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COMPETITIVE GRANT FUNDING AVAILABLE October 7, 2011 TO THE ELIGIBLE APPLICANT ADDRESSED: SUBJECT: Request for Application # 701-11-110 Texas Literacy Initiative Grant The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is requesting applications under request for application (RFA) # 701-11-110. Eligible ApplicantsThe Texas Education Agency (TEA) is requesting applications under Request for Applications (RFA) #701-11-110 from public independent school districts and open-enrollment charter schools in Texas. To be eligible for the Texas Literacy Initiative (TLI) grant, the local educational agency (LEA) must serve students in Kindergarten-Grade 12. The LEA must have at least one Kindergarten-Grade 5 campus, at least one middle school campus, or at least one high school campus that meets the eligibility criteria defined for the LEA. An LEA that lacks an eligible campus (i.e., an LEA without an eligible Kindergarten-Grade 5, middle school, or high school campus) must agree to partner with other eligible LEA(s); all LEAs will be required to partner with early childhood education (ECE) providers with a demonstrated record of effectiveness in improving the early literacy development of children from age zero through Kindergarten entry to form a Literacy Line. All age and grade levels from age zero through Grade 12 must be represented in the Literacy Line. A list of eligible LEAs will be posted along with the RFA on the TEA Grant Opportunities website at http://burleson.tea.state.tx.us/GrantOpportunities/forms/GrantProgramSearch.aspx. All applicants must have a student population whose passing rate is below 90 percent on the English Language Arts/Reading portion of the 2010 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) for Grades 3-11 according to the TEA 2010 District Accountability Data Tables (which may be generated online by following the District Data Table link at http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/account/2010/index.html). In addition, LEAs must have student populations that meet at least two of the following three criteria in order to be eligible for grant funding: (1) at least 59 percent are economically disadvantaged, with "economically disadvantaged" defined as qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch based on Texas Department of Agriculture data for the 2009-2010 school year; (2) at least 16.9 percent have limited English proficiency, according to 2010 Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) data; (3) at least 9.0 percent receive special education services, according to 2010 PEIMS data. Five priority points may be awarded to LEAs that meet all three criteria. When proposing participating campuses, applicants should give priority to those campuses whose student populations reflect similar demographics to LEA eligibility criteria, as detailed in the RFA. Once an LEA is eligible with the above criteria, they must form an age 0 to grade 12 Literacy Line by forming partnerships with early childhood education (ECE) providers and all other grades to complete an age 0 to grade 12 Literacy Line. This most often would be common “feeder patterns.” Details about forming those partnerships are within the application, and funds are divided among the various ages per federal requirements. Some “feeder pattern” campuses/sites may not meet the above criteria, but may be included in an eligible LEAs Literacy Line. Also, smaller LEAs may need to partner with other “feeder” LEAs to complete a Literacy Line. The fiscal agent (eligible grantee that wins award) will build age 0 to grade 12 Literacy Line with eligible and possible non-eligible campuses/sites. The purpose is to focus on vertical alignment and common feeder patterns to support educators and students throughout their education. While LEAs must meet the eligibility requirements to apply, there may be campuses/sites that do not meet the eligibility requirements. Purpose of ProgramThe purpose of the TLI is to improve school readiness and success in the areas of language and literacy for disadvantaged students in targeted school districts, including their associated ECE providers, who will use the model of Literacy Lines to implement the Texas State Literacy Plan (TSLP). A Literacy Line is a vertical collaborative among feeder-pattern campuses within an LEA or among partnering eligible LEAs (including prekindergarten, elementary, middle, and high schools) and their associated ECE providers, which may include, among others, Early Head Start, Head Start, public or private or nonprofit licensed child care providers, and public prekindergarten programs. Literacy Lines will provide instructional and programming alignment for language, preliteracy, and literacy development and ease the transition for children across their entire learning careers. Grant recipients will be required to form a fully articulated Literacy Line that includes all levels: age zero to school entry, elementary, middle, and high school(s). Details on Literacy Line formation and function are given in the RFA. The goals of the grant program are to (1) increase the oral language and preliteracy skills of participating preschool children; (2) improve the performance of participating Kindergarten-Grade 2 students on early reading assessments; (3) increase the percentage of participating students who meet or exceed proficiency on the state English language arts assessments in Grades 3-12; (4) increase the use of data and data analysis to inform all decision making in participating districts, campuses, classrooms, and early learning settings; and (5) increase the implementation of effective literacy instruction through Literacy Lines. Project FundingApproximately $67,551,826 is available in federal funds for the TLI grant. Funding will be provided for approximately 10 to 30 grantees. Each grantee will receive a grant amount for the 2011-2012 project period that is based upon the number of students and children served by the project. This project is funded 100 percent from Fiscal Year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act (Public Law 111-117) under the Title I demonstration authority (Elementary and Secondary Education Act [ESEA] Part E, Section 1502). Project PeriodThe TLI grant will be implemented beginning in the 2011-2012 school year. It is anticipated that the grant will be for a total of five years, contingent on funding availability, annual reapplication, and full implementation of grant requirements. Applicants should plan for a starting date of no earlier than March 8, 2012, and an ending date for first-year funding of no later than August 31, 2013. Pre-award costs are allowed from award announcement date. Selection CriteriaApplications will be selected based on the ability of each applicant to carry out all requirements contained in the RFA. Reviewers will evaluate applications based on the overall quality and validity of the proposed grant programs and the extent to which the applications address the primary objectives and intent of the project. Applications must address each requirement as specified in the RFA to be considered for funding. 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. 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. How to ApplyThis RFA is in paper format. It must be downloaded, completed on the applicant’s computer desktop, printed, and submitted by mail or hand delivery. The complete RFA is posted on the TEA Grant Opportunities page at http://burleson.tea.state.tx.us/GrantOpportunities/forms/GrantProgramSearch.aspx for viewing and downloading. In the “Select Search Options” box, select the name of the RFA from the drop-down list. Scroll down to the “Application and Support Information” section to view all documents that pertain to this RFA. Applicants’ ConferenceAn applicants’ conference will be held by webinar on Wednesday, October 19, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. To reserve a webinar seat, go to https://meeting.austin.utexas.edu/srclta/. The system requirements for PC-based attendees are Windows 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, or Vista. The requirements for Macintosh-based attendees are Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or later. Each person attending will be required to sign a register setting out the representative’s name and the name, address, and telephone number of the applicant organization. Reporting RequirementsLEAs that are awarded grants are responsible for meeting all required deadlines. Failure to meet deadlines may result in loss of funds and could cause the LEA to be identified as “high risk.” For Further InformationIn order to assure that no prospective applicant may obtain a competitive advantage because of acquisition of information unknown to other prospective applicants, any and all questions pertaining to the RFA must be submitted in writing to the TEA contact person listed on the TEA Grant Opportunities website. In the “Select Search Options” box, select the name of the program/RFA from the drop-down list. Scroll down to “Contact Information.” Copies of the questions and the written answers thereto will be posted on the TEA Grant Opportunities website in the format of frequently asked questions (FAQs) at http://burleson.tea.state.tx.us/GrantOpportunities/forms. In the “Select Search Options” box, select the name of the program/RFA from the drop-down list. Scroll down to “Application and Support Information” to view all documents that pertain to this RFA. Deadline for Receipt of ApplicationsSix copies of the application, with an original signature on Schedule #1—General Information on three of the copies (blue ink preferred), must be received by 5:00 p.m. Central Time, Thursday, November 17, 2011, to be eligible to be considered for funding. Send the application to the following address:
Anita Givens
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