Title II Part A of NCLB IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY GRANT PROGRAM

1. Title II Part A of NCLB IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY GRANT PROGRAM

2. WHAT IS ITQ?? • Federally funded initiative • Provide grants to public and private higher education institutions • Train and retrain elementary and secondary teachers and principals. • The largest federal initiative of professional development as a way to improve teaching • Reauthorized as Title II, Part A of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

3. According to the NCLB Act… Projects funded under the Title II, Part A program should: • Be aligned with challenging state academic content standards as well as student performance standards; • Reflect recent research on teaching and learning; • Include strong academic content and pedagogical components;

4. According to the NCLB Act…(con’t) Projects funded under the Title II, Part A program should: • Incorporate effective strategies, techniques, methods and practices for meeting the educational needs of diverse student populations; • Be of sufficient intensity and duration to have positive and lasting impact on the teachers’ performance in the classroom and the principals’ instructional leadership skills; and • Create an orientation toward continuous improvement throughout the school

5. Content Focus: • This year, projects should focus on providing teachers with an opportunity to understand and strengthen their content knowledge regarding STEM subjects for grades 9-12. Pedagogical Focus: • Successful proposals will provide specific instruction in the practices embedded within the Tennessee Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM). More information about the TEAM model can be found at: http://team-tn.org/

6. Basic Program Requirements • Minimum of 30 contact hours • Minimum of 15 teachers • May not exceed $75,000.00 • The term of the project is from January 2016 to December 2016

7. Eligible Partnerships • The division of the institution of higher education that prepares teachers and principals; • A college/school of arts and sciences; or, for this competition, engineering (since the focus is STEM)* • A high-need local educational agency; * Will re-verify during technical assistance call

8. What is a “High Need LEA?” A “high-need LEA” is defined as an LEA: (A) (i) that serves not fewer than 10,000 children from families with incomes below the poverty line; or (ii) for which not less than 20 percent of the children served by the agency are from families with incomes below the poverty line; and (B) (i) for which there is a high percentage of teachers not teaching in the academic subjects or grade levels that the teachers were trained to teach; or (ii) for which there is a high percentage of teachers with emergency, provisional, or temporary certification or licensing ***Per the guidelines, the teacher qualification requirement applies to LEA’s in which less than 100% of teachers meet the NCLB definition of “highly-qualified”

9. Evaluation Criteria • Goals & Objectives – content and pedagogical focus* • Quality of Partnership • Program Plan – recruitment and instructional plan • Evaluation – quantitative and qualitative • Budget/Budget Narrative *Proposals are expected to provide specific instruction in the practices embedded within the TN Educator Acceleration Model (TEAM). http://team-tn.org/

10. How can I improve my funding chances? • Follow all of the guidelines set forth by THEC • Align project with TEAM model / learning expectations • Strong institutional or department buy in • The most participation for the money • Letter of commitment for participation from high need LEA is MANDATORY.

11. THEC Budget Development • Salaries may not exceed 20% of the total grant amount, including fringes. • Participant Stipends: $100/full day and $50/half day. • Do not exceed state rates: Mileage - .46/mile Hotel - $77/night* Meals & Incidentals - $46/day *For more info, go to: http://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/finance/attachments/policy8.pdf

12. THEC Budget Development, cont. • Grant funds cannot pay for tuition and fees. If you plan to offer course credit, please notify ORSP so that we can get a signed letter to include in your application. • Indirect costs – we have permission to use an 8% rate. • 50% rule – no single partner may “use” more than 50% of total grant dollars. See guidelines for additional clarification.

13. 2015 GRANT TIMELINE • Secure partnerships with high-need LEAs – ASAP!! • August 20 – Notify ORSP if you plan to submit. • August 24 – Notice of Intent to Submit due to THEC by email before 5:30pm EST. (See RFP for details.) • August 24 – Send ORSP materials needed for HCDE School Board approval • September 2 – Notify ORSP if you will need a tuition waiver OR if you plan to offer continuing education credit. • September 7–provide ORSP with a draft of the budget and narrative for review and to secure Chancellor’s signature • September 8 – Start TERA-PAMS entry for UTC internal approvals

14. 2015 GRANT TIMELINE, cont. • By September 16 – Provide OPSP with a final copy of all proposal materials and stop by OPSP offices to sign the final copy • September 21 (Monday) – 4:30pm (CST) deadline for receipt of all proposals at THEC • October 16 – Grantees are notified of their selection, other applicants notified of denial. • November 17 (10:00 am – 1:00 pm, CST) Mandatory Project Director’s workshop

15. QUESTIONS ???