Application

Step 1:CTNInformation: Principal and staffread and discuss the information about becoming a WV Collaborative Teams Network Participating School.

Step 2: PrincipalCommitment Document: Principal signs and dates the commitment document and submits by mailalong with the other parts of the application.

Step 3:County Superintendent Commitment Document: County superintendent signs and dates theappropriate commitment document. Applicant includes the county commitment documentwith the other parts of the application and submits by mail.

Step 4:StaffCommitment Document: Principal and faculty senate chair sign the Staff Commitment Assurance document after obtaining at least 80% commitment from professional staff via secret ballot vote during a faculty senate meeting. Applicant submits the signed document with the application.

Step 5:Completing the Application: Complete the Collaborative Teams Network Participating School Application components.(The application is a Word document and may be saved to a computer desktop for printing and email attachment).

Step 6: Submitting the Application: The application will be received first by email and sorted electronically, so it is important to follow the electronic submission instructions carefully. The application due date may be extended if a school obtains at least 80% staff commitment by the May 6, 2011 deadline. The principal or faculty senate chair may send an email to questing an extended date.

  1. In the subject line of the email, place the words “CTN Application”; your county; the date. (Example: CTN Application Boone 5-9-11)
  2. Attach the completed application to the email. (The application is a Word document and may be saved to a computer desktop for easy email attachment). Submit the application by email no later than 5:00 p.m. Friday, May6, 2011to Laura Bittle .
  3. Immediately mailone copy of the application with the required commitment documents/signatures.

Send application to:

Laura Bittle

Division of Educator Quality and System Support

Office of District Leadership Development

West Virginia Department of Education

1900 Kanawha Blvd. East,Bldg. 6, Room 617

Charleston, WV 25305-0330

304-558-3199

County Superintendent Commitment to CTN School

***The county superintendent reviews the commitments below, signswhere indicated,and CTN school applicant submits the signed formas a part of the application.

The County Superintendent Commits to:

Supporting the WV Collaborative Teams Network Participating School (CTN School) by:

  • Collaborating with Regional Support Teams
  • Selecting one (1) central office liaison to participate in all WV CTN trainings as part of the school leadership team(s)
  • Monitoring progress of school teams through already scheduled principals’ meetings
  • Working with the district liaison to:
  • Assist with modifying schedules and staff assignments to accommodate teaming
  • Look for ways to link teams with relevant resources inside and outside of the building (including other teams)
  • Providing financial support and resources that might include:
  • Substitute costs or stipends for the school’s leadership team to attend WV CTN trainings (Face-to-face workshops involve approximately 6 days of professional development)
  • Title I, Title II, and RLIS Funds
  • Services of support personnel such as instructional, technology, literacy, special education & math coaches, Title I staff (in Title I schools), etc.
  • Working with the central office liaison for commitment of ISE days to professional staff training in professional learning community processes
  • Attending state sponsored leadership forum along with the central office liaison

Date______Superintendent’s Signature______

Principal Commitment to CTN School

***The principal reviews the commitments below, signs where indicated, and submits the signed form as a part of the application.

The Principal Commits to:

  • Securing at least 80% staff commitment/consensus to participate in school collaborative teams that engage in school improvement practices
  • Forming (or improving the operation of) a School Leadership Team (principal, teachers representative of each collaborative team and others at the principal’s discretion)
  • Forming (or improving the operation of) teacher collaborative teams and providing time and structure for the teams to meet weekly
  • Leading the school toward becoming a learning community using a distributive model of leadership to support the work of teacher collaborative teams, collaborative team processes and protocols focused on student learning
  • Working with the central office liaison to create time and support for collaborative teams to work and learn in the school and to work toward removing county level barriers that impede progress
  • Guiding and monitoring school collaborative teams as they develop collaborative practices and engage in action research and collective inquiry
  • Identifying and resolving problem areas of the collaborative team process, removing barriers that make it difficult for collaborative teams to focus on the critical questions of learning
  • Facilitating site-based professional development led by the School Leadership Team that involves all staff in learning how to collaborate to improve student learning
  • Facilitatingdocumentation of school CT efforts in an electronic storyboard that will help other schools learn effective practice
  • Assisting in evaluating the effectiveness of the support provided to your school
  • Attending face-to-face workshops
  • Two-day forum for statewide leaders
  • Regional trainings with school leadership team
  • Monthly meetings with the leadership team and Regional Support Team member
  • Forming a mutual support network with two other schools during the regional workshops and networking (online and face-to-face) with those schools throughout the CTN experience

Date______Principal’s Signature ______

Staff Commitment

West Virginia Collaborative Teams Network

Participating School (CTN School)

***The principal and faculty senate chair must sign this assurance of staff commitment and submit as a part of the application.

After sharing the expectations and benefits of a CTN Participating School, results of a secret ballot vote conducted during a Faculty Senate Meeting revealed at least 80% staff commitment to the collaborative practices, processes and protocols of participation in the West Virginia Collaborative Teams Network.

Date______PrincipalSignature______

Date______Faculty Senate Chair Signature ______

The remaining sections I, II, III, IV, & V are all required for application, but only Sections II, IV & V will be scored for selection.

  1. School Profile (Section I is for statistical information only--not part of the scoring process of the school’s application):

RESA:
SCHOOL NAME:
SCHOOL ADDRESS:
CITY, STATE, ZIP:
PHONE:
FAX:
COUNTY:
SUPERINTENDENT:
CENTRAL OFFICE LIAISON—Name and Job Title:
SCHOOL WEBSITE:
PRINCIPAL’S NAME:
PRINCIPAL’S EMAIL:
PRINCIPAL’S SIGNATURE:
DATE:
  1. Grade Levels:

2.Enrollment:

3.Demographics:

4.Attendance Rate:

5.Highly Qualified Teacher Data:

6.Other Information-- Please indicate any relevant information about your school, such as School of Excellence, Title I school, awards or recognitions received, etc. in the lines below and then provide the requested information in A, B & C that follows.

  1. Our school is involved in another collaborative teaming effort (Innovation Zones, I-3 Grant, etc.).

Yes

No

If yes, please explain.

  1. Our school is identified as an SSOS Tiered school and/or the leadership team is registered to participate in the 2011 Teacher Leadership Institute.

Yes

No

  1. The principal or a professional staff member(s) has participated in WVDE’s Classroom Assessment Network (CAN1 or CAN2).

Yes

No

If yes, please explain.

II. School Organization(Section II is required to determine eligibility, but is not part of the scoring process once eligibility is determined):

  1. LEADERSHIP TEAM. Does the school have a leadership team in place?

Yes

Ourschool does not have a leadership team in place, but is willing to create a defensible structure

If the answer is yes, please describe the membership structure (number, job title, etc.) and how team members are selected.

  1. TEACHER COLLABORATIVE TEAMS. Does the school have teacher collaborative teams in place or is willing to create structures for teams?

Yes

Ourschool does not have teacher collaborative teams in place, but is willing to create a defensible structure

If the answer is yes, please indicate the type(s) of teams below, specify when the teams are scheduled to meet (before, during or after the school day), and provide a brief description of their work:

Grade level /
Before /
During /
After
Content /
Before /
During /
After
Interdisciplinary /
Before /
During /
After
Other

Briefly explain the teams’ focus and indicate how often the teams meet.

Does (or will) each collaborative team have a team facilitator/leader?

Yes

Ourschool does not have teams in place yet

If the answer is yes, are the team facilitator/leaders members of the school leadership team (as representatives of their collaborative team)?

Yes

No

  1. School Culture: (35 points) In one page or less, please complete Section III (A, B, C & D).
  1. Describe how your school maintains a focus on student learning.
  1. Describe what you and your staff value.
  1. How is change embraced by school staff?
  1. Describe how your school uses data and objective dialogue (rather than opinion) to guide discussions about student learning.
  1. Support Services of Professional Personnel: (30 points)Please complete Section IV in one page or less.

Briefly describe how the school might use or restructure the time and duties of existing professional personnel to support collaborative teaming. Include in your answer any requests for time/services of county support personnel (for example, instructional, technology, literacy, special education & math coaches, Title I staff [in Title I schools], etc.) and how those services might fit into the school’s collaborative structures.

  1. School Aspirations: (35 points) Please complete Section V in one page or less.

Briefly state why your school should be selected as a participating school in the WV Collaborative Teams Network. Reveal a vision of how your school (as a CTN School) could sustain the processes and practices outlined in the expectations (referenced above & in the Information Section).

West Virginia Department of EducationPage 1