2017MCASPRequestforProposal.pdf

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Grants to Local Educational Agencies for Military-Connected Academic and Support

Programs

(Short Title: MCASP)

Discretionary Grant Program, Request for Proposals (RFP) for Fiscal Year 2017

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 12.556

Summary

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Educational Partnership Program is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2017 for Grants to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) for Military-Connected

Academic and Support Programs (MCASP). To advance to new levels of excellence, DoDEA’s top priority for all military-connected students is College and Career Readiness. DoDEA is committed to ensuring that all military-connected students have access to academic standards that progressively build the conceptual and procedural understanding and application of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions essential for students to successfully meet the high demands of today’s colleges, careers, and citizenship responsibilities. Through the

MCASP, DoDEA collaborates with military-connected LEAs to ensure that students receive the level of preparation required in order to successfully transition to a postsecondary institution offering a degree or certification program or in a career pathway where one can achieve a sustaining career.

The DoDEA Educational Partnership and Resources Branch, which executes the MCASP, provides resources to military-connected school districts to allow for the expansion of existing programs. Additionally, the

DoDEA Educational Partnership funds innovative solutions to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of the highly mobile military-connected students in their community. The MCASP specifically provides resources to military-connected LEAs to develop and implement projects that are designed to:

• Increase academic performance based on College and Career Ready outcomes,

• Support social-emotional needs of military connected students,

• Enhance and integrate technology through instruction and student work; and,

• Promote advanced placement and expanded learning opportunities.

DoDEA’s partnerships with LEAs are intended to meet the needs of the 1.2 million children from military families who are enrolled in public schools throughout the United States.

A. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

INTRODUCTION

The FY 2017 grants to LEAs for Military-Connected Academic and Support Programs (MCASP) are grants that aim to equip LEAs with the resources necessary to successfully implement College and Career Ready

Standards in their classrooms using strategies that address the needs of their military connected students.

Beginning in Pre-K and continuing through grade 12, College and Career Readiness is about preparing students with the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary for successful postsecondary engagement (i.e., life after high school). For the purposes of this grant, College and Career Ready standards are the standards

Application Deadline: Wednesday, May 3, 2017

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defined by your school district that provides the foundation for informing instructional practice and improving curriculum to ensure students are prepared for college and/or career upon high school graduation. College and Career Ready student goals focus on student achievement (results) that are aligned with college and work expectations and internationally benchmarked toward the larger goal of producing a national workforce to stabilize our Nation's economy. Applicants must comprehensively and coherently design their projects with a College and Career Readiness primary focus. Applicants may choose to incorporate up to one secondary focus area in their design. Secondary focus areas for the FY 2017 MSCAP are Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and social-emotional support. All projects should strengthen teacher content knowledge and skills through sustained professional development and encourage integration of technology into the curriculum.

Please note that applicants are required to use the first year of their award as a planning year. During this year, such activities as refining project plans, providing professional development, securing necessary resources and hiring or revising staff positions should occur.

Awards will be made to LEAs on behalf of their eligible school(s). To qualify:

• All participating schools must have a 15 percent or greater military dependent student enrollment.

Although award of funding is contingent upon military dependent student enrollment, it is expected that the proposed programs will serve all students at the target schools. Funding may also target sub-groups of military dependent students, such as students with disabilities (SWDs) and English language learners (ELLs). LEAs may submit only one application on behalf of its eligible schools.

The following two caveats should be noted:

• Program impact on military dependent student subgroups must be demonstrable and measurable.

Districts must be able to disaggregate all outcomes to show military dependent student growth.

• Student support programs must focus primarily on military dependent students and include impacts that are demonstrable and measurable. Districts must be able to disaggregate outcomes for military dependent students.

Definition of Military dependent Student: The term military dependent student is defined as an elementary or secondary school student who is: (i) a dependent of a member of the Armed Forces; (ii) a dependent of a civilian employee of the Department of Defense; or (iii) a dependent of a person who is not a member of the Armed Forces or a civilian employee of the Department of Defense but who is employed on

Federal property.

Authorization: Section 574 (d) of P.L. 109-364, as amended; 10 U.S.C. Section 2192, Improvement of education in technical fields: general authority regarding education in science, mathematics, and engineering and 10 U.S.C. Section 2193a, Improvement of education in technical fields: general authority for support of elementary and secondary education in science and mathematics.

EXPECTATIONS

This grant program is limited to the funding of research-based strategies that provide direct services to military dependent students. All applications must include direct services that at a minimum address College and Career

Readiness.

Research-based strategies: DoDEA supports research-based programs that aim to increase student

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achievement through the implementation of College and Career Ready (CCR) standards. Research-based strategies:

▪ Are not limited to a research-based curriculum, but may be teaching and learning strategies that are integrated at all content and grade levels.

▪ Include both established and innovative programs.

Direct services to support military dependent College and Career Readiness: With regard to College and Career

Readiness, LEAs must employ strategies with demonstrated effectiveness in increasing student achievement.

Increasing student achievement must be demonstrated through comparisons to a reference point, such as statewide standards and/or normative groups. Strategies to support military dependent College and Career Readiness can include sustainment of advance placement programming, tutoring programs, in-class support programs, and extracurricular activities. Within this context, projects may include research-based programs that promote

CCR or provide extended learning opportunities.

Direct services to support military dependent STEM engagement: With regard to STEM, LEAs must employ strategies with an emphasis on STEM. The project should demonstrate an increase in exposure of military dependents students’ to STEM. Strategies to support STEM engagement include offering rigorous STEM courses, in-class support programs, and extracurricular activities.

Direct services to support military dependent social and emotional needs: Support programs must employ strategies that address the social-emotional needs of military dependent students. These projects should demonstrate an increase in the number of military dependent students served and improved social-emotional wellbeing. Strategies to increase the number of military dependent students served include the use of military counselors, peer support groups, parent/community engagement programs, and behavior management programs.

Grant funds must be used for programs that directly support the student, and cannot be used for programs that only support family/community members.

FOCUS AREAS AND PRIORITIES

For the FY 2017 grant program, there is one primary focus area and two secondary focus areas. Applicants must include the primary focus area in their submission. Applicants can choose to include up to one secondary focus area in their project design. Applicants are not required to address a secondary focus area and may choose to only address the primary focus area in their submission without scoring penalty. The application may also target a sub-group, such as military dependent with severe disabilities.

Primary Focus Area: College and Career Readiness: Projects include direct services to outcomes in some academic area (e.g., English, including English language learning, math, reading, science, social studies, and career technical education courses). If the grant application does not include either of the Secondary Focus

Areas, the application may have up to 3 goals within the Primary Focus Area. Applicants may apply for one subject area in 3 different grade levels (e.g. elementary, middle, and high school) or you may include 1-3 subject areas (e.g. math, science, and English) in one grade level or a combination of subjects and grade levels that determine your 3 goals. The intent is to encourage effective approaches using academic curricula and resources to improve all student outcomes, with a focus on military dependent student subgroups. All projects must include professional development opportunities to prepare teachers for using the materials and instructional strategies needed to achieve intended outcomes.

Secondary Focus Area 1: STEM engagement: Projects include direct services to increase access and/or achievement in STEM. Projects include strategies to infuse STEM principles throughout the curriculum and across content areas. All projects must include professional development opportunities to prepare staff for using the materials and strategies needed for effective STEM engagement.

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Secondary Focus Area 2: Support for military dependent students’ social-emotional wellbeing: Projects include direct services to address the challenges and issues faced by military dependent students who are in the process of transitioning to new schools and/or whose families are preparing for deployment. The intent is to encourage effective approaches led by a staff that is knowledgeable about the challenges and concerns of military dependent students. All projects must include professional development opportunities to prepare staff to meet the needs and ameliorate the challenges and issues faced by military dependent students using materials and support strategies that foster social-emotional wellbeing.

In addition, there are two competitive preference priorities:

Competitive Preference Priorities:

• New applicants: Applicants may receive 5 additional points if the LEA has never previously received a DoDEA grant award.

• High Military dependent Student Enrollment: Applicants who include at least one participating school with 75 percent or more military dependent student enrollment may receive 2 additional points.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Funding Opportunity Title Grants to Military-Connected Local Educational

Agencies for Academic and Support Programs

(MCASP)

Due Date for Applications Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Anticipated Total Available Funding $30 Million

Estimated Number of Awards 30

Award Amount Per LEA $250,000 - $1,500,000 (See Funding Formula)

Project Period Approximately Five (5) years

(September 1, 2017 thru May 31, 2022)

Eligible Applicants

The LEA must have:

o 15 percent or greater military dependent student enrollment in all participating schools.

The LEA may submit only one application on behalf of its eligible school(s).

Technical Assistance Webinar March 27, 2017

Contact Information DoDEA Grant Program Office grants@hq.dodea.edu

571-372-6026 mailto:grants@hq.dodea.edu

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C. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Any LEA may apply on behalf of its military-connected schools. To be included in the grant:

All participating schools must have 15 percent or greater military dependent student enrollment.

Schools with a military dependent student enrollment of less than 15 percent for the 2016-17 School Year are not eligible to apply.

The funding formula is based ONLY on the number of military dependent students at eligible school(s).

Number of Military dependent

Students at Target School(s)

Award Amount

(Total for 5 years)

250 or fewer $250,000.00

251 - 500 $500,000.00

501 - 750 $750,000.00

751 – 1,000 $1,000,000.00

1,001 – 1,250 $1,250,000.00

1,251 or greater $1,500,000.00

Current DoDEA grant recipients are eligible to apply.

All grants will have a project performance period ending date of May 31, 2022.

Grantees are required to use the first year of the grant (2017-18) as a planning year.

D. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

FUNDING REQUIREMENTS

Indirect costs: Indirect costs are costs incurred for a common purpose benefiting the LEA in a capacity more than grant execution. According to OMB Circular A-21, indirect costs are “costs that cannot be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project, an instructional activity, or that cannot be directly assigned to such activities relatively easily with a high degree of accuracy.” Specifically, indirect costs may include extraordinary utility consumption or the cost of materials supplied from stock or services rendered by specialized facilities. For example, the salaries of administrative and clerical staff should normally be treated as indirect costs. Applicants must indicate the rate at which their indirect costs have been calculated on their detailed budget and provide a description of the indirect costs in their budget narrative. Indirect cost for this funding opportunity will be capped at 5% per project year. Applicants are not required to allocate indirect costs for this funding opportunity (See Appendix B).

Cost sharing: Cost-sharing or the matching of funds is not required for this funding opportunity.

Personnel: Up to 25 percent of the total Federal funds may be allocated to full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. The term, full-time equivalent (FTE), usually refers to fully benefited positions. For grant purposes, the funding category, Personnel, includes FTE and non-FTE positions/costs. Examples of non-

FTE personnel costs include stipends for teachers, wages for afterschool tutors, and the cost of substitute teachers. FTE and non-FTE positions must be clearly delineated on the detailed budget (See Appendix B) as well

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as on your budget narrative. Your budget narrative must also include the rate of pay for substitutes in your district, if the detail budget indicates any stipend expenses.

Fringe benefits: Fringe benefits are defined as costs in the form of employer contributions or expenses for social security, employee life, health, unemployment, and worker’s compensation insurance, as well as other similar benefits for employees who are expected to work solely on this grant. The overall cost of each type of benefit to include the percentage rate at which it is paid must be listed in the applicant’s detailed budget (See

Appendix B).

Contractual: During the life of the grant, grantees are required to fund project evaluation. DoDEA requires that first time awardees allow no more than 4 percent of grant funds be spent on a third-party evaluator. Returning grantees are permitted to allow no more than 3 percent of grant funding to be spent on a third-party evaluator. The third-party evaluator must not be a current employee of the LEA. Contractual services such as consultants for professional development must be clearly delineated on the detailed budget

(See Appendix B).

Equipment: Equipment is defined in Title 2 of the Code of Federal Regulations at part 200 (2 CFR 200)

Section 313 as “tangible, nonexpendable, personal property having a useful life or more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000.00 or more per unit.” An applicant is expected to be familiar with the management requirements and disposition of equipment as listed in the 2 CFR part 200 Section 313, if the applicant chooses to acquire equipment for grant implementation. Equipment must be listed on the applicant’s detailed budget by quantity and price per unit item (See Appendix B). Applicants are not required to have equipment for this funding opportunity.

Supplies: Materials and supplies costs, including costs of computing devices, must be listed on the applicant’s detailed budget by quantity, price per unit item, and website where pricing can be verified. (See Appendix B).

Grant meeting: Applicants are required to add a $4,500.00-line item to their Year 1 budget to cover the costs of the mandatory grant post award meeting. As a condition of accepting the grant award, a three-person team is required to attend the post award meeting. The project director, third-party evaluator, and a staff member

(preferably a business/finance LEA staff member) are required to attend this meeting, which is expected to occur in October 2017. Any remaining funds not expended for the post-award meeting may be reallocated to other grant expenditures. Budget changes may or may not require prior approval from DoDEA depending on the total amount of the reallocation. (Upon award acceptance, see Grant Terms and Conditions for guidance.)

Other: Food and beverage costs, with the exception of subsistence costs associated with authorized travel, are not allowable. Pre-award costs such as costs incurred prior to the start date of the period of the performance of the award, such as registration fees, subscriptions and warranties are allowable. In the event that the applicant does not receive a grant award and incurs pre-award costs, the applicant will be solely responsible for paying such costs and the Government will not be held liable for reimbursement.

APPLICATION PACKAGE

The application package and required documents are available for download at the Grants.gov website:

www.grants.gov. Applicants may also request to receive an application package via email by writing DoDEA at grants@hq.dodea.edu. However, all applications must be submitted electronically via www.grants.gov. A confirmation email will be sent to applicant via grants.gov upon successful submission. Failure to receive a confirmation means that the application has not been properly submitted.

Technical assistance: In an effort to help applicants develop high-quality proposals, DoDEA has scheduled an http://www.grants.gov/

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optional technical assistance webinar for LEAs. A recording of the webinar and copies of corresponding materials will be available online at www.dodk12grants.org after March 29th. In addition, applicants are encouraged to consult Appendix C of this RFP, which provides answers to the most frequently asked questions about the program.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. (ET)

1. Please dial in to the audio portion of the webinar:

a. Dial-in: 877-226-9607

b. Conference ID: 9790239915

2. Join the webinar here: http://meetingconnect.adobeconnect.com/grant/

a. Type your name

b. Select “Enter Room”

REQUIRED APPLICATION COMPONENTS

Applications must include the required items listed below, which should be submitted together as a single document. Failure to submit all required documents will result in an ineligible rating and non-consideration.

Only one application per LEA will be accepted.

1. Cover page: The cover page must include contact information, names of military installations served, focus areas, enrollment data, and authorized signature. (See Appendix A.)

2. Abstracts: A 100-word abstract is required. Abstracts must include a clear and concise overview of the project’s name, goals, and direct service strategies.

3. Table of Contents: Proposals must include an accurate Table of Contents.

4. Project Narrative: The project narrative must not exceed 30 pages (excluding supporting documents and appendices), and should address all sub-sections, I-VII. (See SUBMISSION

REQUIREMENTS below for formatting guidelines.)

5. Supporting documents: Supporting documents should include needs assessment data, résumés of key personnel, and a bibliography. Memorandums of understanding/agreements may be included.

6. SF 424 (Standard Form 424 Mandatory): The Application for Federal Assistance form is required.

Please note: Electronic signatures are not acceptable. Signatures must match name of printed responsible party.

7. SF 424A (Standard Form 424A): The Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs form is required. All sections of this form must be completed. Totals should match applicant’s detailed budget.

8. Budget Table: Proposals must include a detailed budget. This document must clearly explain all grant expenditures in order to determine the allocability and reasonableness of costs (to include price per unit item, Salary, and fringe benefit percentage rates listed separately within the Description field).

Cost sharing [any in-kind] contributions to this project must be outlined on the applicants detailed budge t (see Appendix B).

9. SF 424B (Standard Form 424B): The Assurances for Non-Construction Programs form is required.

http://www.dodk12grants.org/ http://meetingconnect.adobeconnect.com/grant/

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Please note: Electronic signatures are not acceptable. Signatures must match name of printed responsible party.

10. Certifications: Applicants must complete the Certification Regarding Lobbying form as well as the

Certification regarding Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters. Please note: Electronic signatures are not acceptable. Signatures must match name of printed responsible party.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applications are due Wednesday, May 3, 2017 by 11:59 PM (ET). All applications must be submitted electronically via www.grants.gov . Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Applicants should follow the standards set forth below:

▪ A page is 8.5'' x 11'', one side only, with 1'' margins at the top, bottom, and sides.

▪ Single space all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.

▪ Use a 12-point font; titles may be larger; charts may use a 10-point font.

▪ Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial. Applications submitted in any other font (including Times Roman or Arial Narrow) may not be considered.

Please visit www.grants.gov as soon as possible to review submission procedures and helpful hints and ensure that your application is received in a timely manner and accepted without errors. NOTE: DoDEA staff cannot provide technical assistance on the use of Grants.gov.

• REGISTER EARLY: Grants.gov registration may take five or more business days to complete. You may begin working on your application while completing the registration process, but you cannot submit an application until all of the registration steps are complete.

• SUBMIT EARLY: We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the last day to submit your application. Grants.gov will put a date/time stamp on your application and then process it after it is fully uploaded. The time it takes to upload an application will vary depending on several factors, including the size of the application, the speed of your Internet connection, and the time it takes

Grants.gov to process the application. If Grants.gov rejects your application, you will need to resubmit it again successfully by 11:59:00 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, May 3, 2017.

• VERIFY SUBMISSION- You will want to verify that Grants.gov and DoDEA receive your Grants.gov submission and that it was validated successfully. To see the date/time your application was received, login to Grants.gov and click on the Track My Application link. For a successful submission, the date/time received should be earlier than 11:59:00 p.m. EST on the deadline date, AND the application status should be: Validated, Received by Agency, or Agency Tracking Number Assigned. If the date/time received is later than 11:59:00 p.m. Washington, D.C. time, on the deadline date, your application is late.

If your application has a status of “Received” it is still awaiting validation by Grants.gov. Once validation is complete, the status will change either to “Validated” or to “Rejected with Errors.” If the status is

“Rejected with Errors,” your application has not been received successfully. Some of the reasons

Grants.gov may reject an application can be found on the Grants.gov site:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html If you discover that your application is late or has been rejected, please see the instructions below. Note: You will receive a series of confirmations both online and via e-mail about the status of your application. Please do not rely solely on email to confirm whether your application has been received timely and validated successfully.

• Submission Problems – What should you do? If you have problems submitting to Grants.gov before the closing date, please contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or use http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-faqs.html

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the customer support available on the Web site:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html Electronic submission is required. You must submit an electronic application before 11:59:00p.m.

• Helpful Hints When Working with Grants.gov: Please go to http://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant_help.jsp for help with Grants.gov. For additional tips related to submitting grant applications, please refer to the Grants.gov Submit Application

FAQs found on the Grants.gov at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html.

(PLEASE NOTE: DoDEA staff cannot provide technical assistance on the use of Grants.gov.)

Unique entity identifier (same as DUNS number) and System for Award Management (SAM):

Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal awarding agency that is excepted from those requirements under 2 CFR § 25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal awarding agency under

2 CFR § 25.110(d)) is required to: (i) Be registered in SAM before submitting its application; (ii) provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application; and (iii) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency. The Federal awarding agency may not make a Federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the Federal awarding agency is ready to make a Federal award, the Federal awarding agency may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal award to another applicant.

E. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The Project Narrative [to include all sections] may not exceed 30 pages in length. The Project Narrative must describe, in sufficient detail, how the project will be implemented and include the Evaluation Criteria in Sections I-

VII below. The application will be reviewed and scored according to the quality of the responses to the requirements in Sections I-VII. Applicants will also be reviewed based on their history of performance, including timeliness of compliance with applicable reporting requirements, conformance to the terms and conditions of previous Federal awards, and if applicable, the extent to which any previously awarded amounts will be expended prior to future awards.

Section I: Overview Materials (Materials in this section are required but are not scored)

The purpose of this section is to provide needed information on your district, schools, and military dependent students.

Cover page:

The cover page must include all contact information, names of military installations served, focus areas, enrollment data for the district as well as participating schools, and an authorized signature (see Appendix A for a template).

Abstracts:

A 100-word abstract is required. Abstracts must include a clear and concise overview of the project’s name, goals, and primary strategies.

Table of Contents:

Proposals should include an accurate table of contents.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html https://web2.westlaw.com/find/default.wl?mt=Westlaw&db=1000547&docname=2CFRS25.110&rp=%2ffind%2fdefault.wl&findtype=L&ordoc=983690539&tc=-1&vr=2.0&fn=_top&sv=Split&tf=-1&referencepositiontype=T&pbc=1FE8E2F6&referenceposition=SP%3ba83b000018c76&rs=WLW15.01 https://web2.westlaw.com/find/default.wl?mt=Westlaw&db=1000547&docname=2CFRS25.110&rp=%2ffind%2fdefault.wl&findtype=L&ordoc=983690539&tc=-1&vr=2.0&fn=_top&sv=Split&tf=-1&referencepositiontype=T&pbc=1FE8E2F6&referenceposition=SP%3b4b24000003ba5&rs=WLW15.01 https://web2.westlaw.com/find/default.wl?mt=Westlaw&db=1000547&docname=2CFRS25.110&rp=%2ffind%2fdefault.wl&findtype=L&ordoc=983690539&tc=-1&vr=2.0&fn=_top&sv=Split&tf=-1&referencepositiontype=T&pbc=1FE8E2F6&referenceposition=SP%3b5ba1000067d06&rs=WLW15.01

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Section II: Needs Assessment (15 points total)

The purpose of this section is to justify the need for the proposed project. Applicants should therefore demonstrate the extent of need with existing military dependent student data. Data should reflect the factors of underlying need, as well as justify the project’s focus and professional development plan (e.g., formative assessments, surveys of staff capacities, review of existing infrastructure, etc.). Applicants must demonstrate that they have the capacity to track and disaggregate results for the military dependent population. Reviewers will use the rubric included below to score applications.

States the need and uses data to support it (4 points)

• Includes data on student achievement (i.e., state, LEA and/or project schools) for all students and military dependents; and data on military dependent student need for increased STEM or social-emotional support [if addressing one of the secondary focus areas]. (These data will be used to establish the project’s baseline.)

• Relates needs directly to program areas (e.g., achievement scores and current classroom practices, student behavioral measures and current support resources).

• Relates needs directly to data on population addressed by the project (e.g., grade level, special education, transitioning students).

Presents multiple data comparisons (4 points)

• Demonstrates the ability to disaggregate military dependent student data and evaluate differences between populations for the project focus areas (e.g., military vs. non-military, or military students in special education vs. those in general education).

• Uses multiple data sources to evaluate the fit of project components to the established needs

(e.g., formative data, surveys, previous studies).

• Presents other data (e.g., increased deployment at military installation, budget cuts) and other comparisons (e.g., project schools to LEA average, LEA to state) to support the needs.

Discusses relationship of needs to past efforts—including those of DoDEA projects, if applicable (3 points)

• Presents data demonstrating how current needs reflect the successes or challenges of previous efforts, including those of DoDEA projects (e.g., Did needs change or gaps close? How does this project apply to different areas of need and/or address continuing gaps?).

• Explains how successes or lessons learned from past efforts (including those of DoDEA projects) will be incorporated in planning for the new project.

Includes review of professional development needs (4 points)

• Includes relevant information on how or why such items as current levels of professional development, planning time, contract hours, Professional Learning Community (PLC) support to analyze data, etc., are not adequate to meet student needs.

Section III: Project Goals (5 points total)

This section should take the form of an outline of the goals and strategies that constitute the basis of the project.

It must represent a clear model of how improvement will be measured and describe, in a few lines, each listed strategy.

Applicants are permitted to include up to three goals. You must have at least one goal from the Primary Focus

Area. If you are not including a Secondary Focus Area you may have up to 3 CCR goals. If you are including a

Secondary Focus Area you cannot have more than 2 CCR goals. If you include a Secondary Focus Area then your additional goal must be either STEM or social-emotional support focused. Applicants are permitted to

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include up to three strategies for each goal, but strategies must fall into the prescribed direct service categories outlined below. Reviewers will use the rubric included below to score applications.

Goals are aligned with the needs identified and are focused on military dependent student outcomes (1 point).

• Proposed goals must relate to the needs data presented.

• Project has no more than three goals.

• One goal must be aligned with the grant primary focus area, College and Career Readiness. Other goals may be aligned with grant primary focus area or secondary focus areas of STEM and/or social-emotional support.

Specific, measurable, and reasonable outcomes are provided for each goal based on the activities planned (3 points).

• Each goal has one outcome that demonstrates growth over time, as compared to a baseline or reference group.

• Outcomes are specific (i.e., defining measurements and targets for evaluating success). Achievement outcomes reference changes in scores on normed assessments or standard measures, such as graduation rates. Outcomes for social-emotional goals reference changes in the number of students served and improved social-emotional wellbeing.

• Outcome targets are reasonable based on the information available. They reference the military dependent student data available and rely on multiple comparisons or trends over more than one year’s time.

Please note: Do not set outcome targets that maintain the status quo. Outcomes can target subgroups of military dependent youth, such as SWDs or ELLs. When the reliability of state assessments are in doubt for the grant period, use growth scores on formative assessments or changes in performance relative to other groups, rather than overall achievement scores to measure outcomes.

Strategies used must include direct services to military dependent students, represent a coherent approach to the goal, and be sufficient to affect the outcomes proposed (1 point)

• Each goal may include up to three broad strategies.

• Each strategy must fall into one of the categories outlined further below.

• Descriptions of the strategies should reference major implementation activities associated with them

(e.g., professional development required to implement the strategy, or the purchasing of equipment required to do the same).

Please note: Strategies must be based on the provision of direct services to military dependent students.

Introducing or aligning a new school-wide curriculum does not constitute a direct service. An example of goals, outcomes and strategies for the primary focus area is provided below. Strategies must have benchmark measures for use in the evaluation process.

Primary Focus Area: College and Career Ready Goals

CCR goal examples:

• Improve the CCR outcomes of military dependent elementary students in math.

• Improve the CCR outcomes of military dependent middle school SWDs in English Language Arts.

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• Improve the CCR outcomes of military dependent high school students.

CCR outcome examples:

• The percentage of military dependent students in grades 3 to 5 meeting proficiency on [x] state math assessments will increase by [x] percentage points over the baseline year by June 2022.

• The average of growth scores from fall to spring among middle school military dependent SWDs on the [x] formative assessment will meet or exceed growth scores for non-military SWDs by June 2022.

• The percentage of military dependent high school students who have earned a score of 3 or better on at least one AP exam will increase to 60 percent by June 2022.

Permitted strategy categories for CCR goals and Secondary Focus Area 1: STEM engagement (select up to 3):

• Tutoring, such as afterschool tutoring programs and summer intensives.

• In-class supports, such as Response to Intervention (RtI), problem-based learning, sustainment of advanced placement courses and organization support.

• Extracurricular activities, such as advanced placement Saturday classes.

• Virtual learning, such as online classes and flipped classrooms.

Permitted strategy categories Secondary Focus Area 2: Support for military dependent students’ social-emotional wellbeing (select up to 3):

• Counseling, such as individual or group counseling sessions with a military specialist.

• Peer support or mentoring, such as peer mentorship programs and new student buddies.

• Parent/community engagement, such as reading buddy nights or inspirational speaker series.

• Behavior management programs, such as school-wide programs to improve school climate or programs to promote mindfulness.

Section IV: Project Plan and Leadership Roles (30 points total)

In this section, applicants provide information about two of the project’s leaders, the project director and outside evaluator, and the role of the former in planning and implementing the project as well as managing the professional development needed to implement the project’s strategies with fidelity. (Please note that the project director is responsible for fulfilling all DoDEA reporting requirements.) Reviewers will use the rubric included below to score applications.

Presents Criteria for the Project Director (8 points)

Applicants should include a brief statement explaining how the project director will:

• Command authority to direct the project.

• Offer a fair and productive supervision of project staff that leads to improved performance.

• Rely on formal and informal networks to solve problems quickly and effectively.

• Set, monitor, and re-evaluate project priorities frequently.

• Engage with the outside evaluator to facilitate the formative and summative evaluation activities.

• Fulfill all DoDEA reporting requirements throughout the life of the grant.

• Provide continual and effective communication to all participants, including DoDEA, about the project’s purpose and implementation progress.

• Provide the estimated time commitment with which the project director has been charged. (Please note that the project director is required to be 50-100 percent of one dedicated FTE, and at least 0.50

FTE).

• Append a résumé for the project director that is no more than two pages in length. If the project director is yet to be determined (TBD), applicants should provide a description of the criteria they

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will use to advertise the position.

Please note: Changes in the role and/or job description of the Project Director require prior written approval from the Federal awarding agency.

Project Director’s Role (12 points) Applicants should include a brief statement explaining how the project director will perform the tasks for each of the three scenarios included below.

• Overall approach for the planning year (5 of the 12 points), including:

o Setting criteria for project positions and expectations for roles and responsibilities.

o Hiring new or revising existing staff positions.

o Establishing planning year agenda and milestones, namely

▪ Determining key strategy implementation activities and their timeline.

▪ Determining key data collection tools, activities, and the timeline that will “tell the story” of the project’s impact.

▪ Determining key communication tools, activities, and timeline.

o Establishing a collaborative climate between project staff and community stakeholders.

o Establishing problem-solving procedures.

• Overall approach to project implementation (4 of the 12 points), including:

o Maintaining a collaborative climate between project staff and community stakeholders.

o Carrying out the project implementation plan as developed during the planning year.

o Collaborating with the outside evaluator.

o Implementing problem-solving procedures.

• Overall approach for implementing professional development (3 of the 12 points), including:

o Determining and maintaining appropriate types of professional development opportunities (e.g., job-embedded coaching, demonstration classroom, coach-supported PLCs, and ongoing sessions from experts).

o Determining and maintaining criteria to identify in-house experts and outside vendors for delivering professional development.

o Establishing and maintaining evaluation tools and activities to determine the effectiveness of the different types of professional development opportunities for changing educator practice.

Presents Criteria for the Outside Evaluator (7 points)

Applicants should include a brief statement demonstrating how the outside evaluator:

• Understands qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and analyses.

• Understands education, school, and district contexts.

• Has experience in evaluating direct service projects supported by a set of activities and resources to achieve a specific, intended result.

• Has experience in evaluating project implementation fidelity to capture data on whether project activities are put in place as intended.

• Has experience in evaluating project process measures to capture formative data useful for monitoring and revising activities as needed.

• Has experience in evaluating project summative measures to capture formative data useful for determining whether the specific, intended result was achieved.

• Uses a collaborative approach for working with project staff.

• Append a résumé for the outside evaluator that is no more than two pages in length. If the outside

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evaluator is TBD, applicants should provide a description of the criteria they will use to advertise the position.

Outside Evaluator’s Role (3 points) Applicants should include a brief statement explaining how the outside evaluator and the project director will perform tasks for the scenarios included below.

• Overall Approach to Evaluation Responsibilities o Collect data (implementation and summative) and/or train others to collect data (e.g., using rubrics or observation).

o Provide analysis of or comparisons for the summative data provided (e.g., disaggregate military student achievement by grade and school).

o Analyze process data to provide actionable information for improving implementation

(e.g., compare student subgroup benchmark outcomes during the school year based on differences in classroom implementation).

Section V: Project Evaluation (30 points total)

Applicants should use the matrix included further below to provide information about how they will collect and evaluate data to monitor the implementation of project strategies and progress toward goals. There are three sections to complete. The fidelity and process evaluation sections must: (1) pose questions that the evaluation will answer; (2) describe the evaluation approach; (3) name the data collection instruments (e.g., protocols, surveys, or tests) that will be used; (4) indicate benchmarks that will determine how the evaluation question is answered; and (5) indicate the collection schedule for each tool. Applicants should use standardized data collection instruments (such as validated surveys and assessment protocols) wherever possible. The summative evaluation section must include indicators to determine progress toward goal outcomes for each year of the project and, ultimately, the success or failure of the project. Applicants must demonstrate that they are able to disaggregate all data for military dependent students. Reviewers will use the rubric included below to score applications.

1. Fidelity (10 points) The purpose of the fidelity evaluation is to assess whether project activities are completed as planned

(e.g., to determine the extent to which professional development sessions were attended; to determine whether equipment was purchased and installed on schedule).

o Evaluation activities must address all major strategy components.

o The data collection instruments, activities, and schedule should be designed to answer the evaluation questions that have been identified by applicants.

2. Process (10 points) The purpose of the process evaluation is to assess the progress of strategy implementation and provide actionable information on areas of implementation that need improvement (e.g., Was classroom instruction or were lesson plans changed because of professional development activities? Were parents satisfied with the counseling services provided by the project?). Please note that all strategies must be designed to serve military dependent students directly. Thus, an item on the number of students served is pre-populated in the sample matrix included further below.

o Evaluation activities should be sufficient to assess whether the applicant is making progress via all of the project strategies over time.

o The data collection instruments, activities, and schedule should be designed to answer the

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evaluation questions that have been identified by applicants.

3. Summative (10 points) The purpose of the summative evaluation is to assess the impact of the project on military dependent student outcomes.

o The summative evaluation includes how progress toward the outcome target will be assessed during each year of the project.

o Outcomes specify that military dependent student data will be disaggregated, unless military dependent enrollment is greater than 80 percent of the total student enrollment. Please note that all data for the military dependent population must be tracked and evaluated separately, if less than 80 percent of the total student enrollment, regardless of whether overall student performance is also evaluated.

o Summative evaluation reference baselines or comparison groups that will be used to measure the extent of project impact are included (e.g., “Increase over baseline…” or “As compared to non-military dependent…”).

A template is provided for each evaluation section below. All applicants are required to fulfill the obligations set forth in the prepopulated items. Applicants should include additional evaluation questions that are relevant to their project. Answers to the required questions will be part of the regular reporting periods. Applicants with more than one project goal are required complete the three-part template for each goal. (Examples of completed evaluation matrices are included in this RFP as Appendix D).

Evaluation Matrix, Template 1: Primary Focus Areas - Goals focused on College and Career Ready outcomes or STEM proficiency for military dependent students

Goal 1, 2, or 3 [specify]: Improve CCR outcomes [in area] of military dependent students [subgroup].

Strategy 1: [specify]

Strategy 2: [specify]

Strategy 3: [specify]

Fidelity of Strategy Implementation

Evaluation

Question(s)

Evaluation

Activities

Data Collection

Instruments Benchmark Indicators Data Collection

Schedule

Strategy 1

1. Has the strategy been implemented according to plan?

Strategy 2

1. Has the strategy been implemented

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Strategy 3

1. Has the strategy been implemented

Process Monitoring of Ongoing Implementation

Evaluation

Question(s)

Evaluation

Activities

Data Collection

Instruments

Benchmark

Indicators

Data Collection

Schedule

Strategy 1

1. What proportion of eligible military dependent students are being served?

2. Did service delivery improve?

1. What proportion of eligible military dependent students are being served?

2. Did service delivery improve?

1. What proportion of eligible military dependent students are being served?

delivery improve?

Annual Summative Measures Final

Academic Outcome Target

Goal 1: Specify instrument, comparisons, and target in question

Interim Indicators

1. Planning Year:

2. June 2019:

3. June 2020:

4. June 2021:

5. June 2022:

Evaluation Matrix, Template 2: Secondary Focus Area 2: Support for military-dependent students’ social-emotional wellbeing

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Goal 1, 2, or 3 [specify]: Improve the social-emotional wellbeing of military dependent students [subgroup]

Strategy 1: [specify]

Strategy 2: [specify]

Strategy 3: [specify]

Fidelity of Strategy Implementation

Evaluation

Question(s)

Evaluation

Activities

Data Collection

Instruments Benchmark Indicators Data Collection

Schedule

Strategy 1

1. Has the strategy been implemented strategy been implemented strategy been implemented

Question(s)

Evaluation

Activities

Data Collection

Instruments

Benchmark

Indicators

Data Collection

Schedule

Strategy 1

1. Did outreach/ availability of services increase?

2. Did service

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1. Did outreach/ availability of services increase?

2. Did service

1. Did outreach/ availability of services increase?

2. Did service

Annual Summative Measures

Support Outcome Target: The percentage of military students who [measure] will i ncrease/decrease [target].

Goal 2: Specify which group will be tracked, comparisons, and target in…