FY2022: Expanded Learning Time Showcase & Enhancement Grant

Fund Code: 225A

Purpose:

The purpose of the Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Showcase Targeted Grant is:

1. To provide funds to support legacy schools to enhance one or more of the expanded learning time core components: additional time for instruction, professional collaboration opportunities for staff, and enrichment opportunities;
2. To disseminate effective practices and programs that have been developed and successfully implemented through Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time (ELT), Fund Code 225, to inform the planning of schools/districts interested in exploring ELT by building a network of disseminating veteran ELT schools that will serve as mentors and resources to new schools.

This grant is a subgrant pursuant to the Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time grant Fund Code 225.

Priorities:

• Offering a mechanism for schools/districts developing a plan to implement a longer school day or year to collaborate with and learn from veteran MA ELT schools to develop an informed design.

• Supporting activities in legacy ELT schools that enhance practices based on lessons learned from ELT implementation and support accelerated learning.

• Developing resources informed by lessons learned by Massachusetts ELT schools to be used more broadly by other schools across the Commonwealth.

• Supporting activities that help close opportunity and achievement gaps.

• Developing sustainable models for supporting high quality additional learning time.

• Supporting other schools/district in the planning and potential implementation of embedded enrichment opportunities for students that engage them in and enhances their learning;

• Supporting the planning potential implementation of collaboration structures for teachers that translate into positive student outcomes, drive data-informed instruction, promote a positive professional culture, and support practices that engage students in Deeper Learning;

• Supporting the creation of school environments that are safe, supportive, and conducive to teaching and learning and/or focus on the social and emotional learning needs of all students.

• Support the planning and potential implementation of strategies that bolster students' sense of belonging and engagement in learning in ways that reduce chronic absenteeism.

Grant awardees will be expected to participate in and serve as presenters in potential network and informational convenings. Dissemination may require partnership with planning schools and potentially hosting visits to showcase best practices.

Key Grant Requirements:

Grant Enhancement and Showcase Portfolio/Presenter (Required):

DESE will allocate approximately $1,500,000 of the total grant toward this grant requirement. Applicants may apply for up to $100,000 per school to support the following activities:

• Applicants must use funds to support and enhance practices that have proven successful in implementing ELT.
• Applicants must compile a portfolio of resources to be accessed by other schools and presented during informational/collaborative convenings.
  • Resources must include reflections on and examples of innovative scheduling.
  • Materials may be in a variety of forms but must be aligned with the ELT Expectations for Implementation, have demonstrated success at the presenting school, and must include artifacts that may be used and/or adaptable by other schools.
• Applicants must commit to hosting showcases of their work (either in-person or virtually) at their school sites.

Awarded grantees will also be expected to submit compiled resources to DESE no later than June 30, 2022.

Partnership (Optional Enhancement): Additional funding of approximately $500,000 is available for ELT schools to partner with another school located in their home district or in a different district in Massachusetts to work collaboratively on ways to implement key components of additional time in accordance with the ELT Expectations for Implementation. Applicants may apply for up to $150,000 to support the following activities:

• Applicants must identify a coordinator at each school (applicant and partner school) to serve as the contact and coordinators driving this partnership and the commensurate work. The Coordinator(s) position may be funded through this grant.
• A written commitment signed by the participating schools' superintendent and school leader (school leader only if the identified partner is a charter school), stating each school will commit to attending and actively participating in all mutually agreed upon meetings and showcases.
• All costs associated with grant activities incurred by both the disseminating school and the partner school must be paid through this grant to both parties by the grantee district.
• A final project, informed by a shared goal and implemented either collaboratively or in the partner school, must be shared with all participants in activities associated with Fund Code 225A (e.g. at convenings or potential showcases, etc.).
• The project must include monitoring activities to ensure progress.

Eligibility:

Eligibility Requirements: A public school must be a currently or formerly implementing Expanded Learning Time school funded through fund code 225, line item 7061-9412 between school years 2019-2020 and 2021-2022. Schools disseminating directly to a partner school must be above the lowest 10^th percentile in the 2021 Accountability System and must have received meets or exemplary ratings on its most recent site visit report in the area to be disseminated.

Funding Type:

State

Funding:

Approximately $2,000,000 is available with awards between approximately $100,000 per school, with additional funding up to $150,000 for schools participating in the partnership component of 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:

Funds are made available to districts with a demonstrated history of successful ELT implementation through Fund Code 225. Funds will support the creation of resources, mentorship of, and dissemination of impactful practices to other public schools interested in adding time to their school schedule in the form of a longer day or longer year and are interested in redesigning their current schedule to establish greater efficiencies while embedding meaningful learning opportunities for students.

Examples of Acceptable Expenditures

1. Professional development and coaching for staff (educators, student supports staff, administrators, etc.)
2. Salary Costs, Stipends, or Contractual Services for direct project work
   • Salary/Contractual Services for a project coordinator(s)¹ devoted directly to conducting the dissemination project
   • Stipends for work beyond regular duties for teachers at the disseminating school or the partner school(s) to participate in dissemination activities
   • Stipends for administrative office staff for specific additional work related to grant tracking and grant activities
   • Substitute teacher coverage grant activities
3. Travel costs to conduct and engage in dissemination activities and possible convenings
4. Consumable office supplies/printing/postage related directly to the dissemination project

Funds may Not be used for:

1. Food or beverages
2. Out-of-state travel
3. Clothing
4. Facilities or facility rentals, improvements, etc.
5. Other activities or products not associated with the grant

Project Duration:

Upon approval through June 30, 2022.

Funds may be reserved to be spent during Summer 2022 through August 31, 2022 and these funds must be reserved no later than March 1, 2022.

Program Unit:

Office of Effective Practices in the Center for School and District Partnership

Contact:

Moira Connolly

Date Due:

January 14, 2022
Proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. on the date due.

Required Forms:

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

• Part II — Budget Details

• Part III — Proposal Narrative

• Grant Assurances

• Schedule A (if applying for the Partnership Enhancement)

Additional Information:

An informational webinar will be presented by DESE prior to grant submission due date. More information on when the webinar will take place will be emailed to eligible schools/districts in the coming weeks.

Submission Instructions:

Please submit all required documents electronically to Moira.Connolly@mass.gov with the subject line "225A Application".

All signature pages (Part I and Grant Assurances) should be signed, scanned, and emailed as PDF documents. All other documents should be submitted in their original Word/Excel formats.

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

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¹ It is strongly encouraged that both the disseminating school and the partner school each identify a project coordinator to drive the project. The project coordinators may be school-based or district personnel.

Last Updated: December 14, 2021