Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs: FY2007

Priority will be given to the following two Department's pilot projects.

1. Educational Data Warehouse Pilot Project - The Department has begun a pilot project that explores the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of a data warehouse for the Commonwealth's educational data. The goal is to expand the Department and districts' ability to produce timely and accurate longitudinal reports for data analyses for student improvement, particularly for targeted student populations. Besides storing existing SIMS and MCAS data, the system provides a structure for additional types of data, including formative assessment, financial, educator, and professional development.

2. Formative Assessment Pilot Project - The Department has contracted with Assessment Technology, Inc. (ATI), to provide low-performing Massachusetts schools access and use of its instructional data system,Galileo Online. This system helps teachers, administrators, parents, and students identify trends in student learning, improve classroom instruction, and ultimately raise student academic achievement. The initial phase of the pilot occurred during the 2005-2006 school year. The focus of the pilot is to evaluate the capacity of the instructional data system to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics. In this grant program, preference will be given to high need districts that have participated in Phase I of the pilot project.

1. Grant funds will be distributed to eligible high need school districts
   (http://www.doe.mass.edu/edtech/grants/fy07/170_highneed.html) with preference given to:

   1. Data Warehouse Pilot Project - for high need districts that have been designated by the Massachusetts Board of Education as under-performing school districts

   2. Formative Assessment Pilot Project - for high need districts that are participating in Phase I of the Formative Assessment Pilot Project and intend to participate in Phase II of the project.

2. To be eligible for funding, school districts must have received a letter approving the implementation of their 2005-2006 technology plan. The proposed project activities should align with the district's technology plan.

3. School districts must certify that they have complied with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requirements.

4. School districts must engage in timely and meaningful consultation with appropriate private school officials during the design and development of programs and continue the consultation throughout the implementation of these programs. The consultation should begin during the development of the local grant proposal.

Pending appropriation, approximately $900,000 will be awarded for this two-year grant program. Grant awards for the two years will not exceed the following amounts for each of the priority areas:

1. for the Data Warehouse Pilot Project, the grant award will be based on student enrollment of the participating district:

   • student enrollment of 4,999 or less $75,000

   • student enrollment of 5,000 or more $150,000; and

2. for the Formative Assessment Pilot Project, the grant award will be based on the number of participating schools in Phase I at the amount of $30,000 per school for the two-year grant period.

Up to half of the total grant funds may be used for Year 1 activities. The Year 2 request will be the balance of the total request for the two years. If applicable, additional funding for private school participation will be awarded to the funded district.

1. Funds received shall be used to supplement, not supplant, state and/or local funds that would otherwise be used for the proposed activities.

2. At least 25% of the grant funds must be used for ongoing high quality technology professional development. This may include payment for consultants, teacher substitutes, stipends, and materials for professional development. Although the following are acceptable expenditures, they may not be included as items identified for professional development: project coordination; purchase of hardware and software; program evaluation; dissemination; etc. Grant funds may not be used for space rental and food.

3. Each grant recipient should set aside 10% of grant funds each year to procure the services of an external evaluator. The Department will coordinate the selection of an external evaluator for each pilot project.

All budgets and budget descriptions must be aligned with the activities described in the proposal narrative and reflect any coordinated use of funds from other funding resources.

Upon Approval - 8/31/2007 Competitive for Year 1

9/1/2007 - 8/31/2008 Continuation for Year 2

Monday, July 10, 2006

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

1. Prior to developing proposals for this program, districts should refer to the following items:

   1. FY2007 High Need Districts
      http://www.doe.mass.edu/edtech/grants/fy07/170_highneed.html

   2. Under-performing districts: Holyoke, Southbridge, Winchendon

2. When developing proposals for this program, districts should refer to the following resources.

   1. Scoring Rubric 1 - Educational Data Warehouse Pilot Project

   2. Scoring Rubric 2 - Formative Assessment Pilot Project

   3. Local Technology Plan Guidelines (School Years 2004-2005 through 2006-2007)http://www.doe.mass.edu/edtech/tplanguide04_07.html

   4. Technology Self-Assessment Toolhttp://www.doe.mass.edu/edtech/standards/sa_tool.html

   5. Recommended Criteria for Evaluating Instructional Technology Materialshttp://www.doe.mass.edu/edtech/standards/tech_mat.PDF

   6. http://www.doe.mass.edu/edtech/toolkit/students/ATguide.pdf

Submit 4 sets, each with an original signature of the Superintendent/Executive Director. Mail to: