Florida’s Race to the Top R e d a c t e d

2 Florida’s Courage to Reform School and district grades A – F Differentiated Accountability High School Grades –50% on test / 50% on access to rigor, college readiness, graduation rate Internationally benchmarked curriculum standards Choice and charter options 137,918 students in 410 charter schools 154,125 course enrollments in Florida Virtual School Statewide Longitudinal Data System Long-standing pay for performance

3 Florida’s Commitment to Reform 80 letters of support 89% of districts signed MOU (strong superintendent and school board support) 80% schools, 81% students, 82% students in poverty Five districts’ local unions signed on –Employ 27,013 instructional staff –Have 360,179 students –Larger than many states, including three finalists (Rhode Island, Delaware, District of Columbia)

4 Progress Toward Florida’s Goals

5 Florida’s Success – School Grades History has demonstrated that with higher accountability, schools rise to the occasion and continue to improve. Raised the Bar 143

6 Florida’s African-American students outperform the Nation’s African-American students on NAEP Mathematics in Grade 4 (73% scoring at or above basic in Florida compared to 63% scoring at or above basic nationwide).

7 Florida’s Hispanic students outperformed the Nation’s Hispanic students on NAEP Reading in Grade 8 in 2007 (67% scoring at or above basic in Florida compared to 57% scoring at or above basic nationwide).

8 White - African-American Gap: 21.4% in to 17.5% in to 11% in White - Hispanic Gap: 12.6% in to 7.8% in to 3% in

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11 Florida Is a Good Investment: Florida Will Deliver!

12 Hillsborough: A Record of Innovation Hillsborough is a model for the state and nation Empowering Effective Teachers grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ($100 million) Effective teachers in every classroom Collaborative Process Reforms by, for and with teachers and the teachers union Hillsborough 8 th Largest School District in the Nation 191,000 Students A-Rated School District

13 Hillsborough: A Record of Innovation Resulted in Plans for System-Wide Changes Standards and Assessment Data Systems Great Teachers and Leaders (Evaluation and Compensation) Turning Around Low-Achieving Schools Expect Results Increased Student Achievement College and Career Readiness Best Teachers with Students Who Most Need Them

14 Miami-Dade: Achieving Success Through Innovation and Collaboration Miami-Dade County Public Schools has overcome financial distress, labor unrest and lagging student performance through innovation, collaboration, transparency and honest dialogue The Best Predictor of Future Performance is Past Success –Improved School Performance –Innovative and Effective Use of Data to Increase Student Achievement –Effective and Efficient Use of Resources –Political Stability Between District Administration, the School Board and Community Implemented academic standards preparing students for workforce readiness on a global stage Increased student achievement, particularly for minority students 14

15 Miami-Dade: Achieving Success Through Innovation and Collaboration Miami-Dade County Public Schools implemented significant reform at low-performing schools –Central Senior High and Edison Edu-Plex Rigorous Staff Selection Process Based on Student Learning Gains Agreement with the teacher’s union on differentiated contract provisions at selected struggling schools –Central Senior High includes Collaborative Planning, Benchmark Assessments, Targeted Professional Development and Data Based Decision Making to Drive Instruction –Edison Edu-Plex agreement also provides for Recruitment and Retention Incentives, and Performance Pay Stipend The investment provided by the Race to the Top initiative will provide the bridge to the next level of student achievement 15

16 Florida Is a Good Investment: Florida Will Deliver!