DeWitt E. & Vera Hooker Fellowship Grant - Rubric for Success
The DeWitt E. and Vera Hooker Fellowship Grant was established in 1979. The purpose of the award, which honors the FCIS founding Executive
Secretary and his wife, is to encourage the development of projects that will benefit the FCIS member schools. Schools are encouraged to apply
for a grant in order to share exciting ideas and innovations with colleagues. The actual amount of the grant is determined by the FCIS Board of
Directors (recently, a total of $3000 has been awarded annually). Presentation of winning projects is made annually at the November FCIS
Conference in the fall following the award. Materials are made available to all member schools.
Desired
Outcomes
Characteristics
Sought
Grant Application is
Completely and
Accurately Submitted
Application is fully
completed, including
school name,
anticipated completion
date, a full and
reasonable disclosure
of costs, purpose, scope
and requested
signatures
Idea is reasonable and
consistent with
contemporary
pedagogy, research
and methodologies
Educational Viability
Excitement
Innovation
Idea is presented in a
way that clearly
indicates why and how
it generates excitement
Idea is presented in a
way that clearly
describes how it utilizes
innovative techniques,
technologies, data,
research or expands
upon contemporary
methodologies
Competencies
Challenged
Base
Good
Superior
Missing details, material
information or signatures;
funding is not needed or
the request is for
hardware, training or
infrastructure not
transferrable
All questions are
completed as required
but only as required;
funding is
appropriately
requested
Presentation indicates
forethought and care
for each question and
for each aspect & cost
of the proposal
Skill in the completion
of the necessary parts
is clearly exceptional;
title is creative and
inviting; the
presentation invites
investment
Idea is recycled,
unimaginative or has
already proven to be
questionable in high
quality educational
environments
Idea has been FCISfunded in prior years or is
mundane
Proposal is viable and
worthy but is not new;
questions exist for
why the school is not
self-funding
Idea is clearly viable,
addresses a
documented need and
incorporates proven
thinking
Idea goes beyond the
proven in viable,
reasonable ways and
truly accelerates
educational practice
Proposal is captivating
but could be stated in
different more
exciting terms
Idea is captivating and
presented in
compelling and
exciting terms
Idea is inspirational,
exciting and a clear
“game-changer” in
FCIS schools
Idea is recycled and/or it
is already the expectation
in most successful
independent school
educational settings
Proposal makes the
case for a new
methodology,
program or use of
existing frameworks
or materials
Idea utilizes new
methodologies,
technologies,
programs or
frameworks in truly
innovative ways
Idea clearly is “goldstandard” for engaging
audiences in new ways
to reach outcomes
typically not found in
FCIS schools
Desired
Outcomes
Idea Reaches New
Audiences
Measurable
Outcomes
Scalability for the
School and Others –
Transferability to
Member Schools
Sustainability
Characteristics
Sought
Idea reaches school
constituencies in new
ways or expands the
reach of a program
within the school
Reasonable outcomes
are anticipated as are
plans for accurate
measurement of those
outcomes; success is
defined and how it will
be measured is clear
An expectation is that
this successful project
will benefit all FCIS
schools. That
expectation is
anticipated and it can
be reasonably and costeffectively shared as
projected
When the grant is
exhausted, there is a
clear plan for the
program, curriculum or
innovation’s
continuation
Challenged
Competencies
Base
Good
Superior
Idea maintains the status
quo or applies to
standard audiences
Idea hopes to reach a
new audience or
program within a
school
Idea shows good
promise for engaging
new audiences in new
ways
Idea clearly
incorporates
innovative thinking
that will apply to new
grade levels or ages
Plans are not clearly
evident for defining or
measuring successful
outcomes
Very basic plans exist
to define success in
measurable ways but
the criteria or
methodology may
require refinement
A solid plan exists for
carefully achieving
and measuring
success
Unquestionable
excellence is
demonstrated within
the plan for achieving
and measuring success
accurately
Although this idea may
help the receiving school
it has little capacity to
effectively help a
significant FCIS audience
The idea clearly can
help the receiving
school and has a
reasonable
expectation of helping
some FCIS schools
The products &
outcomes not only
clearly benefit the
receiving school, there
is a reasonable
expectation of transfer
to a number of other
FCIS schools
The products &
outcomes not only
clearly benefit the
receiving school, there
is every expectation of
transfer to a majority
of FCIS schools
The idea and its planning
indicate no thought
toward continuing
success beyond the grant
The idea and its
planning clearly
address how it will be
sustained by the
school budget
The idea and planning
can be funded and
sustained by this
school and others
The idea and planning
can be funded and
then sustained by its
own success