Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs: FY2008

Program Requirements

1. Proposed programs must serve only students in the Classes of 2003-2009 who have not yet passed the 10^th grade MCAS tests or retests in English language arts and/or mathematics. Programs do not have to serve students at every class level.

2. Preference should be given to students who must make significant progress in order to meet state graduation requirements, including students with limited English proficiency, students with disabilities, and students from the Classes of 2003-2007 (those who have completed 12^th grade without obtaining their Competency Determination).

3. Proposed programs must provide identified students with intensive, small-group, engaging instruction and/or one-on-one tutoring that address identified gaps in their acquisition of knowledge and skills identified in the learning standards of the English Language Arts and/or Mathematics Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

4. Proposed programs must include an effective model of a transition program to encourage students to seek postsecondary study, including a plan for career and college readiness.

5. Proposed programs must use innovative, research-based practices and supports designed to engage and instruct identified students.

6. Proposed programs must have representation at the College and Career Readiness Summit in the fall of 2007 and participate in the January 2008 Connecting Activities conference.

Funding Priority

1. Funding priority will be given to applicants that collaborate with high schools, local businesses, community-based organizations, internal college organizations or programs, and/or with partners that provide services for participating students such as One Stop Career Center and Work and Learning Initiative grant recipients.

2. Funding priority will be given to applicants that broker or provide internships, community service learning, working and learning opportunities, and provide comprehensive programs to encourage college and career readiness.

3. Priority will be given to institutions serving students from districts with higher percentages of students from the Classes of 2003-2009 who have not yet earned their Competency Determination.

4. Priority will be given to institutions or partnerships that have successfully recruited, retained, and served students in past programs as evidenced by previous data and narrative evaluations submitted to the Department.

Funds may be used for:

1. salaries for qualified teachers of English language arts or mathematics;

2. stipends to support direct services, planning, and program coordination (a maximum of 20% of the total budget may be used for the sum of administrative, management, and indirect costs);

3. consultant and contract fees to provide program-related professional development or costs for supplementary tutoring/mentoring programs or services;

4. program supplies, not to exceed 15% of the total budget;

5. contractual services, not to exceed 20% of the total budget for licenses related to computer software;

6. incentives for students that remove barriers for participation;

7. necessary student transportation; and

8. counseling programs and services to educate parents and high school students on college and career readiness and post-twelfth grade remediation options.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

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 Academic Support and College Transition Services for Students from the Classes of 2003-2008. If applying for both Fund Codes, submit separate applications for Fund Code: 598 (School Year) and Fund Code: 593 (Summer) programs.
		Fund Code: 598 School Year Program - Program Unit Signature Page (Part I - General: Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants)
		Fund Code: 593 Summer Program - Program Unit Signature Page (Part I - General: Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants) Note: A separate signature page must be attached to each set of budget pages.
		Part II Budget Detail Pages (Include both pages) - Instructions If applying for a Fund Code: 598 (School Year) and a Fund Code: 593 (Summer) grant, a separate set of budget pages must be submitted for each Fund Code.
		Budget Narrative detailing expenditures in the Budget Detail Pages If applying for both Fund Code: 598 (School Year) and for Fund Code: 593 (Summer), submit separate budget narratives for each.
		Schedule C - Statement of Participation and Support

NOTE: Funds used to provide services to students who do not meet the eligibility requirements of this grant constitute grounds for a request of return of funds for those students. Additionally, those applicants enrolling significantly fewer students than proposed may be requested to return unused funds for redistribution.

• Narrative Evaluations

  Funded programs are required to submit a narrative report on the overall effectiveness of the program, using the Department's Narrative Evaluation Guidelines, which will be provided by the Department to all grant recipients and posted to the Fund Code: 598/593 web pages http://www.doe.mass.edu/as/grants/?fc=598. Reports are due July 31, 2008 for School Year programs and September 30, 2008 for Summer programs.

• Required Student Data Submissions

  Individual Student Data Information is required to be submitted through the Department's Security Portal. Details and dates will be provided by the Department to all grant recipients and will be posted to the Academic Support Data Collection web pages http://www.doe.mass.edu/as/data/. Grants will NOT be awarded to programs that have not submitted their FY2007 school year data and narrative evaluations.

• Professional Development/Technical Assistance Sessions

  Grantees are expected to have personnel (coordinators, data entry staff, instructors, etc.) attend appropriate Academic Support professional development workshop and data training sessions. We welcome your input and feedback on the workshops. A schedule of sessions will be sent to grantees and posted on the Department's Academic Support web pages (http://www.doe.mass.edu/as/pd/). A representative of each program will be required to attend the College and Career Readiness Summit in the fall of 2007 and the Connecting Activities Conference in January 2008.

• Scoring Rubrics

  Available upon request. (See Contact information above.)

Submit four (4) sets of all required information. (See Required Forms.) Each set should have an original signature of the College President/Executive Director.

Mail to:

Donna Pisaturo
Student Support
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148-5023