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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

OVERVIEW

What is the Delaware Talent Cooperative?

Te Delaware alent Cooperative (Co-Op) is

designed to put the most eective educators in

ront o the students who need them most and

to support schools that have high populations o

traditionally underserved students.

Te Co-Op encourages some o the states most

accomplished educators (teachers, specialists, and

school leaders) to transer to the highest-need

schools or to continue working there. It includes

awards and recognition or educators, proessional

development, leadership opportunities, and grant

opportunities or participating schools.

Why start the Co-Op?

Students rom low-income communities tend to be

taught by newer, less experienced educators, even

though these students typically are most in need o

our best educators. Delaware is renewing its com-

mitment to putting the most eective educators in

the schools that need them most.

Te state is supporting this commitment with

nancial resources or educators and schools

through the Co-Op. Tis initiative and other state-

wide eorts are about:

Keeping all o us ocused on student learning.

Working together to increase the academic suc-

cess o our students, particularly those who have

traditionally been underserved.

reating educators like the proessionals they are.

Highlighting outstanding work in Delawares

schools.

Te Co-Op complements other state initiatives to

support and strengthen teaching, including the

new state-led eacher Advisory Councils (ACs),

statewide Proessional Learning Communities

(PLCs), and the upcoming eaching & Learning

Conditions Survey (ELLDelaware

www.telldelaware.org).

ACs are groups o teachers that meet regularly

with the Delaware Department o Education

(DDOE) to weigh in on the most pressing

educational issues or our students and schools.

I you are interested in participating in a AC,

visit www.DEtalentcoop.org.

BENEFIS

What are the benefts or participating

educators?

Benets or educators (teachers, specialists, and

school leaders) who join the Co-Op include:

Retention awards: Between $2,500 and $10,000

over two years or eligible educators already

working in participating schools. Educators can

earn this award annually, or a total o up to

$20,000. Participating schools all have high pop-

ulations o traditionally underserved students.

(See When do eligible educators earn retention

awards?or details.)

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Attraction awards: Awards up to $20,000 over

two years or eligible educators to transer to

participating schools.

Formal recognition by DDOE or their commit-ment and practice, including an annual conven-

ing o Co-Op educators with Delaware Secretary

o Education Mark Murphy.

Initial training (attraction award educators)

and ongoing proessional development (all

educators) at no cost to the educator. All Co-Op

educators become part o a proessional learning

community that spans all districts and schools

throughout the state.

Leadership opportunities as well asopportunities to learn rom others in the Co-Op.

What are the benefts or participating schools?

Te Co-Op provides incentives to help participat-

ing schools retain their most eective educators

and recruit others.

Participating schools can also receive grants o

up to $10,000 or school improvement eorts.

A school is eligible or a grant i (a) it has at least

two educators participating in the Co-Op (any

combination o educators receiving attraction and/

or retention awards); and (b) it has met at least 50

percent o student growth targets in the 201213

or201314 school year.

Decisions about how to use school grants will

be made by educators at the building level.Participating schools will be asked to submit a

one-page proposal to apply or their grants and to

provide periodic updates about how grant unds

are used. DDOE will provide a template or the

proposals. Grants are not available or schools

classied as Partnership Zone or Focus.

PARICIPAING SCHOOLS

Which schools are eligible to participate?

Eligible schools are schools that serve high

populations o traditionally underserved students.

Specically, a school is eligible i it meets at least

one o these our conditions:

It is a Partnership Zone school.

It participated in the states alent Retention

program in 201112.

It is one o the top 15 schools in at least two o

these three statewide categories:

Highest percentage o non-white students

Highest percentages o students eligible or

ree and reduced-price meals

Highest percentages o English language

learners

At least 75 percent o its students are non-white,

eligible or ree and reduced-price meals, or

English language learners.

Schools are not eligible i they:Do not participate in the Delaware Comprehen-

sive Assessment System (DCAS).

Have ewer than 100 students.

Are special schools serving distinct populations

(e.g., classied as Intensive Learning Centers).

Participating schools are expected to comply with

all requirements o the Delaware Perormance

and Appraisal System (DPAS II), such as required

observations and roster verication process.

Which schools are participating?

All eligible districts and charter schools received

a letter o invitation rom DDOE dated December

14, 2012. Districts and charter schools must tell

the state whether they intend to participate by

January 14, 2013. A list o participating schools

will be available on the initiatives website,

www.DEtalentcoop.org.

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WHICH EDUCAORS ARE ELIGIBLE AND HOWO APPLY

Which educators are eligible or attraction

awards?

For the 201314 school year, eligible educators are

English language arts (ELA) and math teachers in

grades 3 to 10 and school leaders who are highly

eective. An educator is considered highly eective

i he or she meets at least one o the ollowing

criteria:

He or she earned a Highly Efective summative

rating at the end o 201112.

He or she was rated Exceeds on Component V o

the DPAS II in summer 2012 (based upon the

201112 school year). DDOE will review any

individual educators Component V report i he

or she wants to apply or the Co-Op and believes

that he or she should have been rated Exceeds on

Component V.

Eligible educators also must commit to working

in a participating school or at least two years.

Educators who are on improvement plans are not

eligible.

Next year, attraction awards will be available to

educators who work in other subject areas and

grades.

How do educators apply or attraction awards?

Educators interested in transerring to a

participating school must complete an online

application by March 22, 2013. Applications will

be available at www.DEtalentcoop.org beginning

January 28, 2013.

Troughout April, DDOE will screen all educators

who completed an application and met the eligi-

bility criteria. By April 29, 2013, DDOE will notiy

educators who are accepted to the Co-Op. DDOE

will share the names and qualications o accepted

educators with participating schools in May.

Educators who are accepted will be considered or

job openings in participating schools or the 2013

14 school year. Co-Op members will be encouraged

to apply and interview at all participating schools

where openings match their expertise and

qualications. Schools and districts have nal

authority to determine which sta to hire or any

open positions and whether to hire an educator

participating in the Co-Op or another educator.

Co-Op educators transerring to a new school

must transer to their new schools by October 15,

2013, to be eligible or the nancial award. Ater

that date, Co-Op educators who are eligible to

transer will be moved to the next years Co-Opcohort. Educators who have not accepted jobs in

participating schools by October 15 can participate

in proessional development and other Co-Op

activities throughout the spring, summer, and

school year.

Which educators are eligible or retention

awards?

For the 201314 school year, eligible educators

are all teachers, specialists, and school leaders who

currently teach in a participating school and meetat least one o these criteria:

He or she earns a Highly Efective summative

rating in Spring 2013.

He or she is rated Exceeds on Component V o

the DPAS II in spring 2013.

Eligible educators also must commit to staying

in their current school or at least two years.

Educators who are on improvement plans are not

eligible.

How do educators apply or retention awards?

Tere is no need to apply or retention awards.

DDOE will notiy all educators in participating

schools who qualiy or the two-year award and

automatically pay the award to those educators

as long as they commit to remaining in their

school or two years and being active in the Co-Op

program.

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AWARD DEAILS

When do eligible educators earn attraction

awards?

eachers and school leaders who transer to

participating schools will receive up to $10,000

in the all o 2013 (their rst year in their new

school). Tey will receive up to $10,000 in all o

2014 (their second year) i they meet at least one

o the ollowing criteria:

Earned at least an Efective summative rating at

the end o 201213.

Are rated at least Satisactory on Component V

o DPAS II in summer 2013.

Eligible educators also must stay in the same

school or the second year. Educators who are

on improvement plans are not eligible. Te exact

amount o awards will be based on the number o

eligible educators in the Co-Op.

When do eligible educators earn retention

awards?

Eligible ELA and math teachers will receive an

award o up to $10,000 over two years up to

$5,000 in all o 2013 and up to $5,000 in all o

2014 as long as they stay in the same school

and remain active in the Co-Op program. Te exact

amount o awards will be based on the number o

eligible educators in the Co-Op.

All other eligible educators will receive awards o

$2,500 to $10,000 over two years hal in all o

2013, hal in all o 2014 as long as they stay in

the same school and remain active in the Co-Op

program.

For educators who do not teach ELA or math, each

participating school will receive a pool o unds orretention awards. For each school, total unds will

be based on the number o educators who do not

teach ELA or math. Funds will be divided equally

among teachers who earn a Highly Efective sum-

mative ratings and/or Exceeds ratings on Compo-

nent V o DPAS II.

School leaders will receive an award o up to

$10,000 over two years up to $5,000 in all o

2013 and up to $5,000 in all o 2014 as long as

they stay in the same school and remain active in

the Co-Op program. Te exact amount o awards

will be based on the number o eligible educators

in the Co-Op.

Educators o all subjects and school leaders who

earn a second Highly Efective summative rating

and/or Exceeds rating in spring 2014 will receive a

second retention award ($2,500 to $10,000 over

two years), bringing their total award to as much

as $20,000. Educators who earn retention awards

in consecutive years can collect the two awards

simultaneously.For ELA and math teachers as well as school lead-

ers, the exact amount o awards will be based on

the number o eligible educators in the Co-Op. For

non-ELA or math educators, each years award will

be calculated using the ormula described above.

Can the same educator earn a transer award

and a retention award?

No, but as explained above, educators can earn

retention awards in consecutive years.

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SKILLS, COMMIMENS, AND PROFESSIONALDEVELOPMEN

Which skills will make someone successul in

this program?

Educators and school leaders should demonstrate

that they can have a strong impact in the class-

room and the school. Critical skills include:

Leadership skills, demonstrated by serving in

leadership roles, understanding the attributes o

an eective leader, and advocating or teachers

and amilies.

Collaboration and team building skills,

such as having knowledge o adult learning

strategies and group dynamics, having eective

acilitation skills, having strong written and oral

communication skills, and being respectul and

positive in interactions with others.

Eective instruction skills, demonstrated

by using student achievement data to improve

student outcomes; setting ambitious goals or

all students, regardless o background or past

perormance; taking personal responsibility

or all students meeting those goals; and/or building sta capacity to provide eective

instruction.

Refection and constant learning skills, such

as being able to reect on ones perormance to

identiy challenges and successes.

What are Co-Op participants committing to

do?

Co-Op participants agree to serve in a participating

school or at least two years, participate in

Co-Op proessional development sessions, and

be involved in Co-Op activities. For teachers

and specialists, this involvement may include

participating in a AC, attending or presenting

at inormation sessions about the Co-Op, being a

new teacher mentor, and being a teacher leader in

their building or district. For school leaders, it may

include serving as a leader o leaders or mentoring

new administrators.

What proessional development will be part o

the Co-Op?

During spring and summer 2013, the Co-Op will

hold initial training or transerring educators.

Tis proessional development will ocus on

understanding diverse learning needs o students,

getting to know school culture, and taking on new

leadership roles. ranserring educators will be

expected to attend these trainings, and those who

receive retention awards may be asked to help

acilitate the sessions.

Ongoing proessional development will deepeneducators skills in these areas and ocus on men-

toring other educators and building collaborative

learning communities at their schools.

School leaders ongoing proessional development

will ocus on leadership training, attracting and

retaining excellent educators, and building school

culture.

All proessional development will be provided at no

cost to Co-Op participants.

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KEY DAES AND MORE INFORMAION

What are the key dates or the program?

December 20, 2012: Inormation session

or Kent County, 13 p.m., Capital District

Administrative Ofce

January 3, 2013: Inormation session or

Sussex County, 911 a.m., Laurel Middle School

Library

January 7, 2013: Inormation session or

New Castle County, 13 p.m., Red Clay District

Administrative Ofce

January 14, 2013: Eligible districts/schools

notiy DDOE o their intent to participate

January 23, 2013: Webinar inormation ses-

sion or educators, 34 p.m.

January 28, 2013: Online application or

attraction program becomes available

January 30, 2013: Webinar inormation ses-

sion or educators, 45 p.m.

March 22, 2013: Deadline or applications

or attraction program (educators eligible or

transer awards)

Late March and April 2013: DDOE screens

applications

By April 29, 2013: DDOE selects 2013 Co-Op

Cohort members (or attraction program) and

noties all educators who applied

May 2013: Educators eligible or transer awards

begin to interview or jobs in participating

schools while participating in the rst two pro-

essional development seminars

By June 30, 2013: DDOE identies and noties

educators who will receive 2013 retention awards

July 2013: Summer Institute, other training

(exact dates to be announced)

October 15, 2013: Deadline or educators to

transer to a new school to be eligible or the

attraction award

Fall 2013: eachers in the 2013 Co-Op Cohort

receive the rst hal o their awards

Fall 2014: eachers in the 2013 Co-Op Cohort

receive the second hal o their awards

How can I learn more about the program?

DDOE is holding inormation session on the

ollowing dates and times:

Kent County: December 20, 2012, 13 p.m.,

Capital District Administrative Ofce

New Castle County: January 7, 2013, 13 p.m.

Red Clay District Administrative Ofce

Sussex County: January 3, 2013, 911 a.m.,

Laurel Middle School Library

DDOE is holding two inormation sessions by

webinar:

January 23, 2013, rom 34 p.m.

January 30, 2013, rom 45 p.m.

You also can e-mail your questions to Angeline

Willen, Director, eacher & Leader Eectiveness

Unit, DDOE, angeline.willen@doe.k12.de.us.

Questions will be answered within two business

days.

How was the Co-Op developed?

DDOE worked with an Advisory Council that

included representatives o the DDOE, the

Delaware State Education Association, the

Delaware Charter Schools Network, community

organizations, districts, and schools. Te Advisory

Council participated in developing the initiative

by providing input and advice at key points in the

process.

DDOE also held ocus groups with teachers acrossthe state, and their input helped shape the pro-

gram. For example, eedback rom the Advisory

Council and ocus groups promoted the idea o

recognizing teachers in non-tested subjects and

grades and including grants to schools.

Education First coordinated the work in

conjunction with eacher & Leader Eectiveness

Unit sta.

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