The Turner Report: Joplin R-8 Administrators to federal government: Our vision saved Joplin after tornado

Joplin R-8 administrators' vision of the future is spelled out in detail in the district's Race to the Top application.

It is a vision that includes establishing career pathways for students as soon as they enter middle school, changing the way grading is done, following the dictates of Common Core Standards, eliminating the need for high school students to sit in traditional classrooms for specific amounts of time each day, and moving to a school centered on the latest in technology.

It is not just the vision of the future that stands out in the application, which has been obtained by the Turner Report and Inside Joplin, but also its bleak vision of Joplin's past and how R-8 administrators were the keys to the community's recovery from the May 22, 2011, Joplin Tornado.

Though the efforts of Superintendent C. J. Huff are praised in the document, its most effusive praise is for Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer. One of the subheads uses the "Silver Lining in a Cloud" phrase that Dr. Besendorfer has used in numerous speeches, although she has normally added the word "funnel" before cloud.

The application includes references to Dr. Besendorfer's powerful statements and includes the following reference:

Through the tireless work and vision of our Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Angie Besendorfer, we not only "began school" on time- with facilities, furniture, materials and supplies- but also put in a place a learning environment in our "Interim High School" that will act as a prototype for the 21st Century High School facility we will build.

The portions of the Race to the Top application leading up to the budget section, which was printed in the Turner Report Saturday is featured below. Some appendixes and information was left blank in the copy, which is the one that was shown to those Administration was attempting to have sign on to the application:

DRAFT

Joplin Schools Race to the Top – 2013 District Application for Funding

U.S. Department of Education - CFDA Number: 84.416

A. Vision

A) (1) Articulating a Comprehensive and Coherent Reform Vision

Background

On Graduation Day, May 22, 2011, Joplin, Missouri, experienced one of the most destructive tornados on record. This catastrophic storm ripped through the heart of the city, taking 161 lives and destroying about 1/3 of our community. Over 7,500 residences, 530 businesses, 28 churches, 15,000 cars, one of our major hospital complexes and about half our medical provider offices and labs, almost all our mental health and substance abuse treatment infrastructure and over half our day care facilities were destroyed or significantly damaged.

Over 4,200 students (out of 7,600) lost their schools. Ten schools (more than ½ our educational space – over 260 classrooms) were destroyed, badly damaged or displaced. This included our high school (which had about 2,200 students), our technical school, one of 3 middle schools, 6 of 12 elementary schools and our administration building. Staff, many of whom had also lost homes and loved ones were shaken and demoralized. They needed time and support themselves, but were anxious to reunite with their students and to get back to the jobs they love.

Virtually everyone in the community was impacted in some way. Thousands – perhaps 1/3 of our citizens ---directly experienced the violence of the storm. They crawled from the rubble, and soon came to realize they had lost loved ones, homes, schools, jobs and/or transportation. Thousands more experienced trauma as they began to feel the violence and impact of the turmoil, destruction and loss. Immediately people from all over the community, (as well as from neighboring regions, across the state, surrounding states and around the nation) rushed in to help. It became evident that emotional and psychological pain was widespread. The lives of the community -- our children, their families, and our staff had been changed forever.

On the morning of May 23, 2011, we, the Joplin Schools administrative team, began to search for our staff and students and to survey the horrific damage inflicted by the tornado. The road to recovery seemed insurmountable. Our Superintendent of Schools, Dr. C.J. Huff, announced that school would open as planned on August 17 … 83 days away!

It was clear that we had much to do. We knew we not only had to find a place to “have school”, we also needed to ensure the recovery and healing of our school community (students, staff and their families). We also knew that just finding a place and a way to “have school” was not going to be enough. As Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Angie Besendorfer, so powerfully stated, “We don’t want just to rebuild our old schools and “get back to normal”. We want so much more … to give them (our students) the schooling they so richly deserve (… and need) to be prepared for citizenship in the 21^st century workforce. From tragedy we must create a better future … a” new normal” … for our community … for our students … and for their families.”

On August 17, as planned, school opened for all students! Joplin has proven itself to be a strong and resilient community --- we know we can create the school system we need!

Description of the Joplin School District

The Joplin School District (Joplin Schools), encompassing 65.5 square miles, is made up, primarily, of the city of Joplin, but also includes a few smaller surrounding communities and some rural area. Joplin Schools began the 2013-2014 school year with 7,559 students (k-12). The district grade configuration is: Elementary – k-grade 5; Middle School – grades 6-8; High School – grades 9-12. There is also a small blended (special education and Title I funded) preschool (ages 3-5) program that serves about 100 students. Since the tornado we have 7 secondary school campuses (4 official schools). The high school, completely destroyed by the tornado, is now on 4 sites. It began the school year with about 2,114 students. The 11^th and 12^th graders are located in a renovated department store at the mall; the 9^th and 10^th in an old school building which last housed a middle school; the technical school and one of our middle schools (also completely destroyed) are currently in remodeled warehouses and the other 2 middle schools are in new/completely remodeled facilities (completed the year before the tornado). There were 1,762 middle school students and 3683 elementary students. In January, 2014 two new elementary schools will open to replace those destroyed; the high school is scheduled to open in August 2014.

(A)(1) Articulating a Comprehensive and Coherent Reform Vision

Proposed 21^st Century Mission and Vision

It is the mission of Joplin Schools to ensure that all students benefit from the challenging and enriched educational experiences necessary to prepare them to be successful adults – learners, workers and citizens. Though our students have varied interests, aptitudes, skills and ambitions, all have the right --- and will be given the opportunity --- to pursue their own dreams. Thus, we will provide a learning environment that will prepare all students to successfully graduate from high school and enter their post-secondary lives with the competencies, attitudes, skills and habits necessary to lead productive and prosperous lives in the 21^st century (See Appendix * for 21^st Century Skills Chart).

In order to do so we realize we must develop better ways to:

• ensure all educators have “whatever it takes” to facilitate the success of their students.

• enable equity of opportunity for all students to succeed at school and beyond by addressing barriers to learning thereby preventing and ameliorating the impact of environmental, learning, behavior and emotional problems.

• reduce the number of dropouts by reducing the loss of motivation and disengagement struggling students face.

• improve achievement for all by closing achievement gaps.

• provide “cutting edge instruction” which takes advantage of the technological advances available in today’s world and is provided by committed, highly effective educators.

It is our goal that all secondary students will successfully complete a personalized, career-oriented learning pathway that allows successful transition from high school to further post-secondary education (e.g. college, technical training, apprenticeship, on-the-job training) and/or successful suitable employment leading to meaningful and profitable careers (e.g. occupational credentials). In order to accomplish this, components of proposed model include:

• the provision of high quality, effective professional development and support for our talented and passionate teachers and administrators.

• implementation of a Career Pathways course of study that will provide each student with an education that has been personalized to their needs, aptitudes, aspirations and motivations and will ensure the development of 21^st Century skills and competencies

• an articulated set of rigorous standards and learning outcomes that truly predict post secondary success.

• instructional strategies … including the use of technological tools … that allow teachers to determine and meet the needs of individual students.

• an integrated data management system that will support timely, informed decision-making that leads to improved outcomes, both for individual students, schools and the district as a whole.

• an interactive scheduling instructional management system that will allow for the analysis of data and then will schedule student activities (e.g. courses, study and project groups, internships and other “real world” activities, “reteach” sessions), “map” suggested “next steps” (e.g. suggest interventions, pair appropriate learning experiences with needs of individual and/or groups of students, schedule time, place, resources).

• policies and practices that are not based on arbitrary requirements like “seat-time” or irrelevant pre-requirements, but on demonstrated student competence (e.g. course completion, opportunities to “opt-out” of units and/or courses, grades, graduation, alternative course options (e.g. on-line, independent study).

• a comprehensive system of learning supports integrated into the educational system that is designed to address barriers to learning and teaching.

• an infrastructure -- including leadership -- that facilitates the building of consensus around the need to change what we do, defines these changes, and institutes a systematic plan for creating them.

(A)(2) Approach to Implementation

(a&b) Selection of Schools to Participate:

The target population for this project will be all secondary school students (grades 6-12). This includes 2,114 Joplin High School (JHS) students and 1,762 students in middle school -- grades 6-8 (652 South Middle School (SMS), 494 East Middle School (EMS) and 616 North Middle School (NMS). All high school students attend one school and all three middle schools feed into it.

Participating Students

Since our district’s free/reduced rate is almost 60%, with the high school at over 46% and the middle schools 56% all participating schools will meet the eligibility criteria. We started school in 2013, with 3,860 students (1,760 middle school and 2,120 high school). Of these students: 13.7% of the JHS students had disabilities and 16% of the middle school students; ethnicity – (high school 84% White, 5% Black, 6% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 2% Indian; middle school 83% White, 6% Black, 6% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 2% Indian); 17 (1%) of the high school level were English Language Learners, 22 (1%) middle schoolers; over 100 students district-wide met the McKinney-Vento definition of “Homeless” (as compared to over 600 immediately following the tornado). About 60% received Medicaid (up from about 45% pre-tornado).

(A)(2)(c) Joplin Schools Race to the Top Participating Schools Demographic Information

			School Demographics
			Raw Data Actual numbers or estimates (Please note where estimates are used)						Percentages
			A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I
LEA (Column relevant for consortium applicants)	Participating School	Grades/Subjects included in Race to the Top - District Plan	# of Participating Educators	# of Participating Students	# of Participating high-need students	# of Participating low-income students	Total # of low-income students in LEA or Consortium	Total # of Students in the School	% of Participating Students in the School (B/F)*100	% of Participating students from low-income families (D/B)*100	% of Total LEA low-income population (D/E)*100
Joplin Schools	Joplin High School (JHS)	9-12	124	2,114	1,007*	1,007*		2,114	100%	50%
	East Middle School (EMS)	6-8	40	494	321*	321*		494	100%	65%
	North Middle School (NMS)	6-8	42	616	400*	400		616	100%	65%
	South Middle School (SMA)	6-8	44	652	424	424		652	100%	65%
TOTAL				3,876	2,152	2,152	4,913	3,876	100%		65%

Note: ** “High Needs Students “is defined as “… students at risk of educational failure or otherwise in need of special assistance and support, such as students who are living in poverty, who attend high-minority schools, who are far below grade level, who have left school before receiving a regular high school diploma, who are at risk of not graduating with a diploma on time, who are homeless, who are in foster care, who have been incarcerated, who have disabilities, or who are English learners. The number is an estimate.

Rationale for Selection of All Secondary Students

Because we believe all students need --- and have a right to --- what we know in the best approach to secondary education, we are proposing simultaneous implementation for all 4,913 secondary students. We are including the middle school students because we believe they must begin the process of developing the 21^st Century skills they will need, and because we believe this model of instruction is appropriate for all students. A “phase in” process … waiting to begin the reform for middle school … would only hamper the effectiveness of the implementation at the high school.

For a number of years (pre-tornado) we had been undergoing a strategic planning process undertaken to improve education in Joplin. Change – not unexpectedly – has been slow and laborious. So this team recommended, while recognizing that children must build a strong foundation in order to be successful at the secondary level, that an “achievement dip” occurring at the middle school level and our high dropout rate mandated that changes at the secondary level could not wait for improvements at the elementary level to “solve the problem”.

So as we implemented our improvement plan, we:

• provided the resources to implement technology-enriched instruction

• provided teachers and administrators with professional development and revised curriculum and instruction in order to prepare students to meet the common core standards; and

• decided to implement career pathways and better integrated the high school and tech school courses of study.

The Cloud with the Silver Lining

We were struggling to find ways to implement these 21^st Century innovations in out-grown, out-moded facilities and to fund needed improvements (e.g. a 1-to-1 laptop initiative) when one of the most destructive tornados on record completely destroyed almost ½ of our educational space, including our high and technical schools. As we considered how best to recover and rebuild, our choices seemed to be … to despair and “hunker down” … or to accept the reality and take the opportunity to move ahead. With great courage our leadership --- with the backing of staff, students, families, the community and the local, state and federal government – decided to proceed. We are pressing on to create the educational system of the 21^st Century for which we had planned and dreamed!

So, for example, instead of replacing $1,000,000 worth of destroyed textbooks, we decided to use the money to implement the 1to1 initiative we had been designing. As a result, … in fewer than 90 days… we purchased and imaged laptops for all high school students (over 2,200), prepared all high school teachers to implement a new instructional paradigm and found and hired teachers who could “coach” their peers in effectively instructing in new ways (21^st Century Coaches). Though many teachers and administrators were apprehensive, by the end of the year most were very happy with what they had been able to accomplish! (Conversations with other districts implementing similar initiatives verified that we were far ahead of many with gradual, phase-in implementations.)

Similarly, we decided not to rebuild the 1950’s buildings we lost, but to design and build the educational facilities we would need for the future. Through the tireless work and vision of our Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Angie Besendorfer, we not only “began school” on time – with facilities, furniture, materials and supplies ---but also put in a place a learning environment in our “Interim High School” that will act as a prototype for the 21st Century High School facility we will build.

(A)(3) LEA Reform and Change

Plan for Implementing Reform in Participating Schools and Scaling–up to Overall District

Bringing our model to scale will occur as an integral component of district-wide reform. Since the model we are proposing includes all students at the secondary level, we are not “piloting” the reform for a few students or one school. For example, the appropriate collection and analysis of data (another vital component of our proposal) will allow “lessons learned” to inform needed change at the elementary … while at the same time it is generating hypotheses and providing information that will fuel the continuous improvement cycle that powers change at the secondary (targeted) level. The following areas will be the “generators” of this synergistic process:

• Use of 21^st Century and Instructional Coaches: We know that the key to an assurance that all students stay on track to master the rigorous competencies (Core Competencies) necessary for success in the 21^st Century is effective teachers who have the resources necessary to recognize and meet the needs of all students and, then to provide them with the personalized instruction needed by each to ensure that they stay on track. Thus, we must have in place the highest quality professional development that recognizes the needs of individual teachers, departments and building and provides the support they will need to grow and develop as necessary. The expertise developed at the secondary level will be melded with the knowledge and skills being developed at the elementary level. This group operates as a team, thus assuring vertical articulation.

• Effective, efficient readily accessible data collection will be at the core of our comprehensive reform efforts. Without the data we only guess what “might work” and whether it “is working”. This is not only a very inefficient use of resources – but also makes needed change “too late” … for far too many students. We know that one of the barriers to being able to truly personalize instruction has been the inability to manage such a system. With this proposal we should “free up” teacher time for the truly creative act of teaching.

• Use of effective learning technology. Like teachers, students need to learn the effective and efficient use of the most up-to-date teaching tool and be given the opportunity to maximize their potential based on individual needs and attributes. We must recognize and provide these tools. We have already instituted a 1to1 initiative at the high school and in the 8^th grade at the middle schools. We are proposing the expansion of 1to1 devises to the the remainder of the middle level. As we build our technological resources this will allow to expand district resources to meet the technological needs at the elementary level.

Why do we believe we can implement proposed reform …

• First of all we have the leadership necessary to make change possible. Our Superintendent of Schools said we would start school “on time” and we did! This determination to return to normalcy was vital to our community and for our children and families. We have had many individuals tell us the vision and “can do” attitude of the school district inspired and empowered the entire town.

• We have a motivated, courageous and determined staff that sees the need for an educational system that “operates differently … and gets different results”. While acknowledging that change is hard, they have worked to change … to learn … and to grow.

• We have already begun to implement the knowledge, attitudes, skills and habits needed to implement personalized 21st century learning and teaching.

• We already have the cutting edge technological and staff development infrastructure that provides a firm foundation for the “next generation” paradigms we are proposing. We have already implemented a successful coaching model for support and professional development district-wide and believe this model – in concert with shared vision, PLC’s, collaborative leadership teams, tools and processes that facilitate data collection, management, analysis and problem solving – will further implementation.

• We know we have the fiscal strength and flexibility to support and sustain our current high school and middle schools so, after start-up costs, sustainability of the new model will not be an issue.

• We have a community that not only understands and supports us, but also is willing to take an active role; despite losing 1/3 to 1/2 of the assessed valuation of the school district the community passes a $61,000,000 bond issue!

(A)(4) Joplin Schools Goals for Improved Student Outcomes

Outcome

We expect to dramatically improve 1) the number and percentage of students who graduate from high school able to successfully participate in post-secondary educational experiences; and 2) successfully complete at least one year of higher education or career education; and/or increase the proportion of young people who obtain meaningful post-secondary credentials and/or work.

[Note: Because Missouri has established new performance standards and procedures for measuring them we will need to establish baseline and will not be able to compare to prior year data.]

(A)(4) District-wide Goals for Improved Student Outcomes

(A)(4)(a&b)) Performance on Summative Assessments and Closing the Achievement Gap

Goal 1: Using standardized state assessment data (Communication Arts and Math MAP and End of Course examinations), all areas of student achievement will meet or exceed expectations established by the Missouri School Improvement Program. (MSIP 5).

Objectives:

1.a. For “Total Students”, annually district-wide communication arts achievement will meet “target” or “exceed expectations” (growth or status) of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 5).

Current performance:

1.b. For “Total Students”, annually district-wide math achievement will meet “target” or “exceed expectations” (growth or status) of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 5).

	2002-2003	2003-2004	2004-2005	2005-2006	2006-2007	2007-2008	2008 -2009	2009-2010	2010-2011	2011-2012	2012-2013
Comm. Arts	29.30%	34.20%	34.40%	46.80%	50.60%	51.90%	53.30%	53.80%	52.50%	51.00%	52%
Math	25.00%	29.00%	33.90%	44.60%	46.60%	51.40%	50.70%	52.00%	49.70%	48.40%	46.50%

Baseline: Currently we have improved Comm Arts scores 1-3% per year and Math scores were making similar gains, but have fallen about 1%/year for the last 3 years.

1.c. For the “Super Subgroup”, annually district-wide communication arts achievement will be on target or exceed expectations (growth or status indicators) of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 5).

1.d. For the “Super Subgroup”, annually district-wide math achievement will be on target or exceed expectations of the Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP 5).

1.e. We will meet or exceed state expectations on all EOC’s:

• Class of 2013, 2014, 2015: English II, Algebra I, Biology and Government

• Class of 2016: English I, English II, English EOHS, Algebra I, Math EOHS, Biology, Government, American History

• Class of 2017: English I, English II, English EOHS, Algebra I, Math EOHS, Additional Math, Biology, Government, American History

1.f. Annually ninety percent of students will, at a minimum, maintain a ninety percent attendance rate.

(A)(4)(c) Graduation

Goal 2: Graduation rate will increase by 5% per year for all students.

Baseline: Current rate is 85.9%; average increase for the last five years has been about 3%.

(A)(4)(d&e) College Enrollment and Postsecondary Attainment

Goal 3: The percentage of students who graduate from Joplin Schools college and career ready will increase annually.

Baseline: Since this has not been measured in the past baseline data is not available. The following will be used to determine baseline and a expected percentage of increase will be established in year 2.

Objectives:

3.a. Prior to graduation, 100% of Joplin High School will take the Compass, ASVAB, and/or ACT.

3.b. Using the district Employability Report Card, from quarter 1 to Quarter 4 evaluation, 80% of the students will show “improvement” in skills (Note: This instrument and procedures are being developed and piloted during 2012-2013. In years 2013-2014, “Improvement” will be further refined as instrument is validated and “cut scores” are defined. By 2014-15 75% of the students will graduate “ready for employment”.

3.c. The district’s average composite score(s) on any department-approved measure(s) of college and career readiness, for example, the ACT®, SAT®, COMPASS®, or ASVAB, meet(s) or exceed(s) the state standard or demonstrate(s) required improvement.

3.d. The percent of graduates who earned a qualifying score on an Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or Technical Skills Attainment (TSA) assessments and/or receive college credit through early college, dual enrollment, or approved dual credit courses meets or exceeds the state standard or demonstrates required improvement.

3.e. The percent of graduates who attend post-secondary education/training or are in the military within six (6) months of graduating meets the state standard or demonstrates required improvement.

3.f. The percent of graduates who complete career education programs approved by the department and are placed in occupations directly related to their training, continue their education, or are in the military within six (6) months of graduating meets the state standard or demonstrates required improvement.

Goal 4: The number and percentage of certified staff who are ‘highly effective” or “effective” will increase over baseline. [Note: The current evaluation process, will be revised by the 2014-2015 school year

• Methods for determining “highly effective” and “effective” will be determined and will become a component of the PBTE system

• When surveyed, 80% of staff will acknowledge an understanding of the terms and how they are measured.

• By 2014-2015, baseline will be established.

• Each year after establishment of baseline the percentage of “highly effective” and “effective” teachers will increase 5% annually.

Objective

4.a. The number and percentage of students whose teacher of record is “highly effective” or “effective” will increase over baseline (to be determined by 2014-2015).

4.b. The number and percentage of students, by subgroup, whose teacher of record is “highly effective” or “effective” will increase over baseline (to be determined by 2014-2015).

4.c. By the end of the grant there will be no district principals who are not rated as “highly effective” or “effective” for more than 2 successive years. Each year, any principal who receives a rating of less that “effective” will be placed on an Improvement Plan. All principals on plans will demonstrate at least “improved” status.

4.d. By the end of the grant, quarterly Innovation Configuration data from all buildings will demonstrate progress on key implementation indicators.

(A)(4) Plan for Meeting District Goals and State Standards

Figure 1: Plan for Meeting District Goals

Activities	Timeline (Completed by …)	Deliverables	Responsible Parties
* Goal I: Using standardized state assessment data, at all levels (elementary, middle school, secondary) all areas of student achievement will meet or exceed expectations established by the Missouri School Improvement Program. (MSIP 5).
Continue implementation and refinement of RtI process at all grade levels to include: • effective use of bench mark and progress monitoring data • consistent, efficient and effective implementation of SOAR Teams (student intervention team) • Provide on-going training for all school teams	Ongoing	Teacher and building team survey results indicate teachers are “effectively” (defined in instrument) using data for individual and building improvement Documentation indicates at least bimonthly team meetings Documentation indicates all students referred have plans that have been implemented Innovation Configuration data indicate “improved implementation” of RtI process	Principals, Instructional Coaches
Put in place effective Tier II and Tier III interventions in order that 95% of students leave Gr.5 and Gr. 8 on level in Comm. Arts and Math. • Implement Read 180/System 44 for all eligible students • Implement effective Tier II and III math interventions • Document fidelity of implementation	ongoing	Read 180 and System 44 annual summary data	Director of Special Services, Principals
Enhance Tier I Comm. Arts and Math instruction so that every classroom meets district-established expectations for implementation	ongoing	Walk-through data, Innovation Configuration data	Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Instructional Coaches, Principals
Implement district written expression model • Provide training for all teachers	May 2013	Innovation Configuration data, Quarterly Formative Evaluation Reports by Implementation Team	Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Instructional Coaches, Principals
Implement elementary and middle level training for effective use of technology as a teaching tool • Training for all teachers • Training scope and sequence for all students	May 2015	Documentation indicates professional development for all teachers Documentation indicates training for students Innovation Configuration data indicate “improved implementation” of technology integration at all buildings	Technology Innovation Educator, 21^st Century Coaches, Instructional Coaches, Principals
Successfully implement Project Hope to decrease social/emotional barriers to learning	August 2013	Documentation indicates the number of students needing social/emotional support will decrease Survey data from parents and students will indicate a decrease in social/emotional concerns	Project Hope Director, Director of Special Services, Principals,
Successfully integrate Bright Futures services in order to address barriers to learning	Ongoing	Data will indicate student needs will be addressed within 36 hours of notifying the Bright Futures staff of a need	Bright Futures Director, Principals, Teachers
Goal 2: Graduation rate will increase by 5% per year for all students.
School Wide Intervention Focus Team (SWIFT) will create a Tier I Toolbox of Interventions that will be collectively agreed upon by all departments, administration, and the steering committee.	August 2013 for creation then ongoing	Documentation will be the Tier I Toolbox of Interventions	SWIFT team Administrators, Core Teachers, and 21st Century Coaches, Counselors, School Psychologist.
SWIFT will analyze attendance, behavior, and grade data to be able to quickly identify students in need of extra academic and/or behavior support and recommend additional interventions.	Ongoing	Data will indicate a significant decrease in the number of students identified as needing extra academic and/or behavior support	SWIFT team - Administrators, Core Teachers, and 21st Century Coaches, Counselors, School Psychologist.
1:1 Teacher Student Mentor Program will be implemented to provide additional support to students struggling in attendance, grades, and behavior.	Ongoing	Data will indicate a significant decrease in the number of students identified as needing extra academic and/or behavior support	Teachers Principals SWIFT
Develop more clubs and after-school activities to engage students who have little or no connection to the school.	May 2015	Documentation will show an increase of clubs and after school activity opportunities for students Data will indicate an increase in the percent of students involved in clubs and after school activities.	Principals, Athletic Directors, Teachers, Coaches
Link Crew Leaders will support 9th graders academically and socially and promote school spirit and club participation.	Ongoing	Documentation of minimum of monthly activities with link crew leaders interacting with freshman students Survey Data will demonstrate that 9^th grade students feel connected to school	Administrators, Teachers, Link Crew Leaders, Counselors, Business Partners
Night School, Summer School, and abbreviated credit recovery will be offered in the four core areas and other specified academic areas.	Ongoing	Data will indicate an increase of students who are not on track for graduation participating in night school, summer school and abbreviated credit recovery	Administrators, Counselors, Teachers
Consistent implementation of Eagle Time (9th -12th grades): Intensive Study Time, Math & Communication Art Labs, Success Class, and reward time.	Ongoing	Walk through Data will demonstrate student engagement during Eagle Time Data will demonstrate the percent of students earning credit for all of their classes each semester will increase	Administrators, Counselors, Teachers
Goal 3: The percentage of students who graduate from Joplin Schools college and career ready will increase annually.
Develop Career Pathways for the new high school program of study.	March 2014	Documentation the Program of Study for Joplin High School and Franklin Tech Center	Career Path Coordinators, Administrators, Counselors, Teachers, Business Partners
All Freshman will identify a career path and develop a personal plan of study	August 2014	Documentation student enrollment will identify the students’ career path choices	Administrators, Counselors, Teachers
Students will have knowledge about their personal career path choices based upon their interests and aptitudes	May 2015	Data will demonstrate that 100% of students participate in career assessments such as Work Keys, ASVAB, etc. Data the number of students achieving above state average on ASVAB, Compass or ACT will increase annually	Administrators, Counselors, Teachers, Workforce Investment Board, Joplin Chamber of Commerce
Students will graduate with a personalized career path plan	Ongoing	Data will demonstrate the number of students graduating with certifications for a career beyond high school will increase Data will demonstrate the number of students graduating with college credit prior to leaving high school will increase	Administrators, Counselors, Teachers, Area colleges and tech schools
Students will graduate with the soft skills necessary for success in the workplace	Ongoing	Data will demonstrate an increase in the number of students earning high marks on the employability report card	Administrators, Counselors, Teachers, Business Partners
Students will pursue education beyond high school in the career area of their choice	Ongoing	Data will demonstrate the percent of students continuing their education beyond high school will increase annually	Administrators, Counselors, Teachers, Area colleges and tech schools
Goal 4: The number and percentage of certified staff who are ‘highly effective” or “effective” will increase over baseline.
Hiring practices will ensure teachers have appropriate certification when they are hired	Ongoing	Data will demonstrate the percent of teaching in their area of certification will improve to 100%	Human Resources Director, Administrators, Principals
The Performance Based Teacher Evaluation system will be revised to meet the expectations of the RTTT and Missouri requirements	May 2014	Documentation indicates that teacher evaluation has the component of student performance as required	Human Resources Director, Administrators, Principals
The Joplin principal and superintendent evaluations will be revised to meet the expectations of the RTTT and Missouri requirements	May 2014	Documentation indicates that teacher evaluation has the component of student performance as required	Human Resources Director, Administrators, Principals
Data analysis of the new evaluation systems will demonstrate that teacher/principal evaluations differentiate based on student success	May 2015	Data will demonstrate an annual increase in the percent of teachers and principals who are “highly effective” and “effective”	Human Resources Director, Administrators, Principals
High quality professional development will be provided to teachers, principals and administrators	Ongoing	Documentation indicates that professional development provided is based on analysis of evaluation data	Human Resources Director, Administrators, Principals, Teachers

(B) Prior Record of Success

Success in Advancing Student Learning:

Graduation Rate

• Our graduation rate, a major concern for well over a decade … the improvement of which has been a district priority … has been improving for the last 6 years. Despite the destruction of the high school and disruption in the community and the lives of many of our youth we saw tremendous growth last year. We reached an all –time high of 86.8%! (We had been warned by others recovering from disaster to expect an increase in the drop out rate.

- While, in our long-range vision, 100% of our students graduate and are able to be successful in their post-secondary lives, this year we had only 74 dropouts (an all-time low).

- As a result of our progress on the graduation rate we were designated a “Model School” by the Nation Dropout Prevention Center

“Weathering the Storm”

As we studied the literature and talked to other who an experienced similar disasters, we were led to expect the community and personal disruption being encountered by our students would have a serious negative impact on their ability to engage in their schooling. (For example, over 600 of our students were classified as “homeless” and over ½ had lost their homes and/or their schools.) Despite this … and due to the hard work and diligence of our educators and the supports of the community this did not occur!

• Our attendance rate of almost 95% has always exceeded the state average. It only showed a very small drop.

• Despite the great disruption at the high school (trauma of the tornado, new temporary facilities, 1to1 initiative creating great changes for teachers and students) the “implementation dip” that could be expected as so much change was implemented our EOC’s were near the same.

• The number of “serious discipline referrals” (those resulting in suspension of 10 days or more) was relatively stable (84 students in 2009 to 90 in 2011). In the 3 years since the tornado this number has dropped almost 50%.

• Our MAP scores (while a concern and a district priority) likewise did not experience a serious dip.

• “High School Grades” (defined as the percent of students who are passing/failing is considered as a strong indicator of “at risk for dropping out” status. At the high school the “passing rate” for all subjects (for the group “All Students”) was a goal of the high school and was improving prior to the tornado. It dropped significantly after the tornado, but has recovered.

• The “Passing Rate” for Freshmen entering the high school has also recovered. The post-tornado dip.

Other indicators:

• The placement rate for career/technical students (63.2%) exceeds the state average by over 6%.

• Joplin ACT scores have always been above the state average and are improving.

Why do we believe we can implement proposed reform …

• We have already begun to implement the knowledge, attitudes, skills and habits needed to implement personalized 21st century learning and teaching.

(B)(2) Increasing Transparency in District Processes, Practices and Investments

We develop, manage and report all district financial data in accordance with state requirements. All information is available for public review upon request and can be accessed by request and/or via the district website.

All Board of Education meetings are televised on the district’s cable channel and are shown both live and on tapes aired at several other times. Agendas are posted as required and information is available upon request. There is a public comment period at each BOE meeting. Guests are always welcome … and encouraged … to attend any public meeting. The district’s annual audit is provided as a part of this meeting. All audits have shown the district’s processes and practices to be exemplary.

Monthly expenditure reports are provided at the district and school level and are available for review upon request. While school-level salary data is available, it is routinely analyzed and reported at the district level.

The following data are available to everyone on the District Report Card on the state website which is linked to the district’s website: a) actual personnel salaries at the school level for instructional staff and b) teachers.

It will be the responsibility of the Project Director, in conjunction with the CFO, Director of Technology and the Assistant Supt. to monitor and make public progress on all project activities undertaken as a part of our RTTT-D project. This will include monitoring of financial status and adherence to all procedures and reporting. A website, linked to the district website will be developed and used to facilitate this process.

(B)(4) Stakeholder Engagement and Support

(B)(4)(a) Stakeholder Involvement in the Development of the District Reform Effort Outlined in the RTTT-D Proposal

[NOTE: Because our ongoing reform efforts have crystalized into this RTTT-D proposal, stakeholder engagement throughout this several year process has been described. This engagement has occurred in several stages – foundational planning, awareness and “buy-in”, level of implementation and “scale-up”.]

Foundation for the Proposed Reform: For many years we have known that we were not accomplishing our mission to “… develop and enhance teaching and learning in order to improve academic performance and enable all students to meet their personal, academic, and career goals”. In an effort to do so, strategic planning/district improvement efforts undertaken for at least the last decade have been aimed at reforming education --- particularly secondary education --- in order to ensure that all students graduate with the attitudes, habits, skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in the 21^st century world. We are already undertaking the work required to bring about this reform and these ever-evolving efforts form the framework of the reform initiative outlined in this RTTT-D proposal.

Joplin Schools has had persistently low achievement and high drop out rates for many years (see Appendix *** and section *** of this proposal for data). While data indicate significant improvement in the last few years, previously as many as ¼ of our students were not graduating and many who did graduate were finishing high school unprepared to be successful and prosperous in the world of the 21^st century. These alarming statistics created great concern and a tremendous sense of urgency among educators, parents and our community. We knew that our educational system would not simply "evolve” to meet the changing needs of students, and that the “business of schooling” in Joplin had to change … and change quickly. We realized that we had to radically transform or “re-build” education --- particularly secondary education -- for Joplin Schools. (We did not realize, however, that this “rebuild” would have to occur literally as well!).

We based the need for radical reform on three factors:

• First, regrettably on the data (as outlined above). In a community where a majority of our children and their families face barriers that put them at risk as adults (e.g. poverty, low familial educational completion rates, underemployment and the influences of factors like substance abuse and domestic violence) (see Appendix ***: Kids Count Data) it is vitally important that all young people develop the skills and resilience necessary to overcome these barriers and create brighter futures for themselves and their families. In order to thrive, adults must be resilient, creative, flexible, problem solvers, self-motivated and innovative. They must be able to recognize and overcome circumstances that create challenges. Today’s very competitive job market requires a complex set of marketable skills without which, if there is employment, it is low paying with little chance for advancement. They cannot afford to reach adulthood unprepared to meet their obligations and we, as a society, cannot afford to lose their contributions.

• Secondly, because this is a relatively small, close-knit community we heard the “stories” of our students as they embarked on their journey into adulthood – those who were successful … those who struggled … and those who failed. They told us when and how they were prepared … and when they were not.

• Finally we have studied the literature on the needs of 21^st century citizens (***cite Daggett, etc) and have worked closely with representatives from higher education (e.g. colleges, technical schools, skilled trades entities), city, county and Chamber of Commerce representatives and business and community members to determine not only what they need from our graduates but also how our students “measure up”.

Stakeholder Involvement in the Development of the Foundation for the Proposal: Since 2005, Joplin has hosted two large-scale strategic planning/district improvement plan development cycles. These efforts included students (including those at-risk), teachers, parents, administrators, and business community representatives.

April, 20011:

• The first meeting of this strategic planning session resulted in defining a set of 21^st Century Learning Citizen Skills that would serve as the desired outcomes for graduates (see Appendix *** for description). (These skills included: Collaboration, Communication, Problem Solving, Technology Literacy, Critical Thinking, Flexibility/Adaptability, Interpersonal Interaction, Ethics/Character, Community/Global Awareness and Self-initiated Lifelong Learning).

• This meeting had *** participants drawn from students (including students who were at-risk), teachers and administrators from all grade levels, central office leadership, parents, and business, community and high education representatives.

• It was the consensus of this group that the high school would not only change the emphasis of the content (with the integration of 21^st century skills and an expectation of the mastery of core competencies and key skills at a higher order) but also the way instruction was delivered and experienced. It was recommended that learning be “personalized” to the needs, aptitudes and interests of students, the use of technology as a teaching tool be embraced and new ways to engage and reengage students identified.

• While these recommendations was strongly endorsed by this planning team – which included members of the Board of Education, high school administration and staff, two huge barriers to implementation of proposed reforms were identified --- the extreme overcrowding of the high school which seemed to block efforts to update teaching approaches and the shortage of funding necessary to initiate the enhanced use of technology as a learning tool.

Then … less than a month later an EF-5 tornado destroyed our High School and Technical School.

June 2011

• Three weeks after the tornado, we hosted what had been planned to be the next session of the strategic planning effort (now termed our “Dream Meeting”) to re-navigate a course for the future of secondary education in Joplin. Though the shock and horror of the destruction were still very real, it seemed the group actually took strength from this “opportunity” to dream big and without the constraints of what, less than a month before, had seemed insurmountable obstacles.

• These “Dream Meetings” included people from all of the same groups and added experts from various educational and business organizations such as the International Center for Leadership in Education, Midcontinent Regional Education Laboratory, Leadership and Learning, eMINTS National Center, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Apple. (see Appendix *** for further information)

• The vision of the new Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center that began to emerge from this process can be described as synergistic. It is certainly not the vision of one person but rather a creation that belonged to many. The process involved, as equal voices, educators and non-educators, “Joplinites” and those with expertise who had come from all over the nation to help. The dream to create a more engaging … new … better … different high school experience that prepared students for their personal future was enthusiastically embraced by all.

• As the vision of “what” this “reborn” educational experience would “be” like was clarified (… and strengthened by input from countless other stakeholders) the “how” it would be accomplished loomed large. It was clear that realization of this vision would take the passionate support of all who had a commitment to the future of Joplin’s children. From the first dream meeting to the bond issue campaign all who learned about the vision were excited and ready to help. This was true for the educational consultants and Apple representatives who participated in our meetings at no cost to the district, to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). [Note: The support of our state department was viewed as critical because the new vision requires that we be allowed to pilot new ways and get waivers from specific requirements. In our meetings with our State Supervisor and the Commissioner of Education, we have been encouraged to continue to develop the vision and assured that they support our efforts. Their backing has helped remove barriers that would have blocked creativity.]

Community Stakeholder Involvement in Awareness and “Buy-in”

• The synergy in the community was equally encouraging. As part of the visioning and design process, teams went on site visits to innovative schools across the country. By taking school board members, administrators, teachers and business representatives, different perspectives were melded into one vision. The ideas were brought back to future dream meetings and shared publicly through social media and formal media avenues resulting in excitement across the community. The reform plan (see Appendix *** for Bond Issue Campaign Documentation) was shared at dozens of meetings throughout the community and across the district. Again, input gained through these interactions was used to further shape the dream. The passing of a $62 million dollar bond issue (in a community almost 1/3 destroyed) to build innovative elementary, middle, high and technical schools was clear evidence of the widespread support for the vision and for the future of Joplin’s youth.

• The bond funding was only one source of support for rebuild. It, coupled with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding and insurance proceeds, will provide the funding needed for the innovative educational facilities. Donations from around the world provided the additional support necessary to fund the technological advances. For example, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) donated $1 million dollars for laptops for students, thus allowing us to proceed with the implementation of the 21^st Century educational practices in a 1-1 learning environment.

Stakeholder Involvement in Implementation

As planning was begun for the 2011-2012 school year (less than 90 days after the tornado) a courageous decision was made to move forward with the high school reform initiative. Examples of the immediate actions required by this decision include:

• Implementation of a 24-7 laptop initiative for grades 9-12 that required purchasing and checking out Macbook laptop computers for all students, provision of infrastructure (including school and community internet access for all) and technical support, the design and implementation of training for all students and orientation and support for parents and development of policy and procedures which would govern the initiative.

• Deciding to NOT to replace the $1,000,000 worth of textbooks for grades 9-12 that had been destroyed, but, instead to “fast forward” the use of 21^st century instructional practices (see section *** for description).

• Committing to the development of high level intensive and ongoing professional development for all high school teachers in order to support the immediate implementation of the 1-1 laptop program.

Board of Education “By-in”:

In the midst of a time filled with financial uncertainty and concern, the Joplin Board of Education agreed to provide the support necessary to being the implementation process. They approved the hiring of a) six Career Path Coordinators (examples of their responsibilities include: development of the Career Path curriculum (including its alignment with the requirements of college, careers and work) and its integration with the core academics, facilitation of the development of alternative teaching strategies, determination of the formative (continuous) and summative assessment strategies), three 21^st Century Coaches and three addition tech support personnel.

Stakeholder Involvement in Project Development

Input into the design/development/revision of the Career Pathways model (e.g. curriculum, assessment, teaching approaches, indicators of mastery, use of time, personalized learning components, necessary policies and procedures)

• Using the PLC paradigm and facilitated by the Career Pathways Coordinators, teachers and business representatives from each pathway to meet on an ongoing basis to define what students need to know and be able to do to be successful in specific jobs within each career path.

• Each Department is responsible for reconfiguring their courses to integrate into the pathways. All teachers have input into this process.

• A cross disciplinary group of teachers meets regularly with Career Path leaders to collaborate, recommend, evaluate and provide feedback to the Career Path Curriculum writing teams throughout the process of implementation. The responsibility of this team is to keep the career path implementation aligned with teachers in every step of the process.

• All high school and tech teachers are involved in the implementation.

• Parents and student input is solicited by this team and used in decision-making.

Stakeholder Involvement in Bringing the Model to Scale

As outlined in this proposal, using the Implementing Change model (Hall and Hurd, 2010) three Innovation Configurations will be developed to monitor the progress of implementation and to gain feedback from teachers, parents, students and other stakeholders. These Innovation Configurations will monitor Stages of Concern, Level of Use and Fidelity of Implementation. (see Appendix *** for description and Continuous Monitoring section of this document for further information).

(B)(3) State context for implementation (10 points)

Conditions that Contribute to Successful Implementation of Joplin Schools RTTT-D Proposal

State Commitment to the Basic Principles Underlying this Proposal: Because the broad reform initiatives designed, adopted and being implemented by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) are congruent with those at the heart of district reform efforts (See Appendix ***: Joplin Schools Standards of Excellence and discussion of purpose, mission, goals, e.g. in section *** pg.*** of this document), it is clear that we will not only have the approval to implement all components proposed in this Race to The Top Application, but also the support and encouragement of the state.

The following components demonstrate this shared vision:

• DESE has adopted state goals to ensure that “ … all Missouri students will graduate college and career ready” and “Missouri will prepare, develop and support effective educators”. These goals mirror goals currently adopted by the district and proposed in this RTTT-D application (Appendix*** DESE Goals).

• Top 10 by 20 Initiative. The plan designed to support achievement of these state goals is called the Top 10 by 20 Initiative. This state initiative provides “ …a solid, actionable plan for improving the education provided to all students in the state. The plan provides a road map for raising the bar for academic achievement enabling Missouri to achieve the status as one of the top ten performing states in the country by 2020 (***cite). This comprehensive reform plan:

- measures whether students are prepared for college and careers

- focuses on student growth and gain, rather than absolute test scores

- maintains a commitment to disaggregating data to track whether schools are closing the achievement gap.

The strategic goals included in the plan are supported by specific and measureable objectives that serve as key milestones.

• Adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The Missouri State Board of Education formally adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and these have been aligned with the newly revised state standards (****M0 Academic Core Standards).

- the state has established supports and resources designed to help LEAs and educator preparation institutions in transitioning to college- and career-ready standards

- districts have been directed and are expected to make necessary curricular adjustments by the 2013-14 school year.

• The state has adopted College and Career-Ready Standards for all students. District accountability is determined through measurement and reporting of mastery of these College and Career Readiness Standards.

• Districts are given the authority to develop incentives to maintain Personalized Plans of Study for students in grades 7-12.

• Support for alternative course delivery modes is demonstrated through the establishment virtual public schools in 2006 and the Missouri Virtual Instruction Program (MOVIP) in the 2007. MOVIP was supported to expand the range of content and to provide students access to coursework, such as higher level/AP courses, not offered by their school districts. Missouri is providing guidance to districts so that they understand the availability of these online courses and other in-state distance learning opportunities.

• Data Access

• Missouri’s LEAs will have the option of using or adopting all or portions of the state’s model Educator Evaluation System (or districts may also create and implement their own local system.)

- “… By the 2014-2015 year, districts will establish evaluation processes that align to the essential principles of an effective evaluation system as articulated in the state’s model. Regardless of whether an LEA adopts the state model or implements their own local evaluation process, all LEAs in the state will commit to the essential principles … (see Appendix *** State of Missouri: ESEA Flexibility Request – revised June 27, 2012).

- measures performance against research-based practices aligned to those articulated in the state’s model teacher and leader standards;

- uses of multiple ratings to differentiate levels of performance;

- highlights a probationary period of adequate duration which results in sufficient induction and socialization support for new teachers and leaders;

- uses measures of student growth in learning as a significant part of the evaluation of professional practice at all levels and ensures an inability to receive a proficient or distinguished rating in educator performance if student growth is low;

- provides ongoing, regular, timely and meaningful feedback on performance; includes standardized and ongoing training for evaluators;

- uses evaluation results to inform decisions, determinations and policy regarding personnel.

Autonomy to Successfully Implement the Plan Under State Legal, Statutory and Regulatory Requirements: The state has in place several regulatory components that provide the flexibility and autonomy necessary to implement the district’s RTTT-D proposed plan.

• Section 161.210, RSMo that gives the SBE the authority to waive or modify any administrative rule it has adopted or policy implemented by the Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education.

• Senate Bill 291 established the “School Flex Program” which allows for the use of flexible time and scheduling to create an incentive for potential dropouts to stay in school part-time and keep working toward a diploma. This legislation allows districts to develop and put in place alternatives to the traditional school day/seat time model, thus allowing the district to define evidence of mastery of the required core competencies in a manner that is individualized and aligned with students’ personalized plans of study.

• The State Board of Education is authorized to waive or modify administrative rules, should there be a need to request this in regard to issues with individualized learning opportunities.

Joplin School Board's commitment to develop and implement policy that directly supports personalized learning within the district.: The Joplin School Board has demonstrated support for the reform efforts outlined in the RTTT-D proposal by:

• Active participation in and adoption of the Joplin Schools Standards of Excellence. (see Appendix ***).

• Approval for funding for additional personnel deemed necessary to design and begin implementation of the Career Pathways program (see Appendix *** for job descriptions and activities of 21^st Century Coaches and Career Pathway Coordinators).

(what else belongs here???)

(B)(4)(b) Letters of Support

There were ** letter of support provided with this project. Of these ** letters of support from teachers, ** letters of support from administrators, ** letters of support from business partners, ** letters of support from students and parents, ** letters of support from other stakeholders.

Excerpts from Letters of Support

…. “Thank you for the opportunity to offer some insight on the Joplin metropolitan area employment market, today and for the foreseeable future. In particular, I appreciate the opportunity to provide this insight in relation to the Joplin Schools effort to develop a 21st century learning environment built around career paths and career clusters.

In reading through the Career Path & Cluster information provided by the Missouri Center for Career Education, I am impressed with the approach and how a learning environment based on the Career Path concepts can give the members of the next generation a way to pursue their passions, without closing the door to future educational and/or career choices. I also note this approach stresses engagement with the employer community and economic development. This engagement will be critical for the success of Career-based learning in the Joplin Schools and in the success of students and our businesses going forward.

However, the reality for Joplin, our region, and our states is that the jobs of the future are already here. They will utilize more technology, more thinking and more creativity and less “hands”, but we already have great jobs in this area and can get more IF there is a workforce with the skills to do them.” Rob O’Brian, President, Chamber of Commerce

… “I have been very impressed over the years as I have watched the Joplin school system strive to give the best education possible to the residents of Joplin. In recent months I have been even more impressed as I have learned about a new and innovative approach to teaching through the Career Pathways initiative.” -- Tom Nutt, Director of Operations, Good News Productions International

… “I can guarantee you that your investment in the Joplin Schools with a Race to the Top Grant will reap a huge dividend -- a generation of students discovering a successful career path that they can pursue with purpose and passion . . . By addressing the needs of academics and technology as well as engaging each student in a decision the Joplin administration has put forth a best possible process scenario that leads to not only a more focused education but also provides hands on experience. You have before you an incredible plan that will elevate the potential of moving every young person towards a successful career with purpose and passion.” --Andy Hansen, President, Christ in Youth

…”I witnessed first hand the determination this district put forth after the May 2011tornado to get our kids back to school, and I was a strong supporter of the proposition that recently passed which provided the tax funds to rebuild Joplin Schools better than ever.” -- Ryan Spriggs, Walgreen’s Manager

“As a member of the Bright Futures advisory board for the R-8 system, (another innovative student oriented program), I see the passion from the entire district for the most important resource we have: the children. The students have always been, and always will be, the focal point of the school district and community. This is why I wholeheartedly recommend the Joplin R-8 School District for this grant.” –Larry Warren, President, Atlas Risk Management

…”Throughout the rebuilding process, they have looked at cutting edge methods and programs to address all types of educational needs. I whole-heartedly believe that the Career Pathways initiative, which will merge Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center, is the most effective direction they can take. I am very happy to recommend them for this grant.” -- Cindy Langford, Executive Director, Connections Case Management

…”Th e Joplin Area Ch amber of Commerce has been a community partner for over 25 years with the Joplin Schools through our collaborations involving students from the elementary grades through high school. Our partnerships include tutoring programs, leadership programs and youth outreach and mentoring programs. We will actively support the new initiatives and programs developed through this grant.” -- Cary Beasley, Workforce Development Manager, Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce

… “The Joplin School personnel have demonstrated the highest levels of commitment to the task and to excellence. It is evident that they would make the very best use of any resources that may be available through receiving a grant and that it would be a worthy investment in our students and in our community.” -- Greg Hafer, Executive Vice President, Ozark Christian College

… “I understand and value the tax dollar, and I believe Joplin Schools is a great investment.”—Kenny Neal, Owner/President Midland Erector Company

… “I am very excited and honored that I live in a community that has a school district that shows a commitment to the growth of our community.” – Shelly Kraft, Kraft Insurance Company

… “Joplin Schools has proven their ability to implement major improvements and creative use of resources. The entire community was witness to this resourcefulness and determination in the summer of 2011 when Joplin students returned to "business as usual" on the first day of school.” Chad Greer, Corner, Greer and Associates

… “What the Joplin schools have done following the tornado has been amazing to witness. Although, lives were forever changed, what has followed shows what a community and volunteers can accomplish with hard work and God's blessing.” – Scott Clayton, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity

… “The needs of the country's workforce are constantly evolving, and as a result, schools need to be creative in their use of resources to meet this ever-changing demand. The Career Pathways initiative between Joplin High School and Franklin Technology Center is one such program that will help give our students the ability to contribute to the needs of our community as valuable members of our workforce, whatever those needs may look like in the future.” -- Sam Anselm Assistant City Manager, City of Joplin

(See Appendix ** for Letters of Support)

(C) Preparing Students for College and Careers

(C)(1)(a&b) Plan for Improving Learning, Teaching and Leading by Personalizing the Learning Environment in Order to Prepare all Students for College and Careers

What We Hope to Accomplish

Upon implementation of the proposed model, all Joplin High School students will receive extensive personalized, “real-world” experiences that will equip them to successfully pursue their post-high school aspirations. They will not only successfully complete high school with a solid foundation of literacy, numeracy and thinking skills but also with an understanding of their individual career interests and aptitudes and the intrinsic motivation and work ethic necessary to assume their roles as successful adults --- lifelong learners, workers and responsible citizens. This high school experience will blend opportunities to “learn-by-doing”, cutting-edge technological instruction and more traditional “face-to-face” approaches that are personalized for each student and are determined based on student need and interest instead of a “one-size-fits-all.”

In order to accomplish this we will ensure that we have in place a system that engages and supports all learners (particularly those who struggle). This system will encompass high quality instructional strategies designed to develop and as necessary accelerate and/or intensify learning strategies designed to meet the needs of individuals, continuous assessment that not only pinpoints needs but demonstrates the effectiveness of instruction, provide opportunities to think, problem-solve, create, experience and take responsibility for one’s own learning. Students will have access to rigorous standards, a variety of instructional approaches, technological learning tools, on-going and regular feedback and accommodations as needed. Mechanisms and supports will be in place to provide for the development of skills students will need to maximize their educational experience.

Approach to Implementing Instructional Strategies for All Secondary Students

Our plan for improving learning and teaching by personalizing the learning environment in order to provide all students the support to graduate college and career ready includes the following components:

q Personalized learning paced to the individual needs of each student will form the basis of the proposed model. Each student, whatever their initial skill level, will be helped to achieve her potential through a wide range of resources and strategies appropriate for her learning style, abilities, and interests, as well as social, emotional, and physical situation. A learning plan will be tailored to learning preferences and interests of each student. Fixed time, place, curriculum and pacing will not determine content or expected outcomes, instead the student’s educational path, curriculum, instruction, and schedule will be personalized to meet unique needs, inside and outside of school.

q A “blended learning model” that will allow us to “reinvent” the effective and efficient use of teacher time and talent and allow for greater student engagement and self-initiative. Students will be allowed to progress at their own pace, based on mastery not “seat time”.

- Students will still receive some of their instruction through face-to-face interaction with teachers, others providing educational experiences (e.g. internships and other applied experiences) and with peers in structured (though carefully designed) learning environments. When and which instruction will be delivered in this way will be determined by the desired outcome, not by the constraints of time, facility, policy or teacher preference. Other instruction will be delivered online or through other high-quality digital content. This online content – perhaps 50% of the instructional delivery -- will be developed by our teachers and 21^st century instructional coaches (using Blackboard or other avenues) with the support and collaboration of our business and post-secondary education partners.

q The use of modern learning technologies will provide opportunities for student/teacher interactions that are more instructionally meaningful (e.g. facilitation, collaborative problem-solving, mentoring and modeling creativity and ingenuity).

- This use of technology will allow students the opportunity to participate in anytime/anyplace learning and to access widely varied engaging learning content, resources and opportunities.

- Because they have proven themselves to be such powerful and motivating tools, social media milieu, such as Face Book, Twitter and Blogging, will be used to enhance and facilitate instruction

q A Career Pathways Course of Study framework will provide a structure for our model. It will give all students the opportunity to select a career area of interest and to gain, while acquiring all the rigorous core knowledge, understanding and 21^st century skills, a “head start” toward post-secondary education or toward lucrative employment. The focus on career paths was one of the early agreements of the Dream Team. They clearly believed that high school doesn’t need to be a “hoop to jump through”, but, rather, should assist students in achieving their future. The disengagement of high school students was believed to be directly related to a lack of interest and relevancy of high school to their lives. The idea that we can capture the passion of students by involving them in things they believe are relevant to their success as they enter high school was important in the creation of the model.

Five career paths were identified after reviewing various other models. There career paths were identified by looking at research on future job predictions as well as working with the area Workforce Investment Board and Chamber of Commerce to identify employment needs in Joplin. The career paths are:

· Health Sciences (anticipated to be the largest area of future need)

· Technical Sciences

· Arts and Communication

· Human Services

· Business/Technology

How would this work?

- All Joplin students entering high school will declare a career path for their future.

- Students may exercise their right to change career paths if they so choose.

- Each career path will have multiple pathways for students, so that no matter what level of entry into their career path, all students will leave college and career ready.

- Every career path will include pathways from:

§ high school to work (leave high school with certifications for entry level jobs).

§ high school to technical college (articulated agreements will be developed).

§ high school to four-year college programs (including AP and Dual Credit classes).

§ high school to ivy league universities (Rich opportunities for AP and Dual Credit classes).

q All students will meet required state standards (Common Core Standards) for high school graduation. This approach will differ from current practice in that the personalized learning needs of each students will dictate the scope and sequence of learning, not an adopted textbook or curriculum. Mastery of rigorous standards will be embedded within courses as well as offered in new and different ways. Each path may embed the standards differently in order to focus on key learning that is more important for the career focus of those students. This scope and sequence of learning for each student, as stated above, will be rigorous and equivalent for all students, and will be personalized to each student’s interests, aptitudes, aspirations and readiness level.

q Opportunities for students to accelerate through courses will be available so that students are empowered to take charge of their education and will be able to open doors to opportunities related to their interests. The courses that are available for acceleration will be dependent upon the career path they have identified.

Acceleration can occur by:

- Combined subject courses (for example: one course earning both communication arts and social science credit).

§ Which courses are able to be combined will be dependent upon the career path selected (for example students interested in arts and communication path may spend more time in courses related to the career path by enrolling in combined courses for science and math)

- CLEP or “opt-out”

- Completing self-paced online courses to meet learning styles, student needs and/or to free-up time for courses of deeper interest.

- Demonstrating proficiency through assessment to avoid enrolling in the course at all.

q The way time is spent in high school will be quite different. Instead of 7 period days that are the always the same, students will be provided options and thus will be empowered to choose how, when and where they learn best. Students will learn time management skills because a typical school day won’t be typical, rather it will vary from week to week depending upon enrollment.

- A decision has been made to throw out our assumptions about how time must be allocated and spent in high school. Instead we are asking “why”:

… Why do we think it takes the same number of minutes to learn algebra and biology? Or art appreciation? …

… Why should the desired learning not determine the time needed for a course?

… Where and when does the “traditional high school schedule” fit in … does it?

- Time spent face-to-face in class or online will be determined by the learning objectives allowing the class format to change from week to week depending upon the topic.

- The school day won’t be confined to 8-3; instead when students are “doing school” will vary from one student to the next depending on their learning plan.

o For example, a student enrolled in the human services path might have a senior internship working in one of the higher end restaurants during the evening.

o It’s even possible that students may have online internships with international companies.

q Other opportunities will be available for students who elect to put forth the effort. This includes the opportunity to earn credit by demonstrating competency rather than “playing the school game” (… by attending class for enough hours and doing enough schoolwork to pass the class). Instead, students might review a preparatory book and take an assessment to earn credit much like a driver’s test. In the health sciences path, students might be afforded this opportunity for art appreciation or other courses that are less critical to success in the health sciences path.

q By changing the “school game” to a competency-based approach, students can move through courses based on their learning instead of seat time. The personalized learning approach allows students to understand the relationship between their commitment to their high school responsibilities, their choices and the consequent outcome. All students will continue to be required to pass state-required curriculum for high school graduation, but how they do so will be their choice ranging from traditional courses, online courses, blended courses, independent study with assessment for mastery, etc. By increasing effort in required courses or in courses with less direct impact on their career path, they can increase opportunities for choices related to their selected career path including internships or additional courses in their field of choice. Students will be empowered to achieve certifications or preparation for the “high school plus” education needed to achieve their dreams. The dream team contends that this student empowerment model will be motivating to students because they will be in courses related to their future every year of high school while being in control of how much time they spend focusing on that career. This is anticipated to improve persistence to graduation because school will be relevant to the students’ and their dreams.

q This different model will require a change to graduation requirements. Some requirements are set by law including how many credits in each area, etc. We have realized that, as a school district, we are empowered to determine at what point credit is awarded. This provides the flexibility for our model. However, credits and completion of a specific number of courses are not synonymous. We haven’t yet finalized how this model will change, but we recognize that we will need to make some major adjustments. (See section *** for state department support for implementation of this plan).

q Why implement for everyone …. and at the same time? Making the foundational decision to create a career path model was an early and easy choice. For years our community had expressed great interest in developing closer ties between the high school curriculum and the world of work. Employers told us, far too often, that there was a gap between the skills our graduates were demonstrating and those that were needed at work or in postsecondary education. However, as we studied the literature and attended site visits at career academy schools, we realized the model we envisioned was not what we were seeing or reading about. We wanted all --- 2,200 students in our large, comprehensive high school --- to be afforded this opportunity, not just those “lucky” enough to get into a career academy! Furthermore, every student in these academy programs had the same required courses, while we wanted out students to have individualized choices.

We still have many things to plan, but we are committed to this opportunity for every student attending Joplin High School. The Dream Team worked through the questions about whether kids really could choose a career path as they enter high school. It was determined that we would allow for a personalized approach but making a selection was required.

q Including the middle schools: To prepare our eighth graders for such an important decision, the middle schools will be implementing a program that ensures that students gain information on each career path. We hypothesize that many of our students (65% of which come from poverty) make decisions about their future based on what family and friends, community helpers or superstars do in their careers. The career exploration will begin in sixth grade with a focus on self (their personal strengths), seventh grade will stretch into aptitudes and interests, as well as learning styles and approaches. In eighth grade, they will study each career path in depth to be prepared to make decisions about which area they would like to focus in high school. The decisions needed for high school enrollment will be personalized with a student-parent-middle school teacher-high school teacher conference to create a four-year plan.

Students who are ambiguous about their future will analyze their preferences in core academics to get some direction for a path. Each path will have introductory courses that will help students understand their options so that, as they move ahead, more precision can be applied to their course plans. The freshman experience will provide opportunities to visit with adults with careers in the various pathways in order to provide a better understanding of the career options. We believe that this approach will provide our students with a greater variety of career options and a more realistic understanding of the future workplace. This, we hope, will result in more students selecting careers that will bring happiness as well as fewer students changing majors during college. Additionally, we anticipate some of our students working through certification programs that will provide a wage, which will support them as they work their way through college. For example, a student might become certified as an EMT in high school so that he can work to pay for medical school or law school or any other college program he desires. The design is empowering particularly for students from poverty … it allows students and their families to understand that they can break the poverty cycle and become contributing members of society.

q Competency Based Curriculum: The next step is the development of the program of study and course curriculum for each career path and career pathway. This will be merged with the state required high school and career competencies to build a seamless model characterized by student choices. Each career pathway program will be developed by advisory groups including educators, community and college representatives.

q implementation of the Model: A team composed of a facilitator and a coordinator for each path will lead this process. The facilitator will be an educator responsible for ensuring the curriculum and programs of study developed will work across paths (to allow students to change and personalize) and that the required curriculum is included. The six Career Path Coordinators will come from business and industry so that they can be the liaison between education and the “real world” in order to ensure that the program developed really prepares students for their future. These relationships will also be important in working with the community for internship opportunities as well as for creating an authentic audience for student projects.

The curriculum development process will be accomplished during the 2012-13 school year. A phase-in implementation plan will be established to prepare students to begin in the new high school in the fall of 2014. By that time, the full options of courses for each path program of study as well as specifically defined competencies will be established. The process utilized to develop these will be very organic and will involve both education and business/industry in the decision-making.

q Personalized Student Journey – Support and Counseling for the Career Pathways: Each student will belong to a career path. Within that path, we plan to create a web of support to help him navigate through the process that will become his high school experience. This will include both adult and peer connections as well as the ability for the student to monitor grades and progress through the internet. An Academic Advisor from the career path will be assigned to each student. This will be a consistent person who will be with the student throughout the four-year journey. Each advisor will be responsible for a group of students at various stages throughout their high school career. Then within those groups, older students will be assigned to mentor younger students. They will be sharing in the role of ensuring that every student is successful. We currently have a peer-mentoring program in our high school. We will build upon this to enhance it to provide personalized support for students. Teachers will act as academic advisors. High school counselors and business volunteers will be trained to provide the mentoring and support as needed by students. When necessary specialists from Vocational Rehabilitation and Work Force Investment will be solicited. Assuring this support will be an integral component of the model.

Students will have multiple opportunities to gain feedback on their progress. Much of that will be technology-based. The continuous feedback process will have the following components;

- Student self-awareness and self-direction is an integral component of this approach.

m in elementary school, all students will be taught to take responsibility for monitoring and problem-solving about their own progress – both on academic and “soft” work/study/behavior skills. They will learn to recognize, monitor and take ownership of their own engagement, effort and motivation.

m Students will use technology (e.g. hand-held recording devises) and activities such as peer mentoring, self-monitoring (video-taping and analyzing activities), teacher, advisor, parent and business mentoring to analyze progress toward goals and to plan future directions.

m They will maintain portfolios and will be able to communicate their strengths, aspirations, etc.

m The intent is to teach students to become responsible for their choices through appropriate time management. The high school system will be much like college when students are free to make choices, the difference is that through this program there will be a gradual release instead of going from a traditional high school of control to full freedom. This model provides for the gradual empowerment of students with more and more freedom and less and less monitoring as they move through high school. Parents will also have access to information about their student through the web. This will include attendance, behavior, grades, etc. We believe this approach will better prepare students for the world beyond high school when choices are many and failure is very real. By creating a system with a net to catch students when they begin to fail, we can reteach and support students in learning the life skills of time management and putting forth your best effort. This gradual release will bridge the gap that currently exists between high school that operates on control of students and college that is the ultimate freedom.

- Technology will also be used to support the extremely complex scheduling and resource allocation this model will require. Teacher time, space, materials, etc. can be managed in this way.

m Real-time personalized approaches to communication, far beyond email, will allow teachers, students, parents and community members to overcome barriers that have always interfered with effective collaboration and interaction on behalf of students.

m For example, we have already created a rough prototype of an app that could be developed to help students monitor their changing routine so that their calendar is populated with choices and they can plug in the times they choose to attend face-to-face classes.

m Advisors will meet individually with each advisee at least biweekly and more frequently if progress needs to be monitored more closely. The app will assist with alerts and a robust system of time management.

- Technology will also allow for the efficient and effective collection, analysis and use of large amounts of data. Data can be used both retrospectively and predictively to support problem-solving and “in time” decision-making.

(C)(2) Teaching and Leading: Helping Educators Improve Instruction and Increase Capacity to Support Student Progress

Approach to Ensuring that all Educators Improve their Capacity to Provide High Quality Instruction

Our plan for improving teaching and leading will be based on the provision of high quality professional development, sufficient resources – including technology – and a supportive infrastructure (administration, policy, practice and support for overcoming barriers to learning). This model includes the following components:

q New ways of teaching. In addition to new teaching strategies and methodologies, teachers will become experts at demonstrating in their teaching the same 21^st century skills they are expecting of their students. These “teaching skills” have formed (and will form) the basis for ongoing staff development that is primarily provided collaboratively and job-embedded by instructional coaches.

Teaching will look like:

- Time, space and resources will be managed in order to allow the teacher to move fluidly and flexibly from the role of coach to direct instruction provider to resource provider. Much of the “mental work” previously left to the teacher (e.g. researching, analyzing, experimenting, collaborating, evaluating and communicating) will be done by the students.

- Students will have access to all the necessary “learning tools” … lab equipment, technology, internet access.

- There will be a good balance of direct teacher-led instruction, on-line instruction, collaborative discovery, individual research and exploratory learning throughout the project.

- The pace and degree of challenge will not be pre-established, but will be flexible and personalized. The type/amount of instruction necessary for students to master competencies will be individually determined.

- Teachers were provided additional support for this implementation through 21^st century coaches as well as additional software purchases to ease the transition. Blackboard, a program utilized by many area colleges and universities, was purchased as a management tool for their technology-based instruction. A new curriculum database was purchased to help teachers develop their curriculum as a living guide for their teaching. Significant training was also provided by John Kuglin on technology integration.

q High Quality Professional Development. Professional development will be provided collaboratively and job-embedded by instructional coaches.

Instructional Coaches (TLCs)

• For several years we have had 12 instructional coaches who have focused on the development of skills teachers will need to successfully teach 21^st century learners. These instructional coaches work in each building “shoulder to shoulder “ with teachers to improve instruction in order to better meet the needs of students. Teachers have:

- been asked to stretch their own beliefs and “certainties” about what students should learn, what and how they should teach and how and when students should be able to demonstrate this capability.

- learned the importance of engaging and motivating diverse students and have gained strategies for doing so.

- provided instruction that ensures students master a rigorous and relevant core curriculum.

- learned to formatively (periodically) assess and sculpt learning, providing evidence that the student is developing the necessary understandings and skill proficiencies.

- learned to implement personalized learning environments and strategies

- learned to adapt content and instruction to allow students to work collaboratively.

21^st Century Coaches

• Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year we added three “21^st Century Coaches” who were charged with enhancing the development of the 21^st Century skills as well as supporting the implementation of the 1-to-1 Initiative. Five “tech savvy” teachers were pulled from classroom duties to fill this role. They were each charged with supporting a cadre of 25 teachers with the implementation of a “textbookless” technology-based teaching model. (See Appendix *** for the history of the development of “technology as an instructional tool” in the Joplin district)

They have:

- Developed expertise in managing new kinds of classroom dynamics, supporting both individuals and teams of students working independently.

- Learned to effectively and efficiently use technology to expand, organize and deepen expertise and to help apply knowledge and skills to new and more complex learning challenges.

- Provided complex management (including monitoring, scheduling and pacing) that allows for personalization.

Teacher and Principal Evaluation

Joplin Schools current teacher and principal evaluation systems were updated for the 2010-2011 school year. In order to align with the new Missouri Educator Evaluation System, developed as articulated in the NCLB Waiver, it will be revised again and in place by the 2014-2015 school year This evaluation system will be based on the following set of assumptions:

• When the evaluation system provides accurate, reliable data identifying growth opportunities in educator performance, then focused feedback and learning can be applied, which generates growth.

• When focused feedback and learning address specific growth opportunities, then improved educator performance can be validated and replicated.

• When improved educator performance is validated and replicated, then an aligned and effective system will produce improved student performance.

As required, the system will be based on the Missouri model and will align with the seven essential principles of effective evaluation (Missouri’s Educator Evaluation System, 2012). The essential principles are those particular research-based practices and components associated with effective evaluative processes. An evaluation process is effective if it helps to improve educator practice. The seven principles include:

• Measuring performance based on research-based and proven practices

• Using differentiated levels of performance

• Highlighting the probationary period as a significant time of intensive support

• Including measures of growth in student learning as evidence of performance

• Providing regular, timely and meaningful feedback on performance

• Including standardized and ongoing training for evaluators

• Using evaluation results to inform employment decisions and policy

D. LEA Policy and Infrastructure

Practices, policies, and rules that facilitate personalized learning by—

(a) The central office structure is carefully organized to provide support and services to all schools principals, school leadership teams and central office meet frequently for the purpose of communication and implementation of programming. All staff development is based around these identified needs. The Board is committed to support these efforts.

(b) All school leadership teams (PLC’s) that have been functioning for many years. They work hand-in-hand with the school and central office leadership to ensue the effective implementation of school reform. They influence all decisions – including scheduling, staffing, resource usage roles and responsibilities and budgets (c) Giving students the opportunity to progress and earn credit based on demonstrated mastery, not the amount of time spent on a topic;

(e) Providing learning resources and instructional practices that are adaptable and fully accessible to all students, including students with disabilities and English learners.

(D)(2) LEA and school infrastructure

As described elsewhere in this proposal the district supports personalized learning by—

(a), all participating students, parents, educators and other stakeholders have access to necessary content, tools, and other learning resources both in and out of school.

This is demonstrated by …

- 1to1 access for all students

- wireless internet accessibility that is readily available

(b) As outlined in other sections of this proposal, training and support is available for all students, parents, educators, and other stakeholders (through a range of strategies (e.g., peer support, online support, or local support)

As a result of this proposed project we will incorporate into the development of a powerful data management system the following components required by the project.

(a) Information technology systems that allow parents and students to export their information in an open data format and to use the data in other electronic learning systems (e.g., electronic tutors, tools that make recommendations for additional learning supports, or software that securely stores personal records); and

(e) We will develop interoperable data systems e.g., systems that include human resources data, student information data, budget data, and instructional improvement system data.

Data Management Plan

We must put in place an integrated data management system that will:

a) facilitate data mining to ensure periodic formative assessment of student growth and success and help teachers and principals determine how they can improve instruction and outcomes … for individuals, schools and the district;

b) provide both retrospective and predictive analytical capacity designed for program improvement, resource allocation and support for determining effectiveness;

c) allow easily accessed, readily available visualizations (e.g. dash boards tied to desired outcomes, standards, etc.) and analysis of data for the purpose of communication with stakeholders and for district, community and national strategic planning;

d) create a system that allow parents and students to export their information in an open data format and to use the data in other electronic learning systems (e.g., electronic tutors, tools that make recommendations for additional learning supports, or software that securely stores personal records); and

e) ensure interoperable district data systems (e.g., systems that include human resources data, student information data, budget data, and instructional improvement system data). The system will provide easy (yet secure) access – as appropriate -- to teachers, administrators, parents and the community.

Assumptions

• It is essential that we have in place a highly effective, integrated data management system that effectively and efficiently meets our needs.

• Because we believe that timely, informed decision-making is the key to effective problem-solving and systemic improvement, it is essential that we have a data management system that is actually a tool and not just a repository of isolated historical data sets.

Long Term Goal By the end of the grant …

By the end of the grant period, 100% of school teams will report that the use of data for progress monitoring and decision-making has “improved’ or “significantly improved” building achievement for “all students” and for “subgroups”.

By the end of the grant, there will be a 25% increase (over baseline) in percentage of teachers who report “significant use” of data-based decision-making in personalizing learning for individual students.

By the end of the grant, quarterly Innovation Configuration data from all buildings will demonstrate progress on key implementation indicators.

Current Status

• Currently we have been working to determine and teach our staff to use the data management capacity of our Student Information System – Infinite Campus (SIS). We can develop ad hoc reports and analyses and can look at building data longitudinally.

• We are using the data dashboard system and have created readily accessible (on our website) “real time” data snap shots for targeted district outcomes

• We have computerized standards-based diagnostic systems for communication arts and math (e.g. Acuity, AimsWeb, Read 180), but these systems are all separate and non-interactive.

• We have created a behavior tracking system and a rudimentary “early warning system” (similar to the PBIS/SWIS system) within our SIS.

• We have a Parent Portal that allows parents immediate access to certain information on their students.

• We are creating, in collaboration with our area mental health system a “texting system” that will allow for immediate access and reporting capability for students struggling with social/emotional issues.

Activities for Meeting Objectives

• We will develop capacity for our current Student Information System. We will collaborate with the producer to develop the capacity to integrate data across functions (student information, HR, food service, health, special education, etc).

• We will analyze our current system, develop a plan which will allow for the acquisition (revision of current of purchase of new) system that will enable us to collect and use data on students from preschool through higher education (e.g., have the ability to track where a recent high school graduate attends college).

• We will develop/find a system that will provide continuous feedback using formative quantitative (e.g. grades, test score, benchmark and progress monitoring indicators), qualitative (e.g. student self-assessment “benchmarks”, portfolio information, employability and internship “report cards”) and output data (student access of applications, log-in time, modules attempted/completed).

• We will acquire interactive scheduling instructional management system that will allow for the analysis of data and then will “map” suggested “next steps” (e.g. suggest interventions, pair appropriate learning experiences with needs of individual and/or groups of students, schedule time, place, resources). This system will allow for the development and monitoring of personalized learning plans without the teacher time and paperwork currently required.

- The system will track progress toward proficiency for individual students (e.g. establish when cred it earned, grades, etc.)

- The system will act as a planning tool for students, teachers, parents and mentors to determine “next steps” toward goals.

- Provide teachers and students with planning tools (e.g. support with calendaring, time management, resource identification)

- As a transition tool, teachers and other educators will be able to immediately develop “snap shots” of students. (transferring into the district, demonstrating difficulty, etc.) They could, with appropriate compliance with FERPA, be shared with others district (as a student transfers out) and with other agencies that might be supporting the student/family.

(E) Continuous Improvement

(E) (1) Continuous Evaluation Process

This project was developed with the input of school and district administrators, teachers, university and college personnel and community and business leaders.. These individuals will be invited to serve on the Advisory Committee that will oversee the implementation of this grant. Parents and business partners will be recruited to participate on the Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee will meet on a regular basis to provide oversight and leadership to the project. Each building will provide input to the Advisory Committee. In addition, all project staff will meet will meet monthly with Building Leadership Teams to discuss services and grant activities. Project staff are active members of each school’s faculty and will collaborate in all PLC activities. They will actively solicit feed back which will be shared with project team staff and will be used for program improvement. The district will develop and, by the end of the grant , will be able to use their expanded data management system for decision-making.

The Project Manager, with the Data Manager will establish an ongoing continuous evaluation process. To help ensure the evaluation is utilized, the evaluator will meet with the program administrators quarterly and with the advisory committee semi-annually to review the evaluation findings. This will help stakeholders monitor progress toward outcomes of the Project, and to review process evaluation findings that identify success and gaps in the implementation process. The evaluator will help facilitate discussion and decision-making on improvements in program implementation and impact based on the data. Other key evaluation components will include:

¨ The Project manager will facilitate an Advisory Committee discussion at the beginning of the grant. A critical outcome of this meeting is to help stakeholders identify program goals and objectives and develop important measures that will clarify program strengths and weaknesses periodically, and facilitate decision-making about changes that will improve the program.

¨ After this evaluator -facilitated Advisory Committee meeting, the evaluator will prepare a draft of a system-change model, then revise and refine it working with program administrators. This will be the template for the final formative evaluation plan.

¨ The district data coordinator will work with the district database to provide data to building administration as well as program administrators at regular intervals as well as at their request.

The budget part of the Race to the Top request can be found at this link.

15 comments:

Anonymous9:32 AM
Do they need PT after such vigorous patting of their own backs? Such blatant opportunism is unbelievable. Despicable people.
Anonymous9:33 AM
Looks like Angie is trying to push ahead of CJ. That's called a lose-lose situation.
Anonymous9:38 AM
The current status is that the Joplin School District is only ahead of one district in this area according to DESE stats. And the high school is around 20th out of 25 schools its size in the state. It was all much better before the current super and his wondrous asst. came along. But the Board keeps rehiring them no matter how bad things are. They like that tornado hero story way too much.
Anonymous9:41 AM
What a nauseating narrative. This is a professional document? I bet she wrote it herself.
Anonymous12:13 PM
It is a powerfully flawed vision that isn't working. They don't have a thing to worry about though. To stop it the board would have to admit that they were wrong to believe the story and that will never happen, no matter who gets fired or how poorly the students are doing. It's one big freaking mess now.
Anonymous12:20 PM
And the district's grant writer gets paid how much to produce crappy documents like this? Your tax dollars at work.
Anonymous12:50 PM
The question remains to be answered: If they're paying for this stuff now, what are they using for funds? Is this why we must cut corners on the construction that we are paying higher taxes for? I didn't agree to use that money on trips and nonsense. It was for construction and unused funds were to be returned to the taxpayers, We need answers. The administrators can pretend to ignore the question here, but we all know they read this. We'll keep asking, one way or another, until we get answers.
Anonymous1:00 PM
Yeah, the teachers were so happy about what they accomplished that almost half of them left. Sounds like a full endorsement to me.
Anonymous3:02 PM
It's a toxic work environment. Nothing changes because no one is brave enough to protest. You either go along with them or you leave. It doesn't matter if what they want to do is right or not or even legal. You just better conform or be victimized. No one should have to work like that.
Anonymous6:25 PM
By moving to a competency model, they are saying that the content of courses is irrelevant. You'd have to expect that from heartless egomaniacs, but as a parent, I want more for my children than the minimal expectations of competency so they can go play in a lab. I want them to have a rich, full education in which they learn about cultures and languages and their fellow humans. If I want them simply to be trained for a job, I'll send them to a vocational school. It is sad to part with JHS, but we will if this plan is what we face for our children. Let's face it, the poor quality of writing in this document is what will be considered adequate under a competency plan. That isn't acceptable for us. We want more for our children.
Anonymous7:59 PM
6:25 you have written the most educated response I have read yet...thank you
Mike Glodo8:16 PM
English as a tertiary language. What crap. Incomprehensible blather.

NB another model. http://www.wired.com/business/2013/10/free-thinkers/

Anonymous3:06 AM
I don't understand everything that has happened to this school district. I gave up trying to communicate with anyone from administration or the Board of Education. I would really like to know what it would take to stop this downward spiral. As a taxpayer, and as a citizen of this community, I am greatly concerned with what I am reading and hearing. How do we stop this? I'm hoping suggestions for people will be posted. If local authorities are not responding to us, where do we go next?
Anonymous3:26 AM
What an incredible piece of self-serving tripe! The truly alarming aspect of this is that I believe they do see themselves as our saviours. I have news for you, Angie and CJ, my family and neighborhood are not downtrodden and do not need our schools revamped in your image. You are not heroes. You are opportunists who have surrounded yourselves with those who will flatter you rather than speak the truth. It truly is time for all of us who are able to stand up for our children and our community and demand better than this.
Anonymous7:19 PM
If I'm reading this right it looks like the new managers get an automatic 3% raise per year. It takes teachers around three years to get that much of a raise if they stay in Joplin. Makes you feel special, doesn't it? Nothing like getting a letter telling you that your raise equals nothing in your check, but these new pets get things a whole lot better right off the bat.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Joplin R-8 Administrators to federal government: Our vision saved Joplin after tornado

Background

15 comments: