1. Grades 7 to 12 Math & Science Specialist Talent Management Strategy
Beth Keller
District Curriculum Specialist
Secondary Programs
November 19, 2015

2. Math & Science Talent Management Strategy - Objective
Provide secondary students with highly effective math and science specialists who possess deep content knowledge in math and science theory and application and who can facilitate rigorous, relevant and engaging instruction by:
Providing such specialists with annual stipends and ongoing development that address:
The persistent scarcity of math and science content area experts.
Our need to compete in the local high-tech economy for individuals with scarce math and science degrees.
Establishing Professional Learning Plans for each of our math and science specialists designed to foster their expanded mastery of theory and application in their content area and allied career readiness program areas.
Conducting ongoing development of specialist Professional Learning Communities and review of math and science instruction in grades 7 to 12 designed to foster 21st Century learning focused upon rigorous, relevant, and engaging instruction.

3. Math & Science Talent Management Strategy – Qualifications
The Superintendent may provide math and science specialists in grades 7 to 12 with annual stipends who meet the following qualifications:
Payment will only be made to specialists who are active employees on the last regular day of school.
Stipend will be prorated backwards from the last regular day of school to the first day specialists qualified for stipends by teaching a math or science course during the current school year.
Payments will be calculated as the product of the share of potential math and science periods taught by a teacher and the allowable stipend.
Qualified specialists will have met:
Goals outlined in their Professional Learning Plan (content knowledge).
Standards of practice within their Professional Learning Community (21st Century teaching practice).

4. Math & Science Talent Management Strategy – Stipend Parameters
The Superintendent may provide math and science specialists in grades 7 to 12 with annual stipends within the following parameters:
Payment will be made once per year after the last regular day of school.
Payments will be made within the year in which the budget element for such payments are recommended by the Superintendent and approved by the Board.
The Superintendent may NOT propose a budget that includes stipends for math and science teachers if such budget would reduce operating reserves below 125 percent of the required General Fund Reserve.

5. Math & Science Talent Management Strategy – PLP Parameters
As part of meeting the goals of the Professional Learning Plans, math and science specialists must successfully earn six to seven undergraduate or graduate credits every three years in the appropriate math or science content area or an allied field of application to support career readiness instruction:
Colleges and universities may apply to offer undergraduate or graduate courses that met PLP requirements on contract with Huntsville City Schools.
The Superintendent will ensure that courses for which HCS is making payment as part of a specialist’s PLP are rigorous and relevant to specialist learning plans and that such courses represent a good value. As appropriate this review will include audits of such courses by certified employees of Huntsville City Schools.
As appropriate, the Superintendent will budget for up to seven credit hours per qualified specialist per three year period beginning in May 2016.

6. Math & Science Talent Management Strategy – Teaching Practice Parameters
As part of meeting standards of practice goals, math and science specialists must successfully demonstrate 21st Century teaching practices as established for their learning community once every three years:
The Superintendent will establish teacher led learning communities among secondary math and science teachers. These learning communities will:
Establish, in concert with the Superintendent and his leadership team, rubrics for standards of teaching practice in math and science. These rubrics will serve as the basis for periodic reviews of teaching practice by members of the leadership team and specialists within Professional Learning Communities.
Afford specialists multiple opportunities to demonstrate 21st Century teaching practices. Where such practices are not in evidence, the PLC will establish a growth plan and a subsequent opportunity to demonstrate effective teaching practices and requalify teachers for the math and science specialist stipend.

7. Math & Science Talent Management Strategy – Implementation
The Superintendent may implement this strategy within the following framework:
Payment of stipends may begin after the last regular day of school in 2016 for the second semester of the school year. Thereafter, annual payments may be made for full school years beginning after the last regular day of school in 2017.
Math and science specialists’ PLPs will focus upon specialists earning six to seven credits every three years in Bachelor or Master level courses the following disciplines:
Mathematics, Statistics, Econometrics, Finance, Microeconomics, Computer Science, Cyber Security, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Modeling and Simulation, and Operations Research.
Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Optics, Genetics, Geology, Chemical Engineering, Zoology, Environmental Science, Nursing, Health Science, Informatics.
Since PLCs will focus upon development of specialists’ teaching practice, payment will not be made for and PLPs will not include courses taught within education departments unless specialists require education credits for licensure. In such cases, prior approval must be provided by the Superintendent.

8. Math & Science Talent Management Strategy – School Level Specialists
To facilitate math and science instruction planning and execution with schools with a 7th or 10th grade, the Superintendent may establish School Level Math Specialists and Science Specialists. These specialists will:
Lead development of pacing guides and common formative benchmark assessments.
Collaborate with ELA, Cyber Security, Greenpower/Advanced Manufacturing, and ETA teachers to develop an integrated multidisciplinary curriculum that reinforces student mastery of math, English, and science standards.
Assist school leaders with analysis of math and science data within their schools and upstream schools within their school’s feeder patterns.
Use coaching models to support math and science specialists and teachers.
Create a video repository of effective math and science lessons.
Serve as experts within their school in the use of VILT labs for math and science instruction and professional development.

9. Math & Science Talent Management Strategy – Title I Schools
To accelerate achievement growth in Title I secondary schools, the Superintendent may establish additional stipends for math, science, history and English teachers in grades 7 to 12 in core courses using Title I funds. Payment of such stipends will be contingent upon the following qualifications:
Teachers gain qualification by participating in the coaching cycle with school level curriculum specialist/math specialist/science specialist and through their participation in specialized professional development as set forth in their Personal Learning Plans.
Teachers will retain qualification by maintaining student portfolios that include student work and writing samples related to math, English and science standards according to a rubric to be established by the Superintendent. Teachers from interdisciplinary Professional Learning Communities (PLC) will evaluate these portfolios for rigor and relevance according to rubrics established by teachers and the school system leadership team.

10. We Currently Have 51 High School Math Teachers
We Currently Have 51 High School Math Teachers. These Teachers Have a Range of Content Expertise in Mathematics and Allied Fields.
Bachelor Degree
Master Degree
Can you make the degrees larger- very small font

11. We Currently Have 34 Middle School Math Teachers
We Currently Have 34 Middle School Math Teachers. These Teachers Have a Range of Content Expertise in Mathematics and Allied Fields.
Bachelor Degree
Master Degree
Can you make the degrees larger- very small font

12. We Currently Have 53 High School Science Teachers
We Currently Have 53 High School Science Teachers. These Teachers Have a Range of Content Expertise in Science and Allied Fields.
Bachelor Degree
Master Degree

13. We Currently Have 33 Middle School Science Teachers
We Currently Have 33 Middle School Science Teachers. These Teachers Have a Range of Content Expertise in Science and Allied Fields.
Bachelor Degree
Master Degree