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Office of English Language Learners ELL Success Incentive Grant RFP Fall 2008 English Language Learners Success Incentive Grant The New York City Department of Education invites all schools with English Language Learners (ELLs) to participate in the ELL Success Incentive Grant application process. The goal of the ELL Success Incentive Grant is to improve ELL achievement so that these students are prepared to succeed, graduate on time, and thrive in higher education settings and meaningful careers. Schools are encouraged to review Comprehensive Education Plans, which include CR Part 154, Language Allocation Policy (LAP) and Title III plans, to identify ELL-related areas in need of more funding and improvement. The New York City Department of Education has committed $7 million to the ELL Success Incentive program to support schools that 1) present a strong commitment and fiscal resources aligned to effectively serve ELLs, 2) exhibit areas where there is a welldocumented need for more funding, and 3) submit a powerful plan that will accelerate the path to excellence for ELLs as per the Blueprint for ELL Success (Appendix). This ELL Success Incentive Grant is grounded in the core principles of Children First – leadership, empowerment, and accountability – supporting the capacity-building efforts of schools to create strong ELL programs. Through Children First reforms, schools are now better equipped to improve their students’ achievement. Principals have greater discretion over their resource allocation, staff selection, and student programming; student-level data is more readily available than it has been in the past; and innovative schoolbased structures such as the inquiry teams, which use data to identify how to best change instructional practices to accelerate student learning and empower schools to make informed, strategic decisions to improve their schools. The challenges ELLs face are complex and varied; therefore, novel and deep solutions matched to student needs are required to improve their academic achievement. Only a comprehensive, coherent, and sustained approach that is targeted to the particular needs of each student will work. For school leaders who have thoughtfully allocated their fiscal and human resources to increase ELL performance, but have identified additional needs, we are offering the ELL Success Incentive Grant. This grant is the result of collaborative efforts with the New York City Council, and a host of advocates and partners. Through this $7-million grant, the DOE reinforces the City’s commitment to assist schools with dramatically improving ELL programs and services. This RFP outlines the process to apply for targeted funding for ELL improvement. Grants will support school plans that employ successful, research-based practices that establish innovative programs that serve ELLs. In creating funding plans, School Leadership Teams are encouraged to use data from Progress Reports, Periodic Assessments, Quality Review recommendations, CEPs, and LAPs, while seeking the guidance of School Inquiry Team(s) and School Support Organizations (SSOs). Using these resources, schools should create coherent plans that not only address the specific needs of ELLs in their schools, but detail ways to significantly improve their performance. NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OFFICE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS • 52 CHAMBERS STREET, 210 • NEW YORK, NY 10007 • 212.374.6072 • SCHOOLS. NYC.GOV/ACADEMICS/ELL NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2 Purpose This grant supports schools that have aligned fiscal resources to provide core and supplemental services for English Language Learners (ELLs) and have identified new needs among their ELLs above and beyond the mandated services. Grant-funded programs will raise the academic achievement of ELLs through rigorous instruction and high-quality support. Instructional programs must accelerate both English language development and content skills to prepare ELLs for subsequent academic, career, and social opportunities. Priority Areas Schools receiving the grant must plan new or enhanced programs in at least one of the following areas for ELLs: 1) Enriched support for struggling ELLs, especially a) Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) b) Long-term ELLs (LTEs) c) ELLs in years 4–6 d) Newcomers, and e) Special Education ELLs 2) Augmented parent options a) Create a new Transitional Bilingual Education program. b) Create a new Dual Language program. c) Enhance existing bilingual programs. 3) Enhanced teacher quality a) For all teachers of ELLs, provide professional development on literacy and academic language development through programs such as the Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) institutes. b) Provide rigorous ongoing professional development to content area teachers on research-based practices to improve the delivery of instruction to ELLs in monolingual programs. c) Enhance collaboration/team-teaching between content area teachers and ESL/bilingual teachers. d) Expand ELL and bilingual teacher recruitment and hiring in small schools. Special Considerations Strong applications that show 2:1 Contract for Excellence funding aligned to the grant funding request will receive 20 additional points. Special consideration will be given to those applications that prioritize collaboration across learning communities on a campus and/or develop or reinstate program models in support of native language literacy (e.g., Dual Language, Transitional Bilingual Education, and Heritage Language programs) at a school or campus. Awards Schools awards will start at $30,000 and not exceed $100,000. All grant awards are contingent on the appropriation of additional tax levy funding and the New York State Education Department’s approval of the Department’s Contract for Excellence. Requirements and Parameters Schools applying must: o Demonstrate a need to improve programs and services for ELLs. 3 NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION o o o o o o o o o o o Use funds to supplement existing ELL programs and services provided through the Fair Student Funding Formula, Contract for Excellence, Title I and Title III. Use funds to expand services for ELLs other than core mandated CR Part 154 services. Obtain appropriately certified teachers to support implementation. Identify members of a planning team who will meet regularly on the implementation and execution of grant activities. Leverage their internal resources and the support offered by networks and SSOs to improve their ELL programs. Engage the Inquiry Team in the work. Have at minimum a weekly period (45 minutes) embedded in the school day for collaborative planning/professional development focused on ELLs. Complete a grant application, including a description of student and parent support programs and opportunities for teacher professional development. Attach CR Part 154 and Title III as well as the LAP plans. Agree to serve as a demonstration site for schools seeking to implement similar school-based practices. Agree to be a part of the ongoing evaluation of the ELL Success Incentive program. Additional Supports In addition to the ELL Success Incentive Grant, schools have the opportunity to access ELL supports such as: o The Academic Intervention Grant for SIFE and LTEs provides funding, professional development, and technical assistance to schools with 20 or more SIFE/LTEs so that schools can create instructional models to accelerate language and academic learning for these students. Schools may be eligible for a start-up grant ($100,000), continuation grant ($50,000), or demonstration site grant ($75,000). Grant recipients also work with the CUNY Graduate Center on ongoing research and diagnostic assessments of SIFE. o The Campaign for Middle School Success improvement grants targeted to reduce the achievement gap in the middle grades and to improve student achievement so that all students are prepared to succeed in high school, graduate on time, and thrive in college and careers. o Research, resources, and academic interventions offered by the Office of English Language (see “Programs and Services” sub-channel at http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/ELL). Application Process and Timeline The following timeline reflects the key dates and milestones throughout the application period as well as the planning and implementation cycle. ELL Success Incentive Grant Timeline September 10, 2008 Schools with ELLs are invited to apply for the ELL Success Incentive Grant announced in the Principals’ Weekly. 4 NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ELL Success Incentive Grant Timeline School Teams Attend One Two-Day Session October 2 and 3, 2008 October 6 and 7, 2008 October15 and 16, 2008 October 20 and 21 , 2008 Planning Sessions: Schools leadership teams attend planning and grant writing sessions that provide schools with: the latest research on ELLs; an overview of the Language Allocation Policy (to inform ELL planning); and the Blueprint for ELL Success. District ELL Compliance and Performance Specialists (ELL CPSs) are available to provide technical assistance and planning support. November 3, 2008 Grant applications are due and must be sent electronically to [email protected]. No late submissions will be accepted. Applicants will be notified of grant review status. Support for grant recipients: ELL CPSs will support schools’ start-up and implementation of planned activities. Onsite professional development from Central ELL Specialists is available to all sites for a fee. November 14, 2008 November, 2008-June, 2009 Grant Narrative Part A: Student Programs Current program: Describe your current ELL population, providing an analysis of demographic and performance data on ELLs and ELL subgroups (e.g., SIFE, LTEs). Describe how you are currently serving this population. Clearly delineate all funding sources that support core and enhanced programs and services for ELLs. Also, based on the data, provide an assessment of high-needs areas to raise the academic achievement for ELLs in your school. Limit your description to two pages or less. Do not repeat areas covered in your attached plans (CR Part 154, LAP, Title IlI). Table 1. Office of ELLs Interventions (for more information these programs, visit http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/ELL/ProgramsServices) Achieve 3000 Award Reading English Destination Math Imagine Learning Reading Instructional Goals for Older Readers (RIGOR) Proposed program: Based on your school’s needs assessment for ELLs, describe your proposed program. Your description must include, but should not be limited to, program structure, duration, times per week, hours per day, before/after school and/or Saturdays, program areas to be addressed, grades targeted, and chosen academic NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 5 interventions for literacy and mathematics (see Table 1). Include, as appropriate, the establishment or expansion of guidance support. Descriptions should be aligned to core services described in your school’s CR Part 154 grant applications and language allocation policy plans; however, information for this application should describe enhancements and supplemental services to these core programs. Limit your description to half a typed page. Part B: Professional Development and/or Teacher Quality Plan: Describe the activities that will enhance teacher quality. Describe the professional development that will take place at the school and in collaboration with professional development providers to build the school’s capacity to work with the target population. Table 2. Professional Development Available from the Office of ELLs in 2008-09 Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) Five-Day Institutes (Building the Base, ELA, Beginning ESL, Math, Science, Social Studies, Spanish) and Leadership ELL-I Literacy Institute (eight days) Middle School Math Institute Science Institute Dual Language Technology Enrichment Institute LAP and Demystifying ELL Data Institute LAP and Looking at Student Work Institute QTEL Curriculum Enhancement Institute ELL Writing Institute (five days) Closing the Achievement GAP- SIFE/Long-term ELL Institute (four days) MAPPS Some professional development options available from the Office of ELLs (Table 2) in which your school may participate are listed above. Provide a list of topics (e.g., inquiry groups, collaborative planning, intervisitations), professional texts, meeting times, number of participants, and other relevant information. Limit your description to one typed page. Part C: Parent Involvement Describe how the grant will be used to enrich parent options or experiences at your school. Limit your description to one typed page. Part D: Staffing List the teachers who will work under the grant. Include name (last, first), license, title, grant responsibilities, and relevant professional development in which the teacher has already participated (e.g., QTEL Building the Base). Part E: Program Objectives, Activities and Evaluations Objectives should address priority areas based on a needs assessment—services for struggling ELL (with attention to SIFE and LTEs), increasing program choice options and/or teacher quality as well as expanding student supports, enhancing instructional resources, and strengthening parent involvement. Objectives must be appropriate for the academic and linguistic needs of the target population. Also, they must be Specific, NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 6 Measurable, Achievable, Relevant/ Realistic, and Time-bound (SMART). In addition, objectives and activities must be aligned with the priority areas of the program, and include the following elements: o o o Time frame (e.g., by June 2009, by the end of second quarter, after six months) Targeted skill area (e.g., math, speaking, reading, and writing in English or the native language) Measurable growth targets Describe the specific activities that will be implemented to meet each project objective. Activities must be clear, concise, and relevant to the program. Include activities that are appropriate to students' ages, grade levels, and language proficiencies, and ensure that all activities are aligned with plans in the grant narrative. Describe the plans for administering pre- and post-assessments at the beginning, mid-way, and end of program. Evaluation designs that use qualitative and quantitative data are ideal in gauging program effectiveness. Techniques for the qualitative analysis may include, but are not limited to, portfolio assessments, student interviews, student work folders, surveys, questionnaires, and teacher observations. School teams should identify evaluation tools to measure student outcomes of the target population as well as techniques to assess the quality of the program. This information must be consistent with the proposed program objectives and activities. Table 3. Examples of SMART Objectives Objective 1: SIFE and LTEs with a 90% participation rate during school year 2008-09 will accelerate their academic learning in all content areas by 10 percentage points (measured on quantitative assessments) through smaller classes with quality instruction, technology, various supporting activities and services, and/ or extended-day/Saturday programs.. Activities: Evaluation and Expected Outcomes: Objective 2: School team members and teachers of ELLs will spend a minimum of 40 hours on planning and ongoing high-quality professional development covering strategies and methodologies specifically designed to support the accelerated academic/language learning of SIFE/LTEs during school year 2008-09. These professional development activities will include the QTEL Institute as well as inquiry teams (data reviews, lesson studies, curriculum enhancements) and classroom intervisitations. Activities: Evaluation and Expected Outcomes: Objective 3: Parents of ELLs will be engaged in a minimum of 20 hours of meaningful activities related to the academic learning of their children during school year 2008-09. Activities: Evaluation and Expected Outcomes: 7 NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Part F: Budget On the budget worksheets, list all expenditures requested for the ELL Incentive Grant Application. All costs must be directly related to the proposed program objectives. Attach worksheets to grant narrative with appropriate signatures. Budget Worksheet A: BUDGET: Personnel Activity Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4 Objective 5 Objective 6 Subtotal Description of Item $ Amount 8 NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Budget Worksheet B: BUDGET: OTPS (Other Than Personnel Services) Activity Description of Item $ Amount Objective 1 Objective 2 Objective 3 Objective 4 Objective 5 Objective 6 Summary budget from Personnel and OTPS Personnel $ Amount OTPS Subtotal Grant Total BUDGET: Signature Page Authorized Signature:___________________________________________________________________ (Principal) For DOE Use Only: District:_____________________________ School:_________________________ Grant Amount: _______________________ Approved:___________________________ Date: __________________________ 9 NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATEMENT OF ASSURANCES The applicant hereby assures the New York City Department of Education Office of English Language Learners (ELLs) that: a) Funds received under this grant will be used for the education of ELLs. b) All facts, figures, and representations made in this application, including all exhibits and attachments hereto and hereby made as part of this application, are true and correct. c) This application may be submitted to the New York City Department of Education for funding consideration because the undersigned has endorsed the proposed objectives and activities, and supports the project's implementation and evaluation. _____________________________________________________________________________ District School _______________________________ Name of Principal __________________________________ Signature of Principal Completed applications must be submitted to the Office of English [email protected] as per the deadline set at the grant-writing session. Language _________ Date Learners at Application Deadlines: Only applications meeting all the requirements and submitted before the deadline will be considered for funding. Contact Person: Maria Santos, Executive Director NYC Department of Education Office of English Language Learners 52 Chambers Street, Room 210 New York, New York 10007 (212) 374-6072 NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 10 APPENDIX: BLUEPRINT FOR ELL SUCCESS The Office of English Language Learners (ELLs) continues to implement Children First reform initiatives that bolster a more rigorous and responsive education for ELLs. By building on the momentum of the Chancellor’s seven ELL directives (2003), and refining initiatives to help schools meet comprehensive accountability measures, the Office is creating a stronger, more supportive staffing infrastructure, rigorous professional development, coherent programs, better materials and resources, and comprehensive parent outreach. Our Blueprint for ELL Success includes the following directives for each school: I. Improve instruction for ELLs by aligning all programs for ELLs to state standards and to a coherent and comprehensive core curriculum in all academic subjects by: A. Using the citywide language allocation policy (LAP) to refine program models and create instructional improvements. B. Incorporating high expectations for ELLs in the school’s mission. II. Accelerate performance for ELLs by: A. Building and enriching first language literacy. B. Adopting and implementing strategic student supports with integrity. III. Improve programmatic services and parent options by: A. Creating and enriching bilingual service models. B. Aligning and strengthening fiscal and human resources. IV. Achieve unprecedented performance gains for ELLs by: A. Creating an inquiry leadership team (e.g., principal, coaches, parent coordinators, School Accountability Facilitator) for ELLs. B. Establishing and supporting ongoing professional learning communities of content area and ESL/bilingual teachers focused on ELLs. 1. Establish at minimum a weekly period (45 minutes) embedded in the school day for collaborative planning/professional development focused on ELLs. 2. Analyze and use multiple data sources to inform instruction and program services for ELLs. 3. Create common assessments and lessons with scaffolds for ELLs. 4. Establish measurable student performance targets and observable practice shifts in ELL teaching and learning. V. Sustain promising practices and close the achievement gap by: A. Establishing a strong school-site infrastructure for ELLs and a sustained ELL improvement priority. B. Adopting the principles of Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) in every classroom. NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 11 C. Engaging parents in strong and meaningful learning experiences through sessions such as MAPPS, a native literacy course, and/or an ESL course. D. Partnering with community groups, universities, and parents. E. Making plans and results transparent. NYC DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 12 APPENDIX: THE FIVE PRINCIPLES OF QUALITY TEACHING FOR ELLS 1. Sustain academic rigor in teaching ELLs by promoting deep disciplinary knowledge and developing central ideas of a discipline in all their interconnectedness and interrelationships. Central to this principle is the development of students’ capacity to use higher-order thinking skills, by teaching them how to combine facts, synthesize and evaluate ideas, and generate new meanings and understandings. 2. Hold high expectations in teaching ELLs: Engage students in high-challenge and highsupport activities that provide multiple entry points to address the academic and linguistic heterogeneity of the classroom. 3. Engage ELLs in quality interactions: This principle refers to the enactment of interactions that are sustained, deep, and build knowledge in relevant aspects of the discipline being taught. 4. Sustain a language focus in teaching ELLs: Explicitly develop disciplinary language, discussing how language works and the characteristics of different genres and subjectspecific discourse. 5. Develop a quality curriculum for ELLs: A curriculum with long-term goals and benchmarks that is problem-based and requires sustained attention beyond a single lesson.