Exceptional Student Services
Program Support and Monitoring
Team Training Program
Examining Data to Improve Student Achievement Phase I Tier 2
Formerly Arizona Teams Intervening Early to Reach All Students (AZ TIERS)
Grant Name: 2015 IDEA–EDISA-I Tier 2
Funding Source: Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA)
Non-Competitive Grant: By Invitation Only
REQUEST FOR GRANTS (RFG)
Introduction
The Arizona Department of Education, Exceptional Student Services (ADE/ESS) will partner with selected local education
agencies (LEAs) that have significant gaps in reading achievement between students with disabilities and their grade-level
nondisabled peers. Through onsite face-to-face training and webinar instruction provided, district and charter school teams
will learn to analyze reading performance and other data that will be used to identify and apply appropriate evidence-based
practices to improve student results. ADE/ESS program specialists will provide additional technical assistance to ensure team
success as the teams apply with fidelity new knowledge and skills that focus on closing the reading gaps achievement
between special education students and their general education peers.
This is the first phase of a two-year training program. Phase II will continue the training, and Phase III will be a year of
supervised implementation of the action plan that the team will develop and refine during the two years of training.
Purpose
Grants will be available for LEAs that have been identified with significant gaps in reading achievement between students
with disabilities and their non-disabled peers. The grant will provide limited funding for five district or charter school staff
members to participate in the team-training program on site. Each team will develop a dynamic, sustainable action plan
outlining the application of evidence-based practices.
Grant Submission Deadline
December 31, 2014
Annual Program Cycle
Fiscal Year 2015
Outcomes and Commitments
Training Outcomes
Team success is evaluated based on the team’s use of the
data use framework to:
 Identify relevant data that will address a problem or
concern.
 Analyze student-level data.
 Create a sustainable action plan.
 Maintain a school implementation portfolio.
Team Commitments
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Attend and fully participate in all trainings and team
activities, which include arriving on time and staying
until the end of each session.
Provide data as directed.
Create, implement, and evaluate an ongoing action plan.
Complete implementation activities.
Schedule and participate in a minimum of one team
meeting per month (held approximately October – May).
Disseminate information gained at trainings as directed.
Utilize scientifically based research/evidence-based
practices to improve student performance.
Utilize an implementation team portfolio to store
ongoing data and evidence of the change process for
improving success for all students.
The data regarding the activities in the district or school will
be shared with the Department of Education evaluators so
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EDISA-I Tier 2 RFG 2015
that success can be assessed. Individual student information
will not be released.
Team Membership Requirements
Each team must include, at a minimum, the following:
 Special education director or assistant special education administrator
 Curriculum and instruction director
 District data specialist
 Special education teacher
 General education teacher
If the LEA is unable to meet the team requirements, please contact Teresa Kirkman, TIERS/DART/EDISA Facilitator, at
602-542-3005 or Teresa.Kirkman@azed.gov to confirm participation by another.
The LEA may add other team members who will contribute to the process. The additional team members are considered bona
fide members, and all commitments that apply to the five required members shall also apply to the added members. The grant
will support the added team member needs (e.g., applicable substitutes and mileage).
2014–2015 Training Schedule
The training dates for each participating LEA have already been scheduled with the ESS assigned program specialist.
Funding
The grant will provide funding for eligible teams to participate in the training as long as:
 Federal IDEA funds are available to support this program; and
 The LEA and the participating team maintain their commitments (which are outlined in this document) and abide by the
LEA Assurances.
The Excess Cost Requirement
The excess cost requirement means that the agency must spend a certain minimum amount for the education of its
children with disabilities before Part B funds are used. Children served with Part B funds must have at least the same
average amount spent on them from sources other than Part B as do children in the LEA as a whole.
Each applicant must assure the state education agency (SEA) that the LEA uses funds provided under Part B of the Act to
supplement and, to the extent practicable, increase the level of state and local funds expended for the education of
children with disabilities, and in no case to supplant those state and local funds.
Maintenance of Effort (MOE)
To meet the MOE requirement, the total amount or average per capita amount of state and local school funds budgeted by
the LEA for expenditures in the current fiscal year for the education of children with disabilities must be at least equal to the
total amount or average per capita amount of state and local school funds actually expended for the education of children
with disabilities in the most recent preceding fiscal year for which the information is available. Allowances may be made for:
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Decreases in enrollment of children with disabilities;
The termination of costly expenditures for long-term purchases such as the acquisition of equipment and the
construction of school facilities;
The replacement of personnel with qualified, lower-salaried personnel;
The termination of the obligation to provide a program of special education to a particular child with a disability that is
in an exceptionally costly program; or
The assumption of cost by the high-cost fund operated by the SEA.
However, please note that budgeting a certain amount and expending that amount by the end of the year are two different
issues. If none of the allowances apply, the applicant agency must make sure that the special education expenditures meet
or exceed the previous year’s special education expenditures, excluding Fund 011, impact aid for students with disabilities.
You must submit for Program 200 disability categories only (exclude gifted, bilingual, remedial, vocational, career education
and fund 011 amounts).
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EDISA-I Tier 2 RFG 2015
Funding Restrictions
This grant does not allow the following expenses.
Carryover
Carryover of funds from year to year is not allowed.
Capital Outlay
The purchase of capital outlay or other equipment or furniture is not allowed.
Funding Allowances
Consider the following information when planning and developing the budget. The list of items may be purchased with
this grant’s funds.
The 2012 Chart of Accounts and Expense Classifications, Uniform System of Financial Records, has been revised
effective July 1, 2007. The line item placement of allowed funding for IDEA capacity building grants, including this
grant, follows:
 2100, 2200, 2600, 2700 – Support Services (Students, Instr., Operation, Transport)
All funding that supports the training of teachers and instructional aides who work with students in the classroom
must be placed in this function code. This includes the purchase of substitute services, registration fees, and a
portion of applicable travel costs.
 2300, 2400, 2500, 2900 – Support Services (General, School, Central Services, Other)
All funding that supports the training of district or school administrative staff and other non-instructional related
service providers must be placed in this function code. This includes registration fees, and a portion of applicable
travel costs.
1.
6100–Salaries and 6200–Employee Benefits
 Substitutes
Substitute teacher costs and employer-related benefits at the district or charter school rates. The substitute
teacher is considered an employee of the LEA with employer-related costs, even if the salary and benefits are
paid for by different funding sources. The grant will pay for substitute and employer-related costs for
attendance at the scheduled team-training days scheduled on school days.
2.
6300–Purchased Professional Services
 Substitutes
Substitute teacher costs at the contracted rate or flat rate. There are no employer-related costs for these
substitutes. The substitute teacher is a contracted service provider or is paid a flat rate for the provision of
substitute teacher services, receives an annual 1099, and is responsible for paying his or her taxes. The grant
will pay for substitute costs at the contracted amount for attendance at the scheduled team-training days
scheduled on school days.
3.
6500–Other Purchased Services
Funding to cover mileage, is allowed for a team member who must travel a minimum of 51 miles from the school to
the training site.
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4.
Mileage Allowance
 Use MapQuest to estimate the miles from the district or school office to the training site.
 Round-trip miles are calculated at $0.445 per mile in the budget.
 Round up to the nearest dollar.
6910–Indirect Cost Recovery
Indirect costs at the applicant’s approved restricted indirect cost rate and county-approved restricted indirect cost
rate, if they are applicable, are allowed with this grant funding. If approved rates are available at the time of the
grant submission, the grant will automatically calculate the indirect cost amount; but the applicant must manually
type it in the appropriate cell within the budget. If indirect cost rates are not available, the grant will not allow you to
enter indirect cost estimates. A web-approved grant may be amended later to include indirect costs at the approved
rate(s). No other administrative costs are allowed.
Budget Development
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EDISA-I Tier 2 RFG 2015
The ESS Funding unit has developed a preferred format for you to use to list and describe the items that are allowed
purchases with this funding source. Budget examples in this format are shown below. Develop your budget in the
addendum following format of the examples shown below. A grant’s budget that does not adhere to this format will be
rejected for revisions.
Budget Examples
These budget examples are presented in the preferred format and demonstrate a case scenario in which the greatest
allowances are given for a team that requires additional substitutes and travel funding and stipends for attending
trainings on unscheduled school days. (Do not include these additional items in your budget unless you are sure that
your team is eligible to receive them.) The format of the examples, however, is consistent with that of a team that
does not require additional funding, which is normal for most teams. Adjust these budget examples to fit your
team’s needs.
6100–Salaries
Funding for substitutes that are paid a contracted or flat rate must be placed in 6300–Purchased Professional Services.
Object Code
Function Code
Project
Time (FTE)
6100–Salaries
2100, 2200, 2600, 2700 – Support Services (Students, Instr.,
Operation, Transport)
Quantity
1
Salary, Rental,
or Unit Cost
$400.00
Line Item
Total
$400.00
Salary, Rental,
or Unit Cost
$80.00
Line Item
Total
$80.00
Salary, Rental,
or Unit Cost
$400.00
Line Item
Total
$400.00
Narrative Description
2 teacher substitutes x $100 x 2 training days = $400
6200–Employee Benefits
Object Code
Function Code
Project
Time (FTE)
6200–Employee Benefits
2100, 2200, 2600, 2700 – Support Services (Students, Instr.,
Operation, Transport)
Quantity
1
Narrative Description
20% local substitute benefits rate = $80
6300–Purchased Professional Services
Object Code
Function Code
Project
Time (FTE)
6300–Purchased
Professional Services
2100, 2200, 2600, 2700 – Support Services (Students, Instr.,
Operation, Transport)
Quantity
1
Narrative Description
2 contracted teacher substitutes x $100 x 2 training days = $400
6500–Other Purchased Services
Funding for mileage at the state rate for a team member who must travel a minimum of 51 miles from his or her school or
office site to the training site may be included in this grant. “R/T” means round trip. Round up to the nearest whole mile and
dollar amounts.
Object Code
Function Code
Project
Time (FTE)
6500–Other Purchased
Services
2100, 2200, 2600, 2700 – Support Services (Students, Instr.,
Operation, Transport)
Quantity
1
Salary, Rental,
or Unit Cost
$91.00
Line Item
Total
$91.00
Salary, Rental,
or Unit Cost
$91.00
Line Item
Total
$91.00
Narrative Description
Teacher mileage
102 R/T training miles x $0.445 x 2 training events = $91
Object Code
Function Code
Project
Time (FTE)
6500–Other Purchased
Services
2300, 2400, 2500, 2900 – Support Services (General, School,
Central Services, Other)
Quantity
1
Narrative Description
Non-instructional staff mileage
102 R/T training miles x $0.445 x 2 training events = $91
6910–Indirect Cost Recovery
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EDISA-I Tier 2 RFG 2015
If your district or school has a current approved, restricted indirect cost rate, the new GME will automatically calculate that
amount, but you must type the amount in the Salary, Rental, or Unit Cost and Line Item Total columns
Object Code
Function Code
6910–Indirect Cost
Recovery
0000–Other
Project
Time (FTE)
Quantity
Salary, Rental,
or Unit Cost
Line Item
Total
1
Narrative Description
Approved restricted indirect cost
Contacts for Assistance
Program Support and Monitoring and Training and Training Outcomes
Teresa Kirkman, TIERS/DART/EDISA Facilitator, 602-542-3005, Teresa.Kirkman@azed.gov
Grant Issues
Celia Kujawski, IDEA Capacity Building Grant Coordinator, 602-432-3213, Celia.Kujawski@azed.gov
Grants Management Enterprise Technical Difficulties
844-893-9789 or local 602-542-3901, GrantsManagementGroup@azed.gov
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EDISA-I Tier 2 RFG 2015