Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:44:03 +0000

NEW BRITAIN — The three newly elected and one returning Board of Education member took their seats at last night’s meeting.

Originally posted here: 
New Britain Board of Education elects new officers (The New Britain Herald)

RTTT Memorandum of Understanding

CONNECTICUT’S RACE TO THE TOP (RTTT)

PARTICIPATING LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY (LEA)

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)

This Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) is entered into by and between The Connecticut State Board of Education (hereafter, CSBE), 165 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT, and _____________________________ (“Participating LEA”). This agreement serves to establish a framework of collaboration, as well as articulate specific roles and responsibilities in support of the State in its implementation of an approved Race to the Top (RTTT) grant project.

I. PRELIMINARY SCOPE OF WORK
The LEA hereby agrees to participate in implementing the State’s RTTT Plan in each of the areas identified below under required initiatives. LEAs are strongly encouraged to select at least one of the elective programs or training opportunities detailed below in sections (A)(ii), (B)(ii), (C)(ii), and (D)(ii), but are not obligated to do so. If the LEA elects to participate in any of these elective programs or training opportunities the LEA will be eligible for additional funding to be determined by the CSBE at a later date.[1]

For school districts in partnership with the CSBE around NCLB performance and accountability, the CSBE may direct participation in additional elective programs/trainings beyond the choices indicated by the LEA, if upon determination by the CSBE, the district’s participation in the additional elective initiative(s) addresses a high need concern identified in the district, or that inclusion in the additional activity will accelerate the potential for reaching school improvement goal(s).[2]

A. STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS
i. Required Initiatives

· Support the transition to and implementation of national common standards and high-quality assessments.

· Implementation of Secondary School Reform: Part I of the Connecticut Eight-Year Plan. [3]

ii. Elective Programs and Training (check if LEA elects to participate)

· Implementation of College-High School Partnerships.

· Implementation of a “Next Generation” Pilot School.[4]

B. DATA SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT INSTRUCTION
i. Required Initiatives

· Participation in the expansion of the state longitudinal data system (SLDS) to include student schedule and staff modules.

· Providing data to the Connecticut Education Data and Research (CEDaR) to support the state and federal evaluation of the RTTT initiatives and on-going development of the State’s integrated PK – 16 SLDS.

· Integration of the CMT vertical scale results as a component of local accountability to measure student growth.

· Participation in professional development on the use of data and use data to improve instruction.

· Make available appropriate data for research and program evaluation. [5]

ii. Elective Program and Training (check if LEA elects to participate)

· ⇫ Use of the Grade 3-8 Benchmark Assessment System (CBAS) or an approved locally developed benchmark system to monitor student progress.[6]

C. GREAT TEACHERS AND LEADERS[7]
i. Required Initiatives

· Implementation of a new, comprehensive system for supporting, supervising and evaluating teachers and principals, to be developed by CSBE in collaboration with external partners and LEAs, based on:

o The Common Core of Teaching,
o Connecticut's Guidelines for Teacher Evaluation and Professional Development,
o The Common Core of Leading,
o Multiple measures of assessment (including student growth),
o Current best practices in Connecticut, and
o Statewide report indicators required by RTTT;

· Utilization of the new evaluation system developed to conduct annual evaluations that will inform professional development and decisions around compensation, promotion, retention, tenure and removal;

· Collaboration with CSBE to ensure equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals;

· Participation in the Teaching and Assessing Next Generation Learners Initiative;

· Participation in the Connecticut Accountability for Learning Initiative (CALI) to use data to improve instruction;

· Family engagement and parent leadership training activities (e.g. Parent Leadership Training Institute); and

· Participation in the Connecticut’s TEAM Mentoring Program.

ii. Elective Programs and Training (check if LEA elects to participate) [8]

· ⇫ Initiatives to foster Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (e.g. Developing Tomorrow’s Professionals).

· ⇫ The Connecticut Institute for the Teaching of English Language Learners.

· ⇫ The Connecticut STEM Teacher Regional Exchange.

· ⇫ Teacher-in-Residence Master Teacher Placement Program.

· ⇫ Advanced Placement Course Expansion.

· ⇫ The Elementary and Middle School Math and Science Coaching Academy.

· ⇫ Hartford Science Center STEM Curriculum and Assessment Projects Grades 4-6.

D. TURNING AROUND THE LOWEST ACHIEVING SCHOOLS

(Tentative Districts Identified: Bridgeport, Hartford, New Britain, New Haven, and Windham) i. Implementation of requirements of Section 1003 (g) of the ESEA Title I School Improvement Grants within the context of the CALI Framework ii. Elective Program and Training (check if LEA elects to participate)