1. K12 2008-195.pdf
    2. FAQs Update 11 04 08.pdf

 
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Eric J. Smith
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Chairman
Commissioner of Education
Members
PETER BOULWARE
AKSHAY DESAI
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
LINDA K. TAYLOR
Contact Information:
Nikolai Vitti
(850) 245-0426
MEMORANDUM
Nikolai.Vitti@fldoe.org
Iris Wilson
TO:
District Superintendents
(850) 245-0509
Iris.Wilson@fldoe.org
FROM:
Chancellor Frances Haithcock
K12: 2008-195
DATE:
November 18, 2008
SUBJECT:
Frequently Asked Questions on Differentiated Accountability
I would like to thank you for your commitment in implementing Florida’s Differentiated Accountability
Plan. As we work together to implement this plan, please continue communicating your questions and
concerns to me, Department staff, and your Regional Executive Director.
The questions that we have received to date have been incorporated into a Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) document, which will be regularly updated as new questions arise. The FAQ as well as other
Differentiated Accountability and Regional Support information can be located on the Bureau of School
Improvement’s Web site at: http://www.flbsi.org. We hope you find this information helpful.
If you have additional questions or would like clarification on a specific question in the FAQ, please
contact Nikolai Vitti at (850) 245-0426, via email at Nikolai.Vitti@fldoe.org; Iris Wilson at (850) 245-
0509, via email at Iris.Wilson@fldoe.org; or your Regional Executive Director.
FH/nvb
Attachment
cc:
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District Accountability Directors
District School Improvement Directors
District Title I Directors
DR. FRANCES HAITHCOCK
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CHANCELLOR OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 514 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0509 • www.fldoe.org

 
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS RELATED TO
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DIFFERENTIATED ACCOUNTABILITY
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Florida Department of Education
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Bureau of School Improvement
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http://www.flbsi.org
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UPDATED 11/04/2008

Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
General Questions .......................................................................................................... 1
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Adequate Yearly Progress .............................................................................................. 2
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Intervene Status .............................................................................................................. 2
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Charter Schools .............................................................................................................. 3
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Regional Support System................................................................................................ 3
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Funding ........................................................................................................................... 4
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Improvement Planning .................................................................................................... 5
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Leadership ...................................................................................................................... 6
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Educator Quality.............................................................................................................. 7
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Professional Development ............................................................................................ 11
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Curriculum Aligned and Paced...................................................................................... 12
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Continuous Improvement Model ................................................................................... 12
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Choice with Transportation............................................................................................ 13
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Monitoring Plans and Processes................................................................................... 14
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
General Questions
1. How does Florida’s Differentiated Accountability Model differ from the School
Improvement requirements under NCLB?
The Florida model provides alignment and integration of the federal and state
accountability systems to allow implementation of school improvement strategies
that will have the greatest impact on low-performing schools. The model
differentiates among schools based on school grade and percent of Adequate Yearly
Progress (AYP) criteria met.
2.
Why were school districts required to implement the Differentiated
Accountability requirements this school year?
We understand the concerns about the timelines for implementation. The US
Department of Education requested that selected pilot states implement the model in
the 2008-09 school year. We have provided flexibility in implementing all
requirements for schools other than Intervene and Correct II. It is imperative that
these schools implement the Differentiated Accountability Plan this school year
before students fall farther behind.
3. What is the process for flexibility and phasing in various provisions of the
differentiated accountability model?
Priority for implementation in the 2008-09 school year must be given to Intervene, F,
and Repeating F schools. For Correct II schools, districts must make every effort to
ensure implementation during this school year. In cases of non-compliance, the
district must have a comprehensive plan for addressing the requirement.
4. Who directs interventions for Category I and Category II schools?
For Category I schools, the district and school are responsible for implementing and
monitoring the Differentiated Accountability requirements without state oversight.
Category II schools are subject to increased state oversight.
5. What is the status of implementation to date?
All Intervene, Repeating F, and F schools are either in full compliance or working on
attaining compliance. Details on this matter will be reported to the State Board in
December.
6. Districts will be reported to the legislature with a recommendation for
legislative action if they fail to comply with a state statute or rule. What types
of recommendations are anticipated?
Recommendations will be made on a case-by-case basis dependent upon the extent
of non-compliance.
7. What is a “model Title 1 school”?
Model Title I Schools are defined by the FDOE as current Title I schools that earned
an “A”, have met AYP, and are not in SINI status.
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
Adequate Yearly Progress
1. Why is the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) threshold for Category I 80%?
The general concept between Category I and II is that Category I schools are those
that are missing relatively few AYP criteria and therefore require more focused
service, whereas Category II schools face more widespread issues and require more
comprehensive services. Holding to that concept, the threshold of 80% AYP criteria
met along with school grades of “A”, “B”, or “C” was used to differentiate between
Category I and Category II. 80% AYP criteria met translates to a school missing up
to seven criteria. Moving the bar to 70% would translate to schools missing up to 11
criteria. This was a key element of the application to the federal government for the
Differentiated Accountability Pilot.
With increased rigor, 80% could be viewed as too lenient a threshold (i.e., does
missing seven criteria really translate to focused problems?). Further, this strategy
is one that focuses on ensuring that students are getting the most benefit from
services and interventions.
2. Can the State’s NCLB accountability plan be revised to address Writing and
Safe Harbor?
The Department is willing to reconsider this issue.
Intervene Status
1. What are the criteria for an Intervene school to exit that status?
In order to exit Intervene status, an Intervene school must:
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Increase the school’s letter grade to a “C” or higher
and
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Increase the overall percentage of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) criteria
met by 5% in reading and mathematics. 5% means moving one non-AYP
subgroup in reading and one non-AYP subgroup in mathematics to
proficiency. AYP can be attained through proficiency, safe harbor, or the
growth model.
2. Does the restructuring of Intervene schools as career institutes only apply to
high schools? What is the state’s definition of a career institute?
The career institutes option has been removed from the list of restructuring choices
for Intervene schools.
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
Charter Schools
1. What oversight does the district have when addressing charter school
compliance with the requirements of Differentiated Accountability?
Charter schools that receive Title I, Part A funds are required to implement all Title I
school improvement requirements. In addition, charter schools graded “D” or “F” are
subject to increased state intervention, in conjunction with the charter governing
board. School districts are encouraged to work with charter governing boards and to
renegotiate charters to ensure accountability for student performance.
2. Is it the district’s responsibility or the charter agency’s responsibility to
implement the Differentiated Accountability Model?
The Governing Board is in charge of creating a plan; the district must approve the
plan and provide additional resources as applicable in alignment with the
Differentiated Accountability requirements.
Regional Support System
1. Will the Regional Executive Directors permit more time for implementation of
requirements if the request is reasonable?
This is the first year and there may be areas for flexibility, but careful attention must
be given to Correct II and Intervene schools. Issues surrounding Pay for
Performance and Differentiated Pay will require patience due to the collective
bargaining process.
2. Can the union be involved or have a representative serve on the Regional
Support System team?
The Regional Teams consist of an Executive Director with a prior history of
improving school performance and Instructional Specialists with content-area
knowledge. Union representatives are encouraged to contact the Regional Directors
with questions and concerns.
3. How will the Regional Leaders, School Improvement Facilitators, and
Connecting Partners be identified?
Regional Executive Directors were identified through a search conducted by the
Department. These are individuals with prior administrative experience and a
success record of turning around low-performing schools. The Instructional
Specialists have been hired directly by the Directors and are content-area and
pedagogy experts. Connecting Partners are identified by both the Department and
the Directors.
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
4. Will the school district have any input into the composition of the Regional
Teams?
The teams have been assembled and are currently working in all Intervene,
Repeating F, F, and selected Correct II schools.
5. Will additional personnel be hired or contracted to serve at this level? If so,
what will be the process for identifying, hiring, and/or contracting with these
individuals?
Please see the response to Question 4 in this section.
Funding
1. With the status of school district budgets for 2008-09, will Correct II and
Intervene schools be required to provide extended-day or after-school
programs for remediation and enrichment?
Yes, Correct II and Intervene schools are required to provide extended-day and/or
after school-programs. For non-Title I schools, remediation may be provided during
the school day through pull-out programs with minimal disruption to the educational
program.
2. With the continuing budgetary shortfalls, what fund sources are available to
hire the staff required under Differentiated Accountability?
Districts can utilize Title I, Part A, Title I School Improvement, Title II, Part A, Title III,
Supplemental Academic Instruction, and the Reading Allocation in alignment with
program requirements.
3. Are there any additional funds to implement the program? If so, how much
and from where?
Districts have been appropriated Title I School Improvement funds (Sections 1003(a)
and (g)), in the amount of $43.8 million, which may be used to support
implementation of Differentiated Accountability in Title I schools. Title II, Part, A,
Title III, IDEA, Supplemental Academic Instruction, and the Reading Allocation can
be used in both Title I and non-Title I schools to support Differentiated
Accountability.
4. Do school districts have discretion in redirecting funds to low- performing
schools? What are the limits to the district’s discretion, if any?
School districts may elect to redirect federal and state funding designed to assist
high-poverty schools and/or at-risk students, such as Title I, Part A, Basic, Title I
School Improvement funds, Title I, Part C, Title II, Part A, Title II, Part D, Title III,
Title VI, and/or Supplemental Academic Instruction funds in alignment with the
requirements for these programs to meet the requirements of the Differentiated
Accountability Plan.
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
5. What state funds are subject to being withheld for non-compliance?
FDOE may place a condition on federal grant awards and/or state discretionary
grants if a district does not ensure compliance with the Differentiated Accountability
Model.
6. Will any schools that have met AYP requirements lose funding as a function of
this initiative?
Funding may be withheld or conditions placed on grant awards only in cases of
severe non-compliance. In addition, the Department does not allocate funds directly
to schools; it is the district’s discretion how funds are allocated, notwithstanding
federal and state requirements.
7. Will districts that have already submitted Title I and II grant proposals for
2008-09 be able to revise their proposals and do budget amendments?
Yes, federal grants may be amended at any time during the school year.
Improvement Planning
1. What is the peer review process for plan development and implementation?
The peer review is a Title I requirement. School districts are required to conduct peer
reviews of school improvement plans within 45 days of submission to the district
(sec. 1116(b)(3)(e)).
2. Is the Differentiated Accountability plan replacing other plans for
Restructuring and Repeating Fs?
Yes, the intent is to merge the previous Tier System for Restructuring and the
Assistance Plus program. Restructuring requirements in the Differentiated
Accountability matrix replace the state Tier system for Tiers 3-7. Repeating F school
requirements have been incorporated into the matrix.
3. Do our schools have to implement Differentiated Accountability and another
School Improvement/Corrective Action/Restructuring Plan for Title I School
Improvement?
No, the required interventions should be incorporated into existing school and district
plans.
4. Please clarify the statement, "Implement a Corrective Action Plan in Year 3."
As in the past, once a school has not made AYP for four consecutive years, a
corrective action plan must be implemented the following school year.
5. What are the requirements for an “outside expert” for a school in Corrective
Action?
An outside expert may be a contracted evaluator from a professional organization, a
college/university professor, a district administrator from a neighboring school
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
district, or a retired district administrator who has a previous record of improving
school achievement and can be objective in evaluating current improvement efforts.
6. With school accountability data coming out in June/July, how should a school
plan to implement a new school reform model by the beginning of the year?
School districts should begin planning for possible implementation of a school reform
model based on progress monitoring data. While these data do not impact school
grades and AYP, they should be a predictor of achievement.
7. When does the planning for the restructuring process occur?
Planning for restructuring occurs as it has in the past, after a school has not made
AYP for five consecutive years (SINI 4).
8. Is there flexibility in implementing restructuring plans for schools that were
planning for restructuring in 2007-08?
Schools should implement the restructuring plan that was developed during the
2007-08 school year unless a district was offering only professional development or
data indicate that other changes to the plan are necessary. However, it is anticipated
that districts plan to implement the model fully by the start of the next school year
and that restructuring plans are revised accordingly.
9. Will the Tier levels be removed from the SINI 4, 5, and 6s?
The state Tiers for restructuring are no longer applicable.
Leadership
1. What criteria should districts use to assign principals with a clear record of
increasing student achievement in targeted areas in a similar school type and
setting?
The assignment of principals should be based on: 1) a previous record of increasing
student proficiency; 2) increasing proficiency specifically in the area(s) that the
receiving school did not make AYP; and 3) increasing achievement in a school with
the same grade span and similar demographics as the receiving school (e.g.
elementary to elementary).
2. When reference is made to principals’ and leadership teams’ record of prior
success in increasing student achievement in targeted subgroups, what data
should be used to determine prior success?
When determining the prior success record of principals and leadership teams,
student achievement data, School Grade, Adequate Yearly Progress, and subgroup
achievement should be analyzed. For a new principal, the prior record as an
Assistant Principal may be utilized when determining success in increasing
achievement.
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
3. Can an assistant principal’s credentials in “turning around a school” meet the
requirements for Leadership for Correct II and Intervene schools if it was too
late to change this principal for this school year?
Effective assistant principals are certainly a benefit to the principal. However, the
principal is the instructional leader and sets the tone for the school. It is difficult for
the assistant principal to take on that leadership role with an ineffective principal.
4. Can the professional partner for the school principal be someone from the
district or must it be contracted services?
Yes, a professional partner could be a retired principal with a successful track record
or a district administrator who was a principal with a successful track record.
5. Are professional partners for principals also “mentors?”
Yes, the purpose of the professional partner for the school leader is to provide
support for that leader in the form of mentoring, coaching, or other assistance
appropriate to further the school’s improvement and the leader’s development. The
professional partner may be selected and provided through the state’s William Cecil
Golden Professional Development Program (WCG) or may be another contracted
individual or entity. Professional Partners obtained through the WCG Program are
provided at no cost to the district.
5. Charter school law allows principals of charter schools to have varied
backgrounds and certificates. Will they be held to the same requirements as
public school principals?
Florida Statutes are silent on the qualifications of the principal. Each charter may
contain requirements and should be reviewed to determine appropriate placement of
principals.
6. Would a member of the leadership team at a charter school have to meet the
criteria regarding previous success record even if the person is not on
campus every day?
The criteria should be the same for a charter school as for a traditional public school.
Educator Quality
1. Do NCLB requirements relating to “Highly Qualified” teachers and
paraprofessionals apply to the non-Title schools?
All paraprofessionals in Title I and non-Title I Prevent II and Correct II schools must
meet the highly qualified requirements defined under NCLB. However, non-Title I
schools have a one-year reprieve to plan to meet the requirements at the start of the
2009-10 school year. All teachers are required to meet the highly qualified
requirements.
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
2. How will “highly effective teachers” be determined?
Highly effective teachers are those who can improve the achievement of subgroups
not making AYP in reading, mathematics, and writing.The district should be able to
utilize its appraisal system for current employees, based on the requirements of
section 1012.34, F.S., to make this determination. If the district is recruiting teachers
to these positions to fill vacancies, the employment process should include methods
to seek out this type of prior successful experience.
3. How are teachers in need of improvement defined?
“In need of improvement” means that the teacher has been determined to perform at
an overall less than satisfactory level as defined in sections 1012.33 and 1012.34,
Florida Statutes. If at the end of the year, it has been determined that the teacher is
not meeting standards as defined in the district’s performance appraisal system, the
district would need to reassign that teacher.
4. Correct II and Intervene schools must be fully staffed by the first day of
school. What flexibility is being granted this year and in future years?
Correct II and Intervene schools must be fully staffed at the beginning of the school
year and all mid-year vacancies must be filled at those schools. This process is to be
determined by the local school district.
5. The model calls for performance pay at Correct II and Intervene schools. What
is the authority in either state or federal statutes for this provision?
Section 1012.22 requires that a district school board, in determining its salary
schedule, must base a portion of each employee’s compensation on their
performance.
6. How can school districts address performance pay with the teacher’s union?
The Department will continue to work with districts on this issue and will work with
Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS) and Florida
Educational Association (FEA) to ensure stakeholder consensus.
7. Will the requirement that performance appraisals be “primarily” based on
student achievement be more clearly defined?
“Primarily” is defined as fifty-one percent of the performance appraisal being based
on student achievement.
8. The district must ensure that the performance appraisal process is
implemented “with fidelity”. How is that defined?
With fidelity means as instructed in the district’s appraisal system documentation.
The appraisal system should meet requirements of section 1012.34, Florida
Statutes, including that the district must train staff on implementing the plan and
inform personnel of the process. All stakeholders must have a common
understanding of the expectations of the appraisal process and the evaluation tool is
used consistently across all schools and classrooms.
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
9. Can differentiated pay include credential pay for advanced degrees, critical
shortage areas, extra teaching period, or alternative education?
Differentiated pay “may” include any additional bonus or salary compensation for
any reason the district chooses. Differentiated Pay “must” be provided for the four
reasons listed in Section 1012.22(1)(c)4, Florida Statutes:
4. Beginning with the 2007-2008 academic year, each district school
board shall adopt a salary schedule with differentiated pay for both
instructional personnel and school-based administrators. The salary
schedule is subject to negotiation as provided in chapter 447 and must
allow differentiated pay based on district-determined factors, including, but
not limited to, additional responsibilities, school demographics, critical
shortage areas, and level of job performance difficulties.
Please note that the “critical shortage areas” referenced in this statute are not limited
to the official statewide critical shortage areas determined annually by the state, but
may include areas that the district determines local shortage areas.
10. What is meant by “monitoring” the district use of differential pay?
The Department will review the extent to which districts are implementing
differentiated pay or where they are in the process of negotiating differentiated pay
in alignment with the requirements of Section 1012.22, Florida Statutes.
11. What is the definition of “relevant staff” and under what conditions will they
be replaced in each of the five categories?
Relevant staff are those that either do not meet the highly qualified and/or certified
in-field requirements, and those who have not attributed to increased student
achievement in subgroups not making AYP. Increased student achievement is
defined as 60% of students making learning gains.
12.
What is the specific legal authority to “declare an emergency to suspend
contract agreements…” as it relates specifically to Differentiated
Accountability?
State Board Rule 6A-1.09981(11)(c), Implementation of Florida’s System of School
Improvement and Accountability, provides that when a school receives a grade of D
or F, “The local school board is authorized to declare an emergency in order to
negotiate special provisions of its contract with appropriate bargaining units to
implement programs and strategies needed to improve student performance as
specified in Section 1001.42(19), Florida Statutes.” If the contract prevents
improvements in student achievement, the district can choose to declare an
emergency.
13. For coaches and/or teachers of subgroups that did not make AYP, must they
have certification in hand or can they be working towards certification (i.e.
taking classes)?
The requirement is for certification in hand.
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
14. Are there guidelines for the number of coaches per school?
For Repeating F schools, enrollment parameters for the number of coaches apply,
capped at four. For Repeating F schools, the district must provide one reading and
one mathematics/science coach per five hundred enrolled students. For each
additional two hundred and fifty students, the district provides an additional half time
reading coach for a maximum of four coaches per school. The designation of
mathematics or mathematics/science coaches is based upon student achievement
data.
For non-Repeating F schools, the requirement is one reading and one
mathematics/science coach. Schools with less than two hundred students may hire
a part-time reading and a part-time mathematics coach.
15. What are the criteria for a "lead teacher”?
A lead teacher is a teacher within a Lesson Study Group (LSG) or other Professional
Learning Community (PLC) who is providing leadership to the group throughout its
work. The teacher may also provide coaching to team members. Depending on
staffing, a lead teacher may provide leadership to more than one study group.
However, the lead teacher must retain some classroom responsibilities in order to
utilize and demonstrate in his/her own classroom the practices that are being
studied.
16. Lead teachers will be assigned based on “demonstrated student achievement
improvement in the subgroup/content area”. What does that mean and how
will it be determined?
Demonstrated student achievement is evidenced by learning gains and improved
proficiency on the FCAT. The district should be able to determine this through its
appraisal system. However, if the district’s appraisal system is not thorough enough
to provide that information then other evidence of student achievement must be
utilized to make that determination.
17. Is there any definition as to required student contact time for these coaches
and lead teachers? Can they be assigned to more than one school?
Coaches must be released full-time and not maintain classroom responsibilities.
Lead teachers must maintain classroom responsibilities for a portion of their time.
Both lead teachers and coaches should be assigned to a school on a full-time basis.
18. Will schools be provided additional state or federal funds to provide reading
and math coaches and lead teachers?
The Reading Allocation and Title II, Part A funds may be used to provide coaches
and lead teachers as long as the district is not supplanting.
19. Can a content area teacher provide reading or math intervention to Level 1
students if they block one class with a content area class be considered
highly qualified?
Level 1 students may have a subject specific course (i.e. intensive math); therefore
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
the teacher would have to be highly qualified in that subject.
20. What does the term “qualified” mean for student support personnel?
Qualified” means that the staff member holds the certificate required in the Course
Code Directory for the position.
21. Student support personnel must have documented experience in a similar
school setting. What is a “similar school setting”? What if there is no other
similar school setting in that school district and the support personnel have
only worked in that district?
The district should be looking for someone who has documented success in a
school setting that is similar to the one in which they are being placed in order to
best serve those students. “Similar” can include grade levels, demographics,
urban/rural, etc., including success in improving the achievement of students
performing at similar levels, as determined by the district. If the staff person is
already successful in that school, there is no need to make a personnel change.
22. What flexibility will be given to districts for the 2008-09 school year on human
resources issues such as requiring that there are no teachers in need of
improvement at the school?
Priority for implementation in the 2008-09 school year must be given to Intervene, F,
and Repeating F schools. For Correct II schools, districts must make every effort to
ensure implementation during this school year. In cases of non-compliance, the
district must have a comprehensive plan for addressing the requirement.
23. What funding sources can a district utilize to hire reading, math, and science
coaches, outside experts, professional partners, human resources staff, and
content experts to coach Professional Learning Communities (PLC) and
Lesson Study Groups (LSGs)?
Districts may use Title I, Part A, Title I School Improvement, Title II, Part A, the
Reading Allocation, Supplemental Academic Instruction funds, or other state and
federal funds to meet the requirements of Differentiated Accountability as long as
supplanting requirements are met.
Professional Development
1. What resources should a district provide in redesigning the master schedule?
Should assistance be provided by district personnel or can purchased
services and/or materials suffice?
District personnel could assist administrators who need training in how to develop
the schedule in order to set aside appropriate blocks of time for instruction, common
planning, and professional development. Consultants may need to be hired in cases
where the district is not already using the Professional Learning Communities model,
and stipends for participants and materials provided to carry out this requirement.
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
The resulting schedule would need to be supported by the district with the necessary
resources to execute it.
Curriculum Aligned and Paced
1. Are schools required to implement a state-approved curriculum?
Correct II and Intervene schools are required to implement a state-adopted
curriculum aligned with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards. These
schools must use state-adopted curricula and ensure that those curricula are aligned
with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.
2. There are 12 choices listed as “School Reform Models.” Are we limited to
these, and if not, what are the criteria for other selections?
No, the list of models is for informational purposes and is not inclusive. If a district
would like to utilize other models, it must document the model’s success in
improving low-performing schools.
3. In regard to curriculum, do interventions only refer to reading?
No, progress monitoring and interventions apply to all tested content areas.
Interventions should be provided in all areas with low performance, not just reading.
4. Are differentiated instruction and/or pull-outs during the school day for
additional instruction considered alternative delivery?
Either would constitute alternative delivery. However, if utilizing a pull-out model,
disruption to the educational program must be minimized.
Continuous Improvement Model
1. Is the Continuous Improvement Model considered a schoolwide reform
model?
Florida's Continuous Improvement Model is a continuous process in which data
analysis determines classroom instruction and is one component of a schoolwide
reform model. A comprehensive schoolwide reform model focuses on improving the
whole school, addressing curriculum, school staff, school management, the
community, and parents.
2. Are districts permitted to use other assessments or must they use a specific
assessment for screening and progress monitoring?
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
It is at the district’s discretion which screening and progress monitoring instruments
are administered. If screening and progress monitoring methods are in place, new
assessments would not need to be administered.
24. Is the use of the RTI (Response to Intervention) process required or just
permitted? Will schools be given flexibility to establish models that reflect
their school's unique needs?
The basic elements of RtI are required by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Requirements of Florida's
Differentiated Accountability Plan reflects the importance of pursuing schoolwide
change, referred to as RtI, with a higher degree of accountability for schools in the
most significant need of assistance. RtI is a framework that relies on the context of
each school. The major components remain consistent, but flexibility in the problem-
solving process is inherent. The consistent elements and foundation beliefs are
detailed in Florida's State-wide Response to Instruction/Implementation Plan
accessible at http://www.florida-rti.org/.
25. Is the RTI process targeted at both general classroom teachers and special
education personnel?
RtI is an "every student" schoolwide application. Therefore, both general and special
educators' consensus and committed involvement are necessary. Professional
development efforts are targeted toward teams with representation from student
services, general education, curriculum development for academic areas and
behavior support, special education, and administration. In this way, school-based
leadership teams are trained in a multidisciplinary format with a focus on the
necessary skills of systematic problem-solving, rather than isolated training for
groups holding particular titles within the system.
3. Our District has been using ST2. May we substitute this for Response to
Instruction/Intervention (RtI)?
Yes, a district that is using ST2 may substitute that approach for RtI.
Choice with Transportation
1. The new plan states that SINI 1 – 5+ provide Supplemental Educational
Services (SES) with Choice provided for SINI 2 – 5+. Is this to be implemented
for 2008-09?
Yes; however, districts will not need to go back and take away Choice that has
already been granted for the 2008-09 school year.
As of 11/04/2008
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Frequently Asked Questions Related to Differentiated Accountability
Monitoring Plans and Processes
1. For Intervene schools, what format will school districts use to submit plans?
The Department will provide the format for Intervene conversion plans. Regional
Directors will be responsible for updating the Department on the progress of
Intervene schools; therefore, monthly reports generated at the school level will not
be necessary.
2. Can the School Advisory Councils serve as the monitoring team?
School Advisory Councils are required to monitor implementation of the school
improvement plan and may serve on the monitoring team.
As of 11/04/2008
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