The purpose of this trust continuation grant is to establish and promote rigorous, engaging, and standards-aligned digital literacy and computer science (DLCS) education in public schools from kindergarten through grade 12. This grant will continue the DLCS implementation work from FY2021 Digital Literacy Now Grant Part 1 (FC 152 and FC 152A)
During the DL Now Part 1 grant period, Districts selected curricula to be implemented during the 2021-2022 school year. Through this grant, Districts will be provided with funds to be used towards:
Funding DLCS Professional Development (PD) in July and August 2021, organized by the DL Now PD Coordinator.
Providing eligible educators attending the July and August 2021 PD with a stipend.
Purchasing DLCS materials associated with the curricula selected in Part 1 of the DL Now Grant.
Supporting educators in planning and reviewing implementation of the selected curricula during the school year.
Supporting educators in additional PD days, for selected curricula only, from September to December 31.
Supports the creation of new programs and/or expanding existing programs to serve more students who are the most underserved (including but not limited to students designated as economically disadvantaged, English language learners, special education, living in rural areas, and those in underrepresented student groups).
Massachusetts public school districts which received funding for FY2021 Fund Code 152 or FY2021 Fund Code 152A are eligible to apply for the FY2022 DL Now Part 2 continuation grant to continue their work.
Trust
Approximately $378,000 is available for continuing districts through the trust account #7010-1617.
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 that appear in this RFP document.
The initial level of funding could change during the year based on changes in the awarded program (e.g., scope, course, follow-up activities, number of participants, or number of course(s)). The grant budget may be amended up or down to reflect the program changes. Grant recipients are required to contact the program liaison to discuss any proposed change to the awarded program.
Funds must be used in alignment with the purpose and priorities outlined and as described in the budget that is submitted to the Department's Center for Instructional Support Office/STEM. The following uses for the funds may be included in the budget.
Funds may be used for the costs of DLCS PD for curricula selected during Part 1 of the DL Now grant. Only PD for curricula included in the DLCS Curriculum Guide for Massachusetts Districts will be eligible. This PD will be organized by the DL Now Coordinator and will be scheduled during July and August of 2021.
Funds may be used to provide eligible educators attending the July and August 2021 PD with a stipend of up to $200/day for attending the July and August PD. Eligible educators (e.g., teachers, counselors, administrators) are those who attend the full course and who are attending outside their contracted working hours.
Funds may be used for stipends/salary for the District Team Point of Contact. The District Team Point of Contact maintains the plan and other grant artifacts in an accessible location, collects and reports data, and manages communication with DESE, the Grant Evaluator, and the PD Coordinator. For this role, plan for 1–2 hours/month at a maximum hourly rate of $33.33.
Funds may be used to purchase DLCS materials associated with the curricula selected in Part 1 of the DL Now Grant. Materials must be connected to a curriculum that is included in the DLCS Curriculum Guide for Massachusetts Districts . Maximum of $500/teacher (pending funding).
Some curricula require additional PD during the school year in addition to the PD during July and August. Funds may be used for substitutes or stipends for teachers to attend this follow-up PD during the months from September to December 2021. Maximum substitute or stipend funding of 2 days/teacher (pending funding).
Funds may be used for substitutes or stipends for teachers to meet from August to December 31, 2021 to plan and review implementation of curriculum during the school year. Maximum of 2 days/teacher (pending funding).
Note: Grant funds may not be allocated to pay for both a participant's graduate credit tuition and a stipend; or substitute reimbursement and a stipend. Grant funding may be used for stipends for work outside of school hours but cannot be used for work during school hours.
As DL Now Grant recipients, District and school teams agree to participate in an external, third-party, independent evaluation of the DL Now Grant activities with the goal of supporting improvements to the training, curricula implementation, and supports. Please see "Additional Information", below, for details.
Upon Approval (no earlier than 7/01/2021) – 12/31/2021
Funding may also continue Year 3 (Upon Approval in early 2022 – 6/30/2022 & Upon Approval (anticipated 7/1/2022) – 12/31/2022 pending state budget appropriation, submitting of all required documents and successful utilization of prior funding, and awarding of funds after a continuation grant process. In Year 3, only prior Digital Literacy Now grant recipients will be eligible for the continuation grant.
Center for Instructional Support Office/STEM
Paula Moore
Friday, May 28, 2021
Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants) — Submit as a Word or PDF file
Part II — Budget Details — Submit as an Excel file
Part III — Required Program Information — Submit as a Word file
As DL Now Grant recipients, District and school teams agree to participate in an external, third-party, independent evaluation of the DL Now Grant activities with the goal of supporting improvements to the training, curricula implementation, and supports. The evaluation methods used with district and school teams may include, but are not limited to, surveys, interviews, and/or focus groups. School and district administrators will support the evaluation by participating in evaluation activities and by supporting teachers' participation in evaluation activities. Additionally, the district administrators will connect the evaluation team with district personnel who can identify appropriate data collection policies. The following is a list of possible school- and district- level data that may be shared between the District, DESE, and/or potential third-party evaluators.
Personnel participation data (e.g., attendance in trainings and implementation meetings)
Implementation data (i.e., measures of curricula implementation fidelity that could be reported by the school/district teams, or through interviews surveys, and other methods)
School and district outcome data related to DLCS classes (e.g., class schedules, student demographics in DLCS classes, student grades, student interest surveys, MCAS scores, etc.)
DESE and all of our research partners are required by federal (FERPA) and state (FIPA) law to protect the confidentiality of individual-level data. Research partners are required to enter into a legal agreement with DESE to ensure the confidentiality of all data and reporting that meets state and federal law as well as DESE's additional suppression rules to ensure that no individual can ever be identified.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education expects grant recipients to share a description of the outcomes of the grant and products as requested to expand the impact of the grant.
A grant-end report on the funded activities and outcomes of the program(s), including a section specifically on lessons learned that could be shared with others, is due to the Department by December 31, 2021.
For Grant Management processes, including the request for funds, information about requesting funds beyond the initial payment, and additional details on managing your grant, see this webpage: EdGrants: User Guides and Information
In order for districts to include an indirect cost rate in their budget submission, the district must be listed on the FY2022 indirect cost rate approval spreadsheet located on the Grants Management website.
Please e-mail one (1) complete set of all required documents to paula.b.moore@mass.gov with "FY22 DL Now Continuation Part 2" in the subject line. Applicants will receive a confirmation email when the materials are received. Early submission is strongly encouraged to ensure the complete application is received and confirmed by the due date.
Upon award, recipients will be required to enter the approved budget and upload Part I and Part III in EdGrants. Once selected, recipients will be contacted with further instructions on the process.
Please note: It is up to the applicant to determine whom they want to add as EdGrants Front Office users and what roles and responsibilities those users may have. Please review EdGrants: User Security Controls to make informed decisions regarding assigning your district level users.
Last Updated: May 13, 2021
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