Welcome to the Math Science Partnership RFP Technical

Welcome to the Math Science Partnership RFP Technical Assistance Session This session will begin at 10: 00 a. m. While you are waiting, please do the following: Enter/edit your profile information by going to: • Tools - Preferences - My Profile… • Fill out the info on the “Identity” tab and click “OK” • To view the profile of another use, hover your mouse over his or her name in the Participants window Configure your microphone and speakers by going to: • Tools – Audio setup wizard

Session Agenda • • An Overview of MSP Cultivating Relationships-Understanding Cultures Developing a Real Partnership Voices From the Field Evaluating Your Partnership Needs Assessment Closing Remarks and Challenge 2

History of the MSP Program § Originally conceived with Eisenhower Funds § Now Title II Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) § Separate from the National Science Foundation’s Math Science Partnership Grant Program § PRISM § Size of individual state awards is determined through a formula based on each state’s student population and poverty rates 3

MSP Program Purpose • To improve teacher quality and effectiveness through partnerships to increase student academic achievement in mathematics and science. 4

Secondary Goals • Improve dialogue between K 12 and IHE • Improve dialogue between K 12 teachers • Be a Catalyst for Change in K 12 and IHE • Provide Opportunities for Collaboration between STEM and Education faculty 5

Partnerships must include: • The science, technology, engineering, or mathematics department (STEM) at a 2 or 4 year institution of higher education; and • A high-need local educational agency – One or more school systems, at least one of which must meet the high-need criteria – High-need is determined by the free and reduced lunch percentage - 35% or higher 6

Partnerships may also include: • The unit responsible for the preparation of teachers (typically the college of education) • Additional LEAs (may or may not meet the highneed requirement), charter schools, public or private schools, or a consortium of schools; • A business; • A non-profit education-oriented organization; or • An organization of demonstrated effectiveness in improving the quality of math/science teachers. 7

Ga. MSP Project Criteria, 2012 -2014: • Aligned to the Mathematics Content in the Common Core GPS and/or Science Content in the Georgia Performance Standards (and Framework for K-12 Science Education) • Active and well-defined partnership between STEM faculty and schools/districts • A MINIMUM of 80 contact hours each year 8

Ga. MSP Project Criteria cont’d. . . • Focus on teachers of grades K-12 math or science – or both • Participating LEAs can be involved in another mathematics/science reform initiative. – Funds must be used to supplement and not to supplant. – LEAs with successful programs that need to be expanded and validated are encouraged to apply. – Proposals must clearly articulate how these projects will integrate with each other to develop a positive/useful PD experience for teachers. • Research-based design 9

Core Program Requirements • • • Full Partnership Cohort-based projects – same teachers for 2 years Required project assessment instruments Required external evaluator for each project Semi-annual and annual performance reports Minimum of 80 hours of training/teacher/year – May be summer institutes, summer workshops, or coursework through out school year – A summer institute is 60 hours of intensive content training with 20 hours of follow-up training/support – So in 2 years, teachers will have a minimum of 160 hours of professional learning – strong focus on content! 10

MSP Program Partnership Requirements Project Management Team Project Director (Fiscal Agent) Project Leaders Classroom Teacher Shared Project Facilitation Performance Reports Mid-year to Ga. DOE – due around March End-of-year to US Dept. of Education –end of October Continuation Application for year 2 to Ga. DOE - summer Georgia MSP Team Participation US Dept. of Education Conference (annual) Ga. DOE bi-monthly Elluminate sessions (never over an hour) and work sessions 11

Characteristics of Partnerships Commitment: Partnership members should demonstrate commitment to project goals and projected outcomes unique to its proposal. Commitment is illustrated by each partner’s clear description of the expertise, time, and resources it will provide to support the goals of the partnership. Commitment is also evidenced by the descriptions of anticipated benefits included in each partner’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). While matching funds are not required, in-kind support is highly desirable and preference will be given to proposals in which partners contribute their own resources, including the coordination of other applicable grants, toward the project’s success. Sustainability: Partnerships must provide a clear description of long-term plans to use project data to determine its impact on teaching and learning and to support the continuation of the project model beyond the duration of the grant. Capacity: Proposals must describe specific and achievable plans to recruit, serve, and retain a teacher cohort group with increased ability to improve student achievement in tested mathematics and science content areas. Further, proposals must provide a detailed description of the people and institutional resources available to conduct the project’s activities and how the expertise of each will contribute to the achievement of the project’s goals. 12

Cultivating Relationships • Who do you know? • Beginning a partnership is a challenge • Capitalize on previous or existing partnerships and provide resources and training as necessary • The P in MSP is just as important as the M and S!

Effective Partners • Obtain early commitment and endorsement from management and staff • Establish early and direct involvement between staff of ALL partnering organizations • Understand the needs of each organization • Create a shared vision and set clear expectations for what all partners want to achieve • Help write the proposal 14

Effective Partners • Incorporate realistic goals into the planning process • Clearly define roles and responsibilities • Promote open dialogue and communication!!! • Provide tangible benefits for all partners • Encourage flexibility, creativity, and experimentation • Respect the constraints of the IHE and K 12 environments 15

Consider the WERSST • Why do you want to be partners? Why is it important to each of you? • Expectations: What do you each expect to put in and get out of the partnership? • Resources: What resources will each of you provide? • Skills: What skills will each of you bring? • Shared Responsibility: What can you do collaboratively in terms of program design, implementation, and evaluation? • Time: How much time will each of you devote ? 16

Involving People in the Work • Challenge: Getting individuals to do the work given that they have full-time work responsibilities • Solution: Three ways to involve individuals in the work – Fitting it into their approved work load – Compensation – Appealing to their altruism

Adopted Policy Board of Regents’ Policy 803. 17. Work in the Schools • • Board of Regents' approval of University System of Georgia institutions to prepare teachers includes the expectation that state colleges and universities with a teacher preparation mission will collaborate with the K-12 schools. University System institutions that prepare teachers will support and reward all faculty who participate significantly in approved efforts in teacher preparation and in school improvement efforts through decisions in promotion and tenure, pre-tenure and post-tenure review, annual review and merit pay, workload, recognition, allocation of resources, and other rewards. Participation in teacher preparation and in school improvement may include documented efforts of these faculty in: – Improving their own teaching so as to model effective teaching practices in courses taken by prospective teachers. – Contributing scholarship that promotes and improves student learning and achievement in the schools and in the university. – Collaborating with public schools to strengthen teaching quality and to increase student learning. The Chancellor shall issue guidelines, to be published in the Academic Affairs Handbook, which serve to encourage formal institutional recognition and reward for all faculty in realizing the expectations embodied in this policy.

Organizational Cultures • Challenge: Achieving the goals, given the uniqueness of each partner • Solution: Utilize various levels of leadership and allow for flexibility in how the work is accomplished. Recognize the contributions of each partner. Don’t always meet at your place.

Breaking Down Cultural Barriers • Challenge: Finding the “common ground” between higher education and K-12 faculty in the partnership • Solution: Taking the time to learn about the K 12 and Higher Education cultures through real work

Successful Partnerships Need Great Leaders • Find key personnel to facilitate the partnership work with expertise and knowledge in content, teaching, and learning. Find people with collaborative and leadership skills (this applies to personnel at institutes of higher education and in the school systems) • There has to be buy-in and involvement from individuals who have the power to make things happen…. top leadership!

Voices From the Field (Higher Ed) • Part of our responsibility in higher education is to partner with K-12 to improve education opportunities for both teachers and students • Involving ourselves with teacher training impacts a large number of students rather than just visiting a class for one hour for some activity 22

More voices… The cultures (Higher Ed & K-12) are very similar but speak different languages Really good partnerships are built on the right mix of personalities There has to be mutual respect, trust, and a really good sense of humor At heart, I think we all have a passion for the things we study and a keen desire to communicate that to the world around us. Unfortunately, since the audiences are different, jargon gets in the way 23

PRISM Partnership Rubric Indicators Beginning Emerging Developing Accomplished Vision and Goals Partners are together due to the nature of their work, but do not share a common vision and are concerned only with their own individual goals. A shared vision emerges as partners work together, but the focus is still on individual goals. Partners recognize the “value added” of a shared vision and collaborate on some common goals. Partners hold a shared vision and collaboratively develop and implement common goals. Communication The purpose of communication is to share individual needs. Most communication focuses on sharing individual needs; however, some discussion takes place related to a shared vision and common goals. Communication promotes progress toward achieving a shared vision and common goals. Communication is both consistent and deliberate, and is seen as an important component of the success of the partnership. Decision. Making Most partners are represented by those with no authority to make changes; therefore, decisions are made apart from common goals. Some partners are represented by those with limited authority to make small decisions that may contribute to common goals. Most partners are represented by those with limited authority to make decisions that promote individual or organizational goals, but are less committed to making decisions toward common goals. Partners with authority represent their organization to make collaborative decisions that meet common goals.

Points Awarded Criterion B: Commitment and Capacity of Partnership Guiding Questions: Does the project management team have the expertise to implement and sustain a math and/or science professional learning program? Is there evidence that mathematicians, scientists, and/or engineers as well as any teacher training faculty are playing major roles in the design and delivery of the proposed program? Are the roles of all partners clearly identified? Does the work plan engage all partners in meaningful ways? Is there evidence that the partners share goals, responsibilities, and accountability for the proposed work? Does the governance structure describe communication, decision-making, and fiscal responsibilities among the project partners? Exceeds Standard Strong evidence of the number and quality of staff to carry out the proposed activities; Qualifications are provided for key partners’ staff and appear to be exceedingly strong. Meets Standard Adequate number and quality of staff to carry out the proposed activities; Qualifications of key partners’ staff are described and appear to be acceptable. Below Standard Little evidence of the number and quality of staff to carry out the proposed activities; Qualifications of key partners’ staff are described but appear to be limited; Shows long term commitment of partners; Institutional resources are given in detail; Shows commitment of partners; Institutional resources are given acceptably; Project is likely to impact an acceptable percentage (25%50%) of teachers in need. 6 -8 9 -12 Avg. Shows somewhat limited commitment of partners; Institutional resources are given but without detail; Project is likely to impact a high percentage (>50%) of teachers in need K-5 Project is likely to impact a limited percentage (<25%) of teachers. Reviewer Comments: 25

Ga. MSP Designing A MSP Project Stage 1: Identify Desired Results What do my teachers need to know and be able to do? Professional Learning Needs Assessment Project Goals and Objectives Stage 2: Determine Acceptable Evidence (Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment) What tools will show whether my teachers know it and/or can do it? (to assess teacher progress toward desired results) Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences & Instruction What will need to be done to help my teachers learn the required knowledge and skills? (to facilitate teacher success leading to desired results) 26

The Needs Assessment • Identify and prioritize baseline professional learning needs of teachers • Disaggregate by grade level and content area • Identify specific gaps or weaknesses in teacher content knowledge. • Must be determined using a current (within the past 12 months) quantitative and qualitative content-driven assessment of teacher professional learning needs • Include a description of the methods used to collect this information. • Include the current status of student achievement in mathematics and/or science for the targeted grades • Disaggregate student data in table form by • gender, • ethnicity, • socio-economic factors, • English language learners (ELL), and • disability The results of the teacher and student needs assessments must be used in the establishment of the goals and objectives for the proposed project. 27

Possible Data to Include in Needs Assessment • Surveys • Focus group interviews • Classroom observations/CLASS Keys/Walk Throughs • Teacher content knowledge assessment results • Student achievement data – state tests, local benchmarks 28

Resources for Needs Assessment • Appendix A of the RFP • http: //www. horizon-research. com/ • Released test items (NAEP, TIMSS, etc…) can be used to create a content assessment • http: //assessment. aaas. org – Science Assessment Questions 29

Think about your challenges • Imagine that there are no barriers. How would you address your challenges? • Could a partnership help you address them? • Would a MSP grant help you address this challenge? 30

Closing Remarks • Begin with the end in mind (use the rubric included). • Tomorrow at 10, I will host another Elluminate Session, Part 2, to discuss the work plan, assessment, & budgets. No password is needed for this session. • Face-to-Face Training Sessions are Scheduled – Register with me at abuice@doe. k 12. ga. us, and I will send you detailed directions, room #s, etc. – June 27, 2012, 9 a. m. – 1 p. m. , Ga. DOE, Atlanta, GA – July 13, 2012, 9 a. m. – 1 p. m. , State Offices South at TIFT College, Forsyth, GA 31

Contact Information • Contact Amanda Buice, MSP Program Specialist at Ga. DOE – 404 -657 -8319 – abuice@doe. k 12. ga. us • MSP website • www. gadoe. org • Then type in “MSP” in the search box • Q&A 32