Notice of Grant Opportunity
Mathematics and Science Partnership Program
Year Two
17-MS14-G07
Kimberley Harrington
Acting Commissioner of Education
Laura Morana
Acting Chief Academic Officer
Division of Teaching and Learning
February 3, 2017
CFDA 84.336B
Application Due Date: March 30, 2017
NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O. Box 500
Trenton, NJ 08625-0500
http://www.state.nj.us/education
9
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
MARK W. BIEDRON ……….……………………………………… Hunterdon
President
JOSEPH FISICARO…………………………………………………. Burlington
Vice President
ARCELIO APONTE...... Middlesex
RONALD K. BUTCHER ………………………………………….. Gloucester
JACK FORNARO….………………………...……………………. Warren
EDITHE FULTON …………………………………………………. Ocean
ERNEST P. LEPORE ……..………………………….……………. Hudson
ANDREW J. MULVIHILL ………………………………………… Sussex
Kimberley Harrington, Acting Commissioner
Secretary, State Board of Education
It is a policy of the New Jersey State Board of Education and the State Department of Education that no person, on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, age, sex, handicap or marital status, shall be subjected to discrimination in employment or be excluded from or denied benefits of any activity, program or service for which the department has responsibility. The department will comply with all state and federal laws and regulations concerning nondiscrimination.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
When responding to this Notice of Grant Opportunity (NGO), applicants must use the Electronic Web Enabled Grant (EWEG) online application system. See http://homeroom.state.nj.us/ to access this system. Please refer to the web page for the NGO at http://www.nj.gov/education/grants/discretionary (click on available grants) for information on when the EWEG application will be online.
SECTION 1: GRANT PROGRAM INFORMATION PAGE
1.1 Description of the Grant Program 4
1.2 Eligibility to Apply 6
1.3 Federal Compliance Requirements (DUNS, SAM) 7
1.4 Statutory/Regulatory Source and Funding 7
1.5 Dissemination of This Notice 8
1.6 Technical Assistance 9
1.7 Application Submission 9
1.8 Reporting Requirements 10
1.9 Assessment of Statewide Program Results 10
1.10 Reimbursement Requests 11
SECTION 2: PROJECT GUIDELINES PAGE
2.1 Project Design Considerations 13
2.2 Project Requirements 14
2.3 Budget Design Considerations 18
2.4 Budget Requirements 18
SECTION 3: COMPLETING THE APPLICATION PAGE
3.1 General Instructions for Applying 22
3.2 Review of Applications 22
3.3 Application Component Checklist 23
APPENDIXES PAGE
Appendix A: Documentation of Eligibility 24
Appendix B: Documentation of Collaboration 25
Appendix C: Nonpublic Equitable Participation Summary and 26
Affirmation of Consultation Form
Appendix D: Mathematics and Science Partnership Resources 27
Appendix E: Supplemental Budget Development Guidelines 28
& Instructions
SECTION 1: GRANT PROGRAM INFORMATION
1.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE GRANT PROGRAM
In January of 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) became law. The Improving Teacher Quality Grant Programs (Title II) are a major component of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Title II, Part B of NCLB authorizes the Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSP) program. The purpose of MSP is to improve the academic achievement of students in the areas of mathematics and science by encouraging State educational agencies, institutions of higher education, local educational agencies, elementary schools, and secondary schools to participate in programs that:
A. improve and upgrade the status and stature of mathematics and science teaching by encouraging institutions of higher education to assume greater responsibility for improving mathematics and science teacher education through the establishment of a comprehensive, integrated system of recruiting, training, and advising mathematics and science teachers;
B. focus on the education of mathematics and science teachers as a career-long process that continuously stimulates teachers' intellectual growth and upgrades teachers' knowledge and skills;
C. bring mathematics and science teachers in elementary schools and secondary schools together with scientists, mathematicians, and engineers to increase the subject matter knowledge of mathematics and science teachers and improve such teachers' teaching skills through the use of sophisticated laboratory equipment and work space, computing facilities, libraries, and other resources that institutions of higher education are better able to provide than the elementary schools and secondary schools;
D. develop more rigorous mathematics and science curricula that are aligned with challenging State and local academic content standards and with the standards expected for postsecondary study in engineering, mathematics, and science; and
E. improve and expand training of mathematics and science teachers, including training such teachers in the effective integration of technology into curricula and instruction.
A major goal for the New Jersey Department of Education’s Division of Teaching and Learning is to increase the capacity of schools to successfully implement the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (NJSLS-S) and the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Mathematics (NJSLS-M). This work begins by insuring that all teachers of science and mathematics understand the shifts inherent in the standards and their impact on teaching, learning, and assessment. To advance this goal, the New Jersey Department of Education is offering MSP funds to mentor regional cohorts of Science or Mathematics Ambassadors (ambassadors) who will provide training and technical support for teachers in their school and region.
The eligible candidates for Year Two of this continuation grant are the nine institutions of higher education, and their partner local education agencies, that were competitively awarded funding in Year One. These eligible institutions of higher education are Kean University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Raritan Valley Community College, Stockton University, Rider University, Rowan University, Rutgers - Camden, Rutgers - New Brunswick, and Stevens Institute of Technology.
The New Jersey Department of Education will award approximately $1,659,623 in MSP Continuation Grants. A total of nine awards will be made. Each award will be funded up to a maximum request of $184,402.
The funding will be awarded to regional partnerships. Each partnership will support adequately prepared ambassadors to pilot professional development activities. The professional development that is planned and executed by the ambassadors must be consistent with the current literature on effective professional development for mathematics or science teachers. Ambassadors who need additional support before they are prepared to provide professional development will be provided with that support.
A. Ambassadors dedicated listserv: This listserv shall be maintained to support communication among the New Jersey Department of Education and the ambassadors.
B. Ambassadors Digital Community: The ambassadors will have access to a free social collaboration site where files are stored, group communication facilitated, and a group calendar is maintained. The platform will be used mainly for file storage but may also benefit from using the group calendar. Other free social collaboration tools may also be considered.
Funds available for the MSP competitive grant program will be awarded by the Department of Education to support proposals submitted by eligible partnerships that provide programs to improve mathematics or science teaching and learning. The Department of Education has established a two-year project using federal funds, as follows:
· Year One, July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017 and
· Year Two, July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018;
Each project funded in Year One is eligible to apply for continued funding in Year Two. Eligibility is contingent upon the availability of Title II Part B funds as well as adequate progress in attaining stated goals and objectives and effective program and fiscal management.
1.2 ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY
The Math Science Partnership (Year Two) is a continuation grant open to those institutions of higher education that were lead agencies and funded in Year One. An eligible partnership is one that demonstrates deep and mutual engagement in the development and delivery of the professional development project. MSP projects must be comprised of:
· Applicant: Science faculty, Science Education faculty or the Mathematics faculty, or Mathematics Education faculty from an Institution of Higher Education (IHE) that will serve as the applicant lead agency and
· a consortium of schools that include at least one Priority, Focus, or other Title I school.
Additional partners may include:
· Schools that are not identified as a Priority, Focus, and/or Title I Schools,
· Informal education organizations (e.g., museums, science centers, environmental education centers, etc.),
· Businesses, and
· Non-profit or for-profit organizations concerned with science and mathematics education.
MSP funds are intended to support the development and operation of partnerships between IHEs and LEAs. Leadership from each member of the consortia of LEAs as well as the IHE faculty must jointly plan and support the project. All members of the consortia are responsible for the success or failure of the project. Proposals that cannot provide evidence of collaborative planning will not be funded.
Applicants must upload the following documents.
· Appendix A: Documentation of Eligibility
· Appendix B: Documentation of Collaboration
· External Evaluation Plan
1.3 FEDERAL COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS (DUNS, SAM)
In accordance with the Federal Fiscal Accountability Transparency Act (FFATA), all grant recipients must have a valid Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and must also be registered with the federal System for Award Management (SAM), the successor to the federal Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. DUNS numbers are issued by Dun and Bradstreet and are available for free to all entities required to register under FFATA.
· To obtain a DUNS number, go to http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/
· To register with the SAM database, go to www.sam.gov
Applicants are required to submit their DUNS number and expiration date of their SAM registration as part of the EWEG application using the appropriate EWEG tab (contacts) and must certify that they will ensure that their registration will remain active for the entire grant period.
Applicants must also print the “Entity Overview” page from their www.sam.gov profile (which displays their DUNS number and street address with ZIP+4 code), and upload a scan of the page using the UPLOAD tab.
FFATA Executive compensation disclosure criteria
In the preceding fiscal year, if an applicant:
· Received at least $25,000,000 in annual gross revenues from federal awards; and,
· If at least eighty (80) percent of the applicant’s annual gross revenues came from federal awards;
then the applicant is required to disclose the name and total compensation of the five (5) most highly compensated officers of the applicant as part of the grant application.
This information is to be entered using the appropriate EWEG tab (contacts). The term “federal award” includes federal contracts, sub-contracts, grants, and sub-grants.
No award will be made to an applicant not in compliance with FFATA.
1.4 STATUTORY/REGULATORY SOURCE AND FUNDING
The U.S. Department of Education´s Mathematics and Science Partnerships program is administered by the Academic Improvement and Teacher Quality Program (AITQ) in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Title II, Part B. The goal of the MSP program is to improve academic achievements of elementary and secondary students in mathematics and science by increasing instructional quality.
The applicant’s project must be designed and implemented in compliance with all applicable state and federal regulations. The MSP Grant is 100% funded under Title II Part B of NCLB, P.L. 107-110, CFDA 84.366B.
The NJDOE will award approximately $1,659,623 in MSP Continuation Grants for the Performance Period of July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. Each award will be funded up to a maximum request of $184,402 Final awards are subject to the availability of Mathematics and Science Partnerships funds.
The grantee is expected to complete the goal(s) and objectives laid out in the approved grant application, complete implementation activities established in its grant agreement, and make satisfactory progress toward the completion of its approved action plan. Failure to do so may result in the withdrawal by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) of the grantee’s eligibility for the continuation of grant funding. The Department of Education will remove ineligible, inappropriate or undocumented costs from funding consideration.
1.5 DISSEMINATION OF THIS NOTICE
The New Jersey Department of Education will make this notice available to the eligible institutions of higher education, county superintendents, and principals of Priority, Focus, and Title I Schools.
Additional copies of the NGO are also available on the NJDOE web site
(http://www.nj.gov/njded/grants/discretionary/) or by contacting the New Jersey Department of Education at 100 River View Executive Plaza, Building 100, Route 29, P.O. Box 500, Trenton, NJ 08625-0500; telephone (609) 984-7453, fax (609) 292-7276.
1.6 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
The Department of Education will not provide a Technical Assistance Workshop. Technical assistance for the Year Two NGO will be provided via telephone, email, or individually scheduled meetings. Current MSP grantees may contact the New Jersey Department of Education (609) 984-7453 with any questions they may have. E-mail inquiries may be directed to Michael Heinz, MSP Program Officer, at .
1.7 APPLICATION SUBMISSION
The NJDOE administers discretionary grant programs in strict conformance with procedures designed to ensure accountability and integrity in the use of public funds and, therefore, will not accept late applications.
The responsibility for a timely submission resides with the applicant. The Application Control Center (ACC) must receive the complete application through the online Electronic Web Enabled Grant (EWEG) system at http://homeroom.state.nj.us no later than 4:00 P.M. on March 30, 2017. Without exception, the ACC will not accept, and the Office of Grants Management cannot evaluate for funding consideration, an application after this deadline. Running the consistency check does not submit the application. When the consistency check runs successfully, a submit button will appear.
Each eligible applicant must have a logon ID and password to access the system. IHE applicants should contact Please allow 24-48 hours for the registration to be completed. Questions regarding access to EWEG may be directed to .
Applicants are advised to plan appropriately to allow time to address any technical challenges that may occur. Additionally, applicants should run a consistency check at least 24 hours before the due date to determine any errors that might prevent submission of the application. Applicants are advised not to wait until the due date to submit the application online as the system may be slower than normal due to increased usage. Please note that the EWEG system will be closed at 4:00 PM on the due date.
Questions regarding EWEG may be directed to .
Complete applications are those that include all elements listed in Section 3.3, Application Component Checklist of this notice. Applications received by the due date and time will be screened to determine whether they are, in fact, eligible for consideration. The Department of Education reserves the right to reject any application not in conformance with the requirements of this NGO.