Title I School Improvement 1003(a)

Title I School Improvement 1003(a)

FY13 Request for Proposals

Dr. Jorea Marple

State Superintendent of Schools

West Virginia Department of Education

Grant Overview

No Child Left Behind 1003(a) Funding: Section §1003(a) of the No Child Left Behind Act authorizes funding to the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) to assist in addressing the needs of Title I schools identified for improvement. Funds may be utilized by the identified Title I schools to: 1) create a positive climate conducive to student learning; 2) improve teaching and learning in English Language Arts and Mathematics; 3) encourage the utilization of data (including growth data) to inform educational decision making and 4) create a system of continuous improvement. With the exception of schools implementing a school improvement 1003(g) grant, Title I schools that have been on improvement for 2 or more years during the past 5 years will be eligible to apply for a school improvement 1003(a) grant [SIG 1003(a)] for an amount ranging from $30,000 to $70,000 to support school improvement initiatives. The funding period for these SIG 1003(a) grants will by January 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014. The ending liquidation date will be October 31, 2014.

Grant Eligibility and Award Process: Applicants eligible to participate in the application process include 22 West Virginia Title I schools identified for improvement during two or more of the last five years as indicated on the List of Eligible Schools. A grant writing workshop will be provided to encourage the development of high quality grant proposals and to provide technical assistance to support each applicant in applying for a grant. Final decisions for funding of awards are based upon the recommendation of the application review committee and approved by the State Superintendent of Schools.

Eligible Schools:

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Title I School Improvement 1003(a)

Phillippi Elem. (Barbour)

Brookview Elem. (Boone)

Clay Middle (Clay)

Doddridge Middle (Doddridge)

Mt. Hope Elem. (Fayette)

Petersburg Elem. (Grant)

Moorefield Int. (Hardy)

Nutter Fort Int. (Harrison)

Ripley Elem. (Jackson)

North Jefferson Elem. (Jefferson)

Cedar Grove Elem. (Kanawha)

Bluefield Int. (Mercer)

Keyser Prim./Mid. (Mineral)

Mason Dixon Elem. (Monongalia)

Mountainview Elem. (Monongalia)

Mountain View Elem. (Monroe)

Cherry River Elem. (Nicholas)

Kingwood Elem. (Preston)

BU Academy Elem. (Upshur)

Short Line School (Wetzel)

Jefferson Elem. (Wood)

Van Devender Middle (Wood)

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Title I School Improvement 1003(a)

Purpose: The purpose of the SIG 1003(a) grant award is to support the goals as identified in each school’s five year strategic plan including addressing the specific subject area(s) and subgroup(s) causing the school to be identified for improvement. School improvement initiatives supported with this funding should not be considered an add-on to current school programs, but should align with and support each school’s five year strategic improvement plan.

School-Based Decision Making: Change is more likely to be effective and enduring when those responsible for implementation are included in the shared decision-making process (*Scribner, Sawyer, Watson & Myers, 2007). Therefore, in order to promote effective and lasting change, the school leadership team must be involved in the planning and development of the grant with input from all pertinent staff members – those who will be implementing the grant’s activities.

*Scribner, J., Sawyer, K., Watson, S. & Myers, V. (February, 2007). Teacher teams and distributed

leadership: A study of group discourse and collaboration. Educational Administration

Quarterly. 43 (1), 67-100.

Grant Application

General Information

1.  Each local education agency (LEA) is fiscally responsible for the Title I School Improvement 1003(a) grant. Therefore, applications are to be submitted by county superintendents. The signature of the county superintendent and the county Title I director are required.

2.  The school improvement team must be involved in the development of the grant with input from all pertinent staff members.

3.  All proposals must be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word using at least a 12 point font.

4.  The number of allowable pages is restricted to the indicated amount in each proposal requirement section. Grant reviewers will not be required to review pages that exceed page restrictions.

5.  Questions concerning the grant are to be addressed to Melanie Purkey at or (304) 558-7805.

6.  The school’s proposal must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, November 30, 2012 in order to be considered for review. Proposals are to be submitted electronically to:

Elizabeth McCoy - Secretary III, Office of Federal Programs

Pre-Submission Checklist

All sections of the grant have been adequately addressed:

□ Application Cover Page

□ Background

□ Data Analysis and Statement of Need

□ Proposal Description (including Logic Model)

□ Evaluation (including Evaluation Matrix)

□ Budget/Coordination of Resources

Proposal requirements have been followed:

□ Page limitations have been followed and the font size is at least 12 point.

□ The county superintendent and Title I director have signed/dated the proposal.

Grant Proposal Requirements

1. Application Cover Page

The attached completed cover page is the first page of the Title I School Improvement 1003(a) grant proposal.

2. Background (10 points) – maximum of 3 pages

Provide a brief description of current school improvement efforts in terms of:

a.  Teaching and Learning:

i.  How is your school implementing and preparing to implement the Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives (Common Core)?.

ii.  How is your school using the WESTEST2 Growth Data to inform teaching and learning with specific attention to closing achievement gaps for specific subgroups?

iii.  How is your school implementing Support for Personalized Learning to address the needs of all learners?

b.  Improvement Processes:

i.  Describe your school leadership team (membership, meeting structures and accomplishments).

ii.  Describe the structure of your school’s collaborative teams and how the leadership team supports their work.

iii.  If your school is a pilot or demonstration for the new Education Evaluation System, describe how your school is utilizing this process to focus on improved student learning.

If your school is not yet involved in the new Education Evaluation System, describe how your school’s staff members are setting goals to improve student learning.

c.  Culture and Climate.

i.  Describe your school’s efforts to improve culture and climate to create shared educational beliefs and values, establishes high expectations and create an engaging and orderly atmosphere to foster learning for all.

ii.  Describe the services that are provided at your school, or through collaborative partnerships with other agencies/organizations, that address student physical, social/emotional and academic growth and form positive connections with families and the community.

iii.  Describe how your school is actively engaging parents in supporting student success.

3. Data Analysis and Statement of Need (15 points) – maximum of 2 pages

Clearly describe the need for reform using current and relevant student achievement and other pertinent school data from the Five Year School Strategic Plan. Specifically address the particular subject(s) and subgroup(s) causing the school to be identified for improvement. This section may include a priority listing of data analysis from sources such as state test measurements, local measurements, attendance, graduation rate, WV Writing Assessment, Instructional Practices Inventory (IPI), discipline, surveys, teacher certification and experience, etc.

Include vertical and horizontal data analysis through your collaborative teams looking at specific groups or subgroups of student achievement with regard to (1) Teaching and Learning, (2) Improvement Processes and (3) Culture and Climate. Reflect on the accomplishments of your leadership and collaborative teams over the past three years and describe what focus areas you have achieved or not been able to achieve. As a collaborative team, reflect upon the strategies that have made a positive impact on your school and also the obstacles to accomplishing your improvement goals.

4. Proposal Description (45 points) – maximum of 6 pages

Provide a brief narrative summary of the proposal that your school will implement with this grant. Remember, Title I School Improvement 1003(a) funding is designed to supplement existing school improvement efforts. For this reason, all goals and objectives for this proposal must align with your school’s Five Year Strategic Plan. These funds may be used to address objectives and/or activities that already exist in your Strategic Plan but are not currently funded/adequately funded or they may be used to implement new objectives and/or activities that align with your existing goals.

Provide the specific details of your proposal within the Logic Model template on page 9.

Goals – In order to assure alignment, select targeted Strategic Plan goals that address the needs identified in Section 3 to be the focus for this Title I School Improvement 1003(a) grant proposal.

S.M.A.R.T. Objectives - Develop S.M.A.R.T. objectives for accomplishing each selected goal.

Specific / Indicates who and what; contains an action verb
Measurable / Outlines how much change is expected and how that change will be measured
Achievable / Can be realistically accomplished given current resources and constraints
Relevant / Addresses the scope of the program and proposes reasonable programmatic steps toward goals
Time-bound / Provides a timeline for meeting goals

Strategies and Activities - Outline planned strategies and activities for each of your S.M.A.R.T. objectives. Selected activities and strategies should address the needs identified in your data analysis. Planned activities should also include, but not be limited to, high-quality, sustained and research based professional development opportunities that include all school staff (collaborative teams) and, as appropriate, parents and additional stakeholders. If Collaborative Teams professional development is needed, please include plans for that in this section.

5. Evaluation (15 points) – maximum 2 pages

Provide a brief narrative description of how the LEA and school staff will evaluate the implementation, progress, and results of the SIG 1003(a) goals(s) and objectives identified in section 4 of the grant proposal. The evaluation must reflect a “balanced” approach – a combination of formative (implementation and progress) and summative (outcome) evaluation. This narrative should also clearly articulate your plan for how evaluation data will be used for program adjustment and improvement.

Within the Evaluation Matrix on page 10, include: 1) clearly stated evaluation criteria and indicator(s), and 2) a description of how data will be gathered and analyzed and by whom.

6. Budget/Budget Narrative (15 points) – no page limit

Complete all required columns noted on the Budget Form (page 11) including budget codes, a description of budget items, item cost and cost from identified coordinated resources. Technology and professional development expenses must be indicated on the provided budget form (or a similar form containing the same information). Include a budget narrative that describes any broad term items indicated on the budget form (e.g., materials, supplies, professional development, technology, equipment, travel).

The budget and the budget narrative must be representative of the contents of the proposal description and clearly focused on increasing student achievement.

WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

TITLE I 1003(a) SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT GRANT (FY13)

APPLICATION COVER PAGE

County______School______

School Address______

School Phone______Fax______

Principal______E-mail______

Lead Teacher #1______E-mail______

Lead Teacher #2______E-mail______

County Title I Director______E-mail______

Superintendent Signature______Date______

Title I County Director Signature______Date______

Provide a summary of the school’s proposed Title I SIG 1003(s) grant program:

______

TITLE I SIG §1003(a)

Insert narrative pages for the following sections:

2. Background – maximum of 3 pages

3. Data Analysis and Statement of Need – maximum of 2 pages

4. Proposal Description – maximum of 6 pages including the Logic Model template

5. Evaluation – maximum 2 pages including the Evaluation Matrix

6. Budget/Budget Narrative – no page limit

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Title I School Improvement 1003(a)

TITLE I SIG 1003(a)

LOGIC MODEL DEVELOPMENT

Goal :

Objectives
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound / Activities
What we do to achieve objectives/goals / Inputs (Resources)
Human, financial, technology, etc. resources needed for activities / Outputs (Process Outcome Targets)
Tangible/direct products of activities that lead to desired outcomes / Outcomes (Predicted program goals)
Short/medium/long-term desired results of activities / Indicator/ Data Source
Indicators to measure implementation, progress, and success

PAGE MAY BE REPLICATED AS NEEDED

Evaluation Plan Matrix

Objective / Source of data/Indicator / Responsible person (s) / Evaluation Timeline
Instrument development / Data collection / Data analysis / Reporting

PAGE MAY BE REPLICATED AS NEEDED

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Title I School Improvement 1003(a)

TITLE I SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT 1003(a) GRANT FY13

BUDGET

5 DigitProgram Function Code / 3 Digit Object Code / Description / Amount from
this School Improvement
Grant / *Amount from other
Funding Sources
(Specify Funding Source)
Total Budget

*Identify and explain the sources for amounts listed in this column in the budget/coordination of resources section of the proposal.

PAGE MAY BE REPLICATED AS NEEDED

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