Name of Grant Program: PK-12 Literacy Professional Development Partnerships
Fund Code: 738
PART III - REQUIRED PROGRAM INFORMATION (NARRATIVE) AND INSTRUCTIONS
Please provide the following information.
1. District(s) and Schools Participating
Eligible school districts received funding in FY2010 and FY2011 for Fund Code 738 PK-12 Literacy Professional
Development Partnerships grants. See Additional Information for a list of eligible districts.

Using the chart below, provide a list of the participating schools and the number of teachers and
students who will benefit from the partnership (add rows as needed).

If you are applying as part of a regional partnership, identify which district or collaborative will be the
lead agency.
SCHOOL NAME
GRADES
LEVEL (Elementary,
Middle or High School)
NUMBER
OF
TEACHERS
NUMBER OF
STUDENTS
There are three funding options:
1. a district may apply for one or more partnerships;
2. a district may serve as a lead agency for a consortium of districts. There must be one narrative (Part IV),
a Schedule C Form, and one combined budget for each partnership. In addition, each district in the
partnership must provide assurances and individual budget information; and
3. a collaborative may apply on behalf of districts. There must be one Part III (Narrative), a Schedule C
Form, and one combined Part II Budget Detail representing all partnerships. In addition, for each district
the collaborative is working with there must be individual assurances and individual district Part II Budget
Detail information.
2. Critical Issue

Describe how your district worked toward your FY2011 partnership goals, and how the work that was
done during FY2010 and FY2011 connects to your critical issue/priority area for FY2012.

Identify this year’s critical issue as related to the district’s goals for literacy improvement in its most
recent district literacy plan. Please mark with an (x) your district’s priority area(s) for FY2012:
___
Teaching close reading of grade-level complex informational and literary texts;
___
Providing tiered systems of curriculum delivery including the use of data to inform instruction,
both core and intervention instruction, as well as enhancements to core instruction;
___
Embedding language and literacy skills in content learning with a focus on vocabulary
instruction, including oral language development for English language learners and reading
comprehension in science, history/social science, the arts, and health;
___
Teaching the writing of arguments and explanations;
___
Developing literacy plans at the district and school level to encourage the strategic use of
literacy resources to help all students become proficient readers and writers.
Identify which grade levels will be targeted for this professional development partnership. Grade level spans
may be K-5, 6-8, or 9-12 (or another combination of these grades). Please mark with an (x) the grade(s)
targeted.
__K, __1, __2, __3, __4, __5, __6, __7, __8, __9, __10, __11, __12
Be mindful of subgroup data and the intent to close the achievement gap by implementing research-based
instructional practices in specified areas. If the district’s literacy plan has been updated during FY2011,
please attach it.
___
The district’s literacy plan is attached.
___
The district’s literacy plan was updated in school year 2010-2011 to include the 2011 Massachusetts
Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy.
___
The district’s literacy plan was not updated in school year 2010-2011.
3. Higher Education/Organizations Participating
Identify one or more partners from higher education or other organizations (for example, educational consulting
groups) with expertise in literacy and specifically in the area identified as the critical issue. Include resumes that
demonstrate the expertise of the people who will provide professional development (PD) on the critical issue
being addressed. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) encourages PK-12
literacy professional development partnership proposals from a wide variety of partners that will work with
elementary, middle, and/or high schools across the Commonwealth.
4. Plan for Initiative
Describe the plan to implement a recommended effective practice that will address the identified critical issue.
Describe the proposed PD in literacy for this grant. Proposed PD should be aligned with the 2011 Massachusetts
Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy, be related directly to the needs identified in data
analysis, and be related to the implemented best practice. The description should include the following:
a. a summary of the data analyzed to determine the need for addressing the identified critical issue;
b. the person(s) responsible for conducting the training;
c. a detailed description of the content of the training, including the priority area (tiered instruction, embedding
literacy in content learning, teaching writing, and/or developing a literacy plan) your district is working on;
d. the audience for the training, including the approximate number of staff at each grade who will attend;
e. the number of sessions and the format (district-based meetings, regional professional development, study
groups, grade level meetings, etc);
f. how the professional development aligns with the new Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English
Language Arts and Literacy;
g. the plan for following up to indicate whether the strategies are being embedded in classroom practice;
h. the indicators of success, including how teacher classroom practice will change because of the PD; and
i. how the district plans to sustain the PD initiative beyond the life of the grant.
5. Research on Implemented Practices
Briefly describe the research on the effectiveness of the implemented practice and related PD that supports the
selection of this approach to addressing the identified critical issue.
6.
Participation in Meetings
There will be three meetings (two regional meetings, fall and spring, and one statewide meeting in spring)
sponsored by the Department. On the school and district assurance pages, include the names and contact
information of the contact person(s). Indicate that a district-based contact person will attend the meeting(s).
Although not required, providers are encouraged to convene meetings with districts and schools that have hired
them as external providers/partners. The purpose of these meetings is to facilitate cross-district professional
learning communities of educators who are implementing a particular set of strategies. Indicate whether the
provider will convene such a group and, if so, how often.
7. Evaluation
Each grant recipient will be required to participate fully in an evaluation to be conducted by the UMass Donahue
Institute. It is anticipated that there will be few if any changes to the evaluation process from the FY2011
evaluation process. An optional evaluation/reporting webinar will be scheduled for October. This meeting will be
helpful to those who have new staff and/or would like to review the requirements of the evaluation process for this
grant.
___
Yes, our district would like to participate in a webinar on the evaluation process.
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We are aware of the evaluation process and do not need to participate in the webinar.
The proposal narrative should provide an assurance that the partnership will comply with all aspects of the
statewide evaluation and identify an individual to serve as evaluation contact for the grant along with his/her
contact information (email and phone). Indicate if this is the same as the school and/or district contact for the
grant.