Flexibility Process

  • School leaders should engage their leadership teams and teachers around opt-out decisions and carefully consider the capacity of both the leadership team and the school staff to implement new resources and/or programs. It is important to note that opt-out schools will be responsible for creating a robust plan to ensure implementation of the alternative resource. Curriculum adoptions happen every 7 years, so it is important to ensure that a school has a sustainable implementation plan that can be executed by the school over the long term regardless of who is leading the school. This robust plans allows us to keep our promises to students and families. Additionally, school leaders should review their enrollment projections and budget to ensure the decision is fiscally responsible. 

    If a school leader decides they'd like to pursue opting out of a district resource, they will engage in an opt-out process. 

    Flexibility Opt-Out Process

    Student Achievement Review

    Once a school has requested to opt-out of any of the district sponsored curricular options, the Student Data Analysis Team will conduct a student achievement review of the school. Schools who are At or Above the district performance in “status” (i.e. percent of students who achieve Meets or Exceeds on CMAS; percent of students “On-Track” on ACCESS) for all students AND BOTH Black and Hispanic students on the specific content area matching the curriculum up for adoption will move through path one of the opt-out process, which asks schools to submit their alternative resource and implementation plan for review immediately. If the requesting school does not meet this criteria, they will move through path two. 

    Path One: 

    A school conditions and performance review will not take place for the requesting school. The requesting school will automatically be asked to submit their alternative curriculum choice and implementation plan for review by the district's review team. After the alternative resource and implementation plan is reviewed, Senior Leadership will review the recommendation from the review team and decide if the school who requested is approved to use an alternative resource. 

    Path Two: 

    If a school does not pass the student achievement review, a school conditions review, which includes the school’s current instructional and leadership capacity to execute on an alternative and student academic performance, will be conducted. This includes examining teacher and principal tenure, staff vacancies, and staff attendance. This also includes a review of the schools state test performance and growth scores. This review will include a data analysis from the Student Data Analysis Team and an interview with the school leader and school’s Collaborative Director. Senior Leaders will then review the school’s conditions and will determine whether or not the school in question will be invited to submit their alternative resource and implementation plan for review.  Please note that not all schools will be approved to move to the resource/implementation review portion of the Flexibility process. 

    If Senior Leaders approve the school moving forward within the process, the requesting school will then be asked to submit their alternative resource and implementation plan for review by district experts. After the alternative resource and implementation plan is reviewed, Senior Leadership will review the recommendation from the review teams and decide if the school who requested is approved to use an alternative resource. If the school is approved, there may be additional requirements added to the school, including partnering with district content experts on the implementation of the alternative curriculum. The Flexibility Team will communicate any stipulations to the approval if relevant. 

    Resource and Implementation Review: 

    All district-managed schools, regardless of the path the school takes, will be required to share their alternative resource with the district, who will then review the resource against the district's High Quality Instructional Materials Quality Criteria rubric that is specific to the content area they are requesting to use an alternative for:

    If the alternative curriculum does not meet the district's HQIM standards it is highly likely that the opt-out request will be denied in alignment with the district's goal to ensure all schools are using High Quality Instructional Materials. 

    Vendor Product: If your school plans to submit a vendor-created curriculum, please note that you will be required to provide the district with a guest log-in and password so we can thoroughly review the product. Reviewers must be able to review the curriculum as if they were teachers, administrators, and students. Here are the resources you’ll be asked to submit. 

    Teacher Created Materials: If your school plans to submit a teacher-created curriculum, please note that you will be required to provide resources for the district to review. Here are the resources you’ll be asked to provide. 

    Implementation Plan: The requesting school will also be required to submit their plan to implement the alternative resource.Here is the document you will be asked to detail your plan within. Schools will be asked to share details on professional learning specific to the curriculum, unit assessment integration, and data-informed instructional practices. The schools implementation plan will be reviewed against the district’s Implementation Plan Rubric.

     

    Innovation Schools: Each Innovation School has a unique and individualized Innovation Plan that is tailored to the mission and vision of the school. Innovation waivers will continue to grant schools the flexibilities identified. Because of the individualized nature of the plans themselves, the Flexibility process may apply to each Innovation school in a slightly different way. The district is working to ensure that our schools have continued opportunities to innovate and explore alternative approaches tailored to the needs of their students, while also ensuring that our schools are in the best position to support our students as effectively as possible in the years to come. More details on how the process differs for Innovation Schools can be found in the Flexibility Handbook. 

     

     

  • What does it mean to opt out?

    Each year, school leaders have the choice to opt into certain district-adopted curriculum, curriculum-aligned professional learning and assessments. A school leader may also make the decision to pursue opt-out opportunities relating to the district-supported option(s) if they believe another resource or program will better meet the needs of their teachers and students. This will then trigger an opt-out review process, which ensures that the materials in front of our students in every school have gone through a rigorous review process and that a school has sustainable structures to support alternative reousrces.

  • I successfully opted out. What's next?

    It is your responsibility to reach out to the Purchasing Department to sign any necessary contracts and to order the appropriate materials. 

  • What supports will I receive if my school is approved to use an alternative curriculum?

    In order to offer high-quality support, the District does not have the ability to provide comprehensive support outside of its recommended curriculum and assessment. As such, schools choosing to opt out of District-supported options will subsequently have a greater level of school-based responsibility than schools opting into the District options. The links below outline in detail the District supports tied to curriculum and assessment decisions. 

  • When will I be able to utilize the earmarked devolvement funds?

    During an adoption cycle in the areas of curriculum, curriculum-aligned professional learning, and assessment, schools can either opt into the district option or pursue opt-out opportunities. In the case that a school successfully opts out of a district option, the funds may only be applied to the approved curricular materials. Schools are encouraged to purchase the approved curriculum materials in the Spring before the purchase order deadline cutoff for the year so they may receive the materials in time for the following school year. Funds used to purchase the approved materials will then be added to the school budget during Fall adjustment.

  • If I am approved to use an alternative resource, can I have support in purchasing other materials?

    The Curriculum Purchasing Team (“Purchasing”) will provide purchasing support to schools that successfully opt-out of district-adopted resources. Purchasing will assist the school in purchasing the approved alternative curriculum and/or local assessment. A school may choose to partner with other schools to increase their purchasing power. If so, they should reach out to Purchasing to coordinate their purchase and negotiation with a vendor.

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