Race to the Top News and Views · understandingofassessment.Moreover,formost educators,experienceswithassessmenthavebeen definedintermsofweeklyquizzes,end-of-chaptertests, placementinstruments

I am honored to have been selected by the OhioDepartment of Education (ODE) to keynote all five ofthe state’s Race to the Top (RttT) Regional Meetingsover the past few months. Those of you who attendedthose meetings heard me describe – and talked tome about - the reasons behind Ohio’s Race to theTop initiative: the need to help our students becomecollege- and career-ready through “fewer, clearer,higher” Common Core State Standards supported byrigorous and innovative “next generation”assessments that focus less on demonstratingknowledge and more on demonstrating the ability touse that knowledge to solve problems. The impetusfor the change is apparent: equipping our kids forsuccess in an increasingly competitive, global, technological economy.Benchmarking for Success: Ensuring U.S. Students Receive a World-ClassEducation, a joint publication of the NGA, CCSSO, and Achieve, Inc., not onlylaments the outsourcing of American jobs overseas, but also sees education asa crucial factor in strengthening the United States’ economic position. Theauthors state: “Education is a tremendously important lever for ensuringcompetitiveness and prosperity in the age of globalization.”

Focus on Effective Instruction

The move to a more rigorous education in Ohio and across the nation mustinclude adequate and ongoing support for teachers, the most critical componentin enhancing instructional effectiveness, which drives student achievement.Teachers are most important, but they alone are not sufficient to raise instructionto where it needs to be to meet the challenges of the new standards andassessments. Direct support, coaching, and ongoing professional developmentmust be provided by instructional leadership at all levels, and local educationagencies and school administrators must ensure that certain “enablingconditions” exist and are monitored closely – variables such as enforcedattendance policies, proactive communications among all stakeholders, safe andsecure school environments, and so on. Quality teachers, however, remain themost essential ingredient in effective instruction.

A New Era for Assessment

New standards will require new assessments and assessment techniques.Students and teachers will need to become familiar and comfortable withadministering performance assessments and applying knowledge and skills.

To date, little attention has been devoted to the ways assessment might enhanceapproaches for increasing student performance. Since the focus of much of thenation–including Ohio–has been on the increased use of state-mandated high-stakes assessments, it is not surprising that evaluation has been the dominant

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Race to the TopNews and Views

A Bi-weekly Bulletin of RttT Volume 1, Number 5, May 26, 2011

Daggett – Transitioning Ohio SchoolsRttT StaffErik Bower,Budget/Accountability Manager(614) [email protected]

Scott Hoshor, Federal Liaison(614) [email protected]

Joan Nichols,Communications/Outreach Manager(614) [email protected]

Patricia Parker,Professional Development Manager(614) [email protected]

Michael Sawyers, AssistantSuperintendent(614) [email protected]

Sandy Stewart,Administrative Assistant III(614) [email protected]

RttT Regional CoordinatorsClairie Huff-Franklin,RttT Urban Coordinator(614) [email protected]

Laura Keller, RttT Northwest Coordinator(614) [email protected]

Maggie Niedzwiecki,RttT Northeast Coordinator(614) [email protected]

Jeff Royalty, RttT Southwest Coordinator(614) [email protected]

Scott Spears,RttT Central Ohio Coordinator(614) [email protected]

Ivan Wilson, RttT Southeast Coordinator(614) [email protected]

Departmentof Education

RttT.educat ion.ohio.gov

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understanding of assessment. Moreover, for mosteducators, experiences with assessment have beendefined in terms of weekly quizzes, end-of-chapter tests,placement instruments, or quarterly and final exams. Infact, the recent emphasis on high-stakes testing and thenotion of and consequences for an “underperforming”school have added to the impression that the state tests,now more often called assessments, are things that aredone to us, the educators, rather than for us. The CommonCore State Standards will bring a richer meaning to theprocess of assessment.

At this time, the Partnership for Assessment of Readinessfor College and Careers (PARCC) and the SMARTERBalanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), are in theprocess of developing assessments built around the newstandards on behalf of states. Each organization issupported by its own group of affiliated states – Ohio is amember of both consortia. Recently, PARCC was awarded$170 million and SBAC $160 million of the $350 millionfrom the Race to the Top fund, which the Obamaadministration had set aside to encourage states to designand adopt high-quality common assessments for grades 3-8 and at least one in high school for implementation in2014. A third consortium, the State Consortium on BoardExamination Systems, submitted an application inresponse to the request to design a new end-of-coursehigh school assessment for 12 states.

Other criteria for these new assessments makechallenging demands on the types of development anddelivery. Part of the assessment process also includesdocumenting that students are on track to becomingcollege- and career-ready by the time they graduate fromhigh school. This aspect of the assessments means thathigher education institutions will be partners in thedevelopment of the new high school tests to ensure thatthe assessment system is anchored to success in collegeand careers. The assessments must reflect and supportgood instruction and include all students from the outset —English learners, economically disadvantaged students,and students with disabilities. Therefore, students will notonly learn from a more rigorous and relevant set ofstandards, but also be introduced to a new type ofassessment that is significantly different from most currentstate tests.

Retooling and Supporting Teachers

All teachers deserve - and most teachers will need - newskill sets in order to teach at deeper levels and evaluatestudent growth and progress along the way. This ambitiousgoal calls for resources, tools, support and focusedcoaching and professional development. Ultimately,students will be expected to perform at college-readylevels by the time they graduate from high school.

Teachers will also have to focus much more onperformance-based assessment and activities and developand display the instructional mindsets, skill-sets andrepertoires to do so. These changes are very real.

The clock is ticking, with the first formal assessments comingin 2014. This sounds like a lot of time, but the preparation forthose assessments will be tremendous. Teachers will have toretool to meet the requirements for teaching these standardsand preparing their students for the new assessments.Content and scope and sequence of existing curricula willhave to be re-examined and reconfigured, a majorundertaking on which Ohio is already well underway. Theassessments to come will be technology-based, anotherchallenge for all states and schools that do not haveadequate technology resources at present. The task at handis daunting, and the three-year preparation window will go byquickly. The time to be thinking about these issues and thechanges they will bring is now.

Teachers will need support, resources, tools, and time tomake the adjustments in their instructional strategies toteach the standards successfully and assess studentgrowth and progress in mastering them. All considered,this is a tall order, and the hard work has just begun.

What to Do

A plan for transitioning to the Common Core StateStandards and next generation assessments shouldinclude at minimum the following outcomes and goals anda similar program of work:

Outcomes and Goals

�Facilitate a three-year transition from current statestandards and assessments to the Common CoreState Standards and next generation assessments

�Build deep understanding of and commitment to theCommon Core State Standards and newassessments

�Support leadership in planning, goal setting, deepprofessional development, and implementation

�Understand how current standards correlate andcompare to the Common Core State Standards toidentify gaps

�Anticipate how the new assessments compare withcurrent state tests

�Enhance instructional capacity in the use of formativeassessments

�Adjust curriculum to address the new requirementsusing Ohio’s Model Curriculum

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�Enhance current instructional and assessmentpractices to increase capacity from the district tothe classroom level

�Support teachers and teaching staffs throughongoing, relevant coaching and professionaldevelopment

�Develop and implement a process to monitorongoing adherence to plans and goals

Many of the schools, districts and states that we at theInternational Center for Leadership in Education arepartnering with during this transition phase – some ofwhom will be sharing their stories at this year’s ModelSchools Conference in Nashville on June 26-29 - haveadopted strategic plans similar to the following outline:

Year 1 Program of Work

Strategic Review and Planning

Initial Meetings with LEA to define purpose, mission,process, needs, and project leadership. (Months 1-2)

Awareness Building and Communication Presentationsto staff and stakeholders to explain: the Common CoreState Standards (and their relationship to existing statestandards), the components of the next generationassessments, and the impact both will have on existingcurriculum and instruction.

Needs Assessment/Gap Analysis to identifyconsistencies and gaps among current standards,curriculums and assessment, and Common Core StateStandards and related assessments. Provide staff trainingon standards alignment with instruction and the use oftools in developing and using formative and summativeassessments. (Months 3-4)

Planning based on needs assessments, and collaborativedevelopment of a comprehensive three-year transitionplan with goals and benchmarked actions for the LEA.Develop and implement a professional development planto support priority goals and a financial plan to supportimplementation activities. (Months 3-4, 3-12)

Interim Reports and Recommendations for LEAleadership in Years 2-3 (as needed and Months 10-12)

Year 2 Program of Work

Implement, Review, and Refine

The Year 2 Program (Months 13-24) will be largelydetermined by Year 1 progress, feedback, needsidentification, and results.

Awareness and Feedback Programs: Continue (Months13-24)

Capacity Building through Teacher Training to guideand support instructional staff to align district curriculumand instructional modules with the Common Core StateStandards; develop teacher buy-in; and nurture teachingpractices that support authentic, real-world learningbased on International Center tools, rubrics, andsuccessful Quadrant D practices and models includingusing data, data analysis at the classroom level, RTI, andnext generation formative and summative assessments.(Months 13-24)

Job-Embedded Professional Development using atrain-the-trainer model led by LEA and InternationalCenter instructional specialists. (Months 13-24)

Interim Reports and Recommendations for LEAleadership in Year 3. (as needed and Months 21-24)

Year 3 Program of Work

Implement, Review, and Refine

The Year 3 Program (Months 25-36) will be largelydetermined by Year 2 progress, feedback, needsidentification, and results.

Awareness and Feedback Programs: Continue (Months25-36)

Capacity Building through Teacher Training as per Year2 (Months 25-36)

Job-Embedded Professional Development as per Year 2(Months 25-36)

Final Report and Recommendations withrecommendations to LEA leadership for sustainability andcontinuance (as needed and Months 33-36)

The transition efforts needed are precisely reflected in theRigor/Relevance Framework. Standards in many states –including Ohio - have tended to be largely in Quadrant A(Acquisition). Students have to know certain information,but little application or higher order thinking skills arerequired. The Common Core State Standards do not fit inQuadrant A; instead, they have moved to Quadrant C(Assimilation). These standards require students to usemore sophisticated thinking processes. Rather thanmerely asking for recall, the new standards have studentsworking with analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, as wellas recall. Teachers need to understand the new standardsin this light, not just as discrete bits of information to learn.

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Current instructional and assessment practices also tendto reside in Quadrant A (Acquisition) and Quadrant B(Application). Students may be applying what they know,but not at particularly high levels of cognition. The shift inassessment is to Quadrant D (Adaptation) where highlevels of both knowledge and application come into play.Performance events will have students working overextended periods of time to apply knowledge to complex,real-life problems. Teachers will need to create their ownQuadrant D lessons and assessments to accustomstudents to working at this level.

The challenge currently before us is daunting.Where tobegin? What is most important? What, if anything, can bepostponed?

The year 2014 will arrive quickly, and schools shouldoptimize the time between now and then by implementingas many of the necessary changes, trainings,communications and instructional capacity-building plansas possible. (The Daggett System for InstructionalEffectiveness, which we will launch at the 2011 ModelSchools Conference, is a mindset, a concept and a detaileddescription of how effective instruction can be prioritizedand enhanced, not just in the classroom – which isessential but not sufficient - but also school-wide and withadministrative and district leadership support.) Also feelinvited to download, read and share two white papers fromour website http://www.leadered.com/whitepapers.html

Common Core State Standards Initiative — ClassroomImplications for 2014 by Dr.Willard R. Daggett andSusan Gendron

Where’s the Finish Line in the Four Assurances by Dr.Willard R. Daggett

The Impact of the Four Assurances on Classrooms andSchools by Dr.Willard R. Daggett and Raymond J.McNulty

The Daggett System for Instructional Effectiveness by Dr.Willard R. Daggett (coming soon )

Ohio public education is moving into a new era that isboth exciting and challenging. Rise to the challenge.

I would welcome your thoughts and comments.

Dr. Willard R. (Bill) Daggett, FounderInternational Center for Leadership in [email protected]

Portions of this article were adapted or excerpted fromTransitioning to the Common Core State Standards andNext Generation Assessments by Willard R. Daggett,Susan A. Gendron and Daniel A. Heller. Copyright ©2010by International Center for Leadership in Education.

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Building Capacity for theWork ofTomorrow

During the May Regional Meetings RttT TransformationTeams had the opportunity to work directly with theApplication Area personnel from the Ohio Department ofEducation (ODE) on their year-one Progress Monitoringdocumentation and revision of their LEA Scope of Work(SOW) and Budget Template for Year 2. Productive andcollaborative meetings

Our RttT Northeast Regional Coordinator, MaggieNiedzwiecki, prepared questions to help teacher leaders,principals and other key personnel to oversee andorganize their work within each of the Application areas.Consider the following thoughts as your RttTTransformation Team makes decisions about the ‘who,what, where and when’ of implementing your SOW overthe next three years.

Have you thought of the following?

Application/Assurance Area B

�What Professional Development (PD) have youdone already with the new model curriculum?

�Have you introduced ODE’s standards crosswalkdocuments?

�Have you developed a timeline for local curriculachanges, pacing guides, model lessons, and “ICan” statements?

�Have you provided opportunities for staff to reviewand provide feedback during your own curriculumrevisions?

�Do you have systems in place for communicationand teacher development?( PLC’s, DLT’s, BLC’s,RTI)

�Who in your LEA will become the resident expertand help move your LEA forward by monitoring thework needed in this area?

Application/Assurance Area C

�Do you have the capacity to provide on-goingprofessional development on the IIS systemthrough embedded practices in PLC, instructionalrounds and instructional coaches?

�Have you established a monitoring system as aTransformational Team to see what formativeassessments you have in place and where yourweak areas are?

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�Do you have an established Response toIntervention Team? NOT IAT Team? Do you knowthe difference?

�Have you thought about how you will design PD foryour leaders and teachers on uses of formativeassessment?

�Have you established an RTI team, led by yourbuilding principal and teacher leaders, to help withanalysis of data and provide suggestions forclassroom interventions?

Application/Assurance Area D

Measure Student Growth

�Have administrators and teachers reviewed currentvalue-added data?

�Do you have a plan for distribution and utilization ofavailable annual value-added reports?

�Have your administrators and teachers sat downand reflected about their value-added data andpossible goals for future growth as professionals?

Evaluation Systems

�Did you complete the Gap Analysis Tool that theODE provided for information into how yoursystems compare to the level of system needed?

�Have you had some conversations and decidedwhat research needs to be done for possiblyproviding additional compensation to highlyeffective teachers and administrators? What wouldthis look like at your school? How will you measure“highly effective teachers and administrators”?

�Have you established a subgroup to developcomprehensive models for teacher and principalevaluations, including timelines, activities andpersonnel for 2011-2012?

Equitable Distribution

�Have you completed a needs assessment todetermine whether there are inequities inassignment of principals and teachers through-outyour LEA?

�Have you developed a detailed plan for innovativestrategies that your LEA will use to recruit, placeand retain highly effective teachers?

�Have you established a plan to collect teacherretention and attrition data and review the data to

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determine whether changes are needed in theLEA’s policies and practices?

Effective Support to Teachers and Principals

�How will you fully implement the TeacherResidency program for all new teachers? Who is incharge of this to make sure it happens?

�Have you developed a comprehensive professionaldevelopment plan to support local Race to the TopStrategies?

�Do you have someone that keeps track of all theprofessional development happening at the stateand local levels and helps decide which PD isneeded for your teachers and principals?

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Northeast Ohio

Thank you all for your participation in our regionalmeetings held at the Cuyahoga, ESC. Weappreciate the collaboration and time that goesinto creating an environment of transformationalchange for our Northeastern LEA’s. It wasworthwhile to watch as teams discussedimportant matters.

As we move forward I would like you all tocontinue to send me celebrations for your teams,as it is always important to recognize the workthat is helping us grow as professionals.

Northeast Regional Shout-Out: Euclid CitySchools Transformational Team is working ondeveloping Professional Development (PD)opportunities for district teacher leaders over thesummer to unwrap the new common core contentstandards for the state. The work will be designedaround grade level bands discussions of Clusters,Standards, Essential Understandings, Vocabularyand Classroom Example documents for upcomingdistrict roll out to all teachers. This is a great wayto begin to build capacity for leadershipopportunities for all professionals in an LEA.

A Sample of Ohio’s Transformation Efforts

Our six RttT Regional Coordinators wanted to share a sample of Ohio’s LEA transformation efforts toimplement 21st century reforms across the state.

RttT NortheastRegionalCoordinatorMaggieNiedzwiecki

Northwest Ohio

The Willard City Schools has been busy pursuingprofessional development activities in 2011:

�Common Core English, Language Arts and MathProfessional Development Willard City SchoolsProfessional Development for Grades Pre K – 4,Waiver Day, February 21.

One half day was spent having staff do crosswalks at eachgrade level for English, Language Arts and Math. Verticalalignment was addressed by having each grade level sharesimilarities and differences with the entire group. Standardvocabulary for each content area was also addressed alongwith the PowerPoint presentation from ODE.

�Student Friendly Learning Targets for Transition to theRevised Standards Workshop Sponsored by NorthPoint Educational Service Center (ESC) March 22(ELA), March 24 (Math), April 6 (Science), and April12 (Social Studies).

Curriculum Consultants in the North Point ESC servicearea offered four workshops for grades kindergartenthrough second grade focusing on the “Common Core”Standards for ELA and Math and the ”revised standards” forscience and social studies. Participants focused on creatinglearning target statements that specify what studentsshould know and be able to do. The Willard City Schools’Curriculum Director facilitated the math section. The LEAsent a teacher to attend each of the sessions representingkindergarten, first and second grades. A completed “I Can”learning target statements are being compiled for eachparticipant.

�Heidi Hayes Jacobs Curriculum Mapping ProfessionalDevelopment, sponsored by Region 2, March 9-10.

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A team of three elementary teachers and the CurriculumDirector attended this training. It was decided that wewould combine our training on web-based curriculummapping to introduce the “Informational Text” strandfrom the English Language Arts Common Core for theentire K – 6 staff in the spring.

�Common Core English Language Arts“Informational Text” Curriculum Mapping WillardCity Schools’ Professional Development (½ daysessions), April 20 (K/1/2), May 19 (2), May 12(3/4); May 24 (5/6).

These half day sessions provided each grade level withthe opportunity to begin “mapping” the Common CoreEnglish Language Standards. Informational text wasfirst broken apart identifying nouns and verbs. Staffthen identified instructional strategies, assessment,intervention and enrichment. Focus was applyingDaggett’s Rigor and Relevance along with the higherapplications of Bloom’s Taxonomy. The professionaldevelopment was facilitated by the three teachers whoattended the Heidi Hayes-Jacobs sessions in March.

�Curriculum Mapping Session for Common CoreEnglish Language Arts, Grades K, 1 and 2,Willard City Schools (8:30 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.),June 9, 2011.

Staff members are invited to attend a four hour worksession to complete the rest of the Common Core ELAstrand mapping that began in April and May. Thesession will take place at the Middle School computerlab so we can continue our “web” mapping.

Urban Ohio

Cincinnati Public Schools has pursued progressivemeasures to engage staff in Professional Development(PD), which has helped to propel them to the effectivestatus as an LEA with one of their high schoolsnationally recognized this month as one of the top 100high schools in the country.

Race to the Top funds were used to strengthen thefollowing trainer model which they call Cincinnati-based Vermont Mathematics Initiative (CVMI).

RttT NorthwestRegionalCoordinatorLaura Keller

CVMI is a comprehensive three-phase program forteachers of mathematics in the Cincinnati PublicSchools:

�Phase 1 consists of the first two courses,(entitled, Mathematics as a Second Languageand Algebra and Functions for K-8 Teachers)plus three Teaching/Learning Labs. Phase 1 isintended to be taken by all elementary teachersof mathematics.

�Phase 2 includes eight courses plus nineTeaching/Learning Labs and is designed forteachers who will serve as content specialists intheir schools, delivering professionaldevelopment assistance at the school site.

�Phase 3 is the entire Master’s degree programand is designed for expert cadre teachers, thosewho will eventually serve as co-instructors withmathematicians in the program. Teachers areaccepted into the program as a cohort, which is agroup of teachers who take the courses togetherthroughout the program.

The program is focused on:

�Building mathematical content knowledge andpedagogical expertise for the teachers ofmathematics and subsequently improvingstudent understanding of mathematics.

�Creating a network of teachers who will becomeLEA leaders in modeling effective teaching,sharing mathematical content knowledge, andcontributing to decisions about LEA curriculumand professional development. The goal is tocreate a supportive family drawn together by thecommon experience of the CVMI training. Theultimate goal is for this CVMI network to build itsown capacity to provide the CVMI training for itsown teachers.

The program is comprised of four strands: 1.Strong/deep content knowledge of mathematics, 2.Effective instructional practices, based on currentresearch, 3. Leadership training to support learningmathematics at the classroom, school, and districtlevels, and 4. Action research to explore new andpromising practices.

This speaks to Cincinnati’s Math initiative. The totalCincinnati PD plan is also well-developed. DaytonPublic Schools is impressed with CVMI and will send a

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delegation to partake in the training. This is an example ofhow the large Urban districts have found ways toproductively collaborate to enhance their ProfessionalDevelopment (PD) and improve instruction for students.

For more information, please contact: Wayne A. Harner,Professional Development Specialist for MathematicsMayerson Academy 2650 Highland Avenue Cincinnati,OH 45219. Email: [email protected] [email protected].

Southeastern Ohio

Ohio Valley Educational Service Center (ESC) haspartnered with several RttT LEAs in the SoutheastRegion. Their staff has collaborated with LEAs to improvestudent achievement as LEAs move to meet the goals oftheir Scopes of Work (SOW). Three of the LEAs areFrontier Local (Washington County), Rolling Hills(Guernsey County), and Wolf Creek (WashingtonCounty). Ohio Valley’s research based process forimplementing standards-based assessment andinstruction in these districts has resulted in markedimprovement in student achievement and performance onthe Local Report Card (LRC). Both Frontier and RollingHills were in Continuous Improvement status since 2006-07 but moved to Effective on the 2009-10 LRC. WolfCreek moved from Effective in 2006-07 to Excellent ontheir last three LRCs.

Ohio Valley’s program is called The Power EducatorProject (PEP) and has an integral component whichallows teacher teams to design common assessments,enter student data from common assessments andretrieve real time reports to affect instruction anddifferentiation. A more descriptive summation of PEP willappear in the next issue of this bulletin.

Southwest Ohio

The Western Brown Local School District hasincorporated pieces of the Transformational Model intotheir Continuous Improvement Plan for the past 4 years.Race to the Top (RttT) was strongly aligned to the LEA’sgoals and has helped the LEA to re-focus and prioritizethe initiatives that matter most; high quality teaching,positive learning environments, and assessing studentprogress and achievement.

The WB Transformational Team just recently met tocelebrate their successes and reflect on the challengesthat the work has provided;

1. Becoming a team-based organization has been ahigh priority for the LEA and each of the buildings inthe LEA has teacher- based teams linked to grade,content area, or school improvement initiatives, (ex.high schools that work strategies).

2. Creating quality collaborative time for teacher-based teams is evolving with each school year. TheLEA recognizes that scheduling collaborative time isimportant, but what is accomplished within thecollaborative time is more important. Deciding whatis important can be very tricky but starting withstudent data, (formative assessment results,intervention reports, and classroom data) andteachers discussing teaching strategies are twoareas that can increase learning.

3. Finalizing curriculum maps in the five main contentareas and reviewing and revising the formativeassessment system: A transitioning schedule is inplace to help with moving grade levels and classes tothe revised standards such as a summer KindergartenSummit in which all K teachers will be invited to beginplanning for the transition. The Transformation Team isnow discussing the most effective way to revise thecurriculum maps and assessments so they are alignedto the revised standards.

4. Providing relevant and rigorous professionaldevelopment opportunities through a variety ofdelivery modes is crucial to ownership and retention.example: district-wide in-services, buildinglevel/team- based team events, to individualcoaching. The LEA School Improvement Specialistand Administrators have been able to providesupport and training for the above (#1-#3) initiatives.Next year, the LEA will begin each day with a 25-minute collaboration time in which all teachers arefree from duty and able to meet not only horizontallybut vertically, content based, or however appropriate.

RttT UrbanRegionalCoordinatorClairieHuff-Franklin

RttTSoutheastRegionalCoordinatorIvan Wilson

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5. Defining the Western Brown Way is all aboutcreating a positive learning environment for not onlystudents but also the adults that work at WesternBrown. Although annual cultural data from students,staff and parents is collected each year, determiningwhat is important to them can be time consumingbut should be valued and acknowledged.

Central Ohio

Summer break for many is rapidly approaching and manyLEAs are using the opportunity to work on the workcontained in their Race to the Top (RttT) commitments.Several RttT Transformation Teams in the Central Regionare offering professional development opportunities thatbring together their staff around pertinent topics to gainincreased traction on achieving the goals of RttT.

One such LEA has developed its own summer academybuilt around the concept of professional developmentdesigned to engage all participants in preparation for Year2 work. The Worthington City Schools RttTTransformation Team, under the leadership of MarkGlasbrenner and Jennifer Wene, is offering the NEXTGeneration Learning Leaders Academy (NGLLA). At thisconference, participants will choose a focus strand tolearn more about and be a part of planning for the yearahead in:

�Common Core Standards for English/LanguageArts

�Common Core Standards for math

�Ohio standards for social studies

�Inquiry learning in science

�Data & decision-making including map & datawarehouse

�Response to intervention

�Technology (June15 only)

Jason Ohler, Professor Emeritus, Educational Technologyat the University of Alaska, and the author of DigitalCommunity, Digital Citizen and Digital Storytelling in theClassroom, will be the keynote speaker. Although he iscalled a futurist, Ohler considers himself to be a nowist,

working nationally and internationally to help educatorsand the public use today’s tools to create livingenvironments that we are proud to call home.

NGLLA will be held on June 15–16 at ThomasWorthington High School. Worthington is acceptingparticipants from outside the district and credit fromAshland University is offered. Contact Jennifer Wene [email protected].

Worthington’s website proclaims: Absolute Excellence-Exponential Impact. Clearly, the RttT TransformationTeam for Worthington City Schools understands that thetransformation encouraged by RttT participation requiresbroad-based, deep understanding of the changes comingfor education and, as importantly, that all staff must sharein the leadership that will result in sustainable and high-quality implementation for high impact.

Remember, if your LEA is engaged in what you believe tobe an exemplary practice, please share it with your RttTRegional Coordinator so that it can be shared with othersvia our bi-weekly bulletin and web site. Together we canall RACE TO THE TOP!

FAQs

�Why is June 3, 2011 an important date for Ohio’sparticipating LEAs?

By Friday, June 3, 2011 Ohio’s participating LEAs arerequired to submit, via their share point folder that will beaccess through their LEA SAFE account (detailsforthcoming):

1. Their LEAYEAR 2 Revised/Updated SOW in itsentirety

2. Their LEAYEAR 2 Budget Template

3. Their LEA Progress Monitoring Chart of Summaryanswering the 3 bulleted items on the back of page 1of Ohio’s Reporting Requirements – IF POSSIBLE(NOTE: LEAs may technically have until 6/30/11 tocomplete this third task as it was rolled out at theregional meetings, however, please encouragecompletion and submission for 6/3/11 via share point.

RttT CentralRegionalCoordinatorScott Spears

RttT SouthwestRegionalCoordinatorJeff Royalty

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RttT Workshops, Webinars and Trainings

SummerWebinars and Value-AddedOpportunities

Comprehensive Approach to Ohio RttT Value-AddedServices

An integral part of Ohio’s Race to the Top (RttT) efforts isto ensure that quality data are available to monitorstudent progress and that educators have ready accessto reliable data that will inform decisions and policydevelopment, and that professional development willincrease educators’ knowledge and use of data[Application Area C].

To accomplish this objective, Battelle for Kids (BFK) inpartnership with the Ohio Department of Education(ODE) is providing value-added support andtools/resources to Ohio LEAs. The advent of teacher-levelvalue-added reporting in grades 4–8 in reading and math,underscores a new urgency to assure that teachers arewell prepared to interpret their reports and use theinformation provided to adjust their practices.

Value-Added Support System

Webinars

To set the context and provide useful information that canbe shared with LEA staff, BFK is hosting the followingwebinars that will be the kickoff for RttT work:

�June 7 @ 3 p.m.—Value-Added: Then, Now and inthe Future

Ohio’s value-added system has matured over thelast five years, and with the advent of RttT and otherreform efforts, more changes are in store.Participants of this Webinar can learn more aboutthis system.

Audience: Administrators—Superintendents,Principals, School Board Members

�June 9 @ 3 p.m.—Link Before You Leap

One of the necessary steps to providing reliablemeasures of student growth is to ensure that theyare appropriately attributed to teachers. BFK has

developed a verification process to ensure teacher-level value-added reports are accurate. Participantswill learn about the process, its importance and howOhio schools will take part in it.

Audience: Administrators—Superintendents,Principals, School Board Members

�June 21 @ 2:30 p.m.—Building Capacity UsingValue-Added in School Improvement

In the past, value-added training has centered onhelping educators understand the value-addedmetric. Recently, more emphasis has been placedon the unique value that value-added has, alongwith other measures, to inform school improvementefforts. Participants will learn how this process isbeing rolled out statewide.

Audience: RVAS, DVAS and Administrators—Superintendents, Principals, School Board Members

�June 23 @ 2:30 p.m.—Implications of Teacher-Level Value-Added Data

Battelle for Kids has been working with more than80 school districts in Ohio to provide value-addeddata. Over the last five years, BFK has gatheredteacher and administrator perceptions and ideasabout how to successfully introduce and useteacher-level value-added reports in schools.Participants will hear the do’s and don’ts on how touse this information to be an effective leader.

Audience: Administrators— Superintendents,Principals, School Board Members

Register for these webinars through the STARs system.

Regional Support

A regional support system is being built to assist LEAs inadvancing their value-added work. It will be made up, inpart, of a cadre of Value-Added Leaders (VALs). TheseVALS are trained and supported by BFK to help build thecapacity of Ohio teachers and administrators to use value-added analysis to improve student academic progress.VALs provide ongoing support to LEAs at the system,building and team levels as they assess their data, prioritizestrengths and challenges and plan for improvement.

NewToolsYou Can Use

To further support LEAs, BFK has redesigned severaltools that are intended to provide hands-on resources.More details about the components of these tools and thevalue-added support system will be provided insubsequent newsletters.

Revised Value-Added Toolkit

A new version of the Understanding & Using Value-AddedAnalysis toolkit has been developed to be more useful asa reference tool to help Ohio educators understand anduse value-added information to improve teaching andlearning. It is organized by levels (LEA, building, teacher)to assist school leaders more readily.

These toolkits will be distributed to 30% of RttT LEA’s byJune 15, and the remaining 70% will be delivered in fall2011. The Value-Added Toolkit contains information thatwill help educators get ready to understand and usevalue-added analysis. Sections include separate guidesdesigned for these three levels (district (LEA), building,teacher), and will take users through a “data walk” of eachof the reports. In addition, action steps to help users andtheir teams put value-added information to use areprovided. Users will receive tips on accessing, interpretingand navigating between reports with ease.

LEA central offices will receive two toolkits and each OhioRttT building housing grades 4-8 will receive one toolkit.Toolkits will begin arriving the week of May 31, 2011.

Online Value-Added Courses 2.0for Ohio Educators

Beginning June 1, Ohio educators (K–12 public schools)will have access to new online value-added learning, atno cost, as part of Race to the Top. This 2.0 version hasbeen updated to be more interactive and includes videocommentary to build the practical skills associated withaccessing, understanding and using value-addedinformation. Courses are organized by district- (LEA-),building- and teacher-level learning paths and weredeveloped to complement face-to-face professionallearning being implemented across the state. It is aparticularly useful and convenient means to lead staffthrough the basics of value-added analysis.

Look for an email, coming soon, with your LEA and/orbuilding’s access code and instructions on how to enroll.

Advance Placement Summer InstituteWorkshops for RttT Teachers &Administrators

ODE announces Advanced Placement Summer InstituteWorkshops for RttT teachers and administrators.Workshops are scheduled to begin June 13th. Contacthours are available for participants.

There is limited space (30 PARTICIPANTS PERWORKSHOP) for these four day and one day contentspecific workshops offered in Northeast, Central andSouthwest regional sites at the following EducationalService Centers (ESC): Montgomery County ESC, ESC ofCuyahoga County, North Central ESC, ESC of CentralOhio, Hamilton County ESC

Four day workshops (NEW AP Programs and UrbanDistricts participants only)

�Intensive workshops that equip teachers with in-depth content and resources to enhance theirteaching of AP courses (at all teaching levels).

�AP courses: goals, objectives, content, resources,bibliographies, and equipment.

�The AP Examination: how it is developed andgraded.

�Syllabi, lesson plans, and assignments.

�Recent changes in AP course descriptions.

One day workshops include (Established AP programs)

�Concentrates on the teaching of a specific APsubject with the focus on instructional strategiesand the management of an AP course.

�How to refresh and improve existing AP courses.

�Recent changes in AP course descriptions.

�Materials include College Board Special Focus andWorkshop Handbook.

�Six hours of instructional time.

NO MORE THAN 2 TEACHERS PER SCHOOLPER WORKSHOP

Participants should register in STARS no later than June 3.More information on STARS is available ateducation.ohio.gov (Use search keywords, S TARSsystem). Once in STARS, search for the event usingkeywords: Advanced Placement. Any problems registering,please contact Lethichia Pope (614 995-3571).

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Last chance to register!

Ohio InnovativeLearning Environments

Blending International Perspectives ofInnovative Learning and LeadershipPractice

WHO: International expert keynotes andpractical classroom breakout sessions.

WHAT: Blending international perspectivesof innovative learning and leadershippractice.

WHEN: August 1-5, 2011, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

WHERE: Hilliard Bradley High School, 2800Walker Road, Hilliard, OH 43026

CONTACT: For more information about theconference, registration and teacherstipends, please visit www.ileohio.org orcontact Cari Cordray in the ESC Center forAchievement & Leadership Services at 614-542-4117.

Teachers–did you know you couldget $220.00 to attend this

conference?

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UploadingYour Race to the Top (RttT) Documentsinto ODE’s External SharePoint Site via the “Collaboration Center”

Year 2 Scopes of Work for all LEAs participating in Ohio’s RttT Strategy will be submitted to the Ohio Department ofEducation via the new ODE External SharePoint site located within the “Collaboration Center” in the SecurityApplication For Enterprise (SAFE) web portal. To access the ODE External SharePoint site, LEA staff will need tohave a SAFE account and the appropriate role in the Ohio Educational Directory System (OEDS). There are twolevels of SharePoint access available to LEAs. Contribute access allows the user to upload and edit documents inthe LEA folder. Read access allows the user to view documents in the LEA folder but not edit or upload documents.

There are currently four OEDS roles that will provide access to the RttT Library on the “Collaboration Center”site in SAFE:

�Superintendent. Existing Superintendents will have Contribute access to the LEA folder. No action is needed forSuperintendents to have full access and privileges.

�Treasurer. Existing Treasurers will have Contribute access to the LEA folder. No action is needed for Treasurersto have full access and privileges.

�Leader – RttT Transformation Team (ACTION REQUIRED). Users who are given this OEDS role will haveCONTRIBUTE access to the LEA folder. This role must be assigned by either the Superintendent or theOEDS Administrator in order for this person to have the ability to upload documents to ODE. The RttTLead(s) for your LEA Transformation Team should be assigned this role in OEDS.

�Member-RttT Transformation Team (ACTION REQUIRED). Users who are given this OEDS role will haveREAD access to the LEA folder. This role can be assigned by either the Superintendent or the OEDSAdministrator. It is recommended that every member of the LEA Transformation Team be provided with atleast this role in OEDS.

Step by step instructions for accessing the External ODE SharePoint site to submit your required Year 2Scope of Work and Budget Template by Friday, June 3, 2011 are provided below. Upon completion,LEAs are asked to continue to upload any/all Year 1 documents and related “evidence” to your LEAfolder to serve as an electronic portfolio for your participation in RttT.

1. File Formatting:

a. ALL Year 2 LEA Scope of Work submissions must be in Microsoft WORD format only. A template is availablevia the RttT webpage. Please save your Year 2 LEA SOW for submission with the following file name structureto your computer for access:

IRN#_LEA Name_Year 2 SOW

b. ALL Year 2 Budget Template submissions will continue to be in Microsoft EXCEL format only. A template isavailable via the RttT webpage. Please save your Year 2 LEA Budget Template for submission with the followingfile name structure to your computer for access:

IRN#_LEA Name_Year 2 Budget

LEA ACTION REQUIRED: PLEASE READ ENTIRE DOCUMENT

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2. Within your browser, navigate to the SAFE web site, and log in using your normal user credentials.

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3. From the application menu, select the Collaboration Center link.

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4. You will be presented the ODE External Share Point repository home page. Select the Race to the Top Library onthe left tool bar.

5. You will see a General folder and an LEA folder for each LEA for which you have an appropriate OEDS role. TheGeneral folder is accessible to all LEA staff with the appropriate access and will be used to provide templates andother documents in the future.

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6. Click on the LEA folder to access the subfolders for the selected LEA.You will see five subfolders for your LEA. Theyconsist of:

a. Budget

b. Communications

c. Professional Development

d. Progress Monitoring

e. Scope of Work

The Scope of Work folder contains a Year 1 Subfolder containing the final Year 1 Scope of Work submission andSOW Review for your LEA. The Budget folder contains four subfolders, one for each year.

UploadYear 2 LEA Scope ofWork Submission (NOTE: MicrosoftWORD version only!)

7. Click on the Scope of Work folder.You will see a Year 1 folder and a Year 2 Scope of Work Review document. Youwill place your Year 2 Scope of Work into this folder for formal review.

8. Click on the Documents tab at the top of the screen to access the Microsoft Office ribbon.

9. Click on the Upload Document icon to access the Upload Document window.

10. Click on the Browse button (a) to browse your computer to locate your Year 2 Scope of Work file. Click to REMOVEthe checkbox (b) regarding versions. Click on the OK button (c).

11.When complete, your file will appear on the screen.

UploadYear 2 LEA Budget Template Submission

12.YourYear 2 Budget Template will be uploaded to theYear 2 subfolder in the Budget folder. Click on the Navigate Up icon.

13. Click on the LEA Folder name to return tothe LEA folder.

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14. Click on the Budget subfolder.

15. Click on the Year 2 subfolder.

16. Click on the Documents tab at the top of the screen to access the Microsoft Office ribbon.

17. Click on the Upload Document icon to access the Upload Document window.

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18. Click on the Browse button to browse your computer to locate your Year 2 Scope of Work file. Click to REMOVEthe checkbox regarding versions. Click on the OK button.

19.When complete, your file will appear on the screen. It should be the only file in the Year 2 Budget sub-folder.

Congratulations! YourYear 2 LEA Scope ofWork and LEA Budget Template submission to the ODE ExternalSharePoint site is complete. Please reopen your LEA folders to verify your documents have been successfullyuploaded.

Please continue to the next page for directions on how to submit your Year 1 Progress MonitoringChart(s) or Summary.

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YEAR 1 Progress Monitoring Chart or Summary – DUE by June 30, 2011 (LEAs are encouraged to submit byFriday, June 3, 2011 with other documents, if possible.)

As discussed at the RttT Regional Meetings, each LEA is required to submit a YEAR 1 Progress Monitoring Summaryto ODE via the Progress Monitoring Folder in your LEA External Share Point Folder at ODE. The LEA Year 1 Summarymay be submitted in chart format or as a Microsoft Word Summary for Year 1 only. Additional information is available onthe RttT Webpage by downloading “Ohio’s RttT LEA Reporting Requirements”.

To UploadYear 1 Progress Monitoring Chart(s) or Summary

1. Your Year 1 Progress Monitoring Chart(s) or Summary will be uploaded to the Progress Monitoring subfolder. Clickon the Navigate Up icon.

2. Click on the LEA Folder name to return to the LEA folder.

3. Click on the Progress Monitoring subfolder.

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4. Click on the Documents tab at the top of the screen to access the Microsoft Office ribbon.

5. Click on the Upload Document icon to access the Upload Document window.

6.Click on the Browse button to browse your computer to locate your Year 1 Progress Monitoring Chart(s) or Summaryfile. Click to REMOVE the checkbox regarding versions. Click on the OK button. (Note: If you have monthlyprogress monitoring charts for upload, please repeat the steps in this section to upload all files successfully.)

7. When complete, your file will appear on the screen.

NOTE: Based upon repeated requests from LEAs, YEAR 2 Scopes of Work will be posted to theRttT webpage in summer, 2011.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s):

I uploaded a document in error. How do I delete a file?

You have the ability to delete a file that has been uploaded in error.

1. Hover over the file name to view the drop down list next to the file you wish to delete. Click on the drop down listarrow to activate the menu.

2. Click on Delete.

3. Click on the OK button in the message window.

I have a question. Who do I call or email for help?

As always, please contact your RttT Regional Coordinator for immediate assistance.

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KidsOhio has produced a video and report about Ohio’s Race to the Topefforts (www.KidsOhio.org). Interviews were conducted with Dr. RobertSommers, the director of the Governor’s 21st Century Education andMichael Sawyers, who directs the Ohio Department of Education’simplementation of Race to the Top.

RttT Regional Coordinators

Clairie Huff-FranklinUrban

614/[email protected]

Laura KellerNorthwest614/420-0298

[email protected]

Maggie NiedzwieckiNortheast

614/[email protected]

Jeff RoyaltySouthwest614/420-0003

[email protected]

Scott SpearsCentral

614/[email protected]

Ivan WilsonSoutheast614/420-0299

[email protected]