Improving Teacher Quality Grant

RFP Informational SessionMarch 29, 2006Via ATM

Session Outcomes

To develop a common understanding of the Improving Teacher Quality Competitive Grants

To identify the timeline for the grants To define the requirements of the Improving

Teacher Quality Grants To define eligible partners for the grants To become aware of technical assistance available

from the Maine Department of Education Title IIA staff

Goals of the Improving Teacher Quality Grant To improve and expand teacher training in adolescent

literacy and its application in the content areas,including training in effective integration of technology into curricula and instruction;

To develop more rigorous literacy student curricula that are aligned with challenging State and local academic content standards and with standards expected for post secondary study;

Goals of the Improving Teacher Quality Grant To increase students achievement in grades 4 – 12

with the ultimate goal of having all students leaving secondary schools prepared for career, citizenship, and college, thereby reducing the number of students needing remedial literacy courses in their first year of college; and

To provide teachers with access to the sophisticated computing facilities, libraries, and other resources that institutions of higher learning are better able to provide than local elementary and secondary schools.

Alignment with PK – 12 Initiative “Achieving Prosperity for All Maine Citizens”, a

Maine Department of Education report published in November, 2005, emphasizes the State of Maine’s vision to create a seamless PK –16 educational system.

The primary strategy for developing quality educational personnel is to “encourage and fund high quality professional development opportunities for PK – 16 educators that encourage increased collaboration among educators across all grade levels.”

Adolescent Literacy

For the purposes of this grant, adolescent literacy is defined as the content and pedagogy associated with the development of skills in reading and writing applicable to all content areas for students in grades 4 – 12 who are learning to interact with more sophisticated text.

Improving Teacher Quality Grant Components Three month grant with renewal for second and third

year contingent upon availability of funds and grantee’s successful completion of objectives.

First year’s award must be obligated and services must be delivered by September 30, 2006 and paid for by December 31, 2006.

Eligible partnerships may apply. Projects must provide professional development in

improving literacy content knowledge and instructional strategies for teachers within grades 4 -12.

Eligible Partners

One Institution of Higher Education that prepares teachers and principals

One College of Arts and Sciences One high need Local Educational Agency

Rationale for Partnership

Strong disciplinary expertise of college of arts and science faculty.

Strong instructional/pedagogical expertise of the college of education faculty.

Need to improve students’ achievement through professional development in high need LEAs.

Approved Maine Teacher Education Programs Universities of Maine at Orono, Farmington, Fort

Kent, Machias, Presque Isle, University of Southern Maine Bates College Bowdoin College Colby College College of the Atlantic Husson College Saint Joseph’s College University of New England

Colleges of Arts and Science

Universities of Maine- all Andover College Bates College Bowdoin College Colby College University of New

England

College of the Atlantic Husson College Saint Joseph’s College Unity College Beal College Maine Maritime

Academy

High Need Local Educational Agencies Not less than 20% of the children served by

the agency are below the poverty line, and There is a high percentage of teachers not

teaching in their academic subjects or grade levels that the teachers were trained to teach, or

There is a high percentage of teacher with provisional or conditional certification or licensing.

Determination of High Need LEAs Poverty calculations are based on U.S.

Census Bureau data updated in November, 2005.

Same data is used to determine Title IIA allocations for LEAs.

Determination of High Need LEAs

High Quality Teacher Data and certification data are based on February, 2006 High Quality Teacher Reports from LEAs.

A “high percentage” is defined as a percentage higher than the State average.

Maine High Need LEAs for Improving Teacher Quality Grant S A D 13 BINGHAM S A D 14 DANFORTH S A D 19 LUBEC S A D 24 VAN BUREN S A D 37 HARRINGTO S A D 38 DIXMONT S A D 41 MILO S A D 46 DEXTER S A D 59 MADISON S A D 70 HODGDON S A D 74 ANSON AUGUSTA

EASTPORT GR SLT BAY CSD

DAMARISCOTTA HARMONY JONESPORT MACHIAS PALERMO PEMBROKE SOUTH AROOS. CSD

DYER BROOK STEUBEN WESLEY

Allowable Activities

A partnership may use funds for one or more of the following activities: Professional Development Activities that target

the needs of teachers in any grade span between grades 4 and 12 that has been identified in the needs assessment. The grade level focus of the project could expand over the duration of the project or could remain targeted as long as the focus is supported by the needs assessment and justified by its contribution to a seamless PK – 16 educational system.

Allowable Activities

Professional Development activities in core academic subjects to ensure that teachers, highly qualified para-professionals and principals have literacy knowledge in academic subjects in which they teach; and

Professional Development activities to ensure that principals have the instructional leadership skills to help them work most effectively with teachers to help them master core academic subjects.

Allowable Activities

Development and provision of assistance to LEAs in providing sustained, high quality professional development activities that: Ensure that personnel can use challenging State

academic content standards, Maine’s Learning Results performance standards and State assessments to improve instructional practices and student academic achievement;

Allowable Activities

Development and provision of assistance to LEAs in providing sustained, high quality professional development activities that: May include intensive programs designed to

prepare individuals to provide professional development to others in their schools; and

May include activities of partnerships between one or more LEAs, one or more of the LEA’s schools, and one or more IHEs for the purpose of improving teaching and learning in high need LEAs.

Use of Funds

No single participant in an eligible partnership may directly benefit from more than 50% of the sub-grant.

Any participant can be designated as the fiscal agent.

Proposal Requirements

Evidence of Meaningful Partnerships (15 points)

Alignment of Project Goals with Professional Development Needs (15 points)

Project Narrative (40 points) Evaluation and Accountability (15 points) Budget and Cost Effectiveness (30 points)

Evidence of Meaningful Partnerships Sustainability - Ability to maintain activities beyond

the length of project and capacity for the project to be scaled up, replicated and widely disseminated.

Collaboration and Commitment – Evidence that all partners are involved in project planning and proposal preparation and long-term involvement of all partners.

Capacity – Evidence of the number and quality of staff to carry out the project and institutional resources to support the activities.

Alignment of Project Goals to Professional Development Needs Description and results of comprehensive

assessment of teacher quality and professional development needs.

Evidence that planned activities will address the identified measurable outcomes.

Description of how the activities will address the professional development needs of participating schools.

Project Narrative

Description of how the activities will be grounded in scientifically based research.

Description of how the activities provide instruction in literacy strategies for targeted teachers in their content areas.

Description of how activities are aligned to Maine’s Learning Results and other educational reform activities.

Description of how the project reflects Maine’s Training and Development Quality Standards.

Maine’s Training and Development Quality Standards

Continuous Improvement Focus on Results Organizational Alignment Use of Research Data Participation

www.maine.gov/education/achievingresults/qsall.htm

Evaluation and Accountability Plan A measure of progress toward meeting the goals

and objectives to increase the number of teachers who meet the definition of “highly qualified”.

Documentation of the number of teachers who participate in content-based professional development.

A measure of the effect on student achievement. The inclusion of both quantitative and qualitative

measures attesting to the effectiveness of the project.

Budget and Cost Effectiveness Description of how each partner will

coordinate activities with professional development activities provided through other Federal, State and local programs.

A demonstration of alignment with the activities described in the proposal narrative.

High cost-effective ratio determined by the relationship between the number of teachers served and the overall project cost.

Use of Funds

No single participant in an eligible partnership may directly benefit from more than 50% of the sub-grant.

Any participant can be designated as the fiscal agent.

Preparation of Proposal

Cover page Abstract Evidence of Meaningful Partnerships Alignment with Needs Assessment Project Narrative and Timeline Evaluation and Accountability Plan Bibliography Budget Narrative Appendices

Improving Teacher Quality Grant Timeline RFP Issued March 17, 2006 Grant Information Session March 29, 2006 Written Questions Deadline May 5, 2006 Proposals Due 2 p.m. May 12, 2006 Notification of Awards June 2, 2006 Year One of Project July 1, 2006-

September 30,2006

Proposal Submission

Delivered to:Division of PurchasesBurton M. Cross Building – 4th Floor111 Sewall Street, Augusta

Mailed to:Division of PurchasesState House Station 9Augusta, ME 04333-0009

E-Mail Written Questions

Written questions will be accepted until 5 p.m. on May 5, 2006.

barbara.moody@maine.gov

Improving Teacher Quality Grant WebsiteView Written Questions and AnswersDownload ApplicationView Model SAHE Projects www.maine.gov/education/nclb/titleii.htm

Thank you

Barbara Moody - Maine DOE Title IIA Coordinator

Susan Johnson- Co-Director Center for Educational

Transformation Patsy Dunton- Maine DOE ELA Specialist Diana Doiron - Maine DOE

ELA Specialist