Race to the Top
In 2010, Tennessee was one of two states in the country to win a Race to the Top (RTTT) grant from the federal government. This roughly $500 million is being split in half: 50% for statewide programs and 50% allocated to districts based on free and reduced lunch counts. For Hamilton County, this translates into $10.9 million over four years.
With passage of First to the Top legislation at the state level earlier this year, these dollars can ONLY be spent in these four key areas:
- Standards and Assessment
- Use of Data
- Improving Teacher Quality and Principal Leadership
- Turning Around Low Performing Schools
Hamilton County created a plan for how to spend its RTTT dollars to improve student achievement. The plan builds upon the solid foundation already built through reform efforts in the last 10 years. All activities and plans have one goal: to exact reform at all levels of public education in Hamilton County.
The HCDE plan is a four-year plan that is based on current projections and data. It will change as data and information changes. The Scope of Work is most detailed in the first year. The State Department of Education approved HCDE's Scope of Work in May. The US Department of Education approved the Scope of Work in July.
HCDE RTTT Scope of Work (Revised November 2010)
The plan seeks to divide the dollars evenly amongst the four objectives, with the majority of dollars being spent on increasing teacher knowledge through professional development. Dollars for RTTT CANNOT be used to supplant dollars that are already spent in the district. For example, the district can purchase software that enables teachers to have easy access to student data, but it cannot refurbish the technology network that enables the software to run because money is already allocated to that area.
Planned activities in each core objective area are targeted toward improving the system's capacity for reform and achievement. Plans range from broad-based support and training for administrators to intensive teacher training in key strategies based on content area. The use of data is especially important, as it will drive how well staff is able to implement the reforms. However, it must be mentioned that while the system can purchase new technology to enable staff to analyze and comprehend data, it cannot buy infrastructure and network hardware to make that data readily accessible.
Below is a summary of the first year's activities. Activities are subject to change based upon data and evaluation.
Year 1 (2010-2011) - $3,482,640
- District Convocation (Race to the Top objectives)
- Contract with DMC on accountability plan/Strategic Planning
- Contract with DMC on pilot evaluation plan and pay for performance
- Intensive new teacher coaching at high priority schools
- Teach/Here teacher residency program
- Increase number of Nationally Board Certified Teachers
- Training for all middle and high school teachers on PLAN, EXPLORE and ACT
- Training for teachers working with children of poverty
- Foundational texts for all grades to support K-5 Strategic Literacy Framework
- 2-day professional development on alternatives to worksheets for all K-5 teachers
- (4) ½-day training sessions for K-5 administrators on observations in literacy classrooms
- Book club for literacy leaders
- Monthly 2-hour support sessions for all K-5 classroom teachers on literacy
- Production of video clips of best practices posted on literacy website
- Additional web resources for each of the 7 dimensions of literacy framework
- Training for integration of social studies into literacy block
- Readers Workshop for 6th grade teachers. Provide leveled texts
- Pilot Scholastic Reading inventory grades 6-8 to track improvement
- Pacing Guides for new standards
- Math content/pedagogical training to use 90 minute math block grades 4-6
- Math software program to increase computational fluency in grades 2-5
- Supplemental lessons to reflect gaps between newly adopted math/science textbooks and standards K-12
- Establish math learning labs in two feeder patterns (K-12) in 7 high priority schools
- Supportive student/family programming to close the achievement gap and create afterschool programming for at-risk students/families
- Pilot new evaluation system for teachers and principals
- New principal orientation
- Implement New Principal Advisors program
- Principals Leadership Academy
- Leadership development for current principals
- Training for all teachers/administrators on use of TVAAS, TCAP, formative assessments and writing assessment to guide instructional decisions
- Develop on-track student indicator (Dashboard)
- Extend student learning in academic core areas (master schedule for extra literacy/math)
- Successful mentor assigned to new principals
- Staff High Priority Schools with highly effective teachers (stipends)
- High Priority Schools academic core teachers stipends
- Extend learning calendar (summer program)
- Integrated Career-Technical Education programming
- HS Credit Recovery courseware
- Automated method for screening new teacher applicants