Oregon
School District Collaboration Grant Program

Request for Application 

Implementation Grant 

2013-2014

Round One

Grant Application Due Date: September 9, 2013

Oregon Department of Education
Office of Educational Improvement and Innovation
255 Capitol Street NE
Salem, OR  97310-0203

                                     Table of Contents

I.	Background and Legislative Intent	1
	1	
II.	General Information	
	3-6	
	A.	Definitions			

B.      Purpose …………………………………………………………………………..	3

3	
	
C.	Type of Grant				
          3	
	
D.	Grant Requirements			
4	
	
E.	Eligibility		
5	
	
F.	Use of Funds		
5	
	
G.	Reporting and Deliverables		
6
	
III.	Application Process……………………………………………………………………	7-8	
	A.	Application Review and Scoring		7	
	B.	Timeline and Important Dates		7	
	C.	Instructions for Submission		7-8	
IV.	Application Narrative		9-11
	
	A.      Implementation Leadership Team……………………………………………….

B.	School District Readiness for Implementation		9

10
	
	C.	School District Commitment and Support		11	
	D.	Implementation Action Plan		11	
V.	Budget Worksheet and Budget Narrative		12-14	
Appendix A:  Application Cover Page			15	
Appendix B:  School District Assurances		16	
Appendix C:  School District Profile		17-18	
Appendix D:  Application Scoring Rubric		19-21	

It is the policy of the State Board of Education and a priority of the Oregon Department of Education that there will be no discrimination or harassment on the grounds of race, color, sex, marital status, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age or disability in any educational programs, activities, or employment. Persons having questions about equal opportunity and nondiscrimination should contact the State Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Oregon Department of Education, 255 Capitol Street NE, Salem, OR 97310; Telephone (503) 947-5600; Fax (503) 378-5156.

I.	Background Information

In 2013, under the leadership of Governor John Kitzhaber, the Oregon Education Investment Board proposed key strategic investments to support Oregon’s attainment of 40/40/20.  Key to this work is a revitalization of the education profession and the establishment of a Network of Quality Teaching and Learning. Conceptualized and passed by legislature in HB 3233, the Network provides funding for a comprehensive system of support for educators that creates a culture of leadership, professionalism, continuous improvement and excellence for teachers and leaders across the P-20 system.  

Paramount  to the Network is the Oregon School District Collaboration Grant Program which was originally established by the 2011 State Legislature through passage of SB 252 and amended during the 2013 legislative session. It is designed to improve student achievement through the voluntary collaboration of teachers and administrators to implement new approaches to develop:
a)	 Career pathways for teachers and administrators;
b)	 Evaluation processes for teachers and administrators;
c)	 Compensation models for teachers and administrators; and
d)	 Enhanced professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators.

Senate Bill 252: Oregon School District Collaboration Grant Program

Amendments to House Bill 3233 revised the program specifications as outlined below:

(6) The amount of each grant shall be determined as follows:
(a) For grants that are for the design of an approach identified in subsection (1) of this section, the amount determined by the department based on:
(A) The application submitted by the school district to the department;
(B) The portion of the total funds available for grants that are for the design of an approach; and
(C) Any other limitations established by the State Board of Education by rule, which may include a minimum amount or a maximum amount for a grant.
(b) For grants that are for the implementation of an approach identified in subsection (1) of this section, the Grant Amount = School district ADMw x (the total amount available for distribution for an implementation grant in a fiscal year through the School District Collaboration Grant Program  /  by the total ADMw of the School Districts that receive an implementation grant for the fiscal year through the School District Collaboration Grant Program).  For the purpose of the calculation made under this paragraph, ADMw shall be calculated as provided by ORS 327.013, 338.155 (1) and 338.165 (3).
(7) The department shall award grants based on:
(a) The application submitted by the school district to the department;
(b) Other funds received by a school district for the purpose identified in subsection (1) of this  section; and 
(c) Any other criteria established by the State Board of Education by rule.

Contacts:
Brian Putnam, Education Specialist			Karen Garrison, Office Specialist
Oregon Department of Education			Oregon Department of Education
Office of Educational Improvement & Innovation	Office of Educational Improvement & Innovation
255 Capitol Street NE					255 Capitol Street NE
Salem, Oregon 97310-0203				Salem, Oregon 97310-0203
(503) 947-5806						(503) 947-5613
brian.putnam@state.or.us					karen.garrison@state.or.us

II. General Information
A. DEFINITIONS
•	Implementation Grants: Grants intended for districts or consortia of districts to implement  their blueprint designs.

•	Blueprints: A description of the components of a school district’s  strategies for implementation and integration of the four areas: career pathways, evaluation processes, compensation models and enhanced professional development for teachers and administrators. 

•	Career pathways:  Descriptions of professional career achievement and advancement (e.g. Novice, Emerging Professional, Master Teacher) or specialized roles (e.g. Mentor Teacher, Master Teacher), and opportunities to increase professional responsibilities.
•	Compensation models: Alternative salary advancement systems based on a variety of elements aside from seniority (e.g. weighed systems based on professional involvement, increased expertise).
•	Enhanced professional development: Professional learning opportunities that are ongoing, collaborative in nature, and aligned to the needs of educators identified through the evaluation process and student data.
•	Evaluation processes: An educator performance evaluation system based on collaboration, that includes, but is not limited to standards of professional practice, four-level rubrics, multiple measures of professional practice, professional responsibilities and student learning and growth, an evaluation and growth cycle and professional learning aligned to student and educator performance data.

B.	PURPOSE

The School District Collaboration Grant Program is intended to support Oregon school districts to improve student achievement through voluntary collaboration of teachers and administrators to design and implement new collaborative approaches to:

a)	Career pathways for teachers and administrators;
b)	Evaluation processes for teachers and administrators;
c)	Compensation models for teachers and administrators; and
d)	Enhanced professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators.

These four components linked to educator effectiveness empower teachers, promote leadership and raise student achievement.

C.	TYPE OF GRANT

The Oregon Department of Education will award an implementation grant to Oregon school districts, or consortia of collaborating school districts, that have previously developed blueprint designs and are in the implementation phase in all four focus areas: career pathways, evaluation processes, compensation models, and enhanced professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators. School Districts will receive on-sight coaching and technical assistance from experienced consultants. Implementation grants will be awarded to selected school districts, based on their application and the following legislative formula: 

Grant Amount = school district ADMw  x  (the total amount available for distribution for an implementation grant in a fiscal year through the School District Collaboration Grant Program / the total ADMw of the School Districts that receive an implementation grant for the fiscal year. School Districts should build their budgets based on $100/student; however, the final amount is dependent upon the total application pool).

D.	GRANT REQUIREMENTS 

a)	 School Districts will:

•	Establish a collaborative leadership team and process. The team must include teachers, administrators, and bargaining representatives. Teachers who teach students with special needs and English Learners must be represented.
•	Provide release time for the administrators, teachers, and union representatives participating in the leadership team. Use grant funds to provide stipends, release time, substitutes, needed materials and cover related travel costs. 
•	Participate in a community of practice networking with other school districts in the School District Collaboration Grant Program. 
•	Implement blueprints that are research-based in the four focus areas: career pathways, evaluation processes, compensation models, and enhanced professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators.
•	Use student and school district data to document the impact on student achievement and other identified outcomes. 
•	Meet the requirements of the Oregon Framework for Teacher and Administrator Evaluation and Support Systems. 
•	Participate in a pilot for the ESEA waiver to study the Oregon Framework and student learning and growth as a significant factor in teacher and administrator evaluations. 
•	Participate in scheduled  statewide grant meetings and training events. 
•	Identify two teachers on the team as district/consortia lead trainers and funds must be provided for them to attend up to three, two day trainings throughout the year in addition to grant meetings.
•	Share lessons learned and school district models of the four focus areas through posting on the website and presenting at statewide and regional trainings.
•	Participate in data collection to examine impact of the Design process.

b)	 Oregon Department of Education (ODE) will: 

•	Provide grantees access to expert coaching and/or other onsite assistance to support systems planning and innovative design. 
•	Facilitate a network of the school districts participating in the School District Collaboration Grant Program.
•	Evaluate and publish student achievement results of school districts receiving grants to determine the effectiveness of the approaches implemented by the School Districts.
•	Disseminate lessons learned and school district models of design and implementation in the four focus areas.

E.	ELIGIBILITY

Implementation Grant: School districts or a consortium of school districts may apply for an implementation grant based on the eligibility criteria listed below.  Applications must demonstrate school district support, commitment and readiness to implement their blueprints integrating the four focus areas:  career pathways, performance evaluation, compensation models, and enhanced professional development for teachers and administrators. 
•	School District Support: School districts must be willing to build and maintain a collaborative leadership team, engage in developing district consensus, and build a sustainable plan for district-wide implementation. 
•	School District Commitment:  School districts must receive approval from the district superintendent, exclusive bargaining representative for the teachers of the school district and school board chair to apply for the grant. School Districts must demonstrate involvement of these stakeholders in the application and implementation process.
•	School District Readiness to Implement: School districts must provide a developed blueprint ready to implement and be able to describe an action plan for full implementation and integration of the four focus areas. 
•	NOT ELIGIBLE: Districts who have received a federal Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant.
•	NOT ELIGIBLE: Districts who have received CLASS or District Collaboration Grants for more than four years.
•	NOT ELIGIBLE:  Districts who are receiving CLASS grant dollars during the year their design grant funds would be expended. 

School District selection will also take into consideration the following:

•	Grant awards will take into consideration geographic location of districts to insure representation throughout the state.
•	Districts with higher populations of students who are economically disadvantaged and demonstrate achievement gaps between African American, Hispanic or Native American students and their peers.

F.	USE OF FUNDS

a.	 Funds should be used for costs associated with implementing the four areas with a focus on building school and school district capacity to sustain efforts. Grantees must be able to spend the funds within the grant timeline according to acceptable accounting procedures.  

Funds may be used for the following:
•	Release time during the school year for activities aligned to project goals
•	Substitute pay for teachers 
•	Stipends/compensation for certified and classified staff aligned to project goals
•	Project Director expenses to coordinate project activities
•	Professional development aligned to project  goals
•	Consultation services aligned to project goals
•	Materials and supplies for the project
•	Project evaluation expenses
•	Travel reimbursements for individuals attending meetings, conferences, or other professional development activities aligned to the project goals
•	Administrative costs not to exceed 5% of the total proposed budget

b.	 Funds will be available upon receipt the grant award and must be expended by September 30, 2014. 

G.	REPORTING AND DELIVERABLES

•	The Oregon Department of Education will provide a template for an interim and final grant report. Grantees are required to submit a final report prior to receiving their final request for funds and to participate in any state requested data collection for the purposes of documenting investment impacts. 
•	Districts shall meet timelines, performance measures and other requirements related to the accumulation and evaluation of data collected as required by the Oregon Investment Board and the Oregon Department of Education, including student achievement.
•	Districts shall share lessons learned and school district models on the design and implementation of the four blueprint areas.
	
. 	

III. Application Process

A.	APPLICATION REVIEW AND SCORING 
Applications will be reviewed and scored by a team of ODE staff and external stakeholders. Review will be based on specific criteria listed in this RFA and scored using the scoring rubric provided in Appendix D.  
Final recommendations by the review committee will be based on the reviewer scores. The review committee may request further clarification on uses of funds and specific activities related to the application.  

B.	TIMELINE AND IMPORTANT DATES 

Completion Dates	Activities	
August 16, 2013	Release of Request for Application (RFA)	
September 9,  2013	Applications due to ODE by 5:00 PM PDT	
September 11-13, 2013	Applications reviewed and scored	
September 16, 2013	Applicants notified of award	
April 1, 2014	Interim Progress Report due 	
September 30, 2014	Last date to expend funds on grant activities	
October 15, 2014	End of grant Final Report due; note 15% of the grant award will be withheld pending approval of the Final Report	
November 15, 2014	Last date to draw funds	

C.	INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION 

Format:

•	11-point font, Times New Roman
•	Double spaced
•	1-inch margins on the sides, top, and bottom of 8½” by 11” paper
•	20 page narrative maximum, including A-D (excluding cover page, assurances, school district profile and budget worksheet / budget narrative)
•	No faxed or electronically submitted applications 
•	Numbered pages

Organization:

•	Page 1:  Cover Page (Appendix A)
•	Page 2:  Assurances (Appendix B)
•	Page 3:  School District Profile (Appendix C) 
•	Application Narrative Sections A-D (not to exceed 20 pages)
•	Budget worksheet/narrative

Mail an original copy of the completed grant application plus three (3) copies to the Oregon Department of Education postmarked or delivered by September 9, 2013.
Address your application packet to:

Oregon Department of Education 
Office of Educational Improvement and Innovation 
255 Capitol Street NE
Salem, Oregon 97310-0203
Attention: Karen Garrison 

Karen.garrison@ode.state.or.us    503-947-5613

Envelopes must be plainly marked Request for Application-District Collaboration Implementation Grant

The original, plus three (3) copies of the Grant Application,
must be received or postmarked by
5:00 PM on September 9, 2013 

	

Direct inquiries regarding the application to:	

Brian Putnam
Oregon Department of Education
Office of Educational Improvement and Innovation
255 Capitol Street NE
Salem, Oregon  97310-0203
(503) 947-5806
brian.putnam@state.or.us

	
IV. Application Narrative

Oregon School District Collaboration Grant Program
2013-2014 Implementation Grant Application

Instructions: Complete the information in Sections A-D below. Expand the boxes as needed.  The number of pages for the combined sections may not exceed 20 pages. 

SECTION A:  Collaborative Implementation Leadership Team

List the names, title, and roles of the school district’s collaborative design team for this grant. The Implementation Leadership Team must include administrators, teachers (including ELL and Special Education teachers), and bargaining representatives. Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each team member.	
Name	Title	Role/Responsibilities	

			

			

			

			

SECTION B. School District Readiness for Implementation

1)  In the boxes below, describe the key features of your school district’s (or consortia) blueprint (s) in the four focus areas: career pathways, evaluation processes, compensation models, and enhanced professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators. Emphasize approaches you are putting in place to address your unique circumstances. Please describe these areas for both teachers and administrators.  Expand the boxes as needed.   Blueprints and the four areas of emphasis are defined in the Definitions section:

Focus Area	Design Features	
Career Pathways

	
Evaluation Processes 	

	
Compensation Models 	

	
Professional Development 

	

a)	 Describe how the four blueprint areas will be integrated to support each other during the implementation of your school district’s action plan.
b)	 Submit a detailed copy of your school district’s blueprint for each of the four focus areas. 

SECTION C. School District Commitment and Support

1.	Does your school district have sufficient commitment from key stakeholders to support significant reform to its approach to Career Pathways, Evaluation, Compensation and Professional Development?  What are the unique characteristics of your district/consortia that need to considered?  Describe the engagement and support of key stakeholders in the implementation process:
a.	Teacher’s bargaining leadership 
b.	Teachers
c.	School board
d.	Cabinet/leadership team (If applicable)
e.	Community/parents
f.	Administrator(s)

SECTION D. Implementation Action Plan

Submit a detailed implementation action plan for the 2013-14 school year that addresses goals for each of the four focus areas: career pathways, evaluation processes, compensation models, and enhanced professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators.  Include any essential training needed for teachers and administrators.  Make sure to follow the SMART goal format using the table below.

Include the following components and expand the table as needed. 

Goals	Measureable Outcomes	Activities	Timelines	Evidence or Indicators of Success	

					

					

					

					

					

					

V. Budget Worksheet and Budget Narrative

a)	 Please indicate how much the school district would allocate in each focus area:

	Amount Requested $	
a)	Career Pathways		
b)	Performance Evaluations		
c)	Compensation Models		
d)	Enhance Professional Development		
Total		

b)	Please provide budget details in the tables below for each focus area. 

Career Pathways	
Budget Worksheet	Budget Narrative (expand boxes as needed)	
Categories	Requested Funding Amount	Leveraged Funds	Describe how the requested funds will be used for implementation	
Salaries				
Benefits				
Stipends/
Compensation				
Substitute Costs				
Consultation or Contracted Services				
Supplies & Materials				
Travel				
Other (must be allowable use of grant funds)				
Administrative Costs @  5 %				
Total				

Performance Evaluation	
Budget Worksheet	Budget Narrative (expand boxes as needed)	
Categories	Requested Funding Amount	Leveraged Funds	Describe how the requested funds will be used for implementation	
Salaries				
Benefits				
Stipends/
Compensation				
Substitute Costs				
Consultation or Contracted Services				
Supplies & Materials				
Travel				
Other (must be allowable use of grant funds)				
Administrative Costs @  5 %				
Total				

Compensation Models	
Budget Worksheet	Budget Narrative (expand boxes as needed)	
Categories	Requested Funding Amount	Leveraged Funds	Describe how the requested funds will be used for implementation	
Salaries				
Benefits				
Stipends/
Compensation				
Substitute Costs				
Consultation or Contracted Services				
Supplies & Materials				
Travel				
Other (must be allowable use of grant funds)				
Administrative Costs @  5 %				
Total				

Enhanced Professional Development	
Budget Worksheet	Budget Narrative (expand boxes as needed)	
Categories	Requested Funding Amount	Leveraged Funds	Describe how the requested funds will be used for implementation	
Salaries				
Benefits				
Stipends/
Compensation				
Substitute Costs				
Consultation or Contracted Services				
Supplies & Materials				
Travel				
Other (must be allowable use of grant funds)				
Administrative Costs @  5 %				
Total				

Appendix A

Oregon School District Collaboration Grant Program
2013-2014 Implementation Grant  
Application Cover Page

Please type or print
School District / Consortia Name:		
Superintendent:		
E-mail:		
Mailing Address:		
City:		State:		Zip:		
Telephone Number:		FAX:		
Project Director:		
E-mail:		
Mailing Address:		
City:		State:		Zip:		
Telephone Number:		FAX:		
Grant Fiscal Agent (Name & Title):		
E-mail:		
Mailing Address:		
City:		State:		Zip:		
Telephone Number:		FAX:		

Appendix B

School District Assurances

School District Name __________________________________
The school district assures:
1.	Adherence to the expectations stated in the school district application.
2.	Participating teachers, administrators, and the project director will be released to participate in planning and design activities. 
3.	None of the moneys received through this grant will be used to replace expenditures for required programs that are the responsibility of the school district or sponsoring agency.
4.	The school district will participate fully in all agreed program evaluations and continuous improvement processes with the Oregon Department of Education.
5.	The sponsoring agency agrees to abide by all terms of its grant application. The Oregon Department of Education must approve any modifications to the application in writing.
6.	The following fiscal and program reports will be submitted to the Oregon Department of Education by their respective due dates:  Interim Progress Report due April 1, 2014; Final Report due July 15, 2014.
7.	Grant recipients must commit to providing all of the requested reports and deliverables in order to receive the funds.
8.	The school district will be required to share strategies, models, evaluation information, and lessons learned with other Oregon educators.
9.	The undersigned have read the application packet, understand the requirements of the school district’s participation and commit their support.

			
Superintendent Signature		Date	

Local Board Chair Signature		Date	

Teachers’ Exclusive Bargaining Representative Signature
(if applicable)		Date	

Project Director Signature		Date	

Appendix C

School District Profile 

Complete the following table as applicable. Add rows as needed.

School District Name		
		
Number of Certified Teachers		
High Schools		
Middle Schools		
Elementary Schools		
Other (specify type--e.g. Teachers on Special Assignment, ESOL specialists)		
		
Number of Licensed Administrators	
High Schools		
Middle Schools		
Elementary Schools		
Other (specify type--e.g. School District Office)		

Focus Schools	Priority Schools	Model Schools	

			

High Schools

School	Student Count	% ELL Students	% Free & Reduced Lunch	Ave. Class  Size	No. of Certified Teachers	

						
						
TOTAL						

Middle Schools

School	Student Count	% ELL Students	% Free & Reduced Lunch	Ave. Class  Size	No. of Certified Teachers	

						
						
TOTAL						

Elementary Schools

School	Student Count	% ELL Students	% Free & Reduced Lunch	Ave. Class  Size	No. of Certified Teachers	

						
						
TOTAL						

Other Schools (Please Specify)

School	Student Count	% English Learners	% Free & Reduced Lunch	Ave. Class  Size	No. of Certified Teachers	

						
						
TOTAL						

Appendix D
School District Collaboration Implementation Grant Rubric

Grant Checklist 

Required Components	Yes	No	
Superintendent, School Chair, and Teacher Representative Signature -5 points			
Signed Assurances -5 points			
School District Profile --5 points			
Proper Format and Organization --5 points			
Complete Implementation Leadership Team with defined roles (Section A of Grant Application)—10 points			

Total:________/30
Section B: School District Readiness

Does Not Meet: 0
Score: 	Emerging: 1-10
Score:	Satisfactory Progress: 11-20
Score:	Readiness Clearly Established: 21-30
Score:	
The application describes the school district’s readiness to implement expanded opportunities for educators in vague terms.  There is little or no evidence that the school district completed a self-evaluation.   Blueprints are not attached.
	The application generally describes the school district’s readiness to implement expanded opportunities for educators.  The narrative provides evidence that the school district completed a self-evaluation.  The Blueprints are attached are vague and provide little or no evidence that the school district spent time preparing for reform in the four focus areas
	The application describes the school district’s readiness to implement expanded opportunities for educators in the four focus areas.  The narrative provides evidence that the school district included a process to complete an accurate self-evaluation.  
Blueprints are attached and provide evidence that the school district has spent time preparing for reform in the four focus areas
	The application clearly describes the school district’s readiness to implement expanded opportunities for educators in the four focus areas.  The narrative provides evidence that the school district included an in-depth process to complete an accurate self-evaluation.  
Blueprints are attached and provide evidence that the school district has spent time and focused effort preparing for reform in the four focus areas that also address the unique needs of the district

Total: ______/30

Section C: School District Commitment and Support 

Does Not Meet: 0
Score: 	Emerging: 1-10
Score:	Satisfactory Progress: 11-20
Score:	Readiness Clearly Established: 21-30
Score:	
The school district’s level of commitment is defined by the descriptions of stakeholder involvement. It is not clear what the process has been to create the attached blueprints	The school district’s level of commitment is defined by the descriptions of stakeholder involvement. Some evidence exists that there has been a process in creating the attached blueprints	The school district’s level of commitment is defined by the descriptions of stakeholder involvement. Evidence exists that there is a process in place in creating the attached blueprints. The process addresses the unique nature of the district	The school district’s level of commitment is clearly defined by the descriptions of vested stakeholder involvement. Evidence exists that there is a collaborative process in place in creating the attached blueprints.  The process addresses the unique nature of the district that clearly outlines the need for participation in the grant

Total_________/30

Section D: Action Plan

Does Not Meet: 0
Score: 	Emerging: 1-10
Score:	Satisfactory Progress: 11-20
Score:	Readiness Clearly Established: 21-30
Score:	
The Action Plan includes vague goal statements, outcomes, activities,  timelines and general statements as to what will be used to determine success indicators
	The Action Plan includes goal statements, measureable outcomes, activities,  timelines and general statements as to what will be used to determine success  indicators 	 The Action Plan includes SMART Goals delineated by goal statements, measureable outcomes, activities, timelines and success indicators
	The Action Plan includes SMART Goals delineated by goal statements, measureable outcomes, clear activities, realistic timelines and success indicators	

Score______/30

Section E: Budget Worksheet and Narrative

Does Not Meet: 0
Score: 	Emerging: 1-10
Score:	Satisfactory Progress: 11-20
Score:	Readiness Clearly Established: 21-30
Score:	
The budget narrative and worksheet are incomplete.  Cost estimates do not support the school district’s description of its implementation objectives. The connection of the budget to the other components of the application are not clear
	The budget narrative and worksheet are complete.  Cost estimates do not clearly support the school district’s description of its implementation objectives
	The budget narrative and worksheet are complete.  Cost estimates are realistic and support the school district’s description of its implementation objectives
	The budget narrative and worksheet are detailed and complete.  Cost estimates are realistic and clearly support the school district’s description of its implementation objectives

	

Total_______/30

Total Points for grant application________/150