You are here

ELG Professional Development Frequently Asked Questions

 

What is the difference between the percentage of students who have a significant reading deficiency (SRD) and the percentage of students who do not have an SRD but who are not meeting grade-level expectations in reading?

  • There are cut score ranges on (most, if not all) vendor-provided assessments for both SRD and grade-level expectations. Find additional information about the SRD definition here.
  • The exact language of the application requirement from statute relating to the latter part is: 5.2 (A): Information concerning the percentage of kindergarten and first-, second-, and third-grade students enrolled in the applying local education provider or group of local education providers who have Significant Reading Deficiencies and the percentage of kindergarten and first-, second-, and third-grade students who do not have Significant Reading Deficiencies but who are not meeting the grade-level expectations in reading adopted by the State Board.

Is there an appeals process for the eligibility requirements?

  • No. There is no option to appeal the application requirement that these funds only go to “local education providers that are already implementing evidence-based or scientifically based universal instruction and interventions that are resulting in significant student academic growth toward reading competency,” since this comes from statute.

Am I allowed to purchase curriculum or assessments with these funds?

  • No. The focus of this grant is professional development, not instructional programming. Among allowable uses (further explained in the RFA document) is “professional development from the CDE-approved professional development list and related tuition, fees, and/or training program costs.” Refer to the RFA document (specifically, the Allowable Use section) for more information. You may use READ Act per pupil intervention (PPI) funds to support core curriculum or intervention material purchases.

How should I report SRD numbers if we don’t have 2019/2020 end of year (EOY) scores?

  • Please use 2018/2019 EOY data to report SRD information.

Am I allowed to use these funds instead of funds I was already using or planning to use?

  • No. These funds can only supplement, not supplant any federal, state, local or non-federal funds. If you were already planning to purchase something, whether or not you received these ELG PD funds, that would be considered supplanting. If you are hoping to use ELG PD funds on allowable uses that you were not already planning to purchase, that would be supplemental.

Should I list information at the district level or school level?

  • That depends. If you are including only one or only some schools in your district with K, 1st, 2nd, and/or 3rd grade, provide the information at the school level, by school. If you are including all schools with K, 1st, 2nd, and/or 3rd grade, provide information at the district level. Please make a note in the applicable survey responses which way you are listing the information.

May I use grant funds to pay for teacher stipends?

  • This grant has a wide range of possibilities. Although we can’t guarantee any request will be awarded since this is a competitive grant process, this may be an allowable request. Explain the rationale for this expense in your application. Stipends cannot overlap already established working hours.

 I missed the webinar. Where can I watch it?

  • We posted the recording here.

Can we use the funding from this grant to purchase a certain program and pay for the corresponding training? 

  • Any purchases with ELG PD funding must come from our approved list.

How long is this grant?

  • This is a one-year grant, with a second year to complete the reporting requirements. 

Is my school eligible for funding if we are planning to implement evidence-based instruction starting next year?

  • To be eligible, the applicant must be able to provide evidence they are “already implementing evidence-based or scientifically based universal instruction and interventions that are resulting in significant student academic growth toward reading competency.” Please read more about our program approvals here and here and more about the science of reading here. If you are not already implementing these types of instruction and interventions, you are not eligible.

I already participate in the Early Literacy Assessment Tool (ELAT) project and/or in  a comprehensive Early Literacy Grant cohort. Does this affect my eligibility?

  • No, as long as you are not planning to use these professional development grant funds to supplant any existing or planned funds.

Can this grant fund professional development for Spanish classrooms?

  • As long as the funding request stays within the parameters of the allowable uses (explained in the RFA document), it will be considered. (For example, funds could not be used to purchase a phonics program, but could be considered to support building phonics knowledge for teachers in your K-3 Spanish classrooms.)

Can we choose multiple programs and submit under the same application or would we need to pick just one program for all grades to use?

  • Yes. You may choose multiple programs and submit it under the same application. Please make sure your plans and the details are clear in your proposal/application.

What data should we use to show significant student academic growth toward reading competency?

  • Use your READ Act data and any additional data points for your K-3 students that provide evidence of significant growth.

If we are applying as a district, are all schools in the district required to already be implementing “evidence-based or scientifically based universal instruction and interventions... resulting in significant student academic growth…” to be eligible for the grant?

  • A district applied last year in this situation. They ended up being eligible to use funds to support (only) the schools already implementing evidence-based programming. Funds were not approved for schools not using evidence-based programming. Though we cannot guarantee the same outcomes this year since this is a competitive grant process, this example may provide some guidance.

Where can I find an exemplar application from last year?

Will this be impacted by budget reductions?

  • As of now, ELG PD grants will proceed as planned.