Back to School Briefings: Education Reform Agenda

DELAWARE WILL REWARD GREAT TEACHERS AND HIGH-PERFORMING TEACHERS WHO SERVE IN AT-RISK SCHOOLS.

• Educators will continue to be eligible to receive salary supplements for professional development activities and for obtaining national certifications.

• Educators will now be eligible for an additional salary supplement, based upon the academic improvement demonstrated by their students over the course of the school year.

• In addition to the new academic improvement salary supplement, educators who perform well in "high-risk" schools, i.e. schools with high poverty levels and schools that are functioning below the state's academic targets, will receive further salary supplements.

• These new supplements will begin only when the state has sufficient funds to award them. All supplements-professional development/certification, student achievement, and high-risk school supplements-will be funded at the same time.

DELAWARE WILL REPLACE THE DSTP WITH A BETTER SYSTEM FOR MEASURING PERFORMANCE.

• Delaware will eliminate the DSTP beginning with the 2010-2011 school year.

• The DSTP will be replaced with a new testing regimen that tests students more than one time over the course of each school year starting in second grade, so that students' progress over the course of time can be measured and necessary adjustments can be made in curriculum during a school year.

DELAWARE WILL CUT CUMBERSOME REGULATIONS TO GIVE SCHOOLS THE CHANCE TO INNOVATE AND ALLOW THEM MORE DECISION-MAKING DISCRETION.

• Delaware will eliminate state mandates with respect to non-academic curriculum. Schools that wish to continue offering education in these areas will be free to do so.

• Delaware will set up procedures allowing local schools and local school districts to quickly seek exemptions from regulations or procedures that don't make sense for the kids they educate.

DELAWARE WILL ALLOW LOCAL DISTRICTS AND SCHOOLS MORE FUNDING DISCRETION, BUT WILL HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE.

• Delaware will eliminate most of the restrictions that are now placed on state funds received by local school districts.

• However, the state Department of Education will now sign off on all local school district budgets, in order to assure that taxpayer funds are spent responsibly.

• The state will examine local school district budgets to assure that a proper percentage of funds are being spent on instruction-related activities as opposed to administration.

• Local school districts will be required to post check registers on-line, and will be required to set up district level citizen financial oversight committees.