyond

• Governor Baldaccis and Commissioner Gendrons
  vision
• Create a seamless system, pre-K -16, that
  supports each students achievement of the
  Learning Results and ensures preparation and
  success in college, work, and citizenship in the
  21st century.

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Maines Comprehensive School Reform Program 2005
and Beyond

• Middle/Junior High Schools and High Schools must
  work more closely together,
• Expanded mission and scope of work for Center for
  Inquiry on Secondary Education,
• Now, the Center for Educational Transformation,
• Middle level consultants with expertise in middle
  level reform.

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Maines Comprehensive School Reform Program 2005
and Beyond

• 4th Cohort Schools will work to transform the
  educational system into
• More equitable, rigorous, and personalized
  teaching and learning experiences that result in
  improved student performance of Maines Learning
  Results and prepares each child for postsecondary
  education, work, and citizenship in the 21st
  century.

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Maines Comprehensive School Reform Program 2005
and Beyond

• Federal legislation requires states to ensure
  that funded schools use strategies that have
  strong evidence of significantly improving
  students academic performance,
• Strong evidence means either through
• Scientifically based research studies, or
• Evidence of success through replication in
  multiple sites.

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MDOE has identified the following research
based/effective practices

• 1. Implement a postsecondary education
  preparation strategy that involves every student
  and faculty member and includes
• a. The elimination of tracking,
• b. A rigorous curriculum for all students,
• c. The use of differentiated instruction methods.

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MDOE has identified the following research
based/effective practices

• 2. Implement a school wide adolescent literacy
  strategy that
• a. Utilizes research-based strategies for
  literacy teaching and learning for all students,
• b. Supports reading and writing to learn in each
  of the content areas of a rigorous curriculum,
• c. Provides both remediation and acceleration.

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MDOE has identified the following research
based/effective practices

• 3. Implement a small learning communities
  strategy that
• a. Links supportive relationships with high
  standards for achievement through academic teams
• b. Focuses on increasing students aspirations
  and supporting students through important
  transitions
• c. Is supported by a flexible school schedule.

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MDOE has identified the following research
based/effective practices

• 4. Implement a professional learning communities
  strategy
• a. Provides the faculty with specific and
  ongoing professional learning focused on
• i. differentiated instruction,
• ii. rigorous curriculum,
• iii. adolescent literacy strategies
• iv. smaller learning community.

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11 Required Components of a CSR Program

• Documentation of needs and how the program
  addresses the needs (20 points)
• Comprehensive design with aligned components
  timelines for implementation (10 points)
• Measurable goals for student achievement (15
  points)

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11 Required Components of a CSR Program

• 4. Use of research based strategies and effective
  practices to improve academic achievement (20
  points)
• 5. Professional learning to support design
  implementation of the program (15 points)
• 6. High quality external technical assistance
  from one or more partners (10 points)

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11 Required Components of a CSR Program

• 7. Leadership for CSR (10 points)
• 8. Meaningful parent community involvement in
  school improvement activities (10 points)
• 9. Support within the school district for the
  proposed program (15 10 points)
• 10. Annual evaluation strategies (10 points)
• 11. Budget and coordination of resources to
  support sustain the CSR effort (15 points).

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Eligibility Requirements for CSR Applicants

• Designated middle or junior high schools, lowest
  grade served grade 5
• High schools
• Either on Monitor Status in 2003-2004 or
  2004-2005
• CIPS Status in 2003-2004 or 2004-2005
• Title 1 Eligible or Title 1 Served in 2003-2004
  or 2004-2005.

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Consortium of Schools

• CSR legislation defines a consortium of small
  schools serving a TOTAL of 500 students
• Schools that want to implement the same reform
  program
• Explain the commitment to work together
• Each schools application will be evaluated
  individually- one may be accepted while another
  may not be accepted
• One 50,000 award will be made to the consortium.

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Funding

• Estimated Number of Grant Awards up to 7
• MDOE will make awards of sufficient size and
  scope to support a portion of the program
  proposed
• Minimum awards size 50,000
• Funds are not meant for pre-planning
• Meant to support schools ready to begin in
  September 2005.

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Fund Use

• Funds will be available after June 1, 2005
• CSR funds must be coordinated with other federal,
  state, and local resources identified by the
  school and district
• Funds are intended to supplement not supplant
  funds already received by the school.

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Duration of the CSR Program

• Initial one-year approval
• Renewable based upon demonstration of success in
  implementing the CSR program and the student
  results achieved
• School Portfolio and Evaluation Processes.

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Selection Process

• Expert panel will use the Scoring Rubric in
  Appendix A
• Review how well each applicant addresses and
  integrates the eleven components in the program
  narrative
• Addresses the achievement needs of students in
  equitable, rigorous, and personalized manner
• Elevate aspirations of students so they are
  prepared for college, work and citizenship.

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Selection Process

• Total possible points for the narrative- 160
  points
• In addition, a school may receive up to 36
  possible Competitive Priority Points
• High Schools AYP Status http//www.state.me.us/e
  ducation/Press20Releases/AYP/FY2005/0405grade11.h
  tm
• Middle Schools AYP Status
• http//www.state.me.us/education/Press20Releases/
  AYP/FY2005/0405grade8.htm

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Selection Process

• High poverty points will be awarded by the
  districts average of students receiving Free and
  Reduced Lunch
• http//thor.dafs.state.me.us/pls/doe_sfsr/eddev.ed
  534.ed534_parameters
• When you open this page, select 2005 fiscal year
  list and sort by district and then click submit.

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Selection Process

• Awards will be made to schools scoring the
  highest on the program narrative and the
  Competitive Priority Points
• Combined total of 196 points
• At any point, the MDOE may call to verify any
  part of the application package
• All funds may not be distributed.

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Application Submission

• July 13, 2005 by 200 p.m.
• One complete and original CSR application package
  is due with three additional copies
• Division of Purchases, Burton Cross Office
  Building, Augusta
• No faxed or emailed applications
• Applications received after this time will be
  rejected.

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Timeline

• July 13, 2005 Applications submitted to the
  Department of Purchases
• July 14- 20 MDOE Reviews Applications
• By July 21 Announce CSR Awards
• July 25 Summer Academy
• August 4 Convening of CSR Grantees

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Application Components

• A completed application must include the
  following components and be packaged as listed
  below
• LEA Cover Page (Form 2)
• School Cover Page (one for each school submitting
  an application)
• The Schools CSR Program Narrative (25 pages
  maximum)
• Assurances from Technical Assistance Partner
  multiple copies may be needed for submission
  (Form 3)

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Application Components

• Verification of Support for the CSR Program
  within the School (Form 4)
• Verification of Support for the CSR Program
  within the District (Form 5)
• Budget Summary (Form 6)
• Budget Narrative (Form 7)
• List of Schools Participating in a Consortium
  (Form 8)

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Application Requirements

• Calculating Your Competitive Priority Points
  (Form 9)
• Any application missing any of these items will
  be rejected and not evaluated
• Required forms are NOT a part of 25 page limit
• Address the eleven required components in
  sequential order
• Cover page should be page 1.

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Application Requirements

• No extraneous attachments are to be submitted.
  Materials others than those required will not be
  reviewed
• Use one and a half line spacing throughout your
  responses
• Use one-inch margins for text sections
• Use at least 11-point font size.

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Application Requirements

• Use subheads and bold type to make your proposal
  reader friendly
• You must use charts and bullets where
  appropriate these will count toward the 25-page
  maximum for the narrative
• Applications must be stapled. Please do not
  submit applications in notebooks, folders or
  other packaging.

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Expectations for CSR Grantees

• In addition to the program proposed a school will
  be expected to
• 5. Make the PSAT available to all sophomores and
  juniors,
• 6. Participate in the Advanced Placement
  Incentive Program,
• 7. Participate in the Team Leadership
  Collaborative
• 8. Develop a strategic action plan annually.

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Expectations for CSR Grantees

• 9. Administer the CSR On-line Survey and
  participate in the CSR Portfolio Process annually
  for evaluation purposes,
• 10. Participate in the annual Promising Futures
  Summer Academy,
• 11. Begin implementation of the proposed CSR
  program during the 2005-2006 school year, and
• 12. Serve as a demonstration site.

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What to do if you have questions

• If you have questions when putting together your
  application DO NOT CALL!
• WE CANT RESPOND!!
• Questions must be submitted in writing via email.
  We will post responses on www.state.me.us/educat
  ion
• Under Initiatives you will see the link to the
  CSR Program.

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If you have questions

• Email Susan Johnson or Tonia Stevens
• susan.johnson_at_maine.gov
• tonia.stevens_at_maine.gov