MNPS SIG Priority Schools Planning Grant Application-2014

School Improvement Priority Schools

Planning Grant

APPLICATION

[Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools]

[November 5, 2014]

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Tennessee Department of Education Priority Schools Planning Grant

School Year 2014-15

Overview The intent of the competitive 2014-15 Priority Schools Planning Grant is to provide significant resources to local education agencies (LEAs) with Title I schools identified by the state as Priority. While the state anticipates a School Improvement Grant (SIG) competition for LEAs with priority schools in spring 2015, for turnaround interventions beginning in the 2015-16 school year, this Priority Schools Planning Grant can provide funds to allow LEAs to begin early to do some of the things to plan or prepare for these interventions. LEAs may apply for $300,000 to $2,000,000 to begin the development of a comprehensive plan targeted at the eventual full implementation of the turnaround principles in their newly named Priority schools. The US Department of Education defines the following turnaround principles:

1. Provide strong leadership; 2. Ensure that teachers are effective and able to improve instruction, retaining only those

determined to be effective and preventing ineffective teachers from transferring to these schools; 3. Provide on-going, job-embedded professional development informed through teacher evaluation

and support systems tied to teacher and student needs; 4. Redesign the school day, week or year to include additional time for student learning and teacher

collaboration; 5. Strengthen the schools instructional program based on student needs and ensuring that the

instructional program is research based, rigorous and aligned with State academic standards; 6. Use data to inform instruction and continuous improvement, by providing time for collaboration

on use of data; 7. Establish a school environment that improves school safety and discipline and addressing other

non-academic factors that impact student achievement, such as students social, emotional, and health needs;

8. Provide ongoing mechanisms for family and community engagement.

It is the expectation that the plan developed as a result of this grant will be the foundation for the 2015-16 SIG application for the states fourth cohort of schools. Potential uses for Priority Schools Planning Grant funds include, but are not limited to, recruitment of effective leadership and school staff, signing bonuses, research and selection of a whole school reform model, contracts with external providers for professional development, development of plans for extended learning time, development of school and community partnerships, and programs to address non-academic student needs.

Available funds: While successful LEA applicants are eligible to receive $300,000 to $2,000,000 for the term of the grant, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) reserves the right to fund applications at a lesser amount if the grant application does not fully justify the budget expenditures. Please be realistic in the request for funds and the timeframe for spending. The funds must be obligated by September 30, 2015 and liquidated by December 30, 2015.

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Eligible applicants:

Jackson-Madison County, Knox County, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, Shelby County are eligible to apply to serve newly identified Priority schools from the 2015 Priority Schools released in August 2014, http://www.tn.gov/education/data/accountability/schools_2014.shtml.

Achievement School District (ASD) is eligible to apply on behalf of newly identified Priority schools that will be taken into the ASD in School Year 2015-16.

Timeline: Priority School Planning Grant Submission Date November 5, 2014 Grant Evaluation/Scoring November 5-19, 2014 School Improvement Reading Initiative Grant Awarded November 21, 2014 School Improvement Reading Initiative Grant funds final obligation date September 30, 2015 School Improvement Reading Initiative Grant funds liquidation date December 30, 2015

Submission Date: LEAs must submit an electronic version of the application and budget in its ePlan LEA Document Library, Priority Schools Planning Grant folder on or before November 5, 2014

Grant Review Process

The TDOE will organize and coordinate the reading and scoring of the Priority Schools Planning Grant. Application reviewers will rate each application on its own merits and according to how well the application reflects rubric expectations. The TDOE will compile scores and make a recommendation of approval or denial that will be submitted to the Commissioner of Education for final approval.

Applications will be assessed according to the following matrix:

Category Description Weight

Total Points Possible- 100

LEA Capacity The LEA has shown significant gains in both reading/language arts and math in SIG Cohort 1, Cohort 2 and/or Cohort 3 schools. In addition, the majority of the SIG Cohort 2 and/or Cohort 3 schools have 2013-14 school wide TVAAS greater than or equal to 3. In addition to student academic gains, the LEA provides additional information to evince effectiveness in increasing student achievement in its Cohort 2 and 3 schools. If gains have not occurred in SIG schools, the LEA makes a strong argument as to how the LEA or iZone will do things differently in its newly named Priority schools. For LEAs with no Cohort 2 or 3 schools, the LEA provides a detailed explanation of stronger district support and response to Priority schools than what is provided to non-Priority schools.

50 points

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Turnaround Plan Turnaround Plan - The LEA has prioritized at least three of the seven Turnaround principles that will receive priority for Planning Grant funds and provides a strong rationale for selection of principles. The LEA provides an explanation of alignment of the planning grant to interventions that will be included in its Cohort 4 SIG application. The LEA provides a thorough description of planning activities and a reasonable timeline for completion and obligation of funds prior to the Sept. 30, 2015 deadline. Allocation and Use of Funds - The LEA provides a thorough description of how it will allocate funds for use at the district or iZone and school levels to align with the prioritized Turnaround principles. The amount of funds allocated to the district or iZone and schools is provided. Monitoring and Support - The LEA provides a plan for the continuous monitoring of the plan development timeline to ensure that it is on track, that funds are being spent appropriately and in a timely manner. The LEA provides a plan of support to schools receiving the planning grant funds that will ensure that planning efforts are implemented in a timely manner. External Providers - The LEA provides a thorough explanation of its process for recruitment, screening, and selection of external providers and collaborative partners that includes a request for information (RFI) or other process for identification of potential providers; a protocol for analysis of the connection between the providers experience and the district and schools needs; evidence of effectiveness from a nationally recognized education research organization.

50 points

Appendix A Planning Grant Work Plan

The LEA has submitted a planning grant work plan. Required

Appendix B - Signed Assurances

The LEA has included the grants signed assurances. Required

Appendix C Budget

The LEA has submitted an approvable budget that will support activities described in the grant application.

Required

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PRIORITY SCHOOLS PLANNING GRANT Grant Award Period: November 22, 2014 to September 30, 2015

Application Due Date: November 5, 2014

LEA COVER PAGE

DISTRICT NAME: METROPOLITAN NASHVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

ADDRESS: 2601 BRANSFORD AVENUE

CITY, STATE AND ZIP CODE: NASHVILLE, TN 37204

AREA CODE/TELEPHONE NUMBER: 615-259-8400

FAX NUMBER: 615-214-8852

GRANT CONTACT PERSON: DR. JULIE MCCARGAR

POSITION/TITLE: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR-FEDERAL PROGRAMS

ADDRESS: 2601 BRANSFORD AVENUE

CITY, STATE AND ZIP CODE: NASHVILLE, TN 37204

AREA CODE/TELEPHONE NUMBER: 615-259-8402

EMAIL: [email protected]

DATE SUBMITTED: NOVEMBER 5, 2014

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Application Priority Schools Planning Grant

LEA Capacity 50 points

Districts that have shown success in school turnaround efforts in Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 School Improvement Grant (SIG) schools will receive priority. 1. Describe the gains in academic achievement that have resulted in SIG schools.

To be completed by districts with Cohort 2 SIG Schools Provide two year gains in Cohort 2 schools. Compare baseline year to percent of student proficient/advanced in 2013-14. Indicate NA if the LEA or iZone has no Cohort 2 SIG schools.

Bailey MS Brick Church

MS Gra-Mar MS John Early

MS Buena Vista

ES Napier ES Churchwell ES

Reading Language Arts

SY11-12 % Prof and Adv 17.3% 16.8% 20.8% 28.0% 18.1% 14.5% 20.5%

SY12-13 % Prof and Adv 17.1% 13.8% 25.6% 24.2% 7.5% 16.1% 18.6%

SY13-14 % Prof and Adv 16.2% 8.7% 22.3% 23.8% 15.1% 17.3% 21.9%

Bailey MS

Brick Church MS Gra-Mar MS

John Early MS

Buena Vista ES Napier ES Churchwell ES

Math TCAP & Algebra I

SY11-12 % Prof and Adv 9.0% 15.3% 26.1% 25.9% 19.3% 13.7% 20.8%

SY12-13 % Prof and Adv 11.8% 7.1% 31.5% 26.1% 15.0% 16.1% 19.1%

SY13-14 % Prof and Adv 19.9% 8.7% 29.9% 26.9% 19.3% 24.0% 24.5%

SY12-13 % Prof and Adv (Algebra I) 50.0% - - 95.0% - - -

SY13-14 % Prof and Adv (Algebra I) 57.7% 40.0% 76.5% 73.3% - - -

To be completed by districts with Cohort 3 Schools Provide one year gains in Cohort 3 schools. Compare baseline year to percent of student proficient/advanced in 2013-14. Indicate NA if the LEA or iZone has no Cohort 3 SIG schools. N/A

2. Provide any additional information to evince effectiveness in increasing student achievement in SIG schools during the grant period (2012-2014). N/A

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3. To be completed by districts with Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 Schools where gains did not occur. If gains have not occurred in SIG schools, discuss how the district or iZone will do things differently to ensure progress in its newly named Priority schools. Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) was fortunate to receive supplementary resources through Cohort II of the School Improvement Grants (SIG II). While all qualitative feedback suggests SIG II schools are significantly better environments for students, parents, and teachers, the student achievement results through the first two years are lower than expected. Reading/Language (RLA) scores continue to be sluggish, while most SIG II schools have increased proficiency rates in Math, though at a slower than expected pace. Before elaborating on how we will improve the effectiveness of SIG IV resources with our newly named Priority schools, it is worth noting some emerging successes and promising practices:

Six out of seven SIG II schools achieved year-over-year gains in Math between year one and year two.

The majority of SIG II schools, five of seven, had increases in favorability ratings on the Control dimension of the Tripod student survey from year one to year two. The Control dimension is most closely correlated with student achievement.

All seven SIG II schools raised their Success Rate(defined as the average percent of students scoring as proficient/advanced in RLA, Math, and Science) after two years, and two of the seven priority schools raised it enough that they were not identified on the most recent Priority Schools list.

Six out of seven SIG schools are achieving Satisfactory status on MNPS Academic Performance Framework (APF) based on SY13-14 results, which represents a significant improvement because six of seven were in Target status (lowest status on the APF) based on SY12-13 results.

The four schools that successfully engaged in a strategic school design process during year one or year two all had meaningful year-over-year gains in both Math and RLA. This provides emerging evidence that principal empowerment and intentional school design can be powerful levers of improvement when coupled with proven turnaround leadership.

On the Tennessee Educator (TELL) survey, the teachers at SIG II schools reported a 15% increase in their belief that, Overall, their school is a good place work from year one to year two. This rate of improvement significantly outpaced the district as a whole. In general, all TELL survey indicators at SIG II schools improved at higher rates than the district as a whole.

Six out of seven iZone schools had increased teacher attendance rates and had significantly decreased disciplinary instances, including rates of in-school and out-of-school suspensions.

While gains have been made and benefits have accrued to students, our reflection on those successes highlights that there are things we could have done differently to more quickly realize student achievement gains. The following section identifies what we could have done differently during SIG II and how we intend to improve our implementation of strategic priorities to ensure progress for our newly named Priority Schools in SIG IV.

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Continuous Improvement Our strategies for addressing our newly named Priority Schools are grounded in research about successful turnaround efforts and lessons learned from our SIG II experience. Those strategies fall into the following priority focus areas:

1. Hiring proven turnaround principals and teacher leaders; 2. Addressing teacher quality prior to SY15-16; 3. Engaging in intensive, personalized school design and planning prior to SY15-16; 4. Aggressively addressing non-academic factors; and, 5. Improving central office alignment, sustainability planning, and grant management.

Hiring Proven Turnaround Principals and Effective Educators Principals: The timing of the SIG II award made it difficult to actively target nationally-recognized turnaround leaders. We were fortunate to hire some high caliber leaders from the candidate pool, but felt more timing and advanced planning would have resulted in a stronger field of candidates. To address this, we have already begun to identify and proactively target proven turnaround leaders in order to fill principal leadership positions in newly named Priority schools several months prior to the end of the SY14-15 school year (the current school year). Our strategy is to vet potential principal leadership candidates, using a rigorous screening and interview process, and hire them early so they can recruit a cadre of transformational teacher leaders, take inventory of the teacher quality presently in the school (and take appropriate actions), and engage in an intensive school design process.

Teacher Leaders: We will provide incentives and resources so the turnaround principals at the newly named Priority schools can hire a cohort of highly effective teachers with proven experience in turnaround situations and high needs schools. The principal along with this cohort of teacher leaders will comprise the schools instructional leadership core. Only one or two of the principals at the SIG II schools began their first year with a cohort of personally-selected, proven, highly effective turnaround teachers. We have already begun a national and local campaign, known as MNPS Turnaround Corps, to identify at least 100 effective teachers with demonstrated success working in turnaround schools.

Addressing Teacher Quality Prior to SY15-16 Prior to SY15-16, we will remove low performing teachers from newly named Priority schools. Many of the SIG II schools spent their first year evaluating existing teachers. For those schools, it was not until the second year or later that they had a fully effective team. We will accelerate that timetable for the newly named Priority schools so they can start SY15-16 with a fully effective team hand-selected by the turnaround principals.

Strategic School Design One advantage to hiring turnaround principals and teachers early is that they will have time to engage in an intensive school design and planning process prior to SY15-16. This was not the case for SIG II schools. For starters, not all SIG II schools engaged in a strategic school design process. For the schools that were not engaged in this process, there were challenges with teacher buy-in of the redesign. Because of this, not all of the faculty implemented the redesign with fidelity

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resulting in a loss of program coherence. In comparison, those schools that engaged in a strategic school design process did so during their first or second year. However, this delay caused the actual benefits of the design process not to be realized until year two or year three. The school design process involves developing a deep understanding of the individual needs of a school and developing a targeted, personalized plan for addressing those needs. Strategic school design processes often result in innovative approaches to expanded learning time, teacher leadership, and role differentiation. With our current proposal for our newly identified priority schools, the design process will enable the leadership team and other teachers to coalesce around a specific vision, common expectations, and design choices prior to SY15-16. The first day of school year 2015-16 will open to students with the leadership teams and faculty ready to implement their turnaround plans with fidelity and commitment.

Aggressively Address Non-Academic Factors With our SIG II schools, we were aware that non-academic factors were important for student achievement and addressed any areas of deficiencies through traditional approaches. However, our district has since evolved through partnerships with the Collaborative on Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Attendance Works, PASSAGES (Annenburg Initiative to reduce disparities in discipline) and others that have expanded and deepened our understanding of these factors and effective interventions. Because of this, our SIG IV schools will ensure that an important component of the personalized school design process is incorporating strategies and structures to address non-academic factors such as chronic absenteeism, discipline, and family and community engagement. For SY15-16, newly named Priority schools will be asked to develop strategies and structures to aggressively target non-academic, social-emotional factors as part of their design and planning process. We intend to leverage supplemental resources from the Priority Schools Planning Grant and SIG IV Grant to provide additional personnel to support non-academic services during SY15-16 and SY17-18. The design process will include a sustainability component requiring schools to develop plans to sustain these investments with existing resources for the final year of the SIG IV grant and beyond.

Improve Central Office Alignment, Sustainability Planning, and Grant Management Central Office Alignment: Over the course of the SIG II grant, our central office has been generally flexible and responsive to supporting the level of flexibility, autonomy, and discretion required by the SIG II schools to implement innovative, effective reforms. The autonomy experienced by SIG II principals is being expanded to all MNPS schools for SY15-16 as a result of successful pilots with SIG II schools. The newly named Priority schools will realize the benefits of budgetary and resource flexibility, which were borne from the SIG II experience, while engaging in the strategic school design process. SIG II schools had to wait until their second year to take advantage of the additional flexibility; newly named Priority school principals will experience it immediately.

While acknowledging important steps have been taken, the full benefits of having authentically and meaningful empowered school leaders require greater changes to the design of central office. The principal empowerment framework challenges traditional support structures, accountability relationships, and centers of control. Evolutions to these structures are necessary to provide the meaningful flexibility and differentiated support required to turn around the newly named Priority

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schools, but also to have the controls in place to prevent other schools from falling into Priority status. To support this system-level redesign we intend to partner with a third-party organization, such as Mass Insight Education or another similarly experienced partner, to assist us as we evolve our structures and organization design to better align with our theory of change and strategies.

Sustainability Planning: One of the central foci of SIG II was an emphasis on designing for sustainability. When SIG II schools completed strategic plans and budgets, we actively questioned how those investments would be sustained when SIG II funds were removed. All SIG II schools have articulated a strategy for how their designs will sustain in SY15-16 and beyond. This focus will continue with SIG IV with a greater emphasis on minimizing investments in supplemental personnel positions in the later years of the grant. This will force schools to intentionally plan for sustainability during their strategic school design process.

Grant Management: MNPS Federal Programs department provides the grant management, monitoring, and oversight for grants awarded to MNPS. A decision was made, however, to manage the SIG II grant within the iZone department. This proved to be an inefficient use of district resources and talents. If the school improvement grants are awarded, MNPS Federal Programs department will provide grant management and oversight of the SIG IV Planning grant and SIG IV grant with programmatic and implementation services provided by the iZone.

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Table Summary of Things We Will Do Differently

SIG II Schools Newly Named Priority Schools

Hiring Proven Turnaround Principals and Teacher Leaders Conduct a national search for proven turnaround principals and teacher leaders

Consistently apply a rigorous screening process to identify turnaround principals and teachers

Hire turnaround principals 4-6 months before SY15-16 Allow turnaround principals to identify/hire their teacher leadership team 3-5 months before the start of school year one

Addressing Teacher Quality Prior to Year One Support turnaround principals to remove ineffective teachers prior to the first year

Strategic School Design Facilitate turnaround principals and their teacher leadership teams through an intensive strategic school design process prior to SY15-16

Aggressively Address Non-Academic Factors Incorporate non-academic factors into school design process Provide additional resources in first two years to address chronic absenteeism, discipline, and family and community engagement

Improve Central Office Alignment, Sustainability Planning, and Grant Management Provide flexibility to Priority schools prior to year one Redesigned central office to support turnaround efforts Plan for sustainability

Centralize grant management and oversight

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Timeline Prioritized Principle Planning Year SIG IV Year 1 SIG IV Year 2 SIG IV Year 3

Provide strong leadership (Principle #1)

Recruit Turnaround Principals through the Turnaround Leader initiative.

Allow these principals priority to select their new teachers from the Turnaround Corps pool.

Ensure that teachers are effective and able to improve instruction, retaining only those determined to be effective and preventing ineffective teachers from transferring to these schools (Principle #2)

Intervene with and support lower performing teachers; removing those deemed ineffective

Developing data-driven instruction process and protocols

Support developing and novice teachers

This happens in schools, driven by strong principal and core teacher leadership

This happens within schools, driven by teacher leaders and supported by strong principal

This happens within schools, driven by all teachers and supported by teacher leaders and principal

Redesign the school day, week or year to include additional time for student learning and teacher collaboration (Principle #3)

Engage in a strategic school design process

Redesign central office to support turnaround schools

Target additional flexibilities for schools

Review and feedback on implementation of unique design

Continue to evolve central office design and principal empowerment





Establish a school environment that improves school safety and discipline and addresses other non-academic factors that impact student achievement, such as students social, emotional, and health needs (Principle #4)

Establish a cluster support team, including a family engagement specialist, behavior specialist, social worker, and attendance specialist.

Implement an intensive chronic absenteeism initiative

Continue to provide cluster support team

Continue to provide cluster support team, but at reduced level

Assist schools to support non-academic needs within sustainable resource levels


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Prioritized Principle Planning Year SIG IV Year 1 SIG IV Year 2 SIG IV Year 3 Provide ongoing mechanisms for family and community engagement (Principle #5)

Establish a cluster support team, including a family engagement specialist, behavior specialist, social worker, and attendance specialist.

Continue to provide cluster support team

Continue to provide cluster support team, but at reduced level



Other Priorities Redesign central office to better align with our theory of change

Partner with a third party partner to assist with organization design

Redesign central office to better align with our theory of change

Partner with a third party partner to assist with organization design

Resources Needed Money for salaries and recruiting incentives

Personnel to evaluate lower performing teacher

Leadership coaches for principals (internal)

Design facilitation (people, time, travel) (external and internal)

Team-building resources & activities ($, time)

Organization design support (external)

Central capacity building support (external)

Personnel for teacher evaluations

Leadership coaches for principals (external and internal)

Design support (external and internal)

Design implementation evaluation

Resources for non-academic support (fully funded)

Cost of displaced teachers or cost to supplement if 1:1 post-evaluation release


Central capacity building support

Money for performance-based rewards


Design support (internal) Design implementation

evaluation (less than Y1) Resources for non-

academic support (partially funded)


Central capacity building support

Money for performance-based rewards


Design implementation evaluation (less than Y1)


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4. To be completed by districts with no Cohort 2 or 3 schools Discuss in detail the districts capacity to organize to ensure turnaround. How does the process for support and response to Priority schools differ from the support and response to other schools? N/A

School Turnaround Plan Development 50 points

Program Narrative - Develop a narrative, describing actions the LEA will take to develop a plan to significantly increase student achievement in reading/language arts and mathematics to ultimately turnaround its Priority schools. The plan must include the following:

1. Turnaround Plan Indicate at least three Turnaround principles that will receive priority for

Planning Grant funds and the rationale for selection of these principles. Include an explanation of how planning activities will align with interventions that the LEA will include in its Cohort 4 SIG application. Provide a description of planning activities for prioritized principles and a timeline for the completion of each. In addition, complete Appendix A, Planning Grant Work Plan.

Prioritized Principles and Rationale

MNPS is applying for $1,965,334 to recruit, select, and place the best leaders and teachers to develop and implement comprehensive turnaround plans for 8 newly eligible priority schools (Pearl-Cohn High School, Madison Middle, Neelys Bend Middle, Jere Baxter Middle, Joelton Middle, Inglewood Elementary, Kirkpatrick Elementary, and Whitsitt Elementary). This proposal focuses the requested funds on five (5) of the eight turnaround principles. These prioritized principles are:

Provide strong leadership (Principle #1) Ensure that teachers are effective and able to improve instruction, retaining only

those determined to be effective and preventing ineffective teachers from transferring to these schools (Principle #2)

Redesign the school day, week or year to include additional time for student learning and teacher collaboration (Principle #3)

Establish a school environment that improves school safety and discipline and addressing other non-academic factors that impact student achievement, such as students social, emotional, and health needs (Principle #4)

Provide ongoing mechanisms for family and community engagement (Principle #5)

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Provide strong leadership (PRIORITIZED PRINCIPLE #1)

Activity Timeline for Completion

1. Recruit turnaround principals through the Turnaround Leader initiative.

11/1/14 1/15/15

2. Select Turnaround Leaders for the 8 priority schools using an evidence-based process to identify promising candidates. Current principals of these 8 priority schools will be eligible to apply to be Turnaround Leaders, but would only be placed back in their schools after they have gone through the process and been identified as a Turnaround Leader.

1/31/15

3. Provide $10,000 incentive to attract the 8 best candidates. Pay the incentive the first paycheck after the first day of school year 2015-16.

8/3/15

4. Onboard available Turnaround Leaders in January 2015 to allow time for the school redesign and the corresponding SIG application process.

1/31/15 6/30/15

5. Provide travel, lodging, and per diem for candidates who cannot start until June 2015 for weekends, breaks, and the month of June for school turnaround work.

1/31/15 6/30/15

6. Provide stipends for relocation expenses for out of district candidates.

1/31/15-6/30/15

7. Place all of the selected candidates in their school assignments July 1, 2015.

1/1/15

8. Allow these 8 principals priority to select teachers from the Turnaround Corps pool for vacancies in their buildings (up to 56 teachers for all 8 schools).

1/31/15 6/20/15

9. Provide stipends for the teachers who have been selected by the principal to work outside of school hours, including during Summer 2015, on the development and initial implementation of the school turnaround plan.

1/31/15 7/31/15

10. Provide stipends for the entire school staff to meet for a week in the summer to become an effective team driven by a shared vision, mission, and instructional focus in the

7/6/15 7/31/15

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turnaround plan.

Rationale The foundation of a successful school reform is the right kind of school leader. Research confirms that successful candidates for turnaround leaders have competencies different from school leaders who are successful at sustaining schools already performing at high levels (Public Impact 2008). MNPS has developed a research-based process for selecting turnaround leaders that identifies the candidates with the most promise in providing effective leadership in our priority schools (Appendix D.) Subsequent to their identification, selection, and placement in one of the 8 priority schools eligible for SIG 4 funding, these principals, in partnership with selected school improvement team members, will have the time from January through May to develop their school turnaround plans with the support of district staff and outside experts in school redesign. During this time frame, MNPS will use local funds to contract with an external partner, such as Mass Insight, to help redesign the central district office so that our new Turnaround Leaders will have the support and autonomy to be successful in their efforts. Finally, with grant funds from this proposal, the new Turnaround Leaders will be able to establish a foundation for success starting with school year 2015-16 by assembling the entire faculty for a week before school starts to develop an effective team around a shared vision, mission, and instructional focus. Explanation of Alignment to Interventions Included in the Cohort 4 SIG Application - By selecting the Turnaround Leaders for the 8 priority schools eligible for SIG 4 grants early, the principal and his/her chosen school improvement team will be able to drive the development of the school turnaround plan and corresponding SIG 4 grant application. Before the start of the first year of the SIG grant for school year 2015-16, the Turnaround Leader and the schools leadership team will be able to hold a carefully designed professional development week for the entire faculty in order to build a successful team with a shared vision, mission, and instructional focus driven by the turnaround plan so that by the first day of school the process of improving student outcomes begins. Two of the remaining 10 Turnaround Leaders selected will have priority for placement in the districts remaining priority schools that are not involved in this grant proposal and will receive their $10,000 incentive from the districts Title I setaside for priority and low-performing schools. If the district is successful in obtaining either local or foundation funds to support the Turnaround Initiative starting with school year 2015-2016, the SIG 4 grant application will reflect this by not including additional supplemental pay for the Turnaround Leaders. However, if MNPS is not successful in obtaining funding for this initiative through either local or foundation funds, the Turnaround Leaders initiative that reflects performance bonuses for the Turnaround Leaders in these 8 schools will be included in the SIG 4 grant application. MNPS wants to kickstart this initiative in these 8 priority schools as one of its prioritized levers for turnaround and seeks funds from the Priority School Planning Grant to ensure its success.

Ensure that teachers are effective and able to improve instruction, retaining only

those determined to be effective and preventing ineffective teachers from transferring to these schools

(PRIORITIZED PRINCIPLE #2)

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Activity Timeline for Completion 1. Recruit turnaround teachers for the Turnaround Corps

initiative.

10/27/14 12/19/14

2. Select the 100 best candidates for the Turnaround Corps pool by using an evidence-based process.

12/20/14 1/30/15

3. Provide $2,500 signing bonuses to the Turnaround Teachers selected by the 8 Turnaround Leaders to join their staffs. Pay the incentive the first paycheck after the first day of school year 2015-16.

8/3/15

4. Provide an 11-month contract with the additional month of salary and benefits starting 7/9/15.

7/9/15 7/31/15

5. Place these selected candidates in their schools July 9, 2015.

July 9, 2015

6. Design and execute the professional development week for the entire staff before school starts. The Turnaround Corps teachers will prepare the school for implementation of the school turnaround plan on day 1 of the 2015-16 school year.

7/1/15 7/31/15

7. Ensure that all teachers in the priority schools are effective by placing and retaining only teachers with demonstrated effectiveness (measured by TEAM score of level 3 or above) and with the determination to improve student academic performance in the school. Hire part-time expert, trained TEAM evaluators to

assist current priority school principals to evaluate, support, and document any existing ineffective teachers in their buildings during the second semester of the current school year.

Non-renew any non-tenured teachers who do not demonstrate effectiveness on the TEAM rubric by the end of school year 2014-15.

Take for dismissal any tenured teachers who do not demonstrate effectiveness on the TEAM rubric by the end of school year 2014-15.

Ensure that all new teachers in these 8 priority schools, through either the hiring or transfer process, have demonstrated records of effectiveness.

Transfer tenured teachers who are not determined to

7/1/15

12/1/14 6/30/15

6/30/15

7/1/15 9/30/15

8/3/15 9/30/15

3/1/15 7/1/15

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improve student academic performance under the leadership of the newly selected turnaround principal to other non-priority schools.

Rationale Successful turnaround leaders need the support of teachers who are not only highly effective, but also with competencies that support success in turnaround environments (Public Impact 2008). MNPS will use its MNPS Turnaround Corps (100 Teachers in 100 Days) initiative to identify a pool of 100 effective teachers who meet these competencies (Appendix E). The newly selected 8 Turnaround Leaders will have the first opportunity to select from this pool to staff their schools offering an incentive of $2,500 and an 11-month contract starting July 1, 2015 to their desired candidates. To ensure the remaining teachers in these 8 schools are effective and determined to improve student performance, the current principal will be supported in his/her efforts to evaluate, support, and if necessary, document current ineffective teachers by additional part-time expert TEAM evaluators. By the end of school year 2014-2015, all teachers remaining in the 8 priority schools will have demonstrated a level of effectiveness by TEAM score of at least a three. All 8 schools will start school year 2015-16 with a staff that has demonstrated its effectiveness. As stated in the LEA Capacity section of this application, in our previous SIG cohort schools, ineffective teachers were not removed from the priority school before the implementation of its SIG turnaround plan. Because of this, the schools spent the first year of their turnarounds evaluating and removing ineffective teachers resulting in a delay of the turnaround process. In addition, these schools were not seeded with a cadre of demonstrated highly effective teachers to support the principals efforts in resetting the culture and achievement of the schools. This planning proposal remedies those two deficiencies in our prior turnaround efforts. Explanation of Alignment to Interventions Included in the Cohort 4 SIG Application Effective implementation of turnaround efforts demands primarily on the people charged with those efforts turnaround leaders and their faculties. This proposal specifically addresses the U.S. Department of Educations second turnaround principle effective teachers determined to support improved student performance by retaining only those with demonstrated effectiveness and placing a small cadre of turnaround teachers in each priority school to support the leadership of the newly identified turnaround leader. If the district is successful in obtaining either local or foundation funds to support the Turnaround Corps Initiative starting with school year 2015-2016, the SIG 4 grant application will reflect this by not including additional supplemental pay for the Turnaround Corps members who remain in these 8 schools. However, if MNPS is not successful in obtaining funding for this initiative through either local or foundation funds, the Turnaround Corps initiative that reflects performance bonuses and 11-month contracts for the Turnaround Corps members in these 8 schools will be included in the SIG 4 grant application. MNPS wants to kick start this initiative in these 8 priority schools as one of its prioritized levers for turnaround and seeks funds from the Priority School Planning Grant to ensure its success.

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Redesign the school day, week or year to include additional time for student learning and teacher collaboration


Activity Timeline for Completion 1. Contract with an external partner(s) with expertise in

guiding school improvement teams in redesigning the school day, week, or year.

2/1/15

2. Develop turnaround plan to maximize opportunities in the use of time through the support and guidance of external partner(s).

2/1/15 5/30/15

3. Implement plan school year 2015-16 with follow-up support of the external partner(s).

8/1/15 5/30/18

Rationale Research shows that expanded time used in deliberate ways to enhance both student learning and increase teacher collaboration results in improved student achievement (Farbman, April 2012). School turnaround designs will include additional time for student learning and teacher collaboration. Although MNPS has current partnerships with both Educational Resource Strategies and Center for Time and Learning to work with some of the districts struggling schools in effectively redesigning the use of school time, most of our currently eligible priority schools have not been involved in either of these projects. Although MNPS district staff is gaining knowledge in assisting schools with redesigning school time to impact student achievement, we are not yet competent to guide this process effectively for our eligible priority schools. This proposed request for funding will provide individual support to each Turnaround Leader and school leadership team in this redesign process. Explanation of Alignment to Interventions Included in the Cohort 4 SIG Application The redesign of the school day, including adding extended learning time, will be incorporated by the 8 priority schools in their turnaround plans and SIG 4 applications. The selected expert partner will revisit the school during the first two years of implementation to provide support to the schools.

Establish a school environment that improves school safety and discipline and addresses other non-academic factors that impact student achievement, such as

students social, emotional, and health needs (PRIORITIZED PRINCIPLE #4)

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Activity Timeline for Completion 1. Hire a Priority Schools Support Services Liaison to lead the

implementation of a whole child, community school approach for these 8 schools. This approach integrates existing services with additional programming to develop a network of support for students, parents, and community partners with a results-focused partnership model.

1/5/2015

2. Priority Schools Support Services Liaison meets with each Turnaround Leader and school improvement team to provide individual assistance on incorporating strategies and resources into their turnaround plans and SIG 4 application. School improvement teams incorporate in their turnaround plans applicable best practices to address improved school safety, discipline, and other non-academic factors that impact student achievement, such as students social, emotional, and health needs.

1/5/15 9/30/15

3. Priority Schools Support Services Liaison coordinates with the districts behavioral specialists team to provide intensive professional development for staff at the 8 priority schools, but in particular staff from Pearl-Cohn, Madison, and Neelys Bend, schools with data showing elevated disciplinary incidents.

1/5/14 9/30/15

4. Student services provides Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and Restorative Justice training for selected staff from priority middle and high schools during Summer 2015 using funds from the federal Project Prevent grant.

6/1/15 8/1/15

5. Priority Schools Support Services Liaison coordinates resources and support from the cluster support team to implement an intensive chronic absenteeism approach for each of the priority schools. The school improvement team embeds the selected strategies in the turnaround plans.

1/5/15 9/30/15

Rationale Experts cite having the right turnaround leaders and teachers as essential to successful turnarounds; however, ensuring that the social, emotional, and health of students is also a necessary component for sustained and successful school reform (Educational Resource Strategies, 2010). From our own analysis, reducing chronic absenteeism across the district leads to increased student achievement on TCAP and EOC (Chart A). Research indicates that decreasing student absenteeism is critical to improving student outcomes, especially in schools with a majority of low-income students (Attendance Works,

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2014). In school year 2013-14, our district began to measure chronic absenteeism instead of solely using average daily attendance data to determine satisfactory school attendance. Chronic absenteeism indicates that a student is missing 10% or more of school days for any reason whether excused, unexcused, suspension, or other factors. Chronic absenteeism is an important indicator that a student is academically at risk due to missing too much school. When chronic absences are too high, all students are affected, as teachers spend more time reviewing missed academic material instead of introducing new grade-level material. During the 2013-2014 school year, approximately 15% of all MNPS students (12,255) were chronically absent. Across the tiers, the number of chronically absent students scoring proficient or advanced was significantly less than those who were not chronically absent.

Chart A

2013-2014 % Students Proficient/Advanced

Elementary Middle High Math TCAP

RLA TCAP

Math TCAP

RLA TCAP

Math EOC

RLA EOC

Non-Chronically Absent Students

41% 37% 43% 39% 33% 42%

Chronically Absent Students

2% 2% 3% 3% 5% 7%

Score Projections by Targeting Chronically Absent Students

Elementary Middle High Math TCAP

RLA TCAP

Math TCAP

RLA TCAP

Math EOC

RLA EOC

Current Scores 43% 39% 46% 42% 38% 49% If half of chronic absentees score Proficient/Adv.

46% 41% 48% 46% 48% 57%

If all of chronic absentees score Proficient./Adv.

48% 46% 56% 52% 63% 71%

From an analysis of our priority schools, 13 of the 14 priority schools had a higher rate of students chronically absent than the district average for that tier. Two contributing factors to this higher rate of chronically absent students are: greater student mobility in and out of the school during the school year and an increased out of school suspensions (Appendix F). Using current resources available at the district and community levels to address non-academic factors correlated with low achievement, we will jumpstart the turnaround efforts this school year and sustain those efforts through similar interventions in the SIG 4 application. Our approach is to have one district level position, the Priority Schools Support Services Liaison, who will be able to leverage existing resources based on each schools need. These resources include the districts cluster support teams (each team consists of a truancy specialist, social workers, a family and community engagement specialist, and a behavioral

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specialist) as well as other community resources. Targeting a few low hanging fruit, such as a reduction in chronic absenteeism and discipline incidents, we could have 2 easy wins to gain momentum, motivate our staff and communities, and silence naysayers who might jeopardize the turnaround efforts (The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, 2009). Explanation of Alignment to Interventions Included in the Cohort 4 SIG Application The Priority Schools Support Services Liaison will work with the leaders and their school improvement teams to incorporate both district and community supports and school-level non-academic interventions into the turnaround plans and SIG 4 application.

Provide ongoing mechanisms for family and community engagement


Activity Timeline for Completion 1. Priority Schools Support Services Liaison, in partnership

with the districts family and community engagement office, meets with each turnaround principal and school improvement team to provide guidance on best practices for family and community engagement. The school embeds these within its turnaround plan and SIG IV application.

2/1/15-9/30/15

2. MNPS involves a minimum of one family and/or community member in the selection of the turnaround principal for the 8 priority schools.

1/15/14 - 1/30/15

3. MNPS Office of Family and Community Engagement provides specialized training for families from the 8 priority schools so that they can be effectively engaged in their childs education and the school improvement planning process.

2/1/15 9/30/15

4. Priority Schools Support Services Liaison assists the turnaround leader and school improvement team in using the families trained by the Office of Family and Community Engagement. These families help design and support the turnaround plan and engage the wider community in improving the school. This includes designing a special community kick-off for each school before the first day of school year 2015-16.

1/30/15 9/30/15

Rationale Effective engagement of families and communities often determine the success of school turnaround efforts. There are specific strategies that involve the impacted families and

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community in ways that garner their engagement and support in the turnaround effort (The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement, 2009). The Priority Schools Support Services Liaison (Liaison) will be chosen based on a successful track record of working with other low-performing schools in engaging families and communities to improve student performance. The Liaison will utilize the best practices learned from the districts Race to the Top initiative, Community Achieves, to leverage current community resources through a strategic planning process aligned with each schools turnaround plan. The Liaison will engage families and communities in the development and support of the schools turnaround plans. Explanation of Alignment to Interventions Included in the Cohort 4 SIG Application Effective family and community engagement will be an important pillar in the schools turnaround plans. The Liaison, in partnership with the districts Office of Family and Community Engagement, will work with each school to effectively engage families and community in the design and support of the turnaround plan. These plans will incorporate best practices to strengthen the contributions of families and communities for student success.

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REFERENCES

Attendance Works. (2014). Absences add up: How school absences influence student success. Retrieved October 21, 2014 from http://www.attendanceworks.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Absenses-Add-Up_September-3rd-2014.pdf

The Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement. (2009). Successful school turnarounds: Seven steps for district leaders. Washington, D.C.: Learning Points Associates. Retrieved October 21, 2014 from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED507589.pdf

Educational Resource Strategies. (2010). Turnaround schools: District strategies for success and sustainability. Watertown, MA: AuthorRetrieved October 21, 2014 from http://www.erstrategies.org/cms/files/424-ers-turnaround-oct12.pdf

Farbman, David. (2012). The case for improving and expanding time in school: A review of key research and practice. Boston, MA.: National Center on Time & Learning. Retrieved October 22, 2014 from http://www.timeandlearning.org/caseformoretime

Public Impact. (2008). School turnaround leaders: Competencies for success. Chapel Hill, NC : Author. Retrieved October 21, 2014 from http://publicimpact.com/web/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Turnaround_Leader_Competencies.pdf

Public Impact. (2009b). School turnaround teachers: Competencies for success. Chapel Hill, NC: Author. Retrieved October 21, 2014 from http://publicimpact.com/web/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Turnaround_Teacher_Competencies.pdf

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2. Allocation and Use of Funds - How will grant funds be allocated to the district or iZone and/or schools to fund prioritized Turnaround principles? Indicate the amount that will remain at the LEA or iZone level; if applicable, the amount that will be allocated directly to schools for their planning efforts.

100% of the Priority School Planning Grant funds will be allocated and managed at the district level to fund the 5 prioritized turnaround principles:

1. Turnaround leaders 2. Effective teachers 3. School redesign to increase time for learning and teacher collaboration 4. School environment that improves school safety and discipline and addresses students

social, emotional, and health needs 5. Family and community engagement The Office of Federal Programs and Grants will not only oversee the plan development timeline, but will also fiscally manage the funds. As the Priority Planning grant funds are to plan the turnaround plan development and corresponding SIG 4 application, current school leadership teams who oversee the current school year 2014-2015 school improvement plans in these 8 schools would not always be the same school leadership team that would be involved in the development of the schools new Turnaround Plan. Because of this, the district will have internal school level budgets that would allocate funds to each school for stipends, professional development, exception pay, and family and community engagement activities. Those internal school level budgets will be managed at the district level through Clarissa Zellars, Director of School Improvement Strategy, and her School Improvement Program facilitators in partnership with Dr. Merrie Clark, Director of Grants Development and Management and her staff.

3. Monitoring and Support - How will the LEA continuously monitor the plan development

timeline to ensure that it is on track, that funds are being spent appropriately and in a timely manner? If funds are allocated directly to schools, how will the LEA support the school in its planning efforts?

Monitoring and Support - The LEA provides a plan for the continuous monitoring of the plan development timeline to ensure that it is on track, that funds are being spent appropriately and in a timely manner. The LEA provides a plan of support to schools receiving the planning grant funds that will ensure that planning efforts are implemented in a timely manner. Dr. Julie McCargar, Executive Director of Federal Programs and Grants, will serve as project director for the Priority Schools Planning Grant. Through the Grants Management team, Dr. McCargar will oversee the monitoring of the Turnaround Plan development timeline to ensure that it is on track and that funds are being spent appropriately and in a timely manner. Through the School Improvement Planning team, Dr. McCargar will oversee support to the schools receiving planning grant funds and ensure that planning efforts are implemented in a timely manner. An important partner in supporting this process is the Office of Innovation. The Office of Innovation will assume leadership in working with external partner(s), the 8 priority school

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leadership teams, and the Federal Programs School Improvement Planning Team to redesign the school day, week, or year to include additional time for student learning and teacher collaboration and embed those strategies within the schools turnaround plans and SIG IV application. The Federal Programs Grants Management Team, under the leadership of Dr. Merrie Clark, will fiscally manage the grant, develop/oversee budgets, facilitate contracting/purchase order processes, coordinate stipend/exception pay to teachers, complete grant close-out, and submit required financial reports- all in a timely and compliant manner. This team will generate regular fiscal updates for Dr. McCargar as she monitors the plan development timeline ensuring that it is on track and that grant funds are obligated appropriately by September 30, 2014. The Federal Programs School Improvement Planning Team, under the leadership of Clarissa Zellars, will provide support to the schools during their turnaround planning process through her team of School Improvement Program facilitators. The School Improvement Program facilitators will participate in their assigned schools re-design process and contribute to the planning for utilizing school grant resources for stipends, professional development, exception pay, and family and community engagement activities. Ms. Zellars and the School Improvement Program facilitators will also manage at the district level internal school level budgets that allocate planning funds to each school. Ms. Zellars will keep Dr. McCargar informed throughout the grant period so that she can ensure school planning efforts are implemented in a timely manner. As project director, Dr. McCargar will provide the District Executive Leadership Team with bi-weekly progress updates on the Turnaround Plan. During these updates, district leaders overseeing all aspects of this turnaround planning will be able to tackle any barriers to the work and build on the successes. The District Leadership Team will then provide the Metro School Board with updates and progress reports on the Priority Schools Turnaround Plan.

4. External Providers - In the event that external providers are funded as collaborative partners, what is the LEAs process for recruitment, screening, and selection of partners? Discuss the inclusion of requests for information (RFI) or other processes for identification, protocols for determination of effectiveness.

The LEA provides a thorough explanation of its process for recruitment, screening, and selection of external providers and collaborative partners that includes a request for information (RFI) or other process for identification of potential providers; a protocol for analysis of the connection between the providers experience and the district and schools needs; evidence of effectiveness from a nationally recognized education research organization.

In order to effectively implement Turnaround Principle 3, Redesign the school day, week or year to include additional time for student learning and teacher collaboration, MNPS plans to contract with an external partner(s) with expertise in guiding school leadership teams in redesigning the school day, week, or year.

We expect the external partner(s) to provide support and guidance to the newly selected turnaround principals and their leadership teams as part of the school design process. Engaging in intensive, personalized school design processes often results in innovative approaches to expanded

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learning time, teacher leadership, and role differentiation. With this current proposal for our newly identified priority schools, the strategic school design and planning process will take place prior to SY15-16. Each of our newly identified priority schools, working with an experienced, expert partner funded through this planning grant, will be able to coalesce around a specific vision, common expectations, and innovative design choices, including choices for expanded learning time, prior to the opening of the 2015-16 school year. MNPS will utilize a specified process for recruitment, screening, and selection of external partners. This process is outlined below:

MNPS Purchasing Department will prepare and publicly post the solicitation document (RFP) with reasonably sufficient notice for vendors to prepare and submit competitive responses. The solicitations will be advertised on the MNPS website and notices will be sent to any identified potentially interested vendors. For example, MNPS has worked with the following external partners on school redesign in some of the districts struggling schools and would send notice to them of the RFP opportunity to work with our newly identified priority schools.

Educational Resource Strategies The National Center on Time & Learning (Time Collaborative) Public Impact

So as to avoid disclosure of contents to competing offers, proposals shall be opened during the

process of evaluation and negotiation.

Responses to RFPs shall be evaluated and awarded according to the evaluation criteria stated in the RFPs. Contracts will be awarded to the proposer(s) who are responsible, fully responsive to the terms of the RFP, and who receive the highest evaluation score(s). Some factors which may be considered in evaluating proposals:

1. Prior experience; 2. Organization size and structure of vendor in relation to services to be performed; 3. Qualifications of staff to be assigned to perform the services; 4. Vendor's understanding of the services to be performed; 5. Price by unit (or other measurement) of service; 6. Small business participation; and, 7. Other factors deemed to be in the best interest of the district.

For the school design work connected to school turnaround planning in our newly identified

priority schools, the Evaluation Committees rubric would include the following criterion: evidence of effectiveness from a nationally recognized education research organization; e.g., IES What Works Clearinghouse or The Center for School Turnaround at WestEd.

The Evaluation Committee will include members knowledgeable about lessons learned from districts prior turnaround work as well as members familiar with the needs of the newly identified priority schools and their communities. The evaluation rubric would include the following criterion: connection between the providers experience and the district and schools needs.

Evaluation of proposals will be performed by an Evaluation Committee appointed or approved by the Director of Purchasing, who shall also oversee the evaluation process to assure objectivity and propriety. Outside agencies or consultants of MNPS may also be asked to

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participate on the Committee. The Evaluation Committee will score all responsive and responsible proposals based upon the criteria detailed herein. Upon completion of the initial scoring, the Committee may recommend award(s) or enter into a short-listing process with those offers whose proposals are determined to be in the competitive range.

The evaluation process that follows the initial scoring may result in, but not be limited to, a series of requests to offers for clarifications, additional discussions, presentations, amended proposals, contract negotiations, best and final offers, and/or detailed reference checks. This process may involve multiple short-listing rounds for the purpose of achieving contracts that are in the best interests of MNPS as determined by the Evaluation Committee. Evaluation scores may be adjusted upward or downward during this step. Subsequent scorings will be based on comparison of only the short listed proposers.

The Contract Agent will document the evaluation team scores, evaluation results and recommended award(s). The Director of Purchasing will review and approve the evaluation results prior to the Contract Award.

5. Budget Complete Appendix C Priority Schools Planning Grant Budget. Districts receiving the award must submit its approved budget into the ePlan system. The ePlan budget narrative must detail the activities as listed in Appendix C. The budget must meet the requirements for the allowable use of Title I funds.

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Appendix A - Priority Schools Planning Grant Work Plan - 2014-15. (Add rows as necessary.)

Description of activity/intervention Position/ Role Responsible for activity*

Timeline for completion Desired Outcome(s)

Recruit turnaround teachers for the Turnaround Corps initiative.

Katie Cour 10/27/14 12/19/14 250 applications from eligible candidates

Recruit Turnaround Principals through the Turnaround Leader initiative.

Katie Cour 11/1/14 1/15/15 20 applications from eligible candidates

Hire part-time expert, trained TEAM evaluators to assist current priority school principals to evaluate, support, and document any existing ineffective teachers in their buildings during the second semester of the current school year.

Shannon Black 12/1/14 6/30/15 1. 4 part time expert TEAM evaluators hired

2. Each TEAM evaluator assigned to 2 Priority Schools

3. Each TEAM evaluator will evaluate, support, and document existing ineffective teachers in their assigned schools.

4. Ineffective teachers in the 8 Priority schools will have improved or been removed from the schools by the end of SY2014-15

Hire a Priority Schools Support Services Liaison to lead the implementation of a whole child, community school approach for these 8 schools. This approach integrates existing services with additional programming to develop a network of support for students, parents, and community partners with a results-focused partnership model.

Priority Schools Support Services Liaison (TBD)

1/5/2015 Liaison hired.

Priority Schools Support Services Liaison, in partnership with the districts family and community engagement office, meets with each turnaround principal and school improvement team to provide guidance on best practices for family and community engagement. The school embeds these within its turnaround plan and SIG IV application.


2/1/15 9/30/15 Turnaround plan reflects best practices for family and community engagement.

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Priority Schools Support Services Liaison coordinates with the districts behavioral specialists team to provide intensive professional development for staff at the 8 priority schools, but in particular staff from Pearl-Cohn, Madison, and Neelys Bend, schools with data showing elevated disciplinary incidents.


1/5/14 9/30/15 Staffs from Pearl-Cohn, Madison, and Neelys Bend participate in PD.

Select the 100 best candidates by using an evidence-based process for the Turnaround Corps pool.

Katie Cour 12/20/14 01/30/15 100 MNSP Turnaround Corps teachers selected from the eligible applicant pool

MNPS involves a minimum of one family and/or community member in the selection of the turnaround principal for the 8 priority schools.

Katie Cour 1/15/14 1/30/15 Selection committee for turnaround leaders includes one or more family/community members.

MNPS Office of Family and Community Engagement provides specialized training for families from the 8 priority schools so that they can be effectively engaged in their childs education and the school improvement planning process.

Virginia Pupo-Walker 2/1/15 9/30/15 Families of children in Priority Schools participate in this training.

Select Turnaround Leaders for the 8 priority schools using an evidence-based process to identify promising candidates. Current principals of these 8 priority schools will be eligible to apply to be Turnaround Leaders, but would only be placed back in their schools after they have gone through the process and been identified as a Turnaround Leader.

Katie Cour 1/31/2015 All 8 Turnaround leaders have been selected and assigned to 8 Priority Schools.

Onboard available Turnaround Leaders in January 2015 to allow time for the school redesign and the corresponding SIG application process.

Katie Cour 1/31/15 6/30/15 1. Onboard available Turnaround leaders by January 31, 2015

2. Provision of travel, lodging and per diem to applicable Turnaround Leaders for school redesign planning

3. Provision of relocation expenses for applicable turnaround leaders

4. Selected candidates assigned to the 8 Priority Schools

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Provide travel, lodging, and per diem for candidates who cannot start until June 2015 for weekends, breaks, and the month of June for school turnaround work.

Merrie Clark 1/31/15 6320/15 Turnaround plan developed under the leadership of out of district turnaround leaders.

Provide stipends for relocation expenses for out of district candidates.

Merrie Clark 1/31/15 6/30/15 Out of district turnaround leaders relocate to Nashville with a portion of the cost supplemented.

Place all of the selected candidates in their school assignments July 1, 2015.

Provide $10,000 incentive to the 8 selected candidates. Pay the incentive the first paycheck after the first day of school year 2015-16.

Katie Cour 7/1/15 Turnaround leaders officially assume their principalships.

Allow these 8 principals priority to select their new teachers from the Turnaround Corps pool (up to 56 teachers for all 8 schools).

Provide an 11-month contract with the additional month of salary and benefits starting 7/9/15.

Place these selected candidates in their schools July 9, 2015.

Provide $2,500 signing bonus to the Turnaround Teachers selected by the 8 Turnaround Leaders to join their staffs. Pay the incentive the first paycheck after the first day of school year 2015-16.

Katie Cour 1/31/15 7/9/15 1. All 8 Turnaround Leaders select teachers from the MNPS Turnaround Corps to join their staffs.

2. Eleven-month contracts for Turnaround Corps teachers in the eight schools finalized.

3. Turnaround Corps teachers officially assume their positions.

Finalize school turnaround plans and SIG 4 proposal: Develop a district level turnaround planning process. Design timeline to develop turnaround plans and SIG 4

proposal. Identify school improvement (turnaround) team

members. Provide stipends for the teachers who have been

selected by the principal to work outside of school hours, including during Summer 2015, on the development and initial implementation of the school redesign.

Develop internal school budget using planning grant funds to complete turnaround plan and SIG 4 proposal

Clarissa Zellars 2/1/15 6/20/15 1. District approved school turnaround plans.

2. District approved school-level SIG 4 proposals incorporated into the district SIG 4 application.

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and kick it off. Complete draft turnaround plan and SIG 4 proposals. Review and approval of each schools draft plan and

SIG 4 proposal by district leaders. Incorporate approved school-level SIG 4 proposals into

the district SIG 4 application.

Contract with an external partner(s) with expertise in guiding school leadership teams in redesigning the school day, week, or year.

Derek Richey 2/1/2015 Contract

External partner(s) provides support and guidance to the newly selected turnaround principals and their school improvement teams in developing their turnaround plan to maximize opportunities in the use of time during Spring 2015.

Derek Richey 2/1/15 5/30/15 Incorporate best practices in maximizing the use of time to improve student learning and teacher collaboration into the turnaround plan.

Priority Schools Support Services Liaison assists the turnaround leader and school improvement team in using the families trained by the Office of Family and Community Engagement. These families help design and support the turnaround plan and engage the wider community in improving the school. This includes designing a special community kick-off for each school before the first day of school year 2015-16.


1/30/15 9/30/15 1. Trained families participate in the development of turnaround plans.

2. Trained families help to design and implement the schools community kick off events.

Transfer any ineffective tenured teachers who are not determined to improve student academic performance under the leadership of the newly selected turnaround principal to other non-priority schools.

Katie Cour 8/3/2015 Teachers in the 8 schools demonstrate effectiveness and commitment to the turnaround plan under the leadership of the new turnaround principal.

Priority Schools Support Services Liaison coordinates resources and support from the cluster support team to implement an intensive chronic absenteeism approach for each of the priority schools. The school improvement team embeds the selected strategies in the turnaround plans.


2/1/15 9/30/15 Turnaround plans include strategies to reduce chronic absenteeism.

Priority Schools Support Services Liaison meets with each Turnaround Leader and school improvement team to provide


2/1/15 9/30/15 Turnaround plans include strategies to improved school safety, discipline and

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individual assistance on incorporating strategies and resources into their turnaround plans and SIG 4 application. School improvement teams incorporate in their turnaround plans applicable best practices to address improved school safety, discipline, and other non-academic factors that impact student achievement, such as students social, emotional, and health needs.

other non-academic factors that impact student achievement.

Student services provides Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and Restorative Justice training for selected staff from priority middle and high schools during Summer 2015 using funds from the federal Project Prevent grant.

Derrick Williams 6/1/15 8/1/15 Staff from priority schools participate in bullying and restorative practices trainings.

Non-renew any non-tenured teachers who do not demonstrate effectiveness on the TEAM rubric by the end of school year 2014-15.

Katie Cour 6/30/2015

Teachers in the 8 schools demonstrate effectiveness and commitment to the turnaround plan under the leadership of the new turnaround principal.

Design and execute the professional development week for the entire staff before school starts. The Turnaround Corps teachers will prepare the school for implementation of the school turnaround plan on day 1 of the 2015-16 school year.

Provide stipends for the entire school staff to meet for a week in the summer to become an effective team driven by a shared vision, mission, and instructional focus in the turnaround plan.

Clarissa Zellars 7/1/15 7/31/15 The teachers participate in the professional development week and evaluations reflect a better understanding of and commitment to the turnaround plan.

Ensure that all teachers in the priority schools are effective by placing and retaining only teachers with demonstrated effectiveness (measured by TEAM score of level 3 or above) and with the determination to improve student academic performance in the school.

Ensure that all new teachers in these 8 priority schools, through either the hiring or transfer process, have demonstrated records of effectiveness.

Katie Cour

7/1/2015 Teachers in the 8 schools demonstrate effectiveness and commitment to the turnaround plan under the leadership of the new turnaround principal.

Collaborate with external partner(s) to assist schools with redesigning the school day, week, or year.

Develop RFP with expected scope of work and execute

Derek Richey 12/1/14 9/30/15 1. School turnaround plans reflect effective redesign of the school day, week or year.

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according to the language in the External Providers section which includes the selection of partner(s).

Coordinate with external partner(s) to incorporate their services into each schools timeline.

Schools begin implementation of plan school year 2015-16, and external partner(s) provides follow-up support during the first two years of the turnaround plan.

2. Schools implement redesign strategies starting SY2015-16 with support from the external partner(s).

Implement effective grant management. Project director convenes people responsible for work

plan activities to articulate project oversight and expectations.

Project director receive bi-weekly updates from responsible people.

Project director receives bi-weekly expenditure updates from Grants Management team.

Project director presents bi-weekly status updates to the executive leadership team.

Project director coordinates with state director any proposed changes in scope, timeline or budget.

Project director closes out the project including submission of final reports.

Julie McCargar 11/21/2014-12/30/2015

1. Bi-weekly updates reflect the timeline is on track.

2. Bi-weekly updates reflect funds are being expended appropriately and in a timely manner.

3. Proposed changes in scope, timeline or budget are submitted to the State for approval.

4. Project closed out with all funds obligated and expended.

5. Project closed out with successful SIG 4 application submitted and approved by the State.

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Appendix B Assurances, Tennessee Department of Education

Application Assurances A developed application grant must meet all applicable federal, state, and local health and safety requirements and laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, national origin, religion, ancestry, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability. At the time the application is approved, the LEA shall: 1. Participate in all data reporting and evaluation activities as requested by the U.S.

Department of Education and the TDOE. This includes participating in any federal or State funded evaluations or studies, annual performance reports, final grant report documentation, and financial statements.

2. Inform students, parents, and the community about the Priority School Planning Grant. 3. Comply with all state and federal provisions of the U.S. Department of Education

governing the funds awarded for the grant. 4. Comply with all state and federal education laws including, but not limited to, the Age

Discrimination Act of 1975, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

5. Comply with all provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99).

6. Be subject to the same financial audits, audit procedures, and audit requirements as the

school district. The audit shall be consistent with the requirements of state laws regarding state audits. The department of education or the comptroller of the treasury is authorized to conduct compliance audits of any district program.

7. Be subject to and comply with all federal and state laws, rules and regulations relating to

the student achievement and teacher quality program. 8. Be subject to and comply with all federal and state laws, rules and regulations regarding

teachers and administrators.

9. Request reimbursement for project expenditures at least quarterly and retain documentation for said reimbursements.

10. Provide a copy of any Memorandum of Understanding or agreement with an external partner to the TDOE, if applicable.

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WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, do hereby submit a Tennessee Priority Schools Planning Grant application and agree to the conditions and assurances contained therein.

Print Name of LEA - Director of Schools (or designee): Dr. Jesse Register

Signature of LEA Director of Schools (or designee):

Date 10/28/14

Print Name of BOE Chair Sharon Gentry

Signature of BOE Chair

Date 10/29/14

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Appendix D Great Leaders Selection Process Priority Schools Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) is seeking ten highly effective turnaround leaders to work in the districts most struggling schools. As an MNPS Turnaround Leader, these principals will have the opportunity to hire their teachers; benefit from an extended planning period; receive signing bonuses; learn from and network with colleagues; receive performance bonuses; get relocation stipends (for out-of-district candidates); and more.

Turnaround Leader Recruitment MNPS will recruit leaders from across the country beginning November, 2014, and plan to name all ten leaders by January, 2015. We will be identifying impressive potential candidates by garnering referrals from current principals/leadership and researching successful principals in Broad Prize-winning districts and other innovative turnaround schools/districts. We will develop a list of 100 potential candidates, and will initiate a 1:1 direct recruitment campaign. We anticipate securing at least 20 qualified candidates who will go through the selection process.

Current MNPS principals are eligible to apply but must complete all selection activities and meet cut scores for consideration.

Turnaround Leader Selection Competencies The MNPS Turnaround Leader selection process is adapted from the New Leaders Principal Selection Process and Public Impacts School Turnaround Leaders: Competencies for Success work.

In spring, 2014, MNPS implemented New Leaders selection process for both principals and assistant principals. This rigorous and intensive process is designed around six selection criteria:

1. Personal Leadership the candidate demonstrates reflection and continuous improvement; engages others effectively through strong communication, cultural competence, and interpersonal relationships; and leads adults to intended outcomes while managing the change process

2. Learning and Teaching/Data-Driven Instruction the candidate leads learning and teaching by implementing a standards-based curriculum; establishes and monitors systems and process to plan, implement, and monitor instruction; builds capacity for in-depth data analysis to drive and adjust instruction; and ensures interventions meet diverse student needs

3. Vision, Mission, and Strategic Planning the candidate creates and implements a shared vision for student success and continuously analyzes data to formulate a strategic plan and monitor progress toward school-wide goals

4. Systems and Operations the candidate creates and implements operational systems and structures aligned to the vision and mission and utilizes effective communication systems to engage all stakeholders

5. School Culture and Family and Community Engagement the candidate inspires commitment to high levels of students achievement through creating a respectful and trusting learning community; implements systems, routines, behaviors and a code of conduct that prioritize learning; and engages family and community members in student learning

6. Human Capital Management the candidate maintains a high-performing staff team by recruiting and hiring individuals with skills that align with school needs; ensures aligned professional development and leadership opportunities exist for all staff; and effectively evaluates staff through observations, feedback, and performance monitoring

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All principal candidates in MNPS go through the New Leaders selection process. Additionally, for our Turnaround Leader candidates, the district will use Public Impacts Turnaround Competencies and corresponding selection questions to assess turnaround knowledge and skills. This process is designed around an additional four competencies:

1. Driving for Results the candidate possesses the drive and actions to 1) set challenging goals and reach a high standard of performance despite barriers; 2) do more than is expected or required in order to accomplish a challenging task; 3) set clear expectations and hold others accountable for performance; and 4) plan in order to derive future benefit or avoid problems

2. Influencing for Results the candidate 1) acts with the purpose of affecting the perceptions, thinking, and actions of others; 2) assumes authoritative leadership of a group for the benefit of the organization; and 3) influences with the specific intent to increase the short- and long-term effectiveness of another person

3. Problem Solving the candidate demonstrates the ability to 1) break things down in a logical way and to recognize cause and effect; and 2) see patterns and links among seemingly unrelated things

4. Showing Confidence to Lead the candidate has a personal belief in his/her ability to accomplish tasks and acts in a way that reflects that belief

Turnaround Leader Selection Process

The four-phase selection process includes: Phase 1: Candidate Screening Beyond the normal screening for licensure and experience

eligibility, we screen candidates based on their responses to an education beliefs survey and a data-driven instruction survey, their evaluation ratings from the last 2 years, and their prior adult leadership roles beyond the principalship.

Phase 2: Selection Activities Candidates who successful move forward to Phase 2 receive instruction to complete four selection activities on their own time, to return to the district in one weeks time. The selection activities include 1) viewing an instructional video and answering questions targeted at pedagogical knowledge and instruction; 2) reading a school case study and answering questions targeted at prioritizing problems, setting goals, and developing action steps; 3) analyzing an assessment and student data over time, identifying trends, develop an instructional plan, and leading a team through strategic action steps; and watching an adult leadership video and answering questions targeted at leading and supporting adults to drive results.

Phase 3: Finalist Interviews Candidates who successful move forward to Phase 3 participate in four interviews: 1) a case study interview, designed to drill down on the Phase 2 case study activity, further assesses the candidates ability to set goals and develop action plans; 2) a role play interview, which requires the candidate to demonstrate knowledge and skill at working through a difficult school situation; 3) a panel interview made up of community members, teachers, and other stakeholders is designed to gain insight into the candidates knowledge of school culture and personal leadership; and 4) a reflection interview, which provides an opportunity for the district to assess

MNPS SIG Priority Schools Planning Grant Application-2014

Documents

Transcript of MNPS SIG Priority Schools Planning Grant Application-2014