New Professional Development funding for Math and Science Improvement
3 Days for Middle and High School Math and Science Teachers / 2 Days for 4th and 5th Grade Teachers / 5 Days for 1 Math and 1 Science Teacher from each Middle and High SchoolPurpose of Funding
Legislative Language
Substitute House Bill 1128 / Sec. 513 (7) $13,058,000 of the education legacy trust fund appropriation is provided solely for allocations to districts for salaries and benefits for the equivalent of three additional professional development days for middle and high school math teachers and the equivalent of three additional professional development days for middle and high school science teachers. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop rules to determine the number of math and science teachers in middle and high schools within each district. Allocations made pursuant to this subsection are intended to be formula-driven, and the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide updated projections of the relevant budget drivers by November 20, 2007, and by November 20, 2008. Districts may use the funding to support additional days for professional development as well as job-embedded forms of professional development, consistent with the following: (a) For middle school teachers during the 2007-08 school year the additional math professional development funded in this subsection shall focus on development of basic mathematics knowledge and instructional skills and the additional science professional development shall focus on examination of student science assessment data and identification of science knowledge and skill areas in need of additional instructional attention. For middle school teachers during the 2008-09 school year the additional math professional development shall focus on skills related to implementing the new international mathematics standards and the additional science professional development shall focus on skills related to implementing the new international science standards. (b) For high school teachers during the 2007-08 school year the additional math professional development funded in this subsection shall focus on skills related to implementing state math learning modules, the segmented math class/assessment program, the collection of evidence alternative assessment, and basic mathematics knowledge and instructional skills, and the additional science professional development shall focus on skills related to examination of student science assessment data and identification of science knowledge and skill areas in need of additional instructional attention. For high school teachers during the 2008-09 school year the additional math professional development shall focus on skills related to implementing the new international mathematics standards and the additional science professional development shall focus on skills related to implementing the new international science standards. / Sec. 513 (6) $8,950,000 of the education legacy trust account appropriation is provided solely for allocations to districts for salaries and benefits for the equivalent of two additional professional development days each school year for fourth and fifth grade teachers. The allocations shall be made based on the calculations of certificated instructional staff units for fourth and fifth grade provided in section 502 of this act and on the calculations of compensation provided in sections 503 and 504 of this act. Allocations made pursuant to this subsection are intended to be formula-driven, and the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide updated projections of the relevant budget drivers by November 20, 2007, and by November 20, 2008. In the 2007-08 school year, the professional development activities funded by this subsection shall be focused on development of mathematics knowledge and instructional skills and on improving instruction in science. In the 2008-09 school year, the additional professional development shall focus on skills related to implementing the new international mathematics and science standards and curriculum. Districts may use the funding to support additional days for professional development as well as job-embedded forms of professional development. / Sec. 513 (8) $17,491,000 of the education legacy trust fund appropriation is provided solely for allocations to districts for specialized professional development in math for one math teacher and one science teacher in each middle school and one math teacher and one science teacher in each high school. The allocations shall be based on five additional professional development days per teacher and an additional allocation per teacher of $1,500 for training costs. In order to generate an allocation under this subsection, a teacher must participate in specialized professional development that leads to the implementation of mathematics and science courses that add new rigor to the math and science course offerings in the school. Allocations made pursuant to this subsection are intended to be formula-driven, and the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide updated projections of the relevant budget drivers by November 20, 2007, and by November 20, 2008.
Summary of Purpose / Providing opportunities for professional development, including job-embedded, in the following areas:
Middle school math
2007-08 - basic math knowledge and instructional skill
2008-09 – implementing new international math standards
Middle school science
2007-08 - analysis of science assessment data and identification of science knowledge and skills needed
2008-09 – implementing new international science standards
High school math
2007-08 - state math learning modules, segmented math class/assessment program, collection of evidence alternative assessment, basic math knowledge and instructional skill
2008-09 – implementing new international math standards
High school science
2007-08 - analysis of science assessment data and identification of science knowledge and skills needed
2008-09 - implementing new international science standards / Providing opportunities for professional development, including job-embedded, in the following areas:
2007-08 math and science - basic math knowledge and instructional skill and improving science instruction
2008-09 math and science – implementation of new international math and science standards and curriculum / Providing an additional 5 total days of professional development for one math and one science teacher (or math /science coach) in each middle and high school for the specific purpose of implementing math and science courses that add new rigor to the school’s course offerings.
Use of Funds / Funds may be used for specific training, as well as to support math and science content coaching and other job-embedded professional development activities (student work analysis, peer observations/coaching, lesson study, collaborative action research, etc.). Note that the specific topics of training detailed in the legislation must be accomplished, and some topics may not be compatible with all strategies of delivery. / Same as adjacent “3 Days” / Funds may be used to foster math/science teacher leadership in development and implementation of advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or other advanced courses, as well as increasing rigor of current course offerings.
Allocation of Funds
Are the new days required to be in addition to local levy funded days/time? / No. The Legislature did not include supplement / supplant language in the budget. School districts have full authority to substitute the local funds they are currently using to pay for teacher time and/or learning improvement days. However, the new time/days must be in addition to the current 2 state-funded Learning Improvement Days. Further, the district must use the new state funds to accomplish the purpose as required by law.
When will OSPI allocate funding? / Funding will be allocated with the regular apportionment schedule, beginning with September apportionment (legislative notes indicate intent to fund this on a school year basis). However, districts may provide the training July – August 2007.
Can training delivered in May or June 2007 qualify? / No. The funds are not appropriated and available for expenditure until July 1, 2007. Therefore, we believe it improper to attribute expenses prior to this date to the funding.
How is a school defined for purposes of this funding calculation? / Not applicable (budget language ties this funding to teachers, not schools) / Not applicable / Generally middle and high schools are eligible. However, many configurations and school sizes exist; often very small schools are embedded within schools. If a school is not the largest of its type in a district, it must have a minimum of 20 student FTEs to qualify.
How is middle schooldefined? / For purposes of this allocation, middle school is defined as grades 6-8; high school grades 9-12. Some commonly used configurations would place 6th grade in elementary school. However, many middle schools include 6th grade, and excluding 6th grade would negate the intent of improving math and science education, elementary through high school. / Not applicable / For purposes of training two teachers from each middle and high school, K-6 schools are not designated as a middle school by virtue of the 6th grade inclusion. In these instances, we believe legislative intent is focused on a narrower designation for stand-alone middle schools. However, K-7 or K-8 schools could be designated as a “middle” school for purposes of this funding.
How is a math and science teacher defined? / Given the expressed purpose of improved student achievement over the course of the legislative session, we believe that teachers providing instruction in courses of study aligned to themath and science GLEs and/or EALRs are appropriately “math” and “science” teachers are appropriate. This includes CTE courses designated as a math or science equivalency course. / Not applicable / The main focus of this allocation is to increase the AP and IB offerings and expand the rigor of course offerings. Clearly, specific professional development for teachers to implement new curriculum and courses will meet this intent. In addition, we believe an allowable use would be include specialized training for math/science instructional coaches that will lead a school team in curriculum improvement.
How will OSPI allocate the resources? / In light of the intent for an allocation formula, but to ensure funding to accomplish the intended benefit of better trained teachers and improved student achievement, we are implementing a two step funding process.
- OSPI will allocate resources equivalent to 3 days of salary and benefits for state CIS ratios to cover math and science teachers as follows:
- Grades 6-10: ((46 CIS / 1,000)* 91.6% [ESA deduct]) / 5 [hours per day] *student FTEs grade 6-10, each for math and science
- Grades 11-12: ((46 CIS / 1,000)* 91.6% [ESA deduct]) / 5 [hours per day] *student FTEs grade 11-12 * 50% [% of students taking math or science], each for math and science.
As with general apportionment, allocations will begin in September and eventually be updated monthly for actual enrollment, staff mix, and salary increase factors. Allocations will also be updated (up or down) for the actual number of students taking math and science in high school.
- The above allocation may not cover 3-days for all teachers with a math or science courseload. (If math and science class sizes are smaller than assumed, or the district employs teachers with a part-time math or science course load.)
To do so, OSPI will collect reports (each October) to identify the number of math and science teachers who need the training (teachers carrying a full or partial math or science courseload). (We will probably also need to collect student math and science FTEness; we are exploring use of CSRS to obtain this data.)
In October 2007, districts will report the enrollment and actual staff mix of the staff. OSPI will begin adjusting allocations for actual staff mix and enrollment in January 2008. /
- Allocations are specified to be based on 4th and 5th grade enrollment, and staff mix, CIS unit allocations (46 units per 1,000 + small school factors where applicable), and compensation factors used for regular apportionment. This allocation is straight-forward; an estimate is available on our pivot tables
- If the 46/1,000 does not cover all 4th and 5th grade classroom teachers, OSPI will request additional funding in the 2008 session to cover the professional development costs associated with 4th and 5th grade teachers districts employ in excess of state CIS unit allocations.
Funding for 4th and 5th grade teachers employed with other fund sources cannot be guaranteed at this time; if funded by the Legislature, any allocation would come late spring 2008.
In October 2007, districts will report the enrollment and actual staff mix of the staff. OSPI will begin adjusting allocations for actual staff mix and enrollment in January 2008. /
- OSPI determined a list of eligible middle and high schools (available June 22, 2007).
b. Additional schools with these grades must report at least 20 student FTEs in order to receive an allocation of days.
- OSPI will calculate the allocation for 10 days of professional development for each school. The allocation will be based on district budgeted staff mix, appropriated compensation factors, and $1,500 for training expenses. Allocations will be made on the standard apportionment schedule.
- In October 2007, districts will report the actual staff mix of the staff identified for the specialized training. OSPI will begin adjusting allocations for actual staff mix in January 2008.
How is “FTEness” of a math or science teacher defined?
(FTE: Full-time Equivalency) / Language indicates intent for OSPI to allocate resources; historically carrying an assumption that districts are allocated a proportional share for part-time teachers.
Further, legislative background notes indicate that funding is base on “FTEness” of a math or science teacher (generated by the student FTE math and science courseload).
Therefore, the allocation formula described above will provide an allocation of 3 days for full-time equivalent math and science teachers, generated using state allocation ratios. The district will distribute the resources as available among teachers. Legislative intent establishes no guarantee of 3-days of equivalent time for teachers.
Again, OSPI will request resources in the 2008 session to allocate professional development funding for all full- and part-time math and science teachers. / The funding formula automatically adjusts for “FTEness”.
As with the “3 Day” allocation, legislative background notes do not indicate intent to guarantee 2-days of equivalent time for teachers.
The October reporting step is intended to identify the headcount of teachers who receive additional professional development, including a full allocation of 2 days for teachers with a part-time workload of 4th or 5th grade students. / Districts will identify the teachers they choose to receive the additional training; districts may provide the time to part- or full-time math and science teachers (as defined above).
If the school has few individuals responsible for middle and high math and science, the district may use the allocation to provide more time to fewer individuals.
How will OSPI communicate the allocations to school districts? / A table with estimates by district can be found on the Apportionment Budget Preparations site: / OSPI estimates are embedded in pivot tables now. Actual allocations are based on 4th and 5th grade enrollment and projected compensation factors for the 2007-08 school year. Therefore, the pivot table estimates are as accurate as we can provide now. / A table with estimates by district can be found on the Apportionment Budget Preparations site:
If OSPI’s initial allocations are too great, will resources be “taken back”? / Yes, the funding will be provided on an apportionment cycle. Where initial allocations are too high due to enrollment, staff mix assumptions or compensation factor assumptions, funding will be adjusted to actual beginning in January. OSPI will not recover unspent funds; funds will be carried over in full within the program assigned for these funds.
Use of Fund
Can the “days” be used over multiple days? / Yes, the budget language specifically references “the equivalent of” indicating that the funded time/days can be usedover multiple days. / Same as adjacent “3-Days” / Yes, the budget language specifically references “allocations based on five […] days” indicating that the funded time/days can be used over multiple days.
What does “job embedded” mean? / The addition of “job embedded “ professional development as a delivery option was added to support math and science content coaching and other job-embedded professional development activities (student work analysis, peer observations/coaching, lesson study, collaborative action research, etc.).
Note that the specific topics of training detailed in the legislation must be accomplished, and some topics may not be compatible with the job embedded model. / Same as adjacent “3 days” / Not applicable
Is the district obligated to provide the exact time (3, 2, or 5 days) for each eligible teacher? / No. The Legislature funded allocations of time to give districts the greatest flexibility to adjust for local conditions. Legislative language, in permitting job embedded training, eliminates the entitlement of days.
Further, the Legislature chose not to add this time as a Learning Improvement Day (which would have required the pass-through of time to each eligible teacher). / Same as adjacent “3 days” / The appropriations language references compensation funding “based on five … days”, seemingly not requiring 5 days in full. However, the Legislature funds the non-compensation cost of professional development at $300 per day, makes no adjustment in funding for part-time teachers, and states intent to fund updated compensation drivers (staff mix and COLA). Therefore, we conclude that the Legislature intended for the selected teachers to receive 5 full days of training. Days need not be consecutive but need to reflect legislative intent for quantity.
Should Career and Technical Education (CTE), Learning Assistance Program (LAP) and Special Education teachers that teach math or science be included when math and science professional development is delivered? / The legislative allocations of the days are based on basic education funding formulas. As a portion of basic education funding flows through to provide career and technical and special education, districts should consider professional development training needs for these programs, as well as other programs, in their overall planning. However, the inclusion of such teachers does not generate more professional development resources. / Same as adjacent “3 days” / Nothing precludes a district from offering this professional development to a CTE, LAP or special education teacher that teaches math or science, where the teacher can provide the best opportunity to increase rigor in math or science curriculum.
Can a district use this allocation for all teachers and not limit it to those identified in the budget bill (e.g. reading teachers or third grade teachers)? / A district may use this allocation for a professional development opportunity and invite other teachers to participate. However, a district needs to ensure that the teachers identified receive the specified professional development. Districts should not exclude non-math/science teachers from a training related to these days, if space is available, but also should not use the funds to pay the compensation costs of non-math/science teachers. / Same as adjacent “3 days” / No.
Can this funding be used for substitute costs? / Yes. The legislation allows job embedded uses of funding, and these words, while not addressing substitute costs, give districts a great deal of flexibility in how the funds are used. In addition, the Legislature avoided naming these as Learning Improvement Days---which would carry a requirement for specific days outside of the school day. Finally, given that the funding is prorated for teacher FTEness, using substitutes and training during the school year might give districts the flexibility to make the funding go further. / Yes. The intent of the Legislature is to add rigor to courses and curricula. If the best training available to meet this intent was available during the school year, we believe policymakers would want the district/teacher to have the ability to attend.However, this funding resource is more closely tied to a specific number of days; the amount of time rather than the method of time, is more important here.
Accounting for Funds
How will districts account for revenue and expenditures? / For budgeting purposes the proper accounts are not open. Districts should budget these in Program 58. The funding wil be paid under revenue code 4175. Districts should record expenditures during the school year under program 75. Activity/Object to be be opened will mirror those available in program 58.
Reporting Requirements
Funding Drivers / Funding drivers such as student enrollment in math and science courses and the number of part-time and full-time math/science teachers will need to be collected in a new reporting mechanism. The reports are necessary to request funding that will reflect districts’ actual need for professional development resources. / As with “3-Day” allocations, OSPI will need to collect data on the number of 4th and 5th grade teachers in a new reporting mechanism. / Funding drivers will be automatically updated, no new data will need to be collected for funding purposes.
Qualitative Reporting / Legislative language does not require qualitative reporting. However, policy makers have expressed interest in information on how professional development was delivered, the topics addressed, and the need for continued funding. OSPI will consult with a team of district officials to devise a meaningful reporting form and schedule.
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