Teaching and Learning Action Item

DATE:	Tuesday, August 23, 2016
TO:	School Board Members
FROM:	Jeff Eakins, Superintendent
SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS
Approve the Purchase of i-Ready Licenses, Ready Instructional Print Materials, and Professional Development from Curriculum Associates, LLC (Sole-Source Provider) for Supplemental Reading Curriculum (Office of Teaching and Learning)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
i-Ready and Ready are supplemental materials that provide a blended model of print materials and technology to deliver literacy assessment and instruction in grades K-8. The materials will be implemented in 38 schools identified by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) as being in the 300 lowest performing elementary schools for the 2016/2017 school year and in 6 sites identified during the 2015/2016 school year that no longer are included in the 300 lowest performing elementary schools. The program provides adaptive online diagnostic assessment, progress-monitoring, and differentiated instruction. All materials in the blended model are aligned to the elementary Language Arts Florida Standards.  Forty-four sites will receive the i-Ready Diagnostic and Instruction for Reading site licenses, monthly Progress Monitoring Assessments.  Teachers will be able to access the reports daily (e.g., Diagnostic Instructional Usage, Grouping Profile, and Growth Monitoring). Thirty-eight sites will receive grade 2-5 Ready books, the teacher resource book, and individual access to the Tools for Instruction website which includes the additional lessons that are aligned with the Language Arts Florida Standards.  Professional development includes onsite training sessions, data/decision-making training, coaching and support for Ready printed materials. Curriculum Associates, LLC is a sole-source provider and owns the copyrights to all i-Ready licenses, training materials, and professional development. This purchase is exempt from the requesting of competitive solicitations by the FLDOE 6A.-1.012 Purchasing Policies (11) (b).
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
• Improve the high school graduation rate
FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted:  Yes)
Funds in the amount of $609,158.50 will be available in the Extended Reading Time project through the Supplemental Academic Instruction budget for the 38 schools. For tracking purposes, the project number is 4631. As of August 1, 2016, the remaining balance less encumbrances for this line item equals $5,896,449.00. Funds in the amount of $60,810.00 will be available in the Comprehensive Reading Plan budget for the 6 schools. For tracking purposes, the project number is 4528. As of August 1, 2016, the remaining balance less encumbrances for this line item equals $3,336,611.53.
EVALUATION
A correlation of .82 between the i-Ready Diagnostic and Florida Standards Assessment (FSA) were found across grades 3-5 in schools utilizing the program in Florida for the 2015/2016 school year.  In Hillsborough County, 98 percent of the target growth was achieved for students who had at least 45 minutes on i-Ready.  Six elementary schools:  Bryan, Cypress Creek, Desoto, Lockhart, Trapnell, and West Tampa increased their i-Ready scores enough to come out of the 300 lowest performing schools.  Those schools had an average time on task of 1,834 minutes compared to the other 18 schools, which had an average of 1,585 minutes on task per student.
SUBMITTED BY:  Elizabeth Agresta, Chief Academic Officer, Office of Teaching and Learning Barbara B. Hancock, Instructional Leadership Director, Elementary

Gretchen Saunders		Dr. Alberto Vázquez
Chief Business Officer (813) 272-4270		Chief of Staff (813) 272-4986
		C 6.15
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20160823_765 (Board Meeting) * Section C Item# 6.15