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Arizona Charter Schools Program Grant

Arizona Charter Schools Program Grant. Application Training: Round I August 22, 2013. Grant Application Timeline 2015-2017. AZ CSP Training: August 22, 2013 Application Due Date: November 14, 2013 Evaluation Due Date: February 24, 2014 CSP Award to Procurement: December 27, 2013

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Arizona Charter Schools Program Grant

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  1. Arizona Charter Schools Program Grant Application Training: Round I August 22, 2013

  2. Grant Application Timeline2015-2017 • AZ CSP Training: August 22, 2013 • Application Due Date: November 14, 2013 • Evaluation Due Date: February 24, 2014 • CSP Award to Procurement: December 27, 2013 • State Board of Ed Award: January 27, 2014 • Awardees GME Training: January 30, 2014

  3. CSP’s Intent The CSP provides support for planning, program design, and initial implementation of charter schools. The intent of the program is to expand the number of high quality charter schools and to give students more educational opportunities, resulting in higher student achievement.

  4. AZ CSP Goals • Increase the number of high quality charter schools in Arizona, particularly those serving students most at risk in rural and urban settings; • Improve student achievement to high academic standards in AZ CSP schools; and, • Improve high school graduation rates in AZ CSP schools and prepare students for higher education or career readiness.

  5. AZ CSP Grant Purpose • The Arizona Charter Schools Program (AZ CSP) is a competitive, discretionary grant which offers financial incentives to new charter entities that can demonstrate the knowledge, skill and capacity to create and implement challenging curriculum, engaging instruction and rigorous assessment.

  6. Grant Purpose, continued • Exemplars of challenging curriculum include, but are not limited to, the following: • Advanced Placement • International Baccalaureate • ACT Quality Core • School-developed curriculum with enhanced standards that can be assessed post-10th grade AIMS and serve as predictors of college, technical school and career readiness.

  7. AZ CSP Targeted Outcomes • AZ CSP charter schools serving high school students will demonstrate a graduation rate higher than the state average for charter schools serving similar student demographics. • 80% of AZ CSP charter high school students will meet or exceed challenging Arizona Academic Standards on each content area of AIMS. • Awarded schools will align their practice with new Common Core Standards

  8. AZ CSP Targeted Outcomes • AZ CSP charter high school students will exceed the state average on the ACT or SAT. • AZ CSP charter schools serving high school students will have more students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses or academic courses of equal rigor.

  9. Program Periods • Planning and Program Design (max 18 months) occurs prior to opening of the charter school. • Implementation (max 24 months) occurs after the school opens for students.

  10. Eligible Expenses • Eligible expenses are those incurred from the date of the grant award. Pre-award costs related to project outcomes incurred between the time of the grant training and the grant award are ineligible and cannot be reimbursed. • State and federal regulation do not permit Planning or Implementation Grant funds to be used for vehicles, renovation projects, construction and non institutional furniture. Moreover, establishment of petty cash funds or purchases of food and entertainment are strictly prohibited.

  11. Eligible Planning Expenses • According to Section 5204 (f)(3)(A) of the Federal CSP statute, an eligible applicant receiving a Charter Schools Program sub-grant may use the sub-grant funds only for post-award planning and design of the educational program, which may include the following: • Refinement of the desired educational results and the methods for measuring progress toward achieving those results; • Professional development of teachers and other staff who will work in the charter school.

  12. Planning • Planning funds can also be used for the following: • Development of a marketing plan to advertise the school in the community prior to its opening. • Employing staff necessary to plan the school such as a planning principal, a registrar, a secretary. • Funding contracts with vendors to provide specific services for the planning of the school. • Recruitment and training of teachers. • Teacher training may be supported by stipends to teachers from grant funds.

  13. Ineligible Planning Expenses • Planning funds may NOT be used for the following: • The renovation or improvement of facilities. • Facilities infrastructure. • To support a CMO or vendor without a specific contract for services provided. • Any other charter entity even if the entity is in the same location as the awarded entity. • Salaries for school personnel that are covered by state funds once the school commences.

  14. Implementation • Implementation grants are twenty-four months in length and will terminate from the date they are awarded. • Implementation begins once the entity has an approved facility and is ready to open. • Approved facility means that the school has a Certificate of Occupancy for educational use from its municipal Building Services Department and approval from the State Fire Marshall. • AHERA (asbestos) is regulated by the EPA and is beyond sponsor and AZ CSP purview.

  15. Implementation Funds • According to Section 5204 (f)(3)(B) of the Federal CSP statute, an eligible applicant receiving a Charter Schools Program grant or sub-grant may use the grant or sub-grant funds only for: • informing the community about the school; • acquiring necessary equipment and educational materials and supplies; • acquiring or developing curriculum materials; and • other initial operational costs that cannot be met from State or local sources.

  16. Funding Update • 2013 is the last award year sponsored by the US Department of Education Charter Schools Program. • AZ CSP reserves the right to reduce the overall amount of the award and/or the number of Project Years from 3 to 2.

  17. Next Steps: • 1. Contact AZ CSP to receive the official application. • 2. Do not use the application at the AZ CSP website. It is a model but not the actual application form. • 3. Gather all information necessary for the Federal Financial Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA – see application). • 4. Determine your corporation and school name and structure.

  18. Next Steps: • 1. This AZ CSP application is not speculative. A clear design of the school should be evident in the application. • 2. The school design presented in the AZ CSP application must align with the charter application submitted for authorization. • 3. Failure to align will result in subsequent cancelation of the award.

  19. Round I Grant Triggers • You could lose your grant award from any of the following events: • 1. The school leader identified in the application is no longer the school leader. • 2. You fail to submit your charter application to an Arizona authorizer by July 1, 2014. • 3. Your charter application fails to meet administrative completeness review. • 4. Your charter application fails to become authorized by January 12, 2015.

  20. Submission • Deadline: November 14, 2013, 11:59 pm • How: Submit by email with attachments to Mark.Francis@azed.gov. • Format:The application must be submitted in PDF format. • Caveat: Before submitting in PDF format, review to make sure all pages have a white background. AZ CSP will reject applications submitted with a blue page background.

  21. Submission • 1. When you submit your application to your respective authorizer, you must notify them that you are applying for the AZ CSP grant. • 2. Email a copy of that notice to mark.francis@azed.gov.

  22. End of Part I

  23. Application Training • Prepare to use the following: • Application • Evaluation rubric

  24. Application Components • Preliminary Section • Narrative Component Section • Section B - Executive Summary • Section C - Governance • Section D - Leadership • Section E - Academic Accountability • Section F - Budget Alignment (Budget Form) • Section G - ESEA 5203 Compliances

  25. Additional Application Components • 1. FFATA • 2. School Operation Schedule • 3. School Description • 4. LEA Autonomy

  26. Use the Scoring Rubric • The bolded words highlight the criteria used by application reviewers to assess and score each Narrative Component. • Note: AZ CSP monitoring is directly aligned with application components.

  27. AZ CSP Contact Information Deputy Associate Superintendent Charter Schools Program: Dr. Mark S. Francis 602.542.4020 Mark.Francis@azed.gov Education Program Specialist: Jane Smoudi 602.542.7459 Jane.Smoudi@azed.gov Program Specialist: Sheri Partridge 602.364.1909 Sheri.Partridge@azed.gov

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