RSEC, working with the National Center for Innovation in Education at the University of Kentucky, has been asked to determine the cost impact of applying a competency-based education system to high schools across the country. This study seeks to understand the impact of allowing students, across a great variety of school systems, to complete competency earlier or later rather than based on a system that promotes them through a four-year course of study.

UPDATE: This study has been completed and resulted on both an Evidence and a Financial Change report . See both in our Portfolio.

Led by Executive Director Michael Goetz, RSEC and Picus Odden and Associates are performing an Adequacy study of Kentucky’s school finance system: Adequacy for Excellence. This study will include a State Comparative Analysis and an adequacy analysis. Through spring 2014, an array of KY stakeholders will guide the study towards a school finance model that provides for college and career ready students in the Common Core State Standards age. Funding: Council for Better Education.

Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, RSEC will complete work on the Resource Alignment:  Spending Money Smartly project. Specifically, RSEC will complete a search of resource allocation tools (e.g. software-based programs, processes, and frameworks) that offer districts a medium by which to analyze current fiscal allocation, consider other fiscal allocation strategies, and in the end assist them in realizing their district-specific goals. Funding:  Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Working with Lawrence O. Picus and Associates, RSEC is a partner in performing Equity, Adequacy and School Resource Studies for the Maine Office of Program Evaluation & Government Accountability. These studies seek to analyze whether 1) Maine meets traditional equity standards of school funding, 2) the Essential Program and Services (EPS) formula provides adequate resources for all students to achieve proficiency in the Common Core Standards, and 3) the current spending patterns and instructional strategies in high academic growth schools exhibit similarities. Funding:  Maine Office of Program Evaluation & Government Accountability.

Working with the Fort Bent and Calhoun County Plaintiffs, Lawrence O. Picus and Associates, in partnership with RSEC, will create a school finance funding model for Estimating the Cost of an Adequate Education for Texas School Districts Using the Evidence-Based Approach. This model and the accompanying final report served as evidence in the plaintiff’s trial. Funding:  Fort Bent Plaintiffs and Calhoun County Plaintiffs in Texas Taxpayer and Student Fairness et al. v. Texas.