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Action Item
DATE: Tuesday, May 22, 2012
TO: School Board Members
FROM: MaryEllen Elia, Superintendent
SUBJECT / RECOMMENDATIONS
Approve the Fixed Price Agreement Between the School Board of Hillsborough County, FL and the University of South Florida for Evaluation Support for the Smaller Learning Communities Research/Data Analysis (Information and Technology Division)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Smaller Learning Communities (SLC) grant is a federally-funded initiative to build communities around the concepts of leadership and academic rigor at district schools. The initiative’s goal is to create schools-within-a-school to lessen the negative impact large school settings have on students.  The project provides implementation of rigorous academic programs, extensive and ongoing professional development for school personnel, extensive use of data to inform/drive teaching/learning/assessment, post-secondary planning/preparation including intensive intervention for students, development of instruction supports for a personalized learning environment/community, and ongoing leadership training for all stakeholders.

The USF College of Education’s David C. Anchin Center will provide support services to document that the project is meeting its goals and is successful.  In this fifth year of the grant, the Anchin Center’s documentation team will provide research and data analysis services as outlined in the Scope of Work in Attachment A of the Fixed Cost Agreement.  This will include contacting over 6,000 high school graduates and their parents or guardians.  These individuals will have graduated from schools with the Smaller Learning Communities Project as part of their curriculum and will have graduated during the 2010/2011 or 2011/2012 academic year.  All components of any data collection conducted will be in full compliance with the Ethnical Guidelines for Statistical Practice from the American Statistical Association and the standards established by the Joint Committee of Standards for Education Evaluation adopted by the American Evaluation Association.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
• Motivate students to become responsible learners • Challenge and support all students with an appropriate curriculum
FINANCIAL IMPACT (Budgeted:  Yes)
Of the $1,544,098 awarded for this grant, $23,488 has been allocated for the research/data analysis portion of the evaluation.
EVALUATION
A summary of the responses from the 6,000 students will be submitted to the Department of Assessment and Accountability.  The summary reports will be presented for each of the two academic years, 2010/2011 and 2011/2012.
SUBMITTED BY:  Samuel R. Whitten, Assistant Director, Assessment and Accountability
David J. Steele, Ph.D.   Gretchen Saunders
Chief Information and Technology Officer and Project Director, Empowering Effective Teachers
(813) 272-4600
  Chief Business Officer
(813) 272-4270
    A 5.10
Hillsborough County Public Schools (Florida) * Mtg.#20120522_502 (Board Meeting) * Section A Item# 5.10