Application Process

Eligible Applicants

• A Local Education Provider (LEP) or a group of LEPs
• A school district
• A Board of Cooperative Services (BOCES):
  • On behalf of its member school districts; or
  • To implement an ILP in a public high school that it operates
• A district charter school authorized by a school district:
  • As part of its authorizing school district, or
  • Independent of its authorizing school district
• An institute charter school authorized by the state Charter School Institute

Participant Selection

The State Board of Education (SBE) shall select all  applicants that adopt an Innovative Learning Program (ILP) that the SBE determines:

• Is likely to result in meaningful innovative learning opportunities that will significantly support students in their transition from high school to postsecondary education or the workforce; and
• Aligns with at least two of the principles for student learning and transition specified by the Education Leadership Council, or meets the research-based design principles.

Application Required Information

LEPs that wish to participate in the program must provide the following information:

1. The number of students enrolled in grades nine through twelve who were counted as full-time and part-time pupils in the preceding three school years, expressed as numerals and percentages;
2. The number of students enrolled in grades nine through twelve who participated in innovative learning opportunities in the preceding four school years, expressed as numerals and percentages;
3. The number of students who are expected to participate in the innovative learning opportunities and the participation capacity of the innovative learning opportunities proposed in the ILP;
4. A description of the innovative learning plan that the applicant expects to implement, including an explanation of how it aligns with at least two principles for student learning and transition specified by the Education Leadership Council and why those principles were selected; or an explanation of how it meets the Research-Based Design Principles.  An “Innovative Learning Plan” or “ILP” is an LEP’s or group of LEP’s plan to provide a variety of innovative learning opportunities to students enrolled in grades nine through twelve.
5. Information that demonstrates that the applicant has capacity and willingness to implement the ILP with integrity;
6. An explanation of the goals of the ILP and how the applicant intends to measure attainment of the goal, the data the applicant will collect to measure attainment of the goals, and the schedule and method for collecting data and assessing attainment of the goals;
7. If applicable to the ILP, the partnerships between community, business or other organizations and the applicant that relate to the innovative learning opportunities included in the plan that are in place at the time of application, or that the applicant expects to enter into in implementing the plan; and
8. Any additional information required by rule of the State Board.

School district that enrolls fewer than two thousand students, a district charter school, or an institute charter school may submit a simplified application.

Application Review Criteria

The Department and the State Board shall consider the following in recommending and selecting the LEPs to participate in the pilot program:

• The percentage of students enrolled by the LEP in grades nine through twelve who are reasonably expected to participate in innovative learning opportunities;
• The quality of the ILP and the likelihood that it will result in meaningful innovative learning opportunities that will significantly support students in their transition from high school to postsecondary education or the workforce; and
• The degree to which the innovative learning plan aligns with at least two principles for student learning and transition specified by the Education Leadership Council, or meets the research-based design principles.

Education Leadership Council Principles

LEPs can design their ILP to align with at least two of the following principles by ensuring that the ILP provides students with:

• Intentionally inclusive and culturally responsive educational opportunities that prepare learners of all backgrounds to thrive at every critical transition from early childhood and through careers;
• Multiple viable postsecondary pathways that are explored and valued by all;
• The opportunity, supported by adults, to direct their own learning experiences to develop essential skills; and
• Robust career and workforce readiness opportunities, in and out of school, including during the summer break, that are informed by industry and community to ensure alignment for transition beyond high school

Research-Based Design Principles

An LEP may base the design of its ILP on the following principles by ensuring that the ILP:

1. Impacts a large percentage of the students enrolled by the LEP in grades nine through twelve and significantly improves student outcomes;
2. Builds public trust through transparency, local partnerships and shared learning as evidenced by:

• The number and variety of community partnerships that exist at the time of application and the demonstrated expectation and capacity to create additional partnerships;
• The continuing role that community partners, including institutions of higher education, business, industry and agricultural enterprises will play in developing the innovative learning opportunities;
• The mechanisms that the LEP uses and will use to solicit and share input from teachers, students, parents and other community members; and
• The mechanisms that the LEP uses and will use to share learning with community members

3. Identifies a strong theory of change that justifies why and explains how the proposed ILP is likely to result in a greater number of students participating in effective, meaningful innovative learning opportunities;
4. Describes thoroughly and clearly the plan for collecting the evidence that the LEP will use to evaluate the effectiveness of the theory of change; and
5. Creates a schedule and mechanism for evaluating the collected evidence and committing to adapt in response to trends in the evidence to improve the innovative learning plan.