Notice of Grant Opportunity
Bridging the Device Gap
15-TG01-A01
David C. Hespe
Acting Commissioner of Education
Bari Erlichson
Chief Performance Officer
Jeffrey Hauger
Director
Office of Assessments
October2014
ORG/APU#: 5068/049
Application Due Date: October 23, 2014
NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
PO Box 500
Trenton, NJ 08625-0500
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
MARK W. BIEDRON ……….…………………………………………… Hunterdon
President
JOSEPH FISICARO………………………………………………………… Burlington
Vice President
ARCELIO APONTE...... Middlesex
RONALD K. BUTCHER …………………………………………...... Gloucester
CLAIRE CHAMBERLAIN ………… ……………………………..………...Somerset
JACK FORNARO….………………………...…………………….…………Warren
EDITHE FULTON …………………………………………………………….Ocean
ERNEST P. LEPORE ……..………………………….…………….…………Hudson
ANDREW J. MULVIHILL ……………………………………………………Sussex
J. PETER SIMON ………………………………………………….…………Morris
DOROTHY S. STRICKLAND …………………………….………………..Essex
Dave C. Hespe, Acting Commissioner
Secretary, State Board of Education
It is a policy of the New Jersey State Board of Education and the State Department of Education that no person, on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, age, sex, handicap or marital status, shall be subjected to discrimination in employment or be excluded from or denied benefits of any activity, program or service for which the department has responsibility. The department will comply with all state and federal laws and regulations concerning nondiscrimination.
Table of Contents
When responding to this Notice of Grant Opportunity (NGO), applicants must use the Electronic Web Enabled Grant (EWEG) online application system. See to access this system. Please refer to the web page for the NGO at (click on available grants) for information on when the EWEG application will be online.
Section 1:Grant Program Information4
1.1Description of the Grant Program4
1.2Eligibility to Apply5
1.3 Federal Compliance Requirements (DUNS, SAM)6
1.4Statutory/Regulatory Source and Funding6
1.5Technical Assistance7
1.6Dissemination of the NGO7
1.7Application Submission7
1.8Programmatic and Fiscal Reporting Requirements8
1.9Assessment of Statewide Program Results8
1.10Reimbursement Requests8
Section 2:Project Guidelines10
2.1 Project DesignConsiderations10
2.2Project Requirements11
2.3Budget Considerations13
2.4Budget Requirements14
Section 3:Completing the Application15
3.1General Instructions for Applying15
3.2Review of Applications15
3.3Application Component Checklist16
Appendices:17
Appendix A – List of Eligible LEAs/Charter Schools, with Device Gaps, Device 18
ReadinessRatings and MaximumEligible Award Amounts as of
September 19, 2014
Appendix B – NJTRAx update memo, September 2, 201429
Appendix C – Project-Specific Statement of Assurances form31
Appendix D – Recommended PARCC Technical Specifications for Devices32
SECTION 1 – GRANT PROGRAM INFORMATION
1.1.DESCRIPTION OF THE GRANT PROGRAM
In its Fiscal Year 2015 state budgetthe Christie Administration included funds to support local education agencies (LEAs) and Charter Schools in implementing the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) online assessments in spring 2015. The PARCC online assessments requireeach testing site to be ‘technology ready’, which is partly defined as having adequate bandwidth and devices to administer the assessments during the required testing period. There are other readiness factors that depend on effective planning and communication within the LEAs and Charter Schools.
The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE)has acquired a database tool called NJTRAx to assist districts and the department in gauging the status of technology readiness for the online assessments. Once NJTRAx is updated with infrastructure and device information, we ask each district to keep the data current by updating the database periodically.
Through careful analysis of the immediate needs of school districts using NJTRAxdata and interviews with district personnel, the NJDOE has determinedthat the acquisition of student devices is a barrier to participation in the online PARCC assessments for some LEAs and Charter Schools. Therefore, this Notice of Grant Opportunity (NGO) supports the acquisition and use of student devices for the PARCC online performance-based assessments and the end-of-year assessments in 2015.
The grantees will be required to purchase, configure, deploy and ensure usage of student devices for PARCC assessments, update NJTRAx and report on the success of the testing sessions by providing data such as the ratio of the number of test takers to the number of successful submissions. All student devices that are newly acquired under this grant program must meet or exceed therecommended PARCC technical specifications, not the minimum specifications.
The devices may be used for students during instructional time. It is important to support digital learning throughout all content areas so that students are increasing their technology literacy and proficiency skills, and are comfortable with the tool that they will be using for the assessments.
The grant project period (period for eligible reimbursements) is November 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015. Although individual grant awards will not be announced by the NJDOE until late November, all applicants selected for funding will be able to seek reimbursement for all grant-approved purchases of devices and related peripherals made on or after November 1, 2014 (contingent on satisfactory completion of pre-award revisions between the applicant and the NJDOE) once an award has been issued and accepted through the Electronic Web Enabled Grants System (EWEG).Purchase is defined as the date that a purchase order has been cut by the LEA or Charter School, not when an invoice has been paid.This will allow for student devices to be purchased, configured and deployed by the grantees for students to use for PARCC’s Performance Based Assessment in the spring of 2015.
1.2ELIGIBILITY
This limited-competitive grant program is open to all LEAs and Charter Schools that have one or more school(s) with an NJTRAx device readiness rating of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 (which indicates a device gap for implementing the PARCC assessments) based on updated NJTRAx data as of 4:00 p.m. September 19, 2014.Funding amounts cannot exceed $250,000 for an eligible agency. Those eligible schools with their school device readiness rating, their respective device gap, and maximum eligible award are listed in Appendix A.
The device gap is the difference between the number of devices needed to implement the PARCC assessment within a school for two testing sessions (i.e., morning and afternoon) per day within a twenty day assessment window and the number of devices available within the school that meet minimum PARCC technology specifications and are identified as being used for online testing (see the School Rating Guide on the NJ Digital Learning Portal:(
Please refer to the September 2, 2014 memo from NJDOE to LEAs and Charter Schools which stated that all NJTRAx information must be updated by 4:00 p.m., September 19, 2014. A copy of this memo is included as Appendix B. Data that might have been used to establish eligibility will not be considered if it was not updated in NJTRAx by the due date and time.
An additional eligibility requirement is the completion and uploadof the Project-Specific Statement of Assurances form, included in the NGO as Appendix C. The Project-Specific Statement of Assurances form includes a question to identify if the applicant had issued a purchase order for devices and/or device-related peripherals prior to November 1, 2014 that would reduce or eliminate the device gap amount identified in NJTRAx for the school. Based on the response to the question, the maximum award allowed may be reduced or eliminated in which case the LEA/Charter School will no longer be eligible for the grant program.
LEA/Charter School eligibility is based on the criteria noted in this section and will be certified at the time of the application submission.
Eligible applicants may apply for up to the maximum awardamount listed in Appendix A, which is based on the following formula:
The sum of the device gap identified in the NJTRAx system for each eligibleschool within the LEA or Charter School multiplied by $500, not to exceed $250,000.
Please note that the grantee does not have to purchase a device for $500. The grantee may use up to their awarded amount to purchase student devices and related peripherals that they deem appropriate for their testing site so long as the devices meet or exceed the PARCC recommended technology specifications. Please see Appendix D for details on these specifications.
A school listed on Appendix A is not eligible for this grant program if its NJTRAx school device data (updated by September 19, 2014) is not the current device data and its device readiness rating is 7 or above.
1.3FEDERAL COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS (DUNS, SAM)
In accordance with the Federal Fiscal Accountability Transparency Act (FFATA), all grant recipients must have a valid Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and must also be registered with the federal System for Award Management (SAM), the successor to the federal Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database. DUNS numbers are issued by Dun and Bradstreet and are available for free to all entities required to register under FFATA.
•To obtain a DUNS number, go to
•To register with the SAM database, go to
Applicants are required to submit their DUNS number and expiration date of their SAM registration as part of the EWEG application using the appropriate EWEG tab (contacts) and must certify that they will ensure that their registration will remain active for the entire grant period.
Applicants must also print the “Entity Overview” page from their profile (which displays their DUNS number and street address with ZIP+4 code), and upload a scan of the page using the UPLOAD tab.
No award will be made to an applicant not in compliance with FFATA.
1.4STATUTORY/REGULATORY SOURCE AND FUNDING
The applicant’s project must be designed and implemented in conformance with all applicable state and federal regulations. The Bridging the Device Gap Grant Program is 100 percent funded from state funds. (ORG/APU #5068-049).
The total state funds available for this grant program are $1,250,000, where each award cannot exceed $250,000. Eligible LEAs may apply for an amount not to exceed the number based on the device gap identified in the NJDOE NJTRAx system multiplied by $500. Please refer to Appendix A.
The grantee is expected to complete the goal(s) and objectives laid out in the approved grant application, complete implementation activities established in its grant agreement, and make satisfactory progress toward the completion of its approved action plan. The Department of Education will remove ineligible, inappropriate or undocumented costs from funding consideration.
Applicants must score 65 points or higher to be considered eligible for funding consideration.
Final awards are subject to the availability of state funds.
1.5TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
The Technical Assistance Workshop webinar will be heldon October 10, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. and will run for approximately one hour. The link to participate in the webinar is:.The archived webinar may be found at:
.1.6DISSEMINATION OF THE NGO
The Office of School Technologywithin the Office of Assessment will make this notice available to the eligible agencies identified in Section 1.2 and to the county superintendents of the regions and counties in which the eligible agencies are located based upon the eligibility statement. Additional copies of the NGO are also available on the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) web site (
1.7APPLICATION SUBMISSION
The NJDOE administers discretionary grant programs in strict conformance with procedures designed to ensure accountability and integrity in the use of public funds and, therefore, will not accept late applications.
The responsibility for a timely submission resides with the applicant. The Application Control Center (ACC) must receive the complete application through the online Electronic Web Enabled Grant (EWEG) system at no later than 4:00 P.M. on Thursday, October 23, 2014. Without exception, the ACC will not accept, and the Office of Grants Management cannot evaluate for funding consideration, an application after this deadline.
Each eligible applicant must have a logon ID and password to access the system. LEA/Charter School applicants should contact their district’s web (homeroom) administrator who will complete the registration. Please allow 24-48 hours for the registration to be completed.
Questions regarding access to EWEG may be directed to .
Applicants are advised to plan appropriately to allow time to address any technical challenges that may occur. Additionally, applicants should run a consistency check at least 24 hours before the due date to determine any errors that might prevent submission of the application. Applicants are advised not to wait until the due date to submit the application online as the system may be slower than normal due to increased usage. Please note that the EWEG system will be closed at 4:00 PM on the due date.
Complete applications are those that include all elements listed in Section 3.3, Application Component Checklist of this notice. Applications received by the due date and time will be screened to determine whether they are, in fact, eligible for consideration. The Department of Education reserves the right to reject any application not in conformance with the requirements of this NGO.
Paper copies of the grant application will not be accepted in lieu of the EWEG application. Applications submitted by FAX cannot be accepted under any circumstances.
1.8PROGRAMMATIC AND FISCAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Grant recipients are required to submit interim and final progress reports. All reports must be submitted through the EWEG system. Reports for this program will be due as follows:
Report / Reporting Period / Due DateInterim / November1, 2014 – March 30, 2015 / April 15, 2015
Final / November 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015 / July 31, 2015
Interim Program/Expenditure Report
As part of the report, each grantee is required to provide a letter from the grantee’s chief school administrator or Lead School Personto Bari Erlichson, Chief Performance Office, which explains how the testing devices are used for the Performance-based assessment, the locations/rooms where the devices were used, and how the applicant is positioned for successful completion of the end-of-year testing.
The grantee must scan and upload this letter as part of the Interim report in EWEG.
Final Program/Expenditure Report
As part of the EWEG final report, a narrative must be prepared and uploaded. This final report narrative must include the following information for each eligible school participating in the grant program:
- District/School Name
- Dates all assessments were administered
- Number of student online test-takersin grant participating school for the Performance-based assessment and the End-of-year assessment who used the grant-funded devices
- Number of successfully completed online testsof the numbers reported in item #3 above for the Performance-based assessment and the End-of-year assessment who used the grant-funded devices
- Date NJTRAx was last updated for the school
1.9 ASSESSMENT OF STATEWIDE PROGRAM RESULTS
The Department will use the information reported in NJTRAx, as well as data from the interim and final report results to determine how well prepared each LEA was for the implementation and administration of the Spring 2015 PARCC assessments.
1.10 REIMBURSEMENT REQUESTS
Payment of grant funds is made through a reimbursement system. Reimbursement requests for any grant funds the local project has expended are made through the Electronic Web-Enabled Grant (EWEG) system. Reimbursement requests may begin once the application has been marked “Final Approved” in the EWEG system, and the grantee has accepted the award by clicking on the “Accept Award” button on the Application Select page and completing the Grant Acceptance Certificate information.
As mentioned previously, grantees may request reimbursement for eligible costs that were incurred (purchased) on or after November 1, 2014 and prior to the end date of the grant period. The Department reserves the right to deny reimbursement of costs that are not permissible under this grant program. Purchase is defined as the date that a purchase order for an eligible item of cost has been cut by the LEA or Charter School, not when an invoice has been paid.
Only one (1) request may be submitted per month. Grantees must submit their request no later than the 15th of the month. The requests may include funds that will be expended through the last calendar day of the month in which reimbursement is requested. If the grantees’ request is approved by the NJDOE program officer, the grantee should receive payment around the 8th-10th of the following month.
NOTE: Payments cannot be processed until the award has been accepted in EWEG
SECTION 2 – PROGRAMGUIDELINES
The intent of this section is to provide applicants with the framework within which they will plan, design, and develop the proposed project to meet the purpose of this grant program. Before preparing applications, potential applicants are advised to review Section 1.1, Description of the Grant Program, of this NGO to ensure a full understanding of the NJDOE’s vision and purpose for offering the program. Additionally, the information contained in Section 2 will complete applicant’s understanding of the specific considerations and requirements that are to be considered and/or addressed in their projects.
2.1PROJECT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
The goal of the Bridging the Device Gap Grant Program is to effectively implement the PARCC online assessments at the school level by reducing and/or eliminating identified student device gaps through the purchase, configuration, deployment and usage of student devices in time for the PARCC online assessments in spring 2015.
Because the student device purchase may be used for instruction before and/or after the PARCC assessment period, maximizing the value of the purchase should be considered. PARCC recommendation specifications are required (see Appendix D), but also consider:
- the speed of the boot time;
- the instant resuming when opening and closing the lid;
- the weight of the unit compared to the size of the students using the device,
- the screen resolution; and
- the video output options so the unit may be connected in the future to different devices.
If the device is used for wireless connectivity, consider comparing models on the effectiveness of the WiFi or 3G + WiFi.
Please note that the grantee does not have to purchase a device for $500. The grantee may utilize the awarded funds to purchase student devices that they deem appropriate for their testing site so long as the devices meet or exceed the PARCC recommended technology specifications.