Months before schools were asked to officially file for the federal Race to the Top competitive grants, Greater Clark County Schools’ administrators had been working on a plan, with hopes of getting $9 million over the course of four years.
That’s according to Marty Bell, chief operations officer, who said the work on that 46-page proposal started in September, which includes adopting international benchmarks for standards and assessments, rewarding effective teachers and other measures.
Bell said the proposed program would have every student in the district in grades six through 11 take a test similar to the ACT to help determine where kids are and how well they are prepared for post-secondary education.
Those who are not on target to getting a 24 or 25 on the test by the time they graduate high school would get involved in the three-tiered intervention system. That system includes an afterschool program, where the district would employ 100 of its best teachers to help get those students on track. Transportation would be provided to participating students.
“If the state gets their Race to the Top funding, we will get some or most of what we’re after,” Bell said. “Then we will be pursing other funding organizations and foundations for the rest.”
Even with this testing, the state-required ISTEP will still be needed. However, Bell said this ACT-type test focuses more on national standards rather than state standards that vary depending on the state.
He said this is more important, especially for students wanting to go on to college. Testing high can mean students getting into the colleges they want and earning more scholarships, he said.
“That’s the best thing you can give a child [in] preparing them for post-secondary education,” he said. “If they don’t want to go to college, they can go to work and be well-prepared.”
Teachers working after school for the intervention system will get $10,000 in extra salary, which Bell said fits the Race to the Top requirement of rewarding good teachers. He said students would meet three to four days a week for two hours at a time.
“We’re ready to go. We’re going after it,” Bell said of competing for the funds.
Tony Bennett, Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, said that more than 320 school corporations and public charter schools have agreed to participate in Indiana’s Race to the Top application to the U.S. Department of Education.
Race to the Top is the $4.35 billion competitive-grant program created by the DOE to support education reform and innovation in classrooms.
“I’m pleased so many school corporation superintendents, school board presidents and teacher association leaders have chosen to partner with the state in this unprecedented opportunity to increase the speed and scope of reforms that will benefit every Hoosier student,” Bennett said. “The participation of 90 percent of school corporations clearly illustrates Indiana is a reform-ready state.”
The Indiana DOE submitted the state’s Race to the Top application this month.
Bell said he hopes to find out in April how much, if any, funds will be made available to Greater Clark.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Through Race to the Top, the U.S. Department of Education is asking states to advance reforms around four specific areas:
• Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy;
• Building data systems that measure student growth and success, and inform teachers and principals about how they can improve instruction;
• Recruiting, developing, rewarding and retaining effective teachers and principals, especially where they are needed most; and
• Turning around lowest-achieving schools.
Awards in Race to the Top will go to states that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling and comprehensive education reform. Winners will help trail-blaze effective reforms and provide examples for states and school districts throughout the country to follow as they too are hard at work on reforms that can transform schools for decades to come.
Visit www.ed.gov/programs/race
tothetop/index.html for more information.
— U.S. Department of Education
Clark County
January 23, 2010
THE RACE IS ON: Greater Clark lays out plan in hopes of getting federal grants
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Most area graduation rates above state average
According to a release from IDOE, Indiana’s state graduation rate came in at 85.7 percent. About 45 percent of high schools met or exceeded the 90 percent mark and 83 percent graduated 80 percent of their seniors or more.
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YOU GOTTA MOVE: Parkwood participates in Greater Clark health push
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UPDATE: Missing Clark County man found dead
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Most area graduation rates above state average
