Notice of Grant Opportunity
MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
TITLE II, PART B OF THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT OF 2001 (NCLB)
YEAR ONE OF THREE
10-MS07-G03
Lucille E. Davy
Commissioner of Education
Willa Spicer
Deputy Commissioner
Sandra Alberti
Director
Office of Math and Science Education
Division of Educational Standards and Programs
December 23, 2009
Application Due Date: March 5, 2010
NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O. Box 500
Trenton, NJ 08625-0500
http://www.state.nj.us/education
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
JOSEPHINE E. HERNANDEZ ……………………………………. Union
President
ARCELIO APONTE ……….……………………………………… Middlesex
Vice President
RONALD K. BUTCHER ………………………………………….. Gloucester
Kathleen A. Dietz ……………………………………………. Somerset
EDITHE FULTON …………………………………………………. Ocean
ROBERT P. HANEY ……………………………………………… Monmouth
ERNEST P. LEPORE ……..………………………….……………. Hudson
FLORENCE McGINN …………………………………………….. Hunterdon
ILAN PLAWKER Bergen
DOROTHY S. STRICKLAND …………………………….………. Essex
Lucille E. Davy, 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.
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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 http://homeroom.state.nj.us/ to access this system.
SECTION 1: GRANT PROGRAM INFORMATION PAGE
1.1 Description of the Grant Program 4
1.2 Eligibility to Apply 7
1.3 Federal Compliance Requirements (DUNS, CCR) 9
1.4 Statutory/Regulatory Source and Funding 9
1.5 Dissemination of This Notice 9
1.6 Technical Assistance 10
1.7 Application Submission 10
1.8 Reporting Requirements 11
1.9 Assessment of Statewide Results 12
SECTION 2: PROJECT GUIDELINES
2.1 Project Design Considerations 12
2.2 Project Requirements 13
2.3 Budget Design Considerations 22
2.4 Budget Requirements 22
SECTION 3: COMPLETING THE APPLICATION
3.1 General Instructions for Applying 26
3.2 Review Applications 26
3.3 Application Component Checklist 27
ATTACHMENTS – TO BE COMPLETED, SCANNED AND UPLOADED TO EWEG
Attachment A: Documentation of Collaboration 29
Attachment B: Nonpublic Equitable Participation Summary and
Affirmation of Consultation Form 30
Attachment C: Documentation of Federal Compliance (DUNS/CCR) form 31
Attachment D: Documentation of Eligibility 32
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Eligible Institutions of Higher Education 33
Appendix B: Institutions of Higher Education with Teacher
Preparation Programs 34
Appendix C: Eligible Local Education Agencies 35
Appendix D: U.S. Department of Education Gateway Resources 80
Appendix E: Criteria for Classifying Designs of MSP Evaluations 87
Appendix F: Scoring Guide for Mathematics and Science Partnership Proposals
SECTION 1: GRANT PROGRAM INFORMATION
1.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE GRANT PROGRAM
In January of 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) became law. The Improving Teacher Quality Grant Programs (Title II) are a major component of the No Child Left Behind legislation. These programs encourage scientifically-based professional development as a means for improving student academic performance. As schools are responsible for improving student learning, it is essential to have highly qualified teachers leading the way.
Title II, Part B of NCLB authorizes the Mathematics and Science Partnerships (MSP) program. MSP is intended to increase the academic achievement of students in mathematics and science by enhancing the content knowledge and teaching skills of classroom teachers. Partnerships between high-need school districts and the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty in institutions of higher education are at the core of these improvement efforts. Additional partners may include public charter schools, businesses, and nonprofit or for-profit organizations concerned with mathematics and science education. Private schools are encouraged to participate in the program. Private schools within the boundaries of any high need Local Education Agency (LEA) may participate directly in the program through the local public school district. Other private schools may participate as a secondary partner with any high need LEA.
Funds available for the Mathematics and Science Partnership competitive grant program will be awarded by the Department of Education to support proposals submitted by eligible partnerships that provide programs to improve mathematics and science instruction. The Department of Education has established a three-year project using federal funds, as follows: Year One, July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011; Year Two, July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012; and Year Three July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. Years Two and Three awards are contingent upon successful completion of funded program goals and objectives while adhering to all requirements.
Eligible Partnerships include: a mathematics, science and/or engineering, department of an institution of higher education and a regional network of high-need local educational agencies. Teachers of math and science, at all grade levels, from districts with at least 20% of students receiving free or reduced lunches and/or those schools that have been identified as In Need of Improvement are targeted by this grant program. Additional partners may include another math, science, engineering, or teacher training department of an institution of higher education; public or private elementary schools or secondary schools, or a network of such schools.
MSP funds support the development and support of partnerships between IHEs and LEAs. Each organization is responsible for the success or failure of the project and therefore must demonstrate an active role. Proposals that demonstrate vendor-client relationships will not be funded.
Funded professional development activities will deepen understanding of the mathematics and science content that teachers need to know in order to effectively teach K-12 curricular topics. As a result of the sustained supported professional development participants will:
· Identify and clarify core knowledge and skills in mathematics and science including unifying themes, big ideas, concepts, skills and procedures, specific ideas, terminology, and formulas embedded in the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and curricular objectives.
· Improve coherency of mathematical and scientific ideas as they develop over multiple grade levels. Make effective use of the research based on student learning to identify potential learning difficulties, developmental considerations, and common misconceptions associated with a science or mathematics curricular topic.
· Apply effective content-specific pedagogical strategies and identify useful contexts for teaching scientific and mathematical ideas as they relate to a particular topic.
· Improve teachers' ability to make connections within and across mathematics and science topics.
· Empower teachers to continue and expand the work of their professional learning communities once funding is no longer available.
MSP Key Features
1. Partnerships: MSP local projects are designed and implemented by partnerships that include IHE STEM faculty, K-12 administrators, faculty, and guidance counselors in participating K-12 schools, and administrators in higher education organizations. Additional partners are encouraged and may include businesses and additional departments of an institution of higher education (IHE). These partners and other stakeholders engage in the effort at both the institutional and individual levels, and share goals, responsibilities, and accountability for the project. The primary partnerships must include a mathematics, science, and/or engineering department at an IHE; and a regional network of high need LEAs. At least 80% of the participating LEAs must be either High Need or identified as In Need of Improvement.
Key Elements for the Partnerships
ü Partners are equal
ü Roles for scientists and mathematicians are clearly defined
ü Consistent values, goals and objectives are shared by all partners
ü There are benefits to teachers
ü There are benefits to students
ü There are benefits to scientists and mathematicians
2. Content-Based Professional Development: The project focuses professional development on the deep science and mathematics content teachers need to understand for effective instruction, assessment and evaluation.
3. Needs Assessment: The project must address the results of a comprehensive assessment of the teacher quality and professional development needs with respect to the teaching and learning of mathematics and science of any schools and LEAs that comprise the eligible partnership.
4. Scientifically-Based Research (SBR): The activities to be carried out by the partnership must be based on a review of SBR. An explanation of how the activities expect to strengthen the quality of mathematics and science instruction and improve student academic achievement must be included.
5. External Evaluation: Each partnership project shall develop an external evaluation and accountability plan for activities of the project that include rigorous objectives that measure the impact of the activities. Measurable objectives to increase the number of mathematics and science teachers who participate in content-based professional development activities must be included. Additionally, measurable objectives for improved student academic achievement are required. The partnership shall report annually to the US Department of Education and the New Jersey Department of Education regarding progress in meeting the objectives described in the evaluation and accountability plan. See section 1.9 of this Notice of Grant Opportunity for details related to external evaluation requirements.
1.2 ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY
The New Jersey Department of Education will award approximately $3,552,000 in MSP Competitive Grants. A total of six awards will be made. Due to differences in student population densities, there will be three awards in the Northern Region, two in the Central Region and one in the Southern Region. Each award will be funded up to a maximum request of $592,000. If there are no proposals from a particular region or proposals from a particular region do not meet the requirements of the NGO or does not score a minimum of 65, awards will be made to the next highest scoring proposal or proposals regardless of region.
Special attention should be given to the external evaluation requirements. Projects that propose evaluation plans that do not meet or exceed the criteria specified in the U.S. Department of Education’s MSP document titled Criteria for Classifying Designs of MSP Evaluations will not be eligible for funding. Criteria for Classifying Designs of MSP Evaluations are provided as Appendix E.
For the purposes of this grant, New Jersey is geographically divided into three regions (North, South, and Central), and further divided into 21 counties. It is highly recommended that the lead agency and the participating LEAs consider partnering with institutes within the same region. The chart below indicates the counties located within each of the three regions.
Northern Region / Central Region / Southern RegionBergen County
Essex County
Hudson County
Morris County
Passaic County
Sussex County
Warren County / Hunterdon County
Mercer County
Middlesex County
Monmouth County
Somerset County
Union County / Atlantic County
Burlington County
Camden County
Cape May County
Cumberland County
Gloucester County
Ocean County
Salem County
Each project proposal funded in Year One will be eligible for a continuation in Years Two and Three, pending attainment of stated goals and objectives, demonstrated effective program and fiscal management, and contingent upon receipt of federal funds.
The New Jersey Mathematics and Science Partnerships Program is a limited, competitive grant program. Eligible applicants are IHEs with a mathematics, science and/or engineering department. Each application must consist of the following partners:
· Applicant: an institution of higher education’s mathematics, science or engineering department;
· a regional network of high-need local educational agencies or districts in need of improvement; and
· at least one other mathematics, science, engineering, or teacher training department of an institution of higher education from the geographic region;
In addition, the following organizations may be included as additional partners:
· private schools, or a network of schools; and a business or a nonprofit or for-profit organization of demonstrated effectiveness in improving the quality of mathematics and science teachers;
IHEs may only serve as a partner only in one application.
See Appendix A: Eligible Institutions of Higher Education with science, math or engineering departments by geographic region.
See Appendix B: Institutions of Higher Education with teacher preparation programs that are eligible for partnerships by geographic region
See Appendix C: Eligible Local Education Agencies
Applicants must include Documentation of Eligibility (Attachment D) for each of the partner LEAs and partner institutions to establish eligibility in this multiyear grant program. Funding for the MSP is contingent on receipt of federal funds. In addition, Documentation of Collaboration, verifying that the participants have agreed to enter into this partnership, must be included in the application. Failure to include and/or provide the Documentation of Eligibility and the Documentation of Collaboration may result in the ineligibility of the applicant. Collaborative partnership means all partners shall participate with the applicant agency in the preparation of the application, and in the implementation of the plan contained therein. Both the Documentation of Collaboration and Documentation of Eligibility forms are part of this NGO as Attachment A and D. Please reference the Discretionary Grant Application for information on responsibilities of the lead agency
(http://www.nj.gov/njded/grants/discretionary/).
1.3 FEDERAL COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS (DUNS, CCR)
In accordance with the Federal Fiscal Accountability Transparency Act (FFATA), all grant recipients must have a valid DUNS number and must also be registered with the 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 http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/
· To register with the CCR database, go to www.ccr.gov
Applicants are required to provide their DUNS number and certify that they are registered with the CCR database as part of the Electronic Web-Enabled Grant System (EWGG) Application. No award will be made to an applicant not in compliance with FFATA. This form can be found as Attachment C.
1.4 STATUTORY/REGULATORY SOURCE AND FUNDING
The applicant’s project must be designed and implemented in conformance with all applicable state and federal regulations. The MSP Grant is 100% funded under Title II Part B of NCLB, P.L. 107-110. Each partnership whose proposal is funded in Year One is eligible for a continuation in Years Two and Three, pending attainment of stated goals and objectives and receipt of federal funds. Agencies must demonstrate effective fiscal management each year.