FY2020: OpenSciEd Field Test

Fund Codes: 116/595

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. Participating districts may apply for one or both paths, 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.

There are two grant opportunities related to supporting participating districts:

Path 1 (Fund Code 116): Support for the cost of specialized materials necessary to pilot the OpenSciEd curriculum — Materials may be purchased in advance. This grant will provide eligible districts reimbursement for such materials.

Path 2 (Fund Code 595): Support for additional costs of participation in the OpenSciEd Field Test, including costs for substitutes for teachers to attend curriculum trainings, and/or additional materials costs. Districts must wait for grant to be approved before obligating funds for additional costs.

Eligibility:

Path 1 Fund Code 116

The following districts are eligible to apply for Path 1:	Districts are eligible to apply for the following amounts:
Boston	$21,056
Leominster	$751
Marlborough	$5,613
Plymouth	$1,091
Taunton	$4,238

Path 2 Fund Code 595

The following districts are eligible to apply for Path 2:	Districts are eligible to apply for the following amounts:
Boston	$7,540
Fitchburg	$ 870
Leominster	$1,450
Marlborough	$1,450
Plymouth	$2,320
Taunton	$1,160
Weymouth	$1,740

Funding Type:

Trust — Path 1 Fund Code 116
State — Path 2 Fund Code 595

Funding:

Approximately a total of up to $33,000.00 will be awarded for Path 1 and approximately $20,000.00 for Path 2.

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 Path 1 (fund code 116) funds only towards the purchase of curriculum materials needed to pilot the OpenSciEd curriculum. When submitting the budget, provide the materials line item 7 of the budget only. Districts can use Path 2 (fund code 595) funds towards the direct support of the costs of the pilot such as costs for substitutes for participating teachers to attend OpenSciEd trainings, and/or additional materials costs.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval – 6/30/2020

Program Unit:

Center for Instructional Support

Contact:

Erin Hashimoto-Martell

Phone Number:

(781) 338-3551

Date Due:

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Required Forms:

As Part of the online submission, applicants will upload the following 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:

FY20 116 Path 1 OpenSciEd Materials Applicant Name
FY20 595 Path 2 OpenSciEd Add Costs 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: September 3, 2019