Maryland’s Reform Plan
Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools
Race to the Top
2014 Guidance Part 1
Maryland State Department of Education
Division of Student, Family, and School Support
Division of Academic Policy and Innovation
Office of Finance
November 18, 2014
Table of Contents
Introduction: Integration of Race to the Top with Maryland’s Bridge to Excellence Master Plan / ivSection A / Executive Summary and State Success Factors / 1
· Introduction / 3
· Cross Cutting Themes & Specific Groups in Bridge to Excellence / 6
· Universal Design for Learning / 7
· Finance / 9
· Analyzing Questions / 22
· Race to the Top Monitoring Questions / 24
· Race to the Top Close Out Report / 25
Section B / Standards and Assessments / 37
o Annual Measurable Objectives / 37
o Reading / 39
o Math / 59
o Science / 71
o Social Studies / 82
o High School Assessments / 88
· Specific Student Groups in Bridge to Excellence / 113
o English Language Learners / 113
o Career and Technology Education / 118
o Early Learning / 123
o Gifted and Talented Education / 133
o Special Education / 142
o Education that is Multicultural / 147
Section C / Data Systems to Support Instruction
· Race to the Top Scope of Work Update (ONLY for LEAs with An Approved No Cost Extension)
Section D / Great Teachers and Leaders / 151
· Highly Qualified/Highly Effective Staff / 151
· High Quality Professional Development / 160
· Persistently Dangerous Schools / 171
· Attendance / 172
· Graduation and Dropout Rates / 176
Section E / Turning Around Lowest Performing Schools
· Race to the Top Scope of Work Update (ONLY for LEAs with An Approved No Cost Extension)
Section F / General
· Race to the Top Scope of Work Update (ONLY for LEAs with An Approved No Cost Extension) / 54
Appendices
· Appendix A: Contact Information for MSDE Program Managers / 57
· Appendix B: General Submission Instructions / 58
· Appendix C: Bridge to Excellence Resources / 60
· Appendix D: Race to the Top Liaisons / 61
· Appendix E: Race to the Top Finance Officers / 62
· Appendix F: MSDE Race to the Top Scopes of Work Reviewers / 63
· Appendix G: Local Bridge to Excellence Points of Contact / 64
· Appendix H: Race to the Top Fiscal Controls / 65
Somerset 2014 Annual Update November Submission Page iii
Integration of Race to the Top with
Maryland’s Bridge to Excellence Master Plan
Authorization
Section 5-401, Comprehensive Master Plans, Education Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland
Public Law 111-5, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Introduction
Beginning in 2011, Maryland integrated the Race to the Top (RTTT) Local Scopes of Work with the existing Bridge to Excellence Master Plan (BTE) and reviewed and approved the Scopes of Work within the Master Plan review infrastructure in accordance with RTTT and BTE guidelines. The purpose of this integration was to allow Maryland’s Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to streamline their efforts under these programs to increase student achievement and eliminate achievement gaps by implementing ambitious plans in the four RTTT reform areas. This integration also enabled the Maryland State Department of Education to leverage personnel resources to ensure that all Scopes of Work receive comprehensive programmatic and fiscal reviews.
Background
In 2002, the Maryland General Assembly enacted the Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act. This legislation provides a powerful framework for all 24 school systems to increase student achievement for all students and to close the achievement gap. The Bridge to Excellence legislation significantly increased State Aid to public education and required each LEA to develop a comprehensive Master Plan, to be updated annually, which links school finance directly and centrally to decisions about improving student learning. By design, the legislation requires school systems to integrate State, federal, and local funding and initiatives into the Master Plan. Under Bridge to Excellence, academic programming and fiscal alignment are carefully monitored by the Master Plan review process.
In August 2010, Maryland was awarded one of the Race to the Top (RTTT) education grants. The grant provided an additional $250 million in funds over four years and will be used to implement Maryland’s Third Wave of Reform, moving the State from national leader to World Class. Local RTTT Scopes of Work have been developed by Maryland school systems and are closely aligned with the overall State plan to guide the implementation of educational reforms. Beginning in 2012, local Scopes of Work were integrated and reviewed as part of the BTE Master Plan.
In May 2012, the United States Department of Education approved Maryland’s application for flexibility from some of the long-standing requirements of No Child Left Behind. The flexibility waiver is intended to support the education reform already underway through programs like Race to the Top. The Master Plan has been adjusted to address the demands of Maryland’s new accountability structure.
Somerset 2014 Annual Update November Submission Page iii
2014 Master Plan Annual Update(Include this page as a cover to the submission indicated below.)
Master Plan Annual Update Part I
Due: November 18, 2014
Local Education Agency Submitting this Report:
Somerset County Public Schools
Address:
7982A Tawes Campus Drive
Westover, MD 21871
Local Point of Contact:
Patti West-Smith
Telephone:
410-651-1616
E-mail:
WE HEREBY CERTIFY that, to the best of our knowledge, the information provided in the 2014 Annual Update to our Bridge to Excellence Master Plan is correct and complete and adheres to the requirements of the Bridge to Excellence and Race to the Top programs. We further certify that this Annual Update has been developed in consultation with members of the local education agency’s current Master Plan Planning Team and that each member has reviewed and approved the accuracy of the information provided in the Annual Update.
*Only participating LEAs need to complete the Race to the Top Scopes of Work documents that will now be a part of the Master Plan.
______
Signature of Local Superintendent of Schools Date
or Chief Executive Officer
______
Signature of Local Point of Contact Date
Somerset 2014 Annual Update November Submission Page iii
Local Planning Team Members
Use this page to identify the members of the school system’s Bridge to Excellence/Race to the Top planning team. Please include affiliation or title where applicable.
Name / Affiliation/TitleDr. John B. Gaddis / Interim Superintendent
Tom Davis / Assistant Superintendent of Instruction
Nancy Smoker / Assistant Superintendent of Administration
Patricia West-Smith / Supervisor of Instructional Programs, Master Plan Point of Contact
Wendy Harrison / Chief Financial Officer
Tracie Bartemy / Supervisor of Elementary Reading/Title 1
Traci Schneider / Supervisor of Elementary Math, Science, STEM and GT
Tracey Cottman / Supervisor of Secondary Student Services
Renee McLaughlin / Supervisor of Elementary Student Services
Beth Whitelock / Supervisor of Human Resources
Lynnette Johnson / Supervisor of Special Education
Vicky Ford / Coordinator of Special Education Compliance
Jill Holland / Coordinator of Instructional Technology
William Gray / Supervisor of Secondary Science/Mentor Coordinator
Terry Drechsler / Supervisor of Secondary Math/LAC
Karen Goldman-Karten / Coordinator of Early Childhood
Dave Elebash / Principal, J.M. Tawes Career and Technology Center
Somerset 2014 Annual Update November Submission Page iii
Executive Summary to the 2014 Update
SOMERSET COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Executive Summary for the 2014-2015 Master Plan Update
INTRODUCTION
The Somerset County Public School (SCPS) Bridge to Excellence Master Plan Update document serves to guide the school system in its efforts to provide a rigorous curriculum, instructional strategies that meet the needs of individual students, adequate resources to meet those needs, and a safe and welcoming learning environment. SCPS is committed to meeting the goals set forth by the State for academic excellence, highly qualified teachers, and a Safe and Secure Environment. This plan specifies how those goals will be achieved through data analysis to identify challenges, a review of programs and practices to identify where adjustments are needed, and alignment of resources to specific changes.
The commitment is clear: Somerset will achieve these goals, celebrate progress, and persist in continuous improvement. As a true learning community, Somerset educators know that each and every one matters; our task is getting better every day at everything we do.
Progress depends upon both systemic development and incremental change. Incremental positive changes can be seen throughout this document. Prior to the transition to Common Core, Somerset elementary schools are consistently achieving at high rates. Since the inception of MSA, our students had made steady, continual progress over the years. As we continue our full transition to the Common Core State Standards, we have seen a drop in our MSA Reading and Math scores. Further analysis is presented in this document; however, it is important to note the progress that had been made in terms of testing results. High schools, with grades 8-12, have continued to struggle to consistently meet these same levels of achievement, but have experienced dramatic growth over the past six years. As we have moved forward with the new assessments and the changes in the curriculum, we have seen a “leveling off” period and even a decline as the misalignment between the curriculum and the assessments has been apparent.
In addition to celebrating student achievement progress, other significant successes experienced over the last few years were: the addition of an innovative and efficient Finance and HR system, the expansion of the Career and Technology Education programs, and completion of administrator and supervisor training utilizing the Teachscape training program which focused on Charlotte Danielson’s renowned framework of teacher observation and evaluation. Currently, all administrators have been labeled as Highly Qualified observers as a result of the training. Diversity in our leadership across schools and the district has been successfully expanded at both the school and county levels. Initial professional development for teachers has been completed as the teacher evaluation system reached all classrooms last school year, and additional training in the writing of high quality SLO’s has begun for this year, as the system refines the process. Implementing the High Roads Academy for students with severe behavioral and emotional needs continues to be a priority as we look for strategies to help these students in earlier grades that have documented behavioral or emotional needs. Other achievements have been in significantly expanding our dual enrollment with local institutions of higher education and working to increase parent involvement in all schools.
This year, Somerset will be implementing a variety of programs that will assist is meeting the diverse needs of our student population. As the first district in the state of Maryland to receive the Community Eligibility Provision, Somerset will now be able to feed breakfast and lunch to all of our students with not cost accrued by their family. Northern Princess Anne will receive their first Judy Center located at Princess Anne Elementary School. This program will provide the necessary assistance support services for children birth through kindergarten to improve school readiness. Recently identified as a recipient of the Preschool Development Expansion Grant, Somerset will move toward having a Judy Center located in the southern end of the county by the fall of 2015. Additionally, a 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant will allow Somerset County to provide after-school programs at four schools strategically located across the county. The components of this program will help eliminate the achievement gap through academic offerings, provide a safe and drug free learning environment, and give students an opportunity to experience character enrichment and supervised recreation. At the high school level, 2015 will mark the beginning of Somerset’s 1-to-1 technology initiative. All students in grades 11 and 12 will receive tablets and digital curriculums will be utilized to drive instruction. Enriching student engagement, fostering independent learning, and raising academic achievement are the objectives of this program; funding for the program was secured through an award of $400,000 from the highly competitive Digital Innovation Learning grant.
Together, these initiatives testify to the fact that Somerset is making its mark on Maryland’s educational success. In spite of economic hurdles, increased standards of performance, misaligned curriculum and assessment, and diminishing revenue, Somerset County students, families, staff and community are seeing significant progress in the educational system.
BUDGET NARRATIVE
A. System Priorities
Somerset County’s main priority going into the FY 2015 school year is to maintain staff and core programs, while at the same time building leadership capacity, updating data systems, transitioning to the Common Core Curriculum and providing necessary professional development. Decreasing operating budgets since 2009 have forced Somerset to reduce expenditures by cutting staffing and eliminating non-essential programs. The number of staff was reduced through attrition and the elimination of several positions. Programs have been maintained by shifting and adding responsibilities to remaining staff.
A major focus of the new superintendent since he arrived on July 1, 2013 has been communicating with all stakeholders and examining all aspects of the school system. The first step in this process was to restructure leadership teams both at the district and school level. Teams were reconstructed to provide a smooth transition for students by having central office based responsibilities that allow constant communication and much needed vertical articulation conversations. Further, the restructuring has allowed for the distribution of job tasks as staff has changed throughout the year. At the building level, all principals will be evaluated directly by the superintendent and a focus has been on the professional development needed in order to build their capacity as leaders. To impact the system’s capacity to effect growth, Somerset County has engaged in the Middle States Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools protocol called Excellence by Design. This strategic, system-wide planning approach will purposefully focus on continuous and systemic efforts to grow and improve student performance.
Maryland’s Race to the Top (RTTT) grant required all school systems to build a robust data system that can provide MSDE with the data they need. An earlier analysis of Somerset’s enterprise data systems revealed a need to update the finance system in use for the past 30 years. The Human Resources division had been without a reliable system for the past several years and therefore the decision was made to look for a new finance system which had an HR component to it. SCPS went live with eFinance, an enterprise system from Sungard, in July 2012 and have been refining the use of many components to improve operational efficiency. RTTT funds have been instrumental in funding the new system, which satisfies the needs of both Finance and HR.