ND Department of Public Instruction

Title I -- Program Improvement

Plan for Alternative Governance Documentation

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **School/District Name School Year**                                  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Schools/districts that have not made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)   |
| for five consecutive years enter the sixth category on the sanctions  |
| timeline mandated by the *No Child Left Behind* (NCLB) Act. This      |
| category is referred to as "Planning for Alternative Governance"      |
| phase. During this phase, schools/districts must continue to offer    |
| school choice (if applicable), supplemental services (if applicable), |
| set-aside 10% of their Title I allocation for professional            |
| development for all staff (optional), and continue implementing their |
| corrective action choice. According to the NCLB regulations, this     |
| phase of program improvement is to plan for specific actions that     |
| will be taken by the school district if AYP is not met in the         |
| subsequent school year.                                               |
|                                                                       |
| The alternative governance options as specified in the NCLB Act are   |
| not allowable under North Dakota state law. Therefore, North Dakota   |
| developed alternative actions as passed in House Bill 1086 during the |
| 58^th^ legislative assembly.                                          |
|                                                                       |
| Below is the list of the approved alternative governance options as   |
| specified in North Dakota law:                                        |
|                                                                       |
| 1.  Defer administrative funds to program improvement schools.        |
|                                                                       |
| 2.  Offer a signing bonus.                                            |
|                                                                       |
| 3.  Offer school/district choice across district boundaries.          |
|                                                                       |
| 4.  Contract with an outside expert.                                  |
|                                                                       |
| 5.  Other form of major restructuring.                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ##                                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| Plan (Timeline) for Alternative Governance                            |
|                                                                       |
| ***Directions:** The questions on the following pages provide an      |
| outline of the process schools/districts need to complete during the  |
| required planning for alternative governance.*                        |
|                                                                       |
| *By researching and recording information on each of the alternative  |
| governance options, schools/districts will better be able to select   |
| the alternative governance option that is appropriate for the         |
| school/district --- i.e., which option will best meets the needs of   |
| your students to increase their academic achievement.*                |
|                                                                       |
| *This timeline also provides documentation to the State Title I       |
| office regarding the preparations the school/district has made in     |
| choosing the most appropriate alternative governance participation.*  |
|                                                                       |
| *Please complete the information requested for each of the items      |
| listed. Use this document to summarize your findings. You may gather  |
| more information than is required here. If more space is needed,      |
| please add attachments.*                                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
| **Part A. History**   |          |                   |              |
|                       |          |                   |              |
| **Student Achievement |          |                   |              |
| Information**         |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
| What are the          |          |                   |              |
| school's/district's   |          |                   |              |
| specific areas of     |          |                   |              |
| need in terms of not  |          |                   |              |
| making AYP? A         |          |                   |              |
| school/district may   |          |                   |              |
| consider academic     |          |                   |              |
| areas, grade levels,  |          |                   |              |
| subgroups, secondary  |          |                   |              |
| indicators, etc. that |          |                   |              |
| caused identification |          |                   |              |
| for program           |          |                   |              |
| improvement.          |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
|                       |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
| ## Analy              |          |                   |              |
| zing Current Programs |          |                   |              |
|                       |          |                   |              |
| Identify the programs |          |                   |              |
| and activities the    |          |                   |              |
| school/district has   |          |                   |              |
| implemented since     |          |                   |              |
| becoming a program    |          |                   |              |
| improvement           |          |                   |              |
| school/district.      |          |                   |              |
| Identify their        |          |                   |              |
| implementation date   |          |                   |              |
| and success rate in   |          |                   |              |
| terms of student      |          |                   |              |
| achievement on the    |          |                   |              |
| North Dakota State    |          |                   |              |
| Assessment.           |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
| **Program in place**  | **Implem | **Impact on       | **Strength   |
|                       | entation | student           | s/weaknesses |
|                       | date**   | achievement**     | of program** |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
|                       |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
|                       |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
|                       |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
|                       |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
|                       |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
|                       |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
|                       |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
| ###                   |          |                   |              |
|                       |          |                   |              |
| ###                   |          |                   |              |
|                       |          |                   |              |
| ### Part B.           |          |                   |              |
| Research on Alternati |          |                   |              |
| ve Governance Options |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
| 1.  **Deferring       |          |                   |              |
|     administrative    |          |                   |              |
|     funds.**          |          |                   |              |
|                       |          |                   |              |
| *[Brief description   |          |                   |              |
| of                    |          |                   |              |
| option:]{.underline}* |          |                   |              |
| This option allows    |          |                   |              |
| for administrative    |          |                   |              |
| budgets to be cut     |          |                   |              |
| with the excess funds |          |                   |              |
| going to the schools  |          |                   |              |
| in program            |          |                   |              |
| improvement. These    |          |                   |              |
| funds would be taken  |          |                   |              |
| off the top of a      |          |                   |              |
| district's allocation |          |                   |              |
| and given to the      |          |                   |              |
| program improvement   |          |                   |              |
| school(s) above and   |          |                   |              |
| beyond their current  |          |                   |              |
| allocation. These     |          |                   |              |
| funds could then be   |          |                   |              |
| utilized to address   |          |                   |              |
| the program           |          |                   |              |
| improvement school's  |          |                   |              |
| needs.                |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
| Please indicate the   |          |                   |              |
| amount of             |          |                   |              |
| [admini               |          |                   |              |
| strative]{.underline} |          |                   |              |
| funds currently       |          |                   |              |
| set-aside. How are    |          |                   |              |
| administrative funds  |          |                   |              |
| currently being used? |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
| Please indicate the   |          |                   |              |
| amount of             |          |                   |              |
| [non-admini           |          |                   |              |
| strative]{.underline} |          |                   |              |
| funds flowing to the  |          |                   |              |
| school. How are       |          |                   |              |
| non-administrative    |          |                   |              |
| funds currently being |          |                   |              |
| used in the school?   |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
| If the administrative |          |                   |              |
| funds were cut and    |          |                   |              |
| the excess funds      |          |                   |              |
| flowed to the program |          |                   |              |
| improvement school,   |          |                   |              |
| how would these funds |          |                   |              |
| be used?              |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+
| Would deferring       |          |                   |              |
| administrative funds  |          |                   |              |
| be an option for your |          |                   |              |
| school/district to    |          |                   |              |
| consider? Please      |          |                   |              |
| explain why or why    |          |                   |              |
| not.                  |          |                   |              |
+-----------------------+----------+-------------------+--------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 2.  **Offering a signing bonus.**                                     |
|                                                                       |
| *[Brief description of option:]{.underline}* This option allows       |
| schools/districts to give incentives for staff. This option also      |
| allows schools/districts to offer signing bonuses to attract highly   |
| qualified personnel to their school/district. Schools/districts       |
| selecting this option would have to have a definition and process to  |
| identify staff that qualify for this bonus.                           |
|                                                                       |
| North Dakota Century Code 15.1-09-33.1 provides further clarity on    |
| when and where signing bonuses can be given in North Dakota.          |
| Specifically, the law indicates that the employees employed as a      |
| classroom teacher by the board of a school district in North Dakota   |
| during the previous year can not be eligible to receive the bonus.    |
| Districts/schools choosing to this alternative governance measure     |
| will be required to demonstrate meeting the requirements of state     |
| law.                                                                  |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| What is your current teacher turnover rate?                           |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How would the school/district identify which staff are eligible for   |
| the bonus?                                                            |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| How could the school/district measure these activities to identify    |
| its relationship to student achievement?                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Would offering signing bonuses be an option for your school/district  |
| to consider? Please explain why or why not.                           |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
| 3.  **Offer       |              |              |                   |
|     school choice |              |              |                   |
|     across        |              |              |                   |
|     district      |              |              |                   |
|     boundaries.** |              |              |                   |
|                   |              |              |                   |
| *[Brief           |              |              |                   |
| description of    |              |              |                   |
| opti              |              |              |                   |
| on:]{.underline}* |              |              |                   |
| In a              |              |              |                   |
| sc                |              |              |                   |
| hool's/district's |              |              |                   |
| third year of not |              |              |                   |
| making AYP, they  |              |              |                   |
| must offer school |              |              |                   |
| choice within the |              |              |                   |
| district. During  |              |              |                   |
| alternative       |              |              |                   |
| governance,       |              |              |                   |
| schools must      |              |              |                   |
| continue to offer |              |              |                   |
| school choice     |              |              |                   |
| within the        |              |              |                   |
| district, but     |              |              |                   |
| schools/districts |              |              |                   |
| could choose to   |              |              |                   |
| open up school    |              |              |                   |
| choice across     |              |              |                   |
| district lines as |              |              |                   |
| an alternative    |              |              |                   |
| governance        |              |              |                   |
| option.           |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
| The following     |              |              |                   |
| charts ask you to |              |              |                   |
| identify the      |              |              |                   |
| student           |              |              |                   |
| performance data, |              |              |                   |
| including AYP     |              |              |                   |
| results, of the   |              |              |                   |
| contiguous school |              |              |                   |
| districts in your |              |              |                   |
| surrounding area. |              |              |                   |
| Please complete   |              |              |                   |
| each chart.       |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
| Name of           |              |              |                   |
| school/district   |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
| AYP results       | Other        | Distance     | Estimated travel  |
|                   | student      | from your    | cost per student  |
|                   | achievement  | sch          |                   |
|                   | data         | ool/district |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
|                   |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
| ### W             |              |              |                   |
| ould allowing tra |              |              |                   |
| nsfer to this sch |              |              |                   |
| ool/district prod |              |              |                   |
| uce increased stu |              |              |                   |
| dent achievement? |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
|                   |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
| Name of           |              |              |                   |
| school/district   |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
| AYP results       | Other        | Distance     | Estimated travel  |
|                   | student      | from your    | cost per student  |
|                   | achievement  | sch          |                   |
|                   | data         | ool/district |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
|                   |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
| ### W             |              |              |                   |
| ould allowing tra |              |              |                   |
| nsfer to this sch |              |              |                   |
| ool/district prod |              |              |                   |
| uce increased stu |              |              |                   |
| dent achievement? |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
|                   |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
| Name of           |              |              |                   |
| school/district   |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
| AYP Results       | Other        | Distance     | Estimated travel  |
|                   | student      | from your    | cost per student  |
|                   | achievement  | sch          |                   |
|                   | data         | ool/district |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
|                   |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+
| ### W             |              |              |                   |
| ould allowing tra |              |              |                   |
| nsfer to this sch |              |              |                   |
| ool/district prod |              |              |                   |
| uce increased stu |              |              |                   |
| dent achievement? |              |              |                   |
+-------------------+--------------+--------------+-------------------+

+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
| Would offering         |                    |                        |
| school/district choice |                    |                        |
| across district        |                    |                        |
| boundaries be an       |                    |                        |
| option for your        |                    |                        |
| school/district to     |                    |                        |
| consider? Please       |                    |                        |
| explain why or why     |                    |                        |
| not.                   |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
|                        |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
| 4.  **Contract with an |                    |                        |
|     outside expert.**  |                    |                        |
|                        |                    |                        |
| *[Brief description of |                    |                        |
| option:]{.underline}*  |                    |                        |
| Schools/districts have |                    |                        |
| many responsibilities  |                    |                        |
| and often seek advice  |                    |                        |
| from outside the       |                    |                        |
| school/district system |                    |                        |
| when implementing new  |                    |                        |
| reforms or             |                    |                        |
| curriculums. Often     |                    |                        |
| times, an outside      |                    |                        |
| consultant who has     |                    |                        |
| expertise in school    |                    |                        |
| reform can pinpoint    |                    |                        |
| problem areas more     |                    |                        |
| easily than            |                    |                        |
| school/district staff  |                    |                        |
| that are faced with    |                    |                        |
| these issues day in    |                    |                        |
| and day out. This      |                    |                        |
| option is for          |                    |                        |
| schools/districts that |                    |                        |
| have examined and      |                    |                        |
| identified their needs |                    |                        |
| and pursue contracting |                    |                        |
| with an outside expert |                    |                        |
| to assist them in      |                    |                        |
| addressing those       |                    |                        |
| needs.                 |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
| Schools/districts are  |                    |                        |
| to find resources that |                    |                        |
| address the            |                    |                        |
| school's/district's    |                    |                        |
| areas of need. Using   |                    |                        |
| these resources, as    |                    |                        |
| well as other          |                    |                        |
| research, identify     |                    |                        |
| possible consultants   |                    |                        |
| who have expertise in  |                    |                        |
| the area in which the  |                    |                        |
| school/district needs  |                    |                        |
| assistance. List       |                    |                        |
| possibilities and how  |                    |                        |
| they may meet your     |                    |                        |
| needs.                 |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
| Research on how to     | Possible           | How would this         |
| improve our problem    | consultants        | research and           |
| areas                  |                    | consultant match your  |
|                        |                    | needs and raise        |
|                        |                    | academic achievement?  |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
|                        |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
|                        |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
|                        |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
|                        |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
| Would consulting with  |                    |                        |
| an outside expert be   |                    |                        |
| an option for your     |                    |                        |
| school/district to     |                    |                        |
| consider? Please       |                    |                        |
| explain why or why     |                    |                        |
| not.                   |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
| ###                    |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
| 5.  **Other form of    |                    |                        |
|     major              |                    |                        |
|     restructuring.**   |                    |                        |
|                        |                    |                        |
| ### *[Br               |                    |                        |
| ief description of opt |                    |                        |
| ion:]{.underline}* Sch |                    |                        |
| ools/districts have th |                    |                        |
| e option of researchin |                    |                        |
| g other major restruct |                    |                        |
| uring measures to impl |                    |                        |
| ement rather than thos |                    |                        |
| e listed above. Adequa |                    |                        |
| te documentation and p |                    |                        |
| roven effectiveness mu |                    |                        |
| st be evident. A major |                    |                        |
|  form of restructuring |                    |                        |
|  could include, for ex |                    |                        |
| ample, self-selected d |                    |                        |
| istrict consolidation. |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
|                        |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+
| Are there other major  |                    |                        |
| restructuring measures |                    |                        |
| the school/district is |                    |                        |
| examining in terms of  |                    |                        |
| identifying            |                    |                        |
| alternative governance |                    |                        |
| for your               |                    |                        |
| school/district?       |                    |                        |
+------------------------+--------------------+------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ### Part C. Summarize results                                         |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Please select which alternative governance option your                |
| school/district is planning to pursue for the subsequent school year  |
| if AYP is not made and the school/district enters the alternative     |
| governance phase of the program improvement timeline.                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Defer administrative funds to program improvement schools.**        |
|                                                                       |
| **Offer a signing bonus.**                                            |
|                                                                       |
| **Offer school/district choice across district boundaries.**          |
|                                                                       |
| **Contract with an outside expert.**                                  |
|                                                                       |
| **Other form of major restructuring.**                                |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Please summarize the steps the school/district is going to take to    |
| ensure this alternative governance option is ready to be implemented  |
| at the start of the subsequent school year if AYP is not made and the |
| school/district enters the alternative governance phase of the        |
| program improvement timeline.                                         |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

\*Please note, if adequate information is not provided schools/districts
will be asked to resubmit their information.

Title I Authorized

Representative Signature:
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
Date: \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_