ARCHIVED INFORMATION Horizontal line

Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs: FY2018

Adult Basic Education Professional Development System
Fund Code: 667/343

Purpose:	The purpose of this grant program is to establish a coordinated and cohesive system of statewide professional development (PD) entities to provide research-based, high quality and effective PD and support to the Commonwealth's Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs funded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE or the Department). All grant-funded PD will assist ABE programs and practitioners in (a) addressing the Department's overarching goal of preparing all ABE students for success in their next steps, within the context of college and career readiness, and (b) supporting WIOA priorities.
Priorities:	The following priorities have been set for this grant program: Invest ABE PD resources in content expertise using a statewide provider structure whereby each successful applicant will be responsible for providing statewide leadership, PD, and ongoing support for one or more of the PD priority areas identified in this request for proposals (RFP); Strengthen curriculum and instruction at ESE-funded ABE programs in full alignment with the College and Career Readiness standards for adult education (the CCR standards) with an emphasis on increased academic rigor and expertise; Strengthen ABE educator effectiveness by providing a range of PD offerings and supports of sufficient quality, intensity, and duration in order to increase educators' professional learning and improve educator practice; Strengthen education and career advising to support college and career readiness for all students; Develop and support educational leadership within ESE-funded ABE programs in order to build capacity of administrators to effectively lead their staff and manage their programs to fully implement the rigorous CCR; and Provide technical assistance to ESE-funded ABE programs, including targeted intervention for underperforming programs referred by the Department, in order to improve student performance and achieve state and local ABE program goals.
Eligibility:	Eligible applicants are the five institutions that received FY17 ABE Professional Development System grants. FY18 is the final year of continuation funding for this grant program.
Funding Type:	Fund Code 667 - State Fund Code 343 - Federal CFDA: 84.002
Funding:	See Table 1 - Funding Allocations. Grant amounts were determined through a proposal review during the FY14 Open & Competitive process that was based on proposal scores. Amounts may have been adjusted with the funding cycle based on federal and state allocations and other factors.
Fund Use:	Grant funds may be used for personnel and non-personnel expenses relevant to the purpose and priorities of this grant program. Specifically, grant funds may support the following: Support to Programs and Practitioners delivery of PD offerings and provision of follow-up by content experts using a variety of delivery formats (e.g., face-to-face, online, blended, program-based) training of prospective trainers equitable geographic distribution of PD based on the location of ESE-funded ABE programs coaching and mentoring program-based instructional modeling, teacher observation, and feedback identification, integration, and sharing of relevant research and resources support for ESE-funded ABE Distance Learning (DL) programs, practitioners, and adult learners certification and recertification in test administration and scoring provision of targeted intervention for underperforming ABE programs provision of other technical assistance (e.g., curriculum development and implementation, pedagogy, educational leadership, continuous program improvement, new staff orientation, ABE licensure, education and career advising, adult career pathways, technology integration and use of DL modalities, summative and formative assessments, use of SMARTT and Cognos1) Development development of new PD offerings and trainings as negotiated with DESE revision of professional standards or content standards as negotiated with DESE Administration and Accountability coordination and management of all PD activities and overall PD program hiring, supervision, and evaluation of staff and consultants training and support for staff and consultants assessment of practitioner PD needs and analysis of results securing locations for PD offerings data entry and analysis for all PD offerings evaluating the effectiveness and impact of PD initiatives and activities promotion and marketing of PD activities participation in statewide PD system meetings participation in relevant DESE-sponsored events and meetings submission of required reports Grant funds may be allocated as follows: salary and fringe benefits for staff; compensation for consultant experts, including mentors or coaches; ABE PD travel expenses including transportation, conference registrations, and lodging; relevant PD materials and supplies, including computer software and upgrades necessary to support the DL requirements and access to technology lab required of all providers; and other reasonable costs associated with project planning and implementation. Applicants are not permitted to use grant funds for capital expenses. Grant funds may cover indirect costs. Entities with a federal indirect cost rate may apply annually to DESE for a maximum eight percent (8%) indirect cost rate using the current DESE Indirect Cost Rate Application available at Essential Information page. Any entity that does not have a current federal indirect cost rate may apply annually to DESE for a maximum five percent (5%) indirect cost rate using the aforementioned application and link.
Project Duration:	7/1/2017 - 6/30/2018 (State Funds - Fund Code: 667) 9/1/2017 - 8/31/2018 (Federal Funds - Fund Code: 343)
Program Unit:	Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS)
Contact:	Joan LeMarbre
Date Due:	Applications for both federally- and state-funded projects are due by Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 3:00 p.m.
Required Forms:	These forms must be submitted online through EdGrants. Part I - General - Program Unit Signature Page (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants); cover page with original signature, for each fund code FY18 New Budget Template (This is a budget template for the applicant to utilize while working through the final budget request in order to prepare for entering it into EdGrants. You may use this template when preparing for application submission. Note that this is not the budget. The actual final budget will be entered directly into EdGrants as part of the application submission process.) Part III - Required Program Information FY18 Statement of Assurances for Fund Codes 667 and 343, with a minimum of two original signatures Budget narrative, designed by applicant, that provides an explanation for each project expenditure listed in the FY18 New Budget Page.
Additional Information:	Online Submission of Proposals and Related Information
Submission Instructions:	Submit all required grant materials through EdGrants In EdGrants, districts are required to create and name the project. Please use the following naming convention for your "Applicant Project Name" in EdGrants: FY18 667-343 ABE Professional Development System (Applicant Name) All required forms should be uploaded / attached in the Attachments List formlet of the Application Submission. This includes a signed / scanned PDF of Part I / Coversheet with Superintendent's signature as well as Affirmation of Consultation form(s) and Schedule A form, if applicable to your district. For Guidance Documents regarding EdGrants, visit EdGrants: User Guides and Information. Please note: It is up to the district to determine who they want to add as EdGrants Front Office users in order to submit grant application as well as payment request information. Please review the EdGrants: User Security Controls to make informed decisions regarding assigning your district level users. See the document entitled Online Submission of Proposals and Related Information for instructions about how to submit all required grant materials through the EdGrants website.
Required Program Information:	Applicants must limit their narrative response to Part III - Required Program Information to no more than six (6) pages per PD priority area. Bristol Community College — Massachusetts ABE Assessments PD priority area Holyoke Community College — Using SMARTT and Cognos PD priority area Quinsigamond Community College — English Language Arts, English for Speakers of Other Languages, Educational Leadership and Strengthening ABE Programs, and ABE Distance Learning and Technology Support PD priority areas Technical Education Research Centers — Mathematics and Adult Numeracy PD priority area World Education — Education and Career Planning PD priority area Narrative response should be single-spaced with Arial 10-point font and 1" margins.

Note:

1 SMARTT refers to the online Massachusetts ABE management information system known as the System for Managing Accountability and Results Through Technology for Adult Basic Education. Cognos is the companion online reporting tool for SMARTT.