Effective Language Acquisition Programs for English Learners in California

Educator Workforce Investment Grant: Effective Language Acquisition Programs Request for Applications (RFA) Technical Assistance Webinar April 13, 2023 CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Tony Thurmond, State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Housekeeping Webinar participants have been placed on mute Question/Answer session toward the end of the webinar PowerPoint with notes will be available on the California Department of Education (CDE) Educator Workforce Investment Grant (EWIG): Effective Language Acquisition Programs (ELAP) RFA web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r28/ewigelap23rfa.asp 2

EWIG: ELAP Authority Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill of 2022 (Assembly Bill 185), Section 54 provides $20 million to further support one or more competitive EWIG professional learning grants, through the 2024 25 fiscal year, including $10 million to support the implementation of effective language acquisition programs across the state. 3

EWIG: ELAP Grant Funding and Duration Grant period is from August 1, 2023 June 30, 2025 Total grant budget of $10 million To be distributed as four grants of $2,500,000 each Deadline to submit grant applications: May 12, 2023, before 4:00 p.m. 4

Purpose To develop and deliver professional learning opportunities which support the implementation of effective language acquisition programs for English learner (EL) students, which may include integrated language development within and across content areas, bilingual and biliterate proficiency, and building and strengthening capacity to implement the EL Roadmap Policy. 5

The Statewide System of Support, and Quality Professional Learning Standards (QPLS) The selected grantees will become important participants in the California System of Support, providing targeted, meaningful use of strategies designed to align the system- wide implementation of effective language acquisition programs. The QPLS serve as a foundation for the content, processes, and conditions essential to all educator professional learning over time, which leads to improved educator knowledge, skills, and dispositions. 6

Applicant Eligibility Lead applicant must be a county office of education (COE). One grantee will be selected per zone. Zones are based on geographic region and the number of EL students enrolled. Positive consideration will be given to applicants that propose to partner with previous EWIG Program awardees and/or their partners. Applicants with existing communication/collaboration structures in place to effectively provide support and services to any one of the zones listed on pages 9 10 of the RFA document will be given positive consideration. 7

Grant Goals The grantees will focus on providing professional learning opportunities for early educators, teachers, paraprofessionals, school leaders, and other educators in public schools. These opportunities, conducted in a manner that aligns with the Statewide System of Support and QPLS, will focus on implementing effective language acquisition programs for EL students, which may include: Integrated language development within and across content areas, Bilingual and biliterate proficiency, and Building and strengthening capacity to implement the EL Roadmap Policy across the state. 8

Grantee Activities Develop and deliver free of charge to local educational agencies (LEAs) statewide, professional development and professional learning opportunities that, at a minimum, are publicly available, content focused, standards and research-based, incorporate active learning, support and promote collaboration, use models of effective practice, provide coaching and expert support, offer feedback and reflection, and are of sustained duration. Leverage and use expertise and resources already identified, developed, and available, including, but not limited to, by the expert leads in the Statewide System of Support to advance the goals of the grant. 9

Grantee Activities (2) Provide professional learning opportunities in a manner that is consistent with the statewide system of support. Provide ongoing coaching and training for school staff that supports the professional learning opportunities provided pursuant to this section. Design and develop professional learning opportunities to include early educators. Work within the statewide system of support to provide professional development and professional learning opportunities. Provide ongoing training to develop mentors and coaches that support school staff in high-need settings. 10

Grantee Activities (3) Review professional learning opportunities offered to ensure they are high quality. In consultation with the CDE and the California Commission on Educational Excellence (CCEE), evaluate the professional learning opportunities offered or funded for their effectiveness. The grantee or grantees shall participate in the development of the evaluation. Identify any existing gaps in capacity to deliver high-quality professional learning opportunities on a statewide basis and work with selected professional learning providers and other partners to address those gaps. 11

Grantee Responsibilities (1) Serve as centers of expertise and partner with other facilitators and capacity builders in the Statewide System of Support to provide guidance and ongoing training to develop and engage mentors in further preparing new trainers that support school staff in high-need settings. Provide necessary assistance to other EWIG recipients, when requested by the CDE or the CCEE. Fund in-state travel for the project lead to attend a convening a minimum of twice a year with other lead agencies from the Statewide System of Support. 12

Grantee Responsibilities (2) o Establish qualitative and quantitative goals to evaluate the capacity built within agencies receiving services statewide to provide quality assistance and expertise to LEAs across multiple measures. o Demonstrate coordination/collaboration across EL initiatives and various forums, including but not limited to, with the Regional English Learner Specialists. o As available, present in meetings, conferences, networks, and other collaboration settings as requested by the CDE and the CCEE. o Provide written reports describing the activities accomplished; the impact of these activities; and the number of teachers, paraprofessionals, school leaders, LEAs, counties, and regions impacted by these activities, as well as any additional available data as requested by the superintendent. 13

Allowable Expenditures Applicant budgets for the use of grant funds will be reviewed and any items that are determined to be non-allowable, excessive, or inappropriate will be eliminated. Generally, all expenditures must contribute to the goals outlined in this RFA. The grantees may enter into subcontracts with one or more COEs, consortia of COEs, institutions of higher education, or nonprofit educational service providers to leverage cross-agency expertise and assist in fulfilling the responsibilities outlined in this RFA. Please Note: Funds may not be used for the rental of a venue to provide professional learning unless the expense is determined by the CDE to be a necessary and reasonable expense. 14

Non-Allowable Expenditures (1) Supplanting of existing funding and efforts; Acquisition of equipment for administrative or personal use; Acquisition of furniture (e.g., bookcases, chairs, desks, file cabinets, tables), unless an integral part of an equipment workstation or to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities; Food services, refreshments, banquets, meals; 15

Non-Allowable Expenditures (2) Purchase of space; Payment for memberships in professional organizations; Purchase of promotional favors, such as bumper stickers, pencils, or T-shirts; Subscriptions to journals or magazines; and Travel outside the United States or to any location on the state s travel ban list. 16

EWIG: ELAP Grant Application Requirements 17

Application Submission Requirements (1) Submit a complete application, which consists of four general types of information: Applicant Information, Applicant Narrative, Budget Information, and Letters of Commitment. 18

Application Submission Requirements (2) Complete the application electronically through the EWIG: ELAP Online Application, available on the RFA web page at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r28/ewigelap23rfa.asp The Online Application Instructions are included in Appendix B of the RFA. 19

Submission Requirements (3) Respond to all prompts in each section of the narrative description. Separately attach supporting evidence as one attachment (zip file), such as budget and letters of commitment. Provide the appropriate digital signature. Submit the application by May 12, 2023, before 4 p.m. Refer to the evaluation rubric (Appendix A of the RFA) for how responses will be evaluated by the reading panel. 20

Saving Responses Select the Save Responses button on the first page of the online application if you do not intend to complete the application in one session. Ensure the email address you provide is accurate. Copy the unique URL (web address) for entrance back into the application. 21

Important to Know (1) Lead applicants must plan for the submission process and ensure their technology is serviceable in order to make the established submission deadline. The CDE encourages applicants to begin the electronic submission process well in advance of the deadline to avoid any technical issues. Consider drafting the application in a Word document and cutting/pasting responses into the online application. Note: The online application will not accept tables or charts as formatted. 22

Important to Know (2) Leading up to the application deadline, lead applicants should verify they have received confirmation of receipt of their application and frequently check for communications on application status. Each applicant will receive an email confirmation of the information submitted. If changes need to be made, lead applicants must resubmit the entire application prior to the submission deadline. Applicants are responsible for monitoring communications involving their application. 23

Important to Know (3) The last application submitted by an applicant within the application window will be the only one considered for review. The CDE and the CCEE are not able to modify the application information once it is submitted. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. 24

Completing the Application Narrative Seven sections require a written response within the specified character limits (see Appendix B of the RFA): Implementation Vision and Mission QPLS Provider Effective Language Acquisition Program Capacity Builder Effective Language Acquisition Programs Resource Connector Effective Language Acquisition Programs Facilitator Effective Language Acquisition Programs Participant Coordination Effective Language Acquisition Programs Metrics and Evaluations Responses must be conceptually clear and technically feasible. 25

Completing the Application Budget (1) Covers the entire grant period (August 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025) Available on the Educator Workforce Investment Grant: Effective Language Acquisition Programs Requests for Applications web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/r28/ewigelap23rfa.asp Includes four tabs for completion Will be reviewed and scored Submit as an Excel file through the online application 26

Application Budget (2) The lead COE applicant must also be the fiscal agent. Proposed Budget Detail must include a detailed budget description for each line item within the grant period. - Provide sufficient detail and a breakdown/calculation that justifies each line item. - Group line items by the Object Code services. - Provide lines for Object Code totals. Proposed Budget Summary must provide totals for each Object Code and should align with the Proposed Budget Detail. Limit indirect cost rate to a maximum of eight (8) percent. 27

Application Review Process Only complete applications can be considered eligible to advance. A panel of expert readers will read, review, and score each eligible application using a scoring rubric (see Appendix A). Readers will be instructed to read each proposal in its entirety for an overall impression of the project. The selected applicants are subject to approval by the Executive Director of the State Board of Education. Interviews with potential grantees may be conducted. 28

Application Maximum Point Values Section Implementation Vision/Mission QPLS Provider Effective Language Acquisition Programs Capacity Builder Effective Language Acquisition Programs Resource Connector Effective Language Acquisition Programs Facilitator Effective Language Acquisition Programs Participant Coordination Effective Language Acquisition Programs Proposed Metrics and Evaluations Project Participant Documents Points 12 4 8 8 8 12 12 8 Application Budget 8 29

EWIG: Effective Language Acquisition Programs Grant Application Timeline Activity Date Applications Due May 12, 2023, by 4 p.m. Announce Grantees Week of June 12, 2023 Last day for Appeals received by CDE June 30, 2023, by 4 p.m. Final Awards posted Week of July 17, 2023 30

Questions? 31

Resources Applicants should be familiar with the following resources that contain further information pertinent to the EWIG: EL Roadmap Policy Implementation Grant, found through the CDE website at: California Statewide System of Support available at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/sw/t1/csss.asp Quality Professional Learning Standards available at https://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ps/qpls.asp California English Learner Roadmap Policy available at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ml/roadmap.asp English Language Development Standards available at https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/ml/eldstandards.asp 32

Multilingual Support Division Language Policy and Leadership Office For additional information, please contact: Program Questions: Lorrie Kelling, Education Programs Consultant Telephone: 916-319-0386 Email: LPLO@cde.ca.gov Downloading Questions: Jennifer Cordova, Associate Governmental Program Analyst Telephone: 916-319-0258 Email: jcordova@cde.ca.gov 33