Title IIB Grant Application Frequently Asked Questions

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Title IIB Grant Application Frequently Asked Questions

Find the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the Math Science Partnership (MSP) below.

How many grant applications does the program usually receive?
The program typically receives around ten proposals. However, there has been a lot of interest expressed this year, so we may receive more than in the past.

How much funding is available in 2010?
The Oregon Department of Education will award approximately $1,700,000 to Title IIB sub-grantees. There is funding available to award one three-year grant to one new partnership in the 2010 funding cycle contingent upon the Oregon Department of Education receiving funding from the U. S. Department of Education.

Partnerships may submit an application for a three-year grant in accordance with the criteria described in this Request for Proposals. Maximum funding for this three-year grant will be $300,000 per year for each of the three years.

What is the cost for using the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum?
The cost of the surveys is $12.50 per teacher each time they take the survey. Information can be found on the ODE web page at Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (SEC) in Oregon. Additional information may be obtained from Alissa Oleck at WCER which runs the online survey. She can be contacted at aminor@wisc.edu

Can a for-profit business, qualify as a partner to respond to Oregon’s Title IIB MSP RFP?
The Title IIB Math Science Partnership Program requires a core partnership of a high need school district and the mathematics, science and/or engineering faculty, and administrators in higher education organizations. The partnership must submit the project proposal. For-profit businesses may be additional partners in these grant proposals. Projects may include other partners as they deem appropriate to achieve their stated goals which must be tied to a needs assessment. For details, please review the 2010 Title IIB MSP RFP posted on our website and the Title IIB legislation available on the U.S. Department of Education website.

Where can we find the definition for a high-need school district?
The definition is included on page 22 of the 2010 Title IIB MSP RFP.

Where do I find the state average for free and reduced lunch?
The statewide average of students eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch published in the 2008-09 Statewide Report Card is 46.7%.

Is it possible to provide travel stipends rather than travel reimbursements for the teachers?
In consulting with our fiscal team regarding stipends versus reimbursement for travel, they are thinking that it is allowable to provide stipends. However, you may want to think about the issues around what happens if the teachers need to spend more on the travel, or what if they do not spend the entire stipend. The question is being sent to the individuals at the national level to see if they agree that it is allowable.

In reviewing the MSP RFP, is there funding for staff and the Project Director for professional development.
We were unable to locate in the grant the percentage of the award available for this purpose (or how much employee time). How much time are the partners expected to fund for their staff outside of grant monies?
There is no required amount or percentage. Each project determines these costs based on their project goals and objectives and the details are determined by the partners. It is highly encouraged to have partners provide whatever level of support they are able to and to leverage other funding where possible. However, it is not required to do so.

Does the evaluator have to be outside the partnership?
The evaluator does not have to be an outside evaluator , although the U.S. Department of Education encourages that and we allot bonus points to grant proposals who choose to use outside evaluators.

What percentage would be appropriate for the cost of evaluation?
The cost and percentage varies according to the type and cost of the evaluation and the specific evaluation plan that is proposed. The cost of the evaluation should be justifiable by the details of the evaluation plan.

Is it allowable to insert ESD wherever it states “school district” in the grant?
For the most part, but the grant requires at least one high-need school district to be a partner. That cannot be replaced by "ESD."

If we serve several counties and school districts, do we need to identify one district or can we identify them by county?
You can identify districts by county; however, you must provide a signed "Statement of Assurances" for each partner district. The ESD cannot sign one statement to cover all of their districts. The grant requires authentic partnerships with all districts included in the grant proposal.

The RFP asks for Assurances from each partner; does this mean one for each individual/organization listed?
Yes. If an individual and/or organization is listed on the Partnership page then an Assurance is required.

How many points are designated for each part of the proposal?
The points correspond to the percentage listed. Hence, the Partnership Narrative counts as 65 points, the Evaluation Plan is worth 20 points, and the Budget Narrative counts as 15 points.

We would appreciate the names of school districts that have been successful in obtaining new award funds in the past.
Please include their higher education partners.
ODE has funded the following partnerships:
- Connect2MATH and Connect2SCIENCE: Proficiency and Inquiry-Based Teaching in Math and Science Portland State University in collaboration with Beaverton School District, Hillsboro School District, Portland Public School District, and Parkrose School District
- Mathematics Studio Program Teacher Development Group in collaboration with Oregon State University, Bend-La Pine School District, Medford School District and Sherwood School District
- Oregon Coast Aquatic and Marine Science Partnership (OCAMP) with Lincoln County School District and Oregon State University
- Algebra in Context with Oregon State University
- Central Oregon Consortium with Oregon State University
- Oregon Science Teacher Partnership with Bend School District and OSTA
- Portland Public Schools with University of Portland
- Portland Science Partnership with University of Portland
- Science Discovery with Western Oregon University

Is there a definition for majors, minors or their equivalent in mathematics, science or engineering?
We do not have a definition, since these requirements vary from school to school. One possibility is to use the degree requirements from the higher education partner(s) for the project.

Is there a minimum number of professional development contact hours the project is required to provide?
The Title IIB law clearly states that if you have a "summer institute" then it is mandated to be not less than two weeks, and must include follow up training during the academic year that is conducted in the classroom for a period of not less than four days. USED included this requirement based on research that indicated that 100 hours is a minimum for good professional development.

How long should partner vitas be? 2 pages?
There is no specific requirement, however, it needs to be long enough to provide the important information.

Should virts be included for grad students, evaluators, and other staff?
Include them for the evaluator, core partners, and writing team.

Is it required to use the budget form provided in the RFP?
It is not required, but we will need to be able to translate from your budget to the numbers and types of expenditures on the sample form. It is also important that your budget narrative matches your budget worksheet.

Contacts

Cheryl Kleckner (503) 947-5794
Teaching & Learning Team - Ed. Specialist, Science/Title II-B Mathematics and Science Partnerships
Mark Freed (503) 947-5610
Teaching & Learning Team - Education Specialist