e-Newsletter
September 3, 2015
Issue No. 51
In This Issue
Upcoming Events & Key Dates
9/10 Executive Committee Meeting
Quick Links


About the Road Map Region Race to the Top Grant
In 2012, seven King County, Washington, school districts joined forces and won $40 million in federal Race to the Top funds over four years. The participating school districts are Auburn, Federal Way, Highline, Kent, Renton, Seattle and Tukwila. The districts dubbed themselves The Road Map District Consortium, a reference to their participation in the Road Map Project, a community-wide effort in South Seattle and South King County to drive major educational improvement with a focus on personalized learning.

Dear  ,

The third annual High School and Beyond Leadership Institute was held recently, and it was a huge success!  In addition, the Road Map Region Race to the Top Executive Committee approved preliminary awards of $750,000 in Investment Funds for Project 8 (College and Career Readiness) as part of the third round of awards to the seven districts participating in the Consortium. Finally, a study has been published on ELL students in the Road Map region.   
Wins for Road Map
Race to the Top! 
3rd Annual High School and Beyond Leadership Institute Held!

The third annual High School and Beyond Leadership Institute was held August 18-20 at Green River College Kent Campus. 50 school counselors, College and Career Specialists, CTE Directors, Family Engagement and Equity Directors, and College and Career Readiness leaders from each of the Road Map districts gathered for a three days of diving into postsecondary enrollment and FAFSA data and making plans for the coming year. Participants evaluated and discussed their data, including dreams for how the future would look for students in schools and districts. This included a focus on the opportunity gap and eliminating it. Each district set a FAFSA goal based on its current FAFSA completion rates, with a plan to increase it next year. Parents and students also participated and provided feedback on districts' and schools' current and proposed activities as well as their College and Career readiness in general. A regional FAFSA goal for the Road Map region will be set based on the district goals.
Continuing Commitment to Help Students "Stay Strong"

The Executive Committee for the Road Map Region Race to the Top recently issued preliminary awards of $750,000 to support college and career readiness for students in the Road Map consortium. This was the third round of awards to districts participating in the consortium.

A total of $3.75 million has been awarded through Project 8 (College and Career Readiness), in three rounds of awards.  The first round of awards totaled $1.5 million, the second round totaled $1.5 million, and the final round totaled $750 thousand, which included the following awards:
  • Auburn: Systematic Implementation of College and Career Readiness, $107,504
  • Highline: Ninth Grade Support, $226,487
  • Kent: AP Participation, College Bound Student, $59,560
  • Renton: International Baccalaureate Expansion and Family Support, $201,258
  • Seattle: College Bound Student Outreach and Support, $45,218
  • Tukwila: Get Ready, Get Out, Get In (AP Enrollment, Graduation, College Entrance), $110,200
Please see our website for more information on Stay Strong activities. Congratulations to the awardees!
Study Published on ELL Reclassification
A study of Road Map districts has found that it took almost four years for elementary school English-language learners (ELLs) to develop proficiency in the language. Researchers followed nearly 18,000 ELL students in the Road Map region. This study helps inform our Race to the Top goal of closing opportunity gaps for ELL students.

Participating students entered Kindergarten between the 2000-01 and 2007-08 school years, and entered a Road Map Project district elementary school at any time between the beginning of Kindergarten and the end of 5th grade. Students required 3.8 years to achieve English proficiency, on average. Over the course of the study, almost 20 percent of students did not score high enough on the state exam to be reclassified. Between 2005 and 2013, Washington State experienced a 70 percent increase in the number of ELL students. Almost a quarter of the Washington's ELL students are enrolled in the Road Map districts-Auburn, Federal Way, Highline, Kent, Renton, Seattle, and Tukwila. More than half of the ELL students in those districts fail to graduate on time. More information can be found on the Education Week blog, or please see the Regional Education Laboratories Northwest study.
Please visit the Race to the Top Website!
Please remember to share the Road Map Region Race to the Top website with friends and colleagues! We regularly update content and add new resources. To access the website click here!
Stay Tuned!
Thank you for taking the time to read the Road Map Region Race to the Top grant e-newsletter! The next e-newsletter is planned for late-September. Click "Join Our Mailing List" on the left to receive future e-newsletters!

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