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.
The priorities of Title II, Part A are to: (1) increase student achievement consistent with challenging State academic standards; (2) improve the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school leaders; (3) increase the number of teachers, principals, and other school leaders who are effective in improving student academic achievement in schools; and (4) 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, and ESSA Priorities
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:
Additionally, Massachusetts has identified four priority focus areas under its plan for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act:
Curriculum Frameworks AlignmentActivities funded under Title II, Part A must be aligned to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Examples of strategies for ensuring alignment include: High-Quality Professional Development (HQPD) about the learning standards that is specific to selected curricula, content-specific HQPD on instruction, identifying new standards-based lesson activities and/or complex academic tasks, identifying, creating, or revising standards-based curricular materials, Embedded professional learning opportunities for teachers to collaborate on implementation of standards-aligned curricular materials, or other locally developed activities. In their applications, districts will describe the data sources they use to measure and improve these activities; for example: educator evaluation data, state assessment data, local assessment data, survey data, student behavioral data, learning walks, or other sources of data.
Systems of Professional Growth and ImprovementESSA 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. The annual Massachusetts Induction and Mentoring Survey is required under 603 CMR 7.3 and will be accepted as partial fulfillment of this requirement. Districts submit educator evaluation ratings to assess the effective implementation of the Massachusetts Educator Evaluation Framework (M.G.L. c.69, §1B); timely reporting of educator evaluation information will further meet this ESSA requirement. Other potential strategies for developing systems of professional growth include: cultivating a pipeline of educators through partnerships with preparation providers, providing high-quality professional development through coaching supports to educators, advancing or recognizing educators or other locally designed activities.
Closing Achievement GapsConsistent 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. Potential strategies for closing achievement gaps include: HQPD on inclusive practice, HQPD on evidence-based academic interventions, HQPD on the effects of poverty on learning, HQPD on social and emotional learning and school climate supports, HQPD to support early learning and early educators so that they are prepared to meet the needs of students through age eight, and other locally designed activities. Title II, Part A funds supplement districts' efforts to provide low-income and minority students' equitable access to effective teachers, principals, and other school leaders.
Evidence-Based PracticesESSA encourages, and in select cases requires, states and districts to implement "evidence-based" practices, activities, strategies and interventions with demonstrated evidence of effectiveness. Evidence-based practices refer to interventions for which there is evidence of significant positive impact that can be found in published research papers, literature reviews, or ESE research briefs. Alternately, evidence-based practices can be those local practices that a district or state has previously instituted, measured, and found to be effective. Please visit the How Do We Know initiative for more information on evidence-based practices. In addition, this research brief on Massachusetts class size reduction aims to help inform a district's class size choices and policies by summarizing the research evidence on class size—both its impact and its costs.
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 application.
Federal CFDA 84.367
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 as listed in the initial RFP document.
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 and according to the degree of educator evaluation implementation that has taken place in the district.
For a general overview of what kinds of expenditures are permitted, please review the Title II, Part A Quick Reference Guide on allowable costs .
Upon approval – 6/30/2019 (Year 1)*
*The period of availability for this grant award can be extended beyond Year 1 based on utilizing the multi-year feature for this Funding Opportunity in EdGrants. Extended period as follows: 7/1/2019 – 6/30/2020 (Year 2); 7/1/2020 – 9/30/2020 (Year 3).
Resource Allocation Strategy and Planning
Federal Grants
Friday, September 28, 2018
Note: Applicants may only legally claim expenses to the grant starting from the date of final ESE approval. The start date for the grant is the date on which the district submits substantially approvable budget and information for the grant. Therefore, to expedite approval, it is essential to have district staff that can be reached in July and August to respond to questions, as needed.
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:
FY19 FC 140 Title IIA Applicant NumberFor example, Abington (0001) would name the file as FY19 FC 140 Title IIA 0001
In EdGrants, district staff assigned the role of "control user" enter the Title IIA grant budget and attach a PDF of the Signature Page with an original signature of the Superintendent/Executive Director and a Schedule A form if it's applicable.
Note: The entire Consolidation Application Workbook must be uploaded with your Title I budget in EdGrants. This is the only place your entire FY19 Consolidated Application workbook will be uploaded.
For additional submission instructions, see the "Read Me First" tab of the FY19 Consolidated ESSA Application workbook.
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.
Last Updated: July 9, 2018
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
Voice: (781) 338-3000 TTY: (800) 439-2370
Disclaimer: A reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.