I.J. Holton Intermediate School - Minnesota Department of Education

Minnesota Department of
Educatic5n
A. APPLICATION COVER SHEET
School Improvement Grants (SIG) Opportunity
Note: This section only needs to be completed one time per LEA.
ORGANIZATION INFORMATION
District I Agency I Organization Name (legal name): /SD #14-92 Austin Public Schools
School / Site Name: l.J. Holton Intermediate School
Name of Applicant Organization Official with Authority to Sign (superintendent/executive director):
Superintendent- Mr. David Krenz
Address: 4013'd Ave NW, Austin, MN 55912-2378
Minnesota SWIFT Vendor Number: 0000193935
Federal DUNS Number: 08-450-1246
CCR Registered in SAM: Current through July 24, 2015
MOE Organization Site Number (not necessary if private nonprofit):049201280
GRANT AMOUNT REQUEST:
$1,970,743.88
IDENTIFIED OFFICIAL WITH AUTHORITY TO SIGN APPLICANT
Name and Title of Official with Authority to Sign (superintendent, if school): Mr. David Krenz - Superintendent
Address of Official with Authority to Sign: 401 3rd Ave NW, Austin, MN 55912-2378
Phone: 507-460-1900
Email: david.krenz@austin.k12.mn.us
SIGNATURE OF IDENTIFIED OFFICIAL WITH AUTHORITY TO SIGN:
I certify I have read all components of this application and will comply with assurances and all other federal,
state and local laws and regulations applicable to my organization and the administration of this grant.
Signature:
David Krenz- Superintendent (Original signature page mailed)
Date Signed: August 7, 2015 (Original signature page mailed)
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A. APPLICATION COVER SHEET
School Improvement Grants (SIG) Opportunity
Note: This section only needs to be completed one time per LEA.
ORGANIZATION INFORMATION
District / Agency / Organization Name (legal name): ISD #492 Austin Public Schools
School / Site Name: I.J. Holton Intermediate School
Name of Applicant Organization Official with Authority to Sign (superintendent/executive director):
Superintendent – Mr. David Krenz
Address: 401 3rd Ave NW, Austin, MN 55912-2378
Minnesota SWIFT Vendor Number: 0000193935
Federal DUNS Number: 08-450-1246
CCR Registered in SAM: Current through July 24, 2015
MDE Organization Site Number (not necessary if private nonprofit):049201280
GRANT AMOUNT REQUEST: $1,970,743.88
IDENTIFIED OFFICIAL WITH AUTHORITY TO SIGN APPLICANT
Name and Title of Official with Authority to Sign (superintendent, if school): Mr. David Krenz - Superintendent
Address of Official with Authority to Sign: 401 3rd Ave NW, Austin, MN 55912-2378
Phone: 507-460-1900
Email: david.krenz@austin.k12.mn.us
SIGNATURE OF IDENTIFIED OFFICIAL WITH AUTHORITY TO SIGN:
I certify I have read all components of this application and will comply with assurances and all other federal,
state and local laws and regulations applicable to my organization and the administration of this grant.
Signature: David Krenz- Superintendent (Original signature page mailed)
Date Signed: August 7, 2015 (Original signature page mailed)
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PRIMARY PROGRAM CONTACT:
Name and Title of Program Contact: Mrs. Jean McDermott – Principal - IJ Holton Intermediate School
Address: 1800 4th Ave SE, Austin, MN 55912-4223
Phone: 507-460-1525
Email: jean.mcdermott@austin.k12.mn.us
BUSINESS MANAGER OR ACCOUNTANT:
Name: Mark Stotts
Address: 401 3rd Ave NW, Austin, MN 55912-2378
Phone and Email: 507-460-1909
mark.stotts@austin.k12.mn.us
REMINDERS: Your application is not considered complete until it is signed and emailed to Elizabeth Ziemer at
elizabeth.ziemer@state.mn.us. Due date is: 4:00 pm, Central Standard Time, on June 1, 2015.
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Due Date is June 1, 2015
SECTION B
ASSURANCES
The grantee (which refers to the applicant’s status after it has been awarded grant funds) by signing the application and
assurances in the instructions section submitted to the State, agrees to comply with all applicable federal, state and local
laws, ordinances, rules and regulations, public policies and all provisions stated herein in the performance of this award.
1. SURVIVAL OF TERMS
The following clauses survive the expiration or cancellation of this award: 4) State and Federal Audits; 5) Liability; 6)
Ownership of Materials and Intellectual Property Rights; 7) Publicity; 8) Government Data Practices; 9) Data Disclosure;
and 12) Governing Law, Jurisdiction and Venue.
2. USE OF FUNDS
The use of funds shall be limited to that portion identified in the application materials and the attached application and by
any applicable state or federal laws. Funds may not be used for gifts or novelty items (unless individually and specifically
approved by the state) or for payments to vendors displaying exhibits for their profit. Funds may not be used to pay for or
support other projects that are not identified in this application. Funds may not be used for the benefit of state employees,
which includes, but is not limited to, reimbursement for any of their expenditures, including travel expenses, alcohol
purchases, costs of registration fees for training sessions or educational courses presented or arranged, payments to state
employees for presentations at workshops, seminars, etc., whether on state time, vacation time, leave of absence or any
other non-work time.
A. The grantee, in the conduct of activities under this award, shall submit such reports as may be required by
written instructions of the state within the times required by it. The state shall withhold funding if reporting
requirements are not met in a complete, accurate and timely manner. The grantee must promptly return to the
state any unexpended funds that have not been accounted for in a accepted financial report to the State due at
grant closeout.
B. The grantee shall present reports to the Commissioner of the Department of Education (COMMISSIONER) or
state’s Authorized Representative. At the COMMISSIONER’S discretion, the reports may be presented at
departmental, legislative, other state agency or public meetings where the grantee shall be available to explain the
project and to respond to questions.
C. Reimbursement for travel and subsistence expenses actually and necessarily incurred by grantee in
performance of this project will be paid provided that the grantee shall be reimbursed for travel and subsistence
expenses in the same manner and in no greater amount than in the current “Commissioner’s Plan,” promulgated
by the Commissioner of Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB), and grantee will only be reimbursed for
travel and subsistence outside the state of Minnesota if it has received prior written approval for such out-of-state
travel from the State. Exceptions to these travel rates are those that may be negotiated with the University of
Minnesota. The current Commissioner’s Plan can be viewed: Access this link to obtain current maximum expense
reimbursement rates or at (http://www.mmd.admin.state.mn.us/commissionersplan.htm)
3. EQUIPMENT
Upon termination of the award, the state shall have the right to require transfer or return of any equipment purchased
during the award grant period using these grant funds.
4. FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
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A. ALLOWABILITY OF COSTS. The allowability of costs for federal funding incurred under this award shall be
determined in accordance with the procedures and principles given in the federal Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) circulars relocated to 2 CFR, Part 200.
For all funds, no claim for materials purchased in excess of budget categories or program services not specifically
provided for in this award by the grantee will be allowed by the state unless approved in writing by the state. Such
approval shall be considered to be a modification of the award. There may be additional limitations on allowable costs
which shall be noted in the award.
A grantee hosting a meeting or conference may not use federal grant funds to pay for food for attendees unless it is
necessary and reasonable to accomplish legitimate meeting, conference business or approved grant activities. Budget
allocations for food must be approved by MDE. Example: A working lunch might be allowable to ensure full
participation by attendees and if training continues during the lunch. Funds may not be used for entertainment, alcohol
purchases or gifts. Refer to the applicable federal uniform guidance for cost principle information.
A meeting or conference hosted by a grantee and charged to the grant must not be promoted as a U S Department of
Education conference.
Per Minnesota Statutes, section 471.345, grantees that are municipalities as defined in Subdivision 1 must follow
service contracting and bidding requirements as stated including prevailing wage rules for construction work of
$25,000 or more.
B.RECORDS. The grantee shall maintain books, records, documents and other evidence pertaining to the costs and
expenses of implementing this application to the extent and in such detail as will accurately reflect all gross costs,
direct and indirect, of labor materials, equipment, supplies, services and other costs and expenses of whatever nature.
The grantee shall use generally accepted accounting principles. The grantee shall preserve all financial and cost
reports, books of account and supporting documents and other data evidencing costs allowable and revenues and other
applicable credits under this award which are in the possession of the grantee and relate to this award, for a period of
no less than six years and the respective federal requirements where applicable.
All pertinent records and books of accounts related to this award and subsequent awards shall be preserved by the
grantee for a period of six years subject to the following criteria:
1) The six-year retention period shall commence from the date of submission of the final expenditure report.
2) If any litigation, claim or audit is started before the expiration of the six-year period, the records shall be
retained until all litigation, claims or audit findings involving the records have been resolved.
3) The grantee agrees to cooperate in any examination and audit under the provisions of this paragraph.
C. EXAMINATION. The state or its representative or the federal administering department (when applicable) shall
have the right to examine books, records, documents and other evidence and accounting procedures and practices,
sufficient to reflect properly all direct and indirect costs and the method of implementing the award. The grantee shall
make available at its office and at all reasonable times before and during the period of record retention, proper facilities
for such examination and audit.
D. STATE AND FEDERAL AUDITS. Under Minnesota Statutes, section 16B.98, Subdivision 8, the grantee’s books,
records, document, and accounting procedures and practices relevant to this grant are subject to examination by the
state and/or the state auditor or legislative auditor, as appropriate, for a minimum of six years from the end of this grant
agreement, receipt and approval of all final reports, or the required period of time to satisfy all state retention
requirements, whichever is later. If federal funding, all grantees are subject to retention requirements related to audits.
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If the grantee (in federal OMB Circular language known as “subrecipient”) receives federal assistance from the state of
Minnesota, it will comply with the applicable single audit requirements. The grantee will provide copies of the single
audit reporting package upon request.
5. LIABILITY
Grantee agrees to indemnify and save and hold the state, its agents and employees harmless from any and all claims or
causes of action, including all attorneys’ fees incurred by the state arising from the performance of the award by
grantees, agents or employees. This clause shall not be construed to bar any legal remedies grantee may have for the
state’s failure to fulfill its obligations pursuant to the award and subsequent awards.
6. OWNERSHIP OF MATERIALS AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
A. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS:
The state shall own all rights, title and interest in all of the intellectual property rights, including copyrights, patents,
trade secrets, trademarks and service marks in the works and documents created and paid for under the award.
Works means all inventions, improvements, discoveries (whether or not patentable), databases, computer programs,
reports, notes, studies, photographs, negatives, designs, drawings, specifications, materials, tapes and disks
conceived, reduced to practice, created or originated by the grantee, its employees, agents and subcontractors, either
individually or jointly with others in the performance of this award. Works includes “Documents.” Documents are
the originals of any databases, computer programs, reports, notes, studies, photographs, negatives, designs,
drawings, specifications, materials, tapes, disks or other materials, whether in tangible or electronic forms, prepared
by the grantee, its employees, agents or subcontractors in the performance of this award. The documents will be the
exclusive property of the state and all such documents must be immediately returned to the state by the grantee upon
completion or cancellation of the award. To the extent possible, those works eligible for copyright protection under
the United States Copyright Act will be deemed to be “works for hire.” The grantee assigns all right, title and
interest it may have in the works and the documents to the state. The grantee, at the request of the state, shall
execute all papers and perform all other acts necessary to transfer or record the state’s ownership interest in the
works and documents.
B. OBLIGATIONS:
Notification: Whenever any invention, improvement or discovery (whether or not patentable) is made or conceived
for the first time or actually or constructively reduced to practice by the grantee, including its employees and
subcontractors, in the performance of the award, the grantee will immediately give the state’s authorized
representative written notice thereof, and must promptly furnish the authorized representative with complete
information and/or disclosure thereon.
Representation: The grantee must perform all acts, and take all steps necessary to ensure that all intellectual
property rights in the works and documents are the sole property of the state, and that neither the grantee nor its
employees, agents, or subcontractors retain any interest in and to the works and documents. The grantee represents
and warrants that the works and documents do not and will not infringe upon any intellectual property of other
persons or entities. Notwithstanding Liability clause 5, the grantee will indemnify; defend, to the extent permitted
by the Attorney General; and hold harmless the state, at the grantee’s expense, from any action or claim brought
against the state to the extent that it is based on a claim that all or part of the works or documents infringe upon the
intellectual property rights of others. The grantee will be responsible for payment of any and all such claims,
demands, obligations, liabilities, costs and damages, including but not limited to, attorney fees. If such a claim or
action arises, or in the grantee’s or the state’s opinion is likely to arise, the grantee, must at the state’s discretion,
either procure for the state the right or license to use the intellectual property rights at issue or replace or modify the
allegedly infringing works or documents as necessary and appropriate to obviate the infringement claim. This
remedy of the state will be in addition and not exclusive of other remedies provided by law.
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7. PUBLICITY
Any publicity given to the program, publications or services provided resulting from the award, including, but not
limited to, notices, informational pamphlets, press releases, research, reports, signs and similar public notices prepared
for the grantee or its employees individually or jointly with others or any subrecipients, shall identify the state as the
sponsoring agency and identify the source of funding. The publicity described may only be released with the prior
approval of the state’s authorized representative.
The applicant/awardee must not claim that the state or the federal Department of Education endorses its products or
services. See a sample statement below:
Example: The contents of this publication, film or conference do not necessarily represent the policy of the federal
Department of Education or the state Department of Education and you should not assume endorsement by the federal
or state government.
See the sample publicity statement below for citing the funding source below:
For example: This training is partially funded with a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education using federal
funding, CFDA 84.027A, Special Education - Grants to States.
8. GOVERNMENT DATA PRACTICES AND DISCLOSURE OF BREACH IN SECURITY
The grantee and the State must comply with the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, Minnesota Statutes,
Chapter 13, as it applies to all data provided by the state under the award, and as it applies to all data created collected,
received, stored, used, maintained or disseminated by the grantee under the award. The civil remedies of Minnesota
Statutes, section 13.08 apply to the release of the data referred to in this paragraph by either the grantee or the state.
If the grantee receives a request to release the data referred to in this paragraph, the grantee must immediately notify
the state. The state will give the grantee instructions concerning the release of the data to the requesting party before
the data is released.
Effective August 1, 2014, the 2014 Laws of Minnesota, Charter 284, amends Minnesota Statutes, section 13.055, to
apply to all government entities in Minnesota, not just state agencies. This applies to all school districts and charter
schools. Government entities must notify individual data subjects when nonpublic data about them has been the
subject of a breach of security of the data.
9. DATA DISCLOSURE
Under Minnesota Statutes, section 270C.65, and other applicable laws, the grantee consents to disclosure of its SWIFT
Vendor ID Number, Social Security number, DUNS number, federal employer tax identification number and/or
Minnesota tax identification number, already provided to the state, to federal and state tax agencies and state personnel
involved in the payment of state obligations. These numbers may be used in the enforcement of federal and state tax
laws which could result in action requiring the grantee to file state tax returns and pay delinquent state tax liabilities, if
any.
10. WORKER’S COMPENSATION
Grantee certifies that it is in compliance with Minnesota Statutes, section 176.181, subdivision 2, pertaining to
workers’ compensation insurance coverage. The grantee’s employees and agents will not be considered state
employees. Any claims that may arise under the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Act on behalf of these employees
and any claims made by any third party as a consequence of any act or omission on the part of these employees are in
no way the state’s obligation or responsibility. (Exemption/Waiver as allowed under law.)
11. ANTITRUST
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Grantee hereby assigns to the state of Minnesota any and all claims for overcharges as to goods and/or services
provided in connection with the award resulting from antitrust violations which arise under the antitrust laws of the
United States and the antitrust laws of the state of Minnesota.
12. GOVERNING LAW, JURISDICTION AND VENUE
Minnesota law, without regard to its choice-of-law and provisions, governs the award. Venue for all legal proceedings
arising out of the award, or its breach, must be in the appropriate state or federal court with competent jurisdiction in
Ramsey County, Minnesota.
13. LOBBYING
As required by Section 1352, Title 31 of the U.S. Code, and implemented at 2 CFR, Part 200, the grantee when
signing the application, certifies that:
A. No federally appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid, by or on behalf of organization, to any person for
influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or
employee of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with the making of any federal
award, and the extension, continuation, renewal, amendment or modification of any federal award.
B. If any funds other than federally appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing
or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee
of Congress, or an employee of a Member of Congress in connection with this federal award, the grantee shall
complete and submit a Standard Form - LLL, "Disclosure Form to Report Lobbying," in accordance with its
instructions.
C. The grantee shall require that the language herein shall be included in any award documents for all subawards at
all tiers (including subgrants, contracts under award, and subcontracts) and that all subrecipients shall certify and
disclose accordingly.
14. DEBARMENT, SUSPENSION, AND OTHER RESPONSIBILITY MATTERS
As required by Executive Order 12549, Debarment and Suspension, and implemented at 2 CFR 180.200 or
amendments thereto, for prospective participants in primary covered transactions.
A. The grantee certifies that it and its principals:
1) Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded
from covered transactions by any federal department or agency;
2) Have not within a three-year period preceding this application or award been convicted of or had a civil
judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining,
attempting to obtain, or performing a public (federal, state or local) transaction or contract under a public
transaction; violation of federal or state antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery,
bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements or receiving stolen property;
3) Are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (federal,
state or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in paragraph (2)(b) of this certification;
and,
4) Have not within a three-year period preceding this application had one or more public transaction (federal,
state or local) terminated for cause or default.
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15. DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE (AWARDEES OTHER THAN INDIVIDUALS)
As required by the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988, and implemented at 2 CFR, Part 200,
A. The grantee certifies that it will continue to provide a drug-free workplace by:
1) Publishing a statement notifying employees that the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession or
use of a controlled substance is prohibited in the grantee's workplace and specifying the actions that will be taken
against employees for violation of such prohibition;
2) Establishing an on-going drug-free awareness program to inform employees about:
(a) The dangers of drug abuse in the workplace;
(b) The grantee’s policy of maintaining a drug-free workplace;
(c) Any available drug counseling, rehabilitation and employee assistance programs; and
(d) The penalties that may be imposed upon employees for drug abuse violations occurring in the workplace;
3) Making it a requirement that each employee to be engaged in the performance of the award be given a copy of the
statement required by paragraph (1);
4) Notifying the employee in the statement required by paragraph (1) that, as a condition of employment under the
award, the employee will:
(a) Abide by the terms of the statement; and,
(b) Notify the employer in writing of his or her conviction for a violation of a criminal drug statute occurring in
the workplace no later than five calendar days after such conviction;
5) Notifying the agency, in writing, within 10 calendar days after receiving notice under subparagraph (4)(b) from an
employee or otherwise receiving actual notice of such conviction. Employers of convicted employees must provide
notice, including position title, to: Director,
Grants Policy and Oversight Staff, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, S.W. (Room 3652, GSA
Regional Office Building No. 3), Washington, DC 20202-4248. Notice shall include the identification number(s) of
each affected award;
6) Taking one of the following actions, within 30 calendar days of receiving notice under subparagraph (4)(b), with
respect to any employee who is so convicted:
(a) Taking appropriate personnel action against such an employee, up to and including termination, consistent
with the requirements of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; or,
(b) Requiring such employee to participate satisfactorily in a drug abuse assistance or rehabilitation program
approved for such purposes by a federal, state or local health, law enforcement or other appropriate agency;
7) Making a good faith effort to continue to maintain a drug-free workplace through implementation of Paragraphs
(1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and (6).
16. TRANSFERABILITY
The grantee shall not transfer or assign to any party or parties any right(s), obligation(s) or claim(s) under the award
without the prior written consent of the state. It is understood, however, that grantee remains solely responsible to the
state for providing the products and services described.
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17. TIME
The grantee must comply with the time requirements described in the application and award, in the performance of
this award and if inform the grantor of any potential long term delays or changes affecting those timelines.
18. OTHER PROVISIONS:
A. The signature certifies that if you are granted an award, your organization will, in the performance of the grant
opportunity, comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations, public
policies and the assurances stated herein. This includes the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and amendments thereto,
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Age Discrimination
Act.
In addition, per federal CFR 200.415, Agreement of Applicant, which states that prior to the Commissioner’s
issuance of any commitment or other loan approval, shall agree, by signing the application, (in a form prescribed
by the Commissioner), that there shall be no discrimination against anyone who is employed in carrying out work
receiving assistance pursuant to this chapter, or against an applicant for such employment, because of race, color,
religion, sex, handicap, age or national origin.
B. The grantee understands that no work should begin and no pre-award costs would be covered under this award
until all required signatures have been obtained; an Official Grant Award Notification (OGAN) has been issued or
other award documentation has been received and the grantee is notified to begin work by the state’s program
authorized representative or their designee. If an exception to this is determined necessary by MDE, the grantee
would be informed in writing or email by the state’s program authorized representative or designee.
C. Grant funds shall not be used to supplant salaries and wages normally budgeted for an employee of the
applicant/agency. Total time for each staff position paid through various funding streams financed in part or
whole with grant funds shall not exceed one Full Time Equivalent (FTE) except in certain situations. The grantee
may allow staff to work on extended day assignments such as after school programs, special education services or
other projects, if necessary, or allowable under funding. The grantee must be prepared to disclose all required
supporting documentation for salaries paid for their employees.
D. As an applicant, you are not delinquent on the repayment of any federal debt. If delinquent in state debt, payments
shall not be made by the state agency to the vendor until the commissioner notifies the agency the vendor is no
longer a delinquent taxpayer or as otherwise indicated under Minnesota Statutes, section 270C.65, Subdivision 3.
E. The applicant’s Program Contact Representative will be named on the OGAN or other award information. If the
Program Contact Representative or official with authority to sign changes at any time during the grant award
period, the applicant/grantee must immediately notify the state.
F.
The state's program authorized representative, or his/her successor, named on the OGAN, or other award
information, has the responsibility to monitor the grantee’s performance and has the authority to accept the
services provided under the grant award opportunity.
G.
Any amendment to an award must be in writing and will not be effective until it has been executed and approved
by the same parties who executed and approved the original grant award, or their successors in office.
H.
Cancellation With or Without Cause. An award contract may be cancelled by the state at any time, with or
without cause, upon thirty (30) days’ written notice to the Grantee. Upon termination, the Grantee will be entitled
to payment, determined on a pro rata basis, for services satisfactorily performed and for approvable expenditures.
I.
Cancellation Due to Discontinued or Insufficient Funding. It is expressly understood and agreed that in the event
the funding to the state from Federal sources or appropriations by the Minnesota Legislature are not obtained
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and/or continued at an aggregate level sufficient to allow for the grantee’s program to continue operating, the
grant shall immediately be terminated upon written notice by the state to the grantee. The state is not obligated to
pay for any services that are provided after notice and effective date of termination. However, the grantee will be
entitled to payment, determined on a pro-rata basis, for services satisfactorily performed and approvable
expenditures incurred prior to termination to the extent that funds are available. The state will not be assessed any
penalty if the grant is terminated because of a decision of the Minnesota Legislature, or other funding source, not
to appropriate funds. The state must provide the grantee notice within a reasonable time of the state receiving
notice.
J.
Cancellation Due to Failure to Comply. The state may cancel an award contract immediately if the state finds that
there has been a failure to comply with the provisions of an award, that reasonable progress has not been made or
that the purposes for which the funds were awarded/granted have not been or will not be fulfilled. The state may
take action to protect the interests of the state of Minnesota, including the refusal to disburse additional funds and
requiring the return of all or part of the funds already disbursed.
K.
When a grant includes the production of a report or other publication and this publication may be posted on the
MDE Website, that document must adhere to all MDE Communication’s policies, available upon request from the
Communication’s Division.
L.
The grantee assures that if the award involves federal funding the reimbursement of expenditures is in compliance
with all program provisions, relevant provisions of the Cash Management Improvement Act of 1990 (Public Law
101-453) as amended by the CMIA of 1992 (Public Law 102-589), codified at 31 U.S.C. 6501 and 31 U.S.C.
6503; all current Office of Management and Budget circulars and cost principles principles, with the current
Federal Education Department General Uniform Administrative Regulations, Part 200 or other applicable code of
federal regulations applicable to this federal reimbursement request.
M. Grantee if a political subdivision of the state and funded with federal dollars, will consider the federal Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 will be considered in all procurement transactions. The objectives of the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) are to protect human health and the environment from the
potential hazards of waste disposal, to conserve energy and natural resources, to reduce the amount of waste
generated, and to ensure that wastes are managed in an environmentally sound manner.
N.
Federal grant recipients, subrecipients and their grant personnel are prohibited from text messaging while driving
a government owned vehicle, or while driving their own privately owned vehicle during official grant business, or
from using government supplied electronic equipment to text message or email when driving. Recipients must
comply with these conditions under Executive Order 13513, “Federal Leadership on Reducing Text Messaging
While Driving”, October 1, 2009.
O. In accordance with the Minnesota Office of Grants Management Policy 08-01, the grantee will establish
safeguards to prohibit employees from using their positions for a purpose that constitutes or present the
appearance of personal or organizational conflicts of interest, or personal gain.
P. The grantee shall cooperate with the state when the state is enforcing applicable Minnesota Office of Grants
Management policies. Policies are available to view at (http://mn.gov/admin/government/grants/policies-statutesforms).
Q. Grantees funded with federal funding must follow 200.308, Revision of Budget and Program or as approved in
the Official Grant Award Notification (OGAN).
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R. Internal Controls. CFR 2, 200.303 states that non-federal entities will establish and maintain effective internal
control over the federal award. They will take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable
information as well as any information that the federal awarding agency or pass-through designates as sensitive.
Protected Personally Identifiable Information means as individual’s first name or first initial and last name in
combination with any one or more types of information such as social security number, credit card numbers, place
of birth.
S. The non-federal entity using federal funding when contracting must take all necessary affirmative steps to assure
that minority businesses, women’s business enterprises and labor surplus area firms are used when possible.
Refer to 200.321 for more information.
T. Grantee and their subrecipients of federal grant funds will adopt the requirements in the Code of Federal
Regulations at, CFR 175.15 (b) pertaining to Trafficking in Persons. These requirements are incorporated into
this grant award. A grant may be terminated for any violation of these provisions by the grantee, its employees or
its subrecipients.
U. Grantees and subcontractors receiving grants exceeding $100,000 must comply with all applicable standards,
orders, or requirements under Section 306 of the Clean Air Act, Section 508 of the Clean Water Act and
Environmental Protection Agency regulations (40 CFR, part 15).
V. The non-federal entity or applicant for a federal award must disclose, in a timely manner, in writing to the federal
awarding agency or pass-through entity all violations of federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery, or gratuity
violations potentially affecting the federal award. Failure to make required disclosures can result in any of the
remedies described in 200.338 Remedies for noncompliance, including suspension and debarment.
W. Grantees must follow guidance under 2 CFR as applicable and EDGAR as applicable.
X. The grantee must promptly return to the state any unexpended funds that have not been accounted for in a
financial report to the state due at grant closeout.
Y. The grantee shall comply with any and all provisions of the Family Educational Rights to Privacy Act of 1974
(FERPA).
Z. The commissioner or chief administrator officer of each state agency or community-based public agency or
nonprofit corporation that contracts with the state agency to carry out obligations of the state agency shall provide
voter registration services for employees and the public. Refer to Minnesota Statutes, section 201.162, Duties of
State Agencies for the complete statute.
AA. Once awarded, the grantee will be required to complete and submit interim expenditure and progress reports, as
well as a final expense and progress report by the timeframe/date and in the form and manner indicated in the
Official Grant Award Notification (OGAN). In addition, the grantee must with any special conditions outlined in
the OGAN and any additional documents necessary for MDE to conduct monitoring. A general ledger plus
supporting documentation must be available upon request which also includes time and reporting documentation
for employees funded under the grant.
BB. Grantees will be expected to fully and effectively implement one of the following interventions in the grantee
LEA’s Priority school identified on the LEA grant application: (A) Turnaround Model; (B) Restart Model; (C)
School Closure; (D) Transformation Model; (E) Early Learning Model; (F) Evidence-based Whole-school Reform
Model; (G) Minnesota State Model
CC. Use its School Improvement Grant to implement fully and effectively an intervention in each Priority school
that the LEA commits to serve consistent with the final requirements.
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Page 11
DD. Establish annual goals for student achievement on the state’s assessments in both reading/language arts and
mathematics and/or graduation rates and measure progress on the leading indicators in section III of the
final requirements in order to monitor each Priority school that it serves with school improvement funds.
EE. If an LEA implements a Restart Model in a Priority school, include in its contract or agreement terms and
provisions to hold the charter operator, charter management organization, or education management organization
accountable for complying with the final requirements.
FF. For each school identified in the LEA’s application the LEA ensures commitment to implementing a
vertically-aligned, standards-based instructional program in all content areas.
GG. Report to the SEA the school-level data required under section III of the final requirements, including
baseline data for the year prior to SIG implementation:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
Number of minutes within the school year;
Student participation rate on state assessments in reading/language arts and in mathematics, by student
subgroup;
Dropout rate/graduation rate;
Student attendance rate;
Number and percentage of students completing advanced coursework (e.g., AP/IB), early-college high
schools, or dual enrollment classes;
Discipline incidents;
Truants;
Distribution of teachers by performance level on an LEA’s teacher evaluation system; and
Teacher attendance rate
HH. For each school identified in the LEA’s application the LEA must ensure strong instructional leadership by
employing a minimum 1.0 FTE Instructional Facilitator to assist the principal with instructional leadership duties;
teacher professional development and support; and teacher induction, mentoring and coaching. The SEA will give
funding priority to LEAs that employ a minimum 1.0 FTE Instructional Facilitator with the skills and experience to
provide instructional professional development, induction, mentoring and coaching support for teachers. The SEA
strongly recommends that the Instructional Facilitator holds a Minnesota Administrative License.
II.
For each school identified in the LEA’s application the LEA must establish oversight of the continuous
improvement cycle driving the school turnaround efforts at the school level and to support the principal and
turnaround staff in the ongoing process to plan, implement, progress monitor, and reflect on student learning needs
and instruction. The SEA will give funding priority to LEAs that employ a minimum .5 FTE Continuous
Improvement Specialist that manages the School Improvement Grant, assist the principal with continuous
improvement activities, and non-instructional school leadership duties; and collaborates with MDE and the
Regional Centers of Excellence staff to align all school improvement processes. The SEA strongly recommends
that the Continuous Improvement Specialist holds a Minnesota Administrative License.
JJ.
For each school identified in the LEA’s application the LEA must actively collaborate with families and
community partners to engage them in academics and increase student success. The SEA will give funding
priority to LEAs that employ a Family and Community Liaison responsible for empowering families to be active
participants in the school, to create an environment of learning at home, and to partner with teachers for academic
success.
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KK. Audit and/or provide increased learning time that is available to all students in the school, including additional time
for instruction in core academic subjects, instruction in other subjects and provision of enrichment activities, and
collaborative time for teachers to engage in professional development.
LL. Provide at least 90 minutes each week for each teacher that is dedicated to professional learning communities in
the Priority schools to be served by the application.
MM.Provide training for new teachers that are employed in Priority schools served by the application after the process
is underway.
NN. Grantees that commit to serve one or more Priority school(s) ensure that each of those schools receive all of
the State and local funds it would receive in the absence of the school improvement funds and that those
resources are aligned with the interventions.
OO. Grantees must submit all final contracts with external providers to the SEA for approval. The outside provider’s
work duties in the contract must be clearly defined and linked to the LEA’s full and effective implementation of
the model. Grantees should include in any contracts with outside providers terms or provisions that will enable the
LEA to hold the provider accountable to specific, measurable and quantitative outcomes. The inclusion of a
cancellation clause in the LEA contract with external providers is mandatory.
PP. Grantees cannot use SIG funds to support district-level activities for schools that are not receiving SIG funds.
WHEN YOUR SIGNATURE IS APPLIED TO THE COVER SHEET OF THIS APPLICATION
YOU ACKNOWLEDGE YOU HAVE READ THROUGH THE ASSURANCES AND WILL
COMPLY WITH THE ASSURANCES.
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Page 13
IJ Holton Intermediate School
Minnesota
State Model
Evidence-based
Whole School
Reform Model
Early Learning
Model
Turnaround
Model
Transformation
Model
Restart Model
Closure Model
NCES ID #
School Name
SECTION C
IDENTIFICATION OF SCHOOLS TO SERVE
Using the table provided, identify the Priority schools the LEA commits to serve. Identify the school
intervention model the LEA will implement in each Tier I and Tier II (Tier III, if funding available) school it
commits to serve in the table provided. Expand the table as needed.
270345004638
DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION:
An LEA must include the following information in its application for a School Improvement Grant.
SECTION D
PLANNING AND NEEDS ASSESSMENT
D1. For each priority school, that the LEA commits to serve, the LEA must demonstrate that the
LEA has
a. Analyzed the needs of each school, such as instructional programs, standards alignment
and instruction in all content areas, school leadership and school infrastructure, based on a
needs analysis that, among other things, analyzes the needs identified by families and the
community, and
b. Selected interventions for each school aligned to the needs each school has identified.
I.J. Holton Intermediate School is a newly constructed intermediate school that houses ALL of the 5th and 6th grade public
school students from the Austin community. Our enrollment for the 2014-2015 school year is 712 students. The school
opened its doors on September 3, 2013 and is in its second year of operation. The school was built to resolve
overcrowding issues due to increased enrollment trends over the past five years at the four neighborhood elementary
schools and the middle school. The fifth grade students were removed from each of the elementary sites (formerly serving
Grades 1 – 5) to allow for additional space at these sites. The sixth grade students were removed from the middle school
(formerly serving Grades 6 – 8). The configuration of school sites in Austin, MN now consists of the following: one
kindergarten center which serves all of the community’s kindergarten students; four neighborhood elementary schools
serving Grades 1 – 4 at each site; one intermediate school, IJ Holton, serving Grades 5-6; one middle school serving
Grades 7-8; and one high school serving Grades 9 – 12.
IJ Holton Intermediate School was designed to be a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics)
school. Flexible learning spaces, 1:1 laptop computers, and inquiry-based learning are priorities in our school.
Teachers worked with the University of Minnesota for a year prior to the building opening to learn and practice inquirybased teaching strategies, elements of the engineering design process and working as trans-disciplinary teams. IJ Holton
is scheduled more like an elementary school than a middle school. There is no bell schedule. Students are placed in
inter-disciplinary teams or 3 (grade 5) or 4(grade 6) teachers. Students move as a cohort throughout the day to their four
core subject classes. All students receive 45 minutes of either PE or music each day and 45 minutes of a quarter class.
There are no elective classes. All students participate in the four quarter classes of Design Lab (PLTW), Personal
Wellness, Computer Literacy, and Art each year. Class periods are of different lengths – 45, 60, or 90 minutes.
Schedules are flexible within teams.
There are 12 core teachers at each grade level. Students are also served by two ELL teachers, 6 SPED teachers and 2
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X
Intervention teachers. Intervention in math and reading is provided through pull-out services 3 times a week for 45
minutes in place of a music class. IJ Holton is a PBIS school. Our vision at IJ Holton is to provide ALL students with
opportunities that are often times available only to a privileged few.
Austin is home to both the Hormel meat packing plant and the Hormel corporate offices. The Hormel Institute brings
many scientists to the community and International Paper has a cardboard factory in Austin. The population of Austin is
diverse ethnically and socio-economically. 39.5 % of our students are students of color and 61.2 % of our students
qualify for free and reduced lunch. While many of our students are of Hispanic background (26.6%), a growing number
of Karenni refugees are relocating in Austin. 17.1 % of our students are LEP. 14% of our students are SPED.
Statewide, student MCA scores typically take a dip in the 5th and 6th grades. Austin 5th and 6th grade student scores follow
that trend, however, students are also underperforming in math and reading when compared to the state averages. Data
from the MMR shows declining growth and our achievement gap between subgroups is growing. Students are not meeting
proficiency benchmarks in math or reading. Because our 5th and 6th grade students have only been together in one
location (IJ Holton Intermediate School) for the past two years, we do not have trend data to reference in this application.
Our baseline data is gathered from the 2013-2014 school year in reading and math for 5th and 6th grade students. Data
from the 2014-2015 school year will allow us to begin establishing trends. To this point, our data has been compared to
state averages rather than school or district averages.
A formal school leadership implementation team (IJ Holton Priority Leadership Team) was put in place in November
2014 to lead the process of developing the Record of Continuous Improvement. Primarily, this team organizes and
oversees the use of data to implement and document four key elements in our Record of Continuous Improvement (RCI):
 Identify prioritized student achievement concerns based on in-depth data analysis
 Identify hypothesized root causes of top two to three prioritized concerns
 Select evidence-based instructional strategies/practices to solve root causes of concerns, and
 Use Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle to implement each evidence-based instructional strategy/practice to verify root
cause.
October 2014 – IJ Holton Intermediate School notified of Priority School status
November 2014 – Parent Letter with Priority Status information mailed to all families with 1st quarter report cards.
Parents invited to Dec. 2, 2014 Priority Meeting – Letter in English and Spanish
November 2014 - IJ Holton Priority Leadership Team was established to review and analyze data/needs
Dec. 2, 2014 – 1st Holton Priority Leadership Meeting – 3:00 Holton Team – 4:00 Holton Team & Parents
 Priority Team meets biweekly on Thursdays from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. during the school year
 Parent representatives join the Priority Team meeting quarterly.
 Priority Team meets monthly for four hours during the summer months
 Priority Team includes: Core content area teachers (4), Specialist teachers (2), SPED teacher (1), ELL
teacher (1), principals(2), school counselor (2), school and district data coach (2), instructional coach (1),
district EL coordinator (1)
 Priority Team includes six parents - meet with the team quarterly; Caucasian (4), Hispanic (1), Sudanese (1)
Priority Leadership Team Members/Areas of Representation:
Math
Nick Berthiaume
Gr. 6 Jen Sims, Carley Seifert, Clint Phillips
Reading
Sarah Shultz, Nick Berthiaume, Jen Sims
Gr. 5 Nick Berthiaume, Sarah Shultz
Science
Carley Seifert, Clint Phillips
Non-core
Kaylene Jensen, Rebecca Troop
Social Studies Sarah Shultz
Counselor
Farin Sandoz, Angie Taylor
EL
Jen Lloyd, Lori Henry (District)
SPED
Michelle Hammero
Data/Tech
Corey Haugen (District), Eric Harder
Administration Lynn Hemann, Jean McDermott
Parents
Jana Haynes, Jodi VanPelt, Merrilyn Berg, Jennifer Lawhead , Meriam Ubongan, Metogbe
Patricia Ahonon
Needs Assessment Process
During bi-weekly, two hour meetings, the IJ Holton Priority Leadership team reviewed student data, administered a staff
perception data survey in November 2014, and completed a time audit of the school day in May 2015.
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The Priority Needs list generated from student data review at January 23, 2015 Priority Leadership Meeting:
Non-Proficiency/Low Growth
The number of students that have moved from proficient to not proficient in both math and reading
416 did not make expected growth in math
119 student lost proficiency in math
63 students lost proficiency in reading
Math vs. Reading
Both math and reading are declining
Math is declining at a greater rate than reading. Why?
19 students gained proficiency in math – 47 gained proficiency in reading
Free/Reduced students and low achievement
66% of students not making growth are F/R
Bringing F/R population up to positive proficiency and growth
Achievement levels related to F/R
English Language Learners
How do we bring EL students to higher levels?
Bringing EL population up to proficiency and growth
Ethnicity
Concern – How to get students of color to show more growth?
Both math and reading achievement levels are considerably lower for students of color
Baseline
No baseline or trend data since school is only in its second year of operation.
Staff Perception Survey summary (November 2014):
In general the staff perception survey, which gathered input regarding school climate, school leadership, curriculum
alignment with standards, common summative/formative assessments, and parent involvement was positive, ranking most
areas as “agrees” 70% or higher. The areas that had the lowest rankings are listed below:
Parents and staff are actively involved as partners in the education of students. 59%
The school works to reduce non-instructional activities and interruptions. 52%
The Leadership Implementation Team and instructional staff regularly utilize a PDSA cycle to revise and adjust decision
making. 23%
Our school staff knows and understands the goals and instructional strategies/practices within the School Improvement
Plan. 54%
Teachers use common formative assessments based on the standards for student assessment. 69%
The curriculum has been aligned across grade levels to avoid duplication. 53%
Curriculum alignment is reviewed at least every 4 years. 57%
Since the administration of this survey, the Priority Leadership Team (PLT) has implemented a communication strategy
using Moodle which all staff can access after every leadership meeting. This Moodle site houses agenda items and
documents from priority meetings and includes a Q & A discussion board. Also, one of the responsibilities of a team
member is to report out a summary of Priority meetings at each monthly all staff meeting. We will administer the Staff
Perception Needs Assessment Survey each fall to monitor progress. The PLT continues to work to establish a
Professional Learning Community (PLC) protocol for the 2015 – 2016 school year that will allow the PDSA cycle to be
introduced and practiced. Administration has committed to setting aside two of the five 45 minute daily team times that
teachers have included in their schedules to be designated as PLC time with the express purpose to allow time for the
PSDA cycle using the designated intervention – which will change over the course of time as one intervention is
successfully implemented and another is introduced.
PLT completed a time audit at our May 7, 2015 meeting. Summary of the results are listed below:
415 instructional minutes in schedule – 308 actual instructional minutes =
107 instructional minutes lost per day (over the year) due to non-academic events during the school year
PLT meeting with parents – March 26, 2015
Two common themes came from parents – which included parents from the EL community:
 Regular homework support for my child. I cannot help them with the work they bring home
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Page 16

Can there be a class for me to learn the math content that my child is learning so I can help them?
The PLT along with the parents analyzed the root cause of several of the needs that were prioritized from the needs
assessment and Priority Need list generated by teaches at January meeting. Need and Root Cause as determined by
parents and PLT:
Need/Concern - Number of students losing proficiency – EL, SPED, F/R – in math and reading
Root Cause:
 Academic vocabulary development and a focus on learning is a common challenge for students living in
poverty (Hart and Risley)
 English language barriers and the gaps created while students acquire language – 25% of IJ Holton students
are or have been ELS.
 Teachers are unprepared to teach disadvantaged students.
 Parents want to help but are unable to assist students as they get older and into more complex math
 Transportation for students that wish to participate in extended school opportunities for homework support.
 Curriculum is not aligned to standards and has not been reviewed since the coming together of staff from five
schools into one new building.
 Common formative and summative assessments do not exist in many classrooms – within respective
departments.
 Needs of intermediate/middle school students are different from those of elementary students and need to be
addressed differently than those of K- 4 students.
Selected Interventions
Based on our needs assessment, summarized above, the PLT, with input from school staff, district staff, and parents, has
selected the MN State Model intervention plan outlined below. Implementation planning started during the 2014-2015
school year using funds from our Title I set-aside due to our Priority School Status.
2014-2015
Standards alignment to the Minnesota Math Standards and/or English Language Arts Common Core stands for the
core curriculums of Math, Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies and Science.
Teachers in the core disciplines have been subbed out once a month for 3.5 hours to work with the IJ Holton Instructional
coach and district EL Coordinator and GT Coordinator to review the ELA and Math standards and align curriculum to
address these standards.
Week 1 Soc. St. 5 / AM
Soc. St. 6 / PM
Week 3 Reading 5/ AM
Lang. Arts 6 /PM
Week 2 Math 5/AM
Math 6/PM
Week 4 Science 5 / AM
Science 6 / PM
Develop common summative and formative assessments for the core curriculums of Math, Reading/Language Arts,
Social Studies and Science using the PILOT strategy.
The PILOT strategy implement tenants of Understanding By Design (UBD) while doing curriculum work
Pre-assessment
Identify strength/needs
Link differentiated experiences
Offer multiple assessments
Test
“Focused assessment measures, combined with articulated learning goals and tasks, help improve middle grades student
learning (Trimble, 2003). While the work of teachers in the middle grades is as varied as the learners they work with,
assessment-centered classrooms that promote learning share three essential characteristics: (1) provide students with
frequent, purposeful feedback; (2) give students opportunities to investigate and study their own learning, and (3) uncover
gaps in learning that may detour students from developing deep understanding of the subjects they study (Turner, 2009,
2011). In the last 35 years, research from teachers, educational researchers, and measurement specialist has
accumulated to form a consistent and practical knowledge base that helps identify which research-based classroom
assessment practices support high student achievement. The instructional strategies presented in PILOT were developed
after an extensive review of research findings and reports from teachers about what works in their classrooms. A content
analysis was completed to identify recommended instructional strategies and common elements found in research
literature and studies of classroom teachers. Five common themes that emerged from the analysis are summarized and
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Page 17
presented as five broad classroom assessment strategies. PILOT, an acronym for the five strategies, was named for a key
classroom assessment technique in each step. Each step presents an overview of an instructional strategy reported to help
sustain learner-centered approaches to assessment.” – Middle School Journal/Association for Middle Level Education
The PILOT strategy will be our guide our instructional strategy development throughout the four years of SIG
implementation as we move from designing pre-assessment to designing differentiated experiences to address the needs
based on data from pre-assessment. The two 45- minute weekly PLCs (90 minutes weekly) embedded into all teacher
schedules will allow for the learning, implementation, and peer review (of each other through peer observations and the
review of students’ work) of each step of this work to be an ongoing and regular part of each teacher’s work week.
Order of development - Different departments may move through the stages at different rates during the four years due
to their present level of development - 1) Standards Alignment; 2) Common Summative Assessment; 3) Common Preassessment; 4) Formative Assessments; 5) Lesson Development; 6) Differentiation
Beginning in 2015-2016 we will include all instructional areas – core and non-core – in this work as all are able to
enhance the work of the ELA standards and we will also look for areas of support with Math Standards. This work will
continue to be funded by Title I set-aside for Priority School status.
Week 1
Soc. St. 5 / AM
Soc. St. 6 / PM
Week 2
Math 5/AM
Math 6 & Math Intervention/PM
Week 3
Level III SPED/ AM
Music/ PM
Week 4
Reading 5/ AM
Lang. Arts 6 & Reading Intervention/PM
Week 5
Science 5 / AM
Science 6 / PM
Week 6
Electives/ AM
SPED RR / PM
Friday – Phy Ed./AM (once every six weeks)
Friday – EL/AM (once every six weeks)
As the PLT looked at instructional strategies to implement, we referenced the research of Hattie to review the effect size of
the strategies that we selected. The chart below lists strategies, effect size and possible External Providers that we may
involve to assist us with our work over the next four years to support PILOT and lesson design and differentiation.
Effect size of 0.00 to 1.00 - Closer to 0.00 is least effective and closer to 1.00 is most effective based on Hattie’s research.
Possible Strategies to Implement
Effect Size
Activity/External Provider
Summative/Formative Assessments
0.9 P.I.L.O.T – Common summative/formative assessment work
Feedback
.73 AVID
Goal Setting
.56 AVID
Collaboration
.59 AVID – Kagan
Study Skills
.59 AVID
Inquiry
.31 AVID
Creativity
.35 Thinking Maps
Concept Mapping
.57 Thinking Maps
Metacognitive Strategies
.69 Thinking Maps
Cooperative Learning
.59 Kagan
Engagement
.48 Kagan
Interactive
.52 Kagan
Teaching Strategies
.60 Kagan
Small Group
.49 Kagan
Perseverance
.48 SEARCH Institute
Motivation
.48 SEARCH Institute
D2. For each priority school, that the LEA commits to serve, the LEA must demonstrate that it has
taken into consideration family and community input in selecting the intervention.
October 2014 – IJ Holton Intermediate School notified of Priority School status
November 2014 – Parent Letter with Priority Status information mailed to all families with 1st quarter report cards.
Parents invited to Dec. 2, 2014 Priority Meeting – Letter in English and Spanish
November 2014 - IJ Holton Priority Leadership Team was established to review and analyze data/needs
Dec. 2, 2014 – 1st Holton Priority Leadership Meeting – 3:00 Holton Team – 4:00 Holton Team & Parents
See PLT schedules and membership info in Section D1.
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March 26, 2015 - PLT meeting with parents
Agenda Items
 Summarize SIG grant information – Any other questions/input
o What can we put into grant to support kids?
o How to recruit additional stakeholder groups?
o Homework support – when/how would that best fit into family time?
 Data Review – Needs assessment analysis
o Review Data
o Review Priority Needs list from Jan. 22 meeting
o Work through Root Cause Protocol
o Hypothesis setting based on data review
Two common themes came from parents – which included parents from the EL community:
 Regular homework support for my child. I cannot help them with the work they bring home
 Can there be a class for me to learn the math content that my child is learning so I can help them?
The PLT along with the parents analyzed the root cause of several of the needs that were prioritized from the needs
assessment and Priority Need list generated by teaches at January meeting. Need and Root Cause as determined by
parents and PLT are noted in Section D1.
D3. The LEA must describe actions it has taken, or will take, to design and implement a plan
consistent with the final requirements of the turnaround model, restart model, school closure,
transformation model, evidence-based whole school reform model, early learning model, or
Minnesota model.
IJ Holton Intermediate School will be implementing the Minnesota model for our school improvement process.
Pre-implementation Planning – The 2014-2015 school year has been used for pre-implementation planning as outlined
in sections D1 and D2 and as documented in our Continuous Record of Improvement. We will begin full implementation
during the 2015-2016 school year.
Pre-implementation Leadership Team - A formal school leadership implementation team (IJ Holton Priority Leadership
Team - PLT) was put in place in November 2014 to lead the process of developing the Record of Continuous
Improvement. See D1 and D2 for additional details. Primarily, the PLT organizes and oversees the use of data to
implement and document four key elements in our Record of Continuous Improvement (RCI):
 Identify prioritized student achievement concerns based on in-depth data analysis
 Identify hypothesized root causes of top two to three prioritized concerns
 Select evidence-based instructional strategies/practices to solve root causes of concerns, and
 Use Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle to implement each evidence-based instructional strategy/practice to verify
root cause.
Family and Community Engagement in pre-implementation planning
Refer to D2 and Continuous Record of Improvement document.
Addressing Principal Leadership
IJ Holton Intermediate School, 734 grade 5/6 students, was newly opened in August of 2013. A principal was hired for
the school one year prior to the opening of the school. The principal worked with incoming staff and the University of
Minnesota the year prior to opening to develop background in inquiry-based, trans-disciplinary curriculum with a
technology and engineering focus as this is a STEAM School. A one-to-one laptop initiative is central to our mission of
providing access for all students. An interview process was conducted at the time, with both external and internal
candidates. Jean McDermott was selected for the position at that time and will continue in this position to guide SIG
implementation during the next four years. Mrs. McDermott has experience in leading two schools through a Reading
First initiative and extensive background in the implementation of PLCs. The district will conduct on-going evaluation
throughout each year of the SIG implementation following the Minnesota model of principal evaluation. Expectation of
the district is that Mrs. McDermott continues to rate at the Accomplished or Distinguished level in all areas to continue
work with SIG implementation at IJ Holton Intermediate School.
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Planning support and roles of collaborative partners
The district will hire three support staff to ensure fidelity in the implementation of this SIG plan:



1 FTE Continuous Improvement Specialist (CIS) – Administrative License
1 FTE Instructional Facilitator (IF) – Administrative License
1 FTE Family Community Liaison (FCL) – Teaching License
MDE will provide six professional development sessions each year of the SIG for the principal, CIS, IF, and FCL to
support implementation. IJ Holton PLT representatives will also continue to participate in quarterly leadership team
development meetings provided by the Centers of Excellence: SSOS. PLT representatives and collaborative partners will
attend the MN Assessment Conference, RTI Conference and other conferences in regards to Data Use and PLC
Administration as they become available.
Employing a minium .5 FTE Continous Improvement Specialist
We will employ a 1 FTE CIS with the plan of that person managing the grant and data and assisting the IF with PLC
administration.
Selection and hiring of grant positions
Upon notification of SIG approval, grant positions will be posted using the district posting protocol. Positions will be
posted both internally and externally. Positions are posted with colleges and education list serves throughout Minnesota
and the surrounding states as well as on the district website. The CIS and IF will require an administrative license. The
FCL will require a teaching license. An interview team of district, school administration and teaching staff will be
utilized. A meeting on May 28, 2015 was held with Human Resources Director, Superintendent, Executive Director of
Curriculum and IJ Holton Principal to finalize the three grant positions job descriptions. Seniority and tenure status,
salaries and benefits were defined and will be shared with teacher union, principal union, and School Board personnel
committee. Positions will be posted the first week of June and interviews will be set up for the first week of July noting
that interviews will only occur if SIG is approved. Other district principals will be notified if internal candidates from
their building are granted an interview so they can plan for the possibility of backfilling a position in their building
should their staff member be hired.
Evaluation and Support Systems
Teachers will participate in an Individual Growth and Development Plan (IGDP) each year. This process was
started in the 2014-2015 school year for the district. Teachers develop a goal based on student need in their
respective classrooms and determine a plan of action research or professional development to help reach their
designated goal. With the implementation of PILOT, teachers will use pre -assessment, formative assessments,
feedback and lesson differentiation strategies to promote student growth. Weekly, each teacher will participate in
two 45 minute PLC sessions with their team of teachers. During this time student work will be reviewed, teaching
strategies studied, practiced and reviewed, peer observations shared and critiqued to help lead to st aff growth.
Mid-year each teacher will complete a reflection on the status of their IGDP. A final reflection on the IGDP will
happen at the end of the school year. This will work in concert with monthly classroom walkthroughs, peer
observations and teacher evaluations of the strategies being developed during a given time frame. Student growth
will be monitored and measured three times a year in benchmark assessment using SCANTRON. Curriculum based
assessments will also be used to progress monitor student growth every two weeks. Student academic growth will
be a part of the IGDP completed annually by each teacher. Weekly review of student data/work during PLC groups
will guide the direction of continued work in the PLC and which phase groups are ready t o move on to.
Data Systems
Austin Public Schools employs a fulltime Research and Assessment Coordinator (RAC). Our RAC is a member of our
Priority Leadership Team and monthly collects and packages data for our review. Our RAC compiles reports to show
gaps, proficiency and trends for our different student groups. He compiles and reports on benchmark data which is
shared with teachers and parents three times a year. Programming and professional development is guided by the
information gleaned from these reports. Individual programming for students is provided based on the information from
these reports. A review of successful teaching strategies based on student growth is used to pinpoint effective strategies
and then share and refine these strategies in PLC groups. Teachers will continue their monthly work on developing
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common summative, formative and pre-assessments that will then guide PLC discussions and lesson development. As
fidelity to the use of the assessments is achieved, teachers will then begin work on learning and using differentiation
strategies that can address the data gathered in pre-assessments. This data – both benchmark and curriculum based –
will be used to continue the review of special education and EL curriculum and programming to provide support in
reducing the achievement gap. EL and SPED teachers will now be included in the monthly curriculum/standards
alignment work with the core teachers.
Professional learning communities – minimum of 90 minutes weekly
Presently, teachers at IJ Holton have 45 minutes of individual prep time and 45 minutes of team time provided daily. At
this time each team spends on day of each week on the following; 1) Discussing student needs with counselor, 2)Meeting
with instructional coach; 3) Meeting with tech coach; 4) Working on interdisciplinary curriculum and team needs; 5)
Supervising a study hall. Beginning with the 15-16 school year team time will include the following on each of the five
team days per week; 1) PLC – with Instructional Coach or IFS; 2) PLC – with Tech Coach or IFS; 3) Discussing student
needs with counselor; 4)Working on interdisciplinary curriculum and team needs; 5) Supervising a study hall. The two
PLC days will total 90 minutes per week. The PLC focus will be on developing assessment and differentiation strategies
and reviewing student work to guide next steps. ISD #492 has committed to employing1 FTE Instructional Coach and 1
FTE Tech Coach in every district school. These two staff members along with the grant employed IFS, CIS, and FCL will
participate in development through workshops in the structure and administration of effective PLCs. Upon completion of
the grant, the district employed Instructional Coach, Tech Coach and team leaders will have structures in place that will
have become standard practice to sustain PLC work in the future.
Professional development planning
Outlined below is a timeline for the next four years and a possible scenario of the content/strategies that would be worked
on each year. The content of the PD is driven by the root causes and student needs as noted in our data review and the
effect size of different strategies as outlined in Hattie’s work. Our PD could move more quickly or slowly depending on
the time needed for a critical mass of staff to become proficient in the new work. As student needs change, so too may the
direction of our PD. Data will be reviewed regularly and PD modified as needed.
90 Minute PLC – 90 minutes per week/Designated team time per contract during student contact day
Funding: District General Fund
Focus: Literature Review, Data Review, Process implementation of new strategies
Monthly Curriculum Writing – 3 hours every 6 weeks
Funding: Title I Priority School, Title III/Consulting District Staff
Focus: Curriculum horizontal and vertical alignment, common summative assessments, formative assessments, lesson
design/differentiation
Grade Level Meetings – 1.5 hours per month during student day
Funding: Mower Refreshed/Community and District General Fund
Focus: 45 minute Grade Level meeting – 45 minute 5/6 Department meeting
Early Release Days – 2.5 hours six times a year
Funding: District Staff Development
Focus: EIE, STEAM, Inquiry
One Week Summer Institutes –40 hours Summer 2016, Summer 2017, Summer 2018
Funding: SIG
Focus: Intervention strategies – See content and timeline below
Timeline and content of the four year professional development plan may be revised based on speed of implementation
fidelity and changing needs of students and staff as determined by review of student achievement data, student nonacademic data, fidelity of implementation data, program data and perception data. Descriptions of possible External
Providers (AVID, SEARCH, Kagan, Thinking Maps) is provided following the timeline. These providers were selected
based on the instructional strategies that they embrace and the favorable effect size linked to these strategies through
Hattie’s research (effect size table previously reviewed.) External Providers may also be secured from the University of
Minnesota as the Austin Public School District has a professional practice grant/collaborative relationship with the U of
M. The staff at IJ Holton is familiar with the U of M staff having spent one year together prior to the opening of IJ Holton
Intermediate School. The U of M provided two years of regular training (one year prior and during the first year the
school was open) and support in the development of STEAM programming, inquiry-based instructional strategies,
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transdisciplinary instruction, and collaboration and communication strategies. Teachers moving to this school had the
choice to come or opt out. This has provided for a highly motivated and energetic staff. This is a group that embraces
educational reform and is willing to do the work needed to achieve goals that are set.
Summer 2014 – Training of Targeted Services Summer School Teachers
(4 Holton teachers and Instructional Coach)
Kagan Strategies – One day training – Holton Summer School teachers are now training all Holton staff. Preliminary
work in 14-15. Continue more intensive study and use of strategies 15/16 and 16/17 through PLC.
Summer 2015 Training
AVID – July 15 – 17, 2015 - District funded training – Holton Principal, Asst. Principal, Instructional Coach, Core
Teacher, Elective Teacher, EL teacher – Train the Trainer Model
Thinking Maps – District funded training – Holton Instructional Coach
Search Institute - Adolescent Development of Motivation and Perseverance – Pending grant approval will train a pilot
group of Holton teachers in August of 2015
PLC 15/16
PILOT strategy implementation
AVID – 5th Grade – Implement
SEARCH – 5th Grade – Implement
Kagan - 6th Grade – Implement
“Visible Learning for Teachers” John Hattie
“The Art and Science of Teaching” Robert Marzano
“Teaching with Poverty in Mind” Eric Jensen
Summer 2016 Training – One Week – 3rd Week of June
SEARCH Institute – All Staff
AVID – Institute training for newly hired SIG staff
Thinking Maps – Training for newly hired SIG staff
AVID - All Staff (3 day of AVID training with consultant on site – 2 days of planning time)
Continue with AVID consultant work during the 16-17 school year
PLC 16/17
PILOT strategy implementation
AVID – 5th & 6th Grade – Implement
SEARCH – 5th & 6th Grade – Implement
Kagan – 5th & 6th Grade - Implement
“Formative Assessment” Moss/Brookhart
“Formative Assessment” Robert Marzano
Summer 2017 – One Week – 3rd Week of June
Kagan Strategies - All Staff (3 day of Kagan training with consultant on site – 2 days of planning time)
Continue with Kagan consultant work throughout the 17-18 school year
PLC 17/18
PILOT strategy implementation
AVID/SEARCH/Kagan
“Understanding by Design Guide” Wiggins and McTighe
(Monitor fidelity of implementation)
“Better Learning through Structured Teaching” Fisher and Frey
Thinking Maps
Summer 2018 – One Week – 3rd Week of June
Differentiation - All Staff (3 days of differentiation training with Marcia Gentry on site – 2 days of planning)
Continue with Gentry consultant work throughout the 18-19 school year
PLC 18/19
PILOT strategy implementation
AVID/SERACH/Kagan/Thinking Maps
“Improving Student Learning One Principle at a Time” Pollock /Ford
(Monitor fidelity of implementation)
“Feedback” Pollock
Differentiation – Implement
“Total School Cluster Grouping and Differentiation” Gentry
Department Curriculum Writing Thursdays – 15/16 – 16/17 – 17/18 – 18/19
Each Thursday a grade- level curriculum department is subbed out of the classroom to work for 3. 5 hours on curriculum
development under the leadership of SIG funded staff, Holton Instructional Coach and District specialists in SPED, EL,
and GT. Departments meet every six weeks for a total of five extended work times each school year. See schedule in
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Section D1. PILOT is providing the framework for this curriculum time. See details regarding PILOT in Section D1.
Possible External Providers – See descriptions in Appendix A
Staff communication and engagement
April 29, 2015 and/or April 30, 2015
Shared SIG grant overview powerpoint. Had time for question and answer. Shared timeline for voting.
 Wed. April 29 Staff Meeting – 3:05 p.m. – Present info – PM (Clint Phillips – PLT member)
 Thurs. April 30 Staff Meeting – 7:15 a.m. – Present Info – AM (Carley Seifert – PLT member)
 Tues, May 5 Staff Meeting –SIG Questions and Clarification
 Voting – Like AEA Voting at Tech Café – May 6 – 8, 2015
April 30 – May 5, 2015
Staff had one week to think about the proposal shared at the April 29 staff meeting. A second full group meeting was held
to clarify any questions or concerns. There were no questions or concerns shared. All had been answered during the
week with Priority Leadership team members
May 6-8, 2015
Teachers cast anonymous vote.
YES, I support IJ Holton School in moving forward with the SIG/Priority School Grant Application and agree to
participate in the requirements of the SIG grant should it be approved.
NO, I do not support IJ Holton School in moving forward with the SIG/Priority School Grant Application.
Votes counted by Sarah Shultz, Farin Sandoz, Rebecca Veldman – Priority Leadership Members.
94% approval of moving forward with SIG grant application.
D4. REAP Eligible Schools Only: Appendix C. For an LEA eligible for services under subpart 1 or 2 of
part B of Title VI of the ESEA (Rural Education Assistance Program) that chooses to modify one
element of the turnaround or transformation model, the LEA must describe how it will meet the intent
and purpose of that element.
Not applicable if IJ Holton Intermediate School – Not REAP Eligible School
SECTION E
LEA CAPACITY AND COMMITMENT
E1. The LEA must describe actions it has taken, or will take, to determine its capacity to provide
adequate resources and related support to each priority school, identified in the LEA’s
application in order to implement, fully and effectively, the required activities of the school
intervention model it has selected on the first day of the first school year of full implementation.
District resources are provided to support new teacher training and mentoring. This includes an EL Coordinator,
Coordinator of Gifted and Talented Services, Research, Evaluation, and Assessment Director, and Executive Director of
Educational Services. The district Instructional Model and SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol)
implementation are expected practices of all APS teachers. One instructional coach and one technology integrationist is
provided at each APS site for job-embedded professional development for staff. These staff members provide ongoing
training and mentoring of new and veteran staff. Coaches meet weekly with teams for instructional strategy development.
The Instructional Coach and district coordinators meet for a half day, monthly, with curriculum departments for
standards alignment, curriculum development, assessment development and data review.
The Superintendent and Human Resources Director have received monthly updates on PLT meetings and progress on SIG
grant development from the building principal during scheduled monthly meetings at the school. Staff participated in
informational meetings and voted on pursuing the SIG grant (see D2 & D3) with 94% approval. Parents were notified of
Priority School status and invited to parent meetings, with a formal letter in both English and Spanish which was mailed
home with report cards in November. Finalized SIG information will be presented to the School Board in June 2015.
E2. The LEA must describe actions it has taken, or will take, to align other resources (for example,
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Title I funding) with the selected intervention.
Funding from district, state, federal, and community are used to provide time for staff to participate in professional
development. This time aligns with the action plan using the Minnesota State Model as outlined in section D3. The district
is also providing training dollars and annual registration in AVID for IJ Holton and several other district schools. SIG
funded staff will also be trained in AVID and facilitate district funded PLCs to provided job-embedded time to integrate
curriculum work, AVID strategies etc in a manner that will build staff capacity and fidelity to these new processes. See
Professional Development Planning in Section D2.
E3. The LEA must describe actions it has taken, or will take, to modify its practices or policies, if
necessary, to enable it to implement the selected intervention fully and effectively.
Principal worked with Human Resources Director to determine how the three newly hired SIG implementation support
staff will align with teacher and administration contracts. All three positions will be non-unit positions. Internal
candidates who apply and are hired for these positions will retain and accrue years of seniority.
Principal has been given professional discretion to use teacher contract minutes to allow for job embedded 90 minutes of
PLC per week and/or alter schedules to increase student instructional minutes based on needs discovered in completing
annual time audit. Principal and PLT have flexibility to reallocate financial resources based on student, teacher,
professional needs as designated by site improvement plan.
Teachers will be provided financial compensation to participate in summer trainings and time to integrate learned
strategies into their curricular area. Teachers and administrators are provided job embedded time to complete
professional development rather than time outside the contract day.
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E4. The LEA must describe how it will provide effective oversight and support for implementation
of the selected intervention for each school it proposes to serve (for example, by creating an LEA
turnaround office).
Priority Leadership Team(which includes SIG funded staff – CIS, IF, CFL) will meet bi-weekly during the
school year (Thursdays from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.) and once a month during the summer (8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.)
to provide oversight at the school level of the State Intervention Model.
Principal is responsible to coordinate SIG funded professional development and strategy implementation with
site school improvement plan and budget and schedule for successful integration of all programs
Principal, Assistant Principal, Holton Instructional Coach, Holton Tech Coach, District Data Coordinator,
SIG funded staff (CIS, IF, CFL)will meet weekly to provide oversight and support implementation at the
school level – This team will be called the Priority Administrative Team.
Principal will meet monthly(2nd Tuesday from 1:15 – 2:30) with the Superintendent and Executive Director of
Educational Services to provide district oversight of the Minnesota State Intervention Model and support SIG
implementation at the district level.
Principal and Priority Administrative Team will work with Executive Director of Educational Services, District
Integration Coordinator and District AVID team to provide oversight of AVID implementation for Grades 4 – 12.
Detailed job descriptions of SIG funded instructional leader positions have been provided to HR.
IJ Holton School will use the PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) model to evaluate the effectiveness and fidelity of
instructional strategy implement. Collecting data from walkthroughs conducted by the principal, IF, and CIS and
gathering perception data from peer observations and data from student work reviewed in weekly PLCs will be used
to evaluate and plan for next steps in regards to SIG instructional strategies.
IJ Holton School will administer a needs assessment survey each fall for all teachers to evaluate progress of SIG
implementation of the Minnesota State intervention model. Data will be reviewed by the PLT and shared with staff at
faculty meetings and parents at quarterly PLT meetings.
IJ Holton School will administer a PILOT survey twice a year to evaluate progress in the development and
implementation of PILOT strategies and related student achievement.
Written Communication Plan was developed at PLT meeting on February 5, 2015.
E5. The LEA must describe how it will implement, to the extent practicable, in accordance with
its selected SIG intervention model(s), one or more evidence-based strategies.
Refer to Professional development plan in Section D2 which outlines implementation plan within the Minnesota State
Model of one or more evidence-based strategies.
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E6. The LEA must describe how it will monitor each priority school, that receives school
improvement funds including by
o Establishing annual goals for student achievement on the State’s assessments in both
reading/language arts and mathematics; and,
o Measuring progress on the leading indicators as defined in the final requirements.
IJ Holton Intermediate School opened in August 2013. There are 700+ 5th and 6th grade students enrolled in the school.
The first year of MCA testing in IJ Holton School was April 2014. Since we have no baseline or trend data, our scores
and ratings are based entirely on comparison to state averages. Based on the need to meet a state average of 68%
proficiency in math and 67% proficiency in reading in the next three years, we took the difference of 24 percentage points
and divided by 3 (3 years) to come up with our annual increase in proficiency goals of 8 percentage points per year. If we
can grow at this rate, we will close the achievement gap by 50% for all student groups by 2017.
2015
The percentage of all students enrolled October 1 in grades 5-6 at IJ Holton Intermediate School who are proficient on
all math state accountability tests will increase from 44.1% in 2014 to 52.1% in 2015.
The percentage of all students enrolled October 1 in grades 5-6 at IJ Holton Intermediate School who are proficient on
all reading state accountability tests will increase from 43.5% in 2014 to 51.5% in 2015.
2016
The percentage of all students enrolled October 1 in grades 5-6 at IJ Holton Intermediate School who are proficient on
all math state accountability tests will increase from 52.1% in 2015 to 60.1% in 2016.
The percentage of all students enrolled October 1 in grades 5-6 at IJ Holton Intermediate School who are proficient on
all reading state accountability tests will increase from 51.5% in 2015to 59.5% in 2016.
2017
The percentage of all students enrolled October 1 in grades 5-6 at IJ Holton Intermediate School who are proficient on
all math state accountability tests will increase from 60.1% in 2016 to 68.1% in 2017.
The percentage of all students enrolled October 1 in grades 5-6 at IJ Holton Intermediate School who are proficient on
all reading state accountability tests will increase from 59.5% in 2016 to 67.5% in 2017.
IJ Holton School PLT will annually measure progress on leading indicators of 1) number of minutes within the school
year; 2) student participation rate on State assessments in reading/language arts and in mathematics, by student
subgroup; 3) dropout rate – will not be report for IJ Holton Intermediate School as this is a 5th and 6th grade intermediate
school and not a high school; 4) student attendance rate; 5) number and percentage of students completing advanced
coursework; 6) discipline incidents; 7) truants; 8) distribution of teachers by performance level on ISD 492 evaluations
system; and 9) teacher attendance rate will summarized and reported annually with the assistance of the District Data
Coordinator. The building principal and SIG funded staff will analyze this data with the PLT and then report in person
annually at school staff meeting, parent committee meetings, school board meeting, and submit a written report to the
Minnesota Department of Education.
SECTION F
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
F1. The LEA must describe how it will meaningfully engage families and the community in the
implementation of the selected intervention on an ongoing basis.
Austin Public Schools has already made a commitment to family and community engagement that will continue during
and after grant years. Each school in the district, including IJ Holton Intermediate School, employs a bi-lingual
Spanish/English success coach to address the needs of ALL families but in particular our large Hispanic population. The
district also employs two Anuak and Nuer bilingual success coaches who are shared between the district’s schools. The IJ
Holton success coach conducts monthly parent meetings, offered two times each day to accommodate family work shifts
as many of our families are employed as second and third shift workers at Quality Pork meat packing plant. The IJ Holton
Success Coach will work in concert with the SIG funded FCL to establish new parent programs during the four years of
the grant. The Success Coach will then take over the duties to continue the programs when the grant has ended.
Refer to section D2 for details of actions with a timeline that meaningfully engages family and community members in the
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collaborative implementation of the state model on an ongoing basis. Members of the LEA, principal, assistant principal,
teachers, parents, and community members are part of the Priority Leadership Team (PLT) which was established in
2014-2015 in our pre-implementation planning year. School staff members meet biweekly for two hours. Parent and
community members join the meetings on a quarterly basis. SIG funded staff will join this team in 2015-2016.
Based on parent input and our needs assessment, plans are to use the SIG funded FCL to develop a homework support
program utilizing parent and community volunteers. This would include training for the volunteers, developing a
schedule that will accommodate availability of volunteers and students needing support, and securing revenue sources for
transportation if this takes place outside the student day. During the four years of SIG, this program would become
established standard practice and the training and recruitment of volunteers would be turned over to the district employed
IJ Holton Success Coach upon completion of SIG funding. We will also work with the Austin community group, Austin
Aspires, which has a focus of child development “from cradle to career” to align programming with common goals in the
area of after school programming and homework support. The coordinator of Austin Aspires is one of the parents on the
PLT and will remain a member of the PLT for the duration of the grant. Parents have also requested parent education
meetings to learn more about the computers used by their students at school (IJ Holton has a 1:1 laptop program with a
goal to provide access for all of our students to technology) and to learn about math content so they can assist their
children at home. The FCL would coordinate such meetings throughout the school year at times that work for parents on
alternate shifts. The Success Coach will take over these responsibilities once the programs have been established.
SECTION G
ACTION PLAN
G1. Planning and Pre-Implementation Only: For an LEA that intends to use the first year of its School
Improvement Grants award for planning and other pre-implementation activities for an eligible school,
the LEA must include a description of the activities, the timeline for implementing those activities, and
a description of how those activities will lead to successful implementation of the selected intervention.
Not Applicable - IJ Holton Intermediate School has completing its pre-implementation planning in 2014-2015. See
section D3 and Record of Continuous Improvement.
G2. The LEA must include a timeline delineating the steps it will take to implement the selected
intervention in each school identified in the LEA’s application.
June 15, 2015 Post three SIG positions and set up interviews for July 6 – CIS, IF, FCL
(Posting will specify that interviews will occur pending grant approval)
July 10, 2015 Notification of grant approval
July 15 – 17
AVID training- Houston, Texas
July 21, 2015 SIG position interviews
July 30, 2015 School Board Meeting – SIG report/update – Approve SIG contracts
August 3, 2015 SIG staff begin 220 day contract – non/unit
August – TBD PLC Conference
August 3, 2015 MDE SIG Meeting – 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
August 5, 2015 MN Assessment Conference – SIG staff and Principal
August 6, 2015 PLT meeting – Introduce new SIG staff/PLC format planning – 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.
9/15/15 – 5/31/15
Weekly Mtg. – SIG staff/Instructional Coach/Tech Coach/Success Coach/Principal
Tuesdays - 8:30-10:30
9/17/15-5/26/16
Bi-weekly PLT meetings begin – Every other Thursday – 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Coordinate/review plans for Curriculum Work/PLC/Homework Support/Parent Nights
9/17/15-5/26/16 Six week rotation of 3 hour department curriculum work – Thursdays – Inst. Coach
5/14/15-6/3/16 Weekly 90 minute PLC – Two days a week of team time – 45 minutes each -IF
TBD
Homework support – recruit and train volunteers – FLC and Success Coach
TBD
Homework support – recruit students – FLC and Success Coach
TBD
Homework support – schedule and implement – FLC and Success Coach
TBD
Parent “Help Nights” – FLC and Success Coach
TBD
Attend Regional SSOS quarterly meetings with SIG team
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TBD
Attend six MDE SIG meetings
See section D3 – Professional Development Planning – for content and timeline details for the four years of SIG.
SECTION H
EXTERNAL PROVIDERS
H1. The LEA must describe actions it has taken, or will take, to recruit, screen, and select external
providers, if applicable, to ensure their quality, and regularly review and hold accountable such
providers for their performance.
ISD #492 and IJ Holton Intermediate School will procure external providers as meets the needs assessment and action
plan foci that will build capacity of school staff and support the reform efforts of the Minnesota model. As the PLT looks
at instructional strategies to implement school-wide, they will reference the research of Hattie to review the effect size of
the strategies to be selected. External Providers will be considered if they provide development in the strategy or
strategies that the PLT has deemed as the “next step” in the staff’s development. Included in section D1 is a review of
Hattie’s research and effect size of strategies that were reflected in IJ Holton’s initial needs assessment. Possible External
Providers, who could provide development in these strategies, are also listed. See Appendix A for descriptions.
To be further considered and selected for staff professional development and consultation as part of SIG, the External
Provider will:
 Have a history of a positive working relationship and results with Austin Public Schools that can be verified
with other Austin building principals or central office administrator
 Provide references of high performance standards from other educational institutions throughout the state
and/or country
 Sign and meet the requirements of a contract indicating hours, materials, fees and other expectations of both
the provider and Austin Public Schools
 Meet the requirements and expectations of providing development in the agreed upon instructional strategy
as determined by the PLT which includes all stakeholders in the SIG process
Upon completion of professional development or consultation sessions, individual participants and the PLT will evaluate
the session. If performance is sub-standard, the principal/LEA will work with the provider to rectify the situation. Full
payment will be withheld until such time that all parties are satisfied.
SECTION I
SUSTAINABILITY
I1. The LEA must describe how it will sustain the reforms after the funding period ends.
ISD #492 will provide the following support to IJ Holton Intermediate School to ensure the long term sustainability of the
reform efforts of SIG. With continued collaboration with Austin Aspires this would include not only IJ Holton School and
the Austin Public School District, but the community as well.
 Time will remain in the schedule/contract to continue the 90 minute per week PLC as job-embedded
professional practice work during the teacher contract day
 The district Data Coordinator and IJ Holton Instructional Coach will continue to provide useable data to
teacher teams and curriculum departments using strategies and processes developed during the four years of
SIG
 The needs assessment process will continue as a school improvement strategy at the beginning and the end of
each school year using an environmental scan of data from the previous and present school year; the scan
will focus on the leading indicators and trend data to provide direction for continued school improvement;
the Site Leadership Team and the Site Curriculum Team will take on this responsibility with the dissolution of
the PLT; PLT members are part of each of these site teams and will use their learning from SIG to continue to
guide these processes
 Peer observations and administrative and Instructional coach walk-throughs will continue to evaluate fidelity
of implementation of instructional improvements; data from walk-throughs will guide the focus of PLC work;
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teacher IGDP will reflect work in instructional improvements
Six week rotation for departments to be subbed out for three hours of curriculum work will continue as a job
embedded work; since all lesson designs, assessments, etc, should have been completed during SIG this may
be reduced to quarterly, rather than every six weeks; substitutes will be paid from site professional
development funds as Priority Title I funds will no longer be available
Annual time audits will be conducted to review opportunities for increased learning time
Success Coach (district/site employee) will take on coordination of parent support meetings, parent
instructional classes, student homework support schedule, and volunteer training and scheduling which was
developed by the FCL during SIG
In four years, when SIG is complete, there may be opportunities for SIG funded staff to apply for
administrative and instructional positions key to the sustainability of SIG at IJ Holton Intermediate School,
due to anticipated retirements; the continuity provided by having SIG staff move into these positions will
positively impact sustainability
SECTION J
EVIDENCE-BASED WHOLE SCHOOL REFORM MODEL
J1. If Applicable: For an LEA that applies to implement an evidence-based, whole-school reform model in
one or more eligible schools, the LEA must describe how it will
a. Implement a model with evidence of effectiveness that includes a sample population or
setting similar to the population or setting of the school to be served; and
b. Partner with a whole school reform model developer, as defined in the SIG requirements.
Not applicable for IJ Holton Intermediate School as we are implementing the State Model.
SECTION K
RESTART MODEL IMPLEMENTATION
K1. If Applicable: For an LEA that applies to implement the restart model in one or more eligible schools,
the LEA must describe the rigorous review process (as described in the final requirements) it has
conducted or will conduct of the charter school operator, CMO, or EMO that it has selected or will
select to operate or manage the school or schools.
Not applicable for IJ Holton Intermediate School as we are implementing the State Model.
SECTION L
CHARTER OPERATORS, CMO OR EMO
L1. If Applicable: An LEA must hold the charter school operator, CMO, EMO, or other external provider
accountable for meeting these requirements, if applicable.
Not applicable for IJ Holton Intermediate School as we are implementing the State Model and we are not a
Charter School.
SECTION M
NOT APPLICABLE TO MINNESOTA: NO RESPONSE NEEDED
M1. (Not Applicable) For each Tier III school the LEA commits to serve, the LEA must identify the
services the school will receive or the activities the school will implement.
M2. (Not Applicable) The LEA must describe the goals it has established (subject to approval by the SEA)
in order to hold accountable its Tier III schools that receive school improvement funds.
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SECTION N
LEA BUDGET
An LEA’s budget should reflect the four-year grant period which must include three years of full
implementation of the selected intervention model.
Select one of the following:
One planning and pre-implementation year and three years of full implementation
Three years of full implementation and one year of sustainability
Four years of full implementation
An LEA must include a budget that indicates the amount of school improvement funds the LEA will use
each year in each priority school it commits to serve.
Provide a budget that indicates the amount of school improvement funds the LEA will use in each school it
proposes to serve and the funds it will use to —
 Conduct LEA-level activities designed to support implementation of the selected school intervention
models in the LEA’s priority schools; and
 Support school improvement activities, at the school or LEA level, for each priority school identified in
the LEA’s application (SEAs without ESEA flexibility only).
The LEA budget must be of sufficient size and scope to implement the selected school intervention model in
each priority school the LEA commits to serve.
The budget should be created to reflect strong implementation moving towards sustainability. Notice how the
examples decrease the funding as the LEA moves through the four years.
Examples for funding distribution across a four-year grant period:
Example A.
 Planning, Pre-Implementation: 10% of the total
 Implementation 1: 40% of the total
 Implementation 2: 30% of the total
 Implementation 3: 20% of the total
Example B.
 Implementation 1: 40% of the total
 Implementation 2: 30% of the total
 Implementation 3: 20% of the total
 Sustainability Year: 10% of the total
Example C.
 Implementation 1: 35% of the total
 Implementation 2: 30% of the total
 Implementation 3: 20% of the total
 Implementation 4: 15% of the total
LEA Application
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Example: LEA Proposing a Planning Year for One or More Schools
Year 1 Budget
Planning
Year 2 Budget
Full implementation
Year 3 Budget
Full implementation
Year 4 Budget
Full implementation
Priority School 1
$200,000
$800,000
$600,000
$400,000
$2,000,000
Priority School 2
$270,000
$1,080,000
$810,000
$540,000
$2,700,000
Priority School 3
LEA-level
Activities
$290,000
$1,160,000
$870,000
$580,000
$2,900,000
$100,000
$150,000
$150,000
$100,000
$500,000
Total Budget
$860,000
$3,190,00
$2,430,000
$1,620,000
$8,100,000
School Names
Four Year
Total
Example: LEA Proposing a Sustainability Year for One or More Schools
Year 1 Budget
Full
implementation
Year 2 Budget
Full implementation
Year 3 Budget
Full implementation
Priority School 1
$800,000
$600,000
$400,000
$200,000
$2,000,000
Priority School 2
$920,000
$690,000
$460,000
$230,000
$2,300,000
Priority School 3
LEA-level
Activities
$1,040,000
$780,000
$520,000
$260,000
$2,600,000
$150,00
$150,000
$100,000
$100,000
$500,000
Total Budget
$2,910,000
$2,220,000
$1,480,000
$790,000
$7,400,000
School Names
Year 4 Budget
Sustainability
Activities
Four Year
Total
Example: LEA Proposing a Four Years of Implementation for One or More Schools
Year 1 Budget
Full
implementation
Year 2 Budget
Full implementation
Year 3 Budget
Full implementation
Year 4 Budget
Full implementation
Priority School 1
$700,000
$600,000
$400,000
$300,000
$2,000,000
Priority School 2
$805,000
$690,000
$460,000
$345,000
$2,300,000
Priority School 3
$875,000
$750,000
$500,000
$375,000
$2,500,000
Priority School 4
LEA-level
Activities
$1,015,000
$870,000
$580,000
$435,000
$2,900,000
$150,000
$150,000
$150,000
$100,000
$550,000
Total Budget
$3,545,000
$3,060,000
$2,090,000
$1,555,000
$10,250,000
School Names
Four Year
Total
Note: An LEA may fill out any combination of charts if it is applying for a planning year, a sustainability year,
or four years of full implementation for some, but not all, of the schools it proposes to serve.
Use one chart for each four-year option. Copy and paste this chart if the LEA will use a combination of
four-year options.
School Names
IJ Holton
Year 1 Budget
Full
implementation
Year 2 Budget
Full implementation
Year 3 Budget
Full implementation
$526,174.86
$495,630.90
$500,731.69
$448,206.42
*Includes 3% increase
for salaries, wages…
*Includes 3% increase
for salaries, wages…
*Includes 3% increase
for salaries, wages…
$495,630.90*
$500,731.69*
$448,206.42*
LEA-level
Activities
Total Budget
LEA Application
$526,174.86
Page 30
Year 4 Budget
Full
implementation
Four Year
Total
$1,970,743.88
$1,970,743.88
SECTION O
WAIVERS
Minnesota is approved for ESEA flexibility. Waivers do not apply.
SECTION P
Charter School Authorizer Statement of Support
(Supplemental Document Required for ALL Charter Schools)
The authorizer of a charter school LEA must provide a statement of support as part of the LEA’s
application for funds under this grant opportunity. All charter schools applying for the School
Improvement Grant (SIG) must have a State-approved authorizer through the Minnesota Department of
Education.
Name of authorizing organization:
Name, title and contact information of the organization’s authorizer liaison:
Provide a statement of support for the charter school LEA’s application for funds under this grant
opportunity. The statement of support must: 1) discuss support for the specific intervention model
proposed; 2) describe how the authorizer will partner in the charter school’s turnaround efforts; and 3)
describe how the authorizer will monitor the charter school LEA’s performance under this project.
Please enter response here.
PART III: PRIORITY SCHOOL APPLICATION
Each Priority school listed above in the LEA budget must complete the following:



School Goal Guidelines:
School Work Plan
School Budget and Narrative Justification
School Goals
I.
II.
Provide the following information for the identified Priority school:
•
A three-year student achievement SMART goal for reading using MCA data
•
A three-year student achievement SMART goal for mathematics using MCA
data
•
A one-year student academic achievement SMART goal for both reading and
mathematics to be used to track progress for the first year of the grant
•
Rationale and trend data to demonstrate successful completion of the goalsetting process
Provide the following information only if the school was identified with a
graduation rate below 60 percent:
•
A three-year SMART goal for graduation rates
•
A one-year graduation rate SMART goal to be used to track progress for the
first year of the grant
•
Rationale and trend data to demonstrate successful completion of the goalsetting process
The School Goals section does not have to be completed for schools implementing the School
Closure model. Duplicate templates as needed. See Definitions section for more information
about SMART goals.
School Name: IJ Holton Intermediate School
Grades included: 5th Grade and 6th Grade
2015-2016 School MCA Reading SMART Goal
School trend data
School
Year
Percent
proficient
12-13
13-14
14-15
NA
43.5%
TBD
12-13
13-14
14-15
NA
43.5 %
TBD
District trend data
School
Year
Percent
proficient
Three-Year Goal:
The percentage of all students enrolled October 1 in grades 5-6 at IJ Holton Intermediate
School who are proficient on all reading state accountability tests will increase from 43.5% in
2014 to 67.5% in 2017.
First-Year Goal:
The percentage of all students enrolled October 1 in grades 5-6 at IJ Holton Intermediate
School who are proficient on all reading state accountability tests will increase from 43.5% in
2014 to 51.5% in 2015.
Describe the process and rationale that was used to determine the goals above.
IJ Holton Intermediate School opened in August 2013. There are 700+ 5th and 6th grade
students enrolled in the school. IJ Holton School houses all of the 5th and 6th grade students in
the district which is why our school and district data is the same. Prior to 2013-2014, 5th grade
students were housed at four neighborhood elementary schools and all of the 6th grade students
were housed at Ellis Middle School. The first year of MCA testing in IJ Holton School was
April 2014. Since we have no baseline or trend data, our scores and ratings are based entirely
on comparison to state averages. Based on the need to meet a state average of 68% proficiency
in math and 67% proficiency in reading in the next three years, we took the difference of 24
percentage points and divided by 3 (3 years) to come up with our annual increase in proficiency
goals of 8 percentage points per year. If we can grow at this rate, we will close the
achievement gap by 50% for all student groups by 2017.
Grades included: 5th Grade and 6th Grade
2015-2016 School MCA Mathematics SMART Goal
School trend data
School
Year
Percent
proficient
12-13
13-14
14-15
NA
44.1%
TBD
12-13
13-14
14-15
NA
44.1%
TBD
District trend data
School
Year
Percent
proficient
Three-Year Goal:
The percentage of all students enrolled October 1 in grades 5-6 at IJ Holton Intermediate
School who are proficient on all math state accountability tests will increase from 44.1% in
2014 to 68.1% in 2017.
First-Year Goal:
The percentage of all students enrolled October 1 in grades 5-6 at IJ Holton Intermediate
School who are proficient on all math state accountability tests will increase from 44.1% in
2014 to 52.1% in 2015.
Describe the process and rationale that was used to determine the goals above.
IJ Holton Intermediate School opened in August 2013. There are 700+ 5th and 6th grade
students enrolled in the school. IJ Holton School houses all of the 5th and 6th grade students in
the district which is why our school and district data is the same. Prior to 2013-2014, 5th grade
students were housed at four neighborhood elementary schools and all of the 6th grade students
were housed at Ellis Middle School. The first year of MCA testing in IJ Holton School was
April 2014. Since we have no baseline or trend data, our scores and ratings are based entirely
on comparison to state averages. Based on the need to meet a state average of 68% proficiency
in math and 67% proficiency in reading in the next three years, we took the difference of 24
percentage points and divided by 3 (3 years) to come up with our annual increase in proficiency
goals of 8 percentage points per year. If we can grow at this rate, we will close the achievement
gap by 50% for all student groups by 2017.
Grades included: Not applicable for IJ Holton School
2015-2016 School Four-Year Cohort Graduation Rate SMART Goal (if
applicable)
School trend data
School
Year
Percent
proficient
11-12
12-13
13-14
12-13
13-14
District trend data
School
Year
Percent
proficient
11-12
Three-Year Goal:
First-Year Goal:
Describe the process and rationale that was used to determine the goals above.
School Work Plan
Pre-Implementation Planning Year
1. LEAs must include all required elements of the selected intervention in the following table (column 1).
2. For each required element, include a bulleted list of action steps (column 2) that will ensure that the school and LEA are
prepared for full and effective implementation of the selected intervention model in the 2016-17 funded year.
3. Enter completion dates in column 3.
4. If there are related costs that will be funded by SIG, enter the budget code(s) in the last column.
See an example “Replace the principal” in the table below.
Additionally, LEAs may include optional elements for the selected intervention model. The list of required elements for
each intervention is included in Appendix H.
LEA and School Names: IJ Holton Intermediate School – Austin, Minnesota – ISD #492
Intervention Model Selected: Minnesota State Intervention Model
Required Elements
(See Appendix H for the complete list
of Models and their Required
Elements)
Pre-implementation Planning
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Action Steps

All pre-implementation planning occurred during 2013-2014 This is NA for SIG for IJ Holton school
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
By Date(s)
June 3,
2015
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Budget
Code(s)
NA
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Full Implementation (Four Years of Full Implementation – Year Four to Include Sustainability)
1. LEAs must include all required elements of the selected intervention in the following table (column 1).
2. For each required element, include a bulleted list of action steps (column 2) that will ensure that the school and LEA are
fully and effectively implementing the selected intervention model next year.
3. Enter completion dates in column 3.
4. If there are related costs that will be funded by SIG, enter the budget code(s) in the last column.
Additionally, LEAs may include optional elements for the selected intervention model. The list of required elements for
each intervention is included in Appendix H.
LEA and School Names: IJ Holton Intermediate School – Austin, Minnesota – ISD #492
Intervention Model Selected: Minnesota State Intervention Model
Required Elements
Action Steps
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)
Pre-implementation planning

Completed during the 2013-2014 school year
Replace the principal who led the school prior
to implementation of the Minnesota SIG
model or
Retain the principal who led the school prior
to implementation of the model under the
following conditions:
A. The LEA must demonstrate that it is
making the decision to retain the principal
based on
(1) School trend data demonstrating school
improvement including improvement by
student groups, particularly student groups
that are underachieving

IJ Holton is a newly opened school in August of
2013
Retain the present school leader, Jean McDermott,
who opened the school and who demonstrates
capacity for turning around school performance
using State Model intervention
A1–Previously principal at Reading First School
Neveln Elementary. All student group scores
increased in math and reading
A2- Principal has opened two new schools in the



By Date(s)
Budget
Code(s)
N/A
N/A
N/A By
07/01/2015
NONAN/A
N/A
Required Elements
Action Steps
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)
(2) Evidence that the principal demonstrates
leadership and/or school turnaround
competencies
B. The LEA must demonstrate how it will
provide effective leadership support for the
principal with ongoing networking
opportunities, mentoring or coaching, and
professional development aligned with the
needs of the principal and the school
C. The LEA must demonstrate how it will
continually review the principal’s performance
using rigorous, high-quality, multiple-measure
principal evaluation tools that assess
(1) The ability to drive instructional
excellence school wide
(2) Fidelity of implementation of and impact
of the school improvement plan/SIG work
plan
D. The LEA must demonstrate how it will set
and monitor the school’s attainment of
rigorous annual school academic goals
including goals for underachieving groups of
students
E. The LEA must annually reassess the
decision to retain or replace the principal
based on (1) principal performance, (2)
principal attainment of professional growth
goals, and (3) the school’s progress and
attainment of academic goals including goals
for groups of students. The LEA must identify
the ultimate authority for the decision, provide
a timeline for reviews, and articulate specific
school and professional performance
benchmarks that would trigger retention or
replacement. If the LEA retains the principal
based on annual assessment, the LEA must
justify the decision as part of the grant
extension application to the SEA.




district
B-LEA is sending principal to AVID leadership
strand training July 15 – 17, 2015
C-LEA will evaluate principal using Minnesota
model of principal evaluation using SIG work plan
completion as growth goal
D-LEA will monitor MCA reading and math scores
for IJ Holton school against set SIG goals
E-LEA will annually reassess principal retention
each June based on performance and attainment
of SIG goals using preliminary MCA scores and
completion of SIG work plan annual goals
By Date(s)
Budget
Code(s)
Required Elements
Give the school sufficient operational
flexibility (e.g., staffing, calendars/time,
budgeting, curriculum, and programming) to
implement a fully-comprehensive approach to
substantially improve student achievement
outcomes and decrease race-, income-,
cultural-, and language-based inequities in
outcomes among students; and, for high
schools, to increase high school graduation
rates and decrease race-, income-, cultural-,
and language-based inequities in graduation
rates among students
Receive ongoing, intensive technical
assistance and support from the LEA, SEA,
and/or an external partner that has significant
experience and demonstrated success
working with schools addressing
institutionalized race-, income-, cultural-,
and/or language-based inequities in student
academic opportunities and outcomes, in
student and teacher behaviors, and in
student discipline policies and practices. If an
external provider provides assistance, review
performance and hold the provider
accountable for meeting requirements.
By Date(s)
Budget
Code(s)
LEA has given IJ Holton school/principal
operational flexibility to meet goals for SIG work
plan
Superintendent and Executive Director of
Educational Services meets with principal monthly
to discuss and secure resources for support of
needs and implementation of SIG work plan
On-going
N/A
LEA-Support IJ Holton SIG Work plan with district
EL coordinator, GT coordinator, and SPED
coordinator assistance with curriculum and
instruction development of staff
LEA-District AVID initiative to include all students at
IJ Holton School
AVID Secondary started in 2014-2015 school year
Training for IJ Holton AVID leadership team July 15
– 17, 2015
Implementation of AVID – Year 1
IJ Holton is a PBIS school
On-going
N/A
District
Funded
Action Steps
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)











Leadership Team meets bi-weekly on Thursdays
from 4:00 – 6:00 - Coordinate/review plans, data,
etc. for curriculum work/PLC/homework
support/parent nights
Leadership Team meets once a month in the
summer for three hours
Weekly meeting of SIG staff/Instructional Coach/
Tech Coach/Success Coach/ Principal
9/01/15
to
5/31/19
185
210
218
9/01/15
to
5/31/19
NA
Required Elements
Action Steps
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)






Implement LEA strategies for identifying and
addressing institutional and racial inequities
at the LEA level and include sustained
emphasis on changing perceptions at the
LEA level

Employ a family liaison at the school to
a) Create and implement a plan to provide
ongoing mechanisms for family and
community engagement that include a focus
on engaging families that are representative
of the school’s diverse student population
and that support families in addressing
institutionalized inequity and in actively
engaging in the academic and socialemotional development of students
b) Assess the effectiveness of the services
provided by community partners, strengthen
partnerships with organizations providing
effective services, and modify or terminate
partnerships with ineffective partners









Training of SIG hired staff in PLC development and
facilitation
Training of SIG hired staff for instructional
strategies to be implemented
Training of SIG staff in assessment and data
strategies
Training of SIG staff
Attendance of SIG staff and Priority Team
Leadership to 6 MDE SIG meetings per year
Attendance of SIG Staff and Priority Team
Leadership to 3 SSOS Regional support meetings
By Date(s)
9/01/15
to
5/31/19
Budget
Code(s)
366
145
210
218
SIOP implementation districtwide – Training with
district EL coordinator for new staff
SIOP on-going training for all staff annually
Success Coach/Interpreter at each district school
On-going
N/A
District
Funded
Write a job description and posting.
Recruit qualified teacher with capacity to effectively
lead implementation of the State Model in area of
parent engagement
Hire 1.0 FTE FCL – See Appendix D
Recruit parent and community volunteers for
student homework support
Train parent and community volunteers for student
homework support
Schedule and partner students and volunteer for
homework support
Gather information from parents on the kind of
“learning workshop” they would like attend -
08/01/15
to
06/31/19
140
210
218
220
230
235
240
251
299
185
210
218
Required Elements
Action Steps
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)


Employ a minimum 1.0 FTE Instructional
Facilitator to assist the principal with
instructional leadership duties; teacher
professional development and support; and
teacher induction, mentoring and coaching.


Employ a minimum .5 FTE Continuous
Improvement Specialist to manage the
School Improvement Grant, assist the
principal with continuous improvement
activities, and with non-instructional school
leadership duties.


Use a rigorous evaluation and support
system for teachers and principals using at
least three performance levels, clear and
timely feedback that guides professional
development (109-10, 118)




By Date(s)
Computer training, math content, etc.
Schedule, recruit trainers for, and conduct parent
trainings
Gather feedback from stakeholders on
effectiveness of services – exit evaluations
Budget
Code(s)
401
460
490
Write a job description and posting.
Recruit qualified administrators with capacity to
effectively lead implementation of the State Model.
Hire 1.0 FTE IF – See job description Appendix B
08/01/15
to
06/31/19
110
210
218
220
230
235
240
251
299
401
Write a job description and posting.
Recruit qualified administrators with capacity to
effectively lead implementation of the State Model.
Hire 1.0 FTE CIS – See job description Appendix C
08/01/15
to
06/31/19
110
210
218
220
230
235
240
251
299
401
Teacher completion of IGDP (Individual Growth
and Development Plan) – Goal setting, Mid-year
Review, End of Year Review – With
Principal/CIS/IF
Annual needs assessment – September
08/01/15
to
06/31/19
NA
90 minute
PLC is
scheduled
Required Elements
Action Steps
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)



Use locally adopted competencies to
measure staff effectiveness to work in the
turnaround environment and meet the needs
of students (105)




Use data, including data on achievement
gaps between groups of students, to identify
and implement an instructional program with
a focus on at least one full academic content
area and with multi-tiered systems of support
for students (i.e., reading/language arts,
math, science, social studies) that is
a) Research-based
b) Vertically aligned from one grade to the
next
c) Aligned with academic standards
d) Selected based on evidence that indicates
it will be effective in accelerating student
achievement for underperforming student
groups
Promote the continuous use of student data
(such as from formative, interim, and
summative assessments) to (1) inform and
differentiate instruction in order to meet the
academic needs of individual students and
groups of students to eliminate achievement






Pre and Post Student PILOT Assessment Survey –
September and May
Annual teacher perception survey – September
Classroom walkthroughs – Monthly – Principal,
Assistant Principal, IF, CIS, Instructional Coach
Peer Observations – Quarterly
Weekly review of student work - PLC
Use Charlotte Danielson teacher evaluation model
adopted to include SIOP tenants and district
instructional model expectations to measure staff
effectiveness in turnaround environment
PLT will develop walkthrough checklists to monitor
fidelity of implementation of SIG strategies as we
move through the four years of the grant.
Checklists will be changed as strategies reach full
implementation.
Review benchmark student achievement data from
Scanton Fall, Winter, Spring – Priority Leadership
Team and Staff meetings
Review progress monitoring data – DIBELS and
curriculum based - Weekly PCL meetings
Do an environmental scan using the leading
indicators at the end of each school year. Review
again with the start of the new school year
Two 45 minute PLCs will be scheduled into teacher
student day each week
One of the two weekly PLCs will be dedicated to
student data review (formative assessments)
Teachers will continue work to develop formative
By Date(s)
Budget
Code(s)
within the
teacher
contract day
08/01/15
to
06/31/19
NA
08/01/15
to
06/31/19
NA
08/01/15
to
06/31/19
School
District
Funded
Data and
Assessment
Coordinator
NA
Required Elements
Action Steps
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)
gaps between groups of students, (2) plan
and provide student non-academic supports,
and (3) inform principal and teacher support
and development



Reserve 90 minutes per week for teachers to
meet in professional learning communities



Create a comprehensive professional
development plan to provide staff ongoing,
high-quality, job-embedded professional
development that:
a) Is aligned with the school’s comprehensive
instructional program
b) Includes strategies for addressing racial
and institutional inequities and supporting a
sustained emphasis on changing staff
perceptions and on providing culturallyresponsive instruction
c) Is designed with input from school staff
ensure that they are equipped to facilitate
effective teaching and learning and have the
capacity to successfully implement school
reform strategies
d) Incorporates input from community
members to ensure staff are sensitive to and





By Date(s)
Budget
Code(s)
assessments and use data to differentiate lessons
Benchmark data will be reviewed by teams and
departments 3 times a year
PLT will review Scantron benchmark data 3 times a
year
PLT and Site teams will review environmental scan
data including leading indicators at the end of each
school year. This data will be used to guide
systemic changes to meet needs of students.
Teachers will meet weekly for two 45-minute
periods with IF, CIS, or Instructional coach as
facilitator in a PLC.
Teachers are contracted for 45 minutes of
individual prep time each day and 45 minutes of
team time each day.
Two of the “team time” periods each week have
been designated to scheduled PLC time.
08/01/15
to
06/31/19
See four year timeline and content for PLC,
Curriculum Work, and Summer Institute below
90 minute PLC per week
3 hours of curriculum writing/standards
alignment/assessment and differentiated lesson
development for grade level departments on a six
week rotation. 4 substitutes have been secured for
every Thursday to provide continuity in classrooms
when teachers are meeting with their departments.
Grade Level Meetings – 5 times a year
One week summer institutes – SIG funded –
Instructional Strategy development – Teachers will
be paid Schedule C curriculum rate of pay and
benefits for 40 hours in June 2016, 2017, 2018.
08/01/15
to
06/31/19
NA
90 minute
PLC is
scheduled
within the
teacher
contract day
185
210
218
460
401
430
366
NA
PLC- district
funds
NA
Curriculum
Subs paid
from Title I
Required Elements
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)
equipped to address community concerns
related to teaching, learning, behavior, and
discipline
Action Steps
By Date(s)
Budget
Code(s)
funds
Timeline and Content for Professional
Development
Summer 2015 Training
AVID – July 15 – 17, 2015 - District funded training –
Holton Principals, Asst. Principal, Instructional Coach,
Core Teacher, Elective Teacher, EL teacher – Train
the Trainer Model
Thinking Maps – District funded training – Holton
Instructional Coach
Search Institute - Adolescent Development of
Motivation and Perseverance – Pending grant approval
will train a pilot group of Holton teachers in August of
2015
PLC 15/16
PILOT assessment and curriculum strategies
AVID – 5th Grade - Implement
SEARCH – 5th Grade - Implement
Kagan - 6th Grade - Implement
“Visible Learning for Teachers” John Hattie
“AVID – Foundations: Implementation Resource”
“Teaching with Poverty in Mind” Eric Jensen
Summer 2016 Training – One Week – 3rd Week of
June
SEARCH Institute – All Staff
Thinking Maps – Training for newly hired SIG staff
AVID - All Holton Staff and SIG Staff will attend 3 day
AVID Summer Institute which will be held in
Minneapolis Minnesota in June 2016. (3 day time paid
to attend Institute – 2 days of planning time to integrate
AVID WICOR strategies into Holton curriculum)
Required Elements
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)
Action Steps
PLC 16/17
PILOT assessment and curriculum strategies
AVID – 5th & 6th Grade - Implement
SEARCH – 5th & 6th Grade - Implement
Kagan – 5th & 6th Grade - Implement
“Formative Assessment” Robert Marzano
“Formative Assessment” Moss/Brookhart
Summer 2017 – One Week – 3rd Week of June
Kagan Strategies - All Staff and 3 SIG funded
positions (3 day of intensive Kagan training with
consultant on site – 2 days of planning time to integrate
into Holton)
AVID - All Staff (3 day of intensive AVID training with
consultant on site – 2 days of planning time to integrate
into Holton)
Continue with Kagan consultant work throughout 17-18
PLC 17/18
PILOT assessment and curriculum strategies
AVID/SEARCH/Kagan – Monitor Fidelity of
Implementation
Thinking Maps
“Understanding by Design Guide” Wiggins and
McTighe
“Better Learning through Structured Teaching” Fisher
and Frey
Summer 2018 – One Week – 3rd Week of June
Thinking Maps - All Staff and 3 SIG funded positions
(3 day of intensive Thinking Maps training with
consultant on site – 2 days of planning time to integrate
into Holton)
Differentiation - All Staff and 3 SIG funded positions
By Date(s)
Budget
Code(s)
Required Elements
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)
Action Steps
(3 day of intensive differentiation training with
consultant (Gentry) on site – 2 days of planning time to
integrate into Holton)
Continue with Gentry consultant work throughout the
18-19 school year
PLC 18/19
PILOT assessment and curriculum strategies
AVID/SERACH/Kagan/Thinking Maps – Monitor
Fidelity of Implementation
Differentiation - Implement
“Improving Student Learning One Principle at a Time”
Pollock and Ford
“Feedback” Pollock
“Total School Cluster Grouping and Differentiation”
Marcia Gentry
Department Curriculum Writing Thursdays – 15/16
– 16/17 – 17/18 – 18/19
Each Thursday a grade- level curriculum department is
subbed out of the classroom to work for 3 hours of
curriculum development under the leadership of SIG
funded staff, Holton Instructional Coach and District
specialists in SPED, EL, and GT. Departments meet
every six weeks for a total of five extended work times
each school year. PILOT is providing the framework for
this curriculum time. PILOT was explained in more
detail above.
1) PILOT strategy
Pre-assessment – Identify strength/needs – Link
differentiated experiences – Offer multiple
assessments - Test
Process Timeline - 1) Standards Alignment; 2)
Common Summative Assessment; 3) Formative
By Date(s)
Budget
Code(s)
Required Elements
By Date(s)
Budget
Code(s)
PLT will conduct a time audit during one of their
May meetings.
PLT will establish schedules and strategies for next
school year based on feedback on time audit
PLT will review time audit and changes for new
school year with the staff at the beginning of the
new school year
08/01/15
to
06/31/19
185
210
218
Utilize grant funded CFL to develop
family/community collaborations
Grant funded CFL will work with community Austin
Aspires Executive Director to find opportunities for
parent/family support
08/01/15
to
06/31/19
140
210
218
220
230
Action Steps
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)
Assessments; 4) Lesson Development; 5)
Differentiation
2) Implement tenants of Understanding By Design
(UBD) while doing curriculum work
3) Review and alignment of the Common Core
reading standards and their application/integration
into ALL content areas.
Week 1
Soc. St. 5 / AM
Soc. St. 6 / PM
Week 2
Math 5/AM
Math 6 Math
Intv/PM
Week 3
TS/EH/NS/Horizon/ AM
Music/ PM
Week 4
Reading 5/ AM
Lang.Arts 6
Rdg.Int
Week 5
Science 5 / AM
Science 6 / PM
Week 6
Q. Class/ AM
SPED RR / PM
Friday – AM/PE (once every six weeks)

Conduct annual time audits and to monitor
the use of instructional time, establish
schedules and implement strategies that
maximize the quality of instruction time, and
ensure all changes in schedule or increases
in learning time are fully aligned with the
school’s instructional model
Provide opportunities for family and
community participation in the planning
process, model selection and implementation
of the model




Required Elements
Action Steps
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)







Provide ongoing mechanisms for family and
community engagement (115)

By Date(s)
235
240
251
299
Recruit parent and community volunteers for
student homework support
Train parent and community volunteers for student
homework support
Schedule and partner students and volunteer for
homework support
Gather information from parents on the kind of
“learning workshop” they would like attend Computer training, math content, etc.
Schedule, recruit trainers for, and conduct parent
trainings
Gather feedback from stakeholders on
effectiveness of services – exit evaluations
Grant funded CFL will work with district funded IJ
Holton Success Coach to understand, develop and
sustain the programs that are set up and
standardized during the four year period of the SIG
grant
Success Coach will take on the responsibilities of
the CFL at the end of the SIG.
Budget
Code(s)
185
210
218
401
08/01/15
to
06/31/19
140
210
218
220
230
235
240
251
299
Sustainability Year
(not applicable until SIG year four)
1. LEAs must include all required elements of the selected intervention in the following table (column 1).
2. For each required element, include a bulleted list of action steps (column 2) that will ensure that the school and LEA are
able to sustain elements of the selected intervention model.
3. Enter completion dates in column 3.
4. If there are related costs that will be funded by SIG, enter the budget code(s) in the last column.
Additionally, LEAs may include optional elements for the selected intervention model. The list of required elements for
each intervention is included in Appendix H.
LEA and School Names:
Intervention Model Selected:
Required Elements
(See Appendix H for the complete list of
Models and their Required Elements)
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A

Action Steps
By Date(s)
Budget
Code(s)
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
A
no
data
B
D
Proposed expenditures must be necessary and reasonable and no data
align with grant activities for the grant period. Out-of-state and
capital expenditures not allowable.
E
F
no
data
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT GRANT
1
no
data
APPLICANT NAME_IJ Holton Intermediate School
- ISD #492 - Austin, MN
no
data
SALARIES - Necessary positions for grant project (not subcontracts
or purchased services staff). Identify FTE for each position and role
of position. Required time and reporting documentation must be on
file.
2
3
Federal Grant
Funds
Requested
9/1/20156/30/2016
Description and Narrative for Each Budget Line Item Below
FTE
no data
$
4
110 Administration/Supervisor
$
154,000.00
2
5
140 Licensed Classroom Teacher
$
66,000.00
1
6
141 Non-Licensed Classroom Instruction
7
143 Licensed Instructional Support
8
144 Non-Licensed Instruction
9
145 Substitute Teacher-Licensed Personnel Salaries
10
146 Substitute Non-Licensed Classroom/Instructional Salaries
11
154 School Nurse
12
155 Licensed Nursing Services
13
156 School Social Worker
14
158 Qualified Mental Health Professional
15
160 Mental Health Practitioner
16
163 Foreign language Interpreter
17
165 School Counselor
18
169 Alcohol and Chemical Dependency Counselor
19
170 Non-Instructional Support - Identify FTEs
3,000.00
$
,
$
,
$77,000=
salaryyfor 1 FTE Continuous
Improvement
Specialist
$ ,
y
y
This is the top of our teacher pay scale. We will be looking for a master level
teacher.
$ ,
$
,
$
y
g
g
Substitutes for Priority Leadership Team teachers to attend regional SSOS
A
20
B
D
E
F
175 Cultural Liaison - Identify FTEs
$73,920.00 = $12,960.00 + $4,320.00 + $3,840.00 + $52,800.00
$12,960.00 = 15 teachers X 2 hours X 18 PLT meetings X $24.00 hourly rate
$ 4,320.00 = 15 teachers X 4 hours X 3 PLT meetings X $24.00 hourly rate
$ 3,840.00 = 10 teachers X 2 hours X 8 parent seminars X $24.00 rate
$52,800.00 = 55 teachers X 40 hours summer PD X $24.00 hourly rate
21
185 Other Salary Payments- Licensed and Certified - Identify FTEs/Role
22
186 Other Salary Payments - Nonlicensed and Noncertified - Identify FTEs/Role
23
$
73,920.00
Rate of pay for all events is $24.00 per hour district contract curriuculum rate
Teachers will be paid for the following:
15 teachers bi-weekly two hour PLT meetings during the school year
15 teachers 3 four hour PLT meetings in the summer
Parent night seminar -10 teachers once a month for 2 hours during school year
June 2016 professional development - 55 teachers for 40 hours - Teachers are
required to attend 3 days of training on site. AVID consultant will provide training
in WICOR strategies. 2 days following training will be used for staff to revise
curriculum using WICOR strategies.
no
data no data
,
200 BENEFITS FOR EMPLOYEES ABOVE
,
+ $293.76 + $4,039.20
,
,
24
210 FICA - district's portion required by Public Employees
$
22,714.38
25
214 PERA - district's portion required by Public Employees
$
4,950.00
26
218 TRA - district's portion required by retirement
$
17,319.00
$
27
220 Health Insurance - employer sponsored health insurance
$
56,205.36
$18,735.12
$
$= cost for $annual family
$ health insurance premium for district staff
28
230 Life Insurance - expenditures for life insurance by district
$
668.30
29
235 Dental Insurance
$
1,123.32
30
240 Long Term Disability Insurance
$
792.00
31
250 Deferred Comp
32
251 Employer-Sponsored Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRA)
33
252 Post-Employment (ACTUARIAL METHOD)
34
270 Worker's Compensation
$4,950.00
= .075
position
$ ,
$ , PERA rate
$ X, $66,000.00
$ for FCL $
+ $3,960.00
3,950.00
$
,
$
,
$
$
,
$272.27
annual
for Continuous Improvement Specialist
$ ,
, = Admin
$
$ term life policy
$
$466.32
$
$ dental policy
$
=$
Admin annual
for Continuous Improvement Specialist
$277.20 = .0036 X $77,000.00 for Continuous Improvement Specialist
$ ,
$
,
$
$ ,
$ ,
$ ,
$1,350.00 = HRA contribution for Continuous Improvement Specialist
A
B
35
280 Unemployment compensation
36
299 Other Employee Benefits
37
PURCHASED SERVICES - purchases for services contracts,
subawards or purchase of service agreements. Grantees must
300
follow state procurement statutes, policies and federal procurement
regulations. Agreements must be on file for review.
Federal Contracts/Subawards/Purchases of Services - up to $25,000 or portion
of larger contract up to 25,000 (any amount exceeding $25,000 must be recorded
in 304) Example 1: $5,000 for contractor for evaluation services. Example 2:
$35,000 with trainer - $25,000 recorded in 303, $10,000 recorded in 304 Consider travel expenses of contractors
38
303
39
Federal Portion of Contracts/Subawards exceeding $25,000 each Example 1:
Contract with trainer above for $35,000 - RECORD the amount of
304 contract/subaward that exceeds $25,000 in this line.
40
320 Communication Services - phone, internet, etc.
41
329 Postage and Parcel Services
42
345 Licensed School Nurse Services (Excess amount over $25,000)
43
346 Licensed Nursing Services (Excess amount over $25,000)
44
347 Licensed School Social Worker Services (Excess amount over $25,000)
45
348 Licensed School Psychologist Services (Escess amount over $25,000)
46
349 Qaulified Mental Health Profesional Services (Excess amount over $25,000)
47
352 Mental Health Practioner Services (Excess amount over $25,000)
48
355 Foreign Language Interpreter Services (Excess amount over $25,000)
49
358 Foreign Language Interpreter Services (Amount up to $25,000)
50
359 One-to-One Paraprofessional Services (Amount up to $25,000)
51
52
360 Transportation with Private or Public Carriers - up to $25,000
362 Mental Health Practioner Services (Amount up to $25,000)
D
E
F
$ ,
$
7,000.00
$ ,
$ ,
$ ,
$3,000.00 = 403b contribution for Continuous Improvement Specialist
no
no data
data
A
B
D
E
F
$19,667.20 = $1,344.00 + $403.20 + $448.00 + $768.00 + $288.00 + $2,016.00
+$6,400.00 + $8,000.00
PLT meeting attendance with MDE for school improvement support
PLT meeting attendance with regional SSOS for school improvement support
Grant staff attendance to workshops for school improvement leadership
professional development
Mileage Reimbursement :
$.056 per mile
Minneapolis meetings = 200 miles from Austin to Minnneaplis to Austin
Rochester meetings = 90 miles from Austin to Rochester to Austin
$1,344.00 = 200 miles X 6 meetings X $0.56 X 2 cars - Mpls MDE meetings
$ 403.20 = 90 miles X 4 meetings X $0.56 X 2 cars - Roch SSOS meetings
$ 448.00 = 200 miles X 4 workshops X $0.56 X 1 car -CFL, CIS, IF, Principal to
attend training
Food Reimbursement:
Breakfast = $10.00 (max)
Lunch = $12.00 (max)
Dinner = $20.00 (max)
$ 768.00 = $32.00 (2 meals) X 6 meetings X 4 staff - Mpls MDE meetings
$ 288.00 = $12.00 (lunch) X 4 meetings X 6 staff - Roch SSOS meetings
54
Travel, Conventions/Conferences - INSTATE Travel Only for grant staff (not
366 contractors)
55
375 Licensed School Nurse Services (Amount up to $25,000)
56
376 Licensed Nursing Services (Amount up to $25,000)
57
377 Licensed School Social Worker Services (Amount up to $25,000)
58
378 Licensed School Psychologist Services (Amount up to $25,000)
59
379 Qualified Mental Health Professional Services (Amount up to $25,000)
$
75,042.20
SIG Staff Training
Minnesota Center for Reading Research
Classwide Interventions - September 23, 2015
Quality Core Instruction - October 9, 2015
Tier II and Progress Monitoring - October 23, 2105
PRESS (Path to Reading Excellence in School Sites) - November 11 - 13, 2015
PLCs and Data Teams - December 11, 2015
SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS - Consumable and expendable items.
60
400 Not capital equipment expenditures.
61
401 Supplies and Materials - Non-Instructional
$
2,000.00
62
430 Supplies and Materials - Non-individualized Instructional
$
30,000.00
63
433 Supplies and Materials - Individualized Instruction
64
460 Textbooks and Workbooks - for training/education
no data no
$ ,data
5,690.30
$ ,
$1,000.00
= Materials for SIG funded
staff to facilitate PLC, PLT meetings
$
,
$
p etc
lessons/new strategies
$
$
$ ,
$
$
$
AVID - Foundations: Implementation Resource = $40.00 X 55 staff + 10% S/H
A
B
65
461 Benchmark/Standardized Testing
66
470 Media Resources - Tapes/Videos/CDs/Electronic journals/book binding
67
Food - Only necessary for approved parent and community activities spanning a
490 meal time
D
E
F
$1,800.00 = $600.00 + $600.00 + $600.00
68
TOTAL OF ALL ESTIMATED BUDGET EXPENDITURES
70
TOTAL OF COSTS FOR ITEMS/COSTS NOT INCLUDED IN INDIRECT
71
TOTAL DIRECT COSTS
$600.00 = Cost to provide meal for 100 - 150 family members to attend an event
1,800.00
800 OTHER EXPENDITURES/INDIRECT
69
72
$
no data no data
3
This is the total of costs for lines/items where indirect is not allowed to be applied
(304)
This is the total estimated after subtracting 304
Example: Line 72 Budget Total x (approved restricted rate) = total indirect
SHOW TOTAL INDIRECT = Total direct costs x restricted or approved
895 indirect rate (if no indirect allowed, delete this line)
3
73 TOTAL OF GRANT REQUEST
74 End of worksheet.
$
526,174.86
Total of Your Grant Request - total Direct Costs plus the total indirect amts. (if
indirect allowed)
AUSTIN SCHOOL DISTRICT, MN CLASS SPECIFICATION CLASS SPECIFICATION TITLE: Dean of Curriculum/Instructional Facilitator
BAND
GRADE
SUBGRADE
FLSA STATUS:
C
4
3
Exempt
CLASS SUMMARY: The Dean of Curriculum/Instructional Facilitator is a stand-alone classification.
The incumbent is responsible for assisting the principals and assistant principals in coordinating
administrative activities. The Instructional Facilitator will partner with the district and school
leadership team as an instructional specialist, data coach, teacher mentor, learning facilitator,
school leader, and catalyst for change. This is a key role in enhancing student learning by building
capacity of instructional effectiveness through facilitation of teacher collaboration; support for
learning teams; individual coaching; professional development planning, facilitation, and
assessment; strategic reform planning and leadership; and fidelity of academic program
implementation. The Instructional Facilitator will collaborate with the Department of Education
personnel, Regional Center of Excellence staff, and the school leadership team to fully incorporate
the science of implementation into all improvement efforts.
Responsible to:
School Principal/Administrator
TYPICAL CLASS ESSENTIAL DUTIES: (These duties are a representative
sample; position assignments may vary.)
FREQUENCY
BAND/
GRADE
1.
Provide assistance for teachers to properly access and implement
school and district resources and professional development
opportunities as well as those provided through the Regional
Centers of Excellence.
Daily
25%
C4
2.
Collaborates with school and district leadership to plan, facilitate,
and assess professional development activities in support of the
school intervention model.
Daily
20%
C4
3.
Consults with and provides administrative assistance to the Principal
and Assistant Principal with issues such as curriculums, staff
evaluations, and school safety.
Weekly
15%
C4
4.
Coordinates various academic administrative programs such as
PLCs, walkthroughs, peer observation coordination, which includes
budgeting, staffing, and scheduling.
Weekly
10%
C4
5.
Serves as the Assistant Principal in their absence.
Weekly
15%
N/B
1
F
AUSTIN SCHOOL DISTRICT, MN CLASS SPECIFICATION CLASS SPECIFICATION TITLE: Dean of Curriculum/Instructional Facilitator
6.
Supports communications among all stakeholder groups related to
school improvement efforts and implementation of school-wide
interventions (e.g., practices, strategies).
Weekly
5%
C4
7.
Designs and monitors data displays and posted student quality work.
Monthly
10%
C4
8.
Performs other duties of a similar nature or level. Participate in
ongoing, regular staff, team, and individual professional
development, and attend and represent the school site at meetings
as required, sometimes beyond regular working hours.
As
Required
N/B
Training and Experience (positions in this class typically require):
Bachelor's Degree in Education and five years experience aligned with the the grade levels of the
SIG funded school; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to
successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above. Master’s Degree in
Curriuclum and Instruction or Educational Leadership preferred.
Licensing Requirements (positions in this class typically require):
 Teaching license required
 Administrative license preferred
2
F
AUSTIN SCHOOL DISTRICT, MN CLASS SPECIFICATION CLASS SPECIFICATION TITLE: Dean of Curriculum/Instructional Facilitator
Knowledge (position requirements at entry):
Knowledge of:
 Valid Minnesota teaching license. A minimum of five years teaching experience aligned with
the grade levels of the SIG funded school.
 Minnesota administrative license is required for Instructional Facilitators conducting teacher
evaluations.
 Knowledge of and experience leading effective collaboration, facilitation, and leadership of
teams and adults.
 Demonstrated ability to plan, deliver effective instruction and organize and manage a
classroom based on students’ identified needs.
 Knowledge of the principles and practices of effective, research-based instruction sufficient to
analyze, communicate, model, and assess elements of the teaching process.
 Knowledge of state, district, and local-level operational structures and policy that impact the
educational setting (e.g. Federal programs, NCLB Flexibility Waiver).
 Working knowledge of National Staff Development Council standards and of staff development
models, especially collegial collaboration, coaching, and mentoring, to support group and
individual teacher needs.
 Demonstrated continued professional development through reflection on practice, coursework,
research, peer collaboration, and professional development.
 A record of reliability, timeliness, professionalism and confidentiality in working with schools
and teams.
 Demonstrated ability to effectively apply interpersonal skills with adults and students.
 Experience and success in working with diverse cultures that match school student populations.
 Demonstrated ability to work individually and as a team member in fulfilling job
responsibilities.
 Demonstrated ability to organize, self-direct, manage time, and synthesize work.
3
F
AUSTIN SCHOOL DISTRICT, MN CLASS SPECIFICATION CLASS SPECIFICATION TITLE: Dean of Curriculum/Instructional Facilitator
Skills (position requirements at entry):
Develop and support teacher leadership of collaborative groups and professional learning teams
that
 Engage in a comprehensive needs assessment process, frequent use of data and the implementation of the Record of Continuous Improvement.  Reflect on practice and use formative, interim and summative data to guide next steps.
 Use formative assessment practices to improve student learning and inform instruction.
 Develop and analyze common assessments.
 Reflect on research and select scientifically-based effective instructional interventions to
meet the identified instructional needs of students.
 Foster mutual support and accountability, teacher professional development, and collaborative planning by teachers. Support communications among all stakeholder groups related to school improvement efforts and
implementation of school-wide interventions (e.g., practices, strategies).
Provide assistance for teachers to properly access and implement school and district resources and
professional development opportunities as well as those provided through the Regional Centers of
Excellence.
Plan, deliver, and evaluate new teacher support activities and retention strategies at the school site
in collaboration with school and district leadership.
Collaborate with school and district leadership to plan, facilitate, and assess professional
development activities in support of the school intervention model.
Design and monitor data displays and posted student quality work.
Participate in ongoing, regular staff, team, and individual professional development, and attend
and represent the school site at meetings as required, sometimes beyond regular working hours.
Collaborate with peers to implement best practice based on the need and abilities of teachers and
students.
Physical Requirements:
Positions in this class typically require: talking, hearing, and seeing.
Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of
force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the
human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and
standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.
4
F
AUSTIN SCHOOL DISTRICT, MN CLASS SPECIFICATION CLASS SPECIFICATION TITLE: Dean of Curriculum/Instructional Facilitator
NOTE:
The above job description is intended to represent only the key areas of responsibilities; specific
position assignments will vary depending on the needs of the department.
Classification History:
Draft prepared by Jean McDermott, IJ Holton Principal, for purpose of MDE School Improvement
Grant funded position
Date: 06/2015
5
F
AUSTIN SCHOOL DISTRICT, MN
CLASS SPECIFICATION
CLASS SPECIFICATION TITLE: DEAN OF GRANT OVERSIGHT/CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
BAND
GRADE
SUBGRADE
FLSA STATUS:
C
4
3
Exempt
CLASS SUMMARY: The Dean of Grant Oversight/Continuous Improvement Specialist is a standalone classification. The incumbent is responsible for assisting the principals and assistant
principals in coordinating administrative activities. The Continuous Improvement Specialist (CIS)
will support the principal as the manager of the School Improvement Grant (SIG) and perform noninstructional school leadership duties as assigned. The CIS will assist the school leadership team
with the comprehensive needs assessment process, frequent use of data, and recording the
improvement efforts on the Record of Continuous Improvement as part of the SIG implementation.
The CIS will collaborate with the Department of Education personnel, Regional Center of
Excellence staff, and the school leadership team to fully incorporate the science of implementation
into all aspects of improvement efforts and build school capacity.
Responsible to:
School Principal/Administrator
TYPICAL CLASS ESSENTIAL DUTIES: (These duties are a
representative sample; position assignments may vary.)
FREQUENCY
BAND/
GRADE
1.
Guides the development of the School Improvement Grant process
by providing oversight and support for the school’s turnaround
efforts.
Daily
20%
C4
2.
Collaborates with the principal and the school leadership team to
submit SIG reports and documentation on a timely basis and
prepare for annual monitoring as required by the grant.
Daily
5%
C4
3.
Consults with and provides administrative assistance to the Principal
and Assistant Principal with issues such as curriculums, staff
evaluations, and school safety.
Weekly
15%
C4
4.
Coordinates various academic administrative programs such as
PLCs, walkthroughs, peer observation coordination, which includes
budgeting, staffing, and scheduling.
Weekly
25%
C4
5.
Serves as the Assistant Principal in their absence.
Weekly
15%
N/B
6.
Collaborate with the principal and school leadership team to record
instructional improvement progress using the Record of Continuous
Improvement.
Weekly
5%
C4
1
F
AUSTIN SCHOOL DISTRICT, MN
CLASS SPECIFICATION
CLASS SPECIFICATION TITLE: DEAN OF GRANT OVERSIGHT/CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
7.
Support the leadership team in the use of a comprehensive needs
assessment process to interpret school data, communicate results,
problem solve, and collaboratively make decisions that significantly
improves student achievement.
Monthly
15%
C4
8.
Performs other duties of a similar nature or level. Participate in
ongoing, regular staff, team, and individual professional
development, and attend and represent the school site at meetings
as required, sometimes beyond regular working hours.
As
Required
N/B
Training and Experience (positions in this class typically require):
Bachelor's Degree in Education and five years experience aligned with the the grade levels of the
SIG funded school; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to
successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above. Master’s Degree in
Curriuclum and Instruction or Educational Leadership preferred.
Licensing Requirements (positions in this class typically require):
• Teaching license required
• Administrative license preferred
2
F
AUSTIN SCHOOL DISTRICT, MN
CLASS SPECIFICATION
CLASS SPECIFICATION TITLE: DEAN OF GRANT OVERSIGHT/CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
Knowledge (position requirements at entry):
Knowledge of:
• Valid Minnesota teaching License and minimum of five years teaching experience aligned with
the grade levels of SIG funded school.
• Minnesota administrative license is required for Continuous Improvement Specialists
conducting teacher evaluations.
• Knowledge of state-, district-, and local-level operational structures and policy that impact the
educational setting (e.g. Federal programs, NCLB Flexibility Waiver).
• Ability to analyze educational challenges and develop alternative strategies for action.
• Knowledge of and experience leading effective collaboration, facilitation, and leadership of
teams and adults.
• Strong interpersonal skills with adults and students.
• Ability to effectively interact and work collaboratively with people of diverse backgrounds
within the community and educational settings; and motivate others to share responsibility for
improving outcomes for all students.
• A record of reliability, timeliness, professionalism and confidentiality in working with schools
and teams.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, with all levels of school
staff, LEA staff, Regional staff, MDE staff and the general public.
• Ability to effectively engage with management tasks such as scheduling, student discipline,
attendance, and other tasks related to effective operation of the school.
Skills (position requirements at entry):
• Guide the development of the School Improvement Grant process by providing oversight and
support for the school’s turnaround efforts.
• Collaborate with the principal and the school leadership team to submit SIG reports and
documentation on a timely basis and prepare for annual monitoring as required by the grant.
• Collaborate with the principal and school leadership team to record instructional improvement
progress using the Record of Continuous Improvement.
• Support the leadership team in the use of a comprehensive needs assessment process to
interpret school data, communicate results, problem solve, and collaboratively make decisions
that significantly improves student achievement.
• Assist principal, if assigned, with teacher observations/evaluations and walk throughs.
• Support the principal by performing non-instructional duties such as
o Implementing the school’s discipline plan.
o Assisting with new student enrollments and registering students for classes.
o Assisting with maintaining calendars and schedules.
o Coordinating fire drills and lockdowns; trains staff and students on drill procedures.
o Assisting with student special events (e.g. prom, graduation, pep fests, field trips).
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AUSTIN SCHOOL DISTRICT, MN
CLASS SPECIFICATION
CLASS SPECIFICATION TITLE: DEAN OF GRANT OVERSIGHT/CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
Physical Requirements:
Positions in this class typically require: talking, hearing, and seeing.
Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of
force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the
human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and
standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.
NOTE:
The above job description is intended to represent only the key areas of responsibilities; specific
position assignments will vary depending on the needs of the department.
Classification History:
Draft prepared by Jean McDermott, IJ Holton Principal, for purpose of MDE School Improvement
Grant funded position
Date: 06/2015
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AUSTIN SCHOOL DISTRICT, MN
CLASS SPECIFICATION
CLASS SPECIFICATION TITLE: FAMILY COMMUNITY FACILITATOR
BAND
GRADE
SUBGRADE
FLSA STATUS:
CLASS SUMMARY: A Family Community Liaison is part of the teacher’s unit. The incumbent is
responsible for assisting the principals and assistant principals in coordinating activities outside of
the student classroom. The Family Community Liaison will collaborate with families and
community partners to engage them in strategies and activities focused on student learning. The
Family Community Liaison will be responsible for empowering families to be active participants in
the school, to create an environment of learning at home and to partner with teachers for academic
success. This position will serve as the outreach liaison between parents/families, school, and
community.
Responsible to:
School Principal/Administrator
TYPICAL CLASS ESSENTIAL DUTIES: (These duties are a
representative sample; position assignments may vary.)
FREQUENCY
1.
Works closely with building principals, teachers as well as
parents/guardians regarding individual student’s participation in
school, academic, work and extracurricular activities and advocate
for the individual needs of students and their families.
Daily
15%
2.
Works as a team member with other school staff members including
the principal, teachers, counselor, social worker and/or other staff,
to improve students’ academic performance, achievement,
attendance and/or behavior.
Daily
10%
3.
Guides and supports active parent action to develop and implement
a family engagement plan, strategies and activities focused on
student learning.
Weekly
15%
4.
Facilitates and/or leads parent meetings or activities.
Weekly
10%
5.
Plans, implements and evaluates activates that engage parents to
improve their children’s learning.
Weekly
15%
6.
Coordinates and facilitates parent volunteer program.
Weekly
20%
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BAND/
GRADE
AUSTIN SCHOOL DISTRICT, MN
CLASS SPECIFICATION
CLASS SPECIFICATION TITLE: FAMILY COMMUNITY FACILITATOR
7.
Serve as outreach liaison between school, families and community,
which may include home visits. Communicate with parents and the
community about the turnaround efforts of the school and
improvement plans through press releases, newsletters, newspaper
announcements and direct mailings.
Monthly
15%
8.
Performs other duties of a similar nature or level. Participate in
ongoing, regular staff, team, and individual professional
development, and attend and represent the school site at meetings
as required, sometimes beyond regular working hours.
As
Required
Training and Experience (positions in this class typically require):
Bachelor's Degree and five years experience in education aligned with the the grade levels of the
SIG funded school; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to
successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above. Master’s Degree in
preferred.
Licensing Requirements (positions in this class typically require):
• Teaching license required
Knowledge (position requirements at entry):
Knowledge of:
• Knowledge and experience in working with diverse cultures that match school student
populations
• Experience in effective interactions with students and families in a variety of situations
• Working knowledge of Title I programs and family engagement expectations.
• Ability to effectively collaborate as a team member in a school environment.
• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one or small group situations.
• Ability to write correspondence, create flyers and reports.
• Ability to read and write in a second language preferred but not required; good oral
communication skills in second language preferred.
• Ability to maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the performance
of duties, to include all other school staff, parents and stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
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F
AUSTIN SCHOOL DISTRICT, MN
CLASS SPECIFICATION
CLASS SPECIFICATION TITLE: FAMILY COMMUNITY FACILITATOR
Skills (position requirements at entry):
• Work closely with building principals, teachers as well as parents/guardians regarding
individual student’s participation in school, academic, work and extracurricular activities and
advocate for the individual needs of students and their families.
• Work as a team member with other school staff members including the principal, teachers,
counselor, social worker and/or other staff, to improve students’ academic performance,
achievement, attendance and/or behavior.
• Guide and support active parent action to develop and implement a family engagement plan,
strategies and activities focused on student learning.
• Facilitates and/or leads parent meetings or activities.
• Plan, implement and evaluate activates that engage parents to improve their children’s
learning.
• Coordinate and facilitate parent volunteer program.
• Serve as outreach liaison between school, families and community, which may include home
visits.
• Communicate with parents and the community about the turnaround efforts of the school and
improvement plans through press releases, newsletters, newspaper announcements and direct
mailings.
• Report to the principal and maintain records of work activity.
Physical Requirements:
Positions in this class typically require: talking, hearing, and seeing.
Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of
force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the
human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and
standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.
NOTE:
The above job description is intended to represent only the key areas of responsibilities; specific
position assignments will vary depending on the needs of the department.
Classification History:
Draft prepared by Jean McDermott, IJ Holton Principal, for purpose of MDE School Improvement
Grant funded position
Date: 06/2015
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