Idaho’s Path to Common Core Part 2

Idaho applied for RTTT funds in January of 2010. In our application Idaho’s State Department of Education laid out a very specific plan to meet the assurances. RTTT added many additional details to the scope and breadth of the Federal assurances. They were referred to as “State Reform Criteria”

Criteria 1 Standards and Assessments

1. Developing and adopting common standards
2. Participate in a consortium of States working jointly to develop and adopt a common set of standards as defined in RTTT document. (Idaho joined the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium SBAC)sbac-cooperative-agreement
   
3. Must involve a significant number of states
4. Must commit to adopt by August 2, 2010
5. Must have a plan in place to implement the standards
6. Must develop and implement common, assessments
   1. Assessments must be aligned with consortium’s common set of standards
   2. Must include a significant number of states

Criteria 2 Data System to support Instruction

1. Fully Implement a SLDS (Statewide Longitudinal Data System)2010 Legislative Report SLDS
2. Have a plan to make data available and accessible to stakeholders(parents, teachers, unions, community members, researchers, etc.)
3. Make the data available and accessible to researchers so they have detailed information to evaluate.

Criteria 3 Great Teachers and Leaders

1. Improve teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance
2. Implement rigorous evaluation systems for teachers
3. Use these systems to
   1. Conduct annual evaluation
   2. Direct professional development
   3. To decide on compensation, promotions etc.
   4. Decide about tenure and certification

Criteria 4 Turning around the lowest achieving schools

Idaho was not awarded Race to the Top funds, but we were not released from our obligations. Idaho did not change direction in education reform or stop pursuing any of the objectives and assurances we listed in our application. We did join a consortium,Smarter-Balanced-Governance, we did fund and build a state wide longitudinal data system. We have, or are currently implementing every other mandate of our Race to the top application.