22R0008_MCASPWL.pdf

I. OVERVIEW OF THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

Department of Defense Education Activity

Broad Agency Announcement (known herein as Funding Opportunity Announcement) for the Military-Connected Local Educational Agencies for Academic and Support Programs (known herein as MCASP) and the World Language Advancement and Readiness Program (known herein as WLARP), Fiscal Year 2022

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER: HE1254-22-R-0008

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 12.556

Competitive Grants: Promoting K-12 Student Achievement at Military-Connected Schools

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial Announcement

KEY DATES & POINT OF CONTACTS:

January 31, 2022 Applications Available (https://www.grants.gov/) March 3, 2022 Pre-recorded Technical Assistance Webinars

(https://dodeagrants.org/) April 8, 2022 Deadline for Transmittal of Applications, No Later than 11:59PM

Eastern Standard Time No Later than September 30, 2022 Grants Awarded

Contact Information

DoDEA Grant Program Office:

DoDEA.Grants@dodea.edu 571-372-6026

DoDEA Procurement Division:

1. Alim Koroma, Grant Officer, alim.koroma@dodea.edu 571-372-1473

2. Carolynn Wendt, Contract Specialist carolynn.wendt@dodea.edu 571-372-1481

Anticipated Funding Type: Grant award(s).

https://dodeagrants.org/ mailto:DoDEA.Grants@dodea.edu mailto:alim.koroma@dodea.edu mailto:carolynn.wendt@dodea.edu

Table of Contents

I. OVERVIEW OF THE FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

II. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Short Description of Funding Opportunity

B. Background

C. Program Description

D. Deliverables

E. Authorization

III. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Funding Amount and Period of Performance

B. Peer Merit Reviews

IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

C. Other: Registration in System of Award Management

V. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Address to Request Application Package

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

(1) Required Federal Forms

(2) Project Narrative

(3) Detail Budget Table – Cost Analysis

(4) Letter(s) of Support and Supporting Documents

(5) References

C. Grants.gov Application Submission and Receipt Procedures

D. Funding Restrictions

E. Certifications and Assurance

VI. APPLICATION REVIEW CRITERIA

A. Evaluation Criteria

B. Review and Selection Process

(1) Review Process

(2) Handling of Selection Information

(3) Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information (FAPIIS)

VII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Federal Award Notices

B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements

C. Reporting

VIII. FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY CONTACT(S)

IX. OTHER INFORMATION – OPTIONAL

Appendix A: Application Template for Narrative

Appendix B: Application Templates

Planning Year Template

Implementation Year Template

Evaluation Plan Template

Appendix C: Sample Completed Cover Page

Appendix D: Sample Detail Budget Table 2

Appendix E: Approved List of Foreign Languages

Appendix F: Planning and Implementation Plan Template

II. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Short Description of Funding Opportunity

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) seeks innovative applications that identify and implement evidence-based practices to meet the academic needs of the highly mobile military-connected students in their community and applications which establish, improve, or expand world language programs targeting elementary and secondary students. In addition, any Local Education Agency (LEA) awarded a grant under this announcement must use the funds to support programs that can be continued beyond the grant period and demonstrate approaches that could be disseminated to and duplicated in other LEAs. Awarded projects must provide a written project narrative and a detail budget table which identifies which program (either MCASP or WLARP) the LEA is applying for funding to implement under this announcement. Additionally, all projects awarded under this funding opportunity must include a professional development component. DoDEA intends to award multiple grants, subject to the availability of funds. Each individual grant award will be a minimum of $500,000.00 and may be up to a maximum of $2,000,000, for a period of up to five (5) years.

B. Background

The DoDEA Partnership and Resources Division provides eligible local education agencies (LEAs) with the resources to close achievement gaps, spark ingenuity, innovate and sustain quality education and seamless learning transitions for military-connected students. To advance this effort, DoDEA provides a competitive grant program to domestic public schools that identify a need focused on: academic mastery, narrowing learning gaps for students that transition, and/or providing consistent access to educational programs. Since 2009, the DoDEA Grant Program has impacted over one million public school students in 36 states.

Additionally, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are concerned about the lack of military personnel with advanced language skills and believe this could be addressed by promoting foreign language study programs targeting elementary and secondary students. As a result, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 authorized the development of a competitive grant program to provide support to eligible entities for the establishment, improvement, or expansion of world language study for students at public schools in a LEA that hosts a unit of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC).

C. Program Description

This funding opportunity has two applicable programs, Military-Connected Local Educational Agencies for Academic and Support Programs (MCASP) and the World Language Advancement and Readiness Program (WLARP). Applicants can apply for funding to implement either MCASP or WLARP at their respective LEA. LEAs can only choose ONE program to apply for funding under this announcement. The following provides a description of both programs for LEAs to select for funding.

MCASP: Project scope for MCASP applicants may range in size and complexity. Efforts may have an emphasis on hands on, problem-based learning activities, mentor-centered programming, education outcomes, convergence of multiple curricular disciplines, and/or career pathways/opportunities. The following efforts are especially encouraged:

• Engaging students where disciplines converge, including programs that meaningfully integrate science, technology, mathematics, and engineering (STEM) subjects as well as other disciplines such as Career and Technical Education (CTE), arts & humanities.

• Designing innovative remote learning experiences to teach literacy, mathematics, computer science, and/or other CTE courses.

• Developing partnerships or consortia approaches to implement education and outreach programs with a holistic approach to understanding real-world applications.

• Building outreach activities that strengthen the capacity of regional/local communities and stakeholders to leverage partnerships.

• Filling gaps in schools that lack necessary infrastructure through innovative programming and/or novel interventions to address student achievement gaps in any curricular subject.

WLARP: In response to a request from a Congressional bipartisan group, the Academy of Arts and Sciences created the Commission on Language Learning. In the Commission’s final report, America’s Languages: Investing in Language Learning for the 21st Century , they state the importance of “a national strategy to improve access to as many languages as possible for people of every region, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background—that is, to value language education as a persistent national need similar to education in math or English, and to ensure that a useful level of proficiency is within every student’s reach. As children prove especially receptive to language education—they spend much of their time in educational settings and can develop language skills gradually throughout their lives—the Commission believes that instruction should begin as early in life as possible.”

Challenges inherent to the current world environment require the military to be equipped with proficient world language skills. The National Defense Strategy (NDS) of the United States, Sharpening the American Military’s Competitive Edge states that “U.S. interest includes protecting the nation and our allies from attack or coercion. The NDS also recognizes that our nation’s security is “tightly bound with the security of the broader international system.” To be successful in national security efforts and effectively collaborate with global populations, world language skills are a critical defense competency. Experts indicate that students learning languages starting at the K-12 levels develop higher language proficiency than those starting in college – therefore, exposing elementary and secondary students to world languages is critical to developing and sustaining the pipeline of individuals with skills needed to address national security and economic competitiveness needs. As a result, the Department of Defense (DoD) is committed to increasing world language skills and cultural knowledge capability and capacity by identifying and training students who could become potential service members with high aptitude to learn world languages. The goal of any proposed effort under this announcement must provide solutions that will establish, improve, or expand world language study for Pre-K- 12 public school students in an LEA that hosts a unit of the JROTC. For this effort, world language is defined as American Sign Language (ASL) and/or any of the languages included on the DoD Strategic Language List (SLL) as defined in DoD Directive 5160.41E, Defense https://www.amacad.org/publication/americas-languages https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-112shrg75214/html/CHRG-112shrg75214.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-112shrg75214/html/CHRG-112shrg75214.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-112shrg75214/html/CHRG-112shrg75214.htm https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodd/516041Ep.pdf?ver=2020-08-25-152344-143

Language, Regional Expertise, and Culture Program, and can be found at Appendix E of this announcement.

Applicants seeking funding for WLARP should include in their application a project narrative that must focus on one or more of the following scope areas:

• Establish and implement programs that showcase a meaningful integration of world language(s) across subject areas. Projects under this scope would include world language immersion or partial world language immersion of any of the languages included on the DoD SLL (Appendix E) and/or ASL.

• Establish and implement an exploratory pilot program that seeks to create new world language experiences for students. For example, this type of project may link native speakers of languages other than English within the LEA with the target schools in order to promote two-way language learning. The language used for this scope must be included on the DoD SLL (Appendix E) and/or ASL.

• Improve or expand content-based instruction in the target school’s current world language program of one or more of the languages included on the DoD SLL (Appendix E) and/or

ASL.

• Effectively use technology, such as computer-assisted instruction or distance (virtual) learning, to establish or expand course offerings of one or more world languages included on the DoD SLL (Appendix E) and/or ASL.

All MCASP and WLARP applications should:

• Address the program description,

• Demonstrate potential to make a substantial impact,

• Create meaningful content and participant experiences that meet the intent of either the MCASP or WLARP program,

• Collect a set of program-specific measures of performance to include capture of participation rates and measures of effectiveness appropriate to the goals of the project,

• Contain a strategy for program sustainability, such that following the end of the period of performance of this award, the effort will have a clear financial path and leave enduring program capability, and

• Address the applicant’s proposed project’s flexibility and adaptability in MCASP or WLARP delivery and execution in response to any disruption to the educational system (e.g., global pandemic).

https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodd/516041Ep.pdf?ver=2020-08-25-152344-143

D. Deliverables

Reports – The applicant must acknowledge that the following reports are required under this announcement and if awarded agree to submit the following:

• Quarterly Financial Reports –This report requirement is fulfilled with the completion of the

Standard Form (SF) 270 which is to be accompanied by any grant advance payment or reimbursement request via an attachment on the Wide Area Workflow system. The SF 270 will include information on current expenses and invoices for the submitted period.

• Performance Progress Reports – A template will be provided to each awarded grantee.

This report will include information on programmatic goals to include major successes or major problems that warrant DoDEA attention. This report will be submitted through our DoDEA grants online reporting system for each fall and spring school year semesters.

• Annual Report – A template will be provided to each awarded grantee. A complete annual Performance Progress Report is mandated by DoDEA. This report will be due each year on October 31 and will include a cover sheet, written narrative as well as the annual financial report (SF 425).

• Final (Closeout) Performance Report – This report details the full programmatic accomplishments summarized from prior annual reports and a forecast for ongoing program sustainability after the end of the period of performance. Include, as feasible, examples of educational materials produced, success stories, accomplishments, links to digital materials, and other resultant material from the award.

The below table outlines the deliverables timeline as stated above.

Table 1 – Reporting/Deliverable Timeline Due Date Report Type

Quarterly • Standard Form 270 January 31 • Fall Semester Report July 31 • Spring Semester Report October 31 • Annual Performance Report

• Annual Financial Report No later than 120 days after end date of performance period

• Final (Closeout) Performance Report

Grants under this announcement do not include the delivery of hardware deliverables.

E. Authorization

Authority for this competitive grant is provided by the following: Section 574(d) of P.L. 109-364;

Title 10 U.S.C. Section 2192(b); and Section 1751 of P.L. 116–92.

Additionally, this publication constitutes a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) as contemplated in the Department of Defense Grants and Agreements Regulations (DoDGARS) 32 CFR 22.315(a). DoDEA will not issue paper copies of this announcement. DoDEA reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the applications in response to this announcement.

Application packages to include project narratives and budgets (or any other material) submitted in response to this FOA will not be returned. DoDEA will treat all applications as sensitive competitive information and will disclose their contents only for the purposes of DoDEA’s evaluation of the grant applications.

The applicant must meet the minimum standards for receiving federal funds, as defined in 32 CFR 22.415, which states that to be qualified, a potential recipient must:

• Have the management capability and adequate financial and technical resources, given those that would be made available through the grant or cooperative agreement, to execute the program of activities envisioned under the grant or cooperative agreement.

• Have a satisfactory record of executing such programs or activities (if a prior recipient of an award).

• Have a satisfactory record of integrity and business ethics.

• Be otherwise qualified and eligible to receive a grant or cooperative agreement under applicable laws and regulations (see § 22.420(c)).

The applicant must agree to abide by all federal rules and regulations regarding performance and financial management, including, but not limited to:

• 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards.

Any inconsistencies in the requirements of award will be resolved in the following order of precedence:

• Federal statutes

• Federal regulations

• 2 CFR part 200, as modified and supplemented by DoD's interim implementation found in

2 CFR part 1104

• Award-specific terms and conditions

If awarded, in case of disagreement with any requirements of award, the recipient shall contact the DoDEA Grants Officer who issued the grant in order to resolve the issue. The recipient shall not assess any costs to the award or accept any payments until the issue is resolved.

Applicants should be aware of the following:

• Information regarding application packages can be found at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

• Grant applications will be reviewed only if they (1) meet the criteria specified by this announcement and (2) are submitted through Grants.gov at:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html

III. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Funding Amount and Period of Performance

Under this FOA, DoDEA intends to award multiple grants, subject to the availability of funds.

Each individual award will be for a minimum of $500,000.00 and may be up to a maximum of $2,000,000.00 for a period of up to five (5) years. DoDEA expects projects to be completed within the performance period. All projects awarded under this FOA will have a Period of Performance end date of May 31, 2027. Proposed project costs must be no more than $2,000,000.00 for all years of the project, including direct and indirect costs. 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 and evaluation plans, providing professional learning, securing necessary resources, and hiring or revising staff positions should occur. Additionally, during the first year of award, all grantees will be required to meet with DoDEA to establish a monitoring review plan. During the initial monitoring review plan meeting (conducted during the first year of award), all grantees will be given a risk designation (e.g., high, moderate, low). This designation can change throughout the life of the grant and is comprised of an analysis of any of the elements listed below, in addition to district request.

• History of unsatisfactory performance,

• Material violations of the terms and conditions,

• Large cost disallowances,

• Serious deficiencies in program or business management systems, and

• Inexperience.

Any project requesting total federal support from DoDEA of more than $2,000,000.00 total for all years will not be considered for funding. It is anticipated that awards funded under this announcement and selected this fiscal year will be made by September 30, 2022.

The amount available through this announcement will be dependent upon final FY 2022 budgetary decisions. Publication of this notice does not obligate DoDEA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funding. If any applicant incurs any costs prior to receiving an award agreement from the authorized DoDEA Grants Officer or DoDEA Grant Program Manager, the applicant does so solely at the LEA’s own risk of such costs not being included under an award if an award is made to the applicant. Pre-award costs are not allowed under this award unless prior approval has been given by the DoDEA Grants Officer or DoDEA Grant Program Manager in accordance with 2 CFR §200.308(d) and §200.407.

All applicants can request funding up to the amount prescribed in the funding formula outlined in Figure 1. The funding formula for this opportunity is based ONLY on the total number of military- connected students at eligible school(s).

Figure 1. DoDEA FY22 MCASP and WLARP Grant Funding Formula

B. Peer Merit Reviews

DoDEA will use peer reviewers to assist in the merit review of applications. Peer reviewers are not U.S. Government employees and will sign nondisclosure agreements before receiving full or partial copies of applications.

IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for this funding opportunity are limited to PK-12 LEAs including charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law. For-profit organizations, foreign institutions, and individuals are not eligible to apply. Likewise, federal agencies or current federal employees are not eligible to receive federal assistance under this announcement but may be project partners. Current DoDEA grant award recipients are eligible to apply.

Awards under this announcement will be made to LEAs on behalf of their eligible school(s). Eligible schools must meet the following the following criteria:

1. All applicants: Eligible school(s) must have a 10 percent or greater military-connected student enrollment for school year (SY) 2020-2021. The enrollment numbers may be verifiable from the district’s U.S. Department of Education Impact Aid totals and/or the State Military Student Identifier data. For the purposes of this announcement, a military-connected 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.

2. WLARP applicants ONLY: Eligible school(s) must be a part of a LEA which currently hosts a unit of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) in one of their local high schools. JROTC programs, run through the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, are taught as elective courses at more than 3,000 high schools

Number of Military-Connected Students at Target School(s)

Award Amount (Total for 54 months)

500 or fewer $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 – 1,500 $1,500,000.00

1,501 or greater $2,000,000.00 nationwide. To find out if a LEA has an eligible JROTC program, please visit the following respective service JROTC websites:

o U.S. Army JROTC Program Headquarters – Select “School Locator” http://www.usarmyjrotc.com/ o U.S. Air Force JROTC Program Headquarters – Select “AFJROTC Unit Locator” https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Holm-Center/AFJROTC/Article- Display/Article/950637/ o Naval Service Training Command – Select “Find An NJROTC Unit” https://www.netc.navy.mil/Commands/Naval-Service-Training- Command/NJROTC/Program-Information/#what o U.S. Marine Corps https://www.mcjrotc.marines.mil/Schools/List/

B. Cost Sharing or Matching

The primary basis for selecting applications for award will be technical merit, relevance to the subject of the solicitation, proposed cost allowability, reasonableness, and the availability of funding. No cost sharing or matching is required. If offered, voluntary cost sharing may be considered as a demonstration of an offeror's commitment to their proposed project. Any proposed cost sharing becomes a binding term of any award. DoDEA reserves the right to request and require additional supporting information and documentation after it makes the selection determination. DoDEA reserves the right to remove applicants from award consideration if the applicant fails to reach agreement on award terms, conditions, or cost/price within a reasonable time; or if the applicant fails to provide requested or required additional information in a timely manner.

C. Other: Registration in System of Award Management

To apply for grants and other funding opportunities, the proposing LEA must be registered in the System of Award Management (SAM). Applications will not be accepted unless through Grants.gov and unless the proposing LEA is registered in SAM. Registration in SAM is now included in the acceptance of Certifications and Assurances. SAM may be accessed at:

https://sam.gov. SAM registration must be current at the time of award.

V. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

The Government seeks only applications that are relevant and responsive to the Funding Opportunity Description in Section II. Applications are highly encouraged to address the areas listed in the Funding Opportunity Description using headings for each area.

Applications will only be received electronically, as editable PDFs, Word documents, or Excel http://www.usarmyjrotc.com/ https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Holm-Center/AFJROTC/Article-Display/Article/950637/ https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/Holm-Center/AFJROTC/Article-Display/Article/950637/ https://www.netc.navy.mil/Commands/Naval-Service-Training-Command/NJROTC/Program-Information/#what https://www.netc.navy.mil/Commands/Naval-Service-Training-Command/NJROTC/Program-Information/#what https://www.mcjrotc.marines.mil/Schools/List/ https://sam.gov/ spreadsheets through https://www.grants.gov/ no later than April 08, 2022 (Friday) no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Applications are NOT to be submitted via email. For access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

Award Notification: It is anticipated that final selections for award will be made no later than September 30, 2022.

A. Address to Request Application Package

All relevant materials are available with this announcement on Grants.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

Applications submitted under this FOA must seek to address unclassified efforts. As a corollary, no classified applications shall be submitted. Application submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with applicable laws and DoD regulations.

An application must include all elements (1) through (3) below; elements (4) and (5) are optional but recommended. Failure to provide this information in the required format and within prescribed page limits may result in the application being excluded from further review. Any non-requested elements submitted as part of a full application package will be removed from the application prior to merit review.

(1) Required Federal Forms

Prospective applicants must complete the mandatory forms in accordance with the instructions provided on the forms and the additional instructions below. Files that are attached to the forms must be in Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf) unless otherwise specified in this announcement.

At the time of application submission, applicants must complete and submit the following federal forms with signatures of the Authorized Representative of the submitting LEA:

• SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

• SF-424-A, Budget Information, Non-Construction Programs

• CD-511, Certifications Regarding Lobbying

• FAR 52.204-24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications & Video

(2) Project Narrative

Submit Project Narrative using the following format:

• Paper Size – 8.5 x 11-inch paper

• Margins – 1 inch

• Spacing – single spaced

• Font – Times New Roman, 12-point

• Page limit - The project narrative shall not exceed 25 pages. Excluded in this http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html page limit are elements (4) and (5) which are optional but recommended.

• The project narrative components should include the following:

o Cover Page o Abstract o Table of Contents o Needs Assessment and Rationale for the Project o Project Goals and Design o Project Planning Year o Project Implementation Years o Key Personnel Qualifications o Project Evaluation o Budget Narrative o Sustainability Plan

Cover Page – must include all contact information (including mailing address), names of military installations served, which program LEA is applying for funding (either MCASP or WLARP), project focus (scope) area(s), enrollment data for eligible schools, JROTC unit located within school district (if WLARP applicant), and an authorized signature.

Abstract - of no longer than 250 words is required. The abstract is included on the cover page and should be a concise overview of the objectives of the project, project activities, location of the project, expected outcome(s), and the proposed rationale/impact for the work. NOTE: Project abstracts of applications that receive funding may be posted on program-related websites and/or included in notices that DoDEA may send to members of Congress.

You must use the template for the application found in Appendix A of this BAA for submission of your grant project proposal. Appendix C displays a completed example of the cover page for applicants’ information.

Table of Contents – lists the sections within the grant proposal narrative with the corresponding section and page numbers.

Needs Assessment and Rationale for the Project - determines and presents the needs between the current condition and the desired outcome. A strong needs assessment will provide detailed information, including supporting data, on the current needs of military-connected students as it relates to the proposed project. Data presented must be disaggregated for military-connected students and provide a comparison to the general student population. The needs assessment must also include information on current and past efforts (funded by DoDEA and otherwise) to address any achievement gaps in the proposed focus area. Finally, this section will present past and current professional learning efforts for staff in the proposed focus area and present staff challenges and needs to be met to improve student outcomes in the focus area. The total points an applicant can receive for this section is 10 points.

Reviewers will use the rubric included below in Figure 2 to score the application’s criteria for need (5 points).

Figure 2. Reviewer criteria for scoring criteria for student need Criteria for Military-Connected

Students and Need Evidence

Includes all populations impacted by project (e.g., military-connected students and any relevant subgroups).

Provides academic achievement data comparison between military-connected students and the general student population (e.g., formative and summative assessments in state, LEA and/or project schools).

Provides data that support the needs of military-connected students (e.g., data showing military- connected students performing below general student population in grade level, school, LEA, and/or state).

Provides data directly supporting project goals (e.g., if project focuses on improving math scores of military-connected students in grades 6-8, data show an achievement need for that student population in math).

Presents data on technology needs, if applicable.

Identifies technology needs (e.g., devices, educational software, memberships, subscriptions) relative to the focus area(s).

Explains how technology will address student achievement needs in the focus area(s).

Reviewers will use the rubric below in Figure 3 to score the application on the summary of effectiveness and evidence of impact from current and past efforts in direct student services to address the need (5 points).

Figure 3. Rubric for scoring criteria for summary and impact of need Criteria Evidence

If applicant has previously received a DoDEA grant, needs assessment includes specific successes and/or challenges from previous grants and lessons learned (e.g., Did needs change? Did gaps close? What will be repeated? What will be changed?). Provide the information requested in the format below:

Project Name Award Amount PI/Director Name Project Focus and Goals Project Results Relevance to Current Proposal Explains how successes or lessons learned from past efforts are incorporated in the new project.

If relevant, explains efforts to increase parental/community involvement (e.g., increase communication, family nights, college fairs, financial aid sessions, apprenticeship programs, internships, collaboration).

Project Goals and Design – The application must consist of a clear description of the technical approach being proposed to address the applicants’ chosen program area (either MCASP or WLARP). The total points an applicant can receive for this section is 10 points.

This section of the narrative should address the following:

1. Identify goals of project. The applicant can choose up to three goals for their proposed project. Each goal should be written to state how the project outcomes will be achieved in a clear, specific, and measurable way. An example of a goal statement is “Military-connected 8th graders will improve their science achievement as evidenced by quantitative and/or qualitative measures by the end of this grant cycle (May 31, 2027).” Examples of goal measures are as follows:

• Student performance in STEM courses in statewide, districtwide and/or schoolwide benchmark assessments.

• Student grades in goal related courses.

• Number of participants in focus groups and/or interviews and their qualitative results.

• Parental and/or student pre and post surveys.

• Enrollment and completion in goal related courses.

• Enrollment, grade, and completion in CTE courses.

• Number and percentage of students earning industry-recognized credentials.

• Number and percentage of students matriculating to higher grades and grade groupings (regular and honors) and higher education in goal related programs with articulation agreements.

2. Identify strategies. Each goal may not have more than three strategies. The identified goals should be the same used for project evaluation. Strategies to support goals must be related to improving student outcomes related to MCASP or WLARP. Applicants can choose up to three broad strategies from the list below:

• Extracurricular activities (e.g., after school clubs, competitions, etc.)

• In-class curriculum instruction support (e.g., project-based learning, pathways, apprenticeships, etc.)

• Organizational capacity building (e.g., mentoring programs, building faculty capacity to use student data to target student learning needs, etc.)

• In-class technology support (e.g., laptops, educational software, etc.)

• Tutoring

• Virtual learning

• Any other evidence-based educational strategy

Figure 4 below provides an example of how goals and strategies should be written in the project narrative:

Figure 4. Goal and Strategy Example Goal: Military-connected 8th graders will improve their science achievement as evidenced by quantitative and/or qualitative measures by the end of this grant cycle (May 31, 2027).

Strategy/Activity

Category Specific Activity Target/Direct

Audience Research or

Evidence Base Current, New, or

Enhanced Intervention

Extracurricular Activity

In-class curriculum and instruction support Extracurricular Activity

After school Lego/Robotics/ STEM Clubs

Project Based Learning

STEM Day/ STEM Career Day

Grade 8 students

Grade 6-8 students

Grade 6-8 students

Cite the source and locate at least one research study or an evaluation article (different from the evaluator’s reports submitted to the grantee/DoDEA) that shows data evidence (using inferential statistics) on the positive effectiveness/ impact of the activities/ interventions to be used with students.

New

Enhanced

Current

3. Discuss the LEA’s potential to achieve one or more of their goals as described in the Program Description section of this announcement, including the extent to which the proposed project will result in information to guide possible replication of project activities or strategies, and information about the effectiveness of the approach or strategies employed by the project.

4. Identify proposed efforts for increasing or maintaining the eligible school’s proposed project goals and the potential of the proposed program to educate a future workforce with skills critical to the DoD mission.

5. Discuss increased or enhanced opportunities to provide world language opportunities to elementary and/or secondary students.

6. Discuss the potential and extent to which the proposed program can provide professional learning opportunities.

Reviewers will use the rubric included below in Figure 5 to score the applicant’s project goals and design. Goals should be aligned with the needs identified and focus on military-connected student academic outcomes (7 points).

Figure 5. Rubric for Project Goals and Design

Criteria Evidence Project has no more than three (3) goals that are student-centered.

Goals clearly align with the needs assessment.

Each goal focuses on either one grade or school level (e.g., elementary, middle, secondary).

Each goal focuses on growth over time and should not maintain the status quo.

Goals reference academic achievement of military-connected students (e.g., state assessments, graduation rate, Advanced Placement (AP) exams, college entrance exam scores, etc.).

Outcomes are reasonable based on past performance and information provided in the needs assessment.

Baseline data is used (or will be used) to determine outcomes.

Strategies align with the goal and the needs identified. (3 points)

Strategies come from the approved DoDEA list.

No more than three (3) strategies per goal.

Strategies are aligned with needs and relevant to meeting the goal.

Reviewers will use the rubric in Figure 6 to score the applicant’s professional development plans in relation to the grant goals. Applicants should present information on the district’s past and current staff professional learning efforts (3 points).

Figure 6. Professional Learning Plan Rubric

Includes relevant information on past and current professional learning in project focus area(s) and proposed instructional strategies.

Explains areas of need in professional learning (e.g., additional substitutes, teacher training in CCR-STEM standards curriculum and instruction, content specialists, coaches, PLCs, etc.).

Includes current challenges in offering professional learning (e.g., administration/teacher buy-in, available planning time, contract hours, etc.).

Project Planning Year - Discuss how the project director will use the planning year (Year 1) to:

1. Build strong communication systems so all stakeholders understand the purpose of the project and know how to get involved.

• For example, applicants may indicate improved teacher capacity to instruct in specific curricular area as a goal that can be shown through changes in teacher practices based on project-supported professional development activities. WLARP applicants may also indicate expanded world language programming by using enrollment, participation, and retention of students across grade levels in the proposed program or world language. If applicable, applicants may want to incorporate student participation and performance in assessments when formulating goals that also align with the applicant’s state standards for specific curriculum.

2. Involve appropriate personnel in planning, specifically project school staff, leadership, and budget/finance staff.

3. Research the proposed grant strategies and develop specific plans with timelines, milestones, and responsible people for implementation.

• For example, applicants may want to consider how curricular alignments, program pipelines, and strategic partnerships across the LEA community and within the PK-12 and post-secondary education systems can contribute to a more proficient future workforce.

4. Identify key activities to prepare for project implementation.

• For example, applicants may want to consider how online tools and applications can enhance or increase educational opportunities for elementary and/or secondary students.

5. Provide professional learning and develop a plan for ongoing professional learning to support staff practice in applying grant strategies with fidelity and integrity.

• For example, applicants may want to consider how a specific program can impact teachers’ instructional practices and needs for support in lesson planning, differentiating instruction by student proficiency level, and use of assessment results to inform instruction.

6. Collaborate with the evaluator to plan for an evaluation design and approach with the appropriate evaluation design, tools and measures, and feasible data collection timetable using both qualitative and quantitative data collection sources.

7. Identify partners and other collaborators, including military installation(s), local businesses, and institutions of higher education.

8. Identify ongoing technical assistance needs and sources for providing those services (e.g., DoDEA ETAC, school or district, third-party vendor).

In addition, applicants are required to complete the template at Appendix B of this announcement to detail planning year activities and timelines. Applicants may add as many rows to the template as they need to address their expected activities. However, applicants may not include more than 3 goals and no more than 3 strategies per goal.

This section of the project is worth 15 total merit review points.

The reviewer rubric in Figure 7 below outlines the criteria for how reviewers will score the overall approach for the planning year, including establishing planning year activity milestones, namely, how the project director will conduct those activities (5 points).

Figure 7. Planning Year Written Rubric

Identify the stakeholders and sustainability planning team members, and frequency of meetings.

Determine what is communicated to each stakeholder group and when this communication will occur.

Establish a system for regular communication with all stakeholders so they understand the purpose of the project and know how to get involved. This includes the point of contact at each target school and other leadership as necessary.

Involve staff at each target school in planning instructional strategy implementation in their schools and identifying military- connected students to involve in the project.

Provide, or arrange for, appropriate professional learning opportunities to prepare staff to implement strategies with fidelity.

Collaborate with the evaluator to determine a plan for appropriate data collection methods and tools necessary to monitoring and revising implementation as needed.

The reviewer rubric in Figure 8 below will outline the criteria for scoring the Planning Year strategy preparation and professional learning to prepare staff to implement strategies (10 points).

Figure 8. Planning Year Strategy Template Rubric

Establish a communication plan with materials, timeline, and responsible persons.

Determine metrics and milestones to benchmark progress in preparation of staff for implementation.

Establish key strategy implementation activities, data collection tools and metrics to ensure the activity occurred, including a timeline.

An example of the planning year template can be found at Appendix B.

Project Implementation Years - Discuss how the project director will manage the project during Year 2 (the first year of implementation) through Year 4 (Year 5 is the project close out year) to ensure that:

• Project school staff continue to be supported when implementing strategies.

• Proposed focus areas are implemented, monitored, and redirected as data dictates.

• The evaluator receives necessary data to analyze project implementation and outcomes.

• The barriers to implementation are addressed in a timely manner

• Project activities and outcomes are communicated to key stakeholders.

Additionally, this section of the narrative should explain the capacity for data management to include the applicant’s capacity to identify, track, and disaggregate data for the engagement of military-connected students, professional learning efforts, and technology (if applicable).

Applicants are required to complete the template at Appendix B of this announcement to detail implementation years’ activities and timelines. Applicants should complete the provided template (15 points) to detail Year 2 (the first year of implementation) strategies, professional learning activities, and a timeline. Strategies, professional learning activities, and approximate timelines will continue during years 3-5. Applicants may add as many rows to the template as they need to address their expected activities. However, applicants may not include more than 3 goals and no more than 3 strategies per goal. Appendix F is also included as an additional tool to support the development of the project.

The reviewer rubric to score the written overall approach to Year 2 strategy implementation including establishing Year 2 implementation activities, namely, how the project director will do the following is worth 5 points and can be reviewed below in Figure 9.

Figure 9. Implementation Approach Rubric (Narrative) Criteria for Overall Approach to Year 2

Implementation Describes how the project director will:

Evidence

Communicate with all stakeholders about project implementation progress and student outcomes.

Use project data to monitor and redirect project activities as needed.

Collaborate with outside evaluator to provide strategy and professional learning data the project director collects from each target school.

Rely on formal and informal networks to implement problem-solving procedures to overcome implementation barriers (e.g., staff buy-in, leadership turnover) in the district and/or at target school.

Provide, or arrange, ongoing professional learning to staff implementing strategies in target schools.

Communicate with all stakeholders about project implementation progress and student outcomes.

The reviewer rubric to score that template of the overall approach for Year 2 implementation of strategies and professional learning to support staff who implement strategies is worth 15 points and can be reviewed below in Figure 10.

Figure 10. Implementation Year Template Rubric

Build on the communication plan established during the planning year to continue information flow and encourage input and involvement from community stakeholders.

Determine key implementation activities to support each strategy and when activities should be implemented (determining effectiveness of activities will be established AFTER award).

Maintain appropriate types of professional learning opportunities (e.g., job-embedded coaching, demonstration classroom, coach-supported PLCs, and ongoing sessions from experts) and when they should be implemented (determining effectiveness of different types of professional learning for changing staff practice will be established AFTER award).

An example of the Implementation Years template can be found at Appendix B.

Key Personnel Qualifications – Describe all key personnel involved in the grant to include expectations for the project director and evaluator. Qualifications, including relevant education, training and experience of the project director and key personnel, should be discussed. This section should detail the time commitments of the project director and other key project personnel as they are appropriate and adequate to meet the objectives of the proposed project. Support staff positions (including names, if known) should be included and noted whether they are compensated through the grant. If so, state what percentage of their compensation will be provided through this project. Please note that the project director position is required to be from .5 to 1.0 FTE. Applicants should also include a statement explaining how the project director and outside evaluator will collaborate to perform evaluation tasks included below. The total reviewer score for this section is 10 points.

Reviewers will use the rubric included below in Figure 11 to score the key personnel section of the project narrative. Rubric presents criteria for the Project Director. Applicants should include a brief statement explaining how the project director will do the following.

Figure 11. Key Personnel Narrative Rubric Criteria

Describes how the project director will:

Evidence

Use background knowledge and experience to direct a project with the chosen focus.

Address the project barriers and challenges (e.g., poor staff buy-in, school leadership turnover, low band width for technology devices) collaboratively with district and/or school staff.

Utilize the project plan activities and tools presented in the planning and implementation year templates (Section V) to continually monitor and redirect strategy and professional learning implementation.

Collaborate with project school leadership and district leadership to command authority to direct the project in target schools.

Provide the outside evaluator with formative and summative project data to analyze project progress and student outcomes.

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 will use to advertise the position.

Reviewers will use the rubric included below in Figure 12 to score (15 points) the applicants criteria for an external third-party evaluator. The narrative should include a brief statement demonstrating that the outside evaluator has expertise in grants.

Figure 12. External Third-Party Evaluator Rubric

Criteria Describes the Evaluator’s expertise in:

Evidence

Qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and analyses.

Ability to use different types of assessments in addition to or instead of state/standardized testing tools to measure grant progress towards goals across grant years.

Knowledge of education, school/district contexts, the unique needs of military families, DoDEA grant evaluation requirements, and/or

STEM/CTE/CCR/WL.

Evaluating direct service projects supported by a set of activities and resources to achieve an intended result.

Evaluating process and summative measures and data to determine whether the intended result was achieved.

Using…