This editorial from the LA Times has me scratching my head. It makes it sound like California made a deal with the Department of Education regarding its RTT application.
The claim is that ED has agreed to consider CA's application even if the state only has a couple districts signing on.
First, ED would have to consider any application that came in as long as it met the one requirement (no data fire wall). Second, ED has gone out of its way to not tell states whether any specific activity would improve or worsen its chances of winning. Third, even if ED made a claim in either direction, the peer reviewers still get to do the scoring.
If CA wants to have a strong application targeted to only the boldest LEAs, so be it. It will lose a certain amount of points per the application criteria for lack of district buy-in, but it may pick up those points elsewhere.
Unless something fishy is going on?and I can't imagine there is?I think either the state or the LA Times is probably off base.
?Andy Smarick