FY2020: Title IV, Part A: Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant

Fund Code: 309

Purpose:

Title IV, Part A of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provides supplemental resources to local school districts to build capacity to help ensure that all students have equitable access to high quality educational experiences.

Title IV, Part A is one of four principle 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 II, Part A; and Title III, Part A.

Priorities:

The priorities of Title IV, Part A are to:

• Support well-rounded educational opportunities;
• Support safe and healthy students; and
• Support effective use of technology.

Districts are required to prioritize funds to schools based on one or more of the following criteria:

• they are among the schools with the greatest need (as determined by the district);
• the have the highest percentages of low-income students;
• they are identified for comprehensive support and improvement;
• they have consistently underperforming subgroups; and
• they are identified as a persistently dangerous public elementary school or secondary school under section 8532 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Note: Title IV, Part A does not require that funds are allocated directly to schools. Funds may be used for district-wide and other programming/activities that support as many students and teachers as possible, particularly those in schools that meet the three Title IV priorities.

In addition to the above priorities, the Title IV, Part A program supports Massachusetts' goals and strategies (listed below) by encouraging effective investments that promote continuous program improvement and better outcomes for students.

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:

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

Additionally, 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 groups of students

Evidence-Based Practices
ESSA 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 DESE 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.

Eligibility:

A district is eligible to receive funds based on criteria established by the United States Department of Education (ED). Grants are awarded to local school districts after state review and approval of its application.

Funding Type:

Federal CFDA: 84.424

Funding:

Title IV, Part A Allocations will be posted on the Grants Management website when they become available.

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 guideline that appear in this RFP document. Unclaimed funds (funds not budgeted for in EdGrants) will be redistributed to eligible districts via competition

Fund Use:

Funds may be used for a wide variety of activities* to support one or more of the Title IV, Part A priorities above, including but not limited to: direct services for students, professional development for staff, salaries for personnel to carry out programs and services, and supplemental educational resources and equipment. Please refer to Title IV, Part A Quick Reference Guide for examples of allowable costs.

Districts with an allocation of less than $30,000 must spend funds on one or more of the three Title IV, Part A Priorities (see top of Priorities section above).

Districts with an allocation of $30,000 or more must:

• Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment that includes a focus on the Title IV, Part A priorities (see above). Note: Districts may fulfill (or may have already fulfilled) this requirement as part of the development of the districts' strategic plan, improvement plan, etc.
• Spend at least 20% of the allocation on access to well-rounded educational opportunities
• Spend at least 20% of the allocation on safe and healthy schools
• Spend some amount on improving the use of technology
• Spend the remainder on activities that support any/all of the three priorities

No more than 15 percent of funds used for activities to support the effective use of technology may be used "for purchasing technology infrastructure. (e.g., devices, equipment, software applications, platforms, digital instructional resources and/or other one-time IT purchases.) For example, a district with a $100,000 allocation that chooses to spend $60,000 on technology (maximum allowable), may only spend a maximum of $9,000 on technology infrastructure.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval through 6/30/2020 (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: 7/1/2020 – 6/30/2021 (Year 2); 7/1/2021 – 9/30/2021 (Year 3).

Program Unit:

Resource Allocation Strategy and Planning

Contact:

Federal Grants

Phone Number:

(781) 338-6230

Date Due:

September 13, 2019

Required Forms:

FY20 Consolidated ESSA Application Workbook
**Please see Submission Instructions below. This document is to be uploaded with your Title I grant submission only. Do not upload to the 309 submission in EdGrants

• Signature Page (Tab 1 of Consolidated Application) with an original signature of the Superintendent/Executive Director

 

Schedule A (if applicable)

FY20 Federal Grant Assurances Signature Page (Page 1) completed and signed by the Superintendent/Executive Director. Upload a signed PDF copy of the signature page only with your district's FY20 ESSA Consolidated Application.

Additional Information:

Title IV, Part A Quick Reference Guide on allowable and unallowable costs

Private School Equitable Services under ESSA resources

Budget detail and description of line item information

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.

Submission Instructions:

Submit the Application Submission and required grant materials in 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:

FY20 FC 309 Title IVA Applicant Number
For example, Abington (0001) would name the file as FY20 FC 309 Title IVA 0001

In EdGrants, district staff assigned the role of "Front Office User" enter the Title IVA 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 FY20 Consolidated Application workbook will be uploaded.

For additional submission instructions, see the "Read Me First" tab of the FY20 Consolidated ESSA Application workbook.

For Guidance Documents regarding EdGrants 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 the 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 11, 2019