BCPS is Awarded Innovative School Systems Grant (ISSG) by Center on Reinventing Public Education and Walton Family Foundation
School System Innovation Grant Program supports systems committed to bold, durable change
October 30, 2023 – Bullitt County Public Schools announced today that it has been selected as one of only eleven school systems nationwide to participate in the The Innovative School Systems Grant (ISSG) program, a new initiative by the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) and the Walton Family Foundation to support public school systems that are proposing bold ideas to transform student learning.
This nine-month program will support system operators in piloting their transformative idea and advancing their readiness to drive systems change around a clearly defined issue.
Bullitt County recognizes that the current accountability and assessment system provides a singular source of information as it currently exists: it does not reflect our community’s values, priorities, or needs, and teachers cannot provide authentic assessments that will ignite a joy for learning under the current model. In response to this, BCPS is building a competency-based assessment system tied to its Graduate Profile that reframes assessment as a "learning journey" and not a final destination. This new system will evolve instructional practices and teacher use of assessments, provide students opportunities to demonstrate mastery in new ways, and shift how the community sees the purpose and metrics of successful schooling. BCPS will support teachers and schools in creating local assessment measures grounded in a district-wide "benefits mindset" and connect them to high quality teaching practices. Over the next year, Bullitt will train a new cohort of approximately 100 teachers in BCPS' Graduate Profile competencies and innovative teaching practices, help previously trained teachers to create performance indicators and serve as lab host classroom teachers, and pilot their assessment model in at least one school.
The grant will provide $125,000 in funding to BCPS to refine, plan and pilot this program. The ISSG program will also provide additional support and capacity building through qualified technical assistance providers.
“We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to apply for and now receive the funding to scale up our district’s implementation of authentic learning experiences and innovative assessment practices. This will allow us to provide support for staff and students to pilot and embed our BCPS Graduate Profile competencies in the classroom connected to academic standards,” says BCPS Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Adrienne Usher.
In the wake of the Covid pandemic, the need for systemic change in the U.S. education system has become more apparent than ever. The ISSG program is committed to disrupting systemic inequities at their root and providing resources to design and implement lasting solutions that enhance the quality of education for all students.
One of the unique aspects of this grant program is its emphasis on selecting school systems that are willing to address contextual and policy barriers that have hindered change in the past, and to anchor their solutions in collaboration with their community.
“We are excited to partner with school systems that are committed to making bold, transformative changes to the way we educate our students,” said CRPE’s Director, Robin Lake. “We believe that this program can be a catalyst for real change and help ensure that all students are ready for a new future.”
CRPE will study and share broadly about the progress of participating school systems, including how readiness factors and support can aid the scaling and sustainability of bold ideas to create a more equitable education system. This research process will be dynamic, learning alongside school systems and other key stakeholders and co-constructing early findings with grant participants. CRPE will publish learnings through a blog series and summative final report, and will share publicly accessible tools that reflect data collected from the entire 11-school grant cohort.
To learn more about the ISSG and other winners, click here!