Eric.ed.gov – Race to the Top. New York. State-Reported APR: Year One

This paper describes New York’s progress in implementing a comprehensive and coherent approach to education reform from the time of application through June 30, 2011. In particular, this report highlights key accomplishments over the reporting period in the four reform areas: standards and assessments, data systems to support instruction, great teachers and leaders, and turning around lowest-achieving schools. Highlights of this report include: (1) The State Board of Regents adopted the Common Core State Standards for Math and ELA; made progress in developing and disseminating CCSS implementation resources–including conducting a statewide webinar with David Coleman and creating the EngageNY.org microsite; completed the design of its very successful statewide Network Team Summer Institute for approximately 500 educators (August 2011); continued its active engagement as a governing state for PARCC; and conducted a gap analysis to determine how well aligned its current state assessments are to the CCSS; (2) One of five states participating in Phase One of the CCSSO Shared Learning Initiative (SLI); launched initiatives to develop comprehensive course catalog and data system security for teachers, students, and parents; started working with a number of other NYS agencies to enhance the P-12 data system; and collaborated with NY’s two public higher education systems (SUNY and CUNY) to promote data sharing and enhance functional and systems architecture; (3) This Spring, the Board of Regents adopted regulations to implement the historic 2010 legislation on teacher and school leader effectiveness by requiring annual evaluations based in significant part on student achievement. This new law and regulations not only fundamentally change the way teachers and principals are evaluated, but requires that these evaluations be a significant factor in decisions relating to promotion, retention, tenure, and differentiated professional support and professional development. The law also provides an expedited disciplinary process for the removal of ineffective teachers and principals. The State Education Department also published guidance to the field around the regulations and conducted a statewide webinar on the regulations as well. The state made substantive progress on the design of RFPs to promote clinically-rich pilot programs in undergraduate and graduate teacher education and for principal preparation; and (4) Awarded 2009 Cohort 1 SIG grants and almost completed the review of applications for SIG 2010 Cohort 2 during this time period; published guidance to districts with PLA schools regarding the implementation of the new Teacher/Leader evaluation system and for implementation of Educational Partnership Organizations; conducted Joint Intervention Teams to new PLA/SURR schools; aligned NCLB and IDEA Accountability Systems; redesigned and strengthened the Regents approach to charter school authorizing. [For the parent document, “Race to the Top Annual Performance Report,” see ED529267. For the state summary report, “Race to the Top. New York Report. Year 1: School Year 2010-2011. [State-Specific Summary Report],” see ED529326.]