Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs

FY2025: Deeper Learning Implementation Grant

Fund Code: 0105

Purpose:

The vision of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is that all students, as a result of their public education, attain academic knowledge and skills, understand and value self and others, and engage with the world so that they can be curious and creative, shape their path, feel connected, and be empowered. To achieve this vision, we believe schools and systems must create conditions, goals, and outcomes to ensure all students, especially those historically underserved, regularly engage in Deeper Learning. In these schools, all students have consistent access to grade-level work that is relevant, real-world, and interactive so that all students demonstrate mastery, identity, and creativity.

The Deeper Learning Implementation Grant is a targeted grant to support schools and districts that have been accepted into the Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning's Deeper Learning Implementation Network via application during SY24-25. Within the network, schools identify two to three instructional priorities aligned to Deeper Learning and use twelve-week implementation cycles to leverage and improve one or more of their instructional systems or structures, including instructional planning routines, to support and sustain school-wide progress. To measure progress towards their priorities, schools and districts, in partnership with Kaleidoscope, will engage in learning walks, surveys, interviews, and other progress monitoring measures throughout the year using the DESE Classroom Observation Tool.

This grant will extend and support the work of these schools and districts to further strengthen the effectiveness and impact of implementation cycles to advance growth toward their instructional priorities. The funds may be used for stipends for professional development or collaborative activities (e.g., teacher team meetings, leader planning meetings, etc.) that happen before or after school and to support growth toward the instructional priorities identified with the Kaleidoscope team through the Deeper Learning Implementation Network.

Priorities:

DESE seeks to award Deeper Learning Implementation Grants to entities that:

Have been accepted into the Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning's Deeper Learning Implementation Network in SY24-25
Have instructional priorities informed by data
Are committed to improving one or more instructional leadership systems or structures (i.e., teacher collaborative time, professional development, instructional leadership teams, coaching, observations and feedback) to support whole school change that will last beyond the Deeper Learning Implementation Network
Have consistent time for professional learning, and a commitment and plan to improve the effectiveness and quality of this time to support progress on the instructional priorities
Use teacher collaborative time to practice planning routines, such as the DESE collection of Instructional Planning tools, to internalize, adapt, and skillfully implement high-quality instructional materials or to document and discuss instructional materials
Are committed to building teacher capacity and leadership to skillfully implement high-quality instructional materials with culturally and linguistically sustaining practices in service of deeper learning
Are committed to identifying desired outcomes for the use of funds, monitoring the impact of the use of funds, and providing feedback to ensure funds are used to advance growth on the instructional priorities
Are willing to participate in progress monitoring and program evaluation

Eligibility:

This grant is available to any public and charter school and district accepted into the Deeper Learning Implementation Network via application during SY24-25.

Funding Type:

State: 7061-9408 / 969Z

Funding:

Approximately $400,000 is available for this grant for FY25. Schools may apply for up to $40,000. As detailed below, funding may be used for stipends, professional development, or materials to support and strengthen implementation.

This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds.

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.

Fund Use:

Subject to appropriation, meeting grant requirements, and submission of required documents, funds will be awarded to recipients. Funding may be used to support activities and professional learning that advance progress toward the instructional priorities identified through the partnership. Leaders must commit to identifying the desired outcomes and/or products for each use of funds, monitoring the impact of the use of funds, and providing feedback to ensure funds are used to advance growth on the instructional priorities.

The following are allowable costs:

Stipends for professional development, collaborative activities, and/or curriculum and planning work that occurs before or after contractual school hours and that support growth towards the instructional priorities (To ensure complete use of proposed funds, we encourage applicants to ensure there is interest in and commitment to engaging in proposed stipend activities within their school.)
Contracted services or partnerships: Up to 50% of funds may be used for professional development that supports the instructional priorities
Up to 10% of funds can be allocated for the cost of instructional materials that support progress toward the instructional priorities

Examples of allowable costs:

Stipends for additional time for grade level teams or instructional leadership team(s) to meet to use instructional planning routines (i.e., Unit Unpacking, Lesson Internalization, or Looking at Student Work) before or after school hours to strengthen instructional materials and pedagogy towards Deeper Learning
Stipends for educators to attend an additional school-based professional development outside of the school day
Stipends for teacher leaders to practice using and facilitating instructional planning routines before or after school hours to build a shared depth of understanding about the depth of conversation and expectations for shared work during teacher collaborative time
Stipends for individual educators to engage in planning or curriculum work, with clearly identified outcomes and/or products that align with the instructional priorities and support the skillful implementation of high-quality instructional materials toward deeper learning
Funding attendance at an external professional development session that will accelerate progress towards the instructional priorities

The following are not allowable costs and will not be funded by this grant:

Food and refreshments
Travel
Staff salaries
Maintenance/repairs
Purchase of technology, computer software, or hardware

Schools should align with local policy requirements, including district policy, local collective bargaining agreements, etc.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval* – 6/30/2025

If applicants wish to roll funds into the summer months (Summer 2025; FY2026) they must notify the contact person on this RFP to initiate a decrease to the FY25 award in order to extend the balance into FY26. Once the funds are freed up from the FY25 award, there will be a re-application process to obtain the balance in FY26. The project duration of those grant funds will be 7/1/2025 – 8/31/2025.

* Grant start date cannot be prior to DESE receiving a substantially approvable Application Submission as directed in this RFP's Submission Instructions. Goods and Services cannot be procured prior to Grants receiving and approving an application submission. Funds cannot exceed the project duration end date.

Program Unit:

Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning

Contact:

Ashley Sharpe-Porter

Date Due:

Proposals must be received by March 7^th, 2025

Proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on the date due.

Additional Information:

Please see additional details about required activities for the Deeper Learning Implementation Network in the Program Details . Applicants can find all questions asked regarding this funding opportunity and DESE's response posted to the Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning.

To support the Kaleidoscope team's progress monitoring, ongoing learning, and program evaluation, schools will be required to participate in the following activities: surveys for educators and leaders, focus groups with students and/or staff, and walkthroughs using the DESE Classroom Observation Tool.

LEAs participating in this grant/program will be required to share with DESE their student-level assessment data from the approved early literacy screening assessment that is administered in all schools in grades K–3 during this program or grant award period. DESE will support LEAs to submit the required data by June 30 of each program year. DESE will analyze the statewide data collected for research purposes. All reporting will meet state and federal confidentiality laws. Identifying information of LEAs and schools will not be reported without express consent.

Submission Instructions:

The FY25 0105 Deeper Learning Implementation Grant will be submitted in our new GEM$ system. GEM$ is a cloud-based fiscal and program management grant system that will eventually phase out the use of EdGrants.

Grants for Education Management System (GEM$)

Please Note: Grant Submission at the LEA level requires roles to be established for Grant writer for the specific fund code, LEA fiscal for financial review/approval, and Superintendent/Chief Executive sign off. All these roles should be established prior to the grant due date and all appropriate forms should be either uploaded to GEM$, maintained at the LEA level or sent in to the DESE RFP contact as described on the individual forms. The user guidance documents and forms are found on the GEM$ homepage under DESE Resources. These forms can be accessed without logging in to the system.

Last Updated: February 26, 2025