Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs: FY2011

Title II, Part B, of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) authorizes the Massachusetts Mathematics and Science Partnership (MMSP) grant program. The intent of this competitive grant program is to encourage districts and institutions of higher education to collaborate in professional development activities that increase the subject matter knowledge and improve the standards-based instructional practices of science, technology/engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers.

Funds for new partnerships through this 2010-2011 MMSP competitive grant program will be awarded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department). For FY2011, approximately $1,200,000 is available for new MMSP awards.

The purpose of the MMSP program is to improve student achievement in science, technology/engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through intensive, high-quality professional development activities aligned to district STEM improvement goals through the partnership of higher education institutions and school districts.

The Department has established the following goals for the MMSP program.

Priority will be given to proposals that focus on the following areas.

In mathematics (up to 10 points will be awarded for either priority 1 or 2) :

1. adopt the Massachusetts Intel Mathematics Initiative (MIMI) model for teachers in grades K-8. MIMI is comprised of an 80-hour course plus district-based learning communities that build on the course with job-embedded professional development (seeAdditional Information for information on this program);

OR

2. offer courses or a course of study in algebra for middle and high school teachers that increase depth of teacher content knowledge and provide an understanding of algebraic learning progressions;

In science (up to 10 points will be awarded for either priority 3 or 4; up to 20 points for both):

3. offer courses or courses of study that engage participants in learning science and technology/engineering content throughinquiry-based learning experiences;*

AND/OR

4. offer STE topic immersion course(s ) for K-8 teachers, i.e., courses that provide focused study into an STE topic, such as: Force and Motion; Ecology; Energy in the Earth's System; Evolution and Biodiversity; Forms of Energy; Properties of and States of Matter; or Engineering Design.

Up to 20 additional points will be given to those proposals that include a rigorous summative evaluation using aquasi-experimental* or a randomized control (experimental) design*.

* Please seeAdditional Information for Definitions of terms in italics.

Eligible MMSP proposals must:

1. be a partnership as described below and include at least ahigh-need district, a STEM department from an institution of higher education (core partners), and a local evaluator; it is strongly recommended that the Institution of Higher Education's education department be included in this partnership in addition to, but not in place of, the STEM department faculty;

2. address the Required Program Information; and

3. be developed collaboratively by representatives from each partnering organization and include the local evaluator.

Core Partners

Core partner organizations share responsibility and accountability for the MMSP project. Core partners are required to provide evidence of their commitment to undergo coordinated institutional change necessary to sustain the partnership effort beyond the funding period. Core partner organizations in each partnership must include:

1. ahigh-need district (See Additional Information for the High-Need District List); and

2. a STEM department from a Massachusetts institution of higher education, which can include community colleges.

Districts may submit, as a core partner, only one mathematics and only one science-technology/engineering proposal.

Lead Partner

Required Evaluator

A local program evaluator, which can be an organization or an individual, serves as an objective collaborator with the partnership regarding issues of planning, executing, and reporting on findings from both formative and summative evaluations of the program. The evaluator should be a working member of the project team from the earliest stages of proposal development through the completion of a final cumulative report.

Additional Partners

Additional partners from within or outside of Massachusetts may include:

1. other local educational agencies, public charter schools, public or non-public elementary schools or secondary schools, or a consortium of such schools (at least 50% of the participating teachers must be fromhigh-need districts);

2. The STEM department or education department of other institutions of higher education;

3. non-profit or for-profit organizations with demonstrated effectiveness in improving the quality of STEM teachers; and/or

4. business partners.

Private schools are eligible to participate in a partnership and are to be given equitable opportunity for participation.

Proposed MMSP partnership activities must address the following general requirements (specific requirements are outlined in the Required Program Information Narrative):

1. high-quality, content-specific professional development for science, technology/ engineering, and/or mathematics teachers, including special education teachers and teachers of English language learners (at least 50% of the participating teachers must be fromhigh-need districts) ;

2. at least 45 hours of direct instructional time and 24 hours of supplementalactivitiesper course to guide the implementation of course content into standards-based instruction and facilitate connections between the course and district/school STEM initiatives;

3. integration of the local evaluator into the initial program planning, a formalized program evaluation, and compliance with state and federal reporting requirements;

4. develop and maintain a web page to communicate and disseminate partnership activities.

Proposed MMSP partnerships are encouraged to include additional activities for the high-need districtsthat integrate the professional development with local STEM improvement initiatives (e.g., improvement plans, curriculum alignment or instructional documents, instructional leadership training and protocols, and/or Individual Professional Development Plans). Potential additional MMSP partnership activities mayinclude:

1. creating or updating district/school STEM alignment documents and/or STEM school improvement plans;

2. developing tools to assess teachers' STEM professional development needs (of all teachers in the identified content area(s) and level(s)) to inform their Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDP); and/or

3. providing instructional leadership training to effectively facilitate site-basedsupplemental activities (e.g. Professional Learning Communities) and standards-based instruction.

Funds awarded should be used to supplement, not supplant, state and/or local funds that would otherwise be used for proposed activities.

1. Funds maybe used to support STEM professional development programs, course development, and activities that integrate the professional development with local STEM improvement initiatives in high-need districts.

2. Funds may be used for administrative costs, stipends, substitutes, materials for professional development, program evaluation, program dissemination, travel to state and national Title II-B meetings, etc. Note:Grant funds maynotbe allocated to pay for both a participant's graduate credit tuition and to provide a stipend.

3. Funds may not be used for equipment or instructional materials for the students of the participating teachers, space rental, or food.

4. Funds may not be used for full-time staff positions.

5. Indirect costs, if charged, must be at the Department's approved rate and may not exceed a rate of 8%.

6. Administrative costs and indirect costs combined may not exceed 20% of the total budget.

7. Consultant fees maynot exceed $100 per hour, up to $750 per day.

All budgets and budget descriptions must be aligned with the program activities and reflect any coordinated uses of resources from other sources.

Monday, June 14, 2010

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

1. PART I - FORMS AND TABLES

      150-B Workbook includes:

   • Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants (Cover Page or Program Unit Signature Page)

   • Partner Contributions and Commitments

   • Statement of Assurances

   • Equitable Participation of Private Schools

   • Project Impact

   • Contact Information

   • Courses and Activities

   • Timeline

   • Evaluation Plan Summary

   • Project Expenditures

   • Budget Details

   • Cumulative Budget

2. PART II - REQUIRED PROGRAM INFORMATION NARRATIVE

       Required Program Information - Narrative Component

1.     Checklist for Submission

2.     Definitions

3.     FY2011 High-Need District List

4.     Scoring Rubric

5.   Massachusetts Intel Mathematics Initiativeand   http://download.intel.com/education/math/Intel_Math.pdf

6.      Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Framework
   http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/math/2000/final.pdf

7.      Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework
   http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/scitech/1006.pdf

8.      Supplement to the Massachusetts Mathematics Curriculum Framework Grades 3, 5, and 7 Grade Level Standards
   http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/math/052504_sup.pdf

9.      An Effective Standards-Based K-12 Science and Technology/Engineering Classroom
   http://www.doe.mass.edu/omste/news07/scitechclass_char.pdf

10.      Characteristics of a Standards-Based Mathematics Classroom
    http://www.doe.mass.edu/omste/news07/mathclass_char.pdf

11.     Massachusetts Licensure Regulations and Information

12.     Massachusetts Tests of Educator Licensure (MTEL), including the Test Objectives

13.     NCLB Title II Part B Federal Regulations

Submission

Applicants must submit one original full proposal to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. This must include two copies of the cover page with original signatures of the authorized institutional official of the lead agency.

An electronic copy of the 150-B Workbook and the Required Program Information Narrativemust be submitted toclach@doe.mass.edu. Write "MMSP Competitive Application" in the subject line.

Fax submissions are not acceptable.

To be considered for funding, proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 14, 2010. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Proposals should be mailed or delivered to:

Review Process

Proposals will be reviewed for completeness and compliance with the requirements set forth in Title II, Part B of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and this RFP to determine applicant eligibility. If, in the judgment of the Department a proposal is late, significantly incomplete, or an applicant cannot establish its eligibility, the proposal will be omitted from the competition. Applicants submitting proposals that are withdrawn due to incompleteness or ineligibility will be notified in writing.

Applications will be evaluated based on the required application components and the established scoring rubric (SeeAdditional Information.) The results of the review will be reported to the Commissioner for his final determination.

Following the review, Department staff will contact eligible lead partners to discuss any modifications of the project plan that may be required. To maximize the effects of limited funds, applicants whose grants are recommended at less than the amount requested may be asked to revise the project budget and/or scope of work.