Race to the Top Years 2 to 4 Beyond the nuts and bolts: A framework for planning & implementation Regional sessions,

1. Race to the Top Years 2 to 4 Beyond the nuts and bolts: A framework for planning & implementation Regional sessions, summer 2011

2. Agenda for today Welcome and overview OPR Years 2 to 4 RFP: The basics OPR • Project requirements and options • Application logistics Building a better plan…and implementing it! Lori Likis • Creating an aligned & coherent RTTT plan • Managing implementation and monitoring progress Using results to drive implementation OPR

3. Welcome and overview

4. Why this training? • Re-envisioning ESE’s approach to LEA support “Receiving Race to the Top funding will allow us to reach our goal of establishing an educational culture characterized by: • cross-functional communication within our agency, • a shared vision and vocabulary for education reform both within and outside the agency, • increased collaboration with stakeholder groups and between school administrators and teachers, and • strengthened feedback loops to identify and disseminate practices that work.”

5. Why this training? • Response to LEA requests to focus support on implementation • Test-driving a new planning and implementation framework for the state • More direct assistance to LEAs, not just compliance We welcome your feedback! Evaluation forms today or rttt@doe.mass.edu.

6. Years 2 to 4 RFP:The basics

7. MA vision & theory of action If we… • Attract, develop, and retain an effective, academically capable, diverse, and culturally proficient educator workforce, • Provide curricular and instructional resources to support student achievement, • Concentrate great instruction and supports in our lowest performing schools and districts, and • Increase the number of students who graduate from high school ready for college and career, …then we will increase achievement for all students and accelerate the improvement of those farthest behind

8. Our goals: By 2014 we will… • Improve student outcomes • Accelerate increase in achievement on ELA & mathematics MCAS by 15% • Increase % of HS graduates who complete MassCore to 85% • Increase % of students graduating from HS within 4 years by 5% • Increase % of HS graduates enrolling in college within 16 months by 5% • Reduce achievement gaps • Reduce achievement gaps for each low performing subgroup, as measured by CPI, by 25% • Reduce gaps in high school graduation rates by 15% • Reduce gaps in college enrollment rates by 15%

9. Highlights from Year 1 Organizing for success at ESE • Managing processes and projects  Managing for results • Hiring staff, issuing contracts • Improving feedback loops with the field Making progress on key initiatives • New Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks • Educator evaluation regulations • Competitive grants awarded for five programs: STEM Early College High Schools, human resources initiatives, Schools Interoperability Framework, and Innovation Schools • Staff/partners identified to run most RTTT programs

10. Years 2-4 RFP:Project requirements and options

11. MA vision & theory of action If we… • Attract, develop, and retain an effective, academically capable, diverse, and culturally proficient educator workforce, • Provide curricular and instructional resources to support student achievement, • Concentrate great instruction and supports in our lowest performing schools and districts, and • Increase the number of students who graduate from high school ready for college and career, …then we will increase achievement for all students and accelerate the improvement of those farthest behind

12. Reform strategies • Improve teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance • Ensure effective teachers and leaders in every classroom • Use data to inform instruction • Increase college and career readiness • Develop and implement the teaching and learning system • Turn around the lowest achieving schools Participating districts committed to implementing these strategies when they signed on to Race to the Top.

13. The reform strategies guide the participation requirements Projects required for all LEAs

14. The reform strategies guide the participation requirements Projects required for some LEAs

15. What’s new or different this year? • Project participation requirements are identical • Project numbers have been updated for strategies 2 and 6 • Several projects were cancelled or modified • Strengthen human resource systems (was 2D) • Recruitment and retention incentives for effective teachers (was 2H) • Develop or expand a preparation program (was 2E) • Performance measures defined for each project (more on this later) • Added a project overview

16. Project 2A Correction Page 32 of the RFP indicates that funds can not be used to support salary THIS IS INCORRECT Funds can be used to support district staff salary

17. What’s the project overview? • A place to articulate your LEA’s priorities and to tell us how you’re using RTTT funding to support them • Build on your existing strategic planning document(s) • To make sure any gaps between state and district goals are covered by your RTTT proposal • Costs of managing the overall program can be budgeted here (up to 2% of your total allocation)

18. Years 2-4 RFP:Application logistics

19. We are offering two application deadlines • The RFP requirements are posted at http://finance1.doe.mass.edu/grants/grants12/rfp/doc/201_b.pdf • LEAs can choose one of two submission deadlines: either July 29 or September 30, 2011 • Excel workbook will be posted w/ the RFP for July due date • Still planning to use on-line grants management system (Aug/Sept) • communication and webinar training • We will approve your full three-year budget but will only release funding one fiscal year at a time

20. Fiscal Information • LEAs will be able to charge expenses back to ESE’s approved start date (marked by ) • ~Sept. 1 for applications received by July 29th • ~Oct. 1 for applications received by Sept. 30th • Funds will be released after USED approval (anticipate Oct./Nov.) • Note that summer 2012 is part of Year 3

21. Fiscal Information • Amendment process available to modify your budget as needed • We will approve your full three-year budget but will only release funding one fiscal year at a time

22. FAQ: Project selections & budgets • May we change the initial project selections we made when we submitted our Year 1 proposal? Yes. • May we change our minds about which optional MOU elements we participate in? Yes, but please notify us in writing. • May we change our project selections or budgets for Years 2 to 4 later, after our proposal has been approved? Yes, with some limitations.

23. FAQ: Vendors, PD, etc. • Am I required to use any particular vendor to implement my chosen RTTT projects? It depends on the project; see the guidance document. • May I use RTTT funds to pay for PD providers not mentioned in project 2D.3 (access ESE-sponsored PD)? Not right now, but we anticipate approving additional vendors for use in this project in the near future. • What is a priority partner? Priority partners are vendors that ESE is approving to support school turnaround efforts aligned with the conditions for school effectiveness.

24. For more information on the RFP • Race to the Top webpage: http://www.doe.mass.edu/arra/rttt/ • RFP guidance materials • Frequently Asked Questions • Goals and performance measures workbook • Grant allocations • Materials from these sessions and other guidance documents • Webinars before each deadline to provide assistance on completing the grant application forms (schedule to be announced)

25. Building a Better Plan…and Implementing It! Applying the Massachusetts Planning & Implementation Framework to your RTTT process Summer 2011 Lori Likis, Creative Coaching for School Improvement

26. Our goal: To build district and charter school capacity to create & successfully implement RTTT plans Welcome to this RTTT Workshop

27. Why a focus on planning and implementation? • RTTT comes with substantial accountability for results • Twice/yr reporting: districts to ESE, ESE to USED • RTTT and other reforms highlight variability of state/district planning & implementation practices • ESE significantly invested in building own capacity & capacity of districts/charters in planning & performance management

28. ESE capacity building includes… • Adoption of a delivery methodology for agency • Deliverology 101, Michael Barber • Creation of a team to manage implementation of RTTT and other top priorities • Project managers named for 36 projects, 23 subprojects, 36 tasks & trained in project management • Hiring of external evaluators for specific projects • Creation of online grants management system • To track district progress toward RTTT outcomes • Creation of a framework with common terminology • Massachusetts Planning & Implementation Framework 3/17/11 slide 28

29. Agenda • Creating an aligned & coherent RTTT plan • Applying the MA Framework to district RTTT planning • Managing RTTT implementation & driving results • Implementation benchmarks & their role • An organization and culture to support results 3/17/11 slide 29

30. Creating an aligned and coherent RTTT plan “The plan is nothing. The planning is everything. --Dwight Eisenhower

31. The Massachusetts Planning & Implementation Framework • Built on the best of models in use by ESE • Identifies standard plan elements • Identifies shared terminology • Designed to: • Create clear & consistent expectations • Provide a structure to support your planning and plan implementation • Simplify & clarify ESE/district communication about planning work and progress

32. The framework & your RTTT plan • The framework might be helpful as you… • Create a RTTT plan integrated with existing priorities • Plan for and monitor implementation • Assess the coherence of existing plans • The framework is not... • A checklist of required components for your Program Overview • An inflexible structure

33. Framework planning elements

34. Framework planning elements

35. Framework planning elements

36. Framework implementation elements

37. Framework implementation elements

38. How do the elements form a plan?

39. The state’s RTTT Years 2-4 program models the framework Did you notice… The RFP’s new introductory section: “RTTT vision, theory of action, and strategy”

40. MA vision & theory of action If we… • Attract, develop, and retain an effective, academically capable, diverse, and culturally proficient educator workforce, • Provide curricular and instructional resources to support student achievement, • Concentrate great instruction and supports in our lowest performing schools and districts, and • Increase the number of students who graduate from high school ready for college and career, Then we will… • Increase achievement for all students and accelerate the improvement of those farthest behind

41. RTTT theory of action & strategies

42. RTTT planning elements

43. RTTT Performance Measures

45. Managing RTTT implementation and driving results “Focus on the score of the game.” --John Naisbitt, Mind Set!

46. …and move from a mindset focused on compliance to a mindset focused on results

47. What are implementation benchmarks? • The action steps or indicators that help define your planning for initiatives • The “mileage markers” for your implementation roadmap • Measure whether the plan is on track • Help articulate implementation progress both internally & externally • The tool for determining whether or not your plan is having the desired impact or requires an adjustment to achieve its outcomes

48. Process benchmarks • Define what will happen, who will do it, and when • Local evaluation group formed March 2011 by Director of Human Resources • 25 teachers will participate in pre-AP training in science by May 2012 • All RTTT implementation benchmarks set by ESE are process benchmarks 3/17/11 slide 48

49. Early evidence of change examples • Classroom observations conducted in October confirm that a majority of teachers are using the lesson planning template • 75% of school faculty surveyed mid-year report an improvement in school culture at the middle grades

50. Early evidence of change benchmarks • Changes you should begin to see if plan is having desired impact • Indicators of effective implementation not measurement of interim results • You may set early evidence of change benchmarks for projects if you care to