FY2021: OpenSciEd Field Test

Fund Code: 116

Purpose:

The purpose of this targeted grant is to provide funding support for districts that are currently participating in piloting the OpenSciEd middle school science curriculum as part of the Massachusetts Field Test. Participating districts may apply as eligible.

Priorities:

The purpose of this grant program is to support districts piloting and providing feedback to the development of the middle school science curriculum, OpenSciEd. This aligns with the Center for Instructional Support's initiatives to support high quality instructional materials and high quality professional development since:

• Mounting evidence that suggests that providing teachers with access to high-quality, standards-aligned curricular materials can significantly improve student outcomes;
• Well-designed curricular materials can refocus teachers' workloads, deepen their pedagogical content knowledge, and increase coherence within and across grades; and
• Ensuring curricular materials' quality and alignment to standards costs less, builds more human capacity, and scales more easily than many other "interventions" in education.

The grant opportunity related to supporting participating districts:

(Fund Code 116): Support to supplement the cost of materials and supplies necessary to pilot the OpenSciEd curriculum — Materials may be purchased in advance. This grant will provide eligible districts reimbursement for such materials.

Eligibility:

The following districts, Boston, Fitchburg, Marlborough, Plymouth, Taunton, and Weymouth are part of the Massachusetts OpenSciEd Field Test.

The following districts are eligible to apply for grant:	Districts are eligible to apply for the following amounts (based on the number of teachers and units being piloted in each district):
Boston	$56,467
Fitchburg	$3,650
Marlborough	$10,350
Plymouth	$23,400
Taunton	$9,450
Weymouth	$10,800

Funding Type:

Trust

Funding:

Approximately a total of up to $104,000.00 will be awarded for this grant.

Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.

Fund Use:

Districts can use (fund code 116) funds toward the direct support of the costs of the pilot including purchase or reimbursement of curriculum materials, supplies needed to pilot the OpenSciEd curriculum, and the costs for substitutes for participating teachers to attend OpenSciEd trainings. Additional material costs must be approved prior to expenditure. Budget worksheets need to be approved prior to uploading to EdGrants.

Project Duration:

Upon approval – 6/30/2021

Program Unit:

Center for Instructional Support

Contact:

Erin Hashimoto-Martell

Phone Number:

(781) 338-3551

Date Due:

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Required Forms:

Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants)

Part II — Budget Template (this is a budget template for the applicant to use as part of the planning discussions prepare for officially entering it into EdGrants. The actual final budget will be entered directly into EdGrants as part of the application submission process.)

Submission Instructions:

Submit all required grant materials through EdGrants

In EdGrants, districts are required to create and name the projects. Please use the following naming convention for your "Applicant Project Name" in EdGrants:

FY21 116 OpenSciEd Materials Applicant Name

All items listed under the required forms section of this RFP should be uploaded / attached in the Attachments List format of the Application Submission in EdGrants. This includes a signed / scanned PDF of Part I / Coversheet with Superintendent's signature as well as Schedule A form, if applicable to your district. The final budget the applicant is requesting will be entered directly into EdGrants as part of the application submission process.

For Guidance Documents regarding EdGrants, visit EdGrants: User Guides, Information and Trainings.

Please note: It is up to the district to determine who they want to add as EdGrants Front Office users to submit grant applications as well as payment request information. Please review the EdGrants: User Security Controls to make informed decisions regarding your district level users.

Last Updated: August 31, 2020