FY2025: Appleseeds

Fund Code: 0208

Purpose:

In 2022, DESE released Appleseeds: Evidence-Based Foundational Skills for Massachusetts, a complete package of instructional materials for reading foundational skills in Kindergarten through Grade 2.

This continuation grant will support LEAs to fully implement the full suite of Appleseeds materials for reading foundational skills through professional development and support for educators, leaders, and literacy coaches from a DESE-approved Appleseeds PD provider.

Priorities:

DESE seeks to award Appleseeds Materials and Professional Development grants to entities that:

• Are committed to prioritizing equity and excellence through commitment to evidence-based early literacy practices
• Are actively invested in cultural and linguistically sustaining practices in literacy for all learners
• Demonstrate favorable conditions and the resources, including time and commitment, necessary to make and sustain meaningful adoption and implementation, across multiple schools if applicable
• Are using Appleseeds to replace or add a reading foundational skills component to their core literacy block

Eligibility:

This continuation grant is intended for FY24 Appleseeds — Track 1 recipients who indicated a desire for professional development support in FY25. The eligible districts include:

• Track 1:
  • Monson Public Schools
  • South Shore Charter Public School
  • Holyoke Community Charter School
  • Shore Educational Collaborative
  • Northshore Education Consortium
  • Orange Public Schools
  • Clinton Public Schools

Curriculum Data must be up to date on DESE District Profiles for K–8 ELA/Literacy, K–12 math, and 6–8 Science by the time of the grant due date. To check if this information is complete, check the statewide Curriculum report. Or, visit your District Profiles page via Profiles Home, and select Curriculum Data from the left-hand navigation. If the required data is not complete or up-to-date, details and directions on how to enter or update this data can be found at Curriculum Data Collection.

Funding Type:

State Line Item 7010-0033

Funding:

There is approximately $580,000 available for Track 1 districts/schools. Recipients will need to provide detailed cost information to DESE to demonstrate compliance with grant priorities and approved fund uses in order to draw down funds over the grant period.

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:

This continuation grant will provide funding for hands-on support from Appleseeds specialists for recipients to receive professional learning for teachers and leaders to support skillful, culturally and linguistically sustaining implementation of all Appleseeds materials. Following the grant period, recipients are expected to continue implementing the materials and practices initiated by this grant. Eligible districts are able to apply for a certain amount based on size, populations served, and the phase of Appleseeds implementation. Please see the fund use document for details.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval* – June 30, 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:

Office of Literacy and Humanities
Center for Instructional Support (CIS)

Contact:

Linda Sewnarine

Phone Number:

781-338-6242

Date Due:

Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 5:00 p.m.

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

Additional Information:

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.

Any questions about Appleseeds grants must be emailed to linda.sewnarine@mass.gov Q+A will be posted to English Language Arts and Literacy.

Submission Instructions:

The FY25 0208 Appleseeds Materials and Professional Development Grants 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. This form can be accessed without logging in to the system.

Last Updated: September 9, 2024