Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs

FY2024: Title II, Part A: Building Systems of Support for Excellent Teaching and Leading

Fund Code: 0140

Purpose:

Title II, Part A of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provides supplemental resources to school districts to improve high quality systems of support for excellent teaching and leading.

Title II, Part A is one of four principal programs that are available to districts through formula grants under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the current reauthorization of ESEA. The other programs are Title I, Part A; Title III, Part A; and Title IV, Part A.

Priorities:

The priorities of Title II, Part A are to:

increase student achievement consistent with challenging State academic standards;
improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school leaders;
increase the number of teachers, principals, and other school leaders who are effective in improving student academic achievement in schools; and
provide low-income and minority students equitable access to effective teachers, principals, and other school leaders.

In addition to the above priorities, the Title II, Part A program supports Massachusetts' goals and strategies (listed below) by ensuring that all students in the Commonwealth, especially those who have been historically disadvantaged, will be globally competitive and prepared for the transition after high school.

Students will attain ambitious academic/content standards as outlined in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks by participating in an instructional program that prepares them for the transition after high school, provides support for them as individuals, and ensures equitable access to great teachers and administrators.

State Goal, Core Strategies, ESSA Priorities and Our Way Forward in Massachusetts Initiatives

The goal of Massachusetts' public K–12 education system is to prepare all students for success after high school. Our five core strategies to accelerate the pace of school improvement are:

Strengthening standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment
Promoting educator development
Supporting social-emotional learning, health, and safety
Turning around the state's lowest performing districts and schools
Enhancing resource allocation and data use

Massachusetts has identified four priority focus areas under its plan for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act:

Early grades literacy
Middle grades math
High-quality college and career pathways for high school students
Supporting historically disadvantaged students

Massachusetts Acceleration Roadmap
Massachusetts has developed a tool to support acceleration of student learning. Schools and districts are encouraged to use the self-assessment resources in the Roadmap to identify key areas of focus and related action steps in their work accelerating learning, and then align their funding requests with these identified steps.

Additionally, districts may explore the use of these funds to support the "Our Way Forward" initiatives. This includes:

Deeper Learning for All
Holistic Support and Enrichment
Innovation and Evidence-Based Practices

Curriculum Frameworks Alignment
Activities funded under Title II, Part A must be aligned to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

Systems of Professional Growth and Improvement
ESSA requires that districts describe strategies for implementing systems of professional growth and improvement for educators in the district and how the district will evaluate the effectiveness of those systems.

Closing Achievement Gaps
Consistent with the purposes of Title II, Part A, districts may also use Title II, Part A funds to improve results for student groups that have historically struggled to meet proficiency standards, in particular, students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, English learners, and students receiving special education services.

Eligibility:

Funds are awarded by formula to each school district. Subject to appropriation, 20% of the funds are distributed to districts based on the relative numbers of individuals ages 5 through 17 who reside in the area the district serves (based on the most recent census data); and 80 percent of the funds must be distributed to districts based on the relative numbers of individuals ages 5 through 17 who reside in the area the district serves and who are from families with incomes below the poverty line (based on the most recent Census data). (ESEA section 2102(a)). Grants are awarded to local school districts after the state reviews and approves a district's grant application.

Funding Type:

Federal CFDA 84.367

Federal grant funds must adhere to:

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

Funding:

FY24 Fund Code 0140 Title II, Part A District Allocations

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 for allocations, it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document. Unclaimed funds will be redistributed to eligible districts via a competitive grant.

Fund Use:

A school district may use funds for training, recruiting, and retaining high-quality educators, including teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals. Funds must supplement, and not supplant, non-federal funds that would otherwise be used for activities authorized under this subpart.

All expenditures are closely reviewed as they relate to the priorities of this grant opportunity.

Project Duration:

Upon approval* – 6/30/2024 (Year 1) *

The period of availability for this grant award can be extended 15 months beyond Year 1. The extended period is as follows: 7/1/2024 - 6/30/2025 (Year 2); 7/1/2025 - 9/30/2025 (Year 3).

*The grant start date cannot be prior to DESE receiving a substantially approvable application submission as directed in this RFPs Submission Instructions. Funds cannot exceed the project duration end date.

Program Unit:

Resource Allocation Strategy and Planning

Contact:

Federal Grant Programs

Date Due:

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Required Forms:

FY24 Federal Grant Assurances — The FY24 Federal Grant Assurances Signature Page (Page 1 only) completed and signed by the Superintendent/Executive Director and uploaded in GEM$ in the LEA Document Library under Assurances, in folder Federal Entitlement Grant Assurances. We cannot approve any federal entitlement grant without a signed, properly dated and uploaded Federal Grant Assurance signature page.

Additional Information:

GEM$ Submission Instructions:

The FY2024 Fund Code 0140 Title II, Part A: Building Systems of Support for Excellent Teaching and Leading grant will be completed and submitted in our new Grants for Education Management System (GEM$). GEM$ is a cloud-based fiscal and program management grant system that will eventually phase out the use of EdGrants.

Last Updated: July 12, 2023