Proposed Changes to the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge

This month the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services released proposed changes to future Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge competitions, which would be limited to states that have not already received a RTT-ELC grant.

For the most part, the requirements proposed by ED and HHS are identical to previous rounds. But there are five main changes, two of which have to do with the competition’s priorities.

The topics of the proposed priorities for future competitions are essentially the same as the first round. (These include: promoting school readiness for children with high-needs; including all early learning programs in quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS); understanding the status of children’s learning and development at kindergarten entry; sustaining improved early learning outcomes through the early elementary grades; and encouraging private-sector support.) In future rounds, however, the departments have discretion on which priorities they select and the weight each priority is assigned. For example, in the first RTT-ELC competition, “Sustaining Program Effects in the Early Elementary Grades” was an invitational priority, which means it did not earn an applicant any extra points. It appears that in future competitions, this could be elevated to a competitive (optional and point-earning) or absolute (required) priority. Under the changes to RTT-ELC priorities, the departments propose:

1.    Simplifying the scoring of the kindergarten entry assessment priority. In previous rounds, this was a competitive priority and applicants had two options to address it. In future rounds, applicants would have to earn a score of at least 70 points under the following selection criterion: “understanding the status of children’s learning and development at kindergarten entry.” States would have to explain how they are already able or plan to do this.

2.    Renaming and revising the priority designed to build upon early learning outcomes during PreK-3^rd grade. The new priority would be called “creating approaches to sustain improved early learning outcomes through the early elementary grades.” To meet this priority, the states must have a plan to improve the quality, alignment and continuity of teaching and learning in PreK-3^rd. The departments adjusted the list of activities states could do to meet the priority. Among the additions:

a.    Implementing teacher preparation and professional development programs that focus on building PreK-3^rd grade teachers’ knowledge of developmental science, instructional strategies and content;

b.    Fostering collaboration both within and between early learning programs and elementary schools to improve transitions for children from birth through third grade; and

c.    Building or enhancing data systems to monitor the status of children’s learning and development from PreK-3^rd grade to support student progress.

The departments would also reduce the grant amounts available to states. In the first round, depending on the state and its share of young children from low-income families, grants ranged from $50 million to $100 million. In future rounds, grants would range from $37.5 million to $75 million.

Because federal funding for state Early Childhood Advisory Councils ended in 2012, the departments propose eliminating the eligibility requirement for states to have an operational council, making it to a program requirement instead. This means that the councils do not have to be up and running at the time of the application, but applicants would need to explain their plan to maintain or reinstate a council at least throughout the duration of the grant.

Comments on the proposed changes can be submitted through June 19.