July 1, 2007
Dear County and District Superintendents, Charter School Administrators, Administrators of Institutions of Higher Education, and Other Interested Organizations:
ASSEMBLY BILL 430 (NAVA) (CHAPTER 364, STATUTES OF 2005)
THE ADMINISTRATOR TRAINING PROGRAM
The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce incentive funding available under Assembly Bill (AB) 430, The Administrator Training Program, for local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide training for principals and assistant/vice principals. The application for program funding is available on the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ai/tg/index.asp.
Background
The Administrator Training Program, authorized by AB 430 (Nava) (Chapter 364, Statutes of 2005) provides funding to LEAs to train principals and assistant/vice principals, using State Board of Education (SBE) approved training providers in the skills and knowledge necessary for their critical and complex roles as instructional leaders. This training ensures the leadership, infrastructure, and support for full implementation of effective instructional programs to improve student achievement. Information about the Administrator Training Program and the Criteria and Requirements for SBE-approved Training Providers is available on the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ai/tg/index.asp.
California Education Code Section 44511 outlines the six areas of training that must be included in the Administrator Training Program. They include, but are not limited to:
- School financial and personnel management.
- Core academic standards.
- Curriculum frameworks and instructional materials.
- The use of pupil assessment instruments, specific ways of mastering the use of assessment data from the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program, and school management technology to improve pupil performance. Instructional leadership and management strategies.
- Extension of the knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired in the preliminary administrative preparation program.
- Program training will be provided in these six content areas organized into the three modules listed below:
Module 1—Leadership and Support of Student Instructional Programs
(2) Core academic standards; (3) Curriculum frameworks and instructional materials aligned to the state academic standards; (4) The use of pupil assessment instruments, specific ways of mastering the use of assessment data from the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program, and school management technology to improve pupil performance; and (6) Extension of knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired in the preliminary administrative preparation program that is designed to strengthen the ability of administrators to serve all pupils in the school to which they are assigned.
Module 2—Leadership and Management for Instructional Improvement
(1) School financial and personnel management; and (6) Extension of knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired in the preliminary administrative preparation program that is designed to strengthen the ability of administrators to serve all pupils in the school to which they are assigned.
Module 3—Instructional Technology to Improve Pupil Performance
(5) The provision of instructional leadership and management strategies regarding the use of instructional technology to improve pupil performance; and (6) Extension of knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired in the preliminary administrative preparation program that is designed to strengthen the ability of administrators to serve all pupils in the school to which they are assigned.
Application for LEA Administrator Training Program Funding
A school district, county office of education or charter school may apply for funding to train their own school site administrators by completing the online application for program funding available on the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ai/tg. Instructions for accessing and completing the online application are enclosed. The online application requires a username and password. Usernames and passwords were issued last year. If you cannot locate this information, please send an e-mail to Patty Stevens at pstevens@cde.ca.gov to request it again. In the e-mail please provide the district name, superintendent’s name, and send a copy to the superintendent. Usernames and passwords are not issued over the phone. It is suggested that you record your district user name and password in a location where it will be easily located.
The LEA application for program funding consists primarily of demographic information and certification of assurances. Download and review General Assurances (district shall comply with the General and Specific Assurances) and the Certification Regarding State and Federal Drug-Free Workplace Requirements. These forms may be downloaded from the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/fm.
Submit a copy of the online application and completed forms mentioned above. Fax transmittals cannot be accepted. Correspondence should be submitted to:
Ron Taylor, Consultant
Professional Development and Curriculum Support Division
California Department of Education
1430 N Street, Suite 4309
Sacramento, CA 95814-5901
Upon receipt of all required documentation, applications will go before the November SBE meeting for approval and after they are approved, districts will be notified of grant award, and thereby initiate the funding process. Locally funded charter schools may apply through their chartering agency (county office of education or school district). Direct-funded charter schools must apply individually.
The application window is from July 2, 2007, to September 4, 2007. There is a possibility of one amendment period throughout the year. This is dependent on the amount of money still available after the July through September application window. The grant is awarded for a two-year period and the training must be completed during this time, beginning with the date on the Grant Award Notification. Each $3,000 incentive grant must be connected with the name of a principal or assistant/vice principal who will be participating in the training.
Administrators enrolled in or who have completed AB 75 are ineligible for AB 430 funding. Participant names may be entered only once into either the AB 75 or AB 430 data management systems. Administrator names may not be entered onto both systems.
It is the intent of the Legislature that an LEA give highest priority to training administrators assigned to, and practicing in, low-performing or hard-to-staff schools. A low-performing school is defined as a school in the bottom half of all schools based on the Academic Performance Index (API) rankings. A hard-to-staff school is defined as a school in which teachers holding emergency permits or credential waivers make up 20 percent or more of the teaching staff.
Administrator Training Program Funding and Local Matching Funds
Funding in the amount of $3,000 will be provided through the Administrator Training Program for each principal and assistant/vice principal trained through a grant award. Districts are required to provide $1,000 in local matching funds for each principal trained based on overall participation in the program. Any combination of local, federal, or private resources or contributions may be used for the remaining matching fund contribution.
In-kind contributions may not be used for the local agency’s match. Funding requested for fiscal year (FY) 2007-08 may be used for training principals and assistant/vice principals in FY 2007-08.
Training Requirements
To receive funding, the LEA must assure that each principal and assistant/vice principal, for which funding has been received, completes 80 hours of Institute Training and 80 hours of Practicum within a two-year period. An initial payment of 50 percent of the grant award will be issued once all required documentation is received. A second payment of 50 percent will be issued once all 160 hours of training, required for both the Institute (80 hours) and Practicum (80 hours), are completed and entered into the Management System for Administrator Training and the Online Survey has been completed. Reporting for the program will be made through an online Web-based management system that will enable LEAs to access, report, and validate data. The first step in using this management system will be through the Online Application for funding.
Use of SBE-Approved Training Providers
LEAs are required to use SBE-approved training providers. Training providers may only provide training for modules for which they have been approved. An LEA may apply to be their own training provider, or they may use an external provider for one or more of the three modules. If an LEA is planning to provide its own training, it must submit an application to become an SBE-approved training provider. Information about how to apply to become an SBE-approved training provider can be found on the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ai/tg. The CDE accepts applications for training providers on an on-going basis.
If you have any questions regarding program issues, please contact Ron Taylor, at 916-323-4819 or by e-mail at rtaylor@cde.ca.gov, or Ellen Jensen, at 916-323-4873 or by e-mail at ejensen@cde.ca.gov, Consultants, Professional Development Unit.
If you have any questions regarding fiscal issues, please contact Patty Stevens, Analyst, Professional Development Unit, at 916-323-5838 or by e-mail at pstevens@cde.ca.gov.
Sincerely,
Dr. Anthony Monreal, Deputy Superintendent
Curriculum and Instruction Branch
AM:ps
Enclosures
1430 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814