FY2021: Adult Education Professional Development System

Fund Codes: 667/343

Purpose:

The purpose of this continuation grant program is to fund English Language Arts (ELA) and English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) professional development (PD) Centers to serve as members of a coordinated system of statewide PD centers. PD system members will provide evidence-based, high quality, and effective PD and technical assistance (TA) to the Commonwealth's adult education (AE) programs funded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and managed by the Department's Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS) unit. All grant-funded PD and TA will support AE programs and practitioners in addressing DESE's overarching goal of assisting adult students, particularly those with barriers to employment, to progress along educational and career pathways and gain economic self-sufficiency.

Priorities:

The following are priorities for this grant program:

• invest AE PD resources in content expertise using a statewide provider structure whereby PD centers will provide statewide leadership and evidence-based, high quality, and effective PD and TA for DESE-funded AE programs and practitioners including alignment with the Massachusetts AE high quality professional development (HQPD) standards;

• provide PD offerings for educators at all levels of expertise (e.g., novice, intermediate, advanced);

• provide a range of PD offerings and supports of sufficient quality, intensity, and duration in order to increase educators' professional learning, improve educator practice, and ultimately support student achievement;

• strengthen curriculum and instruction at DESE-funded AE programs (a) in full alignment with the CCRSAE, Massachusetts English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education (released in February 2019), and Massachusetts Professional Standards for Teachers of Adult Education, and (b) with an emphasis on educators as reflective practitioners, integration of digital literacy into PD delivery and content; and increased academic rigor for all students, including ELLs;

• support instructional leadership in the context of ELA and ESOL curriculum and instruction;

• implement strategies to increase AE practitioner participation in PD center activities and strengthen practitioner access to and use of PD resources; and

• promote and sustain a demonstrable commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the principles of cultural competence throughout the ELA and ESOL PD Centers' work with programs and practitioners, on behalf of adult learners.

Eligibility:

FY2021 is the second continuation year of the FY2019 competitive funding opportunity. The recipient awarded funding for the ELA and ESOL PD Centers in the FY2019 open and competitive funding process is eligible to apply.

Funding Type:

Fund Code 667 — State
Fund Code 343 — Federal CFDA: 84.002

Funding:

See Table 1 — Funding Allocations

Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed in Table 1 are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available, it will be distributed in accordance with this RFP document.

Fund Use:

Funds may be used for personnel and non-personnel expenses relevant to the purpose and priorities of this grant program.

Not less than 95 percent of funds must be spent on establishment or operation of HQPD programs to improve instruction and other AE services; not more than 5 percent may be spent on administrative costs including state approved indirect costs charged to the grant. The grant recipient may negotiate a higher administrative cost percentage by submitting a written request and rationale with its application.

Adult Education Services is a restricted rate program that is subject to a statutory "supplement not supplant" restriction. Grant recipients are required to use a restricted indirect cost rate of 8%, unless the calculated indirect cost rate is less than 8%, in which case the recipient must use the lower rate for its budget.

If the grant recipient has an approved negotiated federal indirect cost rate, it must be submitted to DESE. If not, the grantee must apply annually to DESE for an approved indirect cost rate. The indirect cost rate is calculated using costs specified in the grantee's indirect cost plan. Those specified costs may not be charged as direct costs to the grant or to any other grant under any circumstances.

Applicants are not permitted to use grant funds for capital expenses.

Project Duration:

Fund Code 667 (State) Upon Approval (no earlier than 7/1/2020) – 6/30/2021

Fund Code 343 (Federal) Upon Approval (no earlier than 9/1/2020) – 8/31/2021

Program Unit:

Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS)

Contact:

Joan LeMarbre

Phone Number:

(781) 338-3842

Date Due:

Friday, June 5, 2020

Note: Since the grant recipient is a state agency that uses MMARS, the state's accounting system, the recipient is encouraged to submit its application by May 15^th, 2020 in order to expedite ISA processing.

Required Forms:

Required documents to be submitted through EdGrants:

 

Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants) One for each fund code:

343 Part I — Program Unit Signature Page

667 Part I — Program Unit Signature Page

 

Detailed, line item budget narrative (designed by applicant)

FY2021 Fund Code 667/343 Statement of Assurances

General Education Provision Act (GEPA) Form

ISA Budget/EdGrants Budget Crosswalk (if applicable)

Required documents to be submitted in the online portal:

Part III — Required Program Information (complete in the online portal)

FY2021 PD Center Workplan Draft

Negotiation Admin Cost Form (if applicable)

Additional Information:

For state entities that require ISAs as part of their grant award process:

1. ISA process timeline
2. MA Expenditure Classification Handbook
3. MA Comptroller's Office Fringe Information
4. ISA and EdGrants Amendment Requirements

Submission Instructions:

Submit all required grant materials for EdGrants through the EdGrants Front Office.

In EdGrants, applicants (grant recipients) are required to create and name the project. Please use the following naming convention for "Applicant Project Name" in EdGrants:

FY21 FC667/343 ACLS (applicant's full legal name)

All items listed under the required forms section of this RFP should be uploaded / attached in the Attachments List formlet of the Application Submission in EdGrants. This includes a signed / scanned PDF of Part I / Coversheet with CEO/Superintendent/Executive Director signature. The final budget the applicant is requesting will be entered directly into EdGrants as part of the application submission process.

For Guidance Documents regarding EdGrants, visit EdGrants: User Guides, Information and Trainings.

Please note: It is up to the applicant 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 authorized users.

Last Updated: April 24, 2020