The state-led Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is seeking a second round of public comment on the Model Content Frameworks for English Language Arts (ELA)/Literacy as part of an on-going development process to ensure the frameworks meet the needs of educators, curriculum directors and school leaders.

In November 2011, PARCC released Model Content Frameworks to inform item development and to support implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). That release was based on multiple rounds of feedback, including a public comment period in August 2011. Now that the frameworks have been in the field for several months, PARCC is again looking for the education community to provide feedback on the frameworks in order to clarify any language or make any necessary corrections.

The initial public review resulted in a number of conceptual changes in the frameworks, which are detailed through a recorded webinar and presentations at www.parcconline.org/parcc-content-frameworks.

The public can download the PARCC Model Content Frameworks for ELA/Literacy in PDF format. 

The public comment survey for ELA/Literacy will be open until Friday, June 27, 2012. Users can access the feedback survey at www.parcconline.org. PARCC will revise the frameworks during the month of July with the goal of releasing final versions later this summer. Once the frameworks are final, PARCC will hold public webinars to walk through the changes. Information about the webinars will be available on the PARCC website later this summer. 

PARCC also will seek public comment on the Model Content Frameworks for Mathematics, including updates to the frameworks for high school, starting June 25.

Read more information about PARCC on their website at www.parcconline.org/about-parcc. 

Secretary Duncan and the U.S. Department of Education recently announced a new Race to the Top District (RTT-D) competition, one that is aimed at the classroom level with a focus on the relationship between teachers and students. 

The proposed competition offers nearly $400 million in grants and invites school districts to create plans for individualized classroom instruction aimed at closing achievement gaps and preparing each student for college and career. The department anticipates giving out as many as 20 four-year grants of up to $25 million each. Districts can apply individually or as a consortium. 

One of the five absolute priorities is a focus on personalization of instruction, which the RTT-D criteria describe as “student centered learning environment(s) that are designed to: significantly improve teaching and learning through the personalization of strategies, tools, and supports for teachers and students that are aligned with college- and career-ready standards (as defined in this document); increase the effectiveness of educators, and expand student access to the most effective educators in order to raise student achievement; decrease the achievement gap across student groups; and increase the rates at which students graduate from high school prepared for college and careers.” 

Applicant must annually serve a minimum of 2,500 participating students. At least forty percent of participating students across all participating schools must be students from low-income families, based on eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch subsidies under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, or other poverty measures that local educational agencies (LEAs) use to make awards under section 1113(a) of the ESEA.

The Department is accepting comments on the RTT-D executive summary, eligibility criteria, application requirements, absolute priorities, selection criteria, competitive preference priority, and program requirements through its website comments form. Though the Department will not respond to comments, the Department will read and consider all comments in finalizing the RTT-D competition design. 

The Department plans to release the application in July with an October submission deadline. Awards will be announced no later than Dec. 31, 2012. 

The RTT-D press release and Senator Arne Duncan’s speech are available of the Department of Education website. Read more about RTT-D from International Reading Association Director of Government Relations Richard Long. 

by Jen Donovan

Fourteen additional states have been chosen to receive funding from the School Improvement Grants (SIG) program to turn around their lowest performing schools. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced this plan as part of $535 million included in the fiscal year 2011 budget and made available to states under the program. 

• Turnaround Model: Replace the principal, screen existing school staff, and rehire no more than half the teachers; adopt a new governance structure; and improve the school through curriculum reform, professional development, extending learning time, and other strategies.
• Restart Model: Convert a school or close it and re-open it as a charter school or under an education management organization.
• School Closure: Close the school and send the students to higher-achieving schools in the district.
• Transformation Model: Replace the principal and improve the school through comprehensive curriculum reform, professional development, extended learning time, and other strategies.

States to Receive Funding 

On March 30, 2012, Duncan announced that Arkansas will receive $5.7 million, Colorado will receive $5.7 million, Delaware will receive $1.5 million, Illinois will receive $23.6 million, Indiana will receive $9.3 million, Massachusetts will receive $7.8 million, Nebraska will receive $2.4 million, North Dakota will receive $1.2 million, and Pennsylvania will receive $19.6 million. 

On April 30, he stated that California will receive $63 million, New York will receive $41.3 million, Ohio will receive $21 million, Oklahoma will receive $5.6 million, and Wyoming will receive $1.1 million. 

On May 11, Duncan shared that Louisiana will receive $10.1 million.

For more information on the allocations, please refer to the state allocation table and the SIG data map on the Department of Education SIG website.

Research on Impact of School Improvement Grants

The Center on Education Policy recently released a report entitled “Opportunities and Obstacles: Implementing Stimulus-Funded School Improvement Grants in Maryland, Michigan and Idaho” which examines the implementation of the SIG program by drawing on research conducted in three states, seven school districts, and 11 schools—including schools that were eligible for but did not receive a SIG award. 

Although the schools involved in Opportunities and Obstacles will no longer receive SIG funding after the end of the school year, this study and others like it are scheduled to be tracked through the year 2013 to examine how well schools can maintain their reform efforts on their own despite the lack of funding. “Schools are optimistic and report that they’re learning about what works well,” says Diane Rentner, deputy director at the Center on Education Policy, “Unfortunately, oftentimes it does come down to having the resources.”

A recent study of 22 California schools by Thomas Dee, professor of Economics and Public Policy at the University of Virginia, provides evidence for the effectiveness of SIG funding in low-performing schools. Dee’s analysis shows that in the first year of the program, the transformation efforts closed 23% of the achievement gap in California’s lowest-performing schools. Although this data is still preliminary, this is the first study of its kind to yield such results. According to Duncan, “Educators and schools leaders cannot give up on making far-reaching improvements in student learning in our lowest-performing schools. Children only get one shot at a good education. And Dee's new study reminds us that poverty is not destiny.”

Jen Donovan is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association.

by Jen Donovan

The US Department of Education has created a plan to more accurately report measures student success in postsecondary education. The current law only requires institutions to report the graduation rates of full-time, first time students. This leaves out a large number of part-time students and students who have previously attended postsecondary school. 

According to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, “Not all students take a linear path in their pursuit of higher education. Many students work full-time and are balancing family obligations while also attending school. These new outcome measures will accurately demonstrate how postsecondary schools are preparing students for success in different ways.” 

The plan, entitled “Action Plan for Improving Measures of Postsecondary Success,” is in response to a report by the Committee on Measures of Student Success who help two-year degree granting institutions comply with the law’s disclosure requirements and help to develop alternate measures of student success that are comparable to completion and graduation rates. The action plan is designed to improve the quality and availability of student success data at the federal level for consumers, institutions, policymakers, and researchers. The plan also includes activities and some funding opportunities to help schools and states strengthen their capacity to collect and disseminate quality data.

The following activities will be implemented in the plan:

• Developing easy-to-use templates that institutions can use to meet the HEOA disclosure requirements;
• Making improved data collection and reporting a focus in its postsecondary education initiatives and grant programs;
• Continuing to provide incentive funding to strengthen states’ data infrastructures through Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) grants, which will award round five recipients this spring;
• Convening a summit this year to highlight promising practices in the collection and dissemination of data related to student success, such as student learning and employment.

The Department of Education also recommends that these broader measures of student success be implemented in four year institutions as well. Duncan is in agreement: “Better data across institutions is the basis for finding sound solutions to help students stay in school and complete their postsecondary studies. It is critical to their success and our nation’s economic prosperity.” 

Jen Donovan is the strategic communications intern at the International Reading Association. 

by Jen Donovan

A new White House Initiative titled Together for Tomorrow has been introduced by the Obama administration to help transform low-performing school systems. The White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the U.S. Department of Education and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) have joined forces to promote community involvement in turning around schools at risk. The theory is that the communities will feel a shared sense of responsibility to help students succeed. Cultivating a sense of community culture will provide a support system for teachers, principals, and students, both in and outside the classroom. The initiative will also engage families to partner with the community to help improve student attendance, behavior, course performance and college access.

Local non-profit and faith organizations will also play an important role in the relationship between schools and community. Services through Together for Tomorrow will be available to guide community organizations on learning how to manage funding from federal, private, and non-profit sources. The Together for Tomorrow initiative will also detail how to connect with local organizations and volunteers to provide support in individual communities.

The program will highlight exceptional schools that follow the community-oriented approach to education. These schools have been recognized as models for the goals of the initiative; however each community will undoubtedly have its own unique culture and connection with educating students for the future.

One of the most exemplary instances of community involvement with education comes from Orlando FL, at Memorial Middle School. This school is also one of six demonstration sites for Together for Tomorrow showing the initiative in action through a partnership between Heart of Florida United way, the Orange County Public Schools and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

Community participation is also implemented and demonstrated in the following cities: Center and Denver, Colorado; New Haven, Connecticut; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Memphis, Tennessee. Together for Tomorrow will allow the community to see just how imperative education is for the future of its members, for the future of the community itself, and in to prepare students as members of the greater global community.

Visit their website to learn more.