Decades of school improvement literature substantiate that schools where the principal uses a collaborative and distributed approach to leadership and where the teachers have a unity of purpose, can and do improve student learning. However, in attempting to administer such an enterprise, rules are established to manage resources efficiently, allot time among the activities and processes required, and ensure attention to the goals mandated. Rules, by their nature, also limit the flexibility of professional educators to engage in activities and approaches that may best improve the learning of their students. Therefore, the School Innovation Zone Act was established to allow individual schools to seek and receive exceptions from certain laws, policies, rules and interpretations through the creation of School Innovation Zones. Being designated an Innovation Zone will allow schools greater control of factors that impact student achievement, such as curriculum, personnel, organization of the school day and year, technology utilization, and delivery of educational services. An Innovation Zone designation also will provide flexibility to allow educators to exercise more fully their professional judgment to improve student learning for the 21st century by instituting creative and innovative practices.

Effective July 1, 2009, the West Virginia Legislature, with signature of the governor of West Virginia, enacted the School Innovation Zones Act. The intent and purpose of the act is to improve educational performance; provide principals and teachers greater flexibility by removing certain policy, rule, interpretive, and statutory constraints; provide a testing ground for innovative educational programs at the school level; provide information regarding the effects of those innovations; document educational strategies that enhance student success; and increase the accountability of public schools for student achievement as measured by the state assessment and local assessments.

The major provisions of the act:

• Intended to provide principals and teachers with flexibility from the constraints of certain statutes, policies and rules in order to serve as testing grounds for innovative reform strategies that enhance student success and increase accountability.
• Authorizes the state Board of Education to establish a process by which a school and other organizations may be designated as School Innovation Zone.
• Stipulates that the state Board of Education include certain provisions in the application, approval and implementation process of Innovation Zones.
• Stipulates that the state Board of Education notify applicants of its decision within 60 days of receiving the application and consider certain factors and standards in order to approve the application.
• Stipulates that applications include descriptions of the programs, policies or initiatives that the zone intends to implement and an explanation of policy, statute or interpretation exceptions desired.
• Requires that no exception be granted to assessment programs administered by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE), provisions of NCLB or other federal law, nor exception from WV Code 18A-2-7, 18A-4-7a, 18A-4-7b, 18A-4-8, 18A-5-8b. However, exceptions may include a proposal to require that a candidate for a teaching vacancy in an innovation school possess qualifications over and above those stipulated in statute if approved in a county-wide school staff election process.
• Establishes provisions for (1) gaining exceptions to WV Code through recommendations from Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability (LOCEA), (2) employee transfers from a designated Innovation Zone, (3) the reporting process for those designated as Innovation Zones, and (4) the process by which an institution of higher education may work cooperatively with the local board of education, the state superintendent of schools, and the Legislature to establish an Innovation Zone school(s).

• The size of the Innovation Zone planning grant awards will be based upon a reasonable well planned projection of expenditures tied to the Innovation Zone plan.
• The West Virginia Board of Education will award grants in a range from $5,000 to $50,000 but totaling no more than $500,000 to support proposals submitted by eligible applicants for planning programs to improve educational performance through the flexibility provided Innovation Zones.
• Planning grants will be awarded on a pro-rata basis, to the extent practicable, across geographic areas, programmatic levels and in proportion to the number of teachers impacted by the innovation strategy.
• Grants will be awarded to successful applicants with approval of applications at the conclusion of Phase 1. Continued discussion with approved applicant will result in a more fully developed plan in Phase 2.

*Please note: Some applicants may receive their requested waivers and be designated an Innovation Zone without receiving funding.

Organizations eligible to apply to be designated by the West Virginia Board of Education as an Innovation Zone are established by WV Code 18-5B-3 as the following:

1. Any West Virginia public school.
2. Any group of West Virginia public schools.
3. Any subdivision of a group of West Virginia public schools. (i.e. the 9th grades of several high schools.)
4. Any department of a group of West Virginia public schools. (i.e. the math department of several schools.)
5. Any subdivision of a West Virginia public school.
6. Any department of a West Virginia public school.

Additional organizations eligible to apply are Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) as established by WV Code 18-5B-9

7. A state institution of higher education (IHE) with approval of the County Board of Education in which the new school is planned to be located.

WV Code 18-5B-3 indicates that the state board shall consider applicants for designation in the following order:

1. A school and groups of schools.
2. A group of schools seeking designation for the same subdivision or department of the schools.
3. A school seeking designation of a subdivision or department.

While no grants may be awarded to institutions of higher education, they are still encouraged to apply for creating an innovation zone school or partnering with other applicants listed above.

Application forms, information and assistance about applying to be designated as a School Innovation Zone may be obtained from:

Donna Peduto, Coordinator, Innovation Zone Initiative
Office of Organizational Effectiveness and Leadership
Division of Educator Quality and System Support
Building 6, Room 617
1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25305-0330
304-558-3199

dpeduto@access.k12.wv.us

Web site: http://wvde.state.wv.us/innovationzones

Phase 1 (Application)

1. Complete the application for Innovation Zone designation
2. Gain approval of 80 percent of faculty (those affected by Innovation Zone proposal).
3. Submit a record of support from parents, LSIC, business partners, students.
4. Submit a record of county board report (Support and Concerns) on application.
5. Applicants may mail their applications to the name/address above, hand deliver, or submit electronically at the Innovation Zone Web site: http://wvde.state.wv.us/innovationzones.

Phase 2 (Plan)

WVDE technical assistance will be provided in completing the plan, if desired.

1. Complete the four components of the planning process (Phase 2).
2. Gain approval of 80 percent of faculty (those affected by Innovation Zone Plan).
3. Submit a record of county board report (support and concerns) on plan.
4. Applicants may mail their applications to the name/address, (see page 5-6), hand deliver, or submit electronically at the Innovation Zone Web site: http://wvde.state.wv.us/innovationzones.

Interactive information sessions for prospective applicants to explain the application process and answer questions from potential applicants will be held on the following dates: Oct. 13 - Stonewall Resort/Roanoke, WV; Oct. 14 - Tamarack/Beckley, WV; Oct. 15 - Clay Center/Charleston, WV; Oct. 16 - Bavarian Inn/Shepherdstown, WV; Oct. 20 - West Virginia High Technology Foundation Research Center/Fairmont, WV. Each location will have two sessions (2 p.m. to 4 p.m. or 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.)

Register for these events at the Innovation Zones Web site. Also, visit the WVDE Innovation Zones Web site for a copy of the application and other supporting documentation: http://wvde.state.wv.us/innovationzones

The state board and state superintendent shall approve or disapprove the application within 60 days and then the plan within 60 days of receipt. No exception to county or state law, rule, policy or interpretation is granted unless both the state superintendent and the state board approve the plan subject to the limitations contained in 18-5B-4(a)(2)(B).

• The state superintendent or state board or both, shall communicate the reasons for the disapproval to the applicant and shall make recommendations for improving the application.
• The applicant may amend the application and resubmit
• No exemption from county or state law, rule, policy or interpretation is granted until the plan is approved by the state board.
• The resubmitted application may not be implemented until the plan is approved by the state board.

• Grants will be awarded for available funds.
• All exceptions to county and state board rules, policies and interpretations, subject to the limitations of 18-5B-4(a)(2)(B), listed within the application are not granted until the full plan is approved.
• If an innovation zone application requires exemption from state law the plan may be granted approval upon the condition that the WV State Legislature acts to grant exemption to a statute.
  

• The state board of education must submit the applicant’s application with the request for an exception to a statute, along with supporting reasons, to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability (LOCEA).
• The commission shall review the plan and exemption request and make a recommendation to the Legislature regarding the exception requested.

• The application is the paper or electronic documents submitted during phase one. It contains the applicant’s initial plan for becoming an innovation zone, request for waiver of county and state board rules, policies and interpretations, subject to the limitations of 18-5B-4(a)(2)(B), and other information required for the state Board of Education to efficiently review the application, designate the applicant an Innovation Zone and administer the award of grants.
• Phase two is the fully developed plan. If waivers are requested, when the plan is approved the waiver to policy or interpretation is granted. The plan is the applicants’ fully developed written description of the innovation that will be implemented after receiving technical assistance from the West Virginia Department of Education.
  

The application is due on December 29, 2009.  Below is a timeline of other important dates in the process of becoming an innovation zone.

EDUCATION INNOVATION ZONES (POLICY 3236)
PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

1. Cover Page

2. Information of Applicant:
            Entity Applying for Innovation Zone Designation

            ______ School
            ______ Department or Subdivision of School
            ______ Coalition of Schools (fill out multiple listings below)
            ______ Higher Education Institution

Name of Entity Applying:
County:
Superintendent:
Principal:
Number of Professional Personnel:
Number of Service Personnel:

Institution of Higher Education:
County Location:

• Project Design: 
  • The narrative shall indicate the results of an assessment of the improvement needs of the eligible applicant.
  • Provide the goals and objectives of the project.
  • Describe how the innovation is expected to work.  
  • How does the innovation solve the stated problem or create a new idea?  
  • Describe the methods or strategies you will use to achieve the goals and objectives of the innovation.
  • Describe how the provision of greater flexibility and control assists the school in meeting the needs of the school’s population of students.
  • Include an estimation of the number of students affected by project design, and an estimation of the number of professional staff and service personnel affected by the project design.
  • How will the proposed innovation change how your school is currently operating?

 

• Research Base:  This narrative shall discuss and cite the current state of knowledge relevant to the project design.  This brief literature review should indicate why the proposed activities were selected or designed.  If the proposal builds on prior work, the narrative should indicate what was learned from this work (either success or failure) and how these lessons learned are incorporated in the proposed design.

• Policies or Code that Prohibit or Constrain the Design:
• _____ Waiver Requested of County Policy:   _________________________
• _____ Waiver Requested of  WVBOE Policy or Regulation: _______________
• _____ Waiver Requested of Statute: ______________________________

• Budget Narrative and Budget Page:
  (Not required of institutions of higher education in their Application or Plan)
  • The budget narrative should clearly be tied to the project design. 
  • The budget narrative should describe the basis for determining the amounts shown on the  project budget page.  
  • The budget page must list the anticipated activities and the amount of money dedicated to those activities.

4.  Supporting Documents: 
(Not required of Institutions of Higher Education in their Application or Plan)

1. Record of Staff Commitment
2. LEA Report of Support or Concerns
3. Verification of Support from:  students, parents, school business partners, local school improvement council
   1. Documentation of evidence may also include electronic links, original videos, podcasts, DVDs, etc. if desired)

 Institutions of Higher Education must attach documents that include:

1. Approval from county board with jurisdiction over the school district in which the new school is planned to be located and their approval of the establishment of the new Innovation Zone School.
2. Cooperative agreements with the county board or county boards whose students attend the new Innovation Zone School that include:
   1. Protocols for required reporting on student attendance
   2. Protocols for reporting academic progress and other matters relating to administration, operation and support of the school and agreed to by the Institution and the boards or boards
   3. Agreement on the participation of students enrolled in the Innovation Zone School in the curricular or extracurricular activities at the county school in which they are enrolled.
   4. Agreement between the state institution of higher education and participating county board or boards of education to meet the accountability requirements for student assessment under all applicable assessment programs administered by the West Virginia Department of Education and provisions of law or policy required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Public Law No. 107-110, or other federal law.

Submit Plan to Donna Peduto, Coordinator, Innovation Zone Initiative

Phase 2: Development of Plan

WVDE Technical Assistance will be provided for the Development of the Plan

Narratives for Innovation Zone Plan:

• Plan of Work: 
• The plan narrative clearly describes action steps, including timeframe, resources, responsible persons and method to measure progress for the project design.
• Provide description of the number, type, duration of professional development, including the number of anticipated participants engaged. A table depicting the action plan may be submitted.

• Project Evaluation: Describe how you will know that your idea worked?  What impact do you expect to achieve and how will you evaluate it?

Annual reports regarding progress related to the project design will be reviewed and provided to the West Virginia Board of Education on an annual basis.

• Management Capability:  The narrative must explain how the Innovation Zone designee has the capability of managing the plan, organizing the work and meeting deadlines. This is critically important for the duration of the designation as an Innovation Zone. If clear evidence of management capability is not demonstrated in the first year, the West Virginia Board of Education can revoke or rescind Innovation Zone status.

• Scalability and Sustainability:  The project should describe the capacity to be scaled to a statewide level and sustained beyond the initial funding period.

Supporting Documents: 

            1. Record of Staff Commitment
            2. LEA Report of Support or Concerns

Submit Plan to Donna Peduto, Coordinator of Innovation Zone Initiative

Yes, the School Innovation Zones Act 18-5B-4(a)(2)(B) specifically prohibits the following from being changed through the waiver process:

• An assessment program administered by the WVDE.
• Any provision of law or policy required by the ••No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, PL 107-110 or other federal law.
• WV Code 18A-2-7, 18A-4-7a, 18A-4-7b, 18A-4-8, and 18A-4-8b, except as provided in 18-5B-8 which ••addresses teacher vacancies and job postings in an Innovation Zone.

• Both the innovation application and plan must be submitted to all employees affected by the design of the plan for a secret ballot vote at special meetings called to determine the level of commitment to apply for designation as an Innovation Zone and for commitment to the fully developed plan.
• The meeting is called with two weeks prior special notice, and the vote is conducted and certified to the principal, superintendent, and county board president by a panel.
• The panel must provide an absentee ballot to each employee eligible to vote who cannot attend the meeting to vote.
• The panel consists of
  • the elected officers of the faculty senate of the school or schools
  • one representative of the service personnel of the school
  • three parent members appointed by the Local School Improvement Council (LSIC).
• At least 80 percent of the employees who are eligible to vote must vote to apply for designation as an Innovation Zone (Phase 1) and to approve the school’s Innovation Zone plan (Phase 2) before the level of staff commitment at the school is sufficient for the school to apply for designation and before the plan is approved by the school.
• Any regular employee at a school applying for or designated as an Innovation Zone whose job duties may be affected by implementation of the Innovation Zone plan or proposed plan may request a transfer to another school in the school district. The county board shall make every reasonable effort to accommodate the transfer.

The actual award will be based on a consensus reached through discussion of the selection committee, on the factors listed below, not a simple totaling of points. Interviews and site-visits are two other methods of determining success of applications that will have an impact on the award of grants.

1. Timely and complete application and plan from an eligible applicant.
2. The level of staff commitment.
3. Evidence of support from parents, students, the county board of education, the local school improvement council and school business partners.
4. The justification for, exception to and relief requested from stated law, policy, rule or interpretation that addresses organizational barriers to innovation, if that exception and relief is being requested.
5. Planning grants will be awarded on a pro-rata basis, to the extent practicable, across geographic areas, programmatic levels and in proportion to the number of teachers impacted by the innovation strategy.
6. The level of need as determined by a comprehensive needs assessment.
7. The research base used to support the planned innovative activities.
8. The level of potential for the applicant to be successful as an innovation zone.
9. The likelihood that the culture and habits of mind of the applicant will be changed so the creative vision of the staff will be sustained after the funding is gone and the plan has been implemented.
10. The quality and logic of an evaluation and accountability plan for activities of the project including rigorous objectives that measure the impact of the activities against baseline data for student learning and achievement, outcomes that are expected as the result of the planned activities, timeline for accomplishing activities and achieving outcomes, and persons responsible for leading and implementing the activities.
11. The likelihood that the accountability plan will document project activities and what was learned from those activities well enough that it could be scaled up and implemented broadly on a statewide basis.
12. The budget reasonably can be expected to support the planning and implementing of innovative activities as described in the plan.

• The application will be received at the address listed above in Where may I obtain application forms?
• The application will be reviewed by committee designated by the state Board of Education and state superintendent, and presented to the board for decision of whether to designate the applicant as an Innovation Zone.
• The actual award will be based on a consensus reached through discussion of the selection committee, not a simple totaling of points. Interviews and site-visits are two other methods of determining success of applications that will have an impact on the award of grants.
• The West Virginia Board of Education may require revision of applications and budget prior to approval, award, or release of funds. Decisions of the West Virginia Board of Education on funding and awarding of planning grants is final.

• At least annually the state board or its designated committee shall review the progress of the development or implementation of an Innovation Zone plan.
• If following such review the state board determines that the applicant has not made adequate progress toward developing or implementing its plan, the board shall submit a report to the applicant identifying its areas of concern.
• An additional review of the applicant may be conducted within six months of the report.
• If following additional review the state board determines that the applicant has not made adequate progress toward developing or implementing its Innovation Zone plan, the state board may revoke the designation, and for approved plans, may rescind its approval of the plan.
• The state board shall provide an annual report on Innovation Zones and the progress of their plans to LOCEA.

Only local education agencies (LEAs) can be fiscal agents of the partnership and receive planning grant funding. Institutions of higher education may not receive planning grant funding through the School Innovation Zones Act.

The funding may be spent whenever the LEA receives, signs, and returns a grant award document, budgets the funds according to the plan budget, and begins to draw down funding for use.

Affected Employees – Those employees of an applicant who have primary job duties affected as a result of a proposed Innovation Zone application and plan.

Applicant – Any school, group of schools, departments or subdivisions of a school or schools that applies to become designated as an Innovation Zone.

Best Practice – “…solid, reputable, state-of-the-art work in a field.” If a professional is following best practice standards, he or she is aware of current research and consistently offers clients the full benefits of the latest knowledge, technology, and procedures.” Zemelman, Daniels & Hyde. 2005. Best Practice: Today’s Standards for Teaching & Learning in Americas Schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Comprehensive Needs Assessment – An applicant puts together a team of individuals representative of those having a stake in the success of the Innovation Zone plan. That team analyzes data to inform them of student learning and achievement needs, prioritizes those needs and chooses among them to set goals for improvement.

Eligible Employees – Those school employees which are affected by an innovation for which application is being made are eligible to vote to determine the level of staff commitment to apply for designation as an Innovation Zone. The Innovation Zone Act indicates that the election must be certified to the principal, superintendent and county board president by a panel. It would follow that this panel must determine who is eligible based on whether they are impacted by the innovation.

Innovation – The process of the local school staff creating a vision for the school that breaks down existing patterns of mind and develops new ways of doing and seeing things. A thing in existence at one school might be an innovation in another context in a different school.

Scientifically-Based or Evidence-Based Research – Research that involves the application of rigorous, systematic and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programs; and

(B) includes research that

1. employs systematic, empirical methods that draw on observation or experiment;
2. involves rigorous data analyses that are adequate to test the stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn;
3. relies on measurements or observational methods that provide reliable and valid data across evaluators and observers, across multiple measurements and observations, and across studies by the same or different investigators;
4. is evaluated using experimental or quasi-experimental designs in which individuals, entities, programs, or activities are assigned to different conditions and with appropriate controls to evaluate the effects of the condition of interest, with a preference for random-assignment experiments, or other designs to the extent that those designs contain within-condition or across-condition controls;
5. ensures that experimental studies are presented in sufficient detail and clarity to allow for replication or, at a minimum, offer the opportunity to build systematically on their findings; and
6. has been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective, and scientific review.

21st Century Skills – The curriculum components that include thinking and problem-solving, information/communication processing, personal and workplace productivity skills, creativity and innovation skills, and student self direction.

21st Century Instruction – The instructional process including, but not limited to, standards-based instruction, problem-based learning, contextual learning, performance assessments, classroom assessments for learning, professional learning communities/collaborative teams, technology integration, and teacher-facilitated/student-directed learning.