Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs: FY2006

The purpose of this state-funded grant is the development of a Collaborative Success Plan (CSP) to supplement existing district resources to increase the number of:

1. students entering high school who will exit having met the competency determination and graduation requirements; and

2. post-12^th grade students who are aware of the postsecondary educational and/or employment/workforce training opportunities available until passing the retest.

Through the collaborative efforts of the students, families, schools, and community, a communication and support tool will be developed and implemented to:

• provide an outline of educational choices, consequences, and options for secondary and postsecondary students;

• identify key times when decisions are made in high school and possible support interventions;

• specify roles that various members of the community will play in supporting students striving to earn their high school diplomas; and

• serve as a model that other communities may adapt and replicate in the future.

These services are to supplement currently funded local, state, and federal programs.

Priority will be given to programs that include the following.

1. School districts and community partnerships with data that indicate a large number or percentage of students exiting high school without a competency determination, diploma, or performance appeal and with a large number of students who (or whose families) have challenging needs, including but not limited to, economic hardship, language literacy issues, and disabilities.

2. Districts and communities whose students are from families whose educational and professional backgrounds may be less familiar with and/or have limited understanding of the impact educational decisions have on future economic, career, and educational opportunities.

3. Districts that may have low numbers of students not earning diplomas but whose MCAS data or drop-out rates indicate a potential future increase in the number of such students.

Additionally, proposed programs must meet the following criteria.

1. Services provided by the school and/or partner organizations must promote and support the academic achievement and pursuit of a competency determination by students.

2. The planning efforts and resulting products and services must take into consideration the cultural, societal, and educational norms of the community to be served. This consideration extends throughout the process of identifying the targeted needs of students and available community resources as well as the development and delivery of products and services.

3. The proposal must address the role played by the students, families, schools, and community in developing a communication network of awareness of these options.

4. Programs must pilot relevant components of the Collaborative Success Plan (CSP) with an existing 2006 summer program serving students in any/all of the classes of 2003-2009* who need assistance in order to pass the 10^th grade MCAS tests/retests. The aforementioned summer program does not have to take place in the lead applicant's district.

   * Note: This sentence was corrected 1/23/2006 to include only the classes of 2003-2009.

5. Proposed programs shall ensure that services are available to students with disabilities.

The application must be submitted by at least one of the following:

public school district, charter school, and/or approved private special education school, in partnership with at least one other entity such as the following:

community organizations, businesses, community colleges, and One Stop Career Centers. The lead applicant must be identified prior to submission.

Academic Support Unit Staff - email: achievement@doe.mass.edu

(via Margaret Gibbons, Administrative Assistant)

Friday, February 3, 2006

Competitive proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. on the date due.

To apply for funding, submit a grant application that includes all of the required elements.

• Application for Competitive Academic Support: Collaborative Success Plan: [ WORD | PDF ]

• Fund Code 592-B-2 - Program Unit Signature Page (Part I - General: Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants): [ WORD | PDF ]

• Part II Budget Detail Pages (Include both pages): [ WORD | PDF | EXCEL | Instructions ]

• Budget Narrative: [ WORD | PDF ]

• Schedule C - Statement of Participation and Support: [ WORD | PDF ]

NOTE: Funds used to provide services that are not consistent with the approved program constitute grounds for a request of return of corresponding funds.

• Evaluation Guidelines: [ WORD | PDF ]

  Prepare a narrative report on the overall effectiveness of the program, using the Department's Fund Code: 592-B-2 Narrative Evaluation Guidelines. Reports are due September 29, 2006.

• Individual Student Data Information is required to be submitted through the Department's Security Portal. Details and dates will be provided by the Department upon grant approval and will be posted to the Academic Support Data Collection web pages - http://www.doe.mass.edu/as/data/. Required information will include the names, State Assigned Student Identification Numbers (SASIDs), and schools of students who participated in the summer program where the CSP was piloted.

Submit 4 sets, each with an original signature of the District Superintendent, College President, or Executive Director. Mail to:

Margaret Gibbons
Administrative Assistant
Academic Support
Massachusetts Department of Education
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148-5023