School Redesign Grant

2016-2017 Planning Year

Information & Application Template

Information

About the School Redesign Grant

An Act Relative to the Achievement Gap signed into law in January 2010 established new processes and intervention powers for improving the performance of the lowest performing schools in the state. The U.S. Department of Education provides federal School Improvement Grant (SIG) funds (under Section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) to support this work. Massachusetts refers to this competitive grant process as the School Redesign Grant (SRG.) SRG funding is a mechanism for districts and schools to accelerate dramatic improvement and rapidly improve student outcomes. SRG funded strategies must go beyond incremental school improvement.

About Planning Year Grants

Federal SIG regulations allow districts applying for SRGs in Fall 2016 to apply for a “Planning Year” period of grant funding, three subsequent years of full implementation funding, and an optional fourth year of funding for sustainability activities. The purpose of the Planning Year funding is to support the district and school in activities that will lay the groundwork for successful full implementation of the Turnaround Plan and School Redesign Grant.

Timeline and Next Steps

·  Planning Year grant applications are due to ESE on November 7, 2016. Applications include this completed form and a completed Budget Workbook, available with this RFP posting.

·  ESE will review grant applications, notify districts of awards, and disburse funds in early December 2016. The funding period will be upon approval to August 31, 2017.

·  In April 2017, districts will submit a more detailed application for full SRG implementation funding. Full funding includes three years of implementation beginning in school year 2017-2018, continuing through school years 2018-19, 2019-2020, and an optional fourth year of sustainability activities in 2020-2021.

New Level 4 Schools & Turnaround Plans

Planning Year Activities and Use of Grant Funds

The focus of all planning activities should be directly related to the specific needs of the individual school and the intervention model chosen for the school. Funds may be used for a variety of activities related to school turnaround and for preparing the school to fully implement its Turnaround Plan and/or full School Redesign Grant award. Some examples include:

·  Stipends for teachers to engage in professional development and/or planning time to analyze student data and/or develop improvement strategies through August 2017;

·  Recruitment and retention efforts for school leaders and teachers;

·  Study best practices in school turnaround by visiting successful turnaround schools or conducting independent research of best practices;

·  Engage families and community members in turnaround efforts, including Local Stakeholder Group activities,

·  Engage in a rigorous review process of external partners or educational and/or charter management organizations;

·  Provide remediation and enrichment to students in schools through programs with evidence of raising achievement through August 2017;

·  Identify and purchase instructional materials that are research-based and aligned with State academic standards;

·  Implementation of a school-wide shared instructional model or practice.

Use the application template on the following pages to provide a detailed description of the proposed planning year activities, timeline, and explanation of how those activities will support the school in developing its Turnaround Plan, implementing its chosen intervention model, and improving student achievement.

Support and Resources

ESE is committed to providing support and assistance to districts and schools completing this application. Please contact Amanda Trainor (, 781-338-3551), Erica Champagne (, 781-338-3521), or your District Assistance Liaison with any questions.

In developing the Planning Year grant application, districts and schools should to refer to the following resources:

·  The 2014 Turnaround Practices Report, which identifies four key practices employed by successful Massachusetts turnaround schools.

·  The Turnaround Plan Guidance document for information and recommendations on how to approach thinking about school turnaround and for guidance on completing a data analysis/needs assessment aligned to the four key Turnaround Practices.

·  The “Planning Year Scoring Rubric” (posted with this grant RFP) for information on how this grant application will be assessed.

Application Template

Federal Intervention Model

School Redesign Grant recipients must implement an approved federal implementation model. A summary of each of the requirements of all SRG models is available in the RFP Posting. Full descriptions of all changes to the federal SIG requirements are available in the federal register[1].

Note: Districts and/or schools may change the federal model they choose to implement when applying for full implementation of SRG funding in spring 2017.

Using the list below, identify the chosen federal implementation model.

Turnaround
Transformation
Restart
Closure
Early Learning
Whole School Reform

Planning Year Activities, Timeline, and Rationale

1. Overall Rationale and Key Strategies
Provide a brief description of the overall turnaround approach, rationale for the chosen federal intervention model, and key strategies that will be used to accelerate improvement through the implementation of activities supported through this grant.
<Insert Narrative>
2. Needs Assessment Aligned to Turnaround Practices
Describe how the school and district will conduct a data analysis/needs assessment aligned to the four Turnaround Practices, as described in the Turnaround Plan Guidance document.
<Insert Narrative>
What is the timeline for completing the data analysis/ needs assessment?
<Insert Narrative>
How will the findings of the data analysis/needs assessment be used to identify planning year activities that will lead the overall goal of student academic achievement?
<Insert Narrative>
3. School Leadership
If a school leader has already been identified, describe how the principal has the necessary competencies and experience (such as a proven track record of rapidly advancing student achievement in a low-performing school) to lead a successful school turnaround effort.
If a new principal has yet to be chosen, describe how the district will recruit, screen and select a school leader that has a proven track record of rapidly advancing student achievement in a low-performing school, and identify the timeline for selecting the school leader.
<Insert Narrative>
4. Staff Capacity
Describe how the district and/or school leadership will assess the will and skill of current staff, and describe how any new staff will be recruited, screened and selected, in order to ensure that the right instructional staff are in the right positions to successfully implement turnaround activities. Identify the timeline for assessing current staff and selecting any new staff.
<Insert Narrative>
5. District Support
Describe how the district will support the school. Identify the new or existing district resources, initiatives, technical support, and professional development that will be allocated to and aligned with the needs of the school.
Identify the timeline for activities related to district support of the school.
<Insert Narrative>
6. Stakeholder Engagement
Describe how the district and/or school leadership will meaningfully engage with family and community members in the development of turnaround strategies. Identify the timeline for these engagement activities.
Note: Newly identified Level 4 Schools will complete this requirement through the statutorily-required Local Stakeholder Group process.
<Insert Narrative>
7. External Partners
If applicable, describe how the district and/or school leadership will recruit, screen, and select external providers, how providers will be held accountable for their contributions to the turnaround process.
Identify the timeline for activities related to external providers.
<Insert Narrative>
8. Budget
Complete the budget workbook provided in this grant RFP. Be sure to include a narrative justification for all proposed expenditures aligned to this proposal.

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[1]Federal Register: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-02-09/pdf/2015-02570.pdf