grant-writing help packet - pearson...

Grant-Writing

Help Packet

Copyright © 2013 by Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2

Needs Statement ................................................................................................................ 3

District and School Overview ....................................................................................... 3

Schools to be Targeted ................................................................................................. 4

Identified Needs ............................................................................................................ 5

Goals and Objectives ......................................................................................................... 9

Project Design .................................................................................................................... 9

Differentiated Instruction ............................................................................................... 9

Small-Group Instruction ................................................................................................. 10

Individualized Instruction ............................................................................................... 11

Alignment with RTI Principles ........................................................................................ 14

Professional Development and Teacher Collaboration .................................................. 17

Professional Development ............................................................................................ 17

Home Support ............................................................................................................... 20

Project Timeline .................................................................................................................. 21

Project Management .......................................................................................................... 23

Grant Project Manager Qualifications ........................................................................... 23

Grant Personnel Qualifications ...................................................................................... 23

Program Continuation ................................................................................................... 25

Project Evaluation .............................................................................................................. 25

Ongoing evaluation ....................................................................................................... 26

Outcome evaluation ...................................................................................................... 27

Works Cited ......................................................................................................................... 29

2 Copyright © 2013 by Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.

Program: SuccessMaker Grades: K-8 Curriculum: Reading and Mathematics This sample narrative provides descriptions of the SuccessMaker’s scope and sequence, and

assessments. SuccessMaker can be implemented with a variety of core reading and math programs. Contact your Pearson Account Executive for correlations to your core program and state standards.

This sample narrative is meant to assist you as you prepare a customized grant application. Remember that this sample narrative addresses areas common to most grant applications in which descriptions of the Pearson curriculum would be necessary. You should refer to the Request for Proposal (RFP) pertaining to the grant you are writing for all requirements and deadlines; you may need to include more or less information that what is modeled here. The key to using this narrative is customization: use the sample as a guide, not a final product. There are unlimited ways to describe your project vision and expected outcomes—customize to help your reviewer see what your unique project entails.

Pearson Grant Writing Guide

For further tips and hints on how to respond to a grant RFP, please see the Pearson Writing Guide. The guide stands as a companion to this sample narrative; this narrative refers to specific page

numbers in the Writing Guide, which you can turn to for more detailed information. You can request the Writing Guide from your Pearson Account Executive or by emailing [email protected].

Can I copy directly from the sample narrative? You may use short sections as needed. However, your project has the best chance of being funded if it is customized to your district’s unique needs. Use the sample narrative as a resource, not a final product. As you use the sample narrative, revise it to reflect your unique needs, project goals, and coordinating programs. Refer to tips and hints in this document and the Writing Guide for ideas on how to customize your grant application.

What are the callout boxes for? Callout boxes throughout the document will provide further guidance and suggestions. Be sure to read the callout boxes, as they will refer to page numbers in the Writing Guide, provide online resources you may wish to refer to, and give tips or additional instructions for further customization.

What does underlined, italicized text signify? Underlined, italicized text throughout the document serves as a placeholder and shows generalized text. This generalized text reflects the need to customize your narrative: elaborate on these areas and be sure customize as much as possible.

What does italicized text signify? Italicized text is used according to standard conventions; names of Pearson solutions and research references appear in italics. Italics may also be used for emphasis.

What if I need additional guidance? Contact your Pearson Account Executive if you have any additional questions about the Pearson solution or grant-specific questions.

INTRODUCTION


NEEDS STATEMENT Take a closer look: The needs statement The needs statement serves as your introduction to your school or district, your students and teachers, and the grant project you are proposing. The needs statement below models best practices; you must customize your statement to highlight the unique characteristics of your district,

schools, students, and staff. Emphasize needs that make your school standout and that justify your proposed grant project. See pp. 10–11 of the Writing Guide for further tips on composing your needs statement.

Brainstorm before you write: ▪ Why is your school or district more in need of funding than other applicants? ▪ Which schools or students will be participating in project activities? Why did you choose them

over other schools or students? ▪ If you were explaining to a teacher from another district what challenges your students face,

what would your top five challenges be? ▪ What risk factors affect your students as they enter your school or district? ▪ What obstacles do teachers face in addressing those risk factors? ▪ What would a high achieving school look like? How do your schools compare?

DISTRICT AND SCHOOL OVERVIEW Located in an urban (or rural; use descriptors and customize narrative to fit your district) neighborhood, District serves an at-risk student population in __ schools, including __ elementary, __ middle, and __ high school. Of these schools, __ elementary schools have been identified as persistently low achieving, placing them among the lowest 5% of schools in the state. While dedicated teachers and school and district leadership work to help all students achieve success, the realities of the urban setting create huge difficulties for our staff: list environmental factors that pose challenges to your students, such as high crime rates, low rates of college education or high school graduates among parents, unemployment rates, etc. Customize the listed factors to reflect the community and culture of your district. Cite research to show how these factors negatively impact student success, as modeled below. In particular, our high population of students living in poverty poses a huge obstacle to success. As documented below in Table 1, the school sites selected to participate in this grant project, Title, on average serve __% of students receiving free and reduced price lunch. This far exceeds state averages of __%.

Research predicts a sad future for high poverty students such as ours. These students begin school at a deficit : at age 4, children who live below the poverty line are 18 months below the developmental norm for their age group, and that gap is still present at age 10 (Kleine & Knitzer, 2006). That developmental gap translates into students who are not prepared to succeed in school. The National Mathematics Advisory Panel (NMAP) confirms that “most children from low-income backgrounds enter school with far less knowledge than peers from middle-income backgrounds.” Worse yet, “the achievement gap in mathematical knowledge progressively widens throughout their PreK–12 years” (2008). Likewise, years of research indicates reading gaps present in kindergarten and first grade are usually present in later grades (Gersten et al., 2008). Reading achievement as early as third grade can predict a student’s overall academic achievement: students not reading at grade level in third grade are four times less likely to graduate high school than their peers (Hernandez, 2011). Our teachers have too frequently seen students fall further and further behind as they struggle to catch up—but

Customize. This narrative models one way to describe needs. Customize your narrative to reflect the unique situation of your district or school. What community factors contribute to low student achievement? What challenges to your students, teachers, and parents face?

Research. Whatever needs you identify for your community, be sure to tie them to research. Linking your needs to research helps the reviewer put the data in context, makes the need seem real, and creates a sense of urgency to intervene. Research citations also add to your credibility. Use the Works Cited at the end of this narrative to jumpstart your research. Also see pp. 8–9 of the Writing Guide for recommended sites to begin your research.


frequently give up . As illustrated in Table 1 below, despite the best efforts of teachers and staff, our students score well below state averages in both reading and math, with gaps beginning in kindergarten and widening each year.

While the research above is sobering, our students are not doomed to fail. In year, District implemented a response to intervention, or RTI, model with IDEA funds or name funding source. RTI models are implemented to provide early detection for struggling students who need extra support and intervention before they fall behind and are misidentified as needing special education services. RTI frameworks have been found to be successful by the National Center for Learning Disabilities (2011). The increased progress monitoring and Tier II interventions implemented in District as components of RTI has proved successful. Prior to implementing this model, __% of the student population was identified for special education services, compared to __% nationally. Since implementing this framework, District has seen improvements in student performance, including a __% drop in special education referrals, and a __% increase in reading scores and a __% increase in math scores. While these increases are promising, our test scores still fall well below state averages: it is clear that our students require additional interventions in order to combat the risk factors associated with poverty. This project, Title, will build on existing reform efforts to provide intensive math and reading interventions in our neediest elementary schools.

District convened a committee to plan the most effective intervention program for our students and staff. The planning committee consists of name members and qualifications, person overseeing committee, etc. Consider listing names, positions, qualifications, area of responsibility, or other key information in a table. The planning committee determined that additional interventions will have the most impact if resources are focused on our lowest performing schools and selected __ school sites for participation, based on each site’s level of need, but also its commitment and capacity to make major systemic changes. Each school is briefly described below and in Table 1.

SCHOOLS TO BE TARGETED School 1. With __% of students receiving free and reduced price meals, School serves the district’s highest concentration of poor students. Serving a very diverse population also represents a great challenge, as minorities comprise __% of the student population, including __% African-American, __% Hispanic, and __% other. While School students have shown an upward trend in reading over the past __ years (from __% proficient in year to __% in year), they have historically scored well below state averages on the name test, with __% of __ grade students falling below the state average. Currently, __% of students are recommended for Tier II interventions with specialists. School has been identified as persistently low achieving by the state and is in critical need of academic improvement. Continue to describe needs within this school. Some examples of relevant data might include migrant students, high ELL enrollments, number of languages spoken in the school, increase in homeless students, teacher turnover, student: computer ratio, afterschool programming, etc.

School 2. Continue descriptions for participating schools as modeled above.

Make it Personal. Don’t just cite a list of research facts; relate the research back to your students and your needs, as modeled here.

Past Success. Briefly describing your past success with other interventions, reform efforts, or grant projects will build your credibility.

Title. Give your project a title to help it stand out.

Planning Committee. Using a planning committee shows stakeholder involvement. See pp. 5–7 of the Writing Guide for tips on using a committee.

Targeted Sites. If you will be focusing on certain school sites, grade levels, or student subgroups, use the needs section to justify the target group.

Set the Stage. If space allows, give a brief overview of participating schools. List key needs for each; focus on needs that set the stage for intensive reading and math intervention in the elementary grades.


Demographic Information State Avg.

District Avg.

School 1 School 2

Highly Qualified Teachers

Free/Reduced Lunch

Students with Disabilities

English Language Learners

AYP Status

Level of Achievement in Reading % of Students Below Proficiency on the Year Reading Test

% of Students Referred for Tier II Interventions in Reading

Level of Achievement in Math % of Students Below Proficiency on the Year Math Test

% of Students not Meeting Grade Level Expectations

Minority

Title I Status

Average Reading Level/Score

% of Students Not Meeting Grade Level Expectations

% of Students Referred for Tier II Interventions in Math

Average Math Level/Score

Table 1: School Information

Tables and Charts. Including a table serves several purposes: it puts the need in context by contrasting school data to district and state data, it provides at-a-glance information, and it saves space. Modify the table by adding different categories, rows, and columns as necessary.

Writing Guide Support. See pp. 8–9 of the Writing Guide for websites that provide state and national data.

IDENTIFIED NEEDS While implementing RTI has had a positive effect on student achievement, District staff is concerned that __% of students are referred to Tier II reading instruction, and __% to Tier II math instruction, indicating that Tier I instruction is falling short of the expected 75-80% of students who should respond to core instruction (Burns, 2010). This creates a strain on our reading and math specialists; when too many students are referred for their services, they cannot create effective instruction to reach each student Tier I instruction comprises three elements: 1) a core curriculum based on scientifically validated research, 2) screening and progress monitoring of students, and 3) ongoing professional development (Denton, n.d.). The planning committee evaluated our current Tier I instruction through


data analysis, curriculum review, teacher and student feedback, classroom observation , a review of research and best practices for RTI, and describe sources that informed your needs assessment. This comprehensive needs assessment revealed the following needs in the three areas of Tier I instruction:

Differentiated Instruction . District adopted new, standards-based math and reading textbooks in year, just prior to our move to an RTI framework. These textbooks are the only tool teachers currently use in Tier I instruction. The committee reviewed the content and presentation of the textbooks, and found that, while the content is standards based, they do not contain sufficient guidance or activities that allow teachers to easily differentiate instruction. This is not unusual, as experts in RTI indicate that published textbooks rarely provide sufficient practice opportunities for at-risk learners (Denton, n.d.). Tier I instruction should include differentiated learning activities in addition to the core curriculum (National Center on Response to Intervention, 2010). However, a recent teacher survey found only __% of our teachers feel confident in providing such instruction.

This lack of guidance and training for teachers is compounded by growing class sizes: each year more and more students enter District unprepared for reading and math success, but current budget freezes have left us unable to provide additional staff. Currently, the average class size is __ students; in a typical school day, it would be almost impossible for our teachers to provide adequate individual time with each struggling student. Best practices for RTI indicate that small group instruction and peer tutoring can be an effective alternative to individualized instruction (Denton, n.d.). As part of Title, district administrators will work with teachers to create a daily rotation schedule that allows time for small group instruction and practice.

Individualized Instruction and Practice. However, the committee remarked that in light of the extreme need of our students, our Tier I instructional program should also be strengthened with supplemental instruction that can provide “large amounts of cumulative practice over time” (Denton, n.d.) and can be implemented with minimal teacher guidance. The committee reviewed current research and best practices of RTI, and found technology is an effective way to provide differentiated instruction, especially if schools lack staff resources (Gersten et al., 2008). The RTI Action Network states “Technology may well be the answer to successful RTI implementation” (Burns, n.d.). The author then refers to two meta-analyses that show technology can be used to improve core instruction, as they show “moderate to large effects for various technologies, including personal computers, game-like curricula, and interactive simulations (Blanchard & Stock, 1999; Vogel et al., 2006, as cited in Burns, n.d.) Following these recommendations, Title will provide individualized math and reading instruction through technology, freeing the teacher up to work with students in small groups as others practice on the computer. By providing differentiated instruction in Tier I, students will be able to master concepts before the class has moved on, resulting in fewer students falling behind and being recommended for Tier II instruction, and an overall increase in student achievement.

Frequent Progress Monitoring. As part of our current RTI model, all students are screened at the beginning of the year or upon entry to the district. Students in the lowest quartile are recommended immediately for Tier II intervention and for weekly progress monitoring. Students who did not meet benchmark scores are monitored once a month; all other students are monitored three times a year. Or describe your assessment schedule. While this schedule is in accordance with recommendations for RTI (Dexter &

Set the Stage. Your needs statement should discuss the needs of all stakeholders and highlight needs that will be addressed by the grant project. It may be helpful to give a brief overview of each need the project will address, as modeled here. Needs listed here in the needs statement are then used as headings in the project design section, so the reviewer can easily see that all identified needs will be addressed by the project.

Formatting. Use embedded headings as modeled here to organize your stated needs. For more formatting tips see pp. 10 and 20 of the Writing Guide.

SuccessMaker and RTI. This narrative models SuccessMaker as a supplemental intervention to be used in Tier I instruction. However, the program could also be used for Tier II instruction instead. Work with your Pearson Account Executive to determine the best implementation for your needs and customize the narrative accordingly.


Hughes, n.d.) it does not provide enough data for teachers to pinpoint when students in Tier I begin to struggle; by the time teachers review the monthly data, students who are struggling may have fallen even further behind. Likewise, while the core math and reading curriculum provides section and unit tests, results from these are given at the end of an instructional unit; struggling students are not identified until the class is ready to move on to the next unit, resulting in students becoming more and more discouraged as the content progresses quickly beyond their understanding. Many of those students are then referred for Tier II interventions. However, research shows that when teachers have access to a variety of student data, including from curriculum-embedded assessments, they are able to make instructional decisions such as “prioritizing instructional time; targeting additional individual instruction for students who are struggling with particular topics; more easily identifying individual students’ strengths and instructional interventions that can help students continue to progress; gauging the instructional effectiveness of classroom lessons; and refining instructional methods” (Hamilton et al., 2009). Our teachers currently lack the time and resources to administer more frequent assessments to students in Tier I instruction. The RTI Action Network indicates that technology can make data collection and decision making more plausible and can keep data collection from monopolizing teacher time. The organization sites research that found, “the use of technology substantially facilitated collecting, managing, and analyzing educational (Burns, n.d.). The planning committee determined that the technology-based math and reading program must also allow for frequent student assessment, as well as easily accessible data reports for teachers to use in planning small-group and whole-class instruction.

Professional Development and Teacher Collaboration . The demographic of our teachers has gradually shifted over the past ten years from __% of our teachers with more than twenty years’ experience to only __% of our teachers with over twenty years’ experience in the classroom. More teachers are retiring, and approaching retirement, and they are being replaced by teachers with less than five years’ teaching experience. One outcome of this is that wide arrays of literacy strategies are utilized throughout the district without one universal practice in place. District teachers were surveyed at the end of last year and asked to identify areas they would like addressed through professional development. Regardless of their years of teaching experience, elementary teachers expressed strong interest in learning how to differentiate instruction to accommodate the diverse needs of their students (__%) and developing effective Response to Intervention (RTI) strategies (__%). Differentiating instruction and using data to guide instruction are topics strongly recommended by the Institute for Education Sciences to improve both reading and math performance in an RTI model (Hamilton et al., 2009; Gersten et al., 2008). With more and more data collected each year, teachers may feel overwhelmed and unsure of how to use the data. Because teachers need to access and understand data results in order to guide instruction, training on ways to monitor progress and provide data-driven instruction is crucial (Ripp, Jean-Pierre, Fergus, n.d.; Dexter & Hughes, n.d.). Title will provide __ hours of training on differentiated instruction and data-based decision making. Title will also incorporate faculty collaboration and data analysis as teachers work together to review student assessment data and create whole-class and small-group lesson plans. Customize to describe the unique professional development needs of your targeted teachers and local professional development survey results.

Home Support. Marilyn Jaeger Adams’s landmark research has found that early learning experiences are crucial in preparing students for academic success: at-risk students receive only 50–250 hours of pre-literacy activities in the home prior to first

Customize. Be sure to customize your own application response. This narrative models how to set the stage for a SuccessMaker implementation by focusing on data-based instruction. You do not need to include this narrative word-for-word in your application. Be sure to include different needs, research, or data to customize your response.

Technology. When requesting funding for a technology based intervention, it’s a good idea to discuss how the technology can add value to your project. Help the reviewer see that the technology not only increases student achievement, but is easy to use and important for teachers and students in today’s technology-saturated world.

Teacher Need. It can be challenging to demonstrate teacher need. See p. 8 of the Writing Guide for types of data sources that can be used to illustrate the needs of these stakeholders.


grade, while students on track for reading success typically receive up to 3,000 hours (1998). Our students enter school with few early learning experiences and are unprepared for success in either reading or in math. A recent parent survey reveals some of the challenges to parent involvement in their students’ education: only __% of parents graduated from high school, and only __% attended or graduated from college. The majority of parents indicated they would like to help their students, but lack the knowledge or confidence to do so. As a result, students continue to receive little parental support during their elementary years: on average, students have only __ books in the home, of any kind. Only __% of parents have taken their children to the library in the last six months, and only __% have read with students in the last month, while only __% have assisted students with math or reading homework in the last month. The RTI Network recommends schools explore Web-based curriculum available for use at home: “Having parents actually implementing interventions, and providing them resources to do so, could create a bidirectional partnership that would likely enhance student learning” (Burns, n.d.). Title will follow this recommendation by making the selected supplemental intervention available at home, during extended computer lab hours at the school, or at the location of one of our community partners: list partners, such as public library, afterschool programs, boys and girls clubs, etc. In addition, Title will invite parent involvement through parent nights targeted at providing parents with simple learning activities they can do with their children. Continue to describe your parental involvement efforts.

Stakeholders. Involve stakeholders such as parents to maximize the impact of your project.

SuccessMaker Implementation. SuccessMaker is available as a Web-based curriculum so students, teachers, and parents can access the program at home. If you would like this option as part of your implementation, please consult with your Pearson Account Executive.


GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Brainstorm before you write: ▪ What goals for student achievement are listed in your school or district improvement

plans? ▪ What results would you like to see for your students? ▪ What kind of results has the chosen curriculum or training had with other students? ▪ What kinds of improvement have other interventions or curriculum changes brought

about in your school or district?

Customize. Use the stated goals and objectives as examples; create your own goals and objectives that lay the groundwork for your project implementation. See pp. 12-13 of the Writing Guide for more tips on creating goals and objectives.

Title will address the needs identified above and drive improvement by creating a foundation of prevention and intervention throughout District schools. Title’s goals and objectives, outlined in Table 2, will provide the focus for our teachers and administrators as they work to improve reading and math achievement.

Table 2: Program Goals and Objectives

PROJECT DESIGN DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION As outlined in the needs statement, the Title planning committee determined our Tier I instruction should be supplemented with differentiated instruction through small group instruction, as well as individualized instruction and practice provided through technology. In an RTI implementation, Tier I is frequently thought of as only the core textbook. However, best practices of RTI suggest that Tier I is comprised of core instructional strategies; these must include differentiated instruction, which is different from the more intensive instruction provided in Tier II (National Center on Response to Intervention, 2005). An overview of the instructional program for each of our RTI tiers is provided in Table 3 below:

Title Goals Objectives

Goal 1: Improve __ grade reading performance through proven-effective, intensive literacy instruction.

By June year, __ % of students in the __ grade will score at or above required score or level on the state reading exam.

Goal 2: Improve __ grade math performance through research based math instruction.

By June year, __ % of students in the __ grade will score at or above required score or level on the state mathematics exam.

Goal 3: Provide data-driven instruction. By June year, __ % of K-3 teachers will report they feel comfortable analyzing and using data to guide whole class, small group, and individualized instruction.

Goal 4: Improve teachers’ knowledge base of effective instructional strategies for reading and math.

By June year, teachers will increase the use of proven instructional strategies within classroom instruction by __%.

Goal 5: Increase student access to technology to build 21st century skills.

Beginning in month, all students in grades will use technology for __ minutes each day to improve math and reading performance.

Formatting tip. This document provides sample responses for typical grant sections. But when writing your response, use the RFP requirements or scoring rubric as your grant outline. Your headings should correspond to each of the RFP’s requirements.


Customize. The table here includes research-based recommendations for tiered instruction. Customize the table to reflect your unique RTI plans and implementation.

SMALL-GROUP INSTRUCTION Our current RTI model includes the use of small group instruction in Tier II only. Students meet with a reading or math interventionist (or both) for __ minutes __ times a week. These specialists are trained in providing intensive intervention: describe the training, certifications, credentials, etc., of your specialists. Our interventionists use name curriculum as the basis of these small group lesson plans, and have proved to be successful in transitioning many students from Tier II back into Tier I (__% in year). However, our reading and math specialists report that they are overwhelmed with the number of students currently recommended for Tier II intervention. This has resulted in a watering down of the intensive services Tier II must provide: our specialists report they have so many students in their small groups that they are forced to focus on an array of skills during instructional time, instead of creating targeted groups focusing on specific skills and standards students have not yet mastered, as recommended by research.

Emphasize Success. Including details about how and why your previous reform efforts have been successful builds credibility. When possible, show how your grant project will build from these past successes.

Table 3: Tiered Interventions

Tier I: Core Instruction

Core Reading Curriculum: phonemic awareness, phonics and word study, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension (Gersten, et al., 2008; National Reading Panel, 2000) Core Math Curriculum: Whole numbers (K-5) and rational numbers (4-8) (National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008; Gersten et al., 2009)

Name of Core Program SuccessMaker

▪ 90 minutes of daily uninterrupted instruction for all students.

▪ __ minutes of daily small group instruction, peer-tutoring, learning centers, etc.

▪ An additional __ minutes of individualized practice each week.

Tier II: Supplemental Instruction

Intensive small-group interventions that parallel Tier I instruction and target the specific skills and standards the student has not mastered (Ripp, Jean-Pierre, & Fergus, n.d.; Gersten et al., 2008; Gersten et al., 2009; Burns, 2010)

Intensive small-group instruction from reading and math specialists

▪ 20-40 minute sessions three to four times each week for 10-15 weeks (National Center on Response to Intervention, 2010)

▪ Students who have not responded to Tier I instruction after __ weeks

Tier III: Intensive Intervention

Individualized, intensive interventions that target the students’ skill deficits

Name of Program

▪ __ minutes of daily additional instruction

▪ Students who have failed to make adequate progress after __weeks of Tier II intervention.

Model Instructional Focus Program/Materials Implementation Schedule


Title will reduce the number of students referred for Tier II instruction by incorporating small-group instruction into Tier I instruction. Research shows strong evidence for providing supplemental instruction in Tier I through small-group interventions in both math and reading. Much like the instruction in Tier II, small group instruction in Tier I must be targeted to the specific needs of the students. Such instruction should take place 3-5 times a week for about 20-40 minutes each time, and should focus on explicit, systematic instruction (Gersten et al., 2008; Gersten et al., 2009). District reading and math specialists will work with Tier I teachers to design effective small group lesson plans. Describe how your teachers will provide small-group instruction, including resources and support provided, curriculum to be used, etc.

INDIVIDUALIZED INSTRUCTION While teachers work with students in small-groups, students will also rotate through the selected technology-based supplemental curriculum. The planning committee reviewed several technology-based programs for use in Title. Describe your review process, including number and type of programs reviewed, criteria used for judging, etc . After this review, the committee selected SuccessMaker as the best option to provide individualized instruction for all Tier I students in grades.

EVIDENCE OF EFFICACY The planning committee first evaluated the program’s evidence of efficacy; the committee noted that the program has been proven to raise achievement for students in many settings, including suburban and rural, and notably in high-need, urban settings such as ours. The planning committee noted studies on the program were conducted in alignment with standards from the What Works Clearinghouse, in which students are randomly assigned to test or control groups. In particular, the committee felt that results such as those cited below indicate the program is very likely to be effective for our student population:

▪ A study conducted in Miami Dade, Florida, found that in a high-poverty district (93% free and reduced lunch), students in grades 3-6 receiving 20 minutes of SuccessMaker instruction each day improved student performance in both reading and language arts. (Levitt, 2003)

▪ In the above study, students using SuccessMaker started with far lower test scores than students using a comparable technology curriculum, yet narrowed the difference or even surpassed the other group in subsequent years (Levitt, 2003).

▪ Students randomly assigned to use SuccessMaker Math courses outperformed control group peers on the GRADE Process and Application subtest by a large margin. Students in 3rd and 5th grade greatly outperformed peers in the Operations and Computation subtest (7th grade performed on par with peers). Fifth grade students significantly outperformed peers on the Concepts and Communication subtest (3rd and 5th grade were on par with peers) (Gatti & Petrochenkov, 2010).

▪ In the above study, students varied by ethnicity, poverty level, and ability levels, and were spread across 10 urban and suburban schools located in or near large cities in 7 states (Gatti & Petrochenkov, 2010).

▪ As few as 10 hours of program usage was sufficient for SuccessMaker users to outperform control students by large amounts (Gatti & Petrochenkov, 2010).

SuccessMaker Description. This section includes the main description of SuccessMaker’s curriculum and instructional presentation. You do not need to include every word in your own grant application: highlight the aspects of the program that you think will be most beneficial to your students. . See p. 15 of the Writing Guide for tips on describing your curriculum.

Planning Committee. Describe the process your committee or administrators used to select curriculum and trainings. Be sure to customize—which factors led you to choose this Pearson program?

Research Base. Describing the research base and citing independent reviews of your selected curriculum helps the reviewer to see that you have selected a program that can effectively meet student needs.

SuccessMaker Evidence of Efficacy. For access to the full studies on SuccessMaker’s efficacy, as well as overview’s of the program’s research base, please consult your Pearson Account Executive, who will provide you with all documentation.


▪ When the data was disaggregated, SuccessMaker students in vulnerable subgroups such as low SES, non-English proficient, female, and lower-achieving all statistically significantly outperformed their comparison group peers (Gatti & Petrochenkov, 2010).

▪ In a randomly-assigned control comparison study, SuccessMaker Reading students in 3rd, 5th, and 7th grades all statistically significantly outperformed the comparison group students on the GRADE. In addition, 3rd grade SuccessMaker students outperformed the comparison group in fluency on the AIMSweb (Gatti & Miller, 2011).

▪ In the above study, students were spread across 8 schools in 7 states (Gatti & Miller, 2011).

▪ There was a high percentage of at-risk subgroups, including Hispanic, African American, low SES, and low performing (one or more grade levels behind at beginning of year). SuccessMaker students in these at-risk populations in all three grades statistically significantly outperformed the comparison group on the GRADE, as well as on the AIMSweb at 3rd grade (Gatti & Miller, 2011).

▪ The achievement data implies that mainstream students using SuccessMaker Reading, including at-risk students, can be more successful in vocabulary, comprehension and fluency when receiving 16 hours or more on the program over their first school year using the program. Furthermore, it appears SuccessMaker users experience greater gains in achievement with increased usage (Gatti & Miller, 2011).

STANDARDS-BASED INSTRUCTION The planning committee felt that the above evidence of efficacy merited a closer look at the program’s content and instructional methods. The committee found both math and reading instruction to be aligned with Common Core standards . Because lessons are organized around Common Core standards and research-based frameworks, Title teachers will be able to easily assign lessons that teach specific concepts or standards.

Mathematics Instruction. According to the National Mathematics Advisory Council, secondary math teachers surveyed believe the greatest need for improvement in elementary math instruction is “a greater focus . . . on proficiency with basic mathematical concepts and skills” (2008). Experts indicate that these basic skills should include understanding of whole numbers in grades K-5 (counting skills, meaning of addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, etc.) and on rational numbers in grades 4-8 (fractions and decimals, ratios and percents, and using visual representations) (National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008; Gersten et al., 2009). The committee reviewed the content of the supplemental program and noted the math instruction meet’s these recommendations. The content is organized across topics informed by standards from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: data analysis, fluency, geometry, measurement, number sense and operations, patterns, algebra, functions, probability and discrete mathematics.

Reading Instruction. The planning committee remarked that the program’s reading curriculum is also aligned to research recommendations and best practices: For more than a decade, research has recommended that reading instruction should focus on the five components of reading: phonics, phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension (National Reading Panel, 2000). Experts on Response to Intervention

SuccessMaker Correlations. For SuccessMaker correlations to state or Common Core standards, as well as core reading and math curriculum, contact your Pearson Account Executive.

Research Sources. Use research to add credibility to your project design. See the Works Cited list at the end of this sample narrative for suggested research documents. In addition, see p. 9 of the Writing Guide for websites that can help you jumpstart your research.


support continued focus on these areas (Gersten et al., 2008). The planning committee found the reading content to be organized according around the five components of reading as well as concepts of print, and spelling and grammar. The committee was particularly impressed by the program’s embedded fluency activities. As they progress in the program, students will hear many passages read by fluent readers. In addition, the program includes guided reading activities to help students gain word recognition skills and practice phonics skills, to aid in fluent reading. Students are able to read text into a microphone and play back their recordings to hear their own progress in achieving fluency. Teachers will access these saved recordings to assess students’ oral reading rate, accuracy, and comprehension of the text (retelling activities).

EXPLICIT, SYSTEMATIC INSTRUCTION Differentiated instruction in math and reading must provide explicit instruction, in which the skill, concept, or strategy is clearly explained and modeled. Step by step examples should be provided where necessary. Students then practice with feedback and support; the skill is modeled again if the student is not successful. The student then practices independently (Denton, n.d.). The committee found that the software provides this type of explicit instruction: Each lesson begins by presenting a skill or learning objective through an animation or video. Students then receive scaffolded support as they complete an activity that checks for understanding and reinforces the skill being taught. Students are then led through a reading passage or math example before moving on to fun, game-like practice activities that provide immediate, explicit feedback to students, allowing them to correct and learn as they continue in the lesson.

Systematic instruction presents content according to a clear scope and sequence in which easier, foundational skills are presented before more difficult skills. Introduction of new material should be paced to allow struggling learners to master key skills, and previously taught skills should be reviewed and practiced. Students' learning should monitored so key skills can be retaught as needed (Denton, n.d.). The selected technology program provides this type of sequential instruction by using student response data to determine which skills should be presented, practiced, or reviewed. This type of instructional presentation is in accordance with not only RTI guidelines, but guidelines on using technology: Research that shows the greatest gains using technology are accomplished if student performance guides instruction (Cradler, 2003). With an individualized learning sequence, children are able to learn more effectively and efficiently because they are presented with material and instruction appropriate to their current learning needs (Chen, 2008).

When students begin the program, they will be assessed through a series of game-like activities, then placed in the program level and unit within that level that is most appropriate for the student. This automatic placement frees teachers from assessment burdens while also ensuring that students begin instruction at a level that is not too challenging but not too easy, so they become neither frustrated nor bored. As students progress through lessons in the courseware, the program presents only learning objectives the student has yet to learn, skipping instruction for skills the student shows mastery of. If a student struggles to master newly presented skills, the program automatically provides a series of remedial lessons to help the student review necessary foundational skills.

Customize. Remember to use this sample narrative as a guide and a model, not as a final product. Customize your application to show your unique implementation.


ALIGNMENT WITH RTI PRINCIPLES The curriculum used in Title must also fully align with and support the principles of our response to intervention (RTI) program. The committee considered research recommendations from the Institute of Education Sciences for implementing a response to intervention (RTI) framework for reading (Gersten, et al., 2008) and for math (Gersten et al., 2009) as well as recommendations from the National Math Advisory Panel.

SuccessMaker Correlations. For SuccessMaker correlations to state or Common Core standards, as well as core reading and math curriculum, contact your Pearson Account Executive.

Table 4: Alignment to RTI Principles and Research

Reading instruction should include “ongoing, guided practice” that includes “clear, corrective feedback” when student errors are first made, so students do not internalize errors (Gersten et al., 2008)

If students select incorrect answers, the computer provides increased scaffolding. For example, the feedback might first suggest the student “try again.” If the student persists in selecting the incorrect answer, the program might eliminate a possible answer or highlight the correct answer with an explanation of why it is correct. The program would then present further instruction and practice on the concept the student is struggling with.

Feedback should provide concrete information and suggestions for improvement, such as explanations, examples, and suggestions for additional practice (Hamilton et al., 2009).

Instructional provides students with a direct assessment of their response (i.e., item verification) as well as additional elaborative information regarding the target skill or topic. For example, in text readers, students are returned to the text passage and prompted to re-read the material to locate the correct response, a strategy that promotes self-monitoring and self-regulatory processes.

“Cumulative review is critical” for both reading and mathematics proficiency (Gersten et al., 2009; Gersten et al., 2008),

Once a concept is mastered, the curriculum will periodically present that concept for review. These reviews are at first more frequent, then gradually lessen over time. Teachers will also teach and reassess skills during whole-class and small-group instruction, ensuring students gain true mastery of the content.

Reading interventions should be systematic: Instruction should build skills gradually, “first in isolation and then by integrating them with other skills” (Gersten et al., 2008).

The program provides systematic instruction geared to each student’s understanding. As outlined below, students are presented with lessons based on their assessment feedback, ensuring each lesson presents objectives at the student’s skill level and that students are allowed to gradually build skills at their own pace.

Research-Based Reading Strategies SuccessMaker Alignment


Reading instruction should be highly interactive (Gersten et al., 2008).

The computer based instruction is highly interactive—students do not read passively, as with an e-book. Instead, a variety of tools are available to allow them to interact more closely with the text. Features like highlighting and sticky notes allow students to make annotations that they can refer back to during postreading activities. Students can also click for explicit coaching or instruction as they progress through reading passages and lessons. Students also complete interactive games as part of practice opportunities.

Intensive reading instruction should occur frequently: Three to five times per week for 20 to 40 minutes (Gersten et al., 2008).

All students using the Tier I reading intervention will receive 20 minutes of intensive reading instruction __ times per week in addition to the __ minutes of reading instruction during Tier I classes.

Math instruction should be explicit: “Explicit instruction with students who have mathematical difficulties has shown consistently positive effects.” Explicit instruction provides “clear models for solving a problem type using an array of examples,” (National Mathematic Advisory Panel, 2008). Explicit instruction includes a clear exposition of concepts and step-by-step models (Gersten et al., 2009).

The committee noted the software provides step-by-step tutorials: the curriculum models problem solving skills by leading the student through three different exercises that model the presented skill, allowing the student to see how the mathematical concept is applied to real problems.

Extensive feedback to students is part of explicit instruction. (National Mathematic Advisory Panel, 2008).

Scaffolded tutorials offer practice and feedback as they move the student from concrete activities to more abstract problem solving. If the student answers a problem incorrectly, the software presents material that simplifies or restates the concept, then allows the student to try again. If the student answers incorrectly again, the program presents the skill again using virtual manipulatives and visual models.

Math instruction should be systematic: instruction should gradually build proficiency by introducing concepts in a logical order and by providing students with numerous applications of each concept (Gersten et al., 2009).

The committee noted that each concept is taught through numerous activities or examples, allowing students to see the concept applied to different problems. As explained in detail below, each skill or concept is presented to a student based on his or her responses and level of understanding.

Research-Based Reading Strategies SuccessMaker Alignment Continued


FREQUENT PROGRESS MONITORING A key component of RTI is frequent progress monitoring to detect when students get off track and which skills students are struggling to master (Dexter & Hughes, n.d.). Progress monitoring increases teachers’ awareness of students’ current levels, and informs the instructional decisions teachers make (Gersten et al., 2008). While District follows recommendations for RTI progress monitoring (screening for all entering students, monthly assessments for those at risk, and assessments every three months for those on track), the majority of students are assessed only every three months. By that point, the class may have moved far beyond the concepts the student is struggling with. Teachers are unable to properly individualize instruction at the crucial time when the student first begins to struggle. Instead, teachers try to implement remedial efforts, instead of addressing deficits when they arise. When paired with general outcome measures, curriculum-embedded assessments can be helpful in providing an up-to-date picture of student understanding. The Institute of Education Sciences specifically advocates for “curriculum-embedded assessments that gauge how well students have learned the material in that day’s or week’s lesson(s)” (Gersten et al., 2009). The National Mathematics Advisory Panel further indicates that using technology to provide formative assessment information to teachers is a “promising practice” (2008). Title will provide curriculum-embedded assessments through the selected technology program.

As described above, the intervention assesses students in every lesson, providing our teachers with up-to- the-minute data in order to successfully identify students who are struggling and help them get on track before they fall hopelessly behind. District teachers will be able to use the resulting assessment data to meet student needs without an unnecessary burden of administering daily, individualized assessments. Teachers may access data through a variety of reports that include information on the latest score a student has earned on an objective, the number of times a student has attempted an objective, and the number of objectives mastered. The reports provide student comparisons to the rest of the class, and areas of strength and weaknesses—including which concepts the class or individual students struggle with. This data will be helpful not only to Tier I teachers, but Tier II specialists as they plan instruction targeted to specific problem areas for students.

Forming and fluidly reforming small groups according to student need is a challenging aspect of small-group instruction: “teachers need to become more skilled at flexible grouping to maximize active learning” (Ripp, Jean-Pierre, & Fergus, n.d.). The program’s reporting features will allow teachers to easily form small groups around common areas of difficulty; teachers can then provide targeted instruction to each group. Groupings by skill level are suggested in software reports, or teachers can create groups that correspond to existing classroom grouping. Teachers can further their small group instruction by assigning students or groups custom lessons within the software to increase understanding of the skill in question. Title teachers will review reports at least once a week and use student data to inform lesson plans or to determine which students need further small-group or individualized instruction.

Customize your grant application. While SuccessMaker assessments are described above, be sure that your narrative also describes any other progress monitoring assessments or strategies to support data driven instruction that your project will include.

SuccessMaker Reports. This section describes SuccessMaker’s reporting capabilities.

Headings. The headings modeled here correspond to the needs outlined in the needs section. Another way to structure your headings is to make them correspond to scoring rubric requirements or RFP sections.

Additional Assessments. Incorporating other progress monitoring assessments will show the reviewer you will be accountable for monitoring student progress and are serious about individualized instruction.


PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TEACHER COLLABORATION As described above, District teachers currently lack knowledge, time, and resources to sufficiently provide individualized instruction in math and reading. However, with proper training in administering, interpreting, and using assessment data, teachers can become more effective (Gersten et al., 2008). While Title will significantly increase teacher access to individual student data, it is not enough for teachers to have access to data: progress monitoring is more effective if teachers have additional guidance on using the assessment to design and to individualize instruction (National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008). In keeping with best practices for implementing an RTI framework (Gersten et al., 2008), Title will also provide ongoing training and collaboration opportunities to help teachers interpret assessment results from the software and from name tests and create plans for small-group instruction, as well as make changes to whole-class strategies. District and school administrators will work to create a schedule that provides time for __ data analysis meetings at each targeted site per year. Customize to describe your meetings. Will they be by grade level or whole school? How frequently will they meet? Who will lead the groups (lead teachers, coaches, administrators)? Will there be assigned topics or readings to supplement the data analysis?

Research recommends that these collaborative meetings should be organized by grade level or department to develop common instructional and assessment practices and expectations for student performance (Hamilton et al., 2009). Title meetings will consist of __ grade level meetings and __ department level meeting each month. Reading and math specialists will join department level meetings to share resources and strategies for small group instruction and to more closely align intervention and instruction for Tier II students. Teachers will work in the professional learning communities (PLCs) to determine the best strategies to meet identifying student needs, including allocating more time for challenging topics, reordering the core curriculum or assigning special lessons in the supplemental curriculum to emphasize challenging skills, brainstorming with each other for best ways to teach difficult or challenging concepts, grouping or regrouping students, etc. In particular, these collaborative meetings will discuss best practices around the identified skills students are struggling with, as well as firsthand experiences from teachers or specialists who have effectively addressed those skills in the classroom.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT In keeping with the National Staff Development Council Standards for Professional Development, District will provide formalized training opportunities in addition to collaboration meetings. These trainings will take place throughout the school year through a variety of formats, covering a total of __ hours, with adequate time between each session for teachers to study, observe, practice, and apply what they learn. Title’s professional development will focus on improving teaching and learning, rather than focusing only on the technology intervention.

Customize. Some grants require a separate professional development section and some do not. Be sure to outline your response according to your unique RFP requirements.

Professional Learning Communities. A great way to show your staff commitment is to schedule regular teacher meetings, or professional learning communities. This can be discussed as part of your professional development and as a way to use data to inform instruction, as modeled here.

Customize. Remember to use this sample narrative as a guide and a model, not as a final product. Customize your application to show your unique implementation.


Table 5: Professional Development Overview

Session Type Focus Schedule/

Hours Provider Participants

PLCs Describe Describe Describe

Coaching/ Mentoring

Describe Describe Describe

Reading and Math Instruction


Curriculum-Specific Training

Will focus on helping teachers fully implement curriculum to create a more student-centered learning environment.

Describe Describe

Online Training


Continue describing any other professional development activities that are part of your project.

Professional Development table. A table is a good way to show reviewers a quick snapshot of your project activities. Then you can describe each activity in more detail below.

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). As documented above, at least __ a month these meetings will focus on interpreting assessment data and designing appropriate class and small group instruction. These groups will help hold teachers accountable for implementing the pedagogical strategies around reading and math instruction that they learn in the course of their professional development. These weekly meetings will also provide an opportunity to discuss Title implementation, issues and concerns. Customize to describe your unique plans for professional learning communities. Cross reference to your description about data analysis meetings. Don’t forget to budget for concerns such as substitute teachers, or to describe how administrators will rework the schedule to allow these groups to take place.

Coaching and mentoring. Title’s professional development plan will build on our existing RTI implementation: math and reading specialist will provide coaching and mentoring opportunities as Tier I teachers begin to work with small groups. These teachers will act as coaches and will frequently observe teachers in the classroom and provide immediate feedback. The observations will focus on how teachers intentionally teach literacy or math strategies, how well actual instruction aligns with lesson plans, and how effectively teachers differentiate instruction. Specialists will meet with each teacher state how frequently to discuss lesson plans, student progress data, and necessary instructional modifications. Customize: describe how coaching and mentoring will work at targeted schools. Describe how coaches will be identified, trained, and assigned to particular teachers. Don’t forget to describe how they will be compensated for their increased responsibilities.

Reading and Math Instructional Strategies. Experts indicate that teachers receiving targeted professional development on instructional strategies have a greater impact on improving students’ reading proficiency and reducing the number of students identified with learning disabilities than implementing a reading intervention program (Scanlon, et al., 2008). Title will incorporate __ hours of training on RTI strategies for math and reading, differentiated instruction, data-driven instruction, customize to describe specific training sessions you will provide as part of your project.

Additional Training. The strongest grant applications will include training beyond program-specific training. Describe other content-area trainings you will include.


Curriculum-Specific Training. A key factor to success with any new school curriculum or intervention is fidelity in its implementation. While the chosen curriculum includes teacher guides and suggested activities to ensure ease of implementation, the planning committee believes Title will have the best results if teachers are well trained in using the program. Prior to the implementation of the grant project, all participating teachers and staff will attend a full-day training session. To ensure teachers are equipped to implement the selected reading and math intervention, Title will provide teachers and administrators training on using the program, the range of its instructional tools, and role of the technology in the classroom. This intensive training will include using:

▪ Technology for individualized instruction and assessment;

▪ Reports for intervention and program monitoring;

▪ Curriculum content to address specific state standards;

▪ Use of the program at home;

▪ How to use and maintain program hardware.

An overview of the technology training to be conducted throughout the year is provided below:

Table 6: Technology Specific Training

Reading and Math Instruction. Include an overview training workshops you will provide beyond product training. You may wish to contract with an outside trainer or a university to deliver workshops on early learning and math and literacy. Some suggestions and ideas for what to include in professional development workshops include:

▪ Phonemic & phonological awareness ▪ Literacy-rich environments ▪ Concepts of print writing & prewriting ▪ Oral language ▪ Oral comprehension & cognition ▪ Facilitating language development in conversations and interactions ▪ Whole number instruction ▪ Rational number instruction ▪ Systematic instruction ▪ Explicit instruction ▪ Small-group instruction ▪ Developing relationships with families ▪ Data based instruction and interpreting assessments ▪ Individualized instruction

Pearson Training. Pearson offers a wide variety of training in addition to SuccessMaker training. For details on math or reading training or online professional development offerings, contact your Pearson Account Executive.

SuccessMaker Training. The SuccessMaker trainings described here are suggestions only. Consult with your Pearson Account Executive about which specific workshops you will be purchasing.

Module Description Participants

Basic Implementation

Planning for Success: Im-plementation Planning

Determine the goals for the im-plementation, including a train-ing timeline.

Administrative Staff Teachers Program Facilitator District Staff


Module Description Participants

Basic Implementation

School Manager Learn how to set up class and student information, including choosing curriculum for students. Discover how to start sessions and experience the program as a student.


Hardware and Basic Troubleshooting

Discuss the parts and peripherals of the computer system. Identify how to diagnosis and troubleshoot common technical issues and when to report them to Pearson Product Support.

Teachers Program Facilitator

Teacher Resources Discover the teacher resource materials available with the SuccessMaker program and learn how to use the SuccessMaker guide as a reference tool with the program.


Establishing Student Placement & Daily Schedule

Learn how to place students in the appropriate level of the program and create a daily rotation schedule.

Administrative Staff Teachers Program Facilitator

Reports Identify information on class and individual student reports. Learn how to monitor reports for usage and mastery.


Implementation Plan Review

Review the goals and current status of the implementation.


Consulting/Electives An Educational Consultant will perform higher level analysis of current site implementation and course usage, scheduling, and effectiveness. This training assists the site facilitator, teachers and/or administrators in furthering the implementation to meet the goals set in the Instructional Action Plan.


Best Practice Implementation

Table 6: Technology Specific Training Continued

Online Learning. Describe any activities teachers will have access to online, such as webinars, tutorials, teacher discussion groups, email chains, etc. If your state offers online training or resources, be sure to include teacher participation in those.

HOME SUPPORT Title will extend student access to the supplemental program to afterschool hours, allow learning to continue at the child’s own pace. The committee chose the selected software not only for its high quality content and evidence of efficacy, but because it is Internet delivered, meaning students, teachers, and parents will have anytime access to the intervention. All features of the program, including instruction and embedded

Pearson Training. Pearson offers several online training resources. If you are interested in purchasing training from Pearson, please consult with your Account Executive.


assessment, will be available with home access. Parents will become supportive partners for their students as they use the home-delivery method to access reports on how their student is performing. Parents can communicate directly with teachers via an internal messaging system within the system. Teachers will use this messaging system to suggest activities or practice opportunities parents can do with their children at home to reinforce key skills.

As stated in the needs assessment, the majority of our students live under the poverty line. Because of this, only __% of homes have a computer with a working Internet connection. In order to allow every student afterschool access to the program, Title involves a variety of community partnerships to increase Internet access. Describe partnerships you have formed with public libraries, community colleges, boys and girls clubs or other afterschool programs, etc. Describe how and when students and parents will be able to use computers at these facilities. Other partnerships might be with local Internet providers, who might provide parents a discounted rate as part of your project, or with adult education or community centers, which might provide stipends for or loans for computers and Internet service. In addition, each school site participating in Title will provide __ hours of afterschool access each week, in which students and parents will be invited to access the program and speak with teachers in the computer lab. Describe any afterschool access you will provide in more detail.

Parent involvement will be a key component of Title. In order to encourage students to use the program for at least __ minutes each week outside of school hours, District will host __ parent nights over the course of the school year. During these informative events, parents and students will be introduced to the program and will learn of the importance of continued practice to support math and reading improvement. Parents will be given a log to record when and for how long students use the program, as well as when they have completed a teacher-suggested learning activity together with their students. At each parent night, students and parents who have completed the log will be entered into a raffle to win prizes donated from community businesses. Continue to describe how you will involve parents through teacher conferences, newsletters, events such as parent nights, etc.

PROJECT TIMELINE Title will implement a full year of strategies and activities, all of which will support the achievement of the project objectives outlined previously. This action plan is presented below, listing the strategies and activities to be implemented, the position responsible for each activity, and the implementation timeline. This table is simply an example of one way to create a timeline. Modify this table to include your project activities and realistic timeline. Make sure the activities identified are discussed in detail in the project narrative and are also reflected in the following project evaluation.

Parental Involvement. In addition to parent nights, consider teacher conferences or parent volunteer programs as ways to increase involvement. Adapt the sample narrative as necessary.

SuccessMaker Options. SuccessMaker @Home is a web-enabled delivery method. You may provide your students access in the home or in community settings: consider cultivating community partnerships to extend access to students who may not have Internet connections. Consult your Pearson Account Executive about the SuccessMaker@Home deployment that best meets your needs.

Before Start of Year

Purchase and install __ computers in __ classrooms in the __ participating schools

List position(s) responsible

Project Activities Position Responsibilities

Other Staff Required

Date to be completed

Table 7: Title Timeline





Contract with professional development provider(s) for workshops and trainings

Reconfigure classroom school and classroom schedule to allow time for weekly data analysis and collaboration meetings

Purchase SuccessMaker software and configure classroom or lab workstations to meet required technical specifications

Conduct intensive half-day training for instructional leaders at each school on how to integrate educational software successfully into daily instruction

Pearson Educational Consultant

Building-level administrative staff

Notify parents of project and upcoming activities and events related to project

Establish a report schedule to gather student performance data

Start of Year

Conduct screening assessments for all students; assign lowest scoring students immediately to Tier II intervention

Students in Tier I instruction use SuccessMaker for __ minutes __ a week; students in Tier II receive an additional __ minutes on the program each week

Students in Tier II receive individualized and small-group instruction from specialists

Conduct ongoing trainings in using SuccessMaker at each school

Pearson Educational Consultant

Project teachers, math and reading specialists

Provide workshops on math and reading instructional strategies, customize with workshops you will provide

Teachers access reports from SuccessMaker at least once a week and name assessments at least give schedule

Teachers and specialists participate in __ data analysis and collaborative meetings each month

Teachers implement small group instruction in reading and math

Table 7: Title Timeline Continued





Host parent nights to inform parents and encourage their participation

Each school computer lab is open for __ hours afterschool to encourage additional program use

Communicate with program partners to help students and parents maximize use of afterschool services and opportunities

Continue to add project activities.

Table 7: Title Timeline Continued

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

GRANT PROJECT MANAGER QUALIFICATIONS Title will be supervised by a project manager who is experienced in reform initiatives. Name of person will be directly responsible for coordinating Title. Describe evidence that supports the project man-ager’s knowledge of project management, such as any certifications, special trainings, experience, etc. If attachments are allowed, you may wish to include a resume or curriculum vitae.

GRANT PERSONNEL QUALIFICATIONS The project manager will be supported by the implementation team, comprised of planning committee members who will continue to oversee the project. In addition, describe additional grant personnel, such as a technology coordinator, reading or math coaches or specialists, staff, etc. Include evidence of their qualifications. Title brings together number of the most qualified and dedicated individuals in the learning community to serve as our core staff. Evidence of their qualifications includes:

▪ Certifications and endorsements, including degrees

▪ Certifications and endorsements currently being worked on

▪ Amount and nature of professional experience

▪ Relevant training

▪ Number of years teaching at targeted sites

Writing Tip. Describing the leadership who will oversee the grant reassures the reviewer that you are capable of implementing the project you have described. Discuss the leadership experience/qualifications of program personnel by including:

▪ Past success with implementing large projects ▪ Experience in bringing together different entities to work toward a common goal ▪ Ability to build capacity for sustained improvement ▪ Certifications and endorsements or relevant training ▪ Supervisory responsibilities ▪ Ability to direct a project grounded in scientifically based research


▪ Project roles and responsibilities

▪ Percent of time that will be devoted to project duties

Capacity. Describe factors that illustrate your district’s capacity to effectively implement a project such as this, including aspects of your literacy, math, or technology plan and use of data-informed planning to develop your proposal. This is where you can build your credibility. Has your district pre-viously been awarded another grant, participated in pilot programs, or received any awards or recog-nition?

Implementation monitoring. Administrators will convene monthly with the project manager to con-firm they are adhering to the timeline and objectives of the Title and operating within budget while making adequate achievement progress. Should a site not appear to be on track in any of these areas, the implementation team will develop a plan to address any obstacles identified at the site. Give specif-ic examples of interventions you might use, such as coaching at struggling sites, principal observa-tions, additional professional development, partnering staff with teachers from successful sites, etc. Struggling sites will be required to submit weekly progress reports and participate in bi-weekly meet-ings and site visits from the project manager until the implementation team feels the site is on track to meeting the goals of Title.

Commitment to project. The Title planning committee assessed each school’s capacity and commit-ment to implement change. Teachers and administrators were required to sign a form indicating their support of the grant project goals for their grade level(s) and commit to achieve the goals, including implementing technology and attending all professional learning community meetings and scheduled professional development. Include as attachment if the application allows.

The superintendent, name of superintendent, is in full support of Title. To demonstrate her commit-ment, she has allocated $__ of local funds to purchase new hardware that will be necessary to support the intervention programs selected for Title and has signed a letter of commitment. Add to this to reflect your district’s letter of commitment and/or resources that could be coordinated to demonstrate district support. Include significant details from other letters of support submitted by other stakeholders, such as community partners, etc.

All organizations participating in Title will enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlin-ing the specific services and resources that will be provided by and to each partner agency. The MOU will be signed within 90 days of the grant award and will include the participating schools, the profes-sional development provider, and the selected curriculum providers. List additional partners as needed.

Communications. Describe your project communications plan. How will your project be coordinated across multiple sites? This is a good section to demonstrate to reviewers that your district has thought through the actual project implementation. Consider including a table like the one below to summarize major communication strategies.


Communication strategy Responsible Party

Coordinate purchase order requests and receive monthly expense tracking Title project manager and business office

Hold bi-monthly meetings to report on the program’s implementation and needs to be addressed.

Title project manager and Superintendent

Monthly meetings to discuss issues and concerns related to successful program implementation

Title project manager, Title principals

Conduct bi-monthly meetings with professional development providers to discuss staff progress toward goals, provide feedback from sessions, and adjust and/or revise upcoming trainings.

Title project manager, professional development provider(s)

Bi-weekly postings will be made by stakeholders to an online community to access content, collaborate, share resources, monitor implementation checkpoints, disseminate information, and provide support.

Title project manager, Title principals, professional development provider(s), Title teachers and staff

Maintain Title website to disseminate information, document the project activities, and report the outcomes.

Title project manager

Hold monthly faculty study groups to discuss Title implementation, issues, and concerns.

Title teachers and staff

Coordinate information gathering for external evaluator Title project manager

Continue describing your internal communication plan.

Table 8: Communication Coordination

PROGRAM CONTINUATION An important element of this project is building local capacity to not only implement Title, but to sustain it beyond the grant duration. Title will drive long-term, systemic improvement by creating a foundation in District schools that will support and sustain improvement now and in the future. This project represents a powerful coordination of district, federal, state, community, and school resources to support our project goals. As evidence of its commitment to implementing, sustaining, and expanding this project, District has committed $____ in Title I and School Improvement Funds (list all coordinating funds) to support this plan. Continue to describe how your district plans to continue this project after the grant is over.

PROJECT EVALUATION Take a closer look: Evaluation Your RFP may have guidelines and requirements for what evaluations you must include. Some grants require applicants to hire an outside evaluator to plan and implement the evaluation. Be sure to follow all guidelines stated in the RFP.

If no guidelines are given, discuss the ongoing and outcome evaluation you will plan. If your district has an Assessment Coordinator, he or she could be very helpful in drafting a response for this section. Discuss both standardized tests and other measures you will use. See pp. 17–18 of the Writing Guide for more tips on writing an evaluation section.


Because Title is designed to drive a long-term effort of academic reform and improvement, evaluation is a critical component of its successful implementation. While District will continue to comply completely with state accountability requirements and reports, Title’s evaluation is primarily designed to support the ongoing implementation, improvement, and expansion of this project. Both qualitative and quantitative data will be analyzed, and used as part of an ongoing improvement effort. Multiple sources of data will be used to analyze student learning gaps, including standardized tests, curriculum-embedded assessments, activity logs, teacher surveys, portfolios, and student self-reports.

Name of person will fulfill a critical role as the evaluator in Title’s implementation. Describe background and qualifications.

ONGOING EVALUATION

Title’s project manager will oversee our progress in meeting the Title goals through classroom observations, surveys and interviews, data analysis meetings, progress reports, and student outcome data. Described below are the various ways data will be used to inform decisions and improve our implementation.

Analyzing data. As described above, ongoing data analysis to guide instruction will be a key component of Title. Teachers will use reports from the digital intervention to determine skills and concepts that require further instruction for individual students or the whole class. Also described in the professional development section above, personnel will receive training through Title in how to accurately interpret data and utilize data to inform instructional decisions for each child. Our goal is to build capacity for educators to perform these tasks independently. Until that time, we will heavily rely upon describe administrator or staff members, such as coaches, lead teachers, principals, etc., or an outside consultant to provide extensive professional development in this area and will leverage existing district resources, such as describe current trainings, support networks, state technical assistance, etc. Continue to customize your plan to help sites analyze and disaggregate data.

Keeping sites on track. If it is indicated that a site is not making adequate progress towards the literacy goals, the Title project manager will develop a plan for identifying barriers, removing obstacles, and improving the implementation.

Budgeting. Indicate how often meetings will occur between the Title project manager, principals and the finance office to monitor spending and ensure we operate within the budget. With leadership present from all campuses, the meetings will also be used to address upcoming budget needs for additional activities. Customize to describe your unique budgeting plans.

Submitting reports to State. The project manager will be responsible for collecting and reporting data to Name of State or granting agency according to the required timeline. The data analysis meetings conducted state frequency at each targeted site will be critical in evaluating the assessment data and monitoring the outcomes. Continue to describe who will collect and report data and how.

Brainstorm before you write: To make it easier to design an evaluation plan, think of what data you will need to answer the following questions at the end of your project:

▪ To what extent were the activities of the project implemented as planned? ▪ How effective were the activities of the project in achieving the goals and objectives of the project? ▪ What is the impact on the project participants? ▪ To what extent were performance targets met?


Continue to describe how you will monitor progress. Be sure to include specific assessments that you will use as part of the evaluation, what skills the assessments will measure, and how teachers will use the data from these assessments.

Analyzing data. As described above, ongoing data analysis to guide instruction will be a key component of Title. Teachers will use reports from the digital intervention to determine skills and concepts that require further instruction for individual students or the whole class. Also described in the professional development section above, personnel will receive training through Title in how to accurately interpret data and utilize data to inform instructional decisions for each child. Our goal is to build capacity for educators to perform these tasks independently. Until that time, we will heavily rely upon describe administrator or staff members, such as coaches, lead teachers, principals, etc., or an outside consultant to provide extensive professional development in this area and will leverage existing district resources, such as describe current trainings, support networks, state technical assistance, etc. Continue to customize your plan to help sites analyze and disaggregate data.

Keeping sites on track. If it is indicated that a site is not making adequate progress towards the literacy goals, the Title project manager will develop a plan for identifying barriers, removing obstacles, and improving the implementation.

Budgeting. Indicate how often meetings will occur between the Title project manager, principals and the finance office to monitor spending and ensure we operate within the budget. With leadership present from all campuses, the meetings will also be used to address upcoming budget needs for additional activities. Customize to describe your unique budgeting plans.

Submitting reports to State. The project manager will be responsible for collecting and reporting data to Name of State or granting agency according to the required timeline. The data analysis meetings conducted state frequency at each targeted site will be critical in evaluating the assessment data and monitoring the outcomes. Continue to describe who will collect and report data and how. If the granting agency has any requirements for when and how reports must be submitted, be sure to describe your plans to honor those requirements.

As we answer the questions included in the following table and analyze baseline and benchmark data, we will be able to determine Title’s overall success.

Data Based Decision Making. Include a paragraph or two discussing how you will proceed with the grant if students are not progressing. What interventions will you implement? What aspects of the program might you adjust?

When you discuss how you will use your evaluation to guide project implementation, you reassure the reviewer your project will achieve stated goals and objectives.

OUTCOME EVALUATION Refer to Goals and Objectives. A great place to start with your outcome evaluation is to rephrase your goals and objectives into questions. Be sure to include a data source that will answer each question.


Outcome Evaluation Question Data Source Baseline Benchmarks Fall Winter Spring

Teacher Ability To what extent, by date, do __% of teachers report an increased understanding of using performance reports to inform classroom instruction?

List data sources

To what extent, by date, do __% of teachers exhibit mastery in providing reading instruction centered on the five basic components of reading (phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, oral language)?

List data sources

Continue listing outcome questions.

Student Achievement

To what extent, by date, has __% of grade students achieved at or above grade level expectations on state assessment exam for reading?

List assessments

To what extent, by date, has __% of grade students achieved at or above grade level expectations on state assessment exam for math?

How many families report reading at home for at least __ hours each week?


How many families report engaging in at least __ home learning activities with their students?

Parent survey responses, feedback during teacher meetings

What percentage of families attended at least one parent night?

Attendance logs

How many students used the supplemental program for at least __ minutes a week during afterschool hours?

SuccessMaker activity reports

Parent Involvement


Table 9: Evaluation Questions

Free Grant Review. Pearson’s Grant Team can provide a free review of your draft application featuring Pearson solutions and assess it against grant requirements. The document will be returned with embedded comments that indicate areas of strength and areas that should be revised.

Email your draft to: [email protected]

Please include: ▪ Draft application in Word ▪ Copy of the grant RFP you are responding to or link to online RFP ▪ Name of Pearson Account Executive you are working with


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