Hawai‘i P-20 Request for Proposals:
Early College High School Program
Introduction
Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education is a statewide partnership led by the Executive Office on Early
Learning, the Hawai‘i Department of Education (HIDOE), and the University of Hawai‘i System (UH)
that works to strengthen the educational pipeline so all students, from early childhood through
postsecondary education and training, achieve college, career, and community success. Recent research
conducted by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce has projected that,
by 2018, 65% of jobs in Hawai‘i will require some college education, and, according to the U.S. Census,
currently, just under 43% of Hawai‘i's adult hold a two- or four-year college degree. To ensure that
Hawai‘i is economically competitive in the 21st century, educational leaders in Hawai‘i, including Hawai‘i
P-20, have set a goal of having 55% of working age adults hold a two- or four-year postsecondary degree
by the year 2025; this is the crux of the recently launched “55 by ‘25”campaign. Hawai‘i P-20 seeks to
attain this goal by: having all children read at grade level by third grade, strengthening the rigor of the
high school curriculum, increasing student access and success in college, and facilitating research and
data-driven program and policy development.
In line with Hawai‘i P-20’s objectives, research has shown that the intensity and quality of a student’s
high school curriculum, alignment of curriculum between secondary and postsecondary education, and a
clear understanding of college expectations are critical for increasing students’ college access and
completion. Participation in college-level coursework during high school can increase students’
exposure and aspirations to postsecondary success, but few of Hawai‘i students – particularly lowincome students – enroll in these courses (compared to their peers nationally). A recent research study
conducted by Hawai‘i P-20 found that high school students who participated in Hawai‘i's Running Start
dual-credit program were more likely to enroll, persist, and succeed in higher education than non-dualcredit graduates. These results mirror national research, and, across the country, states are investing in
dual-credit programs that can provide students with up to 60 credits of college-level coursework by
their high school graduation.
Currently, all Hawai‘i public high school and charter school students are given the opportunity to take
Running Start courses at 9 UH campuses if they meet academic prerequisites. However, barriers to
student participation in the Running Start program exist, including, but not limited to, the price of tuition
(without access to federal student aid for high school students), transportation to a UH campus,
alignment of the starting and ending times of the course with the high school bell schedule, and high
school counselor recommendations. To address some of these barriers, over the past 3-4 years, more
public high schools and charter schools have offered, through regional partnerships with their local UH
institution, college courses on their high school campus which are only available to the high school’s
students. Some of these schools have reported that participating high school students are more
successful than their college counterparts in the coursework.
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General Information about Early College High School Program Grant
To build upon and expand on some of the initial successes with high-school based Running Start classes,
the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to build resources for Hawai‘i's
future, recently awarded a grant to Hawai‘i P-20 to assist in the development of a long term direction
for best practices in dual credit – enabling many more high school students to graduate with college
credit. To achieve this goal, Hawai‘i P-20 will partner with the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation to offer
three-year grants to fund tuition and expenses and provide technical assistance to high
school/community college partnerships. The purpose of these grants is for partnerships to pursue
proven models in either dual enrollment or dual enrollment with a career and technical education focus
that result in more students graduating with college credit and a clear direction for their future
degree/career.
Partnerships will be asked to create a five year plan that integrates the three year support of the Early
College High School Program and lists measurable goals relating to increasing the numbers of high
school students taking dual credit courses and the number of college credits (through dual credit
courses) students receive by their high school graduation. Technical assistance will also be provided
through the Early College High School Program grant to assist grantees in understanding and best
utilizing their current resources, as well as offering guidance to grantees in reaching their five year goals.
In addition, a community of learners will be developed to allow grantees to share their best practices
with others and identify barriers and solutions to common challenges.
All Hawai‘i Department of Education high schools and public charter schools are eligible to submit a
request for proposal to participate in the Early College High School Program. Priority for grant funding
will be given to Title 1 schools (defined as schools where more than 50% of the student population
receives free or reduced lunch). Successful proposals will identify a target student population and will
strive to increase both the number of students taking college-level courses in high school (by reducing
barriers to student participation and increasing the number of students who are ready to participate in a
college-level course) and the number of college credits earned by students prior to their high school
graduation.
Distinction between “Planning” and “Expansion” Schools
Two levels of support will be offered to select high schools who wish to apply for funding to accelerate
college completion through the Early College High School Program, in recognition of the history,
culture, and capacity of each high school’s ability to partner with a community college to offer college
courses. Information about the two levels of support is included below:
“Planning” Schools:
- Schools in the early stages of planning, specifically schools who have not offered a dual credit
course (Running Start or other) on their high school campus in the past or who have low dual
credit participation numbers (in comparison other high schools in the state – see the 2013
College & Career Readiness Indicators Report on the Hawai‘i P-20 website for more
information).
- Expected to offer the following number of classes each year:
o Year 1 (School Year 2014-15): Target of 2 classes over course of year.
o Year 2 (School Year 2015-16): Target of 4 classes over course of year.
o Year 3 (School Year 2016-17): Target of 4 classes over course of year.
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“Expansion” Schools:
- Schools more advanced in their planning, specifically schools who have offered at least two (2)
dual credit courses (Running Start or other) on their high school campus in the past 3 years.
- Expected to offer the following number of classes each year:
o Year 1 (School Year 2014-15): Target of 4 classes over course of year.
o Year 2 (School Year 2015-16): Target of 8 classes over course of year.
o Year 3 (School Year 2016-17): Target of 8 classes over course of year.
All Schools:
- Receive technical assistance
- Participate in a community of learners
- Create a five-year plan to significantly increase early college options for high school students.
- Submit an annual report to Hawai‘i P-20 by May 31, 2015 (for Year 1) with data for key
indicators. (More information to be provided at a later date.)
- Agree that administration of all activities and services conducted as part of the grant will be by
or under the supervision of the applicant (i.e. school principal), that the project will comply with
all applicable Hawai‘i state laws, that the school will keep project records and afford access to
these records at any time Hawai‘i P-20 and/or the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation may find it
necessary to assure correctness and verify reports, and that the project will comply with
applicable federal statutes and regulations governing the GEAR UP program.
Please note that classes offered by “planning” and “expansion” schools can be provided in-person or online, and can occur during the fall, spring, or summer terms. Also, “planning” and “expansion” school
classifications are relatively flexible; even if you do not meet some of the criteria listed above for a
specific category, you will have the opportunity of justifying the classification you’re seeking in Sections I
and II of the proposal (more information provided below in the “Proposal Format” section). In addition,
schools (particularly smaller schools) will not be required to offer the target number of courses per
year; as long as a clear plan/vision is provided in Section I of the proposal and the number of classes
offered increases each year, your proposal will be considered.
Funding
This initiative will follow a shared model of funding. Together with the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation,
GEAR UP Hawai‘i (a federal grant managed by Hawai‘i P-20 focused on college access for low income
students) will split-fund a full-time position to lead the project. In addition, the following funding will be
provided by the different organizations involved each year:
Year 1:
- The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation & Hawai‘i P-20 Early College High School Program grant will
pay for 100% of the cost of instruction and technical assistance.
Year 2:
- The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation & Hawai‘i P-20 Early College High School Program grant and
the University of Hawai‘i will pay for 80% of the cost of instruction and 100% of the cost of
technical assistance.
- Participating Hawai‘i public or charter schools will contribute 20% of the cost of instruction.
(To clarify, each school will provide 20% of the cost of instruction for each class offered at that
school.)
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Year 3:
- The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation & Hawai‘i P-20 Early College High School Program grant and
the University of Hawai‘i will pay for 70% of the cost of instruction and 100% of the cost of
technical assistance.
- Participating Hawai‘i public or charter schools will contribute 30% of the cost of instruction.
Please direct any questions regarding this request for proposal to:
Nicole Atwood, Early College Manager
Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education
Phone: (808) 956-3771
Email: nicolesw@hawaii.edu
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Proposal Format
Proposals must include all of the required sections and forms. You must use the forms included here;
please do not create your own forms.
All proposals must include answers to the following sections:
1. Title Page
2. Section I: Vision Statement
3. Section II: Project Narrative and Implementation Plan
All documents are attached to this request for proposal.
Deadline and Submission Instructions
Applicants must submit:
1) One signed original proposal; and
2) One electronic Word version of the proposal via email to nicolesw@hawaii.edu
Proposal format requirements:
1) Please use 12-point font.
2) Lines must be double-spaced.
3) Total proposals should be no longer than 8 pages, including forms.
The deadline to submit proposals is Monday, September 8, 2014. Proposals must be emailed AND
postmarked or delivered to the Hawai‘i P-20 office no later than 5:00 pm HST on September 8.
Proposals should be mailed or delivered to:
Attn: Nicole Atwood, Early College Manager
Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education
2425 Campus Road, Sinclair Library, Room 504
Honolulu, HI 96822
(808) 956-3771
nicolesw@hawaii.edu
Notifications will be provided to selected schools by Monday, September 22, 2014.
Timeline
August 26, 3:00 pm
Webinar regarding Early College High School Program grant. General
information regarding the grant will be provided, and participant questions will
be answered.
September 8
Deadline to submit proposals by interested schools.
September 22
Notification of awards provided to selected schools.
September 29October 3
Meetings between P-20 staff and participating high schools to discuss grant
expectations and start initial planning.
October 1
Start date of awards (estimated).
October 13-17
Introductory webinar or in-person support by technical assistance provider.
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May 31, 2015
Participating schools provide annual grant report to Hawai‘i P-20.
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Hawai‘i P-20 Request for Proposals:
Early College High School Program Title Page
PROJECT TITLE: _______________________________________________________________
LEGAL NAME OF APPLICANT AGENCY (I.E. DOE HIGH SCHOOL OR CHARTER SCHOOL):
_____________________________________________________________________________
CONTACT PERSON (NAME): _____________________________________________________
TITLE: ____________________________ EMAIL: ___________________________________
ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________________________
TELEPHONE: ______________________
FAX: ____________________________________
LEVEL OF SUPPORT REQUESTED (PLEASE CHECK ONE):
 “PLANNING” SCHOOL
 “EXPANSION” SCHOOL
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------To the best of my knowledge and belief, all information and data provided in this application are true
and correct. The governing body of the applicant and co-applicant has duly authorized the application
and will comply with statutory and regulatory requirements, assurances, certifications, etc.
_____________________________________________
Printed Name of High School Principal
_____________________________________________
Signature of High School Principal
_____________________________
Date
________________________________
Telephone
_____________________________
Email
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Hawai‘i P-20 Request for Proposals:
Early College High School Program
Section I: Vision Statement
Please respond to the questions below to explain why participation in the Early College High School
Program grant is important to your school.
1.
What is your vision for your school and its future accomplishments in the next 3-5 years? How
is the Early College High School Program connected to this vision?
2. If you are selected to participate in the Early College High School Program, what is your
school’s 3-5 year goal related to this grant and sustaining the impact of this grant? Please
provide specific examples (e.g. continue to offer 4-6 college courses per year at high school, all
college-ready seniors will graduate with 6 college credits, etc.).
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Hawai‘i P-20 Request for Proposals:
Early College High School Program
Section II: Project Narrative and Implementation Plan
Please answer the following questions related to your school’s need to participate in the Early College
High School Program and your school’s organizational readiness for the grant. You will also be asked to
provide an implementation plan related to the grant.
1.
Please illustrate your school’s demonstrated need for the Early College High School Program
grant. Specifically, why should your school be selected to participate in the grant, and how is
this grant related to identified student needs and institutional needs at your school?
2. Please clarify if there is a specific student population (i.e. students in a specific academy, students
with certain ACT or PLAN scores, etc.) that you will be targeting for this initiative and how you
will recruit these students to participate.
3. Please demonstrate your school’s organizational readiness and commitment related to the Early
College High School Program. Specifically, please explain why this initiative will be successful at
your school. (Examples might include: administrator buy-in, dedicated counselor and/or
teacher time, designed support services for participating students, well-developed CTE pathways
or smaller learning communities, etc.)
4. Please explain why you would like to be considered for classification as a “planning” or
“expansion” school. If you do not meet the criteria listed on page 2 for the classification you
are applying for, please provide justification regarding why you are selecting that classification.
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5. Please list the UH campus(es) that you plan to collaborate with through the Early College High
School Program grant. If you already have a relationship with this campus (or these campuses),
please provide some details about how you have worked with them in the past (e.g. worked
with them to offer 2 Running Start classes on your school campus in last 2 years, utilized their
peer mentor program to provide presentations on college and career readiness, etc.).
6. Please provide the names and titles of key personnel who will be involved in the implementation
of the Early College High School Program grant at your school and on the UH campus. Have
you already engaged the UH campus (and your point of contact there) regarding your plans for
the Early College High School Program grant?
7. Please complete the table related to your school’s implementation plan for the Early College
High School program on the next page.
8. Please fill out the attached budget spreadsheet to provide information about the approximate
amount of funding requested.
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Table Regarding Your School’s Implementation Plan
Grant Year
Example: Year 1
# of Courses
Offered
Example: 2 courses
Type of Courses
Offered
Example: Focus on
general education core
class (e.g. ENG 100,
MATH 103, etc.) OR
focus college courses
that align with smaller
learning communities at
school (e.g. BUS 100,
etc.)
When Course is
Offered
Example: Both courses
offered in Spring 2015.
Classes will be offered
after school.
How Course is
Offered
Example: Courses will
be offered in person.
Students will be
recruited through
smaller learning
communities. A student
and parent orientation
(before courses start),
registration assistance,
and tutoring services
(provided by peer
mentors from the UH
campus) will be
provided.
Number of
Students Served1
Example: 20 students
in each course; 40
students (juniors and
seniors) total. (4% of
our school’s overall
student population.)
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Please use the space below to elaborate on strategies relating to student recruitment for classes, academic preparation (for potential students
interested in taking courses in the future), counseling services, or any other details (if applicable).
1
Related to “vision statement” on page 8.
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Budget Projection Spreadsheet
Please use the table (attached as an Excel file) to estimate approximate funding based on your implementation plan. Note: Once you enter the
number of courses per year and the number of students per course below, the other columns in the spreadsheet will automatically pre-populate
(based on pre-programmed formulas).
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