General Information

This Application is intended for California school districts interested in applying for the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence’s (CCEE’s) Intensive Assistance Model Project (“Project”), which will establish and expand Solution Tree’s Professional Learning Communities at Work (“PLC at Work®”) process within select districts.  This application is for the first cohort of districts for the Project for the 2022-2023 school year, and CCEE anticipates additional cohorts may be added in the future through a subsequent application process.

Contact Person

For questions pertaining to this application, please contact Stephanie Gregson at [email protected]. 

Submission of Application

Application must be received by May 27, 2022 at 5:00pm PST. 

Documents should be submitted using the template provided in Sections 3 and 4 of this Application. Applicants must be clear and concise in responding to each component. Applications must be submitted electronically as a Microsoft Word (.docx) or .pdf file to the following email address by the submission deadline above, and with the subject line  “Application for CCEE Intensive Assistance Model Project”: [email protected].

Timeline

Please note: It is anticipated that no more than five districts, and, as explained further below, one identified school from each district, will be selected for the first cohort. The Project is intended to run for a period of three years; however, due to the year-to-year nature of the CCEE’s funding, contracts with selected districts will be awarded on a single fiscal year basis (e.g. July 2022-June 2023).  Subsequent single fiscal year contracts will be at the exclusive option of the CCEE, and CCEE reserves the right to discontinue the Project after the first or second fiscal year.  However, selected Applicants in the first cohort will be given priority for any subsequent years of the initial three-year Project period.  

Section 1: Purpose of the Project

Context

Pursuant to Education Code sections 52072 and 52074, the CCEE provides Direct Technical Assistance (“DTA”) to Local Educational Agencies (“LEA”), including school districts, county offices of education (“COEs”), and charter schools, experiencing chronic systemic challenges. CCEE currently uses the evidence-based Systemic Instructional Review (“SIR”) process to create a laser-like focus on instruction and continuous improvement for these LEAs. Through collaboration with each LEA, their respective COE, as applicable, and other partner agencies, a series of recommendations are framed in an action plan that targets the improvement of quality instruction and student outcomes. Each LEA receiving DTA also receives ongoing monitoring and coaching support from CCEE as it implements identified change initiatives.  Through its DTA work and feedback the agency has received from LEAs receiving DTA, the CCEE has made the following important observations:

• Some LEAs have received DTA services for multiple years and have requested even more intensive support to reach their improvement goals.
• Some LEAs have never formally been referred to CCEE for DTA but have reached out to CCEE about the potential for engagement around intensive support services.

The Solution Tree approach is to implement the Three Big Ideas of a PLC at Work®. Teams who are organized as PLCs work collaboratively to answer “Four Critical Questions”, and a PLC at Work® consistently exhibits the Six Essential School Cultural Characteristics.

Solution Tree’s approach to training builds capacity of leadership staff while also providing targeted coaching to educators on the front line – individual teachers. 

Establishing and sustaining an effective collaborative culture requires overcoming common obstacles, such as staff turnover, adopting best practices, and focused collaboration on “the things that matter” in improving student achievement. The challenge is reaching the greatest audience of educators within the limitations of available resources. Solution Tree supports educators in these efforts through events, innovative publishing of renowned thought leaders, and inspired professional development. 

Educators in a district who function as a PLC at Work® benefit from clarity regarding their shared purpose, a common understanding of the school district they are trying to create, collective communities to help move all of the schools in the desired direction, and specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound (SMART) goals to mark their progress.

To respond to the emerging need for more intensive support for some school districts, CCEE has established a partnership between CCEE, school districts, COEs, and Solution Tree to develop and expand Solution Tree’s PLC at Work® process within select schools.

Through this Project, one identified school site from each of the selected districts will serve as a working laboratory for the intensive PLC at Work® support model, conducting action research and sharing best practices with other schools throughout the state. 

Participating districts and their identified schools will be part of a collaborative evaluation and research process [to be conducted by CCEE and Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE)] to gather data regarding student achievement, teacher practices, and effective professional development. By submitting this Application, the district, through its identified school, agrees to be part of any evaluation and research that is established between CCEE and PACE.

Overview of the Project

Selected districts and their identified schools will be matched with a certified PLC at Work® Associate from Solution Tree and will receive intensive onsite support as they implement, deepen, and sustain the PLC at Work® process. Based on a thorough needs assessment at the beginning of the identified school’s Project, each identified school  will create action plans that focus on increasing student achievement through aligned curriculum, formative assessment practices, and proven instructional strategies. The plan will be collaboratively developed between CCEE, LEA and school representatives. 

What are the Intended Outcomes?

• Create a PLC at Work® culture within the school in order to promote continuous improvement.
• Increase levels of student achievement through teacher collaboration, a relentless focus on learning, and results orientation.  
• Qualify as a model PLC at Work® school as determined by Solution Tree’s established criteria.

What are the Key Components of the Project?

Selected districts, through their identified schools, will receive the following:

• Needs assessment—to be conducted for each identified school by the assigned Solution Tree PLC at Work® Associate and a CCEE staff member to obtain information and gather input to be used as the baseline for targeted focus areas; for selected districts currently engaged in DTA, this will be an expansion of the SIR process already completed by CCEE.  
• Professional resources from Solution Tree at Work—to provide strategic advice to support learning in a sustainable fashion for district/school staff, including the sharing of resources in the areas of mathematics, literacy, leadership, school culture, and assessment.
• Project planning support—for required convenings/gatherings of the first cohort of selected districts/schools and conferences to finalize goals, benchmarks, and timelines for the Project.

• Intensive training–on targeted, research-based improvement strategies, using evidence-based instructional resources, strategies, and interventions, including the development of training materials by Solution Tree.
• Ongoing coaching for selected districts and identified school staff throughout each phase of implementation of the change initiative(s).

What is the benefit of participating in the Project?

• Partnership and collaboration 
• Putting into practice all that we know and understand that works for students
• Clearing the “space” for all to focus on teaching, learning, and leading
• Build capacity of leadership staff 
• Targeted coaching for educators (PLC, ELA/ELD, Math, Leadership Coaching – 150+ days of on-site coaching and support)  
• Building of coherence across a school site – shared purpose, common understanding 
• Creating a model for other schools within district – collective communities

For more information on PLC at Work® please visit: https://www.solutiontree.com/plc-at-work/why-plc-at-work

Funding Structure

As part of the application process, interested districts are committing to pay for a portion of the PLC at Work® services to be provided by Solution Tree if selected by CCEE for the Project. Each selected district will contribute according to the funding structure outlined in the tables below.

Districts currently identified for Direct Technical Assistance

Districts not currently identified for Direct Technical Assistance

What Can the Schools Expect?

• Assigned PLC at Work® Associates and CCEE staff will spend up to 50 days onsite at each Project school. These days will be a combination of onsite training, observation, coaching, and other job-embedded staff development.
  • There will be times when the selected district will need to make accommodations for teachers who are out of the classroom for training.
• Training will include the selected district superintendent, identified school site principal, and other district leaders, as well as the school’s leadership team, collaborative teams, and individual teachers. Specific individuals/positions will be determined by CCEE and PLC at Work® Associates, in collaboration with each selected district.  
• The schools will fully implement the three “big ideas” (a focus on learning, a collaborative culture, and a focus on results) of PLC at Work® with fidelity under  the guidance of a trained and certified PLC at Work® Associate and CCEE team member.

Section 2: Eligibility & Scoring

Any K-12 public school district within California is eligible for this Project. However, priority will be given to those districts currently identified and receiving DTA from the CCEE pursuant to Education Code sections 52072 and 52074. School districts will be selected through an application and evaluation process determined by CCEE. Priority will be afforded to DTA districts through the provision of an additional two points in the overall scoring and application evaluation process.  At least three school districts will be selected from those districts identified for Direct Technical Assistance.

The selection process for this Project will involve the following:

• Applications received by CCEE
• CCEE selection committee review
• Principal and Superintendent Finalist Interviews
• Schools selected and announced 

Scoring Rubric: The scoring rubric is valued at a maximum of 25 pts. These scores are advisory to the committee panelists who will make the final decisions to ensure that the applications meet the goals and requirements of the project.

Section 3: Contents of Application

All components and subcomponents of this section must be addressed in a district’s Application. Applicants must be clear and concise in their responses. CCEE reserves the right not to review and to reject any Applications that fail to address this Section and Section 4 in their entirety, but CCEE reserves the right to waive or decline to waive irregularities in any Application. 

Cover Page

This page has no point value. However, applications must have a cover page in order to be considered. Cover page information must include:

• District name
• Superintendent’s name
• School name
• Principal’s name
• School address
• Primary point of contact
• Contact’s telephone number
• Contact’s email address
• Application contributor names and roles

Readiness Matrix (up to 5 points)

The attached Readiness Matrix (Appendix A) must be completed and submitted as part of the application.

Applicant Needs (no page limit to this section) (up to 5 points)

Applicants must describe current needs of the identified school, including what is presently being done to address those needs and the success or lack thereof of those strategies.

• Description of current needs of identified school
• Student

▪ Description of the success or lack thereof in addressing needs

• Teacher

▪ Description of the success or lack thereof in addressing needs

• Community

▪ Description of the success or lack thereof in addressing needs

Identified School Structures (no page limit to this section) (up to 5 points)

 Applicants must describe these current structures in their schools.

Describe the following:

• Leadership team structures

▪ Purpose

• Teacher team structures

▪ Purpose

• Student data infrastructure
• Student intervention system

Initiative Implementation (no page limit to this section) (up to 5 points)

Applicants must describe current initiatives in their identified school, focusing on implementation, challenges, and successes, including the following:

• List and describe current school initiatives
• Statement regarding implementation of current school initiatives
• Description of challenges and successes throughout implementation

Project Commitment (no page limit to this section) (up to 5 points)

Applicants must describe the willingness and ability of staff (site principal, Superintendent, and teachers) to commit to this Project, including the following:

• Explanation of the commitment of the school site principal
• Description of the process for determining the level of staff commitment
• Explanation of ability to engage in intensive, onsite professional development

Section 4: Agreement to Non-Negotiables of the PLC at Work® Implementation

Continuation of the Project may be contingent on adherence to these commitments.

The intent of this project is to build sustainable PLCs at Work. In order for this transformation to occur, it requires a total commitment by the administration and staff members at each selected district and school site to:

• Establish clear and consistent expectations and priorities
• Practice gradual release of responsibility as the school team deepens their PLC at Work® structures and creates plans to sustain the PLC at Work®  process after the Project has ended
• Engage in ongoing, targeted professional development to deepen PLC at Work® practices
• Develop plans for continued teacher training and coaching after the Project has ended

The following page contains the commitments required to participate in this Project. Applicants must review and agree to these commitments by having both the school site principal and district superintendent sign where indicated.

Commitment from District and School-Level Administration

District and school-level administration must commit to the method of improvement through “leadership by doing.” Each year of the Project, the principal and other campus leaders will be involved in two half days of project planning with the assigned PLC at Work® Associate from Solution Tree and CCEE staff member. As a commitment to this Project, district administration must also participate in these two project planning days. Additionally, district administration is invited and strongly encouraged to attend any and all other coaching sessions.  Specific individuals/positions at the district and school-level required to attend will be determined by CCEE and Solution Tree, in collaboration with the district and identified school.

The identified school principal will play a critical role in leading the work of the professional learning community. The principal must therefore be an active participant in the implementation of PLC at Work at their school. An active participant means:

• Communicating with both CCEE and the Solution Tree contacts;
• Planning and coordinating meaningful job-embedded professional development;
• Actively participating as a learner in the Project.

The following signature page must be included with all Applications.

Professional Learning Communities at Work^® Commitments

Districts and schools selected for the Project, including the PLC at Work® process, agree to the following:

·                1.     Establish a Guiding Coalition

We will create a team of district and school site leaders to assist with guiding the process.

·                2.     Build Consensus for the PLC at Work process

We will work to educate others and build consensus for the process.

·                3.     Complete the Foundation of the PLC Process

We will work with the Guiding Coalition established under Commitment number 1 above, and others to create a mission and vision, write value statements, and construct goals that will support the implementation of the PLC at Work® process.

·                4.     Create the Structures to Support a Professional Learning Community

We will create teams and the structures necessary for implementing a PLC.

·                5.     Clarify the Work of Collaborative Teams

We will provide support for assigned teams and assist with clarifying and supporting team products and processes.

·                6.     Respond to Student Learning

We will support staff in creating a Response to Intervention for students who are struggling with learning and those who already know the content being taught.

·                7.     Shape the Culture of Your School

We will shape the school culture on the Three Big Ideas of a PLC: (1) A Focus on Learning, (2) A Collaborative Culture with Collective Responsibility, and (3) A Results Orientation.

By signing this document, you are committing to all non-negotiables outlined in Section 4, the seven PLC at Work® commitments outlined directly above, and are certifying the submittal of your Application for the CCEE’s Intensive Assistance Model Project: Professional Learning Communities at Work.

Superintendent Signature ________________________________________________

Principal Signature _____________________________________________________