Excellence in Performance Grant
SY 2016-2017
Introduction and Updates
P.L. 213-2015 (HEA 1001-2015) allocates $2 million through the Excellence in Performance Grant program (“grant”) to public school corporations and public charter schools (“LEAs”) to make cash awards to teachers serving in Title I Focus and Priority schools that are rated Highly Effective per the local staff performance evaluation system that meets the requirements established by Indiana Code (“IC”) 20-28-11.5. Grant funding may not be used for any purpose other than distributing cash awards to eligible teachers based on a Highly Effective rating for the 2015-2016 school year.
Program Description
The Excellence in Performance Grant program (“grant”) promotes the support, development, and retention of the most effective teachers serving in the state’s highest-need schools. In recognition of the impact of teacher leadership on building instructional capacity and ultimately increasing student achievement, the grant specifically encourages the development of career pathways as well as provides retention incentives for Highly Effective teachers serving in Title I Focus and Priority schools.
Application Information
The grant is competitive and will be scored by multiple reviewers for each section completed in the application. Grant awardees will be selected based on state statutory and regulatory compliance as well as the quality of the LEA’s staff performance evaluation system in terms of its ability to: accurately differentiate teacher effectiveness; support, develop and retain Highly Effective teachers; and ultimately drive student performance. The LEA must determine the award amount that each Highly Effective teacher will receive for each component. The Indiana Department of Education (“department”) will send award notifications during the second semester of 2016-2017 school year.
All applications must be submitted electronically as a single document to by 4:30 p.m. EST on March 15, 2017. Late submissions will not be accepted and no exceptions will be made. The applicant’s response may be posted on the department’s website if recommended for the award.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this grant?
P.L. 213-2015 (HEA 1001-2015) includes the $2 million Excellence in Performance Grant (“grant”), which is administered by the Indiana Department of Education (“department”) and awarded to public school corporations and public charter schools to pay Highly Effective teachers serving in Title I Focus and Priority schools. The purpose of the grant is to provide funding to high-need schools to support, develop, and retain their most effective teachers. The funds are available for allotment by the budget agency after approval by the state board of education and review by the state budget committee.
Who is eligible to receive this award?
All public school corporations and public charter schools (“LEAs”) are eligible to apply on behalf of their Highly Effective teachers serving in leadership roles and/or for a retention incentive in Title I Focus and Priority schools.
How much money will each Highly Effective teacher receive?
The LEA must apply for a specific award amount that each Highly Effective teacher will receive for each component of the grant. Because final grant amounts will depend on many factors, including the size and number of LEAs awarded, it is not possible for the department to determine the total amount available for each award. However, the department is interested in granting awards to LEAs that will have a significant impact on Highly Effective teacher advancement and retention as well as on student achievement.
Which school year’s evaluation ratings do we use to determine the eligible Highly Effective teachers?
Cash awards must be distributed based on the staff performance evaluation results from the 2015-2016 school year.
Are teachers the only personnel eligible to receive the award?
Any person determined by the school corporation to be eligible to receive an award must 1) fit the legal definition of a teacher as noted in IC 20-18-2-22(a) and 2) receive a rating of Highly Effective per a staff performance evaluation that meets all the requirements of IC 20-28-11.5.
What are examples of leadership roles?
Examples of leadership roles to be incorporated in the plan may include, but are not limited to, mentor, school improvement facilitator, professional development facilitator, curriculum developer, peer reviewer and technology integration coach.
Can the award be used to pay for technology or supplies?
No, the award may be used only for payment to Highly Effective teachers as a retention incentive and for their fulfillment of leadership roles.
When will school corporations know if they have been awarded the grant?
After a review of the applications, the department will notify the winners after approval from the state board of education and state budget committee in the spring of 2017. Contracts will be executed by the summer of 2017.
How do I know if our school is eligible?
Please see the attached list of eligible schools for this round of the Excellence in Performance grant. The “Indiana Focus and Priority List 2016-2017 can also be found on our website at: http://www.doe.in.gov/school-improvement/turnaround/priorityfocus-schools.
Application
Excellence in Performance Grant
SY 2016-2017
Section 1: Applicant Information
LEA Information /Corporation Number / Click here to enter text. /
Corporation Name / Click here to enter text. /
Corporation Address (Street, City, State, Zip) / Click here to enter text. /
Corporation Main Office Phone Number / Click here to enter text. /
Name of Title I Focus and Priority School(s) Please list all schools applying for the grant. / Click here to enter text. /
Number of Highly Effective teachers in each Title I Focus and Priority school Please list the number of Highly Effective teachers per school. / Click here to enter text. /
Retention Stipend Amount for Spring 2017 (total) /
Career Pathways Stipend Amount for Spring 2018 (total) /
Superintendent’s Name / Click here to enter text. /
Superintendent’s Email Address / Click here to enter text. /
Federal ID Number / Click here to enter text. /
Grant Author’s Information /
Grant Author’s Name / Click here to enter text. /
Grant Author’s Phone / Click here to enter text. /
Grant Author’s Email / Click here to enter text. /
Section 2: Teacher Advancement and Retention
LEAs must apply for both of the following components:
1) stipends for retention to be paid during the spring semester of the 2016-2017 school year to incentivize Highly Effective teachers to return the subsequent school year; and
2) stipends for the fulfillment of leadership roles to be paid during the spring semester of the 2017-2018 school year based on the development and implementation of career pathways.
Retention
Provide a summary of the proposed plan to use the funds from this grant to reward Highly Effective teachers in order to retain those teachers in the Title I Focus or Priority School for the 2017-2018 school year. This section should include an explanation of the distribution of cash awards and the budget amount requested per teacher for the 2016-2017 school year in order to incentivize retention for the subsequent school year.Click here to enter text. /
Career Pathways
Provide a summary of the proposed plan to use the funds from this grant to compensate Highly Effective teachers for serving in leadership roles during the 2017-2018 school year that will utilize their talents to increase the capacity to develop more Highly Effective teachers to positively impact student achievement. The LEA may apply for an amount to provide pathways for promotion so that teachers have the opportunity to advance in ways beyond leaving the classroom for administrative positions. LEAs must develop specific roles with clearly defined responsibilities—such as those outlined in the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ “Teacher Leadership Competencies”—that address instructional priorities. Targeted roles must be named (e.g., “student data coach”, “professional learning leader”, “culture and climate coach”, “new teacher mentor”) and described. This section should include an explanation of the distribution of cash awards and the budget amount requested per teacher for the 2017-2018 school year after these roles have been fulfilled.Click here to enter text. /
Section 3: Student Achievement and Growth
Click here to enter text. /
Section 4: Sustainability
Provide an explanation of how the LEA will sustain the proposed plan after this round of funding has ended.Click here to enter text. /
Section 5: Success
Provide an explanation of how the LEA will measure the success of the proposed plan.Click here to enter text. /
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