REQUEST FOR APPLICATION
Kentucky Department of Education
Office of career and technical education
Biomedical Sciences Career Pathway Grant
Deadline Date
4:00 P.M. (EST) on Monday,December 8th, 2014
/ RFA Issued By
Office of Career and Technical Education
Address Questions In Writing To:
Procurement Branch
Deadline for Submission of Questions:
12:00 Noon (EST) –
Tuesday November 18th, 2014 / Submit Applications To:
Procurement Branch
Comments/Special Instructions:
1. To be eligible for a Biomedical Sciences Career Pathway Grant, the local Education Agency (LEA) must be a registered Project Lead The Way (PLTW) site or should review the PLTW STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Agreement (located at the PLTW Website at http://www.pltw.org) and register their school district and school(s) no later than Fall, 2015.
2. Each school shall develop a business plan (completion of the application components listed on page 3) for all PLTW Biomedical Sciences programs for a minimum duration of 5 years.
3. Schools previously receiving Biomedical Sciences grants and/or other PLTW State grants are eligible for this grant funding at a reduced level for sustainability. The exception will be schools that have received the Implementation Grant and two or more Sustainability Grants.
4. A high school and a middle school(s) may submit a joint application when considered with implementation grant.
5. KDE reserves the right to waive minor technical deficiencies.
6. Priority will be given to applications that identify matching funds that address specific program needs, other than teacher salaries.
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Kentucky Department of Education
Office of career and technical education
“PLTW/BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES CAREER PATHWAY”
Background
Kentucky legislation provides funding to both the Council on Postsecondary Education and the Kentucky Department of Education to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education initiatives throughout the state. The high school PLTW Biomedical Sciences program has been identified as a STEM initiative for which funding is provided to establish and support this effort. This Request For Application (RFA) will allow local school districts to apply for a grant to establish and sustain existing PLTW/Biomedical Sciences Career Pathway initiatives for secondary students to enter postsecondary related programs and related careers.
Funding
The overall grant process has been developed for Biomedical Sciences Career Pathway high schools with different funding levels in three phases.
· High School program:
o Implementation Grant will be the first phase that will allow a school with an approved program to apply for a grant of approximately $50,000.
o First Time of Sustainability is phase two that will allow a school with an approved program to apply for a grant of approximately $15,000.
o Second Time of Sustainability is the third and final phase that will allow a school with an approved program to apply for a grant of approximately $5,000.
A school that received a sustainability grant in 2013-14 will only be eligible to apply for the Second Time Sustainability for 2014-15.
If school districts choose to implement the PLTW/Biomedical Sciences Career Pathway in partnership with area technology centers or community/technical colleges, they may allocate a portion of the grant funds to these agencies. Such allocation must be allocated and reported to KDE.
If you have a question regarding the amount you are eligible to apply for, please send an email to the address on the cover.
Eligibility
Any schools who have previously received Kentucky Bio-Medical Pipeline grants and/or other PLTW state grants are eligible to apply with the exception of an individual school that has received an Implementation Grant and two or more Sustainability Grants. Refer to the levels of grant opportunities stated in the prior Funding section for schools that have received previous grants. An applicant school shall provide a Bio-Medical career pathway which includes the following components:
1. The opportunity for students to participate in Bio-Medical related internships or cooperative education with Medical industries or postsecondary education.
2. Matching funds that shall be allocated to directly support the implementation of the program, which may include other state, federal, local, or nonpublic sources, within the uses and conditions set forth by the source of those funds. Previously awarded Bio-Medical initiative state grants and local matches shall not be considered as matching funds for this program.
Allowable Use of Funds
1. Laboratory equipment necessary for PLTW Biomedical Sciences Pathway instruction
2. Computers and/or computer upgrades
3. Computer software required by PLTW Biomedical Sciences
4. Participation Fees
5. Laptop computer for the instructor
6. Travel expenses and registration fees for teachers and school administrator, including counselors, to attend required conferences and training.
7. Resources and professional development for integrating Bio-Medical sciences activities in the curriculum.
8. Biomedical Sciences related instructional materials and equipment
General Requirements
1. Teacher Availability/Certification -- Applicant must have available or be willing to hire qualified teachers with proper certifications to teach PLTW Biomedical Sciences Courses at the high school level. (See Attachments)
2. High School Program -- Applicant must commit to implementing the PLTW Biomedical Sciences four (4) course sequence.
3. Instructional space for the high school laboratory should be a minimum of 1700 square feet.
4. Applicant must commit to the terms of the PLTW STEM Agreement.
5. All high school programs will be required to have an affiliated Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) chapter.
6. Schools will provide annual student information through PLTW’s systemic evaluation process.
7. Schools will register students to allow data, testing and information to be conducted.
8. Schools will use PLTW End–of-Course assessments.
9. State Grant funds shall not be used to maintain, renovate, or build facilities or pay teacher salaries, but local district expenditures for these purposes may be included as matching funds.
10. Fiscal Status Reports are to be submitted May 1st 2015 and October 25th 2015 to the Office of Career and Technology Education.
11. Annual Program Evaluation Reports on the implementation plan that outlines the project accomplishments related to the project need, objectives, and outcomes to be submitted May 1st 2015 and October 25th 2015 to the Office of Career and Technology Education.
Application Components
The following must be included in the application. Failure to include any of the components below will deem your application non-responsive. Applications deemed non-responsive will not move forward in the evaluation process.
a. An overall program growth plan with annual growth percentages defined. The plan shall provide a thorough description of how students with differences in race, ethnicity, social class and gender will be recruited to the PLTW/Biomedical Sciences classes and how continuous guidance and advising will be provided to ensure student success and academic achievement. The plan must also address how parents will be informed and included in this process.
b. A thorough description of how the biomedical sciences career pathway is established in the school district to support the K-12 students. The plan must also outline and discuss all postsecondary agreements that may lead to course articulations and/or dual credit through various biomedical sciences career pathways.
c. A thorough description of reasonable measures the school district will take to follow and ensure the progress of each of the PLTW Biomedical Sciences students throughout the student’s participation in the program.
d. A description of how local business partners support the PLTW Biomedical Sciences program in terms of concept, implementation, finances, sustainability, and student success.
e. Descriptions of how the applicant will continue the PLTW Biomedical Sciences program beyond state grant funding.
f. A description of the degree to which program objectives are to be met, specific methods and criteria used for evaluation, and the assessment used to determine that outcomes are met.
g. Budget summary form.
h. Budget narrative detailing expenses in the budget summary form. Priority will be given to applications that identify matching funds that address specific program needs, other than teacher salaries.
Formatting Requirements
1. Pages limits are
a. Narrative (application component 2 items a, b, c, d, e, f listed above) – 4 pages
b. Timeline (application component 2 item g listed above) – 1 page
c. Budget Summary Form – 1 page
d. Budget Narrative – 1 page
· Information written beyond the page limits will not considered in scoring.
2. All pages must be single-sided.
3. Text must be in either Times New Roman, Arial or similar 12 point font and be double-spaced. Do not use condensed or narrow versions.
· Text contained within charts/graphs may be Times New Roman, Arial or similar10 point font.
· Bullets may be single-spaced; however, they should not be used excessively.
4. All pages of the application should have side and top margins of one inch.
Intent to Apply
In order to secure an adequate number of grant reviewers, please send an email no later than Monday, November 3, 2014 to if you intend to submit an application. You should include the district name, contact name, address, e-mail and phone number. This email submission is for planning purposes only and does not obligate you to submit an application.
Submission of Application
The Kentucky Department of Education must receive, in its email inbox, the application by December 8, 2014 at 4:00 PM (EST). Applications received after this time and date will not be reviewed or considered for award. Furthermore, applications not complying with any technical requirements may be deemed non-responsive. Blind copies should not contain any identifying information (i.e., district name, school name, county, individual names, etc.). Applications with identifying information will be deemed non-responsive. It is the district’s responsibility to check the KDE Competitive Grants webpage regularly for new information (including changes) regarding this solicitation. Applicants are responsible for contacting the Kentucky Department of Education confirming the receipt of their application.
1. Scan the completed application in its entirety, including all signatures, to PDF format. Save the original application as PLTWBM-FY15-District-School Name-Original. (For example: Franklin County High School in Franklin County would save the original application as PLTWBM-FY15-Franklin-Franklin Co HS-Original.)
2. Scan the completed blind application it its entirety to PDF format. The blind copy should not contain identifying words or names of people, districts, counties, or schools. The cover page does not need to be scanned for the blind copy. Save the blind application as PLTWBM-FY15-District-School Name-Blind. (For example: Franklin County High School in Franklin County would save the blind application as PLTWBM-FY15-Franklin-Franklin Co HS-Blind.)
3. Email to
q The date/time on the received email must be on or before 4:00 PM (EST), December 8, 2014.
q On the subject line of the email, type PLTWBM/name of district/name of school.
q If at all possible, send both attachments in the same email and label the original application attachment PLTWBM-FY15-District-School Name-Original. (For example: Franklin County High School in Franklin County would save the original application as PLTWBM-FY15-Franklin-Franklin Co HS-Original.) and the other attachment PLTWBM-FY15-District-School Name-Blind. (For example: Franklin County High School in Franklin County would save the blind application as PLTWBM-FY15-Franklin-Franklin Co HS-Blind.) If necessary, the application may be sent in parts. ALL PARTS MUST BE RECEIVED-DATE/TIME STAMPED-BY THE DEADLINE of December 8, 2014 by 4:00 PM (EST).
q Keep in mind that email coming in to the Kentucky Department of Education is routed for security purposes through multiple networks and servers. Allow ample time for this and the possibility that email is not always received on the first try.
q Applications not received by the deadline will not be reviewed or considered for award.
q Blind copies should not contain any identifying information (i.e., district name, school name, county, individual names, etc.). Applications with identifying information will be deemed non-responsive.
Technical Assistance:
A Grant Writing technical assistance session will be held Friday, November 7, 2014 in Frankfort at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Attendance is encouraged due to changes in the grant document. Please notify KDE by email at by Monday, November 3, 2014 to let us know your intentions to attend.
Evaluation of Application
A committee consisting of persons knowledgeable in the grant description will review applications based on the extent to which the following criteria are met. The Kentucky Department of Education reserves the right to consider demographic and programmatic diversity as factors in the selection of applications and to negotiate the budget with funded applicants.
*In order for applicants to be eligible receive funding:
· Score sheets are submitted by reviewers
· Score sheets are tallied by the KDE Procurement Branch and schools are rank-ordered (highest to lowest).
· District awards are dependent upon the rank score as well as available money.
· The application must receive a minimum score of 70% overall AND a minimum score of 17 points for #4 – Sustainability - listed below.
*Ties will be broken based upon the average score of sustainability section.
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PLTW/Bio-Medical Sciences Career Pathway Grant Review – Scoring Rubrics
Section / Point Range / Excellent – Very Good / Good - Fair / Poor - Inadequate1) Introduction / 0-5 / Introduction is well written, what the program will look like, how many children will be served, and why is it needed. Includes the partners, geographic areas to be served, and priority area addressed (if applicable). It is well written, detailed, and clearly understood.
Points: 5-4 / Includes partners, geographic areas to be served, and priority area addressed (if applicable). Can be understood.
Points: 3 or 2 / Does not include partners and/or geographic areas; or is missing altogether. Difficult to comprehend.
Points: 1 or 0
2) Industry Partnership Team and Collaboration / 0-5 / Details on the partners, their roles and responsibilities, and how partners will communicate are provided in a clear and complete manner. Identifies clearly how local business partners support the Bio-Medical Science program in terms of concept, implementation, finances and sustainability and student success. The collaboration appears authentic. It is clear that this program will complement existing K-12 programs.
Points: 5-4 / Details on the partners, their roles and responsibilities, and how partners will communicate are provided. Identifies how local business partners support the Bio-Medical Science program in terms of concept, implementation, finances and sustainability and student success. It appears that this program will complement existing K-12 programs.