2. Policy Overview
Authorized under Title I section 1003(g) of ESEA and supplemented by ARRA,
the SIG program will target $3.5 billion over the next three years toward the goal
of turning around the nation’s lowest-performing schools. Each state’s allotment
of SIG funds is determined by formula based on Title I allocations. In turn, state
education agencies (SEAs) award funds to LEAs with eligible schools, based on a
competitive application process. According to ED guidelines, states may award LEAs
up to $2,000,000 annually to each qualified SIG school.1
States may award SIG funds to LEAs and schools that meet criteria established by
the federal guidelines and in accordance with state determinations of LEA capacity
and commitment to support school turnaround.
The final rules issued by ED define both the criteria for selecting eligible schools
and the authorized intervention models. Eligible schools are defined as belonging
to one of three categories:
- Tier I, which includes any Title I school in improvement, corrective
action, or restructuring that (1) is among the lowest-achieving five percent of
those schools in the state; or (2) is a high school that has had a graduation rate
below 60 percent for a number of years. States have the option of identifying Title
I eligible elementary schools that (1) are no higher achieving than the highest-achieving
school identified as a persistently lowest-achieving school in Tier I; and that
(2) have not made AYP for at least two consecutive years; or are in the state’s
lowest quintile based on proficiency rates.
- Tier II, which includes any secondary school that is eligible for,
but does not receive, Title I, Part A funds and (1) is among the lowest-achieving
five percent of such secondary schools in the state; or (2) had a graduation rate
below 60 percent for a number of years. States may also identify as Tier II schools
Title I eligible secondary schools that (1) are no higher achieving than the highest-achieving
school identified as a persistently lowest-achieving school in Tier II; or that
had a graduation rate of less than 60 percent over a number of years; and that (2)
have not made AYP for at least two consecutive years; or are in the state’s lowest
quintile based on proficiency rates.
- Tier III, which includes the remaining Title I schools in improvement,
corrective action, or restructuring that are not Tier I schools. States have the
option of identifying as Tier III schools (1) Title I eligible schools that do not
meet the requirements to be in Tier I or Tier II; and (2) have not made AYP for
at least two consecutive years; or are in the state’s lowest quintile based on proficiency
rates.
For each Tier I and II school identified in an LEA’s SIG subgrant application, the
LEA must specify one of four improvement models to be implemented in an effort to
turn around the school. The key elements for each of the four models include:
- Turnaround model: replace the principal and no less than 50 percent
of the staff; and introduce significant instructional reforms, increase learning
time, and provide flexibility and support
- Restart model: reopen the school under the management of a charter
school operator, charter management organization, or an education management organization
- School closure: close the school and reassign students to higher
achieving schools
- Transformation model: replace the principal, introduce significant
instructional reforms, increase learning time, and provide flexibility and support
These models are consistent with those defined in other ARRA-funded initiatives,
including Race to the Top (RTT) and the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF)—Phase
2.
According to the federal rules, SIG funds may be awarded to LEAs to support Tier
III schools implementing improvement strategies. However, Tier I and II schools
must be served first, and SEAs must define in their applications how they will prioritize
the disbursement of funds to eligible Tier III schools. Federal rules do not require
Tier III schools to implement one of the four models.
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