FY2025: CTE Equitable Access Grant

Fund Code: 0427

Purpose:

The goal of this federally funded targeted grant program is for schools and districts to implement equitable access in Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. This grant and community of practices is offered as technical assistance related to the Methods of Administration responsibilities of districts. More specifically, participants will create and implement solutions that integrate career technical, academic, and overall Teaching and Learning for students, focused on one or more of the identified priorities aligned to the Strategic Objectives listed in the Department's Educational Vision , including the Blueprint for English Learner Success , and IEP Improvement Project.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has data resources available on CTE-ART and other pages for districts to analyze trends and prioritize approaches in this work.

Priorities:

Participants will create and implement solutions that integrate career technical, academic, and overall Teaching and Learning for students, focused on one or more of the identified priorities:

Instructional Leadership Teams

1. Identify, address, and implement inclusive and culturally responsive solutions to address access, opportunity, and equity barriers within the admissions and recruitment process.
2. Review data practices and systems using a racial equity lens to identify systemic challenges that are creating or expanding on issues of equitable access, especially of underrepresented students.
3. Engage community, families, and students to develop a more inclusive and culturally responsive learning environment.

Multitiered Systems of Support

1. Use the MTSS process to implement academic supports and interventions that provide all students, particularly students with disabilities and English learners, equitable access to deeper learning.
2. Create sustainable data-driven systems that inform metrics and goals to improve student outcomes, especially for underrepresented students.
3. Provide a comprehensive set of tiered supports for all learners across all three domains - academic, social/emotional, and behavioral - that are culturally sustaining and universally designed
4. Ensure that all educators are trained and able to access, use, and implement data-driven systems to inform and collaborate with students about areas of support.

High Quality Curriculum and Instruction

1. Implement the WIDA 2020 framework and ensure alignment to EL BluePrint
2. Ensure that IEPs are aligned to the IEP Improvement Project such as ensuring students are accessing content and curriculum in the least restrictive environment with tiered systems of support.
3. Create, develop, and ensure implementation of instructional leadership structures that that foster culturally and linguistically sustaining grade appropriate instruction
4. Implement and train all staff in high-leverage instructional practices designed for students with disabilities. (e.g., providing scaffolded supports, explicit instruction, flexible grouping, and adapting curriculum and tasks based on students' specific learning goals)
5. Engage teachers in professional development linked directly to the curriculum and set up a process to regularly monitor the effectiveness of curriculum implementation

Through this grant, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and/or its partners will provide:

• Technical assistance;
• Professional development; and
• Coaching to support school and/or district teams

Participation in these activities is a requirement of this funding opportunity. Additionally, all districts will:

• Examine and implement solutions focused on admissions, waitlist, enrollment, and outcome data as part of this work;
• Use data to inform their decision-making in Career Technical Education to improve access to and performance of Chapter 74 programs for all students. Districts may accomplish this through re-thinking teaming or collaboration structures; enhancing data routines; and other justified innovations to improve access and outcomes aligned with a reflective continuous improvement cycle.
• Share learning from this experience in the form of replicable tools, resources, artifacts, lessons and more, which the Department can compile and make available statewide in the future.

Eligibility:

Eligible recipients are specific districts identified through analysis of Career Technical Education (Chapter 74) Admissions and Population Trends that joined the community of practice in year 1 of this grant, and/or have been identified for technical assistance through the Methods of Administration process by DESE.

Organization Number	Organization Name	Amount
0832	Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical	75,000
0825	Greater New Bedford	75,000
0828	Greater Lowell	75,000
0876	Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational Technical	75,000
0806	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical	75,000
0818	Franklin County Regional Vocational Technical	75,000
0137	Holyoke	75,000
0872	Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical	75,000
0163	Lynn	75,000
0406	Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	75,000
Total		750,000

Funding Type:

Federal 7043-8001 CFDA 84.048
Federal grant funds must adhere to:

• UGG (2 CFR 200)
• EDGAR As Applicable
• EDGAR General Fiscal Administration 34 CFR Part 76

Funding:

Approximately $750,000.00 is available for FC 427. This is the third year of a targeted grant. Subsequent years of funding will be available pending available funds for 1 additional year (anticipated for up to $75,000 each year).

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:

Grant funds must be used to implement systems and strategies outlined in submitted proposal. Grant funds may be used for staff stipends, consultants, substitutes, professional development, and materials to be used in the implementation of system-level changes.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval (No earlier than 7/1/2024)* – 6/30/2025

* 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:

College, Career and Technical Education

Contact:

Marnie Jain

Date Due:

Friday, June 21, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on the date due.

Note: The Department will be hosting a pre-grant webinar for participants to support the development of their proposals.

Submission Instructions:

The FY25 FC0427 CTE Equitable Access 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 form can be accessed without logging in to the system.

Last Updated: June 26, 2024