FY2021 DoDEA Grant Program.PDF

HE1254-21-R-0001-Grants to Military-Connected Local Educational Agencies for Academic and Support Programs (Short Title: MCASP)

Broad Agency Announcement and

Application Guidelines

CFDA: 12.556

Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA)

Education Partnership and Resource Branch

Deadline for Receipt of Proposals:

Friday, January 29, 2021 by 11:59PM EST

Promoting K-12 Student Achievement at Military-Connected Schools Discretionary Grant Program, Notice Inviting Applications for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 2 of 34

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA)

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 12.556

Dates:

December 1, 2020 Applications Available (https://www.grants.gov/)

December 18, 2020 Pre-recorded Technical Assistance Webinars (https://dodeagrants.org/)

January 29, 2021 Deadline for Transmittal of Applications

No later than Sept 30, Grants Awarded

Executive Summary The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2021 Grants to Military-Connected Local Educational Agencies for Academic and Support Programs (MCASP) as detailed in Figure 1. The DoDEA Education Partnership and Resource Division, which executes grants to MCASP, provides resources to military-connected school districts to identify and implement evidence-based solutions to meet the academic needs of the highly mobile military-connected students in their community. The FY 2021 grants are approximately 54-months in duration and are awarded to meet the needs of local educational agencies (LEAs) that seek to resource the unique needs of transitioning military-connected students (as defined in section VII).

Figure 1. Overview of DoDEA FY20 Grants to MCASP Funding Opportunity Title Grants to MCASP

Due Date for Applications January 29, 2021

Anticipated Total Available Funding $10 Million

Estimated Number of Awards 5

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

Project Period 54 months (4.5 years)

Eligible Applicants 10 percent or greater military-connected student enrollment in all participating schools.

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 3 of 34

Contact Information DoDEA Grant Program Office:

DoDEAGrants@dodea.edu 571-372-6026 DoDEA Procurement Division:

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

2. Hope Woods, Sr. Contract Specialist, hope.woods@dodea.edu, 571-372-1449

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 4 of 34

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

a. Program Objective (5)

b. Program Priorities (5)

c. Program Authority (5)

II. AWARD INFORMATION

a. Funding Availability (6)

b. Project/ Award period of performance (6)

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

a. Eligible Applicants (6)

b. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirements (7)

c. Other Criteria that Affects Eligibility (7)

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

a. Applications Packages submission (7)

b. Content and Form of Application (9)

c. Intergovernmental Review (12)

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

a. Evaluation Criteria Project Narrative Section I: Overview (12) Section II: Needs Assessment (12) Section III: Project goal (14) Section IV: Project planning (17) Section V: Project implementation years (22) Section VI: Project Leadership (25) Section VII: Project evaluation (26) Section VIII: Budget narrative and sustainability (28)

b. Review and Selection Process (30)

VI. AWARD ADMINSTRATION INFORMATION

a. Technical Assistance (31)

b. Award Notification (31)

c. Administrative and National Policy Requirements (31)

d. Reporting (31)

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

a. Definitions (32)

b. Appendices (34)

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 5 of 34

FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Program Objective: The objective for the DoDEA Grant Program is to provide eligible school districts with the resources to close achievement gaps, spark ingenuity, innovate and sustain quality education and seamless learning transitions for military-connected students. To advance excellence for military-connected students, 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 students in 36 states. The objective of the FY 21 grant program is to provide resources that promote student achievement in the core curricular areas:

Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) or Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM); literacy; to promote virtual learning programs that increase educational program cohesiveness (including accelerated learning, credit recovery and unique student course selections [e.g. world languages]); and to resource multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) learning environments so that transitioning military-connected students are afforded the opportunity to increase educational continuity and address core content gaps due to relocations.

B. Program Priorities: Beginning in Pre-K and continuing through grade 12, STEAM engagement prepares students with the knowledge, skills, dispositions and learning application opportunities necessary for successful postsecondary engagement. STEAM student-centered goals will focus on achievement results that decrease student knowledge and mastery gaps as a result of frequent and/or mid-year transitions and increase student mastery. LEAs who apply for an FY 2021 DoDEA grant, must choose one of the following objectives as a project focus:

Build Strong Foundations for STEAM Literacy to ensure students have the opportunity to learn, apply and articulate introductory and advanced STEAM concepts. Projects with this focus should build student competencies and exposure to content in digital fluency, cyber safety, computational thinking and fluency with digital platforms. Projects integrating approaches to learning computational thinking (ex: Mathematics Practices), critical thinking as an intellectual discipline (conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating) while using digital or other advancing technology-based learning environments. Technology embedded instruction that results in digitally produced student work can be included in this project focus.

Prepare the future Workforce for work life balance through practices by creating authentic learning experiences that encourage and prepare students to develop skills and aptitude through the application of the health sciences. DoDEA recognizes the mounting evidence demonstrating that physical activity increase academic achievement while also developing fit bodies and socially-emotionally well children and adolescents. Projects with this focus should foster educational opportunities that advance individual student, school or local community innovation, or where the convergence of ideas at the intersection of different fields gives rise to new solutions engaging technologies. Projects with this focus may choose to focus on a singular component of STEAM (i.e. Science-only).

C. Program Authority: Authority for MCASP is provided by the following: Section 574(d) of P.L.

109-364; Title 10 U.S.C. Section 2192(b) and Title 10 U.S.C. Section 2193(a).

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 6 of 34

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Funding Availability: DoDEA anticipates that approximately $10,000,000 will be available in FY 2021 for this announcement. Proposed projects will be 54 months in duration and the total federal amount requested from DoDEA for each project must be no less than $500,000 and no more than $1,500,000 for all years of the project, including direct and indirect costs. Applicants are required to use the first year of their award as a planning year. During this year, the grantee is expected to refine the project and evaluation plans, provide professional learning, secure necessary resources, and fulfill staff positions.

Any project requesting total federal support from DoDEA of less than $500,000 or more than $1,500,000 total for all years will not be considered for funding. DoDEA anticipates funding awards under this BAA year will be announced no later than September 30, 2021.

The amount available through this announcement will be dependent upon final FY 2021 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 Grant Officer or DoDEA Grant Program Manager, the applicant does so solely at his/her own risk of such costs not being included under an award if an award is made to the applicant. Pre-award cost 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 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200 Section 308 (d) and Section 407.

All participating schools must have 10 percent or greater military-connected student enrollment for school year (SY) 2019-20. The enrollment numbers should be verifiable from the district’s U.S.

Department of Education Impact Aid totals and/or the State Military Student Identifier data. Figure 2 outlines the funding formula for this opportunity which is based ONLY on the total number of military-connected students at eligible school(s).

Figure 2. DoDEA FY21 MCASP Grant Funding Formula

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

Award Amount (Total for 54 months)

500 or fewer $500,000.00 500 – 1,000 $750,000.00

1,001 – 1,500 $1,000,000.00 1,500 or greater $1,500,000.00

B. Project/Award Period: Applications must cover a project period of 54 months to be eligible for merit review. Start dates may vary depending on the date of the official award letter is signed.

Applicants selected to receive funding may be asked to modify the project start date.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants for this funding opportunity are limited to PK-12 public LEAs in the United States. 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 recipients are eligible to apply. Awards will be made to LEAs on behalf of their eligible school(s). NOTE: If you applied under the FY2020 MCASP Broad Agency Announcement, your application will be

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 7 of 34 automatically considered for an FY 2021 MCASP Grant and there is no need to re-apply for consideration.

Although funding is contingent upon military-connected student enrollment, it is expected that the proposed projects may serve all students at the target schools. LEAs can submit only one application on behalf of its eligible school(s). The following three caveats should be noted:

• Projects must focus primarily on military-connected students and include impacts that are demonstrable and measurable.

• If a second subgroup is identified within the military-connected student subgroup, both subgroups must be demonstrable and measurable.

• Districts must be able to disaggregate military-connected student data.

Competitive Preference Priorities (20 additional points possible): This competition includes up to three

(3) priority areas for applicants to earn additional points.

New applicants: Applicants may receive 10 additional points if the LEA has never previously received a DoDEA grant award.

Health Sciences Priority: Health Science is an applied science that focuses on the study of the human body's ability to improve, maintain or restore health and well-being. Projects that include a health science goal that develops knowledge and skills through multidisciplinary study or the application of healthy physical and mindful wellness activities may receive up to 10 additional points. Examples of projects that may receive these additional points include any of the following: real-world problem solving projects (e.g. sustainable planet through nutrition), student centered project-based learning (e.g. meeting fitness grams goals through a school-based program); the implementation of any evidence-based strategies to provide 60 minutes of physical activity daily to improve student strength, endurance, enhance academic achievement and increase self-esteem in children and adolescents through scheduling and recess planning; the implementation of any practical or relevant courses that prepare students for Health Science career fields such as cooking/nutrition, sports science and physiology, skeleton/bone [endoskeletons/exoskeletons], CTE Health Science Career Pathway).

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Information: There is no cost share requirement; however, cost sharing is encouraged.

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility: Applications that are lacking any of the required elements or do not complete the forms as prescribed in Section IV (B) (1) (2) (3) of this BAA will not be considered. All applications must be submitted through Grants.gov. Emailed, faxed, or mailed application will NOT be accepted.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Application Package Submission: Applications can only be submitted through https://grants.gov/.

Below is an overview of applying on https://grants.gov/. For access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html .

To Register to Apply through Grants.gov, applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the registration process. Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information. Grants.gov requires applicants to register with the system prior to submitting any application. This registration can take several weeks and involves multiple steps. In

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 8 of 34 order to allow sufficient time for this process, applicants should register as soon as they decide they intend to apply, even if they are not ready to submit an application. Also, even if an applicant has registered with Grants.gov previously, the applicant’s password may have expired or their System for Award Management (SAM) registration may need to be renewed or updated prior to submitting to Grants.gov. Organization applicants can find complete instructions here:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/registration.html

How to Submit an Application to DoDEA via Grants.gov Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different web forms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement, you can create individual instances of a workspace.

a. Create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to complete it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.

b. Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace, complete all the required forms, and check for errors before submission.

c. Submit a Workspace: An application may be submitted through workspace by clicking the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab. Grants.gov recommends submitting your application package at least 48-72 hours prior to the close date to provide you with time to correct any potential technical issues that may disrupt the application submission.

d. Track a Workspace: After successfully submitting a workspace package, a tracking number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the package. The number will be listed on the Confirmation page that is generated after submission.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html

Applicant Support: Grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to call the Grants.gov Support Center and get a ticket number. (DoDEA grant staff is unable to provide Grants.gov technical support.). LEAs should sign up for email notifications to receive alerts regarding any changes to this announcement.

All applications must be received by 11:59 PM Eastern time on Friday, January 29, 2021. Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by Grants.gov. An electronic date/time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. The applicant Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) from Grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application. Applicant AORs will also receive the official date/time stamp and Grants.gov Tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission. When DoDEA successfully retrieves the application from Grants.gov, and acknowledges the download of submissions, Grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgment of receipt of the application to the email address of the applicant with the AOR role. Again, proof of timely submission shall be the official date and time that Grants.gov receives your application. Applicants using slow internet, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission can take some time before Grants.gov receives your application. Do not wait until the deadline to apply – please apply early as

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 9 of 34 late submissions will not be accepted! Again, Grants.gov will provide either an error or a successful received transmission in the form of an email sent to the applicant with the AOR role. The Grants.gov Support Center reports that some applicants end the transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to process the application.

After the application is submitted through Grants.gov, the AOR will receive two e-mails. It is extremely important that the AOR watch for and save each of the e-mails. The two e-mails are:

First Email – The applicant will receive a confirmation page upon completing the submission to https://beta.sam.gov. This confirmation page is a record of the time and date stamp that is used to determine whether the proposal was submitted.

Second Email – The applicant will receive an e-mail indicating that the proposal has been validated by https://beta.sam.gov within two days of submission (This means that all of the required fields have been completed). After an institution submits an application, Grants.gov generates a submission receipt via email and also sets the application status to “Received.” This receipt verifies the Application has been successfully delivered to the Grants.gov system. Next, Grants.gov verifies the submission is valid by ensuring it does not contain viruses, the opportunity is still open, and the applicant login and applicant DUNS number match. If the submission is valid, Grants.gov generates a submission validation receipt via email and sets the application status to “Validated.” If the application is not validated, the application status is set to "Rejected." The system sends a rejection email notification to the institution, and the institution must resubmit the application package. Applicants can track the status of their application by logging in to Grants.gov.

B. Content and Form of Application: An application must include all elements (1) through (3) below;

elements (4) through (6) 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. 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. (Note: submission through Grants.gov results in automatic electronic signatures on these forms; however, physical signature is required. Please ensure to upload signed documents to application package. Only the forms that are attached to this specific announcement in Grants.gov are acceptable):

(i) SF-424, Application for Federal Assistance

(ii) SF-424-A, Budget Information, Non-Construction Programs

(iii) SF-LLL, Certifications Regarding Lobbying

(iv) Project Narrative Attachment File

(v) Budget Narrative Attachment File

(2) Project Narrative. Applicant’s narrative must include all subsections listed in Section V

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 10 of 34 of this BAA and 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 will not be considered.

Narrative should be no longer than 20 pages. This page requirement does not include cover page, table of contents, charts, tables, figures, and graphs.

(3) Detailed Budget. Provide a detailed budget table that clearly identifies and justifies the cost of separable elements of the proposed work and correlates with the budget narrative and sustainability section written in the project narrative. The detailed budget table must include a detailed year-by-year breakdown by category of cost separated into federal and non-federal categories (if applicable). The detailed budget should be sufficiently detailed to enable a clear understanding of the cost breakdown and calculations used to derive the line item subtotals in each object class of the SF-424A budget.

The budget should be written with enough detail to allow DoDEA staff and the review panel the ability to evaluate the level of effort proposed by the project. The budget must include all anticipated expenses in order to realistically describe for reviewers what resources will be necessary to carry out the project. DoDEA staff will review budget information in recommended applications to determine if costs are allowable, allocable, and reasonable. (See Section VIII (B) Appendix B for sample Detailed Budget Table). The following funding requirements apply to all awarded grants under this announcement:

Personnel: For grant purposes, the funding category, Personnel, includes the salaries of full-time equivalent (FTE) and non-FTE positions. Under this announcement, FTEs are considered key personnel who will spend 50% or more of their time implementing the goals of this grant project (i.e.

Project Director, Full time STEAM Coach, etc.). Up to 25 percent of the total federal funds may be allocated to these positions. 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 Section VIII (B) Appendix B). The salaries and/or stipends for every FTE and Non-FTE plus the percent of time and/or number of months/hours devoted to the project must be specified. If an exception to the 25% allocation for FTEs is needed, the applicant must justify within their budget narrative section of the project narrative why this exception is warranted.

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.

Travel: Cost (i.e., transportation, lodging, meals while on official travel), a description of anticipated travel, destination, total number of travelers is required per line item. If the actual trip details are unknown, applicants should state the basis for the proposed travel costs. Applicant should refer to their written travel policy for guidance regarding acceptable travel cost. In the absence of an acceptable, written non-federal entity policy regarding travel costs, the rates and amounts established under 5 U.S.C.

5701-11 (“Travel and Subsistence Expenses; Mileage Allowances”), or by the General Services Administration federal travel per diem rates at https://www.gsa.gov/travel-resources. As a condition of

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 11 of 34 accepting this grant award, at least three, but no more than four persons are required to attend the FY 2021 post award Community of Practice meeting. The project director and one day-to-day staff member (preferably a business/finance LEA staff member) are required to attend this meeting, which is expected to occur in November 2021. Applicants may allocate a $5,000.00 line item in their travel budget to attend this meeting. Any remaining funds not expended for the post-award meeting may be reallocated to other grant expenditures.

Equipment: Equipment is defined by the 2 CFR §200.313 as tangible, nonexpendable, personal property, and/or information technology systems having a useful life of 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 §200.313, if the LEA chooses to acquire equipment for grant implementation. All equipment, if procured, will be tracked annually through the completion of the Tangible Personal Property Report (SF-428). This is a standard federal form for awarding agencies to collect information on tangible property (i.e. equipment). The form consists of cover sheet (SF-428) and three attachments to be used as required: Annual Report, SF- 428-A; Final (Award Closeout) Report, SF-428-B; and a Disposition Request/Report, SF-428-C. A Supplemental Sheet, SF-428-S, may be used to provide details on individual items.

Supplies: Supplies are defined by the 2 CFR §200.314 and §200.453 as materials, supplies, and fabricated parts to include costs of computing devices. Supplies are generally less than $5,000 per unit item. Supplies must be listed on the applicant’s detailed budget by quantity and price per unit item. (See Section VIII (B) Appendix B).

Contractual: A contract is a legal instrument by which a non-federal entity purchases good and services needed to carry out the project under the Federal award, per 2 CFR §200.22. Procurement standards are identified in 2 CFR §200.317-200.326. All procurement transactions under this award must be conducted in a manner providing full and open competition consistent with the standards identified in 2 CFR §200.319. All grants are required to have a third-party evaluator. Up to 5% of the total federal funds may be allocated to this position. The third-party evaluator must not be a current employee of the LEA. To ensure objectiveness, creativity, and accountability in monitoring and evaluation, a returning grantee may not use the same third-party evaluator listed on any two active DoDEA grants for that LEA. In order to be inclusive, we highly recommend that the grantees select an evaluator competitively using outside avenues, such as local universities, research/evaluation organizations, and by posting jobs on professional websites to hire qualified evaluators.

Other: Food and beverage costs, with the exception of subsistence costs associated with authorized travel

(per diem), are not allowable. Pre-award costs such as the costs incurred by the applicant prior to the start date of the period of performance of the award such as registration fees, subscriptions and warranties are allowable; however, awardee must receive written approval from the DoDEA Grant Officer or DoDEA Grant Program Manager before incurring any pre-award costs. If applicant will be including pre-award cost, please email DoDEA at DoDEAGrants@dodea.edu for prior approval.

Indirect costs: Indirect costs as defined in 2 CFR §200.56 are also referred to as “facility and administrative” cost and incurred for a common purpose benefiting the LEA in a capacity more than grant execution. Indirect costs may include 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 and reflected on the detail budget. 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 using the federal governments de minimis rate of 10%. Applicants are not required to allocate indirect costs for this funding opportunity (See Section VII (B) Appendix B).

(4) Supporting documents. Supporting documents should include needs assessment data, résumés

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 12 of 34 of key personnel, and a bibliography. Memorandums of understanding/agreements that LEAs have with local partners may be included.

(5) References Cited. If literature references are cited in the project narrative, then a References Cited section should be included. Each reference should include the names of all authors in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication, the article title, publication or publication title, volume number, page numbers, and year of publication. While there is no established page limit, this section must include bibliographic citations only and must not be used to provide substantive information outside the 30-page project narrative.

(6) Letters of Commitment. If substantive partnerships are described in the project narrative, letters of commitment should be provided. Letters of commitment are important for demonstrating the concrete involvement of project partners (including DoD partners) and are reviewed as part of the application. Project partners are strongly encouraged to submit letters of commitment indicating their interest in the topic and format of the proposed project, their willingness to participate in the project, and how the project complements their strategic priorities.

C. Intergovernmental Review: Applications submitted to this funding opportunity are not subject to Executive Order 12372, Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Evaluation Criteria: Applications are due Friday January 29, 2021 by 11:59 PM (EST). All applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

The Project Narrative, to include all sections, may not exceed 20 pages in length. The Project Narrative must describe, in sufficient detail, how the project will be implemented and address the Evaluation Criteria below. The Project Narrative will be reviewed and scored according to the quality of the responses to the requirements in the below Sections I-VII. Applicants who have received a previous DoDEA grant will also be reviewed based on their performance history-including compliance with applicable reporting requirements, their expenditures of the previous grant funding and the extent to which any previously awarded amounts will be expended prior to a potential award from this grant announcement, and conformance to the terms and conditions of their previous Federal awards. The applicant must also demonstrate how the previous grant project relates to the new grant activities being proposed, show evidence that the intervention worked, and provide data from the current grant evaluation of the effectiveness—both qualitative and quantitative data.

Section I: Overview Materials (Materials in this section are required but are not scored. If these materials are not provided, the grant application will not be reviewed.)

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

Cover page:

The cover page must include all contact information (including mailing address), names of military installations served, focus areas (with subgroups if applicable), enrollment data for eligible schools and the

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 13 of 34 district, and an authorized signature (see Section VIII (B) Appendix A for a template).

Abstract:

An abstract of no longer than 250 words is required. The abstract 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. Please 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.

Table of Contents:

The project narrative should include an accurate table of contents.

Section II: Needs Assessment and Rationale for the Project (10 points total) A needs assessment determines and presents the needs or “gaps” 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 in order to improve student outcomes in the focus area.

Reviewers will use the rubric included below to score applications.

Provides disaggregated data for military-connected students as related to the need (5 points).

Criteria for Military-Connected Students and Need

Evidence

Includes all populations impacted by project (e.g.

military-connected studentsi 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, DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 14 of 34 educational software, memberships, subscriptions) relative to the focus area(s).

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

Reviewer will use rubric 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).

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 gap 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).

Section III: Project Goals and Design (10 points total) Applicants are permitted to include up to three STEAM-focused goals. Each goal may not have more than three strategies and should be written as a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goal (see example below). These should be the same goals used in Section VII: Evaluation.

Strategies to support the goals must be related to improving student outcomes related to the SMART goals and selected from the below list. Choose up to three (3) broad strategies from this list or create your own strategies:

Extracurricular activities o After-school STEM or STEAM clubs o Student STEM-related competitions

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 15 of 34 o Summer STEM programs In-class curriculum and instruction support o Project-based learning o Integrating social emotional learning with STEM in the classroom o Providing opportunities to earn industry recognized STEM careers certifications and credentials o Establishing pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship opportunities o Embedding work-based learning activities

Organizational capacity building o Implementing train-the-trainer or mentoring STEM programs o Building faculty capacity to use student data to target student learning needs o Developing community support for STEM education for targeted schools (with businesses/military partnerships and higher education collaborations) In-class technology supports o Electronic white boards o Tablets/laptops o Educational software

Tutoring Virtual classes (e.g. completely online virtual classrooms, blended classrooms, flipped classrooms)

SMART Goal Example:

Increase the percentage of military-connected middle level students in grades 6-8 scoring proficient or above in the SBAC science assessment during the grant cycle to 60%. (Currently 48%)

Measures (Examples) Student performance in STEM courses in statewide, districtwide and/or schoolwide benchmark assessments Student performance in ALEKS (AI-adaptive learning and assessment web-based platform) Student performance in AP courses (STEM and interdisciplinary such as AP Seminar and AP

Research) Student performance in college entrance exams (e.g., ACT Math, ACT Science, ACT overall, and

Accuplacer) Enrollment and completion in dual enrollment STEM 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 STEM programs with articulation agreements

Goal:

Strategy/Activity Category:

Extracurricular Activity, In-class curriculum and

Specific Activity Target/Direct Audience

Research or Evidence Base

Current, New, or Enhanced Intervention (Note that New and Enhanced

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 16 of 34 instruction support, In-class technology supports, Tutoring, or Virtual classes

Intervention will happen based on grant award)

Reviewers will use the rubric included below to score applications.

Goals are aligned with the needs identified and focus on military-connected student academic outcomes. (7 points)

Criteria Evidence Project has no more than two (2) SMART goals that are student-centered.

Goals clearly align from the needs assessment.

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

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

Goals reference STEAM academic achievement of military-connected students (e.g. state assessments, graduation rate, advanced placement (AP) exams, and college entrance exam scores).

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 SMART goal.

Strategies are aligned to need and relevant to meeting the SMART goal.

Reviewers will use the rubric to score application: Presents information on district’s past and current staff professional learning efforts (3 points).

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 17 of 34

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).

Includes current challenges in offering professional learning (e.g.

administration/teacher buy- in, available planning time, contract hours).

Section IV: Project Planning Year (15 points total) In this section, applicants provide information in their narrative (5 points) about how the project director will (1) 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; (2) involve project school staff in planning-especially leadership and budget/finance staff; (3) identify key activities to prepare for each strategy’s implementation; (4) provide professional learning and develop a plan for ongoing professional learning to support staff practice in applying strategies with fidelity, (5) research the proposed strategies and develop specific plans with timelines, milestones, and responsible people for implementation, (6) collaborate with the evaluator to plan for an evaluation approach with the appropriate data collection, evaluation tools, and measures, (7) identify military installation and business partners and institutions of higher education and other collaborators, and (8) identify ongoing technical assistance needs and sources for providing those services (i.e., DoDEA ETAC, school or district, or third-party vendor).

In addition, applicants will fill out the provided template (10 points) 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 2 goals and no more than 3 strategies per goal.

An example of a filled-in Planning Year template is provided in Section VIII (B) Appendix D.

D oD

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(If a pp lic ab le ) H iri ng p ro je ct d ire ct or

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DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 20 of 34

Reviewer Rubric (from the narrative): Overall approach for the planning year, including establishing planning year activity milestones, namely, how the project director will (5 points).

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

Determine what is communicated to each stakeholder group.

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.

Reviewer Rubric (from the template): Overall approach for Planning Year strategy preparation and professional learning to prepare staff to implement strategies (10 points).

Criteria Evidence Establish a communication plan with materials and 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, and a timeline.

DoDEA FY2021 MCASP Grants Broad Agency Announcement Page 21 of 34

2021 MCASP DoDEA PLANNING YEAR TEMPLATE District:

Project Name Number of Elementary Schools: Number of Military-connected Students:

Number of Middle Schools: Number of Military-connected Students:

Number of High Schools: Number of Military-connected:

Students: Number of Other Schools (e.g. K-8, Virtual): Number of Military-connected Students:

Communication and Implementation Plan (Communicating about the project purpose to and seeking input from such groups as school board, district staff, staff and parents at target schools, military installation, and community stakeholders. Advertising the project to such groups as school board, district staff, staff and parents at target schools, military installation, and community stakeholders at the beginning of the project:

e.g. build project website; add project page to district/school website; create Twitter handle and feed; create district and/or school newsletter;

email to parents at involved schools; report to school board; report to business community or chamber of commerce; create announcement flyer in military installation and local libraries.)

Target Audience Type of Communication

First Month of Communication

Frequency of Communication

Responsible Person’s Role

Directions for filling in cells (REMOVE DIRECTIONS IN YOUR APPLICATION) Must be from BAA List:

Extra-curricular In-class Support Building

Organizational Capacity

Technology Tutoring Virtual Learning

What activities are needed during the planning year to ensure strategies are implemented with fidelity?

Tool: What tool is needed to ensure strategy is in place? TBD with Evaluator

Name a month or range of months when these activities will occur

What type of professional learning is needed during the planning year to ensure staff are ready to implement strategies with fidelity?

Tool: What tool is needed to capture attendance and/or satisfaction? TBD with Evaluator

Name a month or range of months when these activities will occur

Goal 1: Improve XXX achievement of YYY level military-connected students as measured by ZZZ during the grant cycle ETAC Strategy Category:

Extra-curricular In-class Curriculum and Instruction Support

In-class…