Overview of the FY 2011 SPDG Competition Jennifer Coffey, Ph.D. State Personnel Development Grants Program Lead 1

The Basics  An estimated $10.9 million will be available for new awards  Application package: ant.html  Application is due --- –If using Grants.gov due 4:30:00:00 Eastern time –If mailing, postmarked before 12:00 AM  100 pages for the Project Narrative –Double-spaced –12 point font 2

Budget  Note: We will set the amount of each award after considering--  (1) The amount of funds available for making the grants;  (2) The relative population of the State or outlying area;  (3) The types of activities proposed by the State or outlying area;  (4) The alignment of proposed activities with section 612(a)(14) of IDEA;  (5) The alignment of proposed activities with State plans and applications submitted under sections 1111 and 2112, respectively, of the ESEA; and  (6) The use, as appropriate, of scientifically-based research and instruction.  Estimated Average Size of Awards: $900,000, excluding outlying areas.  Estimated Number of Awards: 11.  Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice. 3

Keep in Mind  90% of your budgeted amount needs to be for activities delineated in (a) “Professional Development Activities” under “Use of Funds”  Must also have an activity or activities related to (b) “Other Activities” under Use of Funds  You must budget to attend the Project Directors’ Conference & $4,000 annually for support of the State Personnel Development Grants Program Web site 4

Contracts and Subgrants  Must award contracts or subgrants to LEAs, institutions of higher education, parent training and information centers, or community parent resource centers, as appropriate, to carry out the State plan; and  May award contracts and subgrants to other public and private entities, including the lead agency under Part C of IDEA, to carry out the State plan. 5

State Personnel Development Plan  Can reference IDEA (Statute) Section for a more holistic view of the SPDG program  An applicant must submit a State Personnel Development Plan that identifies and addresses the State and local needs for personnel preparation and professional development of personnel, as well as individuals who provide direct supplementary aids and services to children with disabilities, and that-- 6

Competitive Preference Priority  Under 34 CFR (c)(2)(i) we award an additional three points to an application that meets the following competitive preference priority. We will award points on an “all or nothing” basis (i.e., three points or zero points) to an applicant that addresses the competitive preference priority in its application based on whether the applicant meets the priority. These points are in addition to any points the application earns under the selection criteria. To be considered for the competitive preference, an applicant must state in its application that it is seeking to meet this competitive preference priority. 7

Competitive Preference Priority -- Implementing Internationally Benchmarked, College- and Career- Ready Elementary and Secondary Academic Standards. Projects that are designed to support the implementation of internationally benchmarked, college- and career-ready academic standards held in common by multiple States and to improve instruction and learning, including projects in the following priority area: The development or implementation of professional development or preparation programs aligned with those standards. 8

The application narrative should include the following sections in this order:  (a) Need for project. (10 points)  (1) The Secretary considers the need for the proposed project.  (2) In determining the need for the proposed project the Secretary considers the extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude of those gaps or weaknesses. 9

(b) Significance. (10 points)  (1) The Secretary considers the significance of the proposed project.  (2) In determining the significance of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the likelihood that the proposed project will result in system change or improvement. 10

(c) Quality of the project design. (20 points)  (1) The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed project.  (2) In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:  (i) The extent to which the goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable.  (ii) The extent to which the design of the proposed project is appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target population or other identified needs.  (iii) The extent to which the proposed activities constitute a coherent, sustained program of training in the field.  (iv) The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects up ‑ to ‑ date knowledge from research and effective practice.  (v) The extent to which the proposed project will establish linkages with other appropriate agencies and organizations providing services to the target population.  (vi) The extent to which the proposed project is part of a comprehensive effort to improve teaching and learning and support rigorous academic standards for students. 11

(d) Quality of project personnel. (8 points)  (1) The Secretary considers the quality of the personnel who will carry out the proposed project.  (2) In determining the quality of project personnel, the Secretary considers the extent to which the applicant encourages applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability.  (3) In addition, the Secretary considers the following factors:  (i) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of key project personnel.  (ii) The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of project consultants or subcontractors. 12

(e) Adequacy of resources. (12 points)  (1) The Secretary considers the adequacy of resources for the proposed project.  (2) In determining the adequacy of resources for the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:  (i) The adequacy of support, including facilities, equipment, supplies, and other resources, from the applicant organization or the lead applicant organization.  (ii) The relevance and demonstrated commitment of each partner in the proposed project to the implementation and success of the project.  (iii) The extent to which the budget is adequate to support the proposed project.  (iv) The extent to which the costs are reasonable in relation to the objectives, design, and potential significance of the proposed project.  (v) The potential for continued support of the project after Federal funding ends, including, as appropriate, the demonstrated commitment of appropriate entities to this type of support. 13

(f) Quality of the management plan. (20 points)  (1) The Secretary considers the quality of the management plan for the proposed project.  (2) In determining the quality of the management plan for the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following factors:  (i) The adequacy of the management plan to achieve the objectives of the proposed project on time and within budget, including clearly defined responsibilities, timelines, and milestones for accomplishing project tasks.  (ii) How the applicant will ensure that a diversity of perspectives are brought to bear in the operation of the proposed project, including those of parents, teachers, the business community, a variety of disciplinary and professional fields, recipients or beneficiaries of services, or others, as appropriate. 14

(g) Quality of the project evaluation. (20 points)  (1) The Secretary considers the quality of the evaluation to be conducted of the proposed project.  (2) In determining the quality of the evaluation, the Secretary considers the following factors:  (i) The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, feasible, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the proposed project.  (ii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation provide for examining the effectiveness of project implementation strategies.  (iii) The extent to which the methods of evaluation include the use of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative data to the extent possible.  (iv) The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes. 15

Program Measures  Performance Measures:  Each grantee funded under this competition must collect and annually report data related to its performance on these measures in the project’s annual and final performance report to the Department in accordance with section 653(d) of IDEA and 34 CFR  Applicants should discuss in the application narrative how they propose to collect performance data for these measures. 16

The Department is revising the performance measures developed for this program pursuant to the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 to better assess the success of the program in meeting these goals. The revised measures will assess the extent to which: –Projects use evidence-based professional development practices to support the attainment of identified competencies. –Participants in SPDG professional development demonstrate improvement in implementation of SPDG- supported practices over time. –Projects use SPDG professional development funds to provide activities designed to sustain the use of SPDG- supported practices. –Highly qualified special education teachers that have participated in SPDG supported special education teacher retention activities remain as special education teachers two years after their initial participation in these activities. 17

Electronic Submission  You should review and follow the Education Submission Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are included in the application package for this program to ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to Grants.gov under News and Events on the Department’s G5 system home page at  Note: If you submit your application electronically, you must upload any narrative sections and all other attachments to your application as files in a.PDF (Portable Document) format only. If you upload a file type other than a.PDF or submit a password- protected file, we will not review that material. 18

Electronic Application   If you choose to submit your application electronically, you must use the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not an electronic copy of a grant application to us.  You may access the electronic grant application for the State Personnel Development Grants Program competition, CFDA number A at You must search for the downloadable application package for this competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number’s alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for , not A). 19