Professional Practice Innovation Grant
Fund Code: 213
Examples of Grant Initiatives
The purpose of this competitive grant program is to build the capacity of district teachers and administrators to fully
implement the rigorous standards of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks—and to do so in a way that is fully
aligned with the Massachusetts educator evaluation system. Districts may propose innovative strategies that connect the
implementation of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for English Language Arts and Literacy, Mathematics,
History and Social Science, Science and Technology/Engineering, the Arts, Foreign Languages, and Comprehensive Health
or any of the Vocational/Technical Frameworks to specific elements of the educator evaluation system, for teachers,
specialized instructional support personnel, and administrators. These strategies should be aligned with and support
district improvement plans, and result in teacher and administrator practice that fully supports the rigorous
implementation of the specified framework(s).
The table below illustrates examples of grant initiatives that would build educators’ capacity to implement the curriculum
frameworks. Districts should not be limited by these examples and are invited to develop their own initiatives for
connecting the implementation of educator evaluation and the curriculum frameworks. Because this is a competitive
grant program, those applications with the greatest potential for impact on practice in districts and relevance statewide
will be prioritized for funding. Selecting from among the initiatives listed below does not guarantee high priority for
funding.
Focus Area
Curriculum and
Planning
Assessment
Quality of Effort and
Work
Examples of Grant Initiatives

Videotaping instruction of standards-based units and creating a video bank

Curriculum mapping that takes into consideration how standards are sequenced to
support SMART goal setting.

Conducting SMART goal alignment and developing SMART goals that are both
horizontally and vertically aligned within the district and tied to the implementation of
the Frameworks.

Implementing ESE Model Curriculum Units or creating district units in any subject area

Creating or revising district curriculum maps in any subject area

Writing curriculum units and lesson plans

Reviewing and evaluating district-created curriculum units

The development of assessments—by a district or consortium of districts—aligned to the
Frameworks, to serve as District-Determined Measures (DDMs).

Providing professional development on innovative assessments that reflect 2011
Massachusetts Frameworks for ELA/Literacy and Mathematics [link]

Looking at and evaluating student work; developing portfolio programs or other
performance tasks/ assessments

Videotaping instruction of standards-based units and creating a video bank

Building stronger connections between the development of evidence for Educator
Evaluation and the implementation of the Curriculum Frameworks. For example, literacy
coaches could assemble evidence of the ways in which teachers of all subjects are
writing in response to texts.

Reviewing guides for assessing the effective integration of the instructional shifts in
ELA/literacy and mathematics instruction.

Developing professional learning opportunities for principals to increase their capacity to
give feedback to teachers on content pedagogy (e.g., giving feedback on teaching writing
or using the Standards for Mathematical Practice).
1
Professional Practice Innovation Grant
Fund Code: 213
Examples of Grant Initiatives
Focus Area
Examples of Grant Initiatives
Diverse Learners’
Needs

Videotaping instruction of standards-based units and creating a video bank

Reviewing guides for assessing the effective integration of the instructional shifts in
ELA/literacy and mathematics instruction.
High Expectations

Looking at and evaluating student work; developing portfolio programs or other
performance tasks/ assessments
Access to Knowledge

Videotaping instruction of standards-based units and creating a video bank
Family Collaboration

Creating or revising district curriculum maps in any subject area and creating curriculum
map guides for families

Creating guides for families about the instructional shifts in ELA/literacy and math
instruction

Providing professional development to improve common planning time

Creating professional learning networks focused on the implementation of the
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and committed to using state and national
resources for professional learning.

Supporting innovations in teachers’ daily schedules that provide time for collaboration
on Curriculum Frameworks-related activities during the school day.

Developing professional learning opportunities for principals to increase their capacity to
give feedback to teachers on content pedagogy (e.g., giving feedback on teaching writing
or using the Standards for Mathematical Practice).

Partnering with faculty from higher education to review syllabi and student work from
both levels to achieve smoother transitions between the two levels

Partnering with faculty from preschools to review curriculum and student work from
both levels to achieve smoother transitions between the two levels

Providing professional development to improve common planning time

Developing a lead teacher corps with expertise in curriculum and evaluation

Conducting an audit of district-wide professional development (PD) opportunities with
the goal of having all PD aligned with the Standards for Professional Development and at
least 50% of PD focused on making connections between Educator Evaluation and
Curriculum Frameworks implementation.

Conducting an analysis of patterns of performance across the district on the Educator
Evaluation Standards and Indicators and developing PD in areas in which ratings are
lowest. For those indicators most aligned with the Curriculum Frameworks, develop
professional learning opportunities for educators that include the Curriculum
Frameworks content. (E.g., if the analysis of the Evaluation Ratings in the four Standards
and Indicators revealed, for example, that ratings are lower in Teacher Standard IIA-1,
setting high expectations for student work, the district could develop specific
professional learning opportunities on questioning and discussion techniques with a high
level of rigor—clearly aligned to the elements of the Curriculum Frameworks.)

Providing professional development on key shifts the 2011 Massachusetts Frameworks
for ELA/Literacy and Mathematics that incorporate the Common Core State Standards
(e.g., integrating discipline-specific reading and writing skills into subjects other than
English language arts, applying the standards for mathematical practice).
Professional
Collaboration
Professional
Development and
Career Growth
2