Improving Student Achievement in Mathematics through Professional Development Partnerships

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Improving Student Achievement in Mathematics
through Professional Development Partnerships

• Reviewer Orientation

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Contact Information

• For general information or programmatic questions
  related to the application review, contact
• Karen Harmon, Grant Manager
• karen.harmon_at_tea.state.tx.us
• Phone [phone]
• For information about the scoring instrument
  (Survey Said contact
• Sharon Evans
• Sharon.Evans_at_tea.state.tx.us
• 512-463-9063
• For information about review materials or the
  review process, contact
• TSUS Contact Information

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Improving Student Achievement in Mathematics
through Professional Development Partnerships
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Purpose

• The purpose of this program is to establish
  partnerships that include a minimum of one
  high-need LEA and a mathematics department of an
  IHE to create a professional development plan to
  enhance the implementation of the revised Texas
  Essential Knowledge and Skills for mathematics
  adopted by the State Board of Education in
  February 2005, and/or provide training in the use
  of intervention programs and strategies for
  struggling students in mathematics.

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Purpose

• The grant project timeline for professional
  development must allocate time for progress
  monitoring to ensure teacher implementation of
  training received. Teachers at any level, grades
  K-12, on participating high-need campuses that
  are currently teaching mathematics are eligible
  for project participation. Funds may also be
  used for the recruitment and retention of
  mathematics teachers. Professional development
  activities should be planned and implemented
  based on a comprehensive assessment of district
  teacher quality and professional development
  needs with respect to the teaching and learning
  of mathematics.

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Purpose

• The primary goal of collaboration activities with
  the identified partners should be increasing
  teacher content knowledge and increasing student
  achievement in mathematics.

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Overview

• Within the total application the Needs,
  Objectives, Project Management, Activities
  (Professional Development and Other), Evaluation,
  and Budget projection communicate a description
  of the project, address how the needs will be
  met, how the objectives and purpose will be
  achieved and implemented through activities, how
  the activities will be sustained after the grant
  program ends, and budgeted fiscal support.

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Overview

• The review criteria found in the RFA, Part 1,
  Sec. 6, Review Criteria for Competitive Grants,
  pages 6-8 is the scaffolding upon which the
  Reviewers Training is based.

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Basic Score Chart 120 Points Possible (Reference
RFA Part I, Pages 6-8)
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Reviewer Responses

• Review Responses for Indicators of Quality
• Clearly Outstanding
• Exceeds Expectations
• Meet Standards
• Needs Improvement
• Not Addressed

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General Information

• Any pages that exceed the specified page
  limitation will be removed prior to the review
  and scoring and will not be considered during the
  review.
• Any pages with a font size smaller than 9 point
  will not be reviewed and will receive a score of
  zero. (It is not the responsibility of the
  reviewer to determine if the size of the font is
  correct. If the reviewer has concern that the
  font may not be of an allowable size, he/she
  should complete the grant review and bring it to
  the attention of TEA staff (sharon.evans_at_tea.state
  .tx.us) for further investigation.

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General Information

• Any schedules that do not conform to the
  specified format will not be reviewed and will
  receive a score of zero (0).
• All narrative schedules must be typed. Any
  hand-written narrative schedules will not be
  reviewed and will receive a score of zero (0).

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To be considered for funding

• Only applications receiving 70 or greater of the
  total points on the basic score chart will be
  considered for funding. (Awards are contingent
  upon availability of funds.)
• Grant awards will be made starting with the
  highest scoring application and continue to the
  next highest score until funds are exhausted.
• However, no award will be made to any application
  scoring fewer than 70 of the available points on
  the basic score chart.

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Review Criteria

• Overall Assessment of Application
• Ability of the applicant to follow written
  directions and complete the application according
  to instructions.
• Did the applicant address each of the statutory
  requirement for the Program? (Reference RFA, Part
  2, Sec. H, Program Guidelines, page 8 of 12 SAS
  Schedule 4Program Requirements, Part 2.)

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Review Criteria

• Comments Required for the Overall Assessment of
  Application
• What do you consider are the major strengths of
  the application?
• What do you consider the major weaknesses of the
  application?

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Review Criteria

• Provide comments on the major strengths and/or
  weakness for each criterion. The comments should
  substantiate the responses entered for each
  criterion indicator.
• Without the comments of the reviewer, the
  applicant submitting the application cannot use
  the critique to improve the quality of future
  applications.

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Review Criteria

• Criterion 1 Need for the Project
• Criterion 2 Quality of Project Design is
  reflected holistically by the review of the
  entire application.
• Criterion 3 Quality of Project Services
  identifies indicators that will reflect the
  degree that the strategies and activities address
  these concerns.

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Review Criteria

• Criterion 4 Quality of Management Plan
  identifies specific indicators to be identified
  that reflect grant implementation.
• Criterion 5 Quality of Project Evaluation is
  specific to the manner in which the impact of the
  project can be determined.

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Review Criteria

• Criterion 6 Appropriateness of Budget is
  specific to how the budget schedules are
  appropriate, demonstrate support for the project,
  and do not supplant or duplicate, services
  currently provided.
• Reviewer Quick Tip Budgeted items should relate
  to the objectives and activities as established
  in the narrative.  Do not worry about adding the
  figures on the budget schedules review the
  budget in terms of necessity, adequacy, and
  relevancy for accomplishing the objectives and
  activities.  Also, dont worry about details on
  the budget pages.  TEA will take care of the
  allowable and unallowable items during
  negotiation if the application is selected for
  funding.

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Reviewer Quick Tips

• Some schedules have page limitations as noted in
  the Instructions and on the applicable schedules.
  If any of the application page limitations were
  exceeded, the excess pages were removed during
  the pre-compliance review.
• If the reviewer determines that there is
  something in the application or missing from the
  application that could cause the application to
  be ineligible, the review of the application
  should be completed and the issue should be noted
  on the score sheet. If further guidance is
  needed, contact Michael Brown, Manager of Review
  and Workflow,TEA at 512-463-9269.

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Criterion 1 Need for Proposed Project

• The magnitude or severity of the problem to be
  addressed by the proposed project is significant
  in nature.
• Specific gaps, barriers, or weaknesses related to
  the severity of the problem have been identified.

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Needs Assessment

• The applicant should
• Identify the specific local need(s) that exist
  within the context of the program goals and
  establish program objectives based on the stated
  program goals and local needs.
• local program objectives should reflect the
  desired results of the project and must be
  measurable, realistic, and achievable during the
  grant period.
• grant program should be designed around these
  local program objectives.
• Identify the specific data sources used for
  identifying need.

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Criterion 2 Quality of the Project Design

• The proposed project is appropriate to, and will
  successfully address, the needs of the target
  population or other identified needs.
• The program activities directly relate to the
  program goals, local objectives, and strategies,
  as well as to the program description and project
  requirements.

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Criterion 2 Quality of the Project Design

• The objectives, strategies, activities, and
  desired results of the project are clearly
  specified and measurable.
• The design of the proposed project reflects
  up-to-date knowledge from scientifically-based
  research and effective practice.

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Criterion 3 Quality of Project Services

• Strategies and activities are of sufficient
  quality and scope to ensure equitable access and
  participation among all eligible program
  participants.
• Strategies and activities are of sufficient
  quality and depth to ensure accomplishment of the
  goals and objectives of the project.

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Program Requirements

• Applicants must address each of the requirements
  listed on Schedule 4Program Requirements.
• Reviewer Quick Tip Some applications will
  clearly identify each requirement by providing a
  subheading for each and then describing the
  strategies that will be used to carry out the
  requirement. Do not let this method of
  organization sway your assessment in determining
  to what degree a requirement has been addressed
  over those applicants that do not use subheadings
  to organize the program description.

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Criterion 4 Quality of the Management Plan

• Qualifications, experience, and certifications of
  project personnel and external consultants are of
  sufficient quality to ensure successful
  implementation.
• The management plan is designed to achieve the
  objectives of the proposed project on time and
  within budget, with appropriate timelines and
  milestones for accomplishing project tasks.
• The procedures ensure feedback and continuous
  improvement in the operation of the proposed
  project through ongoing monitoring and
  adjustments as needed.

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Criterion 4 Quality of the Management Plan

• The proposed project will be coordinated with
  similar or related efforts utilizing existing
  resources and facilities and with other
  appropriate community, state, and federal
  resources, to maximize the effectiveness of grant
  funds.
• The level of involvement and commitment to the
  project of all participants, including
  management, staff, collaborators and partners, is
  sufficient to ensure the successful
  implementation of the project goals, objectives
  and activities

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Management Plan

• Partnership/Involvement of Others Applications
  should
• demonstrate how a variety of individuals with
  diverse perspectives were consulted in the
  design, planning, and implementation of the
  project.
• identify specifically with whom the applicant
  will be partnering or involving in planning,
  designing and carrying out grant activities.
• describe specifically how and when it will
  partner or be involved with other
  entities/organizations/groups in planning,
  designing and carrying out grant activities.
• specify the role(s) of each partner in planning,
  designing and carrying out grant activities.

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Management Plan

• Management of Grant Activities Applications
  should
• Describe the plan for how grant activities will
  be managed and monitored on a day-to-day basis to
  ensure successful implementation and operation of
  the grant program.
• Describe the processes for ensuring that
  activities will be conducted and completed
  according to the timeline proposed in the
  application.
• Include should be processes for soliciting
  feedback on an ongoing basis and for ensuring
  continuous improvement in the operation of the
  project.

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Management Plan

• Internal Communication, Coordination, and
  Reporting Applications should
• Describe the processes and activities that will
  be incorporated to provide for regular and
  frequent communication among stakeholders,
  including the administration the local project
  manager/contact person the business office and
  any major collaborators, including partners, as
  well as the staff implementing the program
  throughout the grant period.
• Also describe the process, including the
  frequency, for how the project manager will
  regularly report grant progress and problems
  encountered to the supervisor of the project
  manager and to the chain of management.

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Management Plan

• Qualifications of Grant Project Manager and Grant
  Personnel Applications should
• Describe the experience and qualifications of the
  grant project manager (i.e., the person who will
  be managing grant activities on a day-to-day
  basis). The description should provide
  satisfactory evidence of the project managers
  capability to manage and coordinate the types of
  activities described in the application and to
  perform the activities and required program
  components according to the established timeline.
  

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Management Plan

• Describe the qualifications and responsibilities
  of all grant personnel, including
• certifications and endorsements as appropriate
• amount and nature of professional experience
• supervisory responsibilities as appropriate.
• Reviewer Quick Tip Supporting documentation
  evidencing such management capabilities may be
  contained in an appendix to the application.

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Management Plan

• Resource Management Application should
• Explain how the applicant will maximize the use
  of grant funds
• Describe the existing resources to be utilized
  including how the proposed project will
  coordinate with other programs in the district or
  on the campus and with other community, state,
  and federal resources. (One of the purposes of
  this description is to help illustrate the
  cost-effectiveness of the project, including
  coordination with other programs and resources.)

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Management Plan

• Supplement-Not-Supplant The application should
• demonstrate how services and activities provided
  by this grant program will be supplemental to
  existing state and local services and activities
• describe precisely how all program services and
  activities to be funded from this grant will be
  supplementary to existing services and
  activities.

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Professional Development

• This component should identify the different
  types of professional development activities and
  the different areas of foci or topics to be
  addressed. The activities must
• Relate directly to the stated program goals,
  local program objectives, and component
  description as well as to the project
  requirements
• Be clearly stated
• Be sufficient to carry out proposed program
• Address the identified needs of the targeted
  population and
• Be designed to provide measurable outcomes.

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Criterion 5 Quality of Project Evaluation

• The methods of evaluation provide for examining
  the effectiveness of project strategies.
• The methods of evaluation include the use of
  objective performance measures and indicators of
  program accomplishment that are clearly related
  to the intended results of the project and will
  produce quantitative and qualitative data to the
  extent possible.

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Criterion 5 Quality of Project Evaluation

• The evaluation design includes processes for
  collecting data, including program-level (i.e.,
  program activities, number of students served,
  etc.) and student-level academic (e.g.,
  achievement results, attendance data, etc.).
• The formative evaluation processes outlined in
  the application provide for the identification
  and correction of problems throughout the
  duration of the grant project.

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Criterion 6 Appropriateness of Budget

• The budget, including personnel, materials, and
  other identified expenses, adequately supports
  the activities outlined in the proposed project.
• Expenditures and activities are supplemental to,
  and do not supplant or duplicate, services
  currently provided.
• Reviewer Quick Tip Do not worry about adding
  the figures on the budget schedules review the
  budget in terms of necessity, adequacy, and
  relevancy for accomplishing the objectives and
  activities.

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Improving Student Achievement in Mathematics
through Professional Development Partnerships

• On behalf of TEA, Division of Discretionary
  Grants, thank you for your participation in this
  very important part of the process of awarding
  grants to schools.