Again, the First State

1. Again, the First State Submitted on behalf of 125,000 Delaware school children R e d a c t e d March 16, 2010

2. Today’s team shares ownership for our plan R e d a c t e d Our team • Merv DaughertySuperintendent of the Red Clay District • Diane DonohuePresident of the Delaware State Education Association • Lillian LowerySecretary of Education • Jack MarkellGovernor • Skip SchoenhalsChair of Vision 2015; Chairman and former CEO of WSFS Bank

3. We will make Delaware’s education system one of the best in the world – and our children will succeed as a result Our goals • 100% of Delaware students will meet standards on math and reading exams by 2013-2014 • 92% graduation rate by 2016-2017 • 70% of our students will enroll in college and we will have an 85% college retention rate by 2013-2014 • 55% of our students will be rated proficient or advanced on all NAEP exams by 2014-2015 • 50% reduction in black-white achievement gap on NAEP by 2014-2015

4. 1.0 We will achieve our goals because we are building on a history of collaborative education reform 1983: Data System with unique student identifier established 1988: State wide teacher evaluation system implemented 1995: Robust charter and state wide school choice laws passed State wide standards implemented 1997: Delaware Student Testing Program implemented Longitudinal tracking of state test scores begins 2002: Funding for Reading Resource Teachers begins at state level 2005: Curriculum aligned to standards. Teacher evaluations revised based on Danielson principles. Rodel Foundation publishes Opportunity Knocks and launches state wide reform efforts 2006: High school graduation requirements aligned with university entrance requirements 2007: Delaware STARS rating system for early childhood education centers begins 2009: New regulations provide a framework for turning around low-achieving schools and link teacher evaluation to student growth

5. Our efforts have already positively impacted student achievement • We have momentum • Led the nation in improving average 8th grade reading scale scores on NAEP between 1997 and 2008 and in the top four for 4th grade improvement • Ranked third nationally in improved 4th grade math scores and sixth for 8th grade scale scores on NAEP during the same timeframe • One of the top four States in closing the achievement gaps in both math and reading on NAEP between 2003 and 2007 • Recognized by NCES and Education Trust as a leader in driving improvements in closing the achievement gap

6. We have a bold, integrated plan for reform • Our plan • Use cutting-edge assessments and state-of-the-art data to inform decisions • Require educators to demonstrate student growth to be rated effective and highly effective • Base decisions about professional development, promotion, advancement, retention, and removal on evaluations • Use special incentives to put more highly-effective teachers and leaders in high-need schools • Empower and support our lowest-achieving schools and hold them and ourselves accountable for improvement

7. By this fall, we will be able to measure progress against Common Core standards with cutting-edge assessments • New computer-adaptive exams will allow us to measure progress up to 4 times per year • Common Core standards will be adopted by June 2010 • Progress to date: • Prioritized standards against the draft Common Core • Drafted grade-level expectations and compared to Common Core – existing standards are a close match • Highlights of transition plan: • Compare final Common Core standards with DE standards and adjust • Provide professional development to teachers in August 2010

8. Our data system is already state-of-the-art, and our plan will help us become much better consumers of data System follows students and teachers over time and links them together • Longitudinal data system tracks real-time performance of every student, every teacher, every school, and every district • Tracks students from preschool through college • Tracks teachers from preparation programs throughout their careers • Plan will make data easier to use • Customized portal for different user groups • More analysis of trends and implications of data • Data coaches to help teachers respond to data

9. Classroom environment Instruction Professional responsibilities Planning and preparation Student improvement Our latest regulations make student growth the critical factor in determining teacher effectiveness 5 Part Evaluation Component must be satisfactoryto be rated “Effective” or “Highly Effective” An educator cannot be rated effective or better unless their students demonstrate satisfactory levels of student growth No educator can be rated ineffective if their students show satisfactory levels of student growth

10. Only educators who demonstrate more than a year of student growth can be rated Highly-Effective The regulations give performance ratings meaningful consequences Four ratings incorporate student growth to differentiate performance Highly-Effective Effective Needs Improvement Ineffective All educators who demonstrate sufficient student growthwill be rated a minimum of Effective Educators who fail to demonstrate sufficient student growthwill be rated Needs Improvement or Ineffective Educators who receive Needs Improvement or Ineffective ratings for 2-3 years can be removed, even if they have tenure

11. Improving persistently lowest-achieving schools • 40,000 Delaware students – 1/3 of our student population – are in underperforming schools • Partnership Zone – 120 days to: • Enter MOU with Department regarding school intervention model and implementation • Negotiate necessary changes to collective bargaining agreements – Secretary has authority to choose from last best offers in event of stalemate or send parties back to the table • Choices narrow to closure, restart, or contract with management organization after 120 days • By end of 2013/14 school year, will make AYP in 10 persistently lowest achieving schools – 25% of all schools currently in Under Improvement, Corrective Action, or Restructuring R e d a c t e d

12. Delaware will ensure the long-term success of all Race to the Top initiatives • Sustainability is a top priority R e d a c t e d • Our plan is designed to embed these reforms into the fabric of every teacher, school and district with targeted, intensive investments • State resources will be repurposed to address the ongoing funding needs, approximately $8.5 million annually • Districts will be given more flexibility to manage their resources in ways that make sense for the needs of their students

13. Capacity to provide a world class education for ourchildren Technical expertise • We will expand where we have expertise (e.g., data system, teacher and school leader evaluation and accountability) • We will hire or partner where we need to develop expertise (e.g., data coaches, Project Management Team, Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Unit, Turnaround Team) Organizational expertise • Secretary Lowery has begun a reorganization to make the DDOE more accountable for results as measured by student achievement • DDOE and partners build capacity among the districts, school leaders and teachers Leadership from highly engaged stakeholders • Secretary of Education • Teachers association • Superintendents • Business community • Governor

14. Our success will be just as important for the nation as it is for Delaware We are as complex as the rest of the country… • Demographically • Geographically • Politically …making us a model for broader reform

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