| Funding Available |
February 3, 2000
TO THE ELIGIBLE APPLICANT ADDRESSED:
SUBJECT: Request for Application (RFA) #701-00-019
Advanced Placement Spanish Language Middle Grades Pilot Project
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is requesting applications from public school districts or open-enrollment charter schools currently serving middle grade students to increase (a) enrollment of low-income individuals in advanced placement courses; (b) the participation of low-income students on advanced placement examinations; and (c) the availability of advanced placement courses in schools serving high poverty areas.
The Advanced Placement Spanish Language Middle Grades Pilot Project is designed to provide native Spanish-speaking students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds with a strong academic foundation in Spanish in middle and junior high school grades. Students will participate in challenging academic courses that are intended to prepare the students for the AP Spanish Language examination. Teachers who participate in this pilot are expected to attend, or should have attended in the past two years, Advanced Placement Summer Institutes on the AP Spanish Language course.
The Advanced Placement Spanish Language Middle Grades Pilot Project will begin during the 1999-2000 school year with direct services to students beginning during the fall, 2000. Applicants should plan for a starting date of no earlier than March 27, 2000, and an ending date of no later than December 22, 2000. Funding will be provided for up to five projects. Each project will receive a maximum of $40,000 for the 1999-2000 grant year. Project funding in the second year will be based on satisfactory progress of the first-year objectives and activities and on general budget approval by the State Board of Education and the commissioner of education, and appropriations by the the U. S. Congress. This project is funded 100% from Advanced Placement Fee Payment Program federal funds ($160,000).
Applications will be selected based on the independent reviewers' assessment of each applicant's ability to carry out all requirements contained in the RFA. Reviewers will evaluate applications based on the overall quality and validity of the proposed grant program and the extent to which the application addresses the primary objective(s) and intent of the project. Applications must address each requirement as specified in the RFA to be considered for funding. The TEA reserves the right to select from the highest ranking applications those that address all requirements in the RFA and that are most advantageous to the project.
The TEA is not obligated to approve an application, provide funds, or endorse any application submitted in response to this RFA. This RFA does not commit TEA to pay any costs before an application is approved. The issuance of this RFA does not obligate TEA to award a grant or pay any costs incurred in preparing a response.
A complete copy of RFA #701-00-019 may be obtained by writing the: Document Control Center, Room 6-108, Texas Education Agency, William B. Travis Building, 1701 N. Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701; by calling (512) 463-9304; by faxing (512) 463-9811; by e-mailing dcc@tea.state.tx.us; or by downloading from the web at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/grant. Please refer to the RFA number and title in your request. Provide your name, complete mailing address, and phone number including area code.
For clarifying information about the RFA, contact Evelyn Hiatt, Division of Advanced Academic Services, Texas Education Agency, (512) 463-9455. Applications must be received in the Document Control Center of the Texas Education Agency by 5:00 p.m. (Central Time), Friday, March 10, 2000, to be considered for funding.
Sincerely,
Ann Smisko
Associate Commissioner
Curriculum, Assessment, and Technology
For further information on this topic, contact Evelyn Hiatt, Division of Advanced Academic Services, (512) 463-9455.