DEPARTMENT: Pre-K 4 SA
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Sarah Baray, Ph.D.
COUNCIL DISTRICT(S) IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
Amendment to the Professional Services agreement with HighScope Educational Research Foundation for professional development services
SUMMARY:
This item requests Board action to approve an amendment to the Professional Services agreement with HighScope Educational Research Foundation to increase the contract value by $340,000.00, which would amend the current contract value from $600,000.00 to $940,000.00, to provide HighScope professional development services to partner districts and programs through the 2020-2021 school year.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Pre-K 4 SA has adopted the HighScope approach as its instructional framework for guiding high-quality instruction in the classroom and professional learning for all teaching staff. On April 18, 2017, the Board approved a three year agreement HighScope Educational Research Foundation for an amount not to exceed $350,000.00. On December 10, 2018, the Board approved a one year extension of the contract term through the 2020-2021 school year, and an increase of $250,000.00 to the contract value for a total of $600,000.00 for the term of the contract.
To achieve the goal of systematically creating a comprehensive, high-quality early learning system in San Antonio, Pre-K 4 SA’s Competitive Education Grants funds school districts to expand or enhance educational opportunities for four-year-olds in San Antonio, especially programs that target underserved students. Pre-K 4 SA has adopted and supports grant awardees’ use of the HighScope approach as its instructional framework for guiding high-quality instruction in the classroom and professional learning.
For the past three years, Pre-K 4 SA has offered the HighScope Preschool Curriculum Course (PCC) training to its own teachers, ensuring that teachers who complete the program are equipped to implement the HighScope Preschool Curriculum with fidelity, which in turn improves classroom instructional quality. Last year, Competitive Grant awardees were invited to participate in the PCC training course for the first time. One school district elected to participate, with a cohort of 14.
For school year 2020-2021, six Competitive Grants awardees have proposed implementing the curriculum in nearly 40 classrooms. This represents a significant increase in the number of teachers requiring professional learning. Pre-K 4 SA will use the contract capacity increase to coordinate the professional learning component for awardees, thereby maintaining a low per-teacher professional learning cost for awardees and its own teachers.
ISSUE:
This item requests Board action to approve an amendment to the Professional Services agreement with HighScope Educational Research Foundation to increase the contract value by $340,000.00, which would amend the current contract value from $600,000.00 to $940,000.00, to provide HighScope professional development services to partner districts and programs through the 2020-2021 school year.
ALTERNATIVES:
If the Board does not approve the amendment to increase the contract value, Pre-K 4 SA will not be able to assist partner districts with implementing the HighScope curriculum to increase the quality of their early learning programs and will need to consider other options, likely yielding less effective instructional practices.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This item requests Board action to approve an amendment to the Professional Services agreement with HighScope Educational Research Foundation to increase the contract value by $340,000.00, which would amend the current contract value from $600,000.00 to $940,000.00. Funding for this agreement is available in the Fiscal Year 2021 Pre-K 4 SA Operating Budget.
RECOMMENDATION:
Pre-K 4 SA staff recommends Board approval to amend the Professional Services agreement with HighScope Educational Research Foundation to increase the contract value by $340,000.00, which would amend the current contract value from $600,000.00 to $940,000.00, to provide HighScope professional development services to partner districts and programs through the 2020-2021 school year.