Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs

FY2024: Deeper Learning Implementation Grant

Fund Code: 105

Purpose:

The vision of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is that all students, as a result of their public education, attain academic knowledge and skills, understand and value self and others, and engage with the world so that they can be curious and creative, shape their path, feel connected, and be empowered. To achieve this vision, we believe schools create the conditions that ensure all students regularly engage in Deeper Learning. In these schools, all students have consistent access to grade-level work that is relevant, real-world, and interactive, which fosters not only mastery but also identity-development and creativity in students. The Deeper Learning Implementation Grant is a competitive grant that will support educators and administrators in advancing equitable access to deeper learning experiences for all students, especially for historically underserved students, through the use of high-quality professional learning routines and structures.

The Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning (Kaleidoscope) at the DESE is interested in learning how tools and routines used within professional learning structures and aligned to a vision of Deeper Learning can accelerate educator practice and improve outcomes for all students. Therefore, the Kaleidoscope Collective is interested in partnering with schools who want to consider meaningful ways to leverage high-quality professional learning, including consistent collaborative instructional planning routines and structures, to foster effective use of high-quality instructional materials and deeper learning pedagogy to drive instruction within their school.

Grant recipients will participate in both school-based and cohort-based team learning and implementation around the phases of effective planning cycles — collaborative unit unpacking, equity pauses, lesson internalization and facilitation preparation to generate student engagement, disciplinary thinking, and discourse, and looking at student work — to ensure equitable access to instruction and plan for school-specific implementation, reflection, and iteration. Throughout the grant timeline, school and district teams will identify their own area of focus around deeper learning implementation, identity a few professional learning routines and structures as levers for change, implement their plans, and reflect on data and new learning.

Priorities:

DESE seeks to award Deeper Learning Implementation Grants to entities that:

Are committed to prioritizing equity, inclusion, and cultural responsiveness within classrooms and professional learning structures
Are committed to piloting specific practices, protocols, and/or routines within professional learning structures
Are willing to engage in a self-assessment and participate in structured inquiry and/or program evaluation
Have routines and/or a willingness to engage in learning walks
Have systems of feedback and coaching and/or a willingness to implement or improve one
Have consistent time for professional learning, and a desire to improve the effectiveness and/or quality of this time
Have an instructional vision and/or school priority that centers equity
Use HQIM in some grade levels and/or content areas
- Participating teacher team is not in first year of HQIM implementation

Through this grant, the Kaleidoscope Collective will partner with a small group of schools to work on the following:

Building knowledge of what Deeper Learning is and why it matters for all students
Refining and implementing tools and routines used during professional learning and instructional planning cycles to align to Deeper Learning and to foster effective pedagogy
Supporting leaders in building teacher capacity to facilitate units and lessons that develop student's Mastery, Identity, and Creativity
Calibrating with leaders on classroom observations aligned to Deeper Learning
Supporting leaders and teachers in implementation of collaborative instructional planning routines and structures
Supporting leaders in strengthening coherence across all instructional systems in support of Deeper Learning

This competitive opportunity is targeted toward schools serving grades 6–12 (e.g., middle schools, junior high schools, secondary schools, etc.).

Applicants must establish a core grant team of 7–12 members, including at least one school administrator, at least one member of the Instructional Leadership Team, at least one district level instructional leader, and a team of least two teachers who teach the same grade level and content. The core team will be responsible for bringing the learning back to their school to support implementation across multiple grade-level teams or school-wide. The entire Instructional Leadership Team should be committed to the learning and implementation of this grant, even if not all members serve on the core grant team. District teams interested in applying should have identified one to two schools within the district for implementation and piloting and ensure commitment from all school leaders.

Please see additional details about required grant activities and timeline in Part III - Required Program Information.

Schools and districts will be asked to share artifacts and learning materials associated with this grant to ensure alignment to key priorities of the grant and to uplift best practices across the state.

Competitive Priorities:

Competitive priority will be given to districts and schools in chronically underperforming status.
Identified as requiring assistance according to the state accountability system

Eligibility:

This grant is available to all public and charter secondary schools serving grades 6–12 in Massachusetts.

Funding Type:

Federal CFDA #84.425U Federal Coronavirus Relief Programs - Federal Grant Programs

Federal grant funds must adhere to:

UGG (2 CFR 200)
EDGAR As Applicable
EDGAR General Fiscal Administration 34 CFR Part 76

Funding:

Approximately $500,000 is available for this grant for FY24 and will be distributed among recipients.

Schools and districts can submit proposals for use of funds up to $100,000.

This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds.

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:

Subject to appropriation, meeting grant requirements, and submission of required documents, funds will be awarded to recipients. This grant will provide funding as well as hands-on support from Kaleidoscope team members to support implementation of deeper learning as outlined in this grant.

The following are allowable costs:

stipends for educators
costs for ongoing professional development or curriculum work (e.g., stipends, substitutes, etc.

Examples of allowable costs:

School professional development outside of school hours
Additional time for grade level teams to meet to plan and/or review student work
Time for leaders to prepare facilitation of professional learning
Asynchronous time to plan and/or review student or school data
Materials to support continued professional learning (e.g., a professional learning book)

The following are not allowable costs:

food and refreshments
indirect costs
vendors
travel
staff salaries
maintenance/repairs
purchase of technology, computer software or hardware, unless a compelling case can be made for how these materials are necessary to fully implement the proposed intervention.

Schools should align with local policy requirements, including district policy, local collective bargaining agreements, etc.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval – 6/30/2024

Program Unit:

Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning

Contact:

Lauren Venuti

Date Due:

Friday, September 15^th 2023

Proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on the date due. (Please see Submission Instructions below).

All responses must be received by the due date listed above. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. Responses not received on time will not be reviewed. Applicants applying after the due date may be notified their application was received late and will not be reviewed. Applications must be submitted as directed in the Submissions Instructions below. Failure to do so may result in disqualification. If you need assistance with submitting your application, please reach out to the contact person listed on this funding opportunity.

Required Forms:

Additional Information:

Answers to any questions received will be posted to Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning. Please see additional details about required grant activities and timeline in Part III — Required Program Information.

Submission Instructions:

Complete and submit all grant forms and materials:

Email one (1) complete set of all required documents to kaleidoscope@mass.gov by the due date

Subject line: District Name, FY24 Deeper Learning Implementation Grant Application

Please use the provided original Word or Excel formats (e.g., not converted to a PDF; with the exception of the signed Part I which should be converted to PDF).

Applicants will receive a confirmation when the materials are received. Early submission is strongly encouraged to ensure the complete application is received and confirmed by 5pm on the due date.

Awarded Recipients: Upon award, recipients will be required to enter the approved budget and Part I in EdGrants. Once selected, recipients will be contacted with further instructions on the process.

Last Updated: April 24, 2024