EXCELerator

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EXCELerator is a school improvement model developed with the College Board. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation agreed to fund a five-year pilot project with a $16 million grant. For the 2006-2007 school year, a total of eleven schools were selected in three large urban districts where the graduation rate was well below the national average and minority enrollment was above 50%.^[1]

Contents 1 Participants 2 Key Elements 3 Expected outcomes 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Participants

The initial districts and schools chosen were:

Washington, D.C. Cardozo High School Wilson High School H.D. Woodson High School .

Jacksonville Lee High School Terry Parker High School Sandalwood High School Wolfson High School .

Chicago John F. Kennedy High School Morgan Park High School Roosevelt High School The Al Raby School for Community and Environment

For the 2007-2008 school year, sixteen additional schools were selected, for a total of 27.^[2]
The phase II districts and schools included:

Denver South High School Lincoln High School Thomas Jefferson High School . North High School

Jacksonville First Coast High School Raines High School Ribault High School Jackson High School .

Chicago Curie Metropolitan High School Simeon Career Academy Hubbard High School Clemente High School

Tampa East Bay High School Leto High School Middleton High School Plant City High School

[edit] Key Elements

1. Extensive use of data to inform and drive teaching, learning, and assessment;
2. Counseling and advisory programs that support early college planning and preparation
3. Promote rigorous academic programs with an enriched & accelerated college preparatory curriculum and increasing the literacy levels of underachieving students;
4. Developmental supports to create a more personalized learning environment;
5. Strengthen professional development and instructional leadership among teachers and administrators, extensive and on-going.^[3]

Programs for Rigor & High Expectations	Programs for Access & Opportunity	Programs for Inspiration for Hearts & Minds
Advanced Placement	PSAT/NMSQT®	CollegeEd®
SpringBoard™ Math & ELA	AP Potential™	MyRoad™
College Board Standards for College Success™	SAT Readiness Program™	AVID®
SAT Reasoning Test™	Professional Development for Guidance Counselors	District Coach
Pre-AP Initiatives™	Training in Curriculum Writing
Leadership Training	Training in Data Analysis
	Master Schedule Training

[edit] Expected outcomes

• Higher academic achievement including Advanced Placement courses and reduced achievement gaps across subgroups
• Increased high school graduation rates and reduced dropout rates
• Better college-readiness and decreased need for remediation in college
• A school culture focused on college readiness for all students and greater student engagement with challenging, meaningful content
• A national school improvement model for deep and lasting systemic change that can be widely and quickly disseminated^[4]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The College Board website
• The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation