innovation zone update: board presentation march 12, 2012

© 2012 Providence Public School District

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Innovation Zone Update: Board Presentation

March 12, 2012


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• Innovation Zone and Lead Partner strategy

• Introduction to UP! and Cambium/NAEP

• Performance contract overview

• ESEA flexibility and local implications


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The OTI works directly with the district’s nine Innovation Schools and supports broader, district-wide reform efforts through three core functions:

1. Supporting Innovation Schools as they pursue innovative and sustainable reform strategies;

2. Monitoring progress made and outcomes achieved in the Innovation Schools;

3. Engaging partners and community members in the reform process.

PSD’s new Office of Transformation and Innovation (OTI) is committed to dramatically improving student achievement in Providence’s lowest-performing schools and inspiring district-wide innovation and reform.

Office of Transformation and Innovation

Performance MonitoringCommunity EngagementSchool Support

Our Mission

Our Role


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Innovation Zone Structure within PPSD

Additional Capacity

Thoughtful Clustering

Flexible Conditions

Innovation Zone

Providence School Department

Office of Transformation and Innovation Lead Partner

Lead Partner

Lead Partner


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District Turnaround Goals

Short-Term Goal: Long-Term Goal:

To dramatically accelerate and improve student achievement in the district’s most struggling schools by implementing comprehensive and innovative reform strategies and

aligning district resources to support these efforts.

To pursue broader, district-wide improvement by scaling promising practices, rethinking the structure of the district, and organizing the district central office to promote gains in student achievement.


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What is a Lead Partner?

are organizations or units of district central offices on contract with the district or state to turn around schools. Lead Partners receives authority and flexibility and are accountable for results. The role of the Lead Partner is defined by four overarching responsibilities:

Sign a 3-5 year performance contract for student achievement with the district or state that:• Assigns the Lead Partner responsibility for a small,

intentional cluster of schools where systems and programs will be aligned

• Holds the Lead Partner accountable for improving student achievement

Provide core academic and student support services directly or by aligning the services of other programs and supporting partners, who are on sub-contracts with the Lead Partner, and build internal capacity within the schools and by extension, the district

Assume authority for decision making on school staffing (as well as time, money, and program); the Lead Partner:• Hires a new principal or approves the current one• Supports the principal in hiring and replacing

teachers and has responsibility for bringing in a meaningful cohort of new instructional staff

Maintain an embedded, consistent, and intense relationship with each school, requiring a presence in each school 5 days per week during the turnaround period

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Lead Partners:

ACCOUNTABILITY AUTHORITY

COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES SCHOOL PRESENCE


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Critical Role and Function of Lead Partners: The Value Proposition for PPSD

Turnaround is complex and challenging work; Lead Partners provide additional capacity

Lead Partners bring knowledge and expertise and results in other urban districts

Lead Partners operate independently from the district and can be more efficient and more innovative

Lead Partners are designed to make the principal more successful by freeing up his/her time to serve as the building’s instructional leader

Turnaround schools are inundated with programs, partners, plans, etc.; the Lead Partner serves as the hub of these often disconnected spokes

Lead Partners experience scale benefits; by doing this work in multiple schools, they can provide the services at a lower cost than if one school were to do it alone

This is not a punitive measure; rather, we have the exciting opportunity to infuse our schools with additional capacity and turnaround expertise

Lead Partners will be held accountable for performance


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Lead Partner Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

Purpose: To identify highly effective Lead Partners to manage the turnaround process in clusters of Providence’s Innovation Schools.

# of Responses: 5


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Innovation Zone

Inside the Innovation Zone

Providence School Department

Lead Partner

Office of Transformation and Innovation

Cluster 1 Lead Partner: OTI

Cluster 2 Lead Partner: UP!

Cluster 3 Lead Partner: Cambium/NAEP

Roger Williams MS

Feinstein @ Sackett St ES

Young/ Woods ES

Pleasant View ES

Carl Lauro ESGilbert

Stuart MS

Dr. Jorge Alvarez HS

Mount Pleasant HS

Sanchez Complex

TBD


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About United Providence!

Joint Labor-Management Compact

Reciprocal Obligation

• Reciprocal obligation is the mutual responsibility and commitment between labor and management to ensure student and school success.

• Reciprocal obligation extends to other important parties in the educational process including staff, partners, and family and community members.

• Rhode Island is the only state that allows districts to pursue the Restart model with an EMO managed collaboratively by labor and management.

• A Joint Labor-Management Compact must detail reciprocal obligations that create a new management structure with shared decision-making designed to fully address the needs of each student in the school.

UP!’s Mission

UP!’s mission is to maximize student achievement in Providence’s most struggling schools by promoting innovation and fostering a truly collaborative environment for teaching and learning. In so doing, UP! will serve as a groundbreaking national model for student-centered collaboration between labor and management.


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UP! Updates

UP! recently submitted its business plan to the Rhode Island Department of Education.

UP! also advanced the final round of the AFT Innovation Fund grant application process.


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About Cambium/NAEP

The mission of NAEP is to transform, sustain and accelerate education through the formation of partnerships with low-performing schools nationwide. NAEP works with schools and school districts to implement effective turnaround strategies such as building a system of outstanding schools to serve students, staff, families and the community in an accelerated learning environment that leaves no one behind.

Approach to School Turnaround

Cambium/NAEP’s Mission


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Cambium/NAEP’s Experience and Track Record

Example: Palm Beach County

Example: Milwaukee

Subtest Bay View HS Bradley HS

Language Arts

5% -5%

Math 8% 8%

Science 6% 6%

Social Studies

18% 7%

Increases in the percentage of students scoring proficient or higher during the 2010-11 SY


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Purpose and Goals of the Performance Contract

• Formalize any understandings between parties• Codify the terms of the partnership as described in the accepted proposal (as

developed through the RFQ process)• Establish goals and benchmarks for both partners and districts/states• Create a sense of partnership and common goals• Provide a blueprint for the working relationship• Protect investments on both sides• Ensure fidelity of implementation • Clarify consequences for failing to meet any of the conditions (for all parties)

To articulate the roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the Lead Partner and the contracting local education agency.

Purpose:

Goals:


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Importance of the MOU

Lead Partners are guaranteed the autonomies, resources, and

support services they need from the district to do the work

The district ensures that Lead Partners will be held accountable

for results

Both parties benefit from a high level of detail and clarity upfront


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Lead Partner Contracting Process

• Provide ongoing oversight of performance agreements

• Secure/Maintain autonomies described in the MOU

• Provide services and supports described in the MOU

• Ensure faithfulness of implementation

• Develop Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to guide relationship(s) with partner(s)

• Negotiate terms of the MOU with the Lead Partner(s)

• Issue Lead Partner Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

• Market RFQ (identify and approach prospective partner organizations)

• Review proposals and select partner(s)

Post-MOU WorkMOU ProcessRFQ Selection Process

The OTI will continue to drive this process with the support of the legal department.


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Components of the MOU

Terms of Agreement:

• Parties to the agreement • Duration of the agreement• Options for renewal, expiration, and

termination• Funding and compensation for partners

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• Autonomies – Scope of decision-making authority over (1) people, (2) time, (3) money, and (4) programming

• Mechanisms for securing autonomy – Ex: waivers/exemptions, thin contracts, EWAs

Performance Accountability:

• Implementation – Fidelity to the school reform plan and agreed upon scope of services and deliverables

• Impact – Gains measured by leading and lagging indicators of school turnaround

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Scope of services and deliverables• Service-/Resource- sharing agreements• Communication norms between the

partner and contracting agency • Expectations of the partner and district

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2

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Lead Partner Performance Metrics

Historic and Baseline Data Performance Benchmarks

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

Student attendance rate

Chronic absenteeism rate

Number of suspensions (out-of-school)

First time credit acquisition rate

Math proficiency rate (teaching year)

Reading proficiency rate (teaching year)

Writing proficiency rate (teaching year)

Science proficiency rate (teaching year)

Graduation rate

Dropout rate

In exchange for increased flexibility and authority, Lead Partners will be held accountability for implementing the school reform plans and improving student achievement.


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Lead Partner Compensation

• National benchmarking research shows that Lead Partners typically receive

a management contract totaling approximately 7-12% of the school’s per pupil allocation.

• During FY 09, PPSD’s per pupil allocation was $15,305.

• Assuming that Lead Partners work with approximately 1,500 students, then

a baseline management fee would be $1.6 M.

• Therefore, the proposed contracts with Cambium/NAEP and UP! are reasonable and research-based.


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What is the ESEA Waiver?

History and Context

• The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was enacted in 1965 to provide all students with equal access to a public education and establish high standards and accountability

• In 2001, Congress amended and reauthorized ESEA as the No Child Lead Behind Act (NCLB); NCLB has been in place for over a decade; however, it has some flaws

ESEA Flexibility: The Opportunity

• The U.S. Department of Education has invited state education agencies (SEAs) to request flexibility on behalf of the state, local education agencies, and schools

• States can voluntary choose to submit a waiver in order to pursue a state-developed plan to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction

Waiver Status

• 11 states have already been approved for ESEA flexibility• 26 states and Washington, D.C. submitted flexibility requests in February

2012; the Rhode Island Department of Education submitted a waiver application in February


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Anticipated Impact in Providence

• The School Improvement Grant program will no longer exist in its current form (e.g., the four models no longer apply)

• RIDE must identify Reward, Priority, and Focus schools

• Priority and Focus Schools must develop and implement reform plans in accordance with the processes outlined by RIDE and approved by the US DOE

• SEAs and LEAs will have increased flexibility over certain federal funding streams

• More schools in Providence will be identified, and more schools will be identified soon

• Low-performing schools will be expected to design bold and comprehensive reform plans; however, schools will have more flexibility in designing these reform strategies

• We must continue to invest in the Innovation Zone so that we are prepared for the next round of Focus and Priority Schools

RIDE is identifying approximately 30 schools that will be required to implement interventions. Of these schools, 11 of them have already been identified as PLA schools and, for those schools, their identification with not change

their requirements, funding, or plans. Based on Providence’s past performance, we should be prepared to have at least half of the remaining schools identified in our district.


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RIDE’s Proposed Tiered Intervention Strategy for Low-Performing Schools

Reward Schools

The state’s high-performing and high-progress schools

Priority Schools

The state’s lowest-performing schools equal to at least 5% of the State’s Title I schools

Focus Schools

A number of low-performing schools equal to at least 10% of the State’s Title I Schools

Focus and Priority Schools identified by RIDE (spring 2012)

RIDE completes diagnostic identifying LEA and school strengths and

weaknesses

Closure Restart Flex plan

RIDE approval RIDE approval

Planning Early implementation

Full implementation

Full implementation

Full implementation

Full implementation

School Year 2011-12,

Summer ‘12

School Year 2012-13

School Year 2013-14

School Year 2014-15


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For More Information

Email us: [email protected]

Visit our website: www.ppsdinnovationzone.org

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.ppsdinnovationzone.org/

innovation zone update: board presentation march 12, 2012

Documents

innovation oti

innovation schools benefit

innovation zone structure

innovation zone update

district resources

districtwide reform

district central office

struggling schools